2008 OHIO STATE 4-H HORSE PROGRAM

The following information should help you operate your 4H Horse Program at maximum efficiency and answer most of your questions on every horse program. Instead a letter summarizing changes in the 4H Horse Program, flyers for 4H horse clinics and a listing of dates, locations and times for the various horse event is sent to each county office.  Details such as rules, entry forms and any updates for various events can be found on this web site.

PROGRAM CHANGES FOR 2008 SUMMARIZED - IMPORTANT TO READ!!!

Advisor Training for 2008:  We will offer two advisor and volunteer training clinics at the State level for 2008.  They will be held on Saturday, January 19th and 26th at the OSU Department of Animal Sciences.  The same information will be given each time.  The registration deadline is Friday, January 12th.  See Advisor Training for further information.

Equine Safety and Ethics program for 2008. The program for new horse members continues to be as follows:

1. Have every 4H'er and their parent to read the safety booklet, Circular 191R - parent and youth must sign off that they have read it.  The last page of 191R has a place for them to sign.  If a parent/guardian has more than one child in 4H, they only need to use one booklet (will save cost of multiple books).
2. The youth and parent/guardian must view two videos: Every Time Every Ride and Horses, Kids and Ethics - these should be in every county office.
3. The parent and youth must sign the Permission to Participate In 4H Horse Activities Disclosure and Release of Claims form which was developed and passed by the University's attorneys to use in the 4H horse program.  This form is available on the web site.  Make copies so club advisors can have the parents of the youth or the youth sign (if over 18 yrs) the form.

Youth and parents that have been through the Safety and Ethics Program in previous years do not need to repeat the whole program.   They only need to sign the Permission to Participate In 4-H Horse Activities Disclosure and Release of Claims form.  The Ohio Limited Liability Law requires that the release form be redone each 4-H year.  The club advisor should verify that 191R has been signed by youth and parents for new youth.  The youth and parents should keep it as a resource.  The goal of this program is to reduce liability risks on our volunteer leaders and to keep our youth and their parents better informed and safer.

State Fair Junior Horse Show:  The 2008 Ohio State Fair Junior Horse Show will be held July 28th through August 1st.  PAS rules for qualifying shows in 2008 are available on this site under Junior Fair Horse Show.  Anyone qualifying in two or more classes in a State Fair qualifying show may enter the State Fair Junior Horse Show.  Youth may compete in the Junior Fair Horse Show every year.  A copy of State Fair classes for 2008 are also available online.

The entry deadline is 4:30pm on Monday, July 14th.  Entries are to be sent via email to Barb Prince at the State Fair Junior Entry Office.  The email address is b.prince@expo.state.oh.us.  Her fax number is 614-644-4031, if you have a last minute computer failure.  The Excel form that you must use to make the enteries and instructions will be sent to the 4H Educator in each county on June 1st. This is done to prevent entries by unauthorized people.  A copy of the exhibitor letter, health form and show schedule can be found on the Junior Fair Horse Show pages.

Participants will not be stalled by county.  Neither health papers or Coggins test are required for the 2008 show.  However, sick horses will be sent home.  FFA continues to be combined with 4H in the Ohio State Fair Junior Horse Show.  In order for FFA youth to get to State Fair, they must compete in the local 4H qualifying classes held by their respective county.

Horse Show Judges Program:  The new Judges' List for 2008 will be posted on our website by January 1st.  The 2007 clinic was again a multi-state clinic with Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Kentucky participating together.  The 2008 clinic will be in Ohio and the dates will be November 14th-16th.  If anyone wants information on how to become a judge in Ohio, refer to the information on this website under Judges Program.

We highly recommend that you use the judges on the Judges' List as they have shown the interest and are working hard to be the best judges possible for our 4H Horse Program.  When conducting PAS shows for State Fair qualification, we highly recommend that you use judges from the list that are identified as being able and willing to judge these shows.

On the website a separate Dressage Judges' List is available.  Dressage youth must qualify to come to State Fair under approved Dressage judges or learner judges.  The judges on this list are qualified to evaluate our youth in dressage classes and have the results count toward qualifying for the State Fair Junior Dressage Show.  You may still have dressage classes in your county shows using judges off the regular list, but the scores received by the exhibitors will not count toward qualifying for State Fair.

Judges Evaluation forms are available on the website as well.  Please, evaluate all judges if they give you an evaluation form or not, and send the evaluation to the Equine Extension Youth Specialist as soon as possible after the show (30 days maximum).  The address is on the evaluation form. It is very important that judges be evaluated and the forms sent in.  This is our only way to identify problems with judges that may need disciplinary action and to identify areas of training that are needed.  Judges should provide the show committees an evaluation form and a stamped envelope already addressed to help insure the evaluations will be sent.  It is acceptable to fill the evaluation out the day of the show and to give it to the judge to return to the Equine Youth Specialist; or if you want to be sure that it is received at the state level, you may wish to send it yourself.