Canter-Lopes 4-H Club

08/02/2026

Just in time LOL, I found the link to our ongoing online store. Just anything you'd like, anytime. Pick up is at Kensington's shop on Dorr Rd (and Grand River).

08/01/2026

BIG congratulations to our 2026 Project Book winner, Austin Jacobs! Her book is beautiful and chock full of great information on Harvey and photos of him. Well done everyone!

07/30/2026

07/22/2026

Fair Camper Check in is HERE!!!
Pulling in, setting up, and soaking it all in.
Fair week + camper life = the perfect combo
Who else is here for the snacks?

07/18/2026

Reminder! REQUIRED Fairgrounds clean up is this Tuesday from 5-8pm for those bringing a horse to Fair.

07/10/2026

Don’t let anyone tell your kid that helmets aren’t needed or aren’t cool.

This weekend was a reminder that no matter how experienced you are, horses are still 1,200-pound animals with minds of their own.

One of our trainers, Maddie, took a hard fall at Firecracker jackpot. It wasn’t because of a lack of talent from horse or rider, nor from ground conditions. It was simply one of those unpredictable moments that can happen to any of us. That’s the reality of this sport. We can do everything right and still find ourselves in situations we never expected.

That’s also why our advanced trainer, Payton, has worn a helmet every time she’s competed since the day she started. Even now, you’ll still see her in the competition arena with a helmet on and with no plans to stop. Experience doesn’t make you invincible. If anything, it teaches you to respect the risks that come with the sport we love.

Wearing a helmet doesn’t mean you’re not confident. It doesn’t make you less capable. It means you understand the risks and value the chance to ride another day.

You only get one brain. Protect it.

If this weekend reminds even one rider to put on a helmet before they swing a leg over, then it’s a conversation worth having. Ride hard, chase your goals, trust your horse, and never let pride stand in the way of protecting yourself. At the end of the day, no run is worth a life-changing injury.

EDIT: Wanted to add, Maddie and Rumor are okay! Sore, bruised, but back to work. Both are gritty girls!! We are so lucky to have them.
Also, reminder this is NO ONE’s fault! The ground was great all weekend. This team just had a freak accident!

Another EDIT: Since so many people think this is AI, I’m tagging the PHENOMENAL photographer that took this picture Andrew Jungkunz! I should have done that from the get go, but I didn’t think this would get so much traction.

07/06/2026

FAIR NEWSLETTER:

07/01/2026

Applications are officially OPEN for the 2027 Miss Rodeo Michigan, Miss Teen Rodeo Michigan and Jr. Miss Rodeo Michigan pageant! 👑

If you have a passion for the western way of life, a heart for serving others, and a desire to represent the sport of rodeo across the Great Lakes State and beyond, this is your chance.

As Miss Rodeo Michigan, you will have the opportunity to travel across the nation promoting agriculture and rodeo, build lifelong friendships, develop leadership and public speaking skills, and compete for the opportunity to become Miss Rodeo America.

Whether you’ve dreamed of wearing the crown for years or are just discovering what this incredible program has to offer, we encourage you to take the leap.

🌟 Applications are now being accepted!
We can’t wait to meet the next young women who will carry on the tradition of representing Michigan with grace, authenticity, and western pride.

Email [email protected] for an application + more information!

06/30/2026

“And they’re all parts loved” 💚

One of my favorite things to do at little county fairs is to walk through the 4-H horse barn.

In these barns you likely won’t find many fancy pedigrees or world champion resumes. This isn’t the spot for flashy movers or stunning halter profiles. The horses in these aisles don’t come with 6-figure price tags or import paperwork. And they were more likely to arrive there in the same elderly stock trailer with the goats than a $100,000 LQ trailer.

Instead these stalls contain more than their fair share of grey hairs, swaying backs and knobbly knees—wise old heads nod over the stall doors, waiting for their kids to come back with fair treats to share and sticky fingers to start saddling for the next class. Each stall is plastered with proud (often bedazzled) photos of “Kit” and “Cowboy” and “Alice”, doing all the things: Barrels, jumping, showmanship, trail. The photos share a common trait: The biggest smiles imaginable.

For many of these horses, this might be their second, third or fourth career (and kids). They are one part mount, and another part teacher. And they are all parts loved. They probably aren’t world beaters but they most assuredly are joy-givers.

Like so many things we do, humans are incredibly good at making loving horses harder than it needs to be. We create arbitrary standards and goals, believing we must funnel our love of a horse into something “bigger, better, more meaningful” when really it’s all just made up stuff—every world championship, every trophy brought home, every standard set—it’s just randomness that someone, somewhere, invented one day. And too often it leads people to do the damnedest things—to themselves and to their horses.

In a world where God gave us horses and the opportunity to love them, does it really need to be that hard? Are all the made-up hoops necessary?

Or can we learn a few things from the old wise heads leaning into the aisle of the 4-H barn who help us remember if it’s all a make believe world, then maybe let’s make believe something a lot more fun?