Texas 4-H Horse Validation for the 2023 season will be open in 4H Online from March 1 – May 1, 2023. Please see the attached guidelines for families and County Extension Agents.

A few important reminders:

• ALL horses must be validated/re-validated each year. There is no limit to the number of horses that can be validated. You are encouraged to validate all horses that may possibly be shown at district and/or state shows. Only state validated horses can be substituted in the event that a validated horse becomes unusable due to lameness, sickness, etc.
• The family can submit payment of $10.00 per horse ($20.00 after April 15^th, or $250 from May 1^st to May 5^th), in the form of a credit card ONLY.
  • From March 1 – April 15, the validation cost for each horse is $10.00. The $10.00 cost is only guaranteed if the animal validation is approved by the county office by the April 15^th deadline and the payment is processed.
  • From April 16 – May 1, the validation cost for each horse is $20.00. The $20.00 cost is only guaranteed if the animal validation is approved by the county office by the May 1^st deadline and the payment is processed.
• Each validation must include front view, right side view, and left side view images. The entire horse should be included in the photo and markings should be clearly visible.
• If the horse is registered, a copy of the registration papers must be uploaded. These papers must list the 4-Her, sibling, parent, stepparent, grandparent or legal guardian as the current owner. If the ownership is in the process of being transferred, please list “pending” in the registration number area. Once the updated registration papers have been received, please email me a copy of the new papers and I will add it to the validation.
• *NEW IN 2023* – Lease horses are now eligible to be validated and shown at District and State 4-H Horse Shows. An official Texas 4-H Horse Lease Agreement must be signed by the exhibitor, horse owner, and the supervising County Extension Agent. The lease period must include, at minimum, May 1^st to August 31^st of the current 4-H year. The lease agreement form can be found at https://texasyouthlivestock.com/horse-validation/ and must be uploaded to 4H Online at the time of validation.
• Image uploads in 4H Online must be in the form of a .jpg, .gif or .png file.
• Families should validate each horse only one time. Once the horse is validated, any sibling within that family is eligible to show the horse at their district show and/or the State 4-H Horse Show.
• Youth validating a futurity horse must be at least 12 years of age (as of Sept. 1, 2022) and at least in the 6^th grade.

Validation walk-through guide for families: https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/4honline_family_guide_horse_validation_2023.pdf

• For additional one-pagers and other resources, please visit https://texasyouthlivestock.com/horse-validation/
• Validation walk-through video: https://youtu.be/OPoOmyC1kTk
• The family will receive an automated message from 4-H Online when the County Extension Agent has approved the horse at the county level. This approval does NOT guarantee eligibility. After it is approved at the county level, the validation will then be reviewed at the state level. The family will be notified by June 1^st if there are any issues with the validation at the state level.
  • We will begin to review validations at the state level on March 1^st and will be working closely with families and agents to fix errors as quickly as possible prior to the validation deadline.

If you have any questions regarding validation, please reach out to Kara Matheney at the Washington County Extension Office.

2023 Texas 4-H Horse Validation – Guidelines for Families
2023 Texas 4H Horse Lease Agreement