4-H members bring home ribbons from Puyallup fair

Seven South Whidbey girls and their horses were winning performers last month at the Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup.

The best 4-H senior girl riders in Island County competed in performance events at the fair, which was in the last week of September. They brought home ribbons and one medal as a result of their efforts.

The girls, who range in age from 15 to 18, are members of several Island County 4-H horse clubs. They were winners earlier this summer in countywide competition, which earned them the opportunity to ride in the Puyallup fair.

Performance riding includes hunt seat equitation (English), showmanship, Western equitation, bareback and trail events.

Erin Iddins received a bronze medal for finishing third in showmanship, and Amanda LaVassar placed sixth in that category. In hunt seat equitation Savannah Sallee, 18, was fourth and Mallarie Litwiller, 17, finished eighth.

Litwiller was also fourth in Western equitation. Placing fourth in bareback were Sallee and LaVassar, while in trail Sallee finished in fifth place and Iddins was seventh.

The three other riders from Island County who competed in Puyallup were Grace Brown, and Brooke Zappone, both 15, and Jessica Goheen, 18.

The Island County riders competed against 126 4-H members at the state event.