ASHLAND, Miss. — Young people in Benton County who love horses may soon have a club of their own. The Benton County Extension Office is gauging interest in starting a Benton County 4-H horse club and has scheduled an interest meeting for next month in Ashland.
The office announced the meeting Monday on its official Facebook page with a call to “horse-loving 4-H’ers” and their families.
Benton County 4-H horse club interest meeting details
When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Benton County Extension Office, 382 Ripley Avenue, Ashland
Who: Youth interested in horses, along with their parents or guardians
Questions: Call the Extension Office at 662-224-6330
The Extension Office said the meeting is a chance to learn about the possibility of forming a horse club, meet other youth and families who share an interest in horses, and help plan what the club could look like. In other words, families who attend will have a say in how the group is shaped from the start.
No horse required
One of the key points in the announcement: youth do not have to own a horse to be interested in 4-H horse programming. That opens the door to kids who enjoy horses but don’t have one at home, or who are just curious about learning more.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to come along with their children, since a new club will depend on family involvement and volunteer help to get off the ground.
Growing 4-H in Benton County
4-H is the youth development program run through county Extension offices, built around the idea of learning by doing. The Benton County office closed its announcement with that same theme: “Learn by Doing. Grow through 4-H!”
Clubs like the one being proposed typically give young people a place to build skills, take on responsibility, and spend time with others who share their interests. Whether a club forms, and what it focuses on, will depend on the turnout and feedback at the Nov. 10 meeting.
The interest meeting comes during a busy season for 4-H in the area. Neighboring Tippah County’s 4-H members have been showing livestock at the Mississippi State Fair in Jackson this month, and the Benton County office recently cheered on a local family competing there as well.
Families who can’t make the meeting but want to be kept in the loop can call the Benton County Extension Office at 662-224-6330 to share their interest.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
