ELIGIBILITY: 4-H YOUTH DIVISION 

  • Open to 4-H members from any county 4-H program. Must be 8-18 as of Jan. 1 of current year. 
  • No limit on number of entries BUT an exhibitor cannot earn more than two premiums in each class. 
  • All animals must be owned by the youth exhibitor or by the family or in the name of the ranch or farm unless approved by show superintendent. 
  • Each exhibitor shall be responsible for the health and safety of their animals, and they shall maintain good showmanship and respectful behavior while in the area that their tack/trailer resides. 
  • Animals should be shown by the exhibitor when possible. Substitute youth showmen must be approved by the show superintendent. Only animals entered by the exhibitor can be used for showmanship contests. 
  • Contestants (including their family members) can and will be disqualified if their behavior fails to coincide with the expectations of a 4-H program or is deemed inappropriate. 

    PREMIUMS 

  • Premiums will be paid at the following rates to county youth:
  • Purple $5.00 
  • Blue $3.00 
  • Red $2.00 
  • White $1.00 
  • Out-of-county exhibitors will receive premiums based on their placing within a class. Premiums will be paid at the following rates: Junior Showmanship: First $5.00, Second $3.00, Third $2.00, and Fourth $1.00.  
  • Intermediate Showmanship: First $8.00, Second $6.00, Third $3.00, Fourth $2.00
  • Senior Showmanship: First $10.00, Second $8.00, Third $5.00, Fourth $3.00
  •  Other Classes: First $10.00, Second $8.00, Third $5.00, Fourth $3.00 
  •  The judges will place all creditable exhibits in each class into four ribbon groups according to excellence. These ribbon groupings include: 
    • Purple – Superior 
    • Blue – Excellent 
    • Red- Good 
    • White – Satisfactory 
  • In case of no competition, the judge will decide which ribbon placing the exhibit deserves. 
  • On the day of the show, Prizes will be awarded in the different age divisions in three different sections: halter classes, performance classes, and speed events. Youth will receive points for each class they participate in according to the ribbon they received in the class. (Champion = 5+points for the color of the ribbon, Reserve =3+points for the color of the ribbon, Purple =5, Blue=3, Red=2, White = 1) For example Purple Champion would get 10 points, 5 for Champion and 5 for purple. 
    • Halter classes consist of: This Year’s Foal, Yearling, Two-Year-Old, 3-4 Year Old, Aged Halter, and Showmanship. 
    • Performance classes consist of: Western Pleasure, Green Broke Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Reining, Trail, inhand trail, Green Broke Trail, and Working Ranch. 
    • Speed Events consist of: Barrel Race, Pole Bending, and Flag Race 
  • All around is determined by the exhibitor’s highest score from one Halter Class, highest score from only one of the similar classes (such as pleasure and trail), total score for the Performance Classes, and Speed Events. Belt Buckles are only awarded to Sioux County 4-H enrolled horse members at the Annual Fun Feed. 
  • Unless a description is given, all classes will be run in accordance with the Nebraska 4-H Horse Show and Judging Guide (4-H 373), except for attire. 
  • Attire should conform to the following rules: 
    • Hats are optional, however, if worn, it MUST stay on during the performance. Helmets are allowed. 
    • Shirts should be long sleeved, western style. Jackets may be worn in rainy or cold weather. Blue or black denim jeans must be worn, and a belt is recommended. Hard soled cowboy boots are considered safe and appropriate. Boots with waffle-type tread greater than or equal to 1/8” will not be allowed in riding classes. 
    • Spurs are permissible but must be dull and if roweled must be free moving. 
  • All ages are as of January 1st of the current year. 

    • Age breaks are as follows: 
    • Junior 8-10 years • 
    • Intermediate: 11-13 years 
    • Senior: 14-18 years 

    SHOWMANSHIP 

    G060001 - Junior Showmanship 

    G060002 -  Intermediate Showmanship 

    G060003 - Senior Showmanship 

    HALTER 

    (each exhibitor is limited to one horse per halter class) 

    G061001 - This Year’s Foal  

    G061002 - One Year Old  

    G061003 - Two Year Old 

    G061004 - Three-Four Year Old 

    G061005 - Aged (Five and Over) 

    PERFORMANCE 

    G062001 - Junior Western Pleasure 

    G062002 -  Intermediate Western Pleasure 

    G062003 - Senior Western Pleasure 

    G062004 - Green-Broke Horse Western Pleasure - Horse must be two or three years old by January 1st of the current year. Horse may not be ridden in another Western Pleasure class. Open to youth ages 10 and up. These horses must only have been trained by the 4-H member and must adhere to the 2-3 year old pleasure rules in the 4-H Horse Show and Judging Guide 

    G062005 - Junior Horsemanship 

    G062006 - Intermediate Horsemanship  

    G062007 - Senior Horsemanship 

    G062008 - Junior Reining 

    G062009 -   Intermediate Reining 

    G062010 - Senior Reining

    G062011 - Junior Trail 

    G062012  - Intermediate Trail

    G062013 - Senior Trail

    G062014 - Green Broke Horse Trail - Horse must be two or three years old by January 1st of the current year. Horse may not be ridden in another Trail class. Open to youth ages 10 and up. These horses must only have been trained by the 4-H member and must adhere to the 2-3 year old pleasure rules in the 4-H Horse Show and Judging Guide 

    G062015  -  In-Hand Trail -  Open to horses of any age, but horse may not be shown in another Trail class. The purpose of the class is to encourage youth to practice safe and effective horse handling skills on the ground and with young horses (at least one year of age). Preferred equipment is a long lead rope and stick and string. 

    G062016 - Working Ranch – exhibitors will move an animal through a course with 4 to 7 obstacles. Rider will be scored on each obstacle and will have 2 to 4 minutes to complete the obstacle course. 

    G062017 - Dummy Roping – Each participant will rope a dummy on horseback. Participants will have the opportunity to throw 5 throws at the head. Participants will be judged on how they position their horse, how they handle their rope, and how many catches they make. 

    SPEED EVENTS 

    G063001 - Junior Pole Bending  

    G063002 - Intermediate Pole Bending 

    G063003 - Senior Pole Bending

    G063004 - Junior Barrel Race 

    G063005 - Intermediate Barrel Race  

    G063006  - Senior Barrel Race

    G063007 -  Junior Flag Race 

    G063008 - Intermediate Flag Race

    G063009 - Senior Flag Race