2024 Summer Validation

April 5th – Tag order deadline
June 3rd – Late tag order deadline

4-H families can order through the office. If you are validating through FFA, please contact your Ag Teacher.

Order Forms

• 2024 Summer Lamb & Goat Order Form
• 2024 Summer Steer & Heifer Order Form

For more information on validation and the guidelines please visit

• https://texasyouthlivestock.com/steer-validation
• https://sheepandgoatvalidation.tamu.edu/

2024 Texas 4-H Dog Show Validation Open

Texas 4-H Dog Show will be held on July 11-13, 2024 at the Walker County Fairgrounds in Huntsville, Texas.  To be eligible for this show, dogs must be validated by January 10, 2024 in 4-H Online.  Attached are detailed written instructions.   Video instructions are also available at  https://youtu.be/3NzoIjK9Pco if that is more convenient.  2024 Texas 4-H Dog Show Rule Book is also attached and will be posted https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/projects/dog-care-training/ soon.

We strongly encourage members to validate their dogs even if they are not sure they will be participating in the Texas 4-H Dog Show.  Completing the FREE validation process before January 10^th will give them until entries are due in May to make a final decision.

There will be a couple of opportunities to practice with your dog whether you are validated or not.

• Montgomery County 4-H Dog Show will be February 3, 2024, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, Texas
• Brazos County 4-H Dog Show is normally a couple of weeks later
• Tarrant County 4-H Dog Show has been in April
• Wise County has historically been done in June.

We will send details of each of these as soon as we have them.  If your county is planning to host a dog show, please let us know so we can help you publicize it.

As 4-H members complete their validation, here are some things to keep in mind:

• For purebred dogs (they do not have to be registered, just look purebred) you will select the correct Group and list the breed.
• For mixed breed dogs you will select the Weight Group of the dog and list the dominant breed along with the word “Mix” or list the two breeds if known.  (Example: Border Collie Mix or Mastiff/Great Dane.)
• Photos of the left and right side of the dog should be a side view of the whole dog. Get on the dog’s level so they do not turn into top views.  They should also be clear and light enough we can see all markings and color of the dog.   The dog should only be wearing a collar.  No sweaters, costumes, rain gear or anything that covers the dog’s color and markings.

Dogs MUST be validated each year.  If you validated a dog last year, the information and photos will be in the system, but you must still review and SUBMIT to validate for the 2023-2024 4-H year.  Please update the photos if the dog has changed significantly since last year. We do encourage you to validate any dogs that you are eligible to show.  Situations may change throughout the year.

Resources

• 2024 Texas 4-H Dog Show Rulebook
• State Dog Validation Instructions

 

2024 Texas 4-H Horse Validation – Guidelines for Families

Horse Validation Information – Instructions for Families

• ALL horses must be validated/re-validated each year.
• Horse validation is completed for EACH HORSE and will cover all 4-H youth members in that family profile. When validating your horse(s) in 4H Online, you will select ONLY ONE APPROVED 4-H youth member to conduct the validation under. Once the horse is validated, validation has been paid, and you begin registering for the District Horse Show, the validated horse(s) can be selected by any 4-H member in that family account who will be exhibiting the horse in the show.
• Registration papers for registered horses MUST be uploaded.
• In order to be eligible for breed specific awards, correct registration papers for that breed must be uploaded. If the horse is registered with more than one association, then multiple sets of registration papers can be uploaded.
• If registration papers are in the process of being transferred, select/list PENDING in the Registration # box. The transfer process MUST be completed and submitted to the District and State Offices BEFORE May 1st, or the horse will be ineligible to compete at the District and State 4-H Horse Shows.
• The correct owner MUST be listed on the registration papers.
• Owners MUST be the youth, parent (biological or stepparent), brother, sister, grandparent, or legal guardian.
• Horses owned in partnership or jointly with any other person not listed above do NOT meet ownership requirements.
• 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 1st to August 31st of the current 4-H year. The lease form must be uploaded to 4H Online at the time of validation.
• Youth showing futurity horses MUST be 12 years old or older and in at least the 6th grade, as of September 1 of the current 4-H 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.
• More information on Texas 4-H Horse Validation can be found on page 7 of the 2024 Texas 4-H Horse Show Rules and Regulations document at https://texasyouthlivestock.com/horse-validation/ or at https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/events/horse/.

All classes at the State 4-H Horse Show are open to eligible 4-H youth. Participation at the District 4-H Horse Show is not required but is encouraged; with the exception that a futurity project horse must be shown at the district horse show, district educational clinic, or other equivalent event where the project horse is present, in order to qualify for a futurity class at the state show. Participation must be verified by the County Extension Agent on the State 4-H Horse Show entry form.

PAYMENT AND STATUS

ANIMAL VALIDATION CAN ONLY BE PAID FOR WITH A CREDIT CARD.

• The family can submit payment of $10.00 per horse ($20.00 after April 15th, or $250 from May 1st to May 5th), 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 15th 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 1st deadline and the payment is processed.
• Any validation that has a status of incomplete, resubmit, pending or payment due is not guaranteed the amount charged when it was created and is not yet considered validated.
• Validation will close on May 5th, and validations will not be accepted after that date. No exceptions will be made.
• You will get an automated email notice from 4H Online when your County Extension Agent has approved your horse. This approval does NOT guarantee eligibility. After it is approved at the county level, your validation will then be reviewed at the state level. You will be notified by June 1st if there are any issues with your validation at the state level.

If you have questions about Texas 4-H Horse Validation, please contact your County Extension Agent.

COUNTY OFFICES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE PAYMENT ON THE LAST SCREEN. THE CREDIT CARD AREA WILL ONLY SHOW UP IF LOGGED IN USING A FAMILY EMAIL AND FAMILY PASSWORD.

For helpful one-pagers and resources, please visit: https://texasyouthlivestock.com/horse-validation/

Validation walk-through video: https://youtu.be/OPoOmyC1kTk