The SHOW Rules Committee, chaired by Carrie Benedict, has made some recommended rulebook changes to the SHOW Board of Directors. The Rules Committee would like SHOW to adopt rules of governance for the showing of horses by owners, exhibitors and trainers that mirror the governance guidelines for judges performing their duties. 

The SHOW Board will issue these proposed rule changes for a 90-day comment period ending Nov. 1, 2018 and then evaluate the comments received and make any changes at that time for the 2019 show season. 
The proposed rule changes are as follows:

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 which he or she 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 exhibitor’s immediate family). If the employment ceases, a 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 30 days prior to the show. 
10. An owner/exhibitor/trainer shall NOT exhibit/show a horse that has been sold by said judge within a period of 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 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 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 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 unsportsmanship-like comments toward another exhibitor, trainer, judge or ringmaster.
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 PRIO to the horse being shown by said party. 

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 above 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 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.