4-H Equine Program
Niagara County 4-H Equine Program
The 4-H Equine program is for individuals who have a passion for horses whether they own one or not. Youth may join a club or join as an individual member. Some activities offered include the following:
Horse Clubs – we have several horse clubs in the county – some are specific to mini horses, some are a mix of western and English riders, each club varies in how it runs and the activities they participate. Please contact the 4-H office to see which clubs are excepting new members.
Horse Bowl & Hippology - Quiz bowl to test equine IQ. Practices begin in January, competition is in April.
Horse Judging - Members learn the criteria for different equine disciplines and then attend 3+ judging contests in March, April, and August.
Horse Speech and Demonstration Contests - Participants can create a speech or equine related demonstration and present it at competitions.
5 Star Program - Used as a tool to gauge youths levels of equine related education, comprehension, and achievements while participating in the Counts 4-H Equine program. The intent of this program is to assist club leaders as well as individual members in mastering various horse related topics. This event happens once a year in March.
Annual Tack Swap -
Local, Regional & State Horse Shows - Any 4-H member who wishes to participate in any 4-H sanctioned shows are encouraged to enroll in 4-H by October each year (although not required). See below for more information on upcoming horse shows and activities.
Dates for 2026 Regional Equine events are:
- Horse Bowl: March 21 hosted by Catt. County
- Communications: March 28 in Hamburg in conjunction with the Western District presentations
- Hippology: April 25th in West Falls
FIVE STAR TESTING STUDY GUIDES
ALL RIDERS MUST WEAR AN ASTM/SEI APPROVED PROTECTIVE HELMET AT ALL TIMES WHILE MOUNTED ON A HORSE ON THE4-H GROUNDS.HELMETS MAY BE INSPECTED AT ANY TIME
For information and full class lists-Karen Randall 439-1865 (randallkaren254@gmail.com) or Cheryl Bish 716-439-4499 (CKRFarms@aol.com)
For Niagara County 4-H Sponsored Miniature Horse Show contact: Terri Seidel 772-2390 at tlseidel@aol.com
NYS 4-H HORSE OWNERSHIP CERTIFICATE
Contact
Heidi Feltz
Lead 4-H Educator
hmk3@cornell.edu
(716) 433-8839 ext. 241
Last updated November 5, 2025