Beginning August 30, 2023, Ohio State University Extension will be offering Forages for Horses- a virtual course for equine managers. The course will utilize a combination of live webinars on Zoom with equine and forage experts, along with an in-depth online course accessed through the platform Scarlet Canvas. The Forages for Horses program is a collaboration between Ohio State University Extension, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and the Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council.

Each webinar will be offered live on Zoom at 7 P.M. and feature presentations in a 60-minute span. Attendees will be able to interact with the speakers and ask questions in real-time. Once registered, attendees will be granted access to the full online course including the live-webinars, webinar recordings, and complementary resources, which includes a digital copy of the full class manual. Participants that attend all four webinars will have the opportunity to earn a certificate of completion.

The webinar schedule and topics are as follows.

• Wednesday, August 30^th– Hay Day
• Wednesday, September 13^th– Maximizing Pasture
• Wednesday, September 27^th– Grazing for Health-Pasture Myth Busters
• Wednesday, October 11^th– Heavy Stocking Rates & Associated Issues

“Straight from the Horse’s Mouth” a Q&A session with experts will follow each webinar until 8:30 PM.

The Forages for Horses course utilizes Scarlet Canvas (which is OSU’s platform for online learning) to house additional videos, presentations, articles, and digital access to the traditional course manual. For best performance, Canvas should be used on the current or first previous major release of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Canvas runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or any other device with a modern web browser.

Cost of the course is $75. Registration includes access to all online content through August 30, 2024. Current and new members of the Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council are eligible for a $15 discount on registration. You may still register after the live webinars have occurred.

Register for the course by visiting https://go.osu.edu/foragesforhorsesregistration.

Questions about the course or the OFGC member discount code can be directed to Christine Gelley of Noble County OSU Extension at gelley.2@osu.edu.

ATTENTION ALL HORSE MEMBERS!!  Our horse paperwork deadline is quickly approaching on June 1, 2023.  Members will need to turn in their horse declaration form, Immunization form, stall reservation for County Fair, Lease agreements, and PAS forms for those participating.  The Saddle Horse Committee is hosting a PAS show on Saturday June 3, 2023 and we will conclude with a Fun show following the PAS events/classes.  The PAS show is the state qualifying event for horse members to be eligible to compete at the Ohio State Fair.  This event will be held at the Washington County Fair located at 922 Front Street Marietta Ohio.  Horse members in Washington County will not be charged a fee for PAS classes, however all other out of county participants must pre-register with a $10 fee per class by May 27th.  The Fun show will immediately follow the PAS event and all participants must be 4-H / FFA members of 4-H project age and follow all 4-H Uniform Horse Rules.  Fun Show classes are $2 per class with a fee of $10 max for the day. PAS Fun Show 2023 Participants will register at the event approximately 1 hour before the show.

The last Educational Equine Session is scheduled for June 24th from 9am to noon at the Washington County Fair, any horse member planning to exhibit at fair must attend one Equine Session to be eligible to show.  For questions please call OSU Extension 740-376-7431.

The second educational equine session is scheduled for May 20th from 10am to 12noon. The event will be held at the Washington County Fair horse arena.  This is an open workout with a focus on understanding PAS patterns and riding.  Members may bring their horses to this event.  All 4H riding rules will be enforced according to the uniform horse rules book.  Any member who missed the mandatory parent meeting must arrive at 9am to complete the required  training.  Any member who has not completed the Equistep training must watch the modules and complete the quiz prior to the session.  Members who complete the Equistep training must email their results to hartline.24@osu.edu by May 17th.  For more details please call the office at 740-376-7431.

The mandatory Parent / member horse meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 17th from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Extension Office.  All 4-H members enrolled in a horse project must attend.  Members will be learning about the new Equistep Requirement which is mandatory for 2023.  Horse committee members will also be present to  answer questions for parents and youth.  The agenda will also include instruction on 2 hand vs 1 hand riding, goal setting, and more.  Please plan to attend, our meeting will be in the conference room on the second floor at 1115 Gilman Ave, Marietta.  For additional information please call our office at 740-376-7431.

The Washington County 4-H Saddle Horse Committee is hosting a Horse immunization Clinic.  The clinic will be held at the Washington County Fairgrounds at 922 Front Street Marietta, Ohio.  4-H horse members may trailer their horses in for the clinic and receive the required immunizations for fairs.  The clinic will be held Saturday April 29, 2023 from 9am to 11am.  We would like to thank Dr John Groah from Morgan Veterinary Services for his time and helping us host the clinic.  Please sign up at the sign up at the link on the flyer.  Payment (cash or check only) for services must be paid for at the clinic regardless if horse owner has an account with Morgan Veterinary Services.  For additional questions please contact the Extension Office at 740-376-7431.