Hippology is the study of horses, including their anatomy, physiology, history, breeds, genetics, and more. The term comes from the Greek words hippo, meaning horse, and ology, meaning “the study of”. Hippology is also the name of a veterinary and management knowledge contest for horses that is used in 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and many horse breed contests
Competition Phases
- Identification Stations: Exhibitors have 2 minutes at each station to identify the horse-related items that are displayed.
- Written Examination: A selection of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, etc questions based on a wide variety of horse information.
- Team Problem: Teams are given a “problem” and are allowed 10 minutes to figure out a solution. They they have 6 minutes to explain their solution to the judges.
- Judging: Participants will give placings only on several picture or live animal classes.
State Team Selection
- Interested individuals attend Hippology practices throughout the fall and winter.
- Teams of 4 seniors and 4 intermediates, plus alternates, are selected from amongst those attending the practices.
- Our county teams represent Pierce County at the State Hippology contest in the spring.
- The winning senior team at the state competition will go on to represent Washington State at the national competition in Kentucky the following fall.
Educational Credits
- Everyone who attends at least 3 Hippology practices will receive an educational credit and 2 points toward the year-end educational award.
- Those who compete on the county team receive an additional 3 points.
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