Dr. Ron Butler – Dr. Butler is a faculty member and is Chairman of the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University.  He is the leader of our department, of which the NYS 4-H Program is one of the educational outreach components of.  These are very difficult times in the Cornell Cooperative Extension system and for the University.  Budget dollars, manpower, and volunteers are very precious commodities.  Come and hear what Dr. Butler has to say about the NYS 4-H Horse Program, how it fits into the Departmental initiative, and what the future might look like.

Kelly Radzik – Kelly is an expert in science, education, and curriculum development.  She is a very proud graduate of the Ulster County 4-H Program.  She attended SUNY Cobleskill as a pre-veterinary student earning her Associates degree, then received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Masters in Education from the University of Georgia.  She is currently a 4-H Educator for Columbia County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Kelly will be here to entice all of us to get more science into our 4-H educational activities with youths.  The horse is a wonderful “magnet” for children in which many things can be taught.  Kelly is involved in the national SET initiative.  SET stands for Science, Engineering, and Technology.

How can we better prepare “kids” in the 4-H Horse Program for future careers?  The current buzz words for this preparation are to teach them more about “science, engineering, and technology”.   But not all youths are turned on by science in their school systems…so how can the 4-H program help?

Science is nothing more than a formal method of problem solving….and this is something that most kids do really well and do it every day!!  How much fun could it be if they learn to use their interest in animals and in particular horses to learn more about science, engineering, and technology?   How can we as adults that work with youths help make it FUN!!  Join Kelly as she gives us simple tools to help youths develop science skills.  She will share science activities that will fit right into normal 4-H club activities.  Come and have some FUN and learn about SET!!

April Winslow – Many of you already know April Winslow.  April is a graduate of the Bachelor of Technology Equine program from Morrisville State College.  April wears many different hats in the New York State, and in particular wears several different hats in the New York State 4-H Horse Program.

April is a Cornell Cooperative Extension Educator in Madison County, the volunteer Chair for Horse Judging for the NYS 4-H Horse Education Committee (HEC), Coach of the NYS 4-H Horse Judging Team that competes at the national level in Kentucky at the Eastern National 4-H Horse Roundup, and she is the Educational Events Coordinator for the NYS 4-H Horse Program.  She also judges professionally in her spare time!!

April will be wearing her horse judging “hat” with us and sharing her interest and knowledge in this area.  She has been involved in judging horses since she was a student at Morrisville, working intensively under the watchful eye of the infamous Spike Holmes.

Many of you would like to get more youths in your county and regional programs involved in the horse judging educational events due to the fact that in reality it is a decision making event.  Involvement in the judging of horses teaches youths to make decisions, justify those decisions, make comparisons, prepare oral reasons, develop oral communications skills, increase organizational skills, develop presentation skills, increase self esteem, and so much more.

  Unfortunately many staff, volunteers, and the youths themselves are intimidated by the whole “judging process”.  They do not feel qualified to make decisions, place their classes, are uncomfortable about oral reasons, and are just plain nervous about the whole process.  April will show you a “method” that makes it all seem simple, develop a language set to prepare oral reason, and so much more.  You will learn to work with youth to give them the confidence they need to enjoy this educational event.  Come and learn from April!!

Dawn Samuelson – Dawn is quite a horse lady.  Just look at her on the cover of “Country Woman” magazine!!  She will be at Cornell to present her famous “Through the Horses’ Eyes”© program.  This program is a learner-centered experiential educational process in which horses “teach” participants about themselves, their patterns of interaction with others, and the larger social system.

Through demonstrations and interactive activities using horses, this model helps people to better understand themselves and others.  It helps individuals to not only realize the reciprocal nature of interpersonal dynamics but also encourages people to understand their responsibility and control of those dynamics in an effort to improve their own interpersonal effectiveness and relationship skills.

Participants will be taught a variety of life skills such as respect, personal boundaries, effective communication, trust, relationship building, goal setting, team work, leadership, assertiveness, self-confidence, and many others.  Horses will be used to show that handlers can learn how to manage the interaction between themselves and the horse simply by attending to the horse’s reactions, understanding the messages being relayed, and changing their own method of communication and interpersonal behavior to elicit a more desirable response from the horse.

Come and learn about the “emotional coat” that we all wear.  Learn how this “coat” affects those around us.  Find out what coat you are wearing.  Is it zipped up tightly?  Can you take your emotional coat off?  This program is not only a real eye opener about our communications skills that we use with horses, but also with our communications with the people that we interact with throughout our every-day lives.  This will be a FUN and unique experience in which we will learn to take ownership for our behaviors.   Participants will learn tools and strategies to help them make good decisions about how they communicate.  Do not miss it!!  It will not only help you communicate better with horses, but with people as well.