Kallie Kayton

The state of Nebraska is full of 4-H members. In this larger group, there is that smaller group that works with horses and so very much enjoys it. One very good example of hard work and passion for horses would be Kallie Kayton of Albion, Neb.

Kayton has been showing and working with horses for nine out of the ten years she has been in 4-H. She will be a senior in the fall and plans to graduate from Boone Central High School in May 2011. In school, Kayton is involved in FBLA, the Spanish Club and REACH. On her decisions after high school, Kayton has not yet selected a major, but she would like to do something in the medical field, pharmacology, or teaching. She is also considering trying out for an equestrian team at whichever school she may end up attending.

In addition to school, Kayton is currently employed at the family business, Kayton International, which sells Case-IH tractors. This business has been in the family for three generations. Her extracurricular activities include church youth group, Levi 4-H horse club, and membership in the Boone County Junior Leaders.

For 4-H shows, Kayton participates in western pleasure, horsemanship, trail, reining, and showmanship. She has two horses of her own: Odie, a thirteen-year-old bay quarter horse used for western pleasure, and Ozzie, a six-year-old red dun quarter and pinto horse used for reigning. Kayton decided that horses were right for her when she was eight years old, when her brother showed cattle. “I’ve been riding horses ever since I was young and fell in love with it,” she stated.

She started off using an old family barrel horse and training it for pleasure events. When Kayton turned eleven she decided she really liked working with horses and wanted to take it to the next level, which is when her mom bought her the first real pleasure horse she owned.

Kayton emphasizes how much help her mom has been throughout her life and work with horses. She said, “I couldn’t do it without her help ­ taking me to shows and lessons and just being there to help out and encourage me whenever she can.”

Kayton does a lot of training and working with her horses on her own, but she does receive help perfecting her work and fine tuning her horses from a few people, including Carol Nielson, Serena Welsh Siebrandt and Drake Johnson. As far as traveling goes, Kayton mentioned she usually stays close to home, attending events in Lincoln and the Broken Bow Central Plain Reigning shows. The farthest she has traveled is to Tulsa, Okla., for the Pinto World Show.

Kaytons’ hard work has paid off so far, with several victories at a menagerie of events. She received champion honors at the Boone County Fair and won Junior Western Pleasure and Horsemanship in 2007 and Senior Reserve Champion Pleasure in 2008 at Ak-Sar-Ben. At the Nebraska State Horse Show, Kayton has been in the finals with her pleasure horse the past three years and has received an 8th and 7th and last year placed 4th in Senior Western Pleasure. Kayton recently placed 10th in Senior Western Riding and 3rd in Senior reining with her reining horse at the Pinto World Show.

Along with meeting new people and helping younger horse riders improve, Kayton likes watching her horses and herself improve over time and with practice. She plans to continue showing in 4-H shows until she is no longer eligible after next summer. After that, Kayton would like to continue reining in CPRHA shows and quarter horse shows. Another thing Kayton plans to continue is her volunteer work with SMILE Inc., in Battle Creek, Neb. She has been volunteering with SMILE for the last two summers, helping children with special needs to ride horses, and “and enjoy horses as much as I do.” She plans on volunteering there more as time permits.

From work to horses, Kayton finds herself always busy in today’s fast paced society. Even so, she still finds the time to help share her passion for horses with others and improve her skills and those of her horses. It is without doubt that Kallie Kayton is a Nebraska 4-H’er with a passion for horses.

Tags: Ak-Sar-Ben, Central Plain Reigning, Kallie Kayton, Lincoln, Nebraska 4-H Profile, Pinto World Show

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 11:53 am and is filed under NCTA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.