The Wenatchee FFA horse judging team placed fourth out of 19 teams and narrowly missed qualifying to nationals at the state competition on Sept. 16.

The WHS team finished 13 points behind the first-place team, which qualified to the national competition. Senior Hope McPhetridge took ninth place individually.

The competition was at the Adams County Fair in Othello, and was attended by five students from Wenatchee High School, as well as Hannah Symonds, an FFA co-adviser. The team consisted of sophomore Hannah Fries, McPhetridge, junior Catherine Vejvoda, senior Sasha Regan, and sophomore Camryn Pike.

The competitors had to judge six classes of horses in two separate events: halter and riding. They additionally were required to give oral reasons to a pair of judges, as well as take an identification exam, and work together in a team activity about the wild horse population, according to Symonds.