4-H Horse Clubs
- Central Delaware Clovers
- East Branch Mini Mania
- Four Seasons
- Kids -n- Kritters
- This -n- That Country Crew
- Thundering Hooves
Advisory Committee Members
Dawn Brown, Joyce Curtin, Rich Pernice, Emily Dutton, Bill Sherman, and Terri Sherman. Emily Roach, CCE 4-H Team Leader
Advisory Committee Scholarship Award
2022 Application
Deadline: Monday, October 1, 2022
Submit by: Email to jeb469@cornell.edu
Application Instructions: 2022 Scholarship Details
2021 Winner
Sierra Tweedie: Kids & Kritters 4-H Club Member – Congratulations Sierra!
Animal Ownership & Registration Guidelines
Horses must be owned/leased by June 1 of the current 4-H year.
Non-Ownership Animal Projects
NYS 4-H Horse Certificate & 4-H Animal Lease Agreement (due by June 1)
A Horse Certificate must be filled out for each project horse. It is also strongly recommended that a 4-H Animal Lease Agreement be completed as well. Project horses may be owned or leased. A family can designate all of their horses as project horses. For county fair and clinics, more than one non-leased horse can be designated as a project horse, but for the state fair, the state fair show guidelines below must be followed.
Contact the Extension office for a copy of the New York State Horse Certificate and 4-H Animal Lease Agreement.
The Extension office needs copies of the following paperwork:
- 4-H Member Enrollment Forms for the current 4-H year – new membership taken up until the last business day of March (December 31, 2022)
- NYS 4-H Horse Certificate – due June 1
- 4-H Animal Lease Agreement (if applicable) – due June 1
- Current Negative Coggins (for 2023 a test from 2022 or 2023) – due June 1
- Proof of Rabies Vaccination (Rabies is yearly, please check the date on your Rabies paperwork) – due June 1
Health Certificate
Required if your horse is boarded outside of New York State. Can be obtained from your vet.
Riding Evaluations
ALL 4-Hers, regardless of age, should be evaluated by a 4-H Horse Advisory Committee Member in order to ride in 4-H clinics and/or shows.
Riding Evaluation forms need to be completed and on file at the Extension office for:
- Cloverbuds who would like to ride in Walk/Trot classes
- 4-Hers who would like to move up from Walk/Trot to Walk/Trot/Canter
- New 4-H members who are over 7 years of age and enrolling in the horse project for the first time
Riding evaluations will be completed by a 4-H Horse Advisory Committee Member. Emily Roach, 4-H Team Leader, will give final approval with the recommendation from the 4-H Horse Advisory Committee. 4-H Horse Advisory Committee Member(s) must see the individual ride/drive.
Contact the Extension office to obtain a copy of the Riding Evaluation forms (Cloverbud; Riding Level; Driving Level; Miniature).
Five Star Program
The Five Star Program is designed to provide a guide for teaching horse project members and for checking their accomplishments each year. Each star covers skills on which members are to be checked. 4-H club leaders may find the Star Program useful in determining what to teach horse project members. The Star Program is only indicative of what a member has learned and does not list every item which leaders may wish to teach their members.
Club leaders, with any help they may wish to obtain, may do the testing for the first and second star levels within their club. Third, fourth and fifth stars are to be tested by a 4-H Horse Advisory Committee member(s). Emily Roach, 4-H Team Leader, will give final approval with the recommendation from the 4-H Horse Advisory Committee.
A schedule of testing weekends will be offered in the spring and fall of each year. The fourth and fifth stars have a riding component to them. Candidates will have to travel to a testing site to complete this exam. Both stars also have a non-horse owner option.
Passing grade is 75%
To obtain a copy of one or all of the STAR Score Sheets (levels 1 through 5), please contact the Extension office.
Fair Participation Requirements
For educational purposes, the Horse Advisory Committee and the 4-H Staff encouraged youth to take advantage of the program opportunities provided to them (i.e.: public presentations, horse communications, horse bowl, hippology, clinics, shows, drill team, 5 Star Program, etc.). In addition to the Horse Paperwork requirements, due June 1 (see above for more details), any 4-Her planning to show horses at the Delaware County Fair will need to participate in a minimum of two of the following:
Public Presentations
Horse Clinic – July: Registration Link
Horse Bowl/Hippology
Veterinary Science Clinic with SUNY Delhi
Drill Team
Enter Projects in Youth Building
Cooperstown Junior Livestock Show
July Show: Registration Form
STEM Camp
4-H Camp Shankitunk
Other 4-H Program/Event
Horse Programs & Events
4-H Horse Bowl & Hippology
A team event that uses a question and answer format with game show style buzzers to learn information about horses. Winners may be eligible to compete at the district, state, and national levels.
Public Presentations
An informational session on horse communications will be available on February 18 at 6:00pm via Zoom. For the link to join, email Emily Roach at esc33@cornell.edu.
Three in-person Public Presentation Event will be held on:
Friday, March 17 at 4-H/CCE Office in Hamden, 5:00 – 8:00pm
Saturday, March 18 at 4-H/CCE Office in Hamden, 9:00am – 1:00pm
Saturday, April 1 at the Sidney Memorial Library, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
You must present at one of these three events to be eligible to present at the 2023 Delaware County Fair.
For questions or more information, contact Emily Roach, Team Leader: esc33@cornell.edu.
Drill Team: Mandatory Organizational Meeting – Saturday April 30, 2023. For more information, email Justine at jeb469@cornell.edu.
4-H Horse Ranch Clinic & Show – Friday-Sunday, July 14-16, 2023
July 4-H Horse Show & State Fair Qualifier – Saturday & Sunday July 21-22, 2023
Delaware County Fair – 2023 4-H Horse Shows: Tuesday, August 15 and Wednesday, August 16
Bill Sherman, 4-H Horse Superintendent
Visit the Delaware County Fair page for more information on entering in the 4-H horse shows.
New York State Fair
NYS Fair Rule/Non-Owned Equines: The exhibitor shall exhibit no more than one non-owned equine in the state show. Multiple exhibitors may show the same equine, but must exhibit the animal in different divisions (Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat, Western, Gymkhana, etc.) NOT junior or senior exhibitor. The exhibitor is not allowed to show an owned and a non-owned horse.
For more information, contact Emily Roach
4-H Team Leader
(607) 865-6531