By Madisyn White

Rowan County 4-H

I’ve been a member of Rowan County 4-H for almost seven years. I started 4-H when I was 6 years old as part of a local horse club called East Equine Explorers 4-H Club. I’ve always loved horses and wanted to start horseback riding.

I started lessons at Rockwater Farm in Rockwell, and my instructor, Ann Furr, had a horse 4-H club. At 6 years old, I started as a Cloverbud. I was a little nervous at first because I was so young. But all the older 4-H members were good role models and helped me.

One reason I love 4-H so much is the horse shows. At my very first horse show, I fell in love with it. There are so many people being supportive when you are on your horse at such a young age. You get to see how you perform under pressure.

Overall, it is a really fun experience. I have competed in local shows, the district 4-H show and the state 4-H show.

Another reason I love 4-H is all the opportunities you have to meet new people. I am currently a 4-H officer on County Council and in my local club, the Rowan Researchers 4-H Club. We do a lot of things in the community and get to meet lots of new friends through other clubs and 4-H programs and workshops. 

4-H also has lots of opportunities that can help me in high school, college and my overall life. One way 4-H has helped me is through a public speaking course. It was a couple of months long, and we met every Tuesday. Each week we had to write a speech and give it to our other classmates. Every time I felt more comfortable giving speeches in front of an audience, and even now at school, I feel comfortable giving speeches and presentations. I have even entered speech competitions through 4-H.

I also enjoy doing community service projects through our 4-H club and county 4-H program. One project I do is to help with the Rowan County Humane Society. I volunteer at its spaghetti dinner and dog washes and by collecting donations.

There are lots of ways to get involved with 4-H and there’s always something new and fun to do. This year our club has done archery and arts and crafts, visited an alpaca farm, showed chickens through the broiler project at the county fair and created a booth to display at the fair.

As I get older, there are more opportunities to participate in with 4-H. I look forward to being able to go on teen retreats, enrichment programs, and state and national events. 

4-H has something for everyone and provides leadership, public speaking, and citizenship skills to help you become more confident and outgoing.