ECC Horse Judging Team is ranked 5th in the nation
Five Ellsworth Community College students attended the Collegiate Horse Judging Contest at the American Quarter Horse Congress earlier this month and came home with 16 total awards. As a result, ECC is now ranked 5th in the nation in the Junior College Division of Collegiate Horse Judging!
ECC student participants were Caitlin Brown of Ellsworth, IA; Taylor Morgan of New Providence, IA; Tyler Stacey of Berrien Springs, MI; Jada Staples of New Providence, IA; and Amanda Thompson of Coon Rapids, MN. They were accompanied by ECC Coach and Equine Associate Professor Megan Gogerty.
“The ECC students judged four halter classes, eight performance classes, and gave five sets of reasons as part of the judging competition,” explains Gogerty. “They competed against 14 other teams, starting the day at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. … it was intense. I’m very proud of the work that they put in preparing for the competition, and I think the results speak for themselves.”
Specifically, the ECC team placed 5th in halter, 5th in performance, and 5th overall (halter, performance and reason scores combined). Individually, Amanda Thompson placed 9th overall.
The Junior College Division of the Collegiate Horse Judging Contest at the American Quarter Horse Congress was held Oct. 17 in Columbus, Ohio. The ECC team will compete Nov. 15 in the American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Collegiate Horse Judging Contest in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured with their Horse Judging Contest awards are, from left, ECC Equine Associate Professor Megan Gogerty, Caitlyn Brown, Jada Staples, Amanda Thompson, Taylor Morgan and Tyler Stacey.