Arkansas 4-H State Horse Show tests members’ riding, racing skills, horse knowledge
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
July 17, 2025
Fast Facts:
- Arkansas 4-H members from 21 counties competed in three-day event
- Events included barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and more
- Members also competed in hippology contest on knowledge of horses
(1,165 words)
(Newsrooms: With photos from event)
SEARCY, Ark. — For Mabry Davis, nothing brings better clarity than working with horses.
The 17-year-old from Ashley County was among more than 70 participants from 21 counties competing at the Arkansas 4-H State Horse Show, held July 15-17 at the White County Fairgrounds. At the show, Davis competed in goat tying, barrel racing, pole bending, keyhole racing, stake racing and flag racing. She won first place in senior barrel racing at the event, with a run time of 16.171 seconds.
“When I’m on the back of a horse, nothing else matters,” she said. “I’m calm, and my head is clear. It brings me back to earth.
“My favorite event would probably be barrel racing, because I can do that anywhere and I’m the most consistent in that event,” Davis said. “You’re going really fast, and you’re turning, and you just get to feel your horse and work with your horse in those turns.”
Davis has been a member of Ashley County 4-H since her fifth birthday, but she describes herself as an “honorary member since I was born, because my mom has been a 4-H volunteer since before I was born.”
As a 4-H member, Davis said her favorite part is getting to know other members with different passions and projects, including at 4-H State O-Rama, the annual state-level competition event.
“I really like getting to meet people from across the state and just learning more about what they do, because not everyone’s in the horse program,” she said. “Going to events like O-Rama, you meet people who may be doing the same O-Rama event as you, but they’ve never seen a horse before. They don’t know when I go up there to sing that I ride horses.”
A place to belong
Mark Russell, extension equine professor for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the annual State Horse Show is a culmination of the 4-H horse program clinics, workshops and qualifying events that take place throughout the year.
“Our program, like most other 4-H programs, gives a lot of kids a place to belong,” Russell said. “We teach them about horses, but it helps them find their place in life, and what they’re interested in and what they might want to do later on.”
Junior and senior 4-H members ranging from 9-18 years old can compete at the state level, provided they have attended at least one state-qualifying show. Cloverbud 4-H members ages 5-8 years old can compete at the state-qualifying shows.
In addition to riding clinics, the 4-H horse program also conducts educational workshops to prepare members for the state-level horse quiz bowl and hippology contest, which tests them on knowledge of horse ownership and health.
At the State Horse Show, 4-H members competed in goat tying, barrel racing, stake racing, pole bending and flag racing, in which participants were tasked with riding in a pattern around barrels, picking up a flag from one bucket and depositing it in another, all while being timed. Participants also competed in keyhole racing, a speed event in which they raced through a keyhole-shaped pattern.
4-H members also competed in ranch roping and ranch boxing, demonstrating their roping and reining skills, as well as in showmanship and various styles of riding, such as Western Pleasure riding, trail riding and ranch riding.
Winners at the State Horse Show can advance to the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Show held in Perry, Georgia, from July 30-Aug. 3. Russell said that because of the travel distance, only a few Arkansas 4-H members will likely make the trip.
Building trust, learning your horse
Payden Wright, 11, a member of Ashley County 4-H, said her favorite events are barrel racing and pole bending because her 24-year-old horse Gracie is “really good at those.” Wright won third place in junior keyhole racing, with a run time of 13.261 seconds.
“I’ve had a lot of practice to remember where I need to put my hands and where I need to move my feet,” Wright said. “I’ve gotten a lot better.”
Wright said she has participated in 4-H horse programming since she was five years old.
“Horses, they’re very nice to me,” she said. “I’ve been very lucky to have good, healthy horses. I want to be a veterinarian and work with all sorts of animals. I like to help them learn new things and make them be a better animal than they were before.”
Though Wright said she often gets scared — “I’m nervous every time I make a run that I’m going to fall off and mess up and lose my stirrup,” she said — she’s learned to overcome that fear by establishing a deep bond with her horse.
“You just work with the horse more and build that trust,” Wright said. “I have a lot of trust in her. If you’re scared of them, they know. They can feel your heartbeat through the saddle. And when I was nervous in the back of the pen, she knew that.”
Life skills that go beyond the arena
Russell said the 4-H horse program provides members with benefits beyond horsemanship and riding skills.
“They’ve learned that if they want to do well in these programs — and not just the horse program — they’ve got to work hard at it,” Russell said. “They’ve got to study the curriculum. We teach them how to judge horses, but through that, they’re learning how to weigh facts and make decisions quickly. We have speech competitions where they learn how to talk in front of a group. They learn how to organize their thoughts.”
Russell said he participated in Texas 4-H’s horse program from age 11 until he graduated high school, and that the experience informed the trajectory of his life and career.
“For me, I found a place where I could be somebody,” he said. “At school, I blended in. I was just a regular kid. But when I did 4-H horse events, I would do well sometimes and it built my confidence. I got to know a lot of kids and families outside of my own town, so it opened the door for a lot of things, not just for this job.”
Arkansas 4-H members graduate from the horse program equipped for the road ahead, Russell said.
“Our kids go on to do a lot of things, and we’re proud of them,” he said. “They make contacts, they make friends, they get to know people around the state, and in some cases, around the country. We have prepared them for the future. They do this because they want to, not because they have to.”
For more information about the Arkansas 4-H horse program, visit the 2025 Arkansas 4-H Horse Events page on the Cooperative Extension Service website or contact Mark Russell at mrrussell@uada.edu. Event scores for the 2025 4-H State Horse Show can be found at the Arkansas 4-H Horse Program Facebook page.
To learn more about the Cooperative Extension Service’s youth development program, visit 4h.uada.edu or contact your local county agent.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061