Animal Science
4-H Horse Project
The Colorado 4-H Horse Project guides youth in learning horse care, riding, and horsemanship while building responsibility, goal setting, and record-keeping skills.
Beginners focus on safety, choosing a horse, basic feeding and healthcare, identifying breeds and colors, and developing foundational riding skills. Intermediate members study breed characteristics, nutrition, digestion, pasture management, health care, and improve riding, sportsmanship, and public speaking. Advanced participants explore industry issues, diseases, conformation, advanced riding skills, leadership, nutrition, and career opportunities, while building friendships and participating in the Horse Levels Program.
Horse-related contests 4-H youth may participate in are Horse Judging, Horse Bowl, Horse Demonstration/Public Speaking, and Hippology.
Project Overview
Starting Out – Beginner
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Learn about the requirements of the 4-H Horse project
- Learn tips for choosing the appropriate horse
- Learn safety in horse groundwork
- Identify common horse breeds, colors, and markings
- Learn feeding and healthcare basics
- Develop beginner horsemanship and riding skills
- Keep records and set goals
- Learn to assume responsibility
Learning More – Intermediate
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Learn about characteristics and uses of different horse breeds
- Learn about equine nutrition, digestion, and pasture management
- Learn about common health problems and preventative care
- Develop intermediate horsemanship and riding skills
- Develop sportsmanship when exhibiting
- Develop public speaking skills
- Identify lameness, unsoundness, and blemishes
Exploring Depth – Advanced
Designed for members 8-18 years old.
Inspiring youth to:
- Learn how to deal with current issues and explore career opportunities in the horse industry
- Learn about diseases, horse conformation, and structure
- Develop advanced horsemanship, riding skills, and try new disciplines
- Gain leadership skills by helping others learn about horses
- Learn about types of feed and their nutritional values
- Build lifelong friendships
- Participate in Horse Levels Program
Official Project Materials
Materials & Curriculum
Member Resources
Find Your County
Counties play a crucial role in 4-H by providing a platform for young people to learn and grow.
Counties facilitate the delivery of 4-H programs that are of particular interest in their area and qualified, compassionate adult leaders run local clubs to support our youth 4-H members.
To find out if this project is supported locally, contact your local extension office.
Upcoming Events
Currently there are no events scheduled at this time associated to this page. Please check back for the latest events as they are scheduled.
Project Tips
- An average horse eats about 2% of its body weight in forage (hay) each day
- Feed only high quality, mold free hay and grain
- A horse needs its hooves trimmed about every 6-8 weeks
- A horse’s teeth continue to grow throughout its lifetime and need to be filed every 1-2 years to remove painful points
- An average horse will drink 10-12 gallons of water each day
- Purchasing a horse is often the cheapest part of horse ownership. You should develop a budget to be sure you have adequate funding for this project.
- Provide clean, fresh water at all times
- Observe your horse’s “normal” so you know when they are feeling unwell
Careers
Farrier
A craftsman who trims and shoes horses’ hooves
Therapeutic Riding
Instructor
Provides riding instruction of therapeutic value to people with disabilities
Horse Breeder
A person who breeds and sells horses
Tack Shop Owner
A tack shop is a great place to go to obtain the proper tack for your horse
Equine Photographer
A person who specializes in photography of horses
Stable Owner
Person who owns or operates a boarding facility for horses
Horse Trainer
Person who trains horses and helps other people train theirs
Equine Massage Therapist
Trained to apply the correct therapeutic massage treatment procedure