Let’s dig a little deeper into what North Dakota 4-H has to offer.

Youth enroll in 4-H at the start of each 4-H year (September 1st) in their county where they reside typically. When youth enroll they have the option of a variety of project areas, which is usually areas of interest. There is a wonderful explanation of these project areas in the North Dakota 4-H Project Guide 2022-2023.

4-H exhibits can be living where the 4-H’er participates in an event, a static exhibit where it’s a non-living item or display, or animal exhibit where a living animal is part of the project area. Youth ages 5 years old to 18 years of age as of September 1st are welcome to join 4-H as members.  

The sky is the limit for our horse loving youth. They can take a specific animal science project in horse or even veterinary science. These project areas could relate to breeding, care, training for riding, or the study of prevention, alleviation or cure of equine diseases and injury just to name a few topics.

Or are you an avid rider and want to showcase your skills in either Western, English, or Timed event classes? There are 4-H qualifying shows or Open Horse Shows across the state in preparation for the North Dakota State 4-H Horse Show. There is a total of 14 different classes at the North Dakota State 4-H Horse Show held during the North Dakota State Fair.

Or is speaking more your passion? Well, there is a contest called Communication Arts. This is where youth can take their passion for horses and make it shine through a variety of medias including: demonstration, illustrated talk, prepared speech, mass media broadcast or commercial, or an electronic presentation.

There are even judging events and contests that relate to our horse industry. “Judging and contests help 4-H youth develop valuable skills they need to make career and life choices. To develop self-confidence and a sense that they matter, young people need to feel they are capable. 4-H contests and judging events support positive development by offering hands-on learning opportunities.” (ND 4-H Project Guide). North Dakota 4-H offer contests in horse judging, horse quiz bowl, hippology, horse demonstration, and horse illustrated talk. These contests are open to any youth enrolled in 4-H whether they own a horse or not. I have been the coach to the Sheridan County 4-H Hippology judging team the last two years and look forward to the upcoming judging season.

As you can see North Dakota 4-H has A LOT to offer our youth that have an interest or passion in the equine industry. The horse project area is just a piece of the pie when it comes to project areas. There are project areas that fit about any passion in life, be sure to check out the ND 4-H Project Guide.  

If this has sparked your interest be sure to contact your local NDSU Extension Office today to find out how you and/or your youth can join 4-H. It’s never too late to join.