General Rules and Regulations

1. Each state may enter one 4-H, one FFA, and one Quarter Horse Youth horse judging team of three or four members. When four are entered, the three team members with the three high scores will make up the team total. The team members shall be selected in a manner determined by the state Extension Service, the state Vocational Agriculture Department or the State Quarter Horse Association. The contestants must be certified by an appropriate Leader or Advisor or entry blanks filed with the contest chairman by the entry deadline, September 18, 2008.
2. Contestants and Eligibility
   
   
   1. Contestants must be bona fide members of the Club they represent and approved by the appropriate organization for their state.
   2. Each contestant must not have passed his or her 19^th birthday on January 1 of the current year.
   3. Junior contestants are eligible to compete in this contest in subsequent years as long as they were not the high individual overall or on the high overall team. An individual that is the alternate on a high overall team is also ineligible to return.

    

   4. Contestants may not have participated in an official, post secondary Horse Judging contest, nor have been in training in preparation for a post secondary Horse Judging contest.

3. While the contest is in progress, there will be no conferring between contestants or between a contestant and anyone else except as directed by the chairman of his representatives. Failure to abide by this regulation may result in disqualification of the contestant.
4. Classes: Twelve classes of four individuals in each class shall be judged. There shall be four halter classes and eight performance classes. If suitable horses are available, the halter classes will consist of stallion, gelding, and mare classes. The performance classes will be selected from: Western Pleasure, Reining, Western Riding, Hunter Under Saddle, Hunter Hack, Pleasure Driving, Western Horsemanship, Trail, and Hunt Seat Equitation.
5. Time: Fifteen minutes will be allowed for contestants to place all non-reason classes. Those classes in which oral reasons are to be given will be judged in a period of seventeen minutes.
6. Card Placing: The contestant will hand to the group leader the card bearing his placing of the ring as soon as time is up for the class. The contestant may request from the reason listener, and have the card with their placing on it while giving reasons. They will then return the card to the reason listener before leaving the room.
7. Oral Reasons: Shall be given upon classes in each of the above mentioned groups. Two sets of reasons shall be given on halter classes and two sets of reasons on the performance classes. The contestants shall be notified at the time of placing whether or not reasons will be required on the class then being judged. Reasons shall be given orally before the judge or judges and for this purpose, private rooms shall be provided. Two minutes will be permitted for oral reasons on each class. Reasons that exceed the two minute limit will be penalized.
8. Final Standing: This shall be based both upon the placings and oral reasons. Fifty points shall constitute a perfect score in for oral reasons. In classes where no reasons are required, the placing only will be considered.
9. Group Leader: An individual shall be placed in charge of contestants as they judge the various classes, to observe the contestants, to see that the animals are properly shown and moved, to answer questions which do not pertain to the actual placing or instruction regarding the animals in the contest, and to collect placing cards at the end of each class.
10. Judges: Judges will be provided for each class in the contest.
11. Awards: The final results of the contest will be made available and awards will be presented at a breakfast on the morning following the contest. The time and place will be announced by the chairman.
12. Entry fee and deadline: $150 by September 18, 2008. ( Late entry $175.00 after 9/18). No Entries Accepted after 10/02/08.