AQHA Show Rule Change

Changes are announced regarding the number of horses a competitor may show at an AQHA-approved show.

Effective March 12, 2012, exhibitors in individual worked events at American Quarter Horse Association-approved shows can exhibit a maximum of three horses per division.

This change was on the AQHA Show and Professional Horsemen Committee's agenda at the 2012 AQHA Convention in Las Vegas. It was approved by the AQHA Board of Directors and immediately approved by the AQHA Executive Committee. Additional topics were discussed by committees and forwarded to the Executive committee for possible future changes.

Here's how the new approved change reads: To be effective immediately, rescind 450(m)(n)(o)(p) as it appears in the 2012 Handbook and replace it with the following verbiage. This reverts back to the 2011 rule allowing a maximum of three horses in junior, three horses in senior and a maximum (total) of four horses in an all-age class. There is no stipulation on the combination of the junior and/or senior horses in an all-age class.

Effective immediately, under Rule 450(m), exhibitors in individual open worked events may exhibit three horses in a junior class, exhibit three horses in a senior class and exhibit a maximum (total) of four horses in an all-age class. There is no requirement for the number of junior horses and number of senior horses in an all-age class.

For the AQHA World Championship Show, under Rule 450(m)(3), an open exhibitor may show a maximum of three junior and three senior horses in individual worked classes. Also, an amateur or youth exhibitor may show a maximum of three horses in individual worked classes.
Individual worked events include reining, working cow horse, western riding, barrel racing, pole bending, jumping, working hunter, trail, tie-down roping, heading, heeling, team penning, ranch sorting, and cutting.

Under Rule 450(n), in Novice youth, youth, Novice amateur, Select amateur and amateur division individual worked events, an exhibitor may show three horses regardless of sex (except youth, Novice youth and Novice amateur, where stallions may not be exhibited).

A Select amateur exhibitor, under Rule 450(o), in individual working events may show a maximum of three horses in Select amateur and amateur in any combination as long as three different horses are exhibited, and that a horse is only shown one time by any exhibitor in that class. For example, a Select amateur exhibitor in individual working events may exhibit all three horses in the amateur, all three horses in the Select amateur, two horses in Select amateur and one in amateur, or one in Select amateur and two in amateur. A horse may only be exhibited one time in a class in either Select amateur or amateur, no matter the exhibitor.

A Select amateur exhibitor, under Rule 450(p), in Select amateur or amateur classes, may show up to two different horses in group classes as long as one horse is shown in the amateur group class and a different horse is shown in the Select amateur group class. These group classes include showmanship, western pleasure, horsemanship, hunter under saddle, hunter hack, hunt seat equitation, equitation over fences and pleasure driving.

Should the classes be combined, the Select amateur must choose on which horse to compete.

The proposed changes to Rule 450 were listed in the AQHA Shows and Professional Horsemen Committee agenda for the 2012 AQHA Convention, which can be found at www.aqha.com/convention.

For more information regarding rule changes, stay tuned to www.aqha.com/showing.