September 03, 2014

Media Advisory – FFA Horse Judging

Southern Illinois University Carbondale expects approximately 200 horse-loving high school students to visit campus on Friday, Sept. 5. From 9 a.m. to noon, the university will host an FFA horse judging competition at the SIU Equine Center, 2194 Union Hill Road, Carbondale. 

Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to cover the event. Participating students will evaluate horses in sets, or classes, of four, ranking them by breed or type standards and overall physical structure. The students themselves are judged on how well they evaluate the horses. The students will compete for a $500 scholarship that goes to the top-ranked senior who plans to attend SIU Carbondale in fall 2015 and who will pursue a major or minor in equine science. The Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition and the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences fund the scholarship. 

The tentative agenda includes seven classes for the students to judge: three halter classes and four performance classes. Halter classes focus on the overall structure of the horse, with the horses presented standing still and walking or trotting in a straight line to and away from the students. In the performance classes, students evaluate the horses on suitability for the event, soundness, and movement. 

The SIU Carbondale Equine Center is part of University Farms and the College of Agricultural Sciences.