Margaret Lewis and Shade (Photo courtesy of Emily Lewis).
It’s 6 p.m. in the meeting hall of the the VFW on Garland Road and 12-year-old Margaret Lewis calls the East Dallas 4-H club to order. She asks that everyone rise and say the pledge to the U.S., Texas as well as 4-H.
Next, the parliamentarian moves the meeting through its agenda with different discussions about future guest speakers, how to welcome new members and potential projects for the group. With a little help from the adults in the room, the youth run the meeting abiding by Robert’s Rules of Order. They come up with ideas and take notes about the direction their club will go.
A few highlights for the welcome packet for new members were a t-shirt, sticker, cheese, a bow tie and a first aid kit.
This industriousness is part of what attracted the Lewis family to 4-H in the first place. Emily Lewis grew up in East Dallas and graduated from Woodrow, but didn’t know much about 4-H until her daughter Margaret fell in love with horses. “Ever since I was younger, I was drawn to horses,” Margaret says.
But contrary to popular belief, none of the four Hs in 4-H stand for horse. They represent head, heart, hands and health, which are included in the organization’s pledge. Originally administered by the US Department of Agriculture, it now exists in 50 countries across the world with nearly 6 million participants. “We learned that there is a lot more than just agriculture in 4-H,” Emily says.
Margaret Lewis works on a project with the Stream Team and Christel Snelson (photo courtesy of Emily Lewis).
The club is built around projects where youth are guided by mentors in the community, but the projects can be about anything from horseback riding to computer programming. Margaret participated in 4-H when the family lived in Tarrant County, where she did woodworking and cake decorating projects. The club allows the kids to choose the direction of their learning and look for mentors to guide their learning. Mentors can be adults or other club members.
For young members like Margaret, discovering a passion for horses through 4-H can be transformative. What starts as an interest in riding often grows into a deep appreciation for the patience, discipline, and communication that come with equestrian life. These values naturally carry over into leadership roles, as evidenced by the way Margaret and her fellow club members are empowered to guide meetings and shape their own paths. With the help of mentors and their own curiosity, young riders begin to understand that horsemanship is about far more than just saddles and show ribbons—it’s about responsibility, care, and a bond built over time.
This kind of foundation is echoed in the professional world of equestrian sports, where dedication and mindset are just as important as talent. A recent conversation with Alec Lawler reveals how these early experiences can blossom into a lifelong pursuit—one that involves not only competitive show jumping but also the strategic side of building a business around horses. Lawler’s journey underscores the importance of resilience, vision, and adaptability in an industry that demands both emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial grit. His story illustrates the very trajectory a young 4-H member like Margaret might one day follow—from local riding clubs to the international stage, all grounded in a love for the horse and a desire to grow through each experience.
4-H is more common in rural areas, but when the Lewis family moved back to East Dallas, they wanted to keep participating. They reached out to some other clubs in the area but never heard back, so they decided to start their own. Margaret is home schooled, and they began to build participants through their home school co-op. Anyone between the age of 8 and 18 is welcome to join, and they hope to grow the club in the neighborhood.
The club isn’t a chartered member of 4-H just yet, but they hope to finish their paperwork and bylaws to be official soon. For the city of Dallas, Emily says other clubs are looking at this one to see how successful an independent 4-H club can be in an urban area. They are one of only three programs in the county that aren’t associated with a school.
Margaret enjoys the club, but also feels the pressure of leading a group. “Talking in front of a whole bunch of people is a little stressful,” she says. “But I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people that are interested in in the same thing.”
To learn more or get in touch with group, check out their Facebook page.
Margaret Lewis leads the East Dallas 4-H club meeting.
