Four Loudon County youths took part in the Tennessee State 4-H Horse Show June 22-27 in Shelbyville.
The show took place at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Showgrounds with 561 total horses and 461 exhibitors from 59 of Tennessee's 95 counties.

Courtney Conner, who has already graduated from high school, showed her horse, Hot Roddin with Zip, in six classes during the show.
Her top finishes were first in Senior Western Showmanship and Senior Horsemanship.
She also took second in Senior Western Pleasure and fifth in Senior Western Trail.

She received an honorable mention in Western Halter Geldings 5-and-over and also competed in Senior English Showmanship.
Conner earned the fourth place in high point in the Individual Senior Western Division and qualified for a spot in the Southern Regional Horse Show in Little Rock, Ark.

Fellow senior level rider Leslie Alexander - a senior at Loudon High School - took her horse, A Hug and a Kiss, into one class.
Alexander placed fourth in Senior Barrels.
Two Loudon County youths competed in the junior division.

Makayla Bledsoe, a fifth grader at North Middle School, took her horse, Smoothly Two Eye, into eight classes.
Her top placings were third place in Junior Hunt Seat Equitation On Flat and Junior Hunt Seat Equitation Over Fences.
She took fourth in three classes: Junior Western Horsemanship, Junior and Senior Hunter Hack and Junior and Senior Gree Working Hunter Pony Fences.  She also finished fifth in Junior Pony Western Pleasure, sixth in Junior Hunter Under Saddle On Pony and eighth in Western Junior Trail.

Bledsoe earned ninth in high point in the Individual Junior Western Division and third in high point in the Individual Junior Hunter Division.

The Southern Regional Horse Show will be held at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock, Ark., from July 29 to Aug. 2.  Only qualifiers from the state shows may participate.

Information for this story
provided by Mark King