BY-LAWS 4-H SHERBURNE SUREFOOTED RIDERS 1.0 NAME AND PURPOSE

BY-LAWS

4-H SHERBURNE SUREFOOTED RIDERS

1.0 NAME AND PURPOSE

1.1. The name of the Club shall be 4-H Sherburne Surefooted Riders.

1.2. The purpose of the 4-H Sherburne Surefooted Riders is to promote and to facilitate
all aspects of the Sherburne County 4-H Horse Program.

1.2.A. Horse Program projects include:
• Horse Project
• Training Project
• Horseless Horse Project
• Western Heritage

1.2.B. The education in the proper use and care of a horse.
1.2.C. An awards achievement program which includes, but is not limited to the annual

4-H County Horse Show, at which, those selected for 4-H State Horse Show are
chosen.
1.2.D. Organize and guide teams and individuals who represent Sherburne County in a
4-H horse activity. Horse activities include:

• Horse Bowl
• Horse Judging
• Hippology
• Speech and Demonstration
• Drill Team

2.0 MEMBERSHIP

2.1. 4-H Members in Sherburne County who are enrolled in the Horse Program and wish
to promote a better understanding of horses and their care are automatic members of
Sherburne Surefooted Riders.

2.2. Everyone in the Club shall agree to abide by the by-laws of the Club.

2.3. Due to the critical elements of Safety in the 4-H Horse Project, the following
requirements are to be met by all members who wish to show at the County Fair:

Members are required to attend three (3) Horse Program sponsored activities to qualify to
show at the Sherburne County Fair. These activities are ones which take place during
the 4-H qualifying period. The qualifying period starts with the October 4-H registration
deadline and runs until June 30th of the current 4-H year. One of the three activities is to
include a regular monthly Sherburne County Horse Program meeting. Attendance will be
taken at all Horse sponsored activities.

3.0 MANAGEMENT

3.1. The management of the Club shall be vested in the County Horse Project Committee,
which consists of at least six (6) adults and at least two (2) Jr. Leaders, plus the four
(4) elected officers of the Club. The Chairperson shall be selected by this group.

3.2. The regular meeting of the County Horse Project Development Committee (PDC),
shall precede the 4-H Sherburne Surefooted Riders as required. Meeting times for
the (PDC) shall be determined by the Committee.

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3.3. A County Fair Show Committee of four (4) adults shall be appointed by the
Chairperson of the County Horse Project Committee. One of the Show Committee
members is to be a PDC member.

4.0 OFFICERS

4.1. The President, Vice President, Secretary-Reporter and Treasurer shall be elected by
the membership.

4.2. Nominations will be made from the floor.

4.3. The officers shall be elected by the Club members at the annual meeting in October.
Elections shall be held by secret ballot. Officers shall hold office for the term of one
calendar year or until such time as their successor shall have been duly elected and
qualified.

4.4. Officers are required to attend all meetings. After three (3) consecutive
absenteeism's by any one officer, a new Club member will be elected into that
position.

4.5. A complete financial report shall be made by the Treasurer to the Horse Project
Committee and published at the end of the fiscal year. The books shall remain open
to the membership.

4.6. The President shall not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms.

5.0 MEETINGS

5.1. The annual meeting of the members of the Club shall be held on the third Thursday of October.

5.2. The regular meetings of the members of the Club shall be held on the third Thursday of the

month.

5.3. Written notices of the place, day and hour of all regular meetings will be found in the offical 4-H

Newsletter. Notices of special meetings are to be mailed or calls made to the Club members.

5.4. Any action taken at regular or special meetings shall require a vote of at least the majority of

the attending membership.

6.0 AMENDMENTS

6.1. These By-laws may be amended at any meeting of the Club by a majority vote of the attending

members, providing a notice of thirty (30) days prior to voting on such proposed amendments
or amendment shall have been given.

7.0 RULES OF ORDER

7.1. Robert's Rules of Order shall govern all meetings of the 4-H Sherburne Surefooted Riders

except when they conflict with said By-laws of this Club.

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4-H SHERBURNE SUREFOOTED RIDERS

1.0 EXHIBITOR RULES

A. Exhibitor Grade Divisions
1. PEEWEE--completed grade 3 through 5.
2. JUNIOR----completed grade 6 through 9.
3. SENIOR----completed grade 10 through graduation from 4-H.
4. NOVICE----all above grade levels not having earned a Blue Ribbon (Blue Group) in that
class.
Junior and Senior Grade Divisions qualify for State Fair.

B. In order to be eligible for county fair qualifing events, 4-Hers must be re-enrolled in 4-H by
November 1st. First year 4-Hers must enroll in 4-H by May 15th.

C. Each Exhibitor must be re-enrolled in the 4-H Horse Project by April 15th of the current year for
members re-enrolling. New 4-Hers muste enroll by May 15th.

D. The 4-H member's horse must be owned or leased by the member or the family on or before May
15th.

E. A horse may not compete in the qualifying events at the County Fair if it is not registered by May
15th. Housing requests and entries in to County Extension Office by May 15th for qualifying
classes.

F. A horse may be used only once in any event per show. Age, grade or type divisions are
considered class divisions and not separate events. The horse may be used in an additional non-
qualifing class in the same event. See the MN 4H Horse Program Rule book for examples.

G. Each exhibitor shall be identified by a number pinned to the riders back or to the saddle blanket.
If pleasure riders pin the number to the saddle blanket then a set of numbers should be used so
the judge can view your number from either side of the horse.

H. Parents and Trainers are not allowed to exercise or work out a 4-H member's horse at the County
Fair.

I. There will be no riding by adults or parents at clinics or shows, except to help teach during a clinic
or for safety reasons.

J. All care, feeding, grooming, training and exercising is to be started by the 4-H member no later
than May 15th of the current year.

K. The Minnesota 4-H Horse Program Rule Book provides a through description of what is required
of an exhibitor for showing. The Rule Book is to be considered as a part of these
Sherburne Surefooted Riders rules. These rules also apply during the "Fun Shows" at the
County Fair. Exceptions may be made at the show, at the discretion of the Judge.

L. All exhibitors must comply with the entry rules and regulations described in the premium list.

M. Exhibitors shall wear suitable attire, have their horse properly groomed and tacked.

• No exceptions will be made for tack or clothing that effect safety for the horse
and rider. I.e. Boots and Helmet are always required.

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• Drill Team participants shall follow the requirements listed in the Minnesota 4-H
Horse Project Drill Team Rule Book.

N. All horses will be assigned a stall for the County Fair. Once assigned the horse must stay at the
Fair for the full duration. Exceptions to stall assignments shall only occur when there are more
horses registered than there are stalls available. See section 2.0 under Safety Rules for
exceptions.

O. Records:
Each exhibitor is required to complete the following 4-H records;
Sherburne County 4-H Horse Project Record
Minnesota 4-H Horse Member Achievement Program;
Complete Level 1 the first year.
Complete a minimum of 1/2 Level each following year.

Records must be completed and turned in to a 4-H Horse Project Leader by June 30th in
order to show at the county fair.

2.0 SAFETY RULES

A. Exhibitors can exercise their horse in the assigned areas only.

B. If a horse has a medical problem, such as injury or illness or, if a horse is in danger of injuring itself
or any person, the Show Committee may excuse the 4-H member from the rule that a horse must
remain throughout the fair in order to qualify for a state trip. If a horse is removed from the
fairgrounds without the committee's approval, the state trip and premium will be forfeited.

C. Exhibitors shall act as ladies and gentlemen at all times. Unnecessary roughness and discourtesy,
including verbal abuse, may disqualify the exhibitor from further competition for the entire show. UN-
sportsman like conduct, both verbal and physical will not be tolerated. Exhibitors may be disqualified
at the discretion of the show committee.

D. Exhibitors must keep their horse under control at all times.

E. Exhibitors must not hit their horse forward of the cinch with any object or their hand. Those who do
so will be disqualified from the class.

F. Any act of discourtesy or disobedience by a 4-Her, parents or friends, to the judge or officials shall
disqualify the exhibitor.

G. Use of drugs as a horse stimulant or tranquilizer is prohibited.

H. 4-Hers may ride only their horse or family ID’d horse in the fun shows. Exceptions may be made in
special instances, by obtaining permission from the parents and the show committee prior to the
start of the show.

I. Unless specifically allowed on the Show Bill, there is no Bareback or Doubles riding

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3.0 GENERAL HORSE PROJECT EVENTS

The following list of events is intended only as information to help those getting started in the Horse
Project. Although there may be variations from year to year, the events listed usually do happen.

WHO ARE WE?? 4-H SHERBURNE SUREFOOTED RIDERS
4-H Horse Program at the county level.

EVENTS:

Meetings; 3rd Thursday of the month from October through May.

Clinics; Every Tuesday evening in June at the County Fairgrounds.

Spring Fun Show; First part of June.

Drill Team; Practices prior to the County Fair. Drill Team shows during the County Fair
and at State Event.

4-H Horse Show; Thursday and Friday, first two days of the County Fair.

4-H Fun Shows; Friday and Sunday during the County Fair.

4-H State Horse Show; 2nd weekend in September.

Trail Ride; In September or October.

Fall Fun Show; In September or October.

Knowledge Bowl; Regional in March, State Bowl in April with the opportunity to attend a
National competition.

Hippology; Contest at the State Horse Show in September, with the opportunity to
attend a National competition.

Horse Judging; Contest at the State Horst Show in September, with the opportunity to
attend a National competition.

Western Heritage; County and Regional clinics in Spring and Summer. State Contest in
August.

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4.0 SELECTION OF STATE TRIP WINNERS

A. To be eligible for a State Trip for Horse, Horse Training, or Drill Team, members are required to
attend three (3) Sherburne County Horse Program sponsored activities. These activities are ones
which take place during the 4-H qualifying period. The qualifying period starts with the October 4-H
registration deadline and runs until June 30th of the current 4-H year. One of the three activities is
to include a regular monthly Sherburne County Horse Program meeting. Attendance will be taken
at all Horse sponsored activities.

B. To be eligible for a State Trip for Horse, Horse Training, or Drill Team, each exhibitor is required to
complete the following 4-H records:
1. Sherburne County 4-H Horse Project Record
2. Minnesota 4-H Horse Member Achievement Program
a. Complete Level 1 the first year.
b. Complete a minimum of 1/2 Level each following year.

C. Records must be completed and turned in to a 4-H Horse Project Leader by June 30th in order to
show at the county fair to be eligible for a State Trip.

D. Pleasure trips will be counted on the Horse Project Interview plus three classes out of the five
offered; Western Pleasure, English Pleasure, Western Horsemanship, English Equitation and
Showmanship at Halter.

E. The Horse Project Interview, one pleasure class, one horsemanship class and your next best
pleasure placing. These classes can be Western, English or a combination. (Assuming you use
the same horse). Individuals will not need to indicate their preference, as the top three scores will
be counted for each person.

F. Game trip points will be awarded on the Horse Project Interview plus each individual's top three
game classes out of the five offered; Barrels, Poles, Key Race, Jumping Figure 8 and
Showmanship at Halter (if you used your game horse for Showmanship).

G. Showmanship at Halter points may be counted towards a game trip if you use the same horse.

H. Halter points will be awarded either for Pleasure or games as it best benefits the rider. Halter
points do not need to be pre-designated.

I. Points will be awarded as follows:
1st Place - 6 points
2nd Place -5 points
3rd Place - 4 points
4th Place - 3 points
5th Place - 2 points
6th Place - 1 point

J. Ties will be determined in the following manner:
1. First priority will go to a 13th Grader.
2. If this does not determine a winner then the High Point Score as calculated in Section 5.0
will be used.

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3. If there is still a tie then the scores from the Horse Project Interview will be used to
determine a winner.

4. If there is still a tie then a Tiebreaker Class (preferably drawn and sealed by the extension
office prior to the fair) will be used for final determination of the State trip winner.

K. The quota for the total number of state trips awarded will be based on a percentage basis, which will
be determined by the State 4-H Show Committee .

The first 8 trips are awarded as 2 Senior Pleasure trips, 2 Senior Game trips, 2 Junior Pleasure
trips and 2 Junior Game trips. Wildcard trips are awarded to the 4Her with the next highest number
of points, selected from both the Senior and Junior divisions. Alternates are selected with the next
highest number of points from both Senior and Junior divisions.

The following is an example of how trips will be assigned depending on our State Quota:

Quota Sr Sr Jr Jr Wildcard
6 Games Pleasure Games Pleasure 0
7 1
8 2 2 1 1 0
9 2 2 1 1 1
10 2 2 2 2 0
2 2 2 2
3 3 2 2

L. If a 4Her has been awarded a state trip for both “riding classes” and “horse in training”, the 4Her is
allowed to take only one of these trips. (Final state show selections cannot be determined until after
this decision has been made.)

M. If the County is awarded a Bonus Trip, this will be assigned to a Senior 4-Her based on state trip
points.

N. The State Horse Show Grand Entry Rider will be selected by the PDC Awards Committee from the
list of 4-Her’s that qualified and accepted State Show Horse Trips. The PDC Awards Committee will
follow the guidelines listed in the State Horse Show Handbook in determining this person that will
represent Sherburne County.
a. State Horse Show Handbook suggested criteria for selection:
* Passed their 14th birthday
* Completed at least 3 years of 4-H
* Be enrolled in Youth Leadership
b. Should meet five of the following eight items:
1. Attended during the past two years, at least TWO training meetings for adults and/or
youth, where you received ideas
and information to take back to your club. Meetings such as county horse clinics, county
leader federation meetings,
council meeting, county or district Youth leader meetings, or demonstration workshops
would qualify.
2. Gave leadership assistance to your local club in at least two of the following ways.
* Worked closely with at least two younger members in the horse project to help
them become active 4-H'ers.
* Served on a committee for planning and conducting a club activity this past year.
* Served as Youth leader in horse, including doing some teaching.
* Served as club officer one year.

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6.0 HERDSMANSHIP AT THE COUNTY FAIR
HERDSMANSHIP, SHERBURNE COUNTY SUREFOOTED RIDERS

Basis for Scoring Horse

A. Stalls Free of manure, no urine spots.
1. Appropriately bedded.
2. Water bucket securely fastened, chest high.
3. Stall card attached and filled out.
4. Hay bags securely fastened, chest high or above.
5.

Total points possible: 30

B. Aisle Swept or raked, free of tack and equipment not in use.
1. Coolers, chairs, etc are not to be left in aisles and walkways.
Arrangement of decorations.
2.

Total points possible: 20

C. Horse Clean and well groomed
1. Tack removed when unattended in stall.
2. Animal attended while tied or standing in aisle.
3.

Total points possible: 25

D. Exhibitor Doing own work
1. Friendly, polite and courteous
2. No riding in the barn or under outside eves
3. Cleans up after one's horse in wash area or in passing
4.

Total points possible: 25

TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE: 100

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Sherburne County 4-H Horse Project - Interview Class Criteria

1. General 

1.1. This event is intended to drive youth development by measuring and rewarding 4‐H values.  
Specifically: 
• Participation 
• Learning 
• Leadership 
• Service 

1.2. The interview class is an opportunity to demonstrate learning, to recognize participation and to 
discuss leadership and service during the past year. 

1.3. The class will have separate age divisions for Senior, Junior, and PeeWee. 

2. Objectives 

2.1. To promote and reward demonstrated 4‐H values 
2.2. Provide an opportunity to develop important life skills 
2.3. Give 4‐Hers an opportunity to highlight their accomplishments and progress toward goals 
2.4. The interview class contributes to the determination of State Trip points 

3. Interview Class Scoring 

The interview class scoring will consist of 3 parts each worth a maximum of 25 points. The total maximum points
are 75.

3.1. Participation 

3.1.1.Up to 25 Horse Project activities will count 1 point each.   
3.1.2.Qualifying activities are determined by the Horse PDC and include events available to all 

Sherburne Co Horse Project Members and are verified by Sherburne Co Horse Project 
Leaders. 
3.1.3.It is the 4‐Hers responsibility to bring their completed participation record to the interview. 

3.2. Test 

3.2.1.4‐Hers will complete a test with a possible maximum score of 25 points.  Senior, Junior, and 

PeeWee will have age appropriate tests. 

3.2.2.Possible topics are limited and can include: 

4-H Rules Equine Care Judging Criteria

Anatomy Gaits of the Horse Nutrition

Colors and Markings Grooming Safety

Diseases Hooves and Hoof Care Show Preparation

3.3. Interview 

3.3.1.Each 4‐Her will have a personal interview to discuss their goals, experiences, 
accomplishments, etc. since the previous county fair. 

3.3.2.Time slots will be made available on the morning of the interview for 4‐Hers to sign up for 
their interview time on a first come first serve basis. 

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3.3.3.Reasonable attempts to accommodate time conflicts with other 4H events can be made as 
long as the 4Her brings the potential conflict to the attention of the project leaders of both 
activities before the start of the events and in time to provide accommodation.  The 4Her 
must make every possible effort to avoid or minimize the impact of the conflict. 
 

3.3.4.The personal interview will have a maximum value of 25 points and will be scored as follows: 
3.3.4.1. Presentation (6 pts max) 
The 4Her has appropriate appearance and is respectful and congenial. They are confident, articulate,
make eye contact and give concise, well organized answers.

3.3.4.2. Exposition/Learning (10 pts max) 
The youth shows ability to learn from 4-H Horse Project experiences and articulates equine-related
learning experiences and personal application of skills gained

3.3.4.3. Youth Development (9 pts max) 
The 4Her shows growth in learning and/or leadership, shows vision and dedication to the 4H horse
project, and shares knowledge with other 4H members or in the community

4. Awards 

4.1. Scores from Participation, Test, and the Interview will be combined to determine ranking. 
4.2. 1st thru 6th placings based on the combined scores will be recognized in the Senior, Junior, and 

PeeWee age divisions. 

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Name ________________________________________ Year ____2009________________

Grade______________________________ I have been in 4H for ________years

Mark an 'X" by the activies you participated in since last July.
These contribute to your Interview Score
These are good interview discussion items and may contribute to your InterviewSherburne Co ActivitiesOther Activities

State Judging Contest Committee Work (describe)

State Hippology Contest

State Speech/Demo Contest

PDC Other (Describe)

Tack Sale

Regional Horse Bowl

Demonstration

Clinic 1st Tuesday in June Advanced Oppportunities

Friday Night Clinic Officer

Saturday Clinic State Horse Bowl

Spring Show State Horse Show

Clinic 2nd Tuesday in June National Trips

Clinic 3rd Tuesday in June Other (Describe)

Clinic 4th Tuesday in June

Clinic 5th Tuesday in June

Fair Clean Up

Drill Team

Meetings Out of County Events

October Project meeting Winter Round‐up
November Project meeting Expo Tack Sale
December Project meeting Western Heritage
January Project meeting  Dan Patch 
February Project meeting MN4H Horse Assn
March Project meeting Other (Describe)
April Project meeting
May Project meeting
Total

I have reviewed this record for accuracy and believe it to be correct.

4‐Hers Signature Date Leaders Signature Da

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Sherburne County 4-H Horse Project Record

Name ____________________________ Years in Horse Project ___________

Grade in School _________ Date Record Started _____________

Date Record Ended ______________

I have completed level ___ of the Achievement Program and I am now working on level____

If enrolled in Horse Training Program, Completed Training Steps ______

Horse’s Name_____________________ Horse’s Name (In Training)_________________

March 15, 2002 Picture of me and my horse(s)

My complete horse project records should include:

♦ A horse project record
♦ A horse Member Achievement Program
♦ A Horse Training Program book for each horse in Training
♦ A Horse Health Chart for each horse (optional)
♦ Records due date; June 30th of current year

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