Success Story4-H Horse Club Provides Benefits to Youth During Pandemic
4-H Horse Club Provides Benefits to Youth During Pandemic
Author: Lee Ann McCuiston
Planning Unit: Todd County CES
Major Program: Agriculture
Plan of Work: Developing Marketable Skills in Ag, Science, and Natural Resources
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
The Todd County 4-H program offered arena riding and horse club activities to youth during the pandemic. Twenty-two youth attended 4 open riding days providing more than 6 hours at the Wild Brez Arena this year to experience horse educational activities, fun riding classes and team work through horses. The pandemic was hard on kids mentally and physically, but the bond that develops between the horse and the child offers huge psychological benefits helping reduce anxiety and cope better emotionally. Life experiences through horse back riding teach perseverance, how to deal with fear, as well as developing hard work. This year's horse club meetings focused on fun, social skills, team work, confidence and horse knowledge. An end of year focus group provided the following results:
100% met and interacted with new friends while at horse club.
20% attended a horse show beyond the county club meetings due to an increase in confidence while riding
87% gained a sense of belonging to a club.
99% gained an understanding of proper saddling, grooming and mounting horses.
77% learned about proper feeding and care of horses.
The ability to ride and control a big horse can give a child a huge confidence boost and improve their self-esteem. Every little success, the praise they receive for achievements and the experience itself can be incredibly rewarding. Riding can establish a lifelong passion for horses from simply being in close contact with the animals to grooming and learning about the care that the horse needs.
Stories by Lee Ann McCuiston
Youth Learn to Sew on a Button
Sewing on a button is a small five-minute fix if you know how to do it, but so many people in todays... Read More
4-H Summit Conference Helps Youth Step Up to Leadership
According to research, middle school is a time where young people find their place in this world, th... Read More
Stories by Todd County CES
Cancer Screening and Early Detection for Underserved Audiences
According to the Kentucky Cancer Consortium, Kentucky ranks at or above the national average for inc... Read More
Todd Co. Extension Office Building Project Fund-raising Campaign
On May 1, 2023, the Todd County Extension staff began operating from the new County Extension Office... Read More
© 2024 University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment