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Equine Judging Team Claims Third Place

By Jenny Bjelland
UW-RF News Bureau

JAN. 28, 2005--The UW-River Falls horse judging team concluded the fall judging season placing third of 22 teams at the National Reining Horsing Association Futurity Intercollegiate Judging Contest in Oklahoma City, Okla.

According to team coach and animal science Professor Kristina Hiney, the contest required the students to demonstrate an immense amount of knowledge of the equine industry comparable to that of professional equine judges. The contest is very similar to the process that NRHA judge applicants must complete during their testing process, said Hiney.

The contest began on Dec. 2, 2004, with students taking a written rulebook test and a penalty clip test. On Dec. 3, the students judged 20 live runs where they were required to rank all 20 horses in the correct order according to the NRHA judges and then match the score for each run with the actual judge's score.

The third place finish at the NRHA Futurity ended the team's successful fall judging schedule which also included a 4th place overall finish for the sophomore team in the junior college division at the All American Quarter Horse Congress and an 8th place overall finish for the team at American Quarter Horse Association World Show.

The UW-RF judging team consisted of eight UW-RF students: Lacy Crownhart, a senior animal science major from Verona, Wis.; Cassandra Tousey, a senior animal science major from Gillett, Wis.; Trisha Keller, a senior animal science major from Palmyra, Wis.; Kim Holtz, a senior animal science major from Vesper, Wis.; Heather Reichert, a senior broad area agriculture major from Marshfield, Wis.; Sara Novotny, a sophomore animal science major from Hazelhurst, Wis.; Jessica Yocum, a sophomore animal science major from Mora, Minn.; and Gretchen Semrud, a sophomore animal science major from Hugo, Minn.

Yocum led the team to its third place finish by claiming the sixth high individual title.

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