Spring is here – The 4-H Horse Show Project has officially kicked off!
Positive youth development is the foundation of 4-H. Extension agents and volunteers help create environments in which young people can belong to a group, master skills, develop responsibility, practice generosity, learn leadership skills and become more independent. Using the horse project to accomplish these goals can be a very rewarding project for families. Everyone in the family has to be engaged, as a horse project will require some adult supervision and help (hauling horses, helping care for the horses, feed costs, fuel costs, etc.). This is a great opportunity for the family to work together.
4-H Horse shows offer a wide array of disciplines, so there are many opportunities for youth within this project. The qualifying divisions offered at 4-H Horse Shows are Judged Western, Halter, Speed (poles, barrels, stakes), Hunter – Flat, and Futurity. There are also Open/Invitational divisions that you do not need to qualify for in order to enter. These include, Roping (tie-down calf, breakaway, team roping), Stock horse, Hunter over fences, and Drill/Precision.
Bosque County 4-H is lucky to have a great Horse Show Project Leader, Rachel Warnock-Richards of Valley Mills. Rachel has a lifelong experience of successfully showing horses, as she grew up competing in 4-H horse shows, and in open association shows. Rachel is very energetic about this project and loves to share her knowledge with youth and see them succeed in the show ring.
If you are interested in the 4-H Horse Show Project, there are a few things you need to do:
- Have a profile established on 4-H Connect and be a current member. The cost is $25/year.
- Own a horse. The horse owner must be the youth, parent (biological or stepparent), brother, sister, grandparent, or legal guardian. Horses cannot be leased, rented, borrowed, or loaned. Horses are not required to be registered. Grade (unregistered) horses can be shown.
- Validate your horses. The early horse validation period is March 1 – April 15 and the cost is $10 per horse. The late and final horse validation period is April 16 – May 1 and the cost is $20 per horse. Validation and payment is required for ALL horses that you may wish to compete on at a 4-H horse show. Validation consists of uploading digital photos of your horses, along with a copy of registration papers, if registered.
Upcoming 4-H Horse Shows:
- District 8 Horse Show: June 16-17 in Belton.
- State Horse Show: July 19-25 in Abilene.
- There are also lots of local horse shows, clinics and schools put on throughout the year by nearby counties, from basic horsemanship to roping. These can be found on our website.
For more information, please contact the Bosque County AgriLife Extension Office at (254) 435-2331 or check out our 4-H Newsletter at bosque.agrilife.org/4-h/this-week-in-4-h/. Once on the website, chose the horse category. This newsletter is updated daily with events, deadlines, etc.
