If you grew up in rural Manitoba, you may have heard about the 4-H Club. What you might not know, however, is that not only is the club an international not-for-profit organization, but it also creates curriculums that tailor to unique interests.
A local club has taken advantage of this opportunity, offering an equestrian-based program called the Steinbach Sunset Riders 4-H Light Horse and Pony Club. The club, which is based out of Cloud 9 Ranch, is led by Tara Reimer, who created the club based on her own interests and skillset, as well as the demands of the community.
“4-H is an international youth and volunteer organization that began in Roland, Manitoba in 1913,” she says of the program’s history. “It’s a program that provides members with the resources and activities to build self-confidence, communication, and leadership skills while learning about a topic of their choice. Each member picks a project and works with a volunteer leader to develop his/her skills related to the project of choice. In Manitoba, there are over 80 interesting hands-on projects.”
Reimer grew up with a family who was involved in 4-H, with herself being the first in her family to join at the age of eight in the mid-1980s, with her three siblings eventually following suit and her mother becoming a leader. Once she aged out of the program at 25 years old, she became a leader at the Grunthal Sunset Riders 4-H Club, where she remained for the next six years.
“After taking a break, I decided to start our new club so that my sons and our Cloud 9 Ranch riding students could take advantage of all that 4-H offers,” she says. “We are a unique light horse 4-H club because we don’t require members to own their own horses. We allow members to use our Cloud 9 Ranch lesson horses for no charge in our riding sessions and for record-keeping.”
Individual 4-H clubs can structure their year as they see fit, based on the needs of their members. Steinbach Sunset Riders 4-H Light Horse and Pony Club has members from all over the southeast region and meets monthly from September until June on Saturdays for four and half hours at Cloud 9 Ranch. The meeting is run by the members and begins by discussing upcoming events, sponsorships, or other topics that may require a vote. After 30 minutes, members are split off into groups based on riding level and work through the workbooks provided by the Manitoba 4-H council.
“Members can work through the levels at their own pace and there is no limit or time frame to do this,” Reimer says. “Around noon, members eat snacks brought by other members and donated by Sobeys Steinbach. In the last two hours of our meeting, we generally have guests teaching on topics such as Feeds and Feeding, Farrier (Hoof Care), Vet (Horse Health), Saddle Fitting, or we ride horses. Our club aims to teach about the many aspects of owning and working with horses while also developing life skills, including responsibility, courage, confidence, organization, compassion, public speaking, respect, and more!”
This year the club has had 42 members ranging in age from six to 21, as well as a dozen leaders who teach various activities.
One of the biggest parts of 4-H is the communications event and is a requirement in order to complete and be recognized for your 4-H year.
“The communications event itself begins at the club level where all members write and deliver either a speech, one-person, or two-person visual presentation according to rules and a standard, on a topic of their choice,” Reimer explains.
The event will take place on Saturday, February 9 at Steinbach MB Church at 10:00 a.m. sharp, with judging expected to be complete by noon. It is open to the public. According to Reimer, first and second place winners in each age and category will then compete at Zones, which Reimer’s club is hosting on Saturday, February 16 at the Steinbach Bible College at 10:00 a.m. Other clubs from the South Zone include Piney, Woodmore, and Grunthal. Zones will occur in Piney, with Provincials to follow in Portage la Prairie on March 9.
