Washington State 4-H Equine Contests Approved Source

Update

Beginning October 1, 2026, Horse Smarts will be the sole reference for all questions and scenarios in the Washington State 4-H Hippology and Horse Bowl Contests. Copies are available for purchase at ayhc.com/shop.

The Horse Smarts binder is designed to be updated over time so its content keeps pace with advances in equine science and industry practice, with revisions released about once every five years. If you already own a copy, purchase the 2026 Update packet and replace the affected pages with the revised and new content. If you’re buying a new copy, the 2026 updates are already included, so you don’t need the update packet.

Members planning to compete can start studying now, since everything you’ll see at the state contests will come from this one book. County horse programs are encouraged to purchase a copy and divide it into topic sections that youth can check out and study in manageable pieces. It’s also a great resource for club meetings, practice sessions, and study groups.

If you have questions about using Horse Smarts in your county, or would like help building hippology, horse bowl, and equine science activities for your members, please contact the State 4-H Equine Committee at 4h.equine@wsu.edu. We’re glad to help!