Proposed Rule Changes Submitted for Member Input
The following proposed rule changes have been submitted and approved by the Board of Directors for posting to solicit member input. Members are encouraged to review the proposed changes and share their feedback with their Regional Director. These proposals will remain posted for a minimum of 60 days to allow time for member comments and input.
Your voice matters—thank you for participating in the process.
| Page Number of change suggestion: | 126 |
| Paragraph or section number of change suggestion: | Sec 1.G (page 126), Sec 10.D.2.d (page 137) |
| Reason this rule needs to be changed, re-worded or omitted, etc. The “Instructions to Riders” on page 126 in Section 1.G starts with “Two hands may be used on the reins.” However, the Scoring/Penalties section for Ranch Cutting states that two hands on the reins will result in a score of 0. Proposed change would be to amend the Instructions to Riders on page 126 to say, “Two hands may be used on the reins in cattle classes.” This would clarify that riders must go one-handed in Ranch Pleasure, Ranch Conformation, and Ranch Versatility unless they are riding a junior horse. The proposed change would also be to remove 2.d from the Scoring/Penalties for Ranch Cutting on page 137. This penalty contradicts the Instructions to Riders that permit the use of two hands. | |
| Additional notes or comments to the committee: These changes would rectify the contradiction in the rulebook, as well as make it easier for new exhibitors to prepare to come show in the Ranch classes. Every year we have had to outline with the judge what their expectation will be for following this rule ahead of the cattle classes, and amending the rulebook would alleviate the issue. | |
| Page Number of change suggestion: | 135 |
| Paragraph or section number of change suggestion: | New section between Sec. 8 Working Cow Horse and Sec. 9 Ranch Roping |
| Reason this rule needs to be changed, reworded, or omitted, etc. Proposed addition of section for “Limited Working Cow Horse “Class description and arena arrangements would be left the same as Working Cow Horse. B. Class Procedures) All cow work must be completed within a 2-minute time period. Each contestant’s time begins upon receiving the cow in the arena, and the contestant shall not be past the halfway point of the arena. 2) Boxing: The exhibitor shall work the cow on the prescribed end of the arena for sufficient time to demonstrate the ability of the horse to hold the cow on that end. The horse should exhibit superior cow sense and natural cow working ability without excessive reining or spurring. In the head-to-head working position, the degree of difficulty shall be considered.3) Driving: After the cow has been controlled on the entrance end of the arena, the exhibitor shall deliberately release the cow and set up for driving down the side of the arena. When coming out of the corner, the horse shall be close enough to the cow to demonstrate control with the cow against the fence. This distance and control should be maintained for approximately ¾ length of the arena. Exhibitor will then back the horse off of the cow and move the horse toward the center of the arena to set the cow up for boxing.4) Boxing: The exhibitor will again control the cow at the opposite end of the arena to demonstrate the horse’s ability to hold the cow. Continue boxing until time expires.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: This section would be mostly left the same as what is written for Working Cow Horse. Replace “circling” with “driving” in C. 1 and C.4.
D. Scoring/Penalties: This section would be mostly left the same as what is written for Working Cow Horse. Remove D.4.a. a.., which refers to circling. Replace “circling” with “driving” in D.5.c and D.6.b. Remove D.6.a, D.7.c-e. |
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| Additional notes or comments to the committee:
Adding the description for Limited Working Cow Horse would allow show management the option to utilize this scoring structure for the Amateur division of the Working Cow Horse class at MFTHBA shows, increasing participation of exhibitors who are new to cow work and not ready to perform a full fence pattern. It would bring our Association more in line with what other organizations offer, catering to different skill levels without requiring additional resources. For the most part, the class description and scoring structure could be duplicated from the Working Cow Horse section, with a few adjustments that I have outlined. |
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