2025 MFTHBA Rulebook

134 5) If time and the number of cattle permits, the judge may, at his discretion, award new cattle to the contestant due to any of the following: the cow won’t or can’t run, appears wild and beyond control, is blind, or leaves the arena. C. Judging Considerations: 1) Entries are judged on run content: Boxing, position, circling, control, cow sense, degree of difficulty, and eye appeal. 2) Credits will be given for maintaining control of cow at all times and exhibiting superior cow sense and natural ability without excessive reining or spurring. 3) Contestants are allowed to grasp the saddle horn. 4) The contestant’s horse will be penalized for general bad manners such as: Biting, striking, running over the cow, running excessively past the cow, hanging up on the fence, exhausting cow before circling, failure to hold cow at the end of the arena, and failure to show sufficient control of the cow while circling. 5) The judge may blow his whistle at any time to terminate the work. A score of zero will be charged if the work is not completed. D. Scoring/Penalties: 1) Scoring will be on the basis of 0 to100 with 70 denoting an average performance. 2) Disqualification: a) Leaving the work area before the work is completed. b) The horse being out of control while working a cow. c) The horse running over the cow causing a fall of horse and rider (work terminated at that time). d) Any unnecessary roughness to the cow. 3) A Zero score will be given for: a) A horse turning its tail to the cow b) Fall of rider not caused by falling motion of horse. 4) 5 point penalty for: a) Failing to get one turn or circle each way (5 points each way). b) Intentionally crashing cow into the corners to exhaust or make cow easier to control. c) Deliberate spurring or use of the romal forward of the cinch. 5) 3 point penalty for: a) Biting or striking the cow. b) Hanging up on the fence (refusing to turn) c) Exhausting or overworking cow before circling. d) Knocking down the cow without having a working advantage. e) Failure to hold cow on the end of the arena. 6) 2 point penalty for: a) Going past the corner of the arena before turning the cow when going down the fence. b) Failure to show sufficient control of the cow while circling. 7) 1 point penalty for: a) Loss of working advantage. b) Horses that run past the cow shall be penalized 1 point for every horse length past the cow (when the horse’s buttocks pass the cow’s head his is one length past). c) Not allowing cow to pass the center marker before the first turn. d) Using the corner or the end of the arena to turn the cow when going down the fence. e) Turning the cow inside the corner marker (within sixteen feet [16’] either side of the corner). f) Each time the arena is crossed to use the opposite fence to achieve a turn. g) Slipping a rein.