Every day, across Mississippi, more than 88,000 4-H members are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills; developing caring relationships with kids and adults; and serving others in their communities and beyond.
Young man dressed for a ride on his horse.
Many horse activities for youth to participate in are available and you do not have to own a horse to participate, as Mississippi 4-H offers many non-riding horse projects.
© 2013 by Holly Kuchera
The skills learned through 4-H and the friendships developed last a lifetime, helping today’s young people grow into the competent, caring, and contributing adults of tomorrow.
There are many horse activities for youth to participate in 4-H. You do not have to own a horse to participate, as Mississippi 4-H offers many non-riding horse projects.
The 2024 Mississippi 4-H Horse Show Education Contest gives 4-H Youth the opportunity to show off their current knowledge while developing further skills for the future.
The Horse Bowl will be held on Saturday, April 13, in Starkville starting at 9 a.m. All other horse educational contests will take place at MSU in Starkville on April 5 and 6. More details will be emailed closer to the contest dates.
There will be one junior and one senior overall educational contest high-point buckle to be awarded from a compilation of points earned only from the highest three contest placings of the following contests: hippology, horse judging, horse bowl, horse public speaking, horse individual demonstration, and horse team demonstration.
Top 10 individual points will be earned from each of these contests. In a contest with more than 10 participants, the high-point individual will get 10 points, down to the 10th-place person getting 1 point. In the event of a tie, the high-point award will go to the individual who beat the greatest number of contestants in the contests from which the three highest contest placings were generated. Points for educational contests will not be combined with points from the horse show.
Junior and Senior High-Point Educational Contest Buckles sponsored by MS 4-H Horse Clubs Inc.
The same junior individuals and/or team members must compete at the state horse show that competed at the district show (cannot substitute horse bowl/horse judging/team demonstration members between district and state horse show educational contests).
All horse educational contest rules and regulations for Horse Bowl, Horse Individual and Team Demonstrations, Horse Public Speaking, Horse Judging, and Hippology will follow the contest rules of the Western National 4-H Roundup found at https://co4h.colostate.edu/national-western-roundup/.
Horse Bowl
Horse Bowl is a quiz show style contest with teams of four or five that compete to answer questions related to horse knowledge. This is fun and fast paced contest where contestants buzz in to answer questions.
Junior and Senior entries must be emailed to Dean Jousan (dean.jousan@msstate.edu) by Friday, April 1, 2024.
The junior and senior contests will be held at Mississippi State University in Starkville on Saturday, April 13, starting at 9 a.m. Both contests will be double-elimination tournaments.
Objectives
The primary objective of Horse Bowl competition is to provide an opportunity for youth enrolled in 4-H horse projects to demonstrate their knowledge of equine- related matters in a competitive setting, where attitudes of friendliness and fairness prevail. This competition provides an educational experience for participants as well as spectators.
Other contests during the 2024 Mississippi 4-H Horse Show Education Contest include:
Horse Judging
Horse judging is a competition where four to five member teams judge horses in various classes of four, which include halter and performance classes. Contestants will give oral reasons for their placings for some of the classes judged. Contests for junior 4-H members are held at the district 4-H horse shows and can advance to the State 4-H Horses Championships. The senior contest is held at the State 4-H Horses Championships.
Hippology Contest
Hippology is a team contest where 4-H members can show off their horse knowledge. This contest is one of the toughest contests and is open only to senior 4-H members. It consists of four phases; examination, station, judging and team problem.
See complete information about 4-H 2024 Mississippi 4-H Horse Show Education Contest Rules and Regulations HERE including Horse Art and Photohraphy and Public Speaking Contests.
Press release by Mississippi State University Extension Service - Edited for use on EquiMed.com