Comparative Analysis of State 4-H Horse Programs

Abstract Text: 4-H is a national youth development program, which is governed by land grant institutions that are given the liberty to tailor their program to the individual needs of states.  This allows for programs to grow according to the interests of youth in that area.  However, this system means that there is little communication between states about how common issues are handled and avoided.  Specifically, the 4-H Horse Program is continually faced with challenges in the horse industry such as animal welfare and compliance with regulations.  This study was designed to gather information from state 4-H Horse Programs to help each program recognize common issues and initiate collaborative approaches to develop solutions.  A survey was distributed to 4-H horse contacts representing all 50 states.  Completed surveys were returned from 24 states, yielding a response rate of 48%.  Of those states that responded, the average number of youth enrolled in the 4-H Horse Program was 4,218, with enrollment ranging from 150 to 25,483 youth.  All but one state have a state 4-H horse show and 91% of the states require youth to wear helmets at least in certain events.  Thirty-nine percent of respondents (9 states) do not require youth to qualify in order to participate in the state 4-H horse shows.  Participation in the state shows varied from 40 youth to 875 youth with a mean of 393 youth. Thus, slightly over 9% of youth enrolled in state 4-H Horse Programs nationwide are participating in the state 4-H horse shows. Participation in knowledge contests at 4.8% is even lower, especially considering that states self-reported that youth may have been double counted if they competed in more than one knowledge contest.  Interestingly, 2 states require participation in knowledge contests for youth to compete in the state show. Sixty two percent of the states reported that low body condition scores is one of the welfare issues they encounter, while 56% of the states reported that they encounter too much roughness/yanking/over-checking on the reins.  4-H is well positioned to develop educational programs to teach youth proper horse welfare and responsible ownership, yet only five states (21%) have an equine welfare educational program within 4-H. This information can be helpful to leaders of these programs when looking for fresh ideas, or possible collaborations, and can improve the quality of 4-H Horse Programs. 

Keywords: 4H Horse Program