NA Represents at the
PA 4-H State Championship
Horse Show
F
Elizabeth Herald, Emilie Hoover, Sarah Mee and
Annie Messer represent North Allegheny in this
year’s PA 4-H State Championship Horse Show.
BY NICOLE TAFE
our young women from North Allegheny—Elizabeth
Herald, Emilie Hoover, Sarah Mee and Annie
Messer—were among the 16 riders with 17 horses that
represented Allegheny County 4-H at this year’s PA
4-H State Championship Horse Show, held at the Farm Show
Complex in Harrisburg, Oct. 26-28.
All four girls are members of the North Ridge Riders 4H Club
and take lessons at Parkview Riding Academy in Wexford, under
the direction of Wanda and Tanya Haney. “I’ve been coaching
kids in 4-H since 2008 and was showing in 4-H for many years
before that,” says Tanya. “I enjoy passing my knowledge on to the
kids in 4-H because I know how important it is to have a mentor/
coach in the show world who has been there and done that,
and who encourages kids to push themselves to be great in
all aspects of life. I am very proud of all my kids and all their
accomplishments—it just proves that hard work and dedication
will pay off in the end.”
In order to qualify for the State Horse Show, riders must first
qualify through their county show and then place in the top
three or four at their district horse show, depending on the size
of the class. Allegheny County is in District 10, which includes
Allegheny, Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana, Washington and
Westmoreland counties.
Elizabeth (Lizzy) Herald, 17, is a senior at North Allegheny
where she’s involved in the ski club, North Allegheny Choir and
Italian Club. Outside of school, she’s part of her church’s youth
group and adult choir, in addition to being involved with 4-H.
Sarah Mee
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“I’ve been interested in horses
my entire life,” says Elizabeth,
daughter of Tim and Dana Herald.
“After reading horse books for
years, I started taking lessons in
4th grade and began competing in
2014. I love everything about it—
the adrenaline rush when I go into
the ring, all the hard work paying
off as my name is called over the
loudspeaker. I love everything
about showing horses!”
Currently, Elizabeth
leases a miniature horse named
Star Lakes Sweet Dream, aka
Sweet. “We’ve been a team since
2017 and are both retiring from
4-H this year as I head to college
in the fall,” she says.
Emilie Hoover
This year marked Elizabeth’s
fifth time qualifying for states. “This particular states was very
bittersweet,” she notes. “Though I didn’t place in my final classes,
I had the opportunity to watch my amazing teammates grab top
spots in their classes.”
Showing horses has influenced everything in Elizabeth’s life.
“Over the years, showing has taught me independence, time/
money management, speaking and working with people and
horses, and helping me find myself,” she explains. “Horses have
pushed me through darker times in my life and I am eternally
grateful for the horses and people who have helped me become
the person I am today.”
Emilie Hoover, 15, became interested in horses when she
was 5, after a field trip. Today, she shows in miniature driving,
miniature jumping and miniature trail—all of which require
many hours of practice.
This year Emilie competed in the All American Youth Horse
Show in Columbus, Ohio, the Production Horse Show for horses
ages 1-5, and several others in the North Park area, in addition to
the 4-H shows—county, district and state.
“It was a lot of fun and I was really excited to go,” says Emilie,
who spent a lot of time cheering on other members of her club
when she wasn’t working with or showing her horse. “It was
a positive experience in both showing my horse and building
friendships.”
Emilie, daughter of Geno and Judy Hoover, placed 8th overall
in the Miniature Horse In-Hand Trail class. This year was her first
time competing with a miniature horse. “I truly love my horse