We started our day by traveling to Raleigh to visit North Carolina State University's (NCSU) Equine Education Unit. To start with the unit manager Lawson Walston who started our day with a note about safety. We learned where to stand when we approach a horse, the importance of wearing a helmet when riding, and how to listen to horses by watching their ears. Our 4-H members also got a chance to meet two NCSU mounted police officers who ride a horse instead of riding in a patrol car. Our youth had the opportunity to put their money where the horses mouth is. What we mean is that they learned how to tell a horse's age by feeling their teeth. This way if they ever have the opportunity to buy a horse they will know how old the horse is. They also had the chance to pet a foal and learn how to approach them when they are with their mother's. Most importantly we learned that horses are to be respected and listened to as we do our best to take care of them.
From the Equine Education Unit we headed to lunch at Fountain Dining Hall on the NCSU campus. Our 4-H members had a great lunch with plenty of choices. Even Mrs. Taylor had to admit the food had gotten better since she had graduated. Our youth, with full stomachs were happy to get on the vans as we took off for our next stop.
In Castalia, NC is Roma Clydesdale Farm. We didn't have much time when we got there but our youth got a chance to meet Hillbilly Max, a real life Clydesdale horse with furry ankles and all. The big difference between Max and the horses we saw this morning was his size. The Quarter Horses we saw were around 1500 lbs while Max was around 2100 pounds. We also had the opportunity to see baby goats that were just a few days old and a Zebra that was happy to be out in the heat.
After saying our goodbyes to our new friends we loaded up and headed home. Ready for a new, sheepish adventure tomorrow.
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