Riding
High
Shaler seventh
graders Sydney
Ford and Connor
Smith gear up
for this year’s
Pennsylvania State
4-H Horse Show
after winning at
the county and
district levels.
BY niCOLe TaFe
T
wo of Shaler Area’s seventh graders
are riding in style. Sydney Ford
and Connor Smith qualifi ed for the
Pennsylvania State 4-H Horse Show by
competing and winning at the county and
district levels. Th e two riders are members
of a local 4-H horse riding club—Th e North
Ridge Riders—based in Allegheny County.
Sydney, 12, is the daughter of John and
April Ford of Shaler. “My great-aunt has
a boarding facility and is the Allegheny
County 4-H leader,” she says. “She got me
my fi rst pony and helped to foster my love
of horses.”
Sydney started working with horses when
she was 7. Her pony is named Goodness
Gracious, but she and her family call her
Gracie. “Aft er we leased her for a few years,
my mom and dad bought her for me for
Christmas last year,” explains Sydney, who
also has a 2-year-old pony, Huntzy, and a
miniature horse, Tango.
Sydney belongs to L’Fordable Stables
and practices there with her instructor,
her great-aunt Lynne Ford, who also gives
private instruction to Connor.
“Many hours of practice and care goes
into showing a horse,” Sydney says. From
feeding twice a day to cleaning out stalls,
making sure the horses get enough exercise,
grooming, vet care and more—Sydney
takes part in all of it.
She competes with Gracie in all local 4-H
events. She also shows her at North Park at
shows run by North Allegheny Horseman’s
Association (NAHA) and jumping
shows at Fair Haven Farms in Grove City.
Additionally, she also shows every year at
the All American Youth Horse Show in
Columbus, Ohio.
“I enjoy competing because I like to
challenge myself and see what I have
learned,” Sydney says. “I compete in classes
in trail, fl at classes and jumping.”
Th is year’s state competition is being
held on the last weekend in October. To
get to the state show, Sydney had to place
fi rst through sixth in the county show, and
fi rst through third in the district show, held
at Westmoreland County Fairgrounds at
the beginning of September. “I got a third
in trail and a fi rst in Hunter Under Saddle
Ponies, so I will be showing at the state
show in both of these classes,” she explains.
The 2018 Pennsylvania State 4-H Horse Show takes place October 26-28.
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