Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, and the inability of districts to host qualifying events, the 2021 NC 4-H Horsebowl Contest will not be held in person. However, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a Virtual Horsebowl Challenge on March 13th. The details for this event are outlined below.

More information can be found here.

Participants will also become comfortable with playing matches in a virtual format, and have a chance to test their internet connection. Youth can sign up for as many of the practices as they wish; please sign up no later than 9:00 AM the day of the practice. The last practice date is March 5th.

For more information, to see the practice schedule, and to sign up for the practices, please visit the Horsebowl page on the website.

2021 Virtual Hippology Contest

Contest Entry Fee is $5.00. Cloverbud participants are free.

If a Junior, Junior Rookie, Senior, or Senior Rookie, enrolled in the NC State 4-H Virtual Hippology Academy, they will not owe an entry fee.

A Coaches/Participant Meeting will be held: March 25th, at 7:30PM on Zoom. If a youth is competing on a team, the entire team's information must be entered on the same form.

To enter the contest, click here. The deadline to enter is March 16th.

4-Hers that are enrolled in the course that want to compete in the 2021 NC 4-H State Hippology contest will have their entry fee waived. Additional details will be included on the contest registration form.

To register for this course, you can access it here.

If you have not previously registered for an NC State University Reporter Course, you will need to click "Create New Account" to start the registration process.

Save the Date! The 2021 NC State 4-H Horse Judging Contest will be held April 10th, 2021. Depending on COVID restrictions, this event may be held in person at St. Andrews. If restrictions are in place that prohibit an in-person event, the contest will be moved to an online format and will take place on this same day. Contestants will give oral reasons via Zoom.

NC State 4-H Horse Judging Virtual Academy OPEN!

NC 4-H'ers, coaches, leaders, and parents are invited to register for the NC 4-H Virtual Horse Judging Academy. This is a set of online, self-paced modules that focus on how to prepare for horse judging contests. How to organize and deliver oral reasons will be covered, along with multiple example sets of oral reasons that are delivered by former horse judging team members. In addition, there are several practice classes and presentations on how to judge Halter, Hunter Under Saddle, Western Pleasure, Ranch Riding, Gaited Pleasure, and Country English Pleasure.

The cost to register is $15. These modules will be open and available for review until December 31, 2021. You can access the page as frequently as you wish. Registered 4-H'ers that wish to compete in the April 10 State 4-H Horse Judging Contest will not have to pay a registration fee to compete in the contest (a registration form will still need to be submitted).

When you register you will also have the option, at an additional fee of $6, to have a copy of the new NC 4-H Horse Program Horse Judging Manual sent to the address provided! This manual has been updated for 2021 and contains details on notetaking, criteria for judging and scoring classes, organizing reasons, terminology, and sample sets of reasons. This resource is designed to be helpful to both coaches and contestants at all levels.

To obtain the registration details, please complete this form.

For further information on the new awards program, and the application forms, check it out here.

The NC 4-H Horse Program Rules and Regulations Manual has been updated and reflects all the new rules and updates for the 2021 season. If you plan to show or enter any educational contests, please be sure to review all the rules for your particular division or contest.

There is not a specific deadline for the completion of the request form. However, youth need to be sure to have all paperwork (including eligibility cards) completed in time to meet entry deadlines for their selected qualifying show. As soon as qualifying show packets are shared with EHH, we will post them on the website here.

The 2021 Horse Show Qualifying Dates are:

The 2021 NC State 4-H Horse Show is July 7-11, Raleigh, NC

Cost of registration: $50

This course is open and will remain open until October 20, 2021. Click here to register.

We have so many amazing current and former 4-H'ers in the North Carolina Horse Program! What better way to showcase all the great things that they're doing across the state, than to highlight them in the monthly newsletter. If you would like to be featured in our newsletter, please click here to fill out a short survey!

Victoria is a current member of 4-H, who joined 4-H in 2013 where she has remained a member of the Chatham County Horsekateers.

I competed in all of the Horse Program Educational Events: Horsebowl, Hippology, and Horse Judging. In addition, I also did livestock projects and judging, poultry judging, presentations, public speaking contests, and

4-H Horse Shows.

My favorite memories are from the various contests and events that I have attended with my 4-H. Traveling with them is always lots of fun.

I am most proud of my high placings in Horse Judging and the skills that I have taken away from participating in those different events.