The SHOW Board met last month for its regular meeting in preparation for the 2019 show season with several actions taking place. Last week, the organization released notes pertaining to those action items to ensure all exhibitors and trainers are aware of any changes and/or additions to the SHOW Rule Book before show season kicks off.

The first item pertains to the junior horse, which will now be defined in the SHOW Rulebook as a horse that is five years of age or younger. 

The second action item from the SHOW Board meeting notes pertains to Racking horses, with the following notes being released:

“Any horse shows affiliated with SHOW, which includes Racking Horse classes, will follow rules of the Racking Horse Breeders’ Association of America (RHBAA).”

Another action item from the February meeting involves a change of inspection fees for TWHBEA Medallion classes for the upcoming season. These fees will now be $5 per inspection. 

Finally, the last action item pertains to the SHOW Rulebook. First, the Board passed a proposal to add an ethics rules section to the rulebook. This proposal was originally submitted to the Board in May 2018 by the SHOW Rules Committee. The Ethics Rules section will be added to the rulebook and must be followed by all.

Additionally, more language will also be added to the rulebook. The added language pertains to several aspects of shows, including SHOW’s oversight at shows, violations and due process, judges and exhibitors’ relationships with any particular judge. 

The exact language from the new SHOW Rulebook follows, and is printed in its exact entirety:

It is the intention of SHOW to preside over shows and hold accountable judges, trainers and exhibitors to the highest standards of sportsmanship and integrity. Those who violate the spirit and intent of the rules governing exhibition are subject to the loss of ribbon and retying of the class and forfeiture of prize monies (if applicable). 
 
In addition, SHOW reserves the right to suspend any exhibitor, trainer or third party determined to have participated in a violation of the rules outlined below from showing for a period of time determined by SHOW.  

Due process will be made available to any party determined to be in alleged violation of rules by filing a notice of appeal within five (5) business days and to appear in front of the SHOW executive committee at a time determined by SHOW for the case to be heard.  

The person filing the appeal may appear in person or with counsel; other parties are not able to attend appeal hearings unless called to do so by SHOW for the purposes of validating information directly related to the alleged violation. Deliberation of appeals are held in executive session and may only be attended by the SHOW executive board. Decisions are final and not subject to further appeal.

New language pertaining to judges and exhibitors’ relationships with judges:

1.     An Owner/ Exhibitor/Trainer IS expected to have knowledge of and compliance with the rules.
2.     An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT Ask a Judge to inspect or discuss any horse entered in the show prior to the start of the show.
3.     An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT pursue, contact or attempt to contact, whether by direct or indirect means a person(s) selected to officiate a show. This includes any person having an interest in any horse expected to be shown at such show. All contact that in any way could be considered an attempt to influence the Judge in their judging duties to SHOW will be considered a violation hereof and shall be reported immediately to SHOW. This includes, but is not limited to telephoning, writing, sending pictures, or by any other means before or during events that the judge has been employed to adjudicate.
4.     No one shall approach a judge with regard to a decision unless he/she first obtains permission from the Show Committee, Competition Management, steward, or technical delegate who shall arrange an appointment with the judge at a proper time and place. 
5.     An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT be an Exhibitor at any show in which he or she is an is a Judge.
6.     An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit/show a horse they own or co-own with the Judge or is owned by any immediate family of the parties.
7.      An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit/show a horse in front of a Judge that is their current employer (which includes the employer's immediate family) or exhibit a horse that the Judge is the exhibitors current employee (which includes the employee's immediate family). If the employment ceases, a thirty (30) day waiting period applies before a horse owned by either party could show before one of the parties involved.
8.     An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit/show any horse if they are being trained by the Judge's immediate family, regardless of remuneration received.
9.     An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit/show a horse that has been boarded, owned, trained or shown by the Judge or the Judge's immediate family, regardless of remuneration, within a period of thirty (30) days prior to the show.
10.  8. An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit/show a horse that has been sold by said Judge within a period of thirty (30) days prior to the show. This also includes a horse for which a Judge has acted in the capacity of an agent, and/or has collected a commission or other form of remuneration as the result of the sale.
11.  An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit/show any horse where either the Judge, exhibitor or owner (including immediate family of all parties) has remunerated the other person for the leasing, boarding, riding, showing, training, consulting, schooling, assisting or tutoring of any horse within a period of thirty (30) days prior to the show. Stud fees and associated mare care are excluded from this rule*
12.  An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit/show in an Equitation class with whom the Judges has received any form of remuneration from the exhibitor or their parent, guardian or instructor has received any form of remuneration in connection with the sale, lease, boarding or training of a horse within thirty (30) days prior to the show.
13.  An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall NOT exhibit in an Equitation class where the Judge has provided instruction, coaching or tutoring regardless of remuneration within thirty (30) days prior to the show. The conducting of clinics or seminars are not considered to be instructing, coaching or tutoring unless individual instruction is given.
14.  The individual member(s) acting on behalf of a Member Organization who directly contacts the judge for the purpose of employing said  judge for that show shall not show or have their horses shown before that judge in that show for which the judge was employed.
15.  An Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer shall not exhibit intentional conduct at an equine event that could adversely affect the exhibition or ride of any other exhibitor's horse at the event.  This could include ring conduct such as riding up closely behind another horse, intentional contact with another horse, placing individuals strategically around the ring with the intention of exhibiting distracting behavior to scare a horse, striking another horse or exhibitor with a crop or verbally making unsportsmanlike comments toward another exhibitor, trainer, judge or ring master.
16.  It is unethical to transfer or assist or facilitate in the transfer of a horse with the intent to circumvent the purpose of the rules regarding ownership of horses shown in owner amateur and/or juvenile classes. It is unethical for any Owner/Exhibitor/Trainer to not provide information relating to the transfer in question that is requested by the SHOW Executive Committee. Bonified TWHBEA filed leases are acceptable as a transfer of ownership for the purpose of showing, but must be filed, and dated PRIOR to the horse being shown by said party.