The 4-H Drill Team members and their horses are scheduled to perform at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Butler Farm Show.

CONNOQUENESSING TWP – The 4-H Drill Team members are eager to show off their skills and horses Wednesday at the Butler Farm Show.

After all, they've been practicing for months.

The seven members of the team and their horses will perform at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Elmer's Corral near the horse barns on the farm show grounds, 625 Evans City Road.

Performing in front of an audience will be something of a first for the team.

Patti Turner, the team's coach, said that last year the team's usual performance venues — the fair, the farm show, parades, the North Washington Rodeo and 4-H horse shows — were all canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, the team started meeting weekly at the showgrounds in March to practice their routines, first on foot and then with their horses.

The team's president, Jennifer Cichra, 17, of Renfrew, choreographed the movements and music for the team.“There's a set pattern that we practice to music, and ultimately we try to carry flags for the performances,” Jennifer said. “One's called 'The pinwheel.' We're traveling in a circle, some one way, some the other way. Then there's 'The X,' which is going between each other and crossing.“We try to make it look dangerous, but not be dangerous kind of thing,” she said.The weekly practices are needed, said Maggie Schwalm of Butler, who has been a member of the drill team for four years.“It definitely gets the rider and horses knowing the routines, getting our horses used to each other. Horses don't always get along with other horses,” she said.The drill team made its first appearance earlier this summer before an audience at the Big Butler Fair.“It was the first performance in a while. It went really well,” Jennifer said. “I thought the practicing that we did really paid off. It looked really clean.”Fellow team member Alivia Miller, 15, of Valencia said, “The first time performing in front of an audience is definitely different than the shows I'm used to — ranch versatility and breakaway roping, the type of roping you see at rodeos.

Charlotte Miller said her quarter horse, Angel, has proven to be adaptable to the new routine.“I use her for everything. She's pretty good at learning routines,” Charlotte said.Maggie said she had learned about the drill team from Cichra and thought it would be fun for her and for her horse.“The (Big Butler Fair) performance was really good,” Maggie said. “We did a really good job, definitely one of our best.”Turner said no specific breed of horse is preferred for drill team formations.“It's the temperament,” she said. “They need to be quiet, easygoing horses. They take a month of practice.”As for riders, Turner said, “They have to be able to have good control over the horse.”Jennifer said, “I would say to be a good rider you want to definitely be able to picture things in your head. You have to be aware of other horses and thinking one step ahead, how you are going to set your horse up to make sure they perform the next maneuver properly.”

Jennifer said the only performance the drill team had before this summer was an eight-minute video of the team performing that was sent to a national video competition for Gem Virtual Drill Events.“We took first place in the national competition, youth division,” she said.Right now, Jennifer said the team is awaiting the results of a dual performance that she and Alivia sent in to Gem.The drill team is all female, but Turner said the team is open to boys as well.“We've had plenty of boys in it before; it's just that more girls are interested in horses,” Turner said.

WHAT: Butler Farm ShowWHEN: Monday to SaturdayGates open at 8:30 a.m. daily and close at 11 p.m.WHERE: Butler Farm Show grounds, 625 Evans City RoadADMISSION: $8 Monday; $10 Tuesday through Saturday. Includes rides, parking and shows.