BONNYVILLE – Sixteen-year-old Shelby Dutertre earned a first-place finish at the 4-H Alberta 2025 Provincial Communications Competition. Her presentation entitled A Living Nightmare spoke about equine colic, and she shared her personal story of dealing with colic in her horse Lux.
The competition took place in Lacomb on April 5 and hosted 14 competitors from seven regions.
Dutertre has been a member of the Lakeland Long Riders for four years and is a dedicated equestrian who spends many of her weekends on the rodeo circuit with her horses, doing her homework in her live-in trailer in between her runs.
“I heard about 4-H around the time I bought my first horse, and I wanted to learn more about horsemanship. When I found out about the Lakeland Long Riders I joined, and I immediately felt like it was the place I needed to be. There’s so much information.”
When asked what type of feedback she received from the judges at the 4-H communications competition, she explained that it was her passion about the subject that really shined through and landed her the win.
“They told me that it seemed like I knew a lot about the topic – that it flowed, and I could talk on and on.”
Although Dutertre felt some nerves at the competition, she came to realize that any anxiousness what simply a shared human experience, and not something she needed to let get in her way.
“When I first walked in, I was really nervous. There was this massive room full of people and there were two big screens in front of a panel of judges.”
An emcee gave a welcome speech during the competition, where he said that it was once him in their position, and he was the one bouncing his leg and reading through his que cards.
“It made me feel a bit better. I really learned that everybody is in this same boat. Everybody is nervous, and everybody is feeling what I’m feeling. I’m not alone in it.”
When it was time for her presentation, Dutertre took a deep breath and went for it.
“Honestly, it flew by. That’s the most comfortable I’ve ever felt talking in front of a group of people.”
When they announced the winner and called her name, Dutertre said she was not expecting it.
“I thought, oh my gosh my heart is beating, and now I have to go up at take pictures. When my mom showed me the photos afterwards, I just have the biggest smile on my face.”
Dutertre spoke about the experience she has gained participating in communications events over the past four years.
“My first few years I was shaking I was so nervous, but over time I've actually learned a lot from communications. I love that I’ve gained confidence as a public speaker,” said Dutertre.
Dutertre is a senior member and the president of the Lakeland Long Riders club and shared how much she has enjoyed being part of the club.
“I love seeing kids join, and experience what I got to experience. I love being able to help them.”
Dutertre feels that her role as president has also been valuable in creating life skills.
“As president, I help facilitate meetings and activities – I have to talk with lots of people, and I feel like having the confidence to be able to fill that role has been really helpful and made public speaking a lot easier. I’m also an ambassador for the club, and we do a lot of workshops.”
Becoming a 4-H ambassador was something the seniors had to apply for and be interviewed for before being selected.
“I'm really passionate about 4-H, so I want to be involved as much as I could. I found that becoming an ambassador was a way that I could do that.”
Dutertre said she is grateful for all the life skills she is getting through 4-H, and for her parents for being her biggest supporters.
“My parents have helped the whole way along. They always help me practice and give me confidence. They’ll be like ‘You’ve got this. Don’t worry about it, you’re going to do great. You know this.’ They just really helped me with everything.”
Dutertre looks forward to the future and is now looking into colleges where she can attend and bring her horses with her. Her experience dealing with her horse's colic surgery has encouraged her to consider pursuing a career as a veterinarian technician.
