Cornell Cooperative Extension
and 4H Clubs promote horse programs

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County sponsors 4-H clubs in the area, an organization for all youth ages 5 to 18. The professional knowledge, information and research comes from Cornell University and passed on to every county in New York state through the Cornell Cooperative Extension. It allows youth to explore a wide range of project activities from crafts, science, agriculture and animals. There are many 4-H clubs in the readership area that are horse clubs.

Tara Defendorf, the Animal Science 4-H Extension Educator for Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Education, is a 4-H leader herself and owner of a horse farm that breeds Welsh ponies. She is also president of the Northampton Riding Club. She regularly visits schools with educational information on animals, and is involved in the many seminars that the Extension sponsors. She will be a guest speaker at the upcoming "So you want to buy a horse?!" seminar that the horse program is sponsoring on March 15.

The seminar is for families who are considering buying a horse, and discusses the realities and the responsibilities of owning one. The $5 fee benefits the horse program. Finding the right horse, a pre-purchase exam, the question whether to board or not and keeping a healthy horse are the topics discussed at the seminar. For information, call Tara Defendorf at 585-461-1000, extension 234.

Currently, 4-H groups are busily preparing projects for the Monroe County and New York state fairs. Defendorf's group is working on a public speaking presentation to give to judges about horses, complete with posters. "It teaches the art of public speaking. When they have a topic that they love, it is much easier to speak in front of someone judging you," Defendorf said.

Marilyn Munzert has been a volunteer 4-H leader in Albion for over 20 years with her Bits and Pieces group. "4-H teaches youth how to be self-sufficient and a leader in the community, making a well rounded citizen," she said. "The fair is a culmination of a year's worth of project work. Competition is not emphasized - it is a way to show how you have learned and grown."

Munzert's group is presenting their emergency disaster plans as a community service project at the fair. They contacted local volunteer emergency personnel and invited them to Munzert's farm, where they taught the workers how to rescue animals in case of an emergency, whether it be a fire, chemical spill or a loose animal. They also worked with the Red Cross.

The Bits and Pieces group showed rescue workers how to holster a horse, lead them, and return them to safety. They distributed surveys to area farms asking how many animals were on the property, where the animals were located, where the water supply was, and if they had an evacuation plan. The emergency personnel were willing to come to each barn to develop such a plan. While the response was not what they had hoped, the group, including the rescue workers, got a good education in rescuing animals, and the club is writing a manual on the procedures for doing so. Contact Marilyn Munzert at 589-9181 with help in preparing a rescue plan.

Volunteers Ilze Bullwinkle, Barb Widener and Cindy Nichols lead the Mystic Horse Feathers group. Their group also concentrates on community service as well as trail riding. They do much of their riding in Black Creek Park in Chili. Their community service projects include Christmas caroling and raising money for the Salvation Army. They are currently working on a bridle rack as one of their many projects.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County also sponsors horse shows, a horse camp, and a swap and shop auction every year.

On Saturday, March 22 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester, the 4-H Horsemen's Swap 'n Shop and Auction fundraisers offers a chance to sell horse related items with a 10 percent commission to 4-H; or to buy from other individuals or from the auction of donated items. The event runs from 9 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. Call 585-461-1000, extension 234 for information.

Editor's Note: This is the third and last in a series on horses.