Ju - Centaurs 4H Club

Flying Lead Changes
the CENTAURS 4-H CLUB newsletter
December 2005
www.centaurs4hclub.org "RIDE WITH PRIDE"
“It's a lot like nuts and bolts - if the rider's nuts, the horse bolts!" - Nicholas Evans
July 2012 Hope everyone has a GREAT 4 th of July!
Our next Club meeting: Thursday, July 19, 2012 7:00 p.m. the Pecukonis barn
This Month's Highlights:
Centaurs Club Meeting: Farrier Basics
Canned Food Drive
Maryland State 4-H Horse Jamboree
Don't forget to bring:
Two canned goods or boxed food items
for our Community Service
THE MANE
EVENT
Our July Club Meeting: Farrier Basics -
Our next Club meeting will be held on
Thursday, July 19th 7:00 at the barn
located at the home of the Pecukonis
family. Seth Whitely, farrier, will be
discussing basic farrier techniques. A
farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care,
including the trimming and balancing of
horses' hooves and the placing of shoes
on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier
combines some blacksmith's skills
(fabricating, adapting, and adjusting
metal shoes) with
some veterinarian's
skills (knowledge of
the anatomy and
physiology of the
lower limb) to care for
horses' feet. Seth will
be demonstrating
basic things every
horse person should
know such as how to
handle emergency
shoe removal, what to
do if your horse steps
on a nail, and what
tools a farrier uses.
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Centaurs 4-H Club Leaders: Marcie Barnard 410-461-3985 Barb Dashiell 301-262-4549
Sue Hart 301-776-8134 Beckie Peregoy 410-635-3281
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status,
or national origin.

The following families are responsible for
bringing snack items at the July Club
meeting:
Sweet snack: Fogel Family
Salty snack: Hart Family
Drinks (including paper napkins and
cups): Hollidge Family
The Pecukonis Farm is located at the
following address. Please meet in the
barn. We will be starting at 7:00 promptly
so get there in time!
Marya and Meredith Pecukonis
3244 Danmark Drive
Glenwood, Maryland
21738
More Canned Goods Needed! – Calling
all Centaurs! The Harts have a great idea
for the Club Float for the Howard County
Fair. We are asking all Club members
to bring at least two canned goods or
boxed food items to donate for the
needy. Not only will this be a great
Community Service, but it will also be
used in our Club. So, please bring in your
donation items at the July Club meeting.
4-H Fair Building Watch - The
Centaurs have been assigned to watch the
4-H Building on Friday August 10 th from
6:00 to 10:00.
Clubs on duty supervise the entire 4-H
Indoor Exhibit Building, plus a portion of
the Vegetable Building. You will be
responsible to watch the front and back of
each building where there are exits, as
well as answer any questions from the
public. You must be alert to ensure that
entries are not damaged or stolen. You
must also keep the central information
area presentable, as well. This is a great
opportunity to gain some extra
Leadership points and experience for
your Record Book.
We will be working in two hour shifts.
Please e-mail Marcie Barnard at
marcie.barnard@ngc.com if you can help.
Following are the shifts that we will need
help:
6:00 to 8:00
8:00 to 10:00
If you would like to help, please contact
Marcie Barnard as soon as possible.
Page 2
Centaurs 4-H Club Leaders: Marcie Barnard 410-461-3985 Barb Dashiell 301-262-4549
Sue Hart 301-776-8134 Beckie Peregoy 410-635-3281
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status,
or national origin.

Club Books Due - Reminder: The
following Club books are due to the 4-H
Office by July 30 th for judging at the
Howard County Fair:
BOOKS ENTERED AT FAIR:
Treasurer’s Book for the entire
previous year (2011) (We do not
have)
Program Planning Book for the
previous year (2011) (Janina
Vickers). (Updated from the one
turned in at the beginning of the
previous year in February)
Corresponding Secretary Book for
the entire previous year (2011)
(Danielle Wheelbarger)
Recording Secretary Book for the
entire previous year (2011).
(Kaylee Beklik and Katie
Hollidge)
Historian Book for the entire
previous year. (Lauren Hollidge)
Do not wait until the last minute to get
your book ready!
Quality Assurance - All Centaurs 4-H
Club members who are planning to show
their horse at either the Howard County
Fair or the Maryland State Fair must
complete the animal husbandry and
quality assurance training. The online
Quality Assurance program is now
available through July 31st. Use the link
provided below. You must complete the
online training prior to exhibiting your
project animals in Maryland County 4-H
and State 4-H shows. Please read the
following information very carefully:
www.maryland4h.org/AHQA
There is no password for Howard County.
On the opening page scroll down to the
bottom and click on begin. When you
start that process, you will come to a page
where is asks you to register giving your
name, county and birth date. Once you
click register it will give you a pass code.
WRITE THIS CODE DOWN, you will
need it each time you log in. If you forget
your password or lose it, you will have to
register again and start all over.
If you have any questions about this
program, contact Marcie Barnard or the
4-H Office.
Keep Your Focus - Ten Tips To Stay
Mentally Focused In The Show Ring
From The American Quarter Horse
Journal
If you are relaxed going into the ring, chances
are your horse will be tool. Journal photo.
Everyone makes mistakes in the show
ring. Many times, people let those
mistakes affect the rest of their show
experience. But there are ways to
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Centaurs 4-H Club Leaders: Marcie Barnard 410-461-3985 Barb Dashiell 301-262-4549
Sue Hart 301-776-8134 Beckie Peregoy 410-635-3281
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status,
or national origin.

overcome adversity and stay mentally
tough in the show ring.
Michigan State University Equine
Extension Specialist Karen Waite of East
Lansing, Michigan, and trainer Brynne
Bassler of Tomball, Texas, offer these
tips for exhibitors:
1. Take one event at a time.
“I tell my people to take one event at a
time,” Brynne says. “Don’t worry about
the trail at the end of the day until you get
there.”
Although Brynne stresses to her clients
the importance of knowing their patterns,
many times she won’t allow them to
study a pattern until it is almost time for
that class.
After an exhibitor completes his class, no
matter whether it was a good or bad go,
Brynne encourages her clients to reflect
on the class.
2 Change your thinking.
The fear of failure is perhaps the biggest
obstacle for most competitors.
“We sometimes ride to avoid losing, as
opposed to riding to win,” Karen says.
Karen recommends that riders focus on
the individual elements of a pattern, or if
it’s a rail class, to make each element in
the class as correct as possible.
3. Learn to relax.
“It takes practice to relax, especially in
this day and age,” Karen says. “Practicing
deep breathing exercises and focusing on
your breath can really help.”
Many times, exhibitors hold their breath
and tense up while they are showing.
“If you focus on your breath while
showing, that can sometimes be enough
to distract you from everything going on
in your mind, too. It’s like meditating. If
you find your mind wandering to
something else, just bring it back to your
breath and your horse and go from there.”
If you are feeling pressure or stress,
Karen recommends taking a 15-minute
window before the class and another 15
minutes after the class just for yourself.
4. Practice positive visualization.
Visualization can help an exhibitor
immensely, but to do it well, you need to
know how to relax, Karen says.
“Clear your mind of everything else and
imagine yourself doing patterns
absolutely perfectly,” she says. “When
you’re imagining something, whether it is
good or bad, your brain doesn’t really
know any differently. If your horse has a
tendency to make a mistake at a particular
spot in a pattern, don’t focus on that.
Instead, imagine your horse doing it
perfectly.”
5. Get rid of the negative.
If things go wrong, remember there’s
always another horse show.
“If you make a mistake in your pattern or
have a bad go, don’t come out of the
arena so torn up about it that it ruins your
whole day,” Brynne says.
Page 4
Centaurs 4-H Club Leaders: Marcie Barnard 410-461-3985 Barb Dashiell 301-262-4549
Sue Hart 301-776-8134 Beckie Peregoy 410-635-3281
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status,
or national origin.

Instead, go to someone supportive, like
your trainer or a friend, to talk about what
you did wrong.
Then relax for a few minutes to think
about the run and what you’re going to do
to make it better next time.
“Then forget about it,” Brynne says.
6. Reflect at the end of the day.
At the end of the show day, Brynne
encourages her amateurs and youth to
reflect on what they have done.
She says it is often helpful to write down
both the positive and negative aspects of
the day, kind of like a journal.
Another thing Brynne likes to do is write
down the judge for the day and what they
seemed to prefer in a class.
7. Be prepared mentally.
“I think a lot of people get so anxious to
do the best they can, they overdo it,”
Brynne says. “My firm belief is to do
your homework at home before you go to
the horse show. If you’ve done that, then
trust yourself when you get to the show.
Don’t get there and panic.”
8. Take care of yourself.
Showing horses is supposed to be fun,
and many times competitors forget that.
It’s OK to be competitive, but at the end
of the day, smile and say hello to your
fellow exhibitors.
And remember to take care of your
physical needs.
“Get plenty of rest. Get plenty of water.
Eat right. Maybe get away from the show
grounds if it’s an extended show and go
do something else,” Karen says.
Taking care of yourself also means
surrounding yourself with supportive,
positive people.
9. Don’t push it.
“If you’re tired and cranky, it’s not going
to work,” Brynne says.
Don’t start your day out on a bad note.
“If you wake up and you’re in a bad
mood, go eat breakfast. Do something
that will take your mind off the negative
parts of the day,” she says.
Make sure you take plenty of time to get
ready to show, getting dressed, doing
your hair and taking care of your horse.
“You don’t want to be in a rush,” Brynne
says.
10. Don’t forget your horse.
“Sometimes all of these stresses of
showing wind up getting taken out on the
horse,” Karen says.
If your horse is having a bad day, Brynne
recommends letting the horse have some
time to relax.
“He doesn’t need to go through the
pattern 12 times just because you’re
nervous about it,” she says. “Make sure
you have plenty of time to practice, but
don’t over do it. If he’s being really good,
go put him away, don’t keep schooling
him.”
Page 5
Centaurs 4-H Club Leaders: Marcie Barnard 410-461-3985 Barb Dashiell 301-262-4549
Sue Hart 301-776-8134 Beckie Peregoy 410-635-3281
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status,
or national origin.

Also, if you know your horse gets tired
after three days of a big show, and he’s
not going to be in a good mood or ready
for his class, you might consider taking
the day off.
Mark Your Calendars!
July 13 th to 15 th – Maryland State 4-H
Horse Jamboree
July 22 nd – MWHA Horse Show
August 4 th – Howard County Fair Horse
and Pony Show
August 10 th – Centaurs Building Watch
August 11 th – Parade of Floats
August 12 th – MWHA Horse Show
August 18 th – Centaurs Trip to Kelley’s
Ford
August 23 rd to 26 th – State Fair Horse
Show
Page 6
Centaurs 4-H Club Leaders: Marcie Barnard 410-461-3985 Barb Dashiell 301-262-4549
Sue Hart 301-776-8134 Beckie Peregoy 410-635-3281
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status,
or national origin.