March 14, 2026
NC State 4-H Horse Bowl Contest
The NCSU Western Equestrian Team will be selling concessions during the State Horsebowl and Hippology Contests. If your team or individuals are interested in ordering pizza for lunch, please complete the pre-order form below!
District Horse Bowl Contest Dates- 2026
North Central District Date: February 14, Guilford County Extension Office Contact: Morgan Manness, Rockingham County 4-H Extension Agent, Phone: 336-342-8230, Email: morgan_maness@ncsu.edu
North Central District 4-H Horse Bowl Contest Entry
North Central District 4-H CLOVERBUD Horse Bowl Entry Form
Entries must be entered online no later than January 22.Northeast District Date: February 14, Currituck Extension Center - 120 Community Way, Barco, NC 27917 Contact: Sherry Fischlschweiger, Currituck County 4-H Extension Agent, Email: slfischl@ncsu.edu, Phone: (252) 232-2261
2026 NED Horsebowl Registration Form
CloverBud Horse Bowl Registration 2026
Registration deadline is January 30, 2026.
South Central District Date: February 14, Union County Extension Office
Contact: Samantha Taylor, Union County 4-H Volunteer, Email: Wentersenvt@aol.com
South Central District 4-H Horse Bowl Contest Entry Form
Entries must be entered online no later than
Southeast District Date: February 14, Onslow County Extension Office
Contact: Tara Taylor, Onslow County 4-H Extension Agent, 910-455-5873 or 252-361-1888 on the day of the event, or email at tara_taylor@ncsu.edu
SOUTHEAST DISTRICT HORSEBOWL ENTRY FORM-
Deadline to register is January 26, 2026
West District Date: February 7 (snow date February 14), Southwestern Community College, 447 College Drive, Sylva, NC
Competition will begin at 10:00 am with check-in from 8:45-9:30 am. Coaches will meet and draw for seeds at 9:40 am.
Contact: Cynthia Robbins, Rutherford County 4-H Extension Agent, Phone: 828.287.6190, Email: cynthia_robbins@ncsu.edu 2026 West District Horsebowl Contest Entry Deadline to register is Friday, January 9th at 5:00 PM.
Submission of horsebowl questions by counties is OPTIONAL for 2026. Any county or team may register for their district horsebowl contest without submitting questions.
2026 County Submitted Questions Excel Template
2026 County Horsebowl Questions Template (Google Sheets Version)
Preparing for Horsebowl Competitions (information on submitting and writing questions, and studying for competitions)
Educational Event Donors Needed! If you would like to sponsor the horsebowl contest, please complete this form: NC State Educational Contest Sponsorships 2026-Fillable PDF
Eligibility
Each contestant must be an actual 4-H club member approved by his or her county Extension office and horse club leader. Participants are not required to own a horse to participate. Each team must have four eligible members. All team members must be present at the team seeding. All members of a Junior team may not have reached age 14 as of January 1 of the current year. All members of a Senior team must have reached age 14 but not age 19 before January 1 of the current year. It is strongly encouraged that mixed division teams consist of at least two Junior members and two Senior members. (A mixed team must contain at least two Junior members and one Senior member seated in competition at all times and may not have more than two Seniors seated at any time.)
Any entry form not completed in its entirety will be returned to the sender. If the entry form is resubmitted after the deadline date, it will be assessed a late fee of $10 per team. If late entries are prohibited, no late entries will be accepted.
Contestants may participate in only one division and on one team in a given year. Members of 4-H are not eligible to participate in a regional or state contest if they have completed a secondary education course (college, community college, or technical school) related to the Horse Bowl Contest subject matter. An All-Star Team composed of the high-scoring Senior individuals from the Senior and Mixed Division, in the NC State 4-H Horse Bowl Contest, will be tested to determine the state team and will represent North Carolina in National and Regional competitions. In the event a high Senior Horse Bowl individual also is a high individual in the State Horse Judging Contest or Hippology Contest within the same year, that individual will have one week after completion of the State Horse Judging Contest to declare in which event(s) he or she wishes to represent North Carolina at national contests.
The State Extension specialist will designate the next high-ranking individuals in the other contest(s) to represent North Carolina at nationals. Members of the champion team in the Senior, Junior, or Mixed divisions who were not selected to participate on the state team will be eligible to compete on future teams in that division as long as they meet the age and educational eligibility requirements. Members of the state team selected from the Senior and Mixed divisions and participating at the National 4-H Roundup or Quarter Horse Congress will be ineligible to participate as members of any future county horse bowl teams. The winning state team from the previous year will be eligible to assist as scorers and doorkeepers in the Junior or Mixed divisions of the current year at a regional or state contest.
All valid references for the Horse Bowl Contest are listed under Educational Materials. Please remember that references differ for Junior, Mixed, and Senior level teams! ONLY the sources listed on the NC 4-H Horse Program website will be considered valid for the contest.
Hotel Accommodations
A room block has been set up with:
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Raleigh West – Lenovo Center 6115 Corporate Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27607 Ph: 919-809-8660 Fx: 919-809-8488
Book By: 02/27/2026 Standard King $125 Queen/Queen $135
