Bit of Class

The Horse Project is one of many projects offered by the Arapahoe County 4-H Program. The Bit of Class 4-H Club focuses on the Horse project, and has a seperate branch of the club dedicated to Vet Science, but members are also welcome to sign up for other projects. Members not only learn how to ride and show horses successfully, but also learn about horse health, safety around horses, different riding disciplines, and caring for horses, among many other topics.  

Prior to joining, feel free to come to a meeting sometime! Our meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month, at 7:00 PM at the 4H Leader's house, which is at 5395 S. University Blvd., Littleton CO 80121. If you have any questions, please see the Contact Us page. You can also contact the Arapahoe County Extension Office for more information at 303.730.1920.

Don't have a horse? No problem. Some horses are available for lease by the 4H leader for those who do not own or have access to a horse of their own, but club horses are limited.  The horse does not have to be your own horse, for example if you have a friend or relative who is willing to lease their horse to you. For riding meetings, if you do not have a horse or do not have the means to transport your horse to the riding meeting, there will be club horses available. See the Barn page for more leasing details.

The Bit of Class 4-H Club covers a number of disciplines:

Western:

Most of our riders rider western. Some compete in western pleasure, while others compete mainly in pattern classes such as horsemanship, control, equitation, western riding, and reining. Annette Cyboron teaches clinics on Western riding, and Kenny Scott, from Scott Performance Horses in Elizabeth, teaches clinics on western pleasure.

English:

Several of our riders compete in English disciplines, including hunter, jumper, and dressage. We work with trainers Carol Jones from Windy Ridge Thoroughbreds and Grace van Dyke, from Trinity Farms in parker, both of whom are eventing trainers and teach flatwork, jumping, and dressage.

Gymkhana:

Gymkhana consists of Western speed events such as barrel racing, pole bending, flags, and keyhole. We have these events at our club fun shows for everyone to participate in, regardless of skill, and some members do compete for speed at the county level.

Halter and Showmanship:

Halter is judged on the conformation and form of the horse, whereas Showmanship is judged on how the horse is presented.
Jim Rea, from the Colorado Natural Horsemanship Center in Elizabeth, CO, does clinics yearly with the 4-H club to work on groundwork and general manners. Annette Cyboron, one of the 4-H leaders, helps the club with Halter and Showmanship in order to prepare members for County Fair and other shows.