Ag News
Georgia 4-H Horse Show Senior Division Champions ride to Winner's Circle
Posted on Jul 09, 2026 at 12:08 PM
There’s a special bond between a horse and its human. This was on full display June 2-6 at the 62nd Annual Georgia 4-H State Horse Show held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry.
Some 139 students in 4th through 12th grades registered for the 2026 event. That translated into 176 horse/rider team combinations in the show ring across different types of competition.
Georgia Farm Bureau supported the show by providing Show Your Passion t-shirts for each participant and awarding belt buckles to the 4-H’ers in the senior age bracket who won their category division to become a Master 4-H’er. The senior 4-H age category is for 9th through 12th grade students. There were 53 4-H’ers who competed in the senior category this year.
“Georgia Farm Bureau’s Equine Advisory Committee has wanted to recognize the Senior 4-H’ers who earn their Master 4-H status at the annual State 4-H Horse Show for a number of years and committee members made it a reality starting with last year’s show,” GFB President Tom McCall said. “All of the 4-H’ers who participate in this show work long hours caring for and training their horses to compete in the style or styles of riding they choose to pursue, so we wanted to reward them with a t-shirt. Farm Bureau believes it’s important to recognize the champion division winners in the senior age category with belt buckles, so they’ll have a keepsake of the many years they spent participating in the 4-H Horse Project and working with their horses to win their respective divisions.”
Congratulations to Treutlen County 4-H’er Payton Campbell for being named the champion of the senior stock seat division (Western) and the ranch horse division (Western). Bulloch County 4-H’er Natalie Hendrix won the hunt seat (English) division championship, and Wheeler County 4-H’er Lydia Horne won the senior championship for contest events division (racing).
In addition to the champion belt buckle courtesy of Georgia Farm Bureau, each division champion will receive a $500 scholarship for the division(s) they won, redeemable upon completing a college semester, courtesy of the Georgia 4-H Foundation and the show sponsors. The Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Equine was a show sponsor.
To compete in the State 4-H Horse Show, no qualifying shows are required, but participants must be a 4-H’er and have owned or leased the horse they showed by March 1. All horse show exhibitors are required to take an online short answer test of 25 questions covering the Georgia 4-H State Horse Show Rulebook and general horse care.
For senior 4-H’ers, the quiz score counts 25% of the total points used to determine division champions; quiz points are added to the points an exhibitor earns from placings in three classes of their division. Test scores do not count toward the computation of championship points for the Cloverleaf or junior 4-H’ers but may be used as a tie breaker for division placings.
The senior 4-H’ers also had to complete the Novice Horseman 4-H Horse Project Manual, while Cloverleaf and junior 4-H’ers had to complete at least half of the manual. The Cloverleaf category is for 4th-6th graders with limited riding experience. The junior category is for 5th-6th graders with demonstrated riding skills and 7th-8th graders. Age eligibility is based on the grade a 4-H’er is in when they register for the show in the spring.
Visit https://gfb.ag/26GA4HHorseShow to learn more about the show. Contact your county UGA Extension office or Kate Whiting (whitingk@uga.edu) for access to show results.
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Meet the 4-H Horse Show winners:
Ranch Horse & Stock Seat Division – Payton Campbell, Treutlen County
Payton Campbell and her American Quarter Horse “Step Toe Step,” whose barn name is “Whiskey,” won both the senior Ranch Horse and Stock Seat Divisions.
The purpose of the Ranch Horse division is to showcase a horse and rider team that can perform work required on a ranch. This division emphasizes function over flash, valuing versatility, responsiveness, and athletic ability in a horse that is useful for everyday ranch tasks, including working cattle.
Classes in the Ranch Horse Division include: Ground Handling, Working Ranch Rail, Ranch Riding, Ranch Reining, Ranch Trail, Working Cow Horse, Herd Work, Ranch Roping and Ranch Sorting. Eighteen high school students competed in this division. Tom McBeath from Mississippi judged the division.
“Thankfully Whiskey is a good and steady horse that doesn’t have any issues switching between disciplines. For the Western or Stock Seat classes, I just have to work on slowing him down. He is very easy in some ways. He can be left in the pasture for a month and be fine the next time I ride him. He doesn’t take very much warming-up at all, and he takes to new things pretty well. He does good all-around and has been a very good show horse for me,” Payton said of her partner. “But he does like to be ridden a certain way. Whenever someone new rides him, I have to tell them about his buttons and how he prefers to be ridden.”
In the senior Stock Seat Division riders demonstrate their horsemanship skills while emphasizing precision, control, and harmony between horse and rider while exhibiting slow, collected and consistently cadenced gaits in Western tack. Nineteen high schoolers competed in the Stock Seat Division. Tom McBeath from Mississippi judged the division. Classes in this division include: Western Showmanship, Western Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, Trail and Western Riding. Each of these classes, except for Western Pleasure, is a pattern class where the 4-H’er and horse must be accurate.
Payton, who competed as a 10th-grade Treutlen County 4-H’er with Paige Posey as her 4-H agent, has been showing horses for four years. She says her family had ponies and older horses on their farm her whole life. She began taking riding lessons when she was 12.
“I’ve loved horses all my life as most girls do,” Payton said. “After I started taking lessons, [JAW1] I loved it and decided I wanted to join the show team. We were fortunate to find me a good show horse. He has been amazing! He is a great teacher for me and my sister. I’ve learned that you show better when you trust your horse and stay consistent as a rider.”
The daughter of Greg and Jesseca Campbell of Soperton, Payton will be a junior in her homeschool program this fall.
Hunt Seat Division Champion – Natalie Hendrix, Bulloch County
Natalie Hendrix and her Thoroughbred “One More Time” won the senior Hunt Seat Division. This division demonstrates a rider’s ability to effectively communicate with a well-trained, responsive and balanced horse while showcasing style, athleticism and safety as they perform on flat surfaces and jump fences in English tack.
This division includes the following classes: Showmanship, Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, 2’ Over Fences, 2’ Equitation Over Fences. Twenty-one high school students competed in the Hunt Seat Division. Robin Mitchell from Florida judged the division.
Natalie is a Bulloch County 4-H’er who has shown horses for six years. Lauren Boykin and Bridget Hill are her 4-H agents.
“Working with an animal that cannot speak is never easy, but I welcomed the challenge when I chose this sport. My horse is full of personality,” Natalie said. “I have had to learn to work with him instead of against him and learn to better communicate what I need from him in a way he can understand. We both have worked so hard in order to better understand each other, and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to show with.”
Natalie named her horse “One More Time” for the slogan the late Georgia Southern Coach Erk Russell used to motivate his national champion football teams.
She started competing in horse shows after her riding skills improved while taking riding lessons.
“I realized I wanted to compete and learn more about the horse world. I enjoy seeing the improvement in my and my horse’s skills as we progress year after year,” Natalie said.
The daughter of John and Jamey Hendrix, of Statesboro, Natalie will be a sophomore enrolled in the Georgia Cyber Academy this fall.
Contest Events Division – Lydia Horne, Wheeler County
Lydia Horne and her Quarter Horse “Little Maggie Lena,” whose barn name is “Ginger” won the senior Contest Events Division. The purpose of this division is to showcase a horse and rider’s ability to complete timed patterns with speed, accuracy and control. Unlike other divisions that emphasize form or style, the Contest Events Division focuses on fast-paced performance, where the quickest run without knocking over a prop wins.
This division includes the following contests: Cone Weaving, Stakes Race, Pole Bending, Cloverleaf Barrels and Arena Race events. Twenty-five 4-H’ers competed in the Contest Events Division. Dina Lanier of Georgia judged the division.
Lydia, who competed as a 12th-grade Wheeler County 4-H’er, has shown horses for 13 years, nine with 4-H. Nicole Thornton is her 4-H program assistant.
“My mother and her sisters have shown horses for over 40 years. When I was five years old, I got my first pony, and I started barrel racing when I was seven,” Lydia said. “Horses are my passion. Showing horses brings me so much joy. Entering the arena to compete is a feeling unlike any other. As I walk into the arena on my horse, my adrenaline begins to race as I feel the pounding of my horse’s heart beneath me.”
Lydia credits her family, especially her grandparents, Carey and Jane Knowles, for her success.
“My grandparents are at every single show we attend. They are the ones who make it all possible. I feel constant support and encouragement by family at every show and that is something I will never take for granted,” Lydia said. “Over the years I have grown as a rider, and it would not have been possible without my grandparents and the wonderful horses God has given me the opportunity to compete on.”
Showing horses has taught Lydia about caring for sick horses and overcoming challenges, too.
“Ginger went through a difficult time shortly after we purchased her where she had colic several times as well as stomach ulcers,” Lydia said. “Once we were able to get everything under control, and she became healthy, she began performing exceptionally for us.”
The daughter of B.L. and Ginger Horne of Glenwood, this fall Lydia plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
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