The Horse Project/Judging Team and Livestock Club/Judging Team meets separately in the spring and fall. You do not need to own any animal to be able to join! For information about joining contact Dannie BradfordSo, what is horse and livestock judging and how does it impact judging team members? If you ask any current or former judging team member, they could probably go on and on about the positive learning experiences and their opportunites to meet new people and travel to new places. On a basic level, horse and livestock judging consists of two primary components: 1) placing a group of animals and 2) orally justifying your decision - or as its commonly known, giving reasons. Each area requires judging team members to go through different steps and processes to arrive at their decisions.
When a judging team member analyzes a class of animlas, he or she is not only comparing the animals in the class, but also comparing each animal to the ideal animal in that species. The judge must establish priority areas and develop strategies to arrive at the final placing of that particular class. Marion County 4-H offers horse and livestock judging to all students in 4th-12th grades. Participating on a horse or livestock judging team offers many benefits to 4-H members. Team members are exposed to team work, effective communication skills, and analytical thinking. Team members also build self confidence as they become more comfortable with both components of judging. Development of these skills benefits every area of the student's life.