Tennessee 4-H Members Prepared For Hippology Contest January 24th by Nancy Brannon Keeping horses healthy and fit involves knowing much more than just how to feed some grain, hay and water. Members of both the Shelby County and Tipton County 4-H groups engaged in some intensive learning about all aspects of horse care to prepare for the 4-H Hippology Competition, held January 24th at Crockett County Middle School in Alamo, Tennessee. Hippology is Greek for study of (ology) the horse (hippo). Studying for this competition has a two-fold purpose: the 4-H members learn a great deal about horse care and riding, and going out of town to a competition is a fun thing to do when the weather is least accommodating for riding. What are your horse’s normal body temperature and pulse rate? What are the parts of your horse’s digestive tract? What is the ideal slope of the shoulder? What are two causes of contracted heels? What does TDN stand for and why is it important? What causes blind staggers? Where on the horse would there be no sweat glands? In which performance class is the rider penalized for cueing the horse? When were horses introduced to the Olympic Games? What is the French name for three day event? Do you know the answers to these questions? These are only a few of the many questions the 4-H competitors might be asked at the Hippology Contest and Horse Bowl. It is a team competition based on a wide range of horse-related knowledge categories. Teams can consist of three or four 4-H members, and the teams are grouped according to age category: Junior division (4-5 graders), Junior High division (6-8 graders), and Senior division (9-12 graders). The Hippology Contest has three parts: a written test, identification, and horse judging. On the written test, contestants answer a series of multiple choice and matching questions. The identification portion may come from power point slides or display stations that represent five knowledge areas: feeds, breeds and colors, health, tack and equipment, anatomy and physiology. Competitors might be asked to identify parts of the horse’s anatomy; different breeds of horses; parts of the saddle, both Western and English; hays and forages for horses (identify and nutritional content); various dewormers and their use; various vaccines and their use; farrier tools, equipment and horse shoes. Horse judging involves evaluating a horse’s conformation, as related to performance, suitability, and soundness. The Tipton County 4-H’ers began studying on their own for the Hippology Contest before the December holidays, then in January attended weekly formal study sessions at the Atoka United Methodist Church. Leader Tena Bryan of Atoka, TN and Assistant Leader Jo Kirchoff of Rosemark, TN did a lot of work to help prepare the kids for competition, as did Shelby County volunteer Horse Program Leader Judy Paine. Shelby County 4-H’ers had formal study sessions three times a week with Paine at her home in Bartlett. The main source of study materials is the Horse Industry Handbook (2004, American Youth Horse Council), a comprehensive horse care book with topics that include: selection and use, facilities and waste management, equine health management, horse foot care, equine diseases, nutrition and feeding, exercise physiology, reproduction and genetics, tack and equipment, training, and horse business management. Both 4-H groups also use the “Horse Laboratory Learning Kit” to supplement the required study materials. “It has a nice kit of feed samples, plenty of laminated charts on a variety of topics, cue cards with questions and answers, and several videotapes, like ‘Ground Handling Horses Safely’” said Kirchoff. “The kids do learn a lot, both at the contest and in preparation for it. They get to meet kids from other clubs, share lunch with them, and generally have a lot of fun.” The Tipton County group took three teams to the competition: a Senior team, a Junior High team, and a Junior team. “This is our third year doing this,” said Leader Tena Bryan. Tipton County 4-H Hippology competitors were: Lauren Hise, Melissa Holsapfel, Haley Bryan, Alison Grimmig, Kristal Henderson, Meghan Brino, Katie Hardin, Julia Crow, Lauren Crow, and Ellie Rast. The Shelby County 4-H group sent a Senior team and a Junior High team to the competition. Senior team members were Malorie Paine, Carlie Paine, Jacqueline Dempsey, and Lauren Hunter. Junior High team members were Taylor Fisk, Abby Wilkerson, Meredith Stark, and Rebecca Garner. Volunteer Leader Judy Paine said the Shelby County group had three teams at last year’s competition. Last year, their Junior team won first place; their Senior team won second place; and their Junior High team came in 7th place. The Junior and Senior teams went on to the 2008 State Competition. “We’ve had teams at State Competition every year since we started the program,” Judy said. That would be eight years running. Their study sessions included “lots of topics, with focus on diseases, nutrition, breeds, and reproduction,” she said. In addition to the Horse Industry Handbook and the “Horse Laboratory Learning Kit,” Judy has “lots of supplemental materials” she has collected over the years, as well as test questions from previous years. “I have a garage full of 4-H stuff,” she said. The problem she encounters is that “everything is written on the college level, so I have to simplify it for the younger kids. The horse professionals at various colleges put the materials together. But repetition is the key” to learning the material, she has found. More sources of 4-H study information are available on line at: www.ayhc.com/resources.htm; www.utextension.utk.edu/4H/projects/horse.htm; www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/hippology/.