Rachel Buchanan has earned seat on the Virginia State Educational Team competing at the Southern Regional competition. Rachel will be competing as a member of the Hippology team.
In March, Buchanan competed as an individual at the EquiSmartz Hippology, Horse Bowl, and Horse Judging competition in Lexington. Due to her high score in Hippology, she qualified for a seat on the state team. Hippology is a competition that consists of multiple-choice questions, identification of items and/or pictures, and horse judging.
Buchanan just finished her freshman year at James River High School and has been a long-time member of Botetourt County’s 4-H Horse and Pony Club. Her time as an active member has helped her to acquire the knowledge she needed to earn her spot on the state team. Buchanan has been studying in depth such topics as equine nutrition, the equine reproductive systems, how the individual systems (i.e. musculature, digestive, etc.) work, differences in breeds, and similarities and differences of different riding disciplines.
In order to prepare for the Southern Regional competition, she is studying daily, participating in on-line course work, and July 12-13 she will be going to Front Royal for a team practice. The competition itself will begin July 31 in Perry, Ga.
Buchanan and Virginia team have travel expenses, hotel room, food, etc. There is a crowdfunding campaign being hosted to help offset these costs for all those 4-H members that will be representing Virginia at the Southern Regional Educational Competition. To support the Virginia Team and Buchanan, go to http://crowdfund.vt.edu/horse.
