Show Manager Guide

The Montana State Horse Show Association is an organization that promotes the showing of all types of horses in the state of Montana through the approval and sanctioning of open all breed horse shows. Any organization, club or individual may request that their show be recognized by MSHSA. Our members who ride in these shows earn points toward many different year end awards that MSHSA offers in pleasure, equitation and showmanship. Approval by MSHSA will attract member riders and provide consistent rules which are patterned after those United States Equestrian Federation. Our requirements on the qualification and experience of judges will help assure a judge that is fair and impartial.

This Show Manager's Guide will help to familiarize you with the requirements to have your show approved by MSHSA and to assist you with the details involving the show. After your show is approved you will receive your show's membership which entitles you to one vote in the association, a list of MSHSA member names and addresses and two of our rule books, one for your show office and one to send to your judge. This guide is not the complete rule book for MSHSA but is intended to bring your attention to some important points. The rules page contains all requirements.

Establishing a show date and obtaining approval

Shows should obtain their show dates as early as possible prior to the next show season. The dates may be requested in person or in writing on or before the date of the MSHSA annual membership meeting. Recognized shows from the previous show season have priority for their same show dates. The deadline for requesting show dates is 10/1 but that may be extended by the Board of Directors.

Dates that are not requested by October 1 will be considered open. Two or more MSHSA shows may not be held on the same dates(s). If two shows request the same date and neither show used that date the previous year, the first step to resolve the conflict is to inquire of the two show managers other possible dates that would be acceptable. If neither show has another available date, priority goes to the show with the most years of approval in the last 5 years. If prior years of approval does not apply, the choice will be made by the flip of a coin.

Please keep in mind that establishing a show date is not the same as obtaining approval for your show. You must also have an approved judge and your premium book must be approved. Once a date is established it will be held for you until approval is completed. To receive approval, the show manager must fill out 2 application forms and return them to the MSHSA secretary along with a non-refundable show fee of $50. If you have not established a show date with MSHSA by the time you fill out your applications, it would be best to check with the MSHSA secretary about available dates before mailing the applications.

The judge for your show must be approved by either USEF, the Canadian Equestrian Federation (CEF), a breed association or any state association in their respective rule books or their official supplements for the given year, such as the Washington State Horsemen, Inc. or the Oregon Horsemen Association. The only exception is for dressage classes which may be judged by a person knowledgeable in dressage. To be eligible for the dressage exception, a show must request approval from the MSHSA Board before premium books are printed.

The same person may not judge your show two years in a row or two MSHSA shows in the same year. Please question the judge you are considering to be sure they have not already committed to judge another MSHSA show. It is also a good idea to question your prospective judge on the shows they have judged, types of classes and any areas they specialize in. A list of approved judges may be obtained by contacting the following organizations:

United States Equestrian Federation 4047 Iron Works Parkway Lexington, KY 40511 TEL: 606.258.2472 FAX: 606.231.6662 www.usef.org

Canadian Equestrian Federation (CEF) 1600 James Naismith Drive Gloucester, Ontario K1B5N4 Phone: 613-748-5632

Washington State Horsemen, Inc. Horse Show Division Box 152 Goldendale, WA 98620 Phone: 509-773-6557
www.washingtonstatehorsemen.com

Oregon Horsemen Association 17080 South Hobcamb Oregon City, OR 97045 Phone: 503-631-3673
www.oregonhorsemen.com

The name of your judge and the qualifying organization should be included on your application. If you have not selected a judge by the time you apply, a delay is acceptable but this information must be included when you send in the draft of your premium book (due 90 days before your show) which is discussed next in this guide.

4. show rules which must include a description of how the age of a horse and the age of the rider is determined

You are not required to print all MSHSA class specifications in your premium book. However, if you decide not to print the class specifications, you must have an MSHSA rule book at the show office available for non-members. Additionally, shows must define green, maiden, limit, junior horse, senior horse and saddle type all ages in their premium books and should include a reminder that horses/riders that begin a show season as green, maiden, novice, limit maintain that status for the entire year. Definitions are listed in the MSHSA Classes section in the rule book.

A draft of your premium book must be sent to the MSHSA secretary at least 90 days prior to your show date. This should be the final draft before printing so MSHSA has an opportunity to review everything you plan to include in your book. If you have sent your book and do not hear from us within a reasonable period (10-14 days), please contact the MSHSA secretary concerning the delay. Any corrections to the book will be made and sent back to you so corrections can be made before the books are printed. After your premium book is approved, mailing labels will be sent to you for all MSHSA members. Premium books must be mailed to all MSHSA members at least 5 weeks prior to the show date.

Shows are required to conform to MSHSA rules for all MSHSA classes. If your show offers non-MSHSA classes you may also apply MSHSA rules to those classes if you desire. A copy of the current rule book must be kept in the show office and someone on your staff should be familiar with it. MSHSA will try to have a rule steward on hand for any rule questions.

The manager and two other show management members should be prepared to serve on a panel to resolve any rule dispute that may arise. Grievances on any MSHSA classes are to be handled according to MSHSA procedures.

MSHSA classes may only be canceled if there are no entrants. Canceled classes must be reported as such on the class report form to be sent to MSHSA after the show (see reporting show results later in this guide).

Judges are to place each class first through seventh place. You may have additional placings if you desire but you only have to report seven placings back to MSHSA.

Shows must offer either a prize or ribbon for first place, ribbons for second through fifth and at lease verbal recognition for sixth place in all MSHSA classes. Both a prize and ribbon may be given for first place and ribbons may be given for sixth place if desired. The ribbon colors, as set by USEF, are: Blue 1st, Red 2nd, Yellow 3rd, White 4th, Pink 5th, Green 6th. You can be creative with your first place ribbon as long as blue is included.

Soft gaited horses (i.e. Tennessee Walkers, Paso Finos, etc) that perform an intermediate gait are not allowed in a class, except trail classes, where the class specification requires an English trot or western jog unless the horse performs a two beat trot or jog. Please check the class specification section of the MSHSA rule book for the rules and specifications required by each individual class.

You are required to payback on English Pleasure Saddle Type Open, English Pleasure Hunter Type Open, Western Pleasure Open and Trail Horse Open. You may have additional payback classes or added purses if you desire except in equitation classes. Paybacks should be made within two weeks of the close of your show.

Paybacks are usually computed from a total purse of $3 per entry in the class. The purse is split as follows:

You may offer high point awards if you wish. Any show high points you offer are not subject to MSHSA rules and you can have any qualifying classes you want for your high point awards. You should make sure the qualifications for the high points are fair and do not favor one type of horse or rider over another. An example of high points would be a high point saddle type horse, high point hunt horse and high point western horse. There are many ways of counting the points. Remember if you have an all around award, the saddle seat classes are smaller than hunt/western classes so an award based on number of horses in a saddle seat class does a disservice to the saddle seat horses and riders. An option is to count each placing as worth a certain number of points. If there are no qualifying classes that crossover disciplines, then points based on number of horses in the class is appropriate.

Shows may not hold classes more than 16 hours out of any 24 hour period. There must be at least an 8 hour recess between the last evening class and the first class of the following day. No class is to start after midnight.

ample water and toilets

schooling area

concessions

a telephone on the grounds	adequately staffed and conveniently located office
lighting for arena & schooling area if the show extends beyond sunset	overnight stabling on show grounds with extra hay/bedding available

Access to Trail Course: If your show plans to have the trail classes set up in a separate area away from the arena we suggest you consider restricting access to this area after the trail class is set up. Riders with or without their horse are not allowed to enter the trail course prior to competition. Restricting access will serve as a reminder to exhibitors of this rule.

MSHSA class results are due postmarked 14 days after the conclusion of your show. Results are to be sent to the MSHSA secretary. Please send the class results on the Class Report Form (see the show reporting form page). This form outlines all the information which MSHSA needs to calculate points for MSHSA year end awards. All MSHSA classes must be reported and any class that was canceled due to no entrants should be so noted. Also due is a $.50 per exhibitor fee for each MSHSA class which is used for year end awards. The charge does not apply to exhibitors who scratch from a class or to non-MSHSA classes.

MSHSA will have the class results and high point winners printed in our newsletter which is published in The Wrangler. Additional items of interest can be included such as; number of horses at the show, background information on horses and/or riders who won show high point awards, amusing stories about events that occurred, etc. Please feel free to write and include a news article with your show results. Please make certain you send the names and hometowns of the riders and horses that won awards at your show with your show results. Digital pictures are also nice to have and will be posted on the horse show page.

Show date(s) should be requested on or before October 1. If your request is after October 1, check with the MSHSA secretary about available dates prior to sending in your application.

Send the final draft of your premium book to the MSHSA secretary at least 90 days prior to your show date. Contact the MSHSA secretary if you do not hear from us within 10 to 14 days. You must give MSHSA the judge's name and organization approved by. If you have not yet selected your judge when you applied for approval, please note that but send the information as soon as you can. Please keep in mind that the same person cannot judge the same show two years in a row or two MSHSA shows in the same year.

You should receive an updated membership list at least 6-8 weeks before your show. Please call the MSHSA secretary if there seems to be a delay.

Show Check List: Putting on a show is complicated. There are many things to organize, set up, and remember. Make a list and keep making a list. As jobs get done, it can be checked off the list but it will help you keep track.

Affiliate Member USEF MSHSA maintains an affiliate membership with USEF. The benefits of this type of membership are fairly limited. However this affiliate membership does give us access to insurance polices that we otherwise would not be able to obtain. As a member show of MSHSA your club organization etc. should be able to purchase this insurance if you want. It is our understanding that nearly all horse show insurance policies only cover spectators and do not include participants. We have been told that obtaining insurance on the open market that covers participants is quite expensive. One of the unique feature of this USEF insurance is that it does cover participants for a reasonable costs. It also providers coverage for a full year not just for one show. The premiums vary depending on the number of shows you put on each year. We have been told that there are no extra charges for things like riding clinics, pleasure trail rides, picnics, etc. and that the premium is not elevated for jumping shows. Policies are different for shows rated by USEF and non rated shows. Many of you already have insurance you are comfortable with and have no desire to change. If you want to check out this insurance option you may contact Sandra Czech, Rollings Hudig Hall, Box 17229, Denver, CO 80217-0229 or 303-758-7688.

If your judge will be flying we have found that booking through a travel agent can save money. It is possible to book a flight well in advance and postpone payment while the agent waits for special fare to take effect.

Send the judge a copy of the MSHSA rule books prior to the show so he can be familiar with MSHSA rules. It is also a good idea to send your premium book and a copy of your patterns for Western Horsemanship, Western Control, Showmanship and Trail.

Mail premium books to all MSHSA members no later than 5 weeks prior to the show date.

Show results and a $.50 per class per exhibitor fee are to be sent to the MSHSA secretary within 14 days after the conclusion of your show.

The following lists are classes that can be offered as MSHSA classes at a MSHSA approved show. You are not required to offer all categories but if your show offers one class in a particular category, then you must offer all classes in that category. For example, in Category 1- Flat Classes, you cannot drop any of the classes listed under Category 1. If you desire you may offer additional classes other than those required by MSHSA, such as fun classes or breed classes. All MSHSA classes must be designated as MSHSA classes in your premium book class list and can be run in any order. Duplicate MSHSA classes may be offered but only one can be counted as an MSHSA class and must be designated as MSHSA in your premium. If you offer duplicate classes as MSHSA classes, you must offer all the classes in that category.

1 Showmanship 10 & Under*
2 Showmanship 13 & Under
3 Showmanship 14-17
4 Showmanship 18 & Over
5 Maiden Walk/Trot English Equitation-All Ages
6 Maiden Walk/Jog Western Equitation-All Ages.
7 Walk/Trot English/Western Equitation 10 & Under*
8 Maiden Rider English Equitation
9 Novice Rider English Equitation
10 Saddle Seat Equitation 17 & Under+
11 Saddle Seat Equitation 18 & Over+
12 Hunt Seat Equitation 13 & Under
13 Hunt Seat Equitation 14-17
14 Hunt Seat Equitation 18 & Over
15 Maiden Rider Western Equitation^
16 Novice Rider Western Equitation^
17 Western Seat Equitation 13 & Under^
18 Western Seat Equitation 14-17^
19 Western Seat Equitation 18 & Over^
20 Western Horsemanship Open^
21 Green Horse English Pleasure Walk/Trot, 1st Year
22 Green English Pleasure, 1st Year
23 English Pleasure Maiden Horse
24 English Pleasure Limit Horse
25 English Pleasure Saddle Type 17 & Under+
26 English Pleasure Saddle Type 18 & Over+
27 English Pleasure Saddle Type Open
28 English Pleasure Hunt Type 13 & Under
29 English Pleasure Hunt Type 14-17
30 English Pleasure Hunt Type 18 & Over
31 English Pleasure Hunt Type Open
32 English Pleasure Junior Horse
33 English Pleasure Senior Horse
34 Green Horse Western Pleasure Walk/Jog, 1st Year
35 Green Western Pleasure, 1st Year
36 Walk/Trot English/Western Pleasure 10 & Under*
37 Western Pleasure Maiden Horse
38 Western Pleasure Limit Horse
39 Western Pleasure 13 & Under
40 Western Pleasure 14-17
41 Western Pleasure 18 & Over
42 Western Pleasure Open
43 Western Pleasure Junior Horse
44 Western Pleasure Senior Horse
45 Walk/Trot Trail 10 & Under*
50 Trail Horse Novice
51 Trail Horse Open
52 Western Control

*May not cross enter canter/lope classes or 13 & Under Showmanship. A horse any age or status may be ridden two handed in a snaffle or shanked bit by a 10 & Under exhibitor in the 10 & Under Classes. The exhibitor may also carry a bat regardless of the discipline ridden. A 10 & under exhibitor riding in any other walk/trot class will be subject to the same rules as any other member.
+ These classes mayb be combined but will be separated into 17 and Under and 18 and Over for the purposes of year-end awards. You may split them for your show.
^ Chaps are required in all Western Equitation classes except Walk/Jog classes. There is no penalty for riding without chaps.