"Life-skill development through hands-on learning is a cornerstone of 4-H youth programs. 4-H projects embrace youth life-skill development by providing means to encourage young people to become responsible, productive citizens (Ward, 1996). Participation in the 4-H horse project and non-riding competitive horse-related contests are tools for youth to develop life skills such as leadership, sportsmanship, and handling pressure while simultaneously enhancing their horse knowledge. For youth to successfully compete in these contests, there is much preparation, organization, dedication, and teamwork involved. Ward (1996) previously reported positive influences on life skills such as decision-making, positive self-esteem, responsibility, and relating to others by alumni of 4-H Animal Science projects such as quiz bowl, judging events, and skillathons." (JOE; Influence of 4-H Horse Project Involvement on Development of Life Skills K.P. Anderson, L. Karr-Lilienthal)

The Kentucky 4-H Horse Program has been impacted by the effects of the pandemic reflected through total number of enrolled youth. With the decline of enrollment, they stepped out of the box to offer the newly-released Teach KY Ag in the Classroom's Horse Science curriculum at the county level to encourage youth to join their local 4-H Horse Club with the assistance of 4-H Agents. Nelson County implemented this program within an elective classroom at New Haven Middle School. State Extension Associate, Mary Jane Little, and the Nelson County 4-H Agent worked to provide the following lessons within the classroom:

 The lessons offered included: 

1. Building a shelter and withstanding a wind test to learn about what kinds of environments horses thrive in and how to properly provide structural needs of the horse.
2. A camouflage lesson that teaches youth basic genetics and how horses survive in the wild depending on their environment with a candy-sorting activity

Implementing this program, we reached approximately 30 youth. We observed growth and impact, and from our observations, we saw that youth indicated they learned something new about horses, they felt safe, and 1-2 were interest in joining their local 4-H Horse Club for the upcoming 4-H year.