Demonstrate your knowledge of equine related subject matter in a competitive setting where attitudes of friendliness and fairness prevail. The contest operates very similar to scholastic bowls at school except all the questions relate to horses! Participants do not need to have horses or be enrolled in the horse project to participate.
State Contest | April 19, 2026 | Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Participation in regional contests is open to any youth within Illinois 4-H. Any 4-H member that wants to participate must be registered for the contest through ZSuites. The ZSuites registration deadline is February 5, 2026 and should be completed by 4-H families. Participants must qualify for the contest as part of a team at their respective regional Horse Bowl Contest. Find you region by visiting the map of regions.
Youth with an interest and knowledge in horses won’t want to miss this exciting opportunity. Junior teams include 4-H members age 8 to 13 as of Jan. 1 of the current year. Senior teams are 14 and older as of Jan. 1 of the current year.
Regional Qualifying Contests
Regional qualifying contests take place each March or April on a date selected by the regional contest hosts. Only youth who qualify in a regional contest may compete in the state horse bowl contest, held in April on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Contact your region for information on regional contest dates (Find you region by vising the map of regions ).
- NW regional contest | March 14 | Sauk Valley Community College | Dixon | Kathy Book
- NE region contest | March 14 | Location TBD | Tina Anderson
- Central region contest | March 14 | Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Education Center | Mattoon | Jaylynn Schober
- South region | March 7 | Southwestern Illinois College | Red Bud | Emily Reece
Required Documents
Contest reasonable accommodations request (Must be submitted at least 30 days prior to contest date)
Additional Horse Contest Information:
Eligibility
Open to youth who were 8 to 18 years of age on January 1, of the current year. Winners advance from regional competition to the state contest. Junior division: (8 to 13), Senior division: (14 to 18)
