4-H Horse Events
Upcoming Events
2026 Horse Volunteers Conference
4-H Horse Project volunteers, parents and teens, join us on Saturday, Jan. 10, for a day full of information sharing, learning and connecting with others who share your passion for 4-H and horses! Sessions will include:
- Sportsmanship — for fellow exhibitors, show management, parents and horses.
- Activities in the horse project beyond the show ring.
- Disaster preparedness — to get you ready for spring!
- Show ring etiquette — don’t be that person!
Date: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026
When: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Agricultural Hall, Stillwater, OK
Registration Cost: $20
Contact:
Register for Horse Volunteers Conference
2026 State 4-H Horse & Dog Communications Contests & Quiz Bowl
Event Date: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026
When: Check-in at 8:30 a.m., start at 9 a.m.
Location: OSU Agricultural Hall, Stillwater
Register by: Jan. 20 at 5 p.m.
Register for Communications Contests and Quiz Bowl
2026 State 4-H Horse & Dog Digital Photography Contest
General Information
The 4-H Horse & Dog Digital Photography contest will consist of digital photos submitted electronically in ZSuite. This will allow for easier submission and more opportunities to display photos at various events throughout the year.
All photos should focus on one of the following categories:
- Horses in action – example: A horse rounding a barrel or jumping a fence.
- Human/Horse Bond – example: A child smiling while petting a pony.
- Horses in a natural state - example: A horse grazing in a pasture.
- Dogs in action - example: Dog performing rally activities, dog playing fetch.
- Human/Dog Bond – example: Humans and dogs enjoying each other’s company.
- Dogs in a natural state – example: A dog resting in a backyard.
Register by: Jan. 20 at 5 p.m.
Entries must be received by Jan. 20, 2026, in order to be considered.
Register for Digital Photography Contest
Karen Richardson Horseman of the Year Scholarship Application
All applicants must submit their completed resume/scholarship application to the State Equine Extension Specialist by June 15 for consideration.
Karen Richardson Horseman of the Year Scholarship Application
Past Events
2025 State 4-H Horse and Dog Communication Contest
Date: February 8, 2024
Location: New OSU Agricultural Hall
- Horse and Dog Communication Contest Entry Form
- Horse Topic Speech and Illustration
- Horse Quizbowl Registration Form
2025 4-H OK Horse Show
Date: July 10-12, 2025.
2 Year Old Horse Training Project Class
Horse Training Application and Information
Horse Communication Contest
Entries are due by Monday, January 22, 2024.
Members must be enrolled Oklahoma 4-H members before January 5, 2024.
Date: February 3, 2024.
When: Check in - 8:30am, Start - 9am.
Location: Agriculture Hall, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK.
- 2024 Communication Contest Digital Photography General Information and Rules
- 2024 Quiz Bowl Guidelines
- 2024 Quiz Bowl Registration Form
- 2024 Communication Contests Registration Form
- 2024 Topic Speech, Illustrated Presentation and Team Problem Contests Guidelines and Entry Material
Horse Owner's Workshop
Presented by OSU Animal and Food Science Department. The Horse Owner’s Workshops are intended to benefit horse owners and youth leaders by providing quality information on equine health, management and safety.
Date: March 2, 2024.
Location: Stillwater, OK - Venue TBD.
OK Open and 4-H Judges Seminar
Date: January 13, 2024.
When: 8am - 5pm.
Location: Stillwater, OK. Venue - TBD.
Horse Science Academy
This workshop is designed for high school aged students to incorporate STEM disciplines with their interest in horses. It focuses on using math and science to make economical, ethical and sustainable decisions regarding equine health care and management.
Location: Cline Center, Stillwater, OK
Cost: $40
Contact:
Oklahoma 4-H Horse Heritage Experience
The Oklahoma 4-H Heritage Experience will include exploring the National Western Heritage Museum, learning the behind the scenes of the racehorse industry with the Remington Backside Tour and a dinner from the Winner's Circle!
Cost: $25
Contact:
Oklahoma Horse Heritage Experience Flyer
2023 Workshop Information
- Horse Science Academy General Information Flyer
- Horse Science Academy Registration Information Flyer
- Horse Science Academy Volunteer Flyer
Past Workshop Topics
Topics from 2021
Operant conditioning: Whose operating who? Students explored the scientific concepts behind behavior modification, as it applies to all species, but specifically to the horse. Students experimented with their use of positive and negative reinforcement to achieve a learning goal in an animal subject. Equine senses and ethology were emphasized.
First aid - Students learned the basics of first aid, with an emphasis on biological systems and wound healing. Laboratories included blood clotting, calculating dilutions of wound cleansing disinfectants and more. Cost of attendance is $40 until November 1: includes lunch, lab notebook, and supplies.
Equine Nutrition - Equine digestive anatomy – Following a brief lecture on the unique features of equine digestive anatomy, in teams, students built their own model of the equine digestive tract.
Topics from 2020: The Equine Athlete
Anatomy of the equine athlete – Students gained a greater understanding of equine biology and what contributes to horses extreme athletic ability. We began with a short introduction to the equine cardiorespiratory system and then moved to a hands on laboratory session of comparative anatomy utilizing bovine and equine specimens.
Fitness assessment – The in class discussion covered assessment of equine fitness and exercise, followed by a hands on lab, where we performed data collection on horses undergoing a standardized exercise test. Students assisted in data collection including respiration rates, heart rates, temperatures and hematocrits. Students used their results to determine relative fitness of the horses.
Topics from 2019
Internal parasites, strategic deworming, fecal egg counts, body weight and condition scoring, and physical exams.
Topics from 2018
Equine Anatomy - Students learned the scientific language to describe anatomical locations, bones and soft tissue structures of the appendicular skeleton using in class and cadaver limb dissections.
State 4-H Horse Show
Location: Grady County Fairgrounds
Are you ready for the show?
Summer Horsemanship Camp
Location: Totusek Arena and Charles and Linda Cline Equine Teaching Center
It is limited to 20 youth and cost of attendance is $100.
It is a camp conducted through the very well established Texas A&M Summer Horsemanship camp, featuring instruction in basic horsemanship, rider position, horse body control, tack and equipment and much more.
Boxing and Ranch Roping Clinic
Location: Totusek Arena and Charles and Linda Cline Equine Teaching Center
OSU Extension is pleased to bring a cooperative event with the National Reined Cowhorse Association to the youth of Oklahoma. Nationally renown clinicians Todd Crawford and Russel Dilday will present a day long clinic on working cowhorse/boxing and ranch roping. Clinic participation will be limited to 40 riders, but unlimited auditing will be allowed. Riders will participate in dry work, boxing, ranch roping and working their horse on a flag. The clinic is open to enrolled 4-H members. There will be a $25 cattle fee per rider.
Horse Owner's Workshop
Presented by OSU Animal and Food Science Department.
The Horse Owner's Workshop (HOW) will be held virtually at a date March 5, 2022. Seminars will be held Thursday evenings from 7-9 on dates to be determined. Registered participants will have access to recorded presentations and supplementary materials via secure Dropbox links and passcode protected links to the webinars.
Presenters will be available to address questions from the participants.
The Horse Owner’s Workshops are intended to benefit horse owners and youth leaders
by providing quality information on equine health, management and safety.
Registration is $10 and includes 60 day access to materials. All registration fees
will be used to support Special Clovers Equestrian program.