ATTENTION ALL PROJECT MEMBERS:
La Crosse County 4-H Horse Project Bylaws (Last Update April 2019)
Horse Project Handbook (Last Update October 2019)
2022 Drill Team Handbook (currently being updated!)
2025-2026 Horse Project Calendar– subject to updates throughout the year – check back often for meeting dates, times and locations! (last updated 11.17.25)
Horse Project Registration Form (PDF Form) (Fillable PDF Form) – complete one form for each horse that you may exhibit at the fair and submit to the UW-Extension office by 4:30 p.m. on May 1st each year! No registration=No exhibition! You can email it here: lacrossecounty4h@lacrossecounty.org
Keep checking back to this site for more information and as always, pay attention to the monthly Cloverline newsletter.
County Fair Requirements
Education
Each member must participate in an educational event or clinic with their horse at least one week before Fair. The Project will provide various opportunities throughout the year, and information on these events will be announced in the Cloverline, at meetings and on this site. Most clinics are free and are an opportunity for members and horse(s) to learn new skills, gain confidence, and “polish up”. It is strongly encouraged that members attend Horse Camp in May as their clinic/educational event.
To get credit for attending a clinic/educational event, members must fill out the Horse Educational Clinic, Training or Workshop Form. This form must be turned in to the UW-Extension office one week prior to Fair and within 30 days of attending your event.
Remember to bring a copy of your Coggins test to any event!
*The Horse Project Handbook (above) is final law on any and all Horse Project requirements!
Safety Testing
It is a requirement that all 4-H Members that will be exhibiting a horse (their own or managerial) pass Safety Certification Level 1 and/or Level 2 with each horse they plan to exhibit. All Safety Testing will be done at the La Crosse Interstate Fairgrounds with an approved Safety Testing Leader. Please see the Handbook for a current list of approved Safety Testing Leaders and their contact information.
Volunteering
Volunteering is an essential part of the 4-H experience! All project members, leaders, parents and families are encouraged to get involved within the Horse project.
Events & Activities
4-H Horse Education Days – Exciting Changes
Exciting changes coming from the WI 4-H Horse Association for 4-H Horse Education Days! Several contests will now be held at Education Days instead of at Expo. Contests moving to the Education Days event include: Art, Creative Communications, Photography, Model Horse and Team Problems. Those events join the previous Education Days contests of Horse Quiz Bowl, Hippology, and Speaking and Demonstration. More descriptions about the events, the two day schedule, contest information, and more about Education Days can be found in the Wisconsin 4-H Horse Association Handbook (look under Chapter 5, Statewide Events, Education Days) for more information.
Contest Snapshot
WI 4-H Horse Education Days, Sponsored by the WI 4-H Horse Association
Dates: May 2 – 3, 2026
Location: STEM Innovation Center – UW Green Bay Campus, 2019 Technology Way, Green Bay, WI 54311
Events: Hippology, Horse Bowl, Speaking and Demonstration, Arts, Creative Communication, Photography, Team Problems, and Model Horse
Registration information about the contests will be coming out soon and be completed through 4-H online.
Questions about the contests? Connect with Sharon, WI Horse Association Education Chairperson, at 920-757-5167
Youth Unable to Join? If youth are unable to attend Education Days, they may still be able to participate in the Art, Creative Communications, and Photography contests. Those items can be brought by other county members, or families can take advantage of two drop off sites. Families can drop off their projects at the Ozaukee County Extension office or the Adams County Extension office and a volunteer will bring them to the contest. After the contest is done, the volunteers will return the projects to the respective Extension office for the youth to retrieve. Please have the projects to the Extension office no later than April 28. Also, please include a contact phone number with your projects. All efforts will be made to transport items with care, and keep in mind, the volunteers transporting the items and Extension offices are not responsible for damaged or lost items.
Horse Camp
When: Saturday, May 16th, 2026
Where: La Crosse Interstate Fairgrounds in West Salem.
To register, please fill out the Horse Camp Registration Form(pdf) Horse Camp Registration Form(Fillable). Registration is due to the UW-Extension office by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1st, 2026.
County Classic
When: Saturday, August 22, 2026
Time: 8:00 A.M.
Location: La Crosse County Interstate Fairgrounds, West Salem
Please read the guidelines and complete your registration form! Show Packet (pdf) and Showbill (pdf)
Questions? Please reach out to 4-H County Classic: 608-606-4269
State Horse Leadership Conference
When: TBD
Where: UW-Oshkosh
Contact: Liv Sandberg, 608-263-4303, sandberg@ansci.wisc.edu
The annual State 4-H Horse Leadership Conference is open to 4-H Horse Project members in grades 7 and above as well as adults. The purpose of the workshop is to:
- Offer educational workshops which include both information and hands-on activity ideas for leaders to utilize when teaching youth
- Provide a forum for strengthening communications relative to the 4-H Horse and Pony Project
- Provide an opportunity for participants to network and share experiences
For more information and to register, please contact Liv Sandberg.
Horse Bowl
Do you want to learn more about horses and make friends in the La Crosse County 4-H Horse Project? We invite you to consider joining the 4-H Horse Bowl Team. Horse Bowl is an educational activity in which four-person teams compete head-to-head, with the first person to ring in given the opportunity to answer a horse-related question. Think Jeopardy! but all the questions are horse-related. Topics include horse anatomy, breed characteristics and history, equipment, training, nutrition, disease prevention and treatment, etc. Membership is open to any youth in grades 3 -13 enrolled in the La Crosse County 4-H Horse Project. To join, contact Lise Graham at lisegraham@aol.com.
Horseless Horse or Horse?
According to the Wisconsin 4-H Horse Guidelines, a Horseless horse project is one in which the 4-H member has no one on one contact with a horse. They do not own, their family does not own or lease (managerial contract) a horse. They work with a currently enrolled horse project member or leader to learn about the horse (including grooming, clean up, tack, riding, etc). Horseless Horse members may only show in Horseless Horse classes. A horseless horse project member can only show the horse that they were working with; this horse can also be shown by the horse project member in horse classes. There cannot be two horseless horse members showing the same horse. Further clarification can be found on the Wisconsin 4-H Horse Association website.