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Animal Sciences Department

Animal Sciences Department

State 4-H Horse Demonstration/Illustrated Talk, Public Speaking, and Quiz Bowl Contests

Demonstrations, Public Speaking, and Quiz Bowl, Gainesville.
June 8, 2024
Quiz Bowl and Speech contest entry due dates TBA

Event Description

The State 4-H Horse Events will be held in Gainesville at the Animal Sciences Building on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. (check-in at 9:15). This event will include the State Horse Demonstration/Illustrated Talk contest, Horse Public Speaking contest, and Horse Quiz Bowl. First and second-place participants in the Individual Demonstration, Team Demonstration, Public Speaking, and Quiz Bowl Contests will earn the right to compete at the Regional competition in Perry, GA. The Regional contests are July 31 and August 1, the same week as 4-H University, thus the need to hold this contest much earlier than at 4HU. The top-5 individuals at the State Contest will be combined into one team to represent Florida at Eastern Nationals in Louisville, KY in November.

Like in recent years, interviews for Horseman of the Year and the Dallas C. Osborne Horsemanship Scholarship are not part of this event - those interviews will be held virtually in late June.

  • Eligibility

    Even though this competition will be held at a different time than 4-H University, eligibility for the Horse topic speaking events is still determined at County or District Events.

    • Horse Demonstration/Illustrated Talk entrants qualify from County to District to State -- all District blue-level Senior demonstrations qualify for State. This applies to both Individual and Team presentations.
    • Horse Public Speaking entrants qualify from the County directly to State -- first place Senior County Horse Public Speaking qualifies for State.

    All of these State events are for Seniors only, just like most other 4-H University events (14 & over as of September 1, 2023).

  • Horse Quiz Bowl

    The State 4-H Horse Bowl is open to one Senior team and one Intermediate team per county without qualifying. Register on 4-H Online by June 1. Senior teams should be 4 or 5 members who are 14 or over (as of September 1, 2023). There will also be an Intermediate Division so counties may enter one 4 or 5-member team of Intermediate youth as well (11 to 13 on 9/1/23). However, at least two Senior teams must be entered for the contest to be held (i.e., if only one senior team and 4 Intermediate teams enter, the contest for all ages will be canceled). Please note that a county does not need to enter a Senior team to enter an Intermediate team. However, a total of two or more Senior teams must be entered for the competition in either division to take place. 

    This double-elimination quiz bowl contest offers horse club members the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and earn the right to represent Florida at the regional and national competitions. A detailed description of this competition can be found in the 4-H publication #4H504. To participate in the state Quiz Bowl contest, each team must submit 30 questions to the Animal Science office By June 2. Question difficulty should reflect the age division of the team. Details on references used and question categories may be found on these pages.

  • "In a nutshell" Entry Review

    Horse Quiz Bowl
    --Register via 4-H Online
    --Counties may enter one Senior team and one Intermediate team
    --Team (coach) submits 30 questions per team to Alyssa Ohmstede

    Horse Public Speaking
    --Register via 4-H Online
    --Copies of speech do not need to be submitted ahead of time.
    --County first-place Horse Public Speaking winners are eligible for State.
    --All entrants will be checked against 4-H Events Office records to confirm eligibility.

    Horse Individual & Team Demonstrations
    --Register via 4-H Online 
    --District blue ribbon Individual and Team Horse Demonstration winners are eligible for State.
    --All entrants will be checked against 4-H Events Office records to confirm eligibility.

    Horseman of the Year and Dallas C. Osborne Scholarships
    --Refer to the Florida 4-H Equine Scholarship Summary for scholarship requirements specifically for these two Equine scholarships (some requirements are in addition to the regular scholarship application)
    --Submit Scholarship Application (goes to 4-H Events Office, Courtney Quirie)
    --4-H Agents of applicants will be called with interview status
    --Interviews will be virtual via Zoom in late, usually between 2 PM and 5 PM.