Until now, horses had nothing to do with the guinea pig. It was the farm’s forgotten creature. But today, small rodents and large equines unite under Cape May County’s newest addition to the 4-H chapter.
The Whinny Pigs 4-H Youth Development Club, a competitive initiative spearheaded by five forward-thinking kids, aims to highlight the best of the breeds under one barn roof at Fox Run Farm in Dias Creek.
Patrick Schalick (age 10) is a longtime fan of the guinea pig, and owner of two. His mission as president of this club is simple: “I want to show horses and guinea pigs, so that’s what this is about.”
“I never considered horses and guinea pigs at the same time until Patrick Schalick brought it up. But I like it,” says Patrick Kelly (age 9), who serves as the club’s vice president.
Lauren Kelly (age 7) is getting an early start to her career as the Whinny Pigs’s secretary. “I’m going to make sure to keep track of meeting minutes in my Whinny Pigs’s journal,” she says.
“We plan to support the Whinny Pigs by having shows and skills tests. Perhaps obstacle courses for the pigs and jumping for the horses,” says Elizabeth Schalick (age 13), treasurer.
The head leader of the Whinny Pigs, an honorable title bestowed upon Erin Schalick (age 17), serves as general youth advisor, event conceptualizer and inter-species liaison.
“This idea is pretty crazy,” Erin says. “But it might work.”
