Rules

Crocus Cowhorse Association Rules

CCHA SHOW SUMMARY:
The Crocus Cow Horse Association currently offers 3 core events: Reining, Herd work ( Ranch Cutting), and Cow work/ Ltd cow work (Working Cow horse). Extra events may be offered at a show but will not be included in Versatility scores or Year-End placings. The Versatility score is the cumulative sum of the 3 core events. In the event of a situation not covered by Crocus Cow Horse rules, NRCHA rules will apply.

Membership runs from January 1- December 31 of the calendar year. Fees must be paid prior to or at the first show the exhibitor enters. Manitoba Horse Council or other Equestrian Canada recognized insurance is mandatory.

SCORING. Scoring will be on the basis of 60-80, with 70 denoting an average performance. The same basis of scoring shall apply to the reined work, herd work and cow work. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest cow work will be declared the winner.

CORE EVENTS
WORKING COWHORSE:
Each contestant enters the arena with 70 points and must complete the following manoeuvres:

Box cow at prescribed end of the arena long enough to show control
Proceed to fence, driving the cow past the center marker, and turn cow at least once in each direction
In an open area of the arena, circle the cow at least once in each direction
The judge will signal when the run is completed.

Guide for a new cow: cow won’t turn, has to be pushed to move or doesn’t respect the horse. It will be at the judge’s discretion whether or not the competitor will receive another cow to show his/her horse. In this case,the clock will be reset to 2:30. The competitor has the choice to decline the new cow and that choice is final.

Elements: Score + 1.5 to – 1.5 points per element

Maintaining control of the cow at all times
Exhibiting superior cow sense and natural ability without excessive reining or spurring
Degree of difficulty
Eye appeal

Penalties:

Loss of 1 point: loss of working advantage, for each length the horse runs past the cow, using end or corner to turn cow, slipping rein (when using a romal), changing side of the arena, turning cow before passing middle marker on first turn.
Loss of 2 points: going around a corner before turning cow
Loss of 3 points: knocking down cow without having working advantage, biting or striking the cow, hanging up on fence, exhausting the cow
Loss of 5 points: not getting a turn each way, spurring or hitting in front of cinch, using two hands in a bridle except for Limit, Youth or 3-4 yr old classes.
Automatic 0: turning tail, bucking, out of control and running over cow, bloody mouth, illegal equipment, leaving work area before the pattern is completed, intentional or negligent misuse of livestock.

REINING:
Each competitor enters the arena with an average score of 70 and points will be added and deducted as follows:
+ 1 ½ Excellent +1 Very Good +1/2 Good 0 Correct -1/2 poor -1 Very Poor -1 ½ Extremely Poor

Automatic 0: Off pattern, including jogging more than half a circle, under or over spin by 1/4 turn.

Penalties:
Loss of 5 points: kicking out, bucking, rearing, spurring in front of cinch, using free hand to instil fear, using two hands in a bridle except for Limit, Youth or 3-4 yr old classes.
Loss of 2 points: a break in gait, a freeze-up in the spin, failure to go beyond markers in stops.

In the performance of circles or figure eights, the competitor can receive penalties as follows:

1 point for each quarter circle that the horse is out of lead

½ point for a late lead change

½ point for starting a circle at a jog up to two strides in a lope departure.

2 points for jogging beyond two strides, but less than half a circle or half the length of the arena

In the performance of spins, penalties are:

½ point for an over or under spin ( up to 1/8 over or under)

1 point for 1/8 to ¼ over or under spin.
Disqualification: illegal equipment, bloody mouth or sides

Reining patterns will be selected from a set of CCHA approved patterns and will be made available to exhibitors at least 1 hour prior to the show.

RANCH CUTTING:
Each contestant enters the arena with a score of 70 and points will be deducted and added as follows with a 2 min and 30 sec. time limit:

Run Content: Herd work, setting up a cow, degree of difficulty, eye appeal, time worked, amount of courage,loose rein are all based on a + and -. Horse charging, forced off a cow, excessive herd holder help are all (-) score.

Penalties:
Loss of 1 point: loss of working advantage, noise directed towards cattle, toe foot or stirrup on shoulder, hold on too long on a cut, working out of position
Loss of 3 points: hot quit, cattle picked up or scattered, spur in the shoulder, pawing or biting the cattle, failure to make a deep cut, back fence used to stop cow.
Loss of 5 points: horse quitting a cow, losing a cow, changing cattle after a specific commitment, failure to separate a single animal after leaving the herd, using two hands on the reins in a bridle with a shank bit, except Youth, Limit and 3-4 yr old classes.
Score of 60: if horse turns tail, if horse falls to the ground
Disqualification ( 0 score): illegal equipment, leaving working area before time is called, intentional or negligent misuse of livestock.

CLASS DIVISIONS:

OPEN: Open to all horses and competitors, except those showing in the LIMIT class. Horses in shank bits must be shown with one hand. Horses shown in bosal or snaffle bit may be ridden with two hands.

NON-PRO: Open to all competitors who have never trained horses horses for renumeration and are not entered in the LIMIT class. Horses shown in bosal or snaffle bit may be ridden with two hands. Horses shown in a shank bit must be shown with one hand. If 2 hands are used on a shank bit, ONE 5 point penalty will be incurred.

NON-PRO LIMIT: Open to Non-Pro competitors who don’t wish to turn and circle the cow. THERE WILL BE NO CROSS ENTRIES TO ANY FENCE CLASS FOR RIDER. Two hands may be used on any legal bit or bosal. In this class, upon receiving a cow in the arena competitor shall hold that cow on the prescribed end of the arena for 50 seconds, demonstrating the ability of the horse and rider to control the cow. The judge will indicate the completion of the class.

Open Rein/Box: Open to all levels of non pro riders, and open riders who do not wish to circle the cow. THERE WILL BE CROSS ENTRIES TO ANY FENCE CLASS FOR HORSE. Horses 5 years of age and under as of January 1st of current show year may be shown in either a snaffle bit or hackamore. Horses of any age may be shown in the two rein equipment, or a bridle. Each contestant upon receiving a cow in the arena shall hold that cow on the prescribed end of the arena for 50 seconds, demonstrating the ability of the horse and rider to control the cow. Time shall begin when the gate closes behind the cow after being let into the arena. The announcer or judge will signal the completion of the 50 seconds with a whistle or horn.

YOUTH: Open to riders 18 and under as of Jan 1 of calendar year who are not entered in the NON-PRO LIMIT or YOUTH LIMIT class. One or two hands may be used on any legal bit or bosal. ASTM-SEI approved helmet must be worn.

YOUTH LIMIT: Open to riders 18 and under as of Jan 1 of calendar year. Same rules as for NON-PRO LIMIT. Cross entry is allowed only to NON-PRO LIMIT. ASTM-SEI approved helmet must be worn.

NOVICE HORSE: Open to any horse with a lifetime earning in any type of show or class of less than $500.00 at the beginning of the show year. A Novice Horse may not be entered into any other class in the same show. One or two hands may be used with any legal bit or bosal.

3-4 YEAR OLDS: Open to 3 and 4 year old horses only, ridden by a Non-Pro or Open competitor. One or two hands may be used with any legal bit or bosal.

BUCKAROO: Open to riders 12 and under as of January 1^st of current year. There will be a walk/trot reining pattern and a tracking class. ASTM-SEI approved helmet must be worn.

EQUIPMENT:

All equipment must be in compliance with Reining Cow Horse and Western Breed registry rules.
All horses may be shown in the snaffle bit, hackamore, or bridle, regardless of age. For a rider using a snaffle bit or hackamore, two hands are required. For Open and Non-Pro riders using a shank bit, one hand is required. IN NON-Pro, if 2 hands are used on a shank bit, ONE 5 point penalty will be incurred. When using romal reins, they are to be held in the thumb up position, no fingers between the reins and hands must not be changed. When using split reins, one finger may be used between the reins. Youth, Youth Limit, Non-Pro Limit, Novice Horse, as well as riders in the 3-4 year old class may use one or two hands on any bit with no penalty.

Broken equipment: If at any time during a performance a piece of equipment breaks, the rider may continue provided the broken equipment does not pose a hazard to the rider and/or is not cruel to the horse. In the event that the fence work immediately follows the reined work, broken equipment may be repaired within a 1 minute time period. Rider may dismount if necessary to make the repair. Horse and rider may not leave the arena and may not receive physical assistance or equipment from outside the arena. If the rider is unable to continue because of the broken equipment, the rider will be excused with a score of zero.

Western attire is required, beginning one hour before the show starts, chaps optional. Cowboy hat or equestrian helmet are acceptable. This applies to competitors, volunteers and herd help.

Entries: Entries are due by midnight the Tuesday before the show. Late entries: A late fee of $25 will be charged on late entries. Scratched entries: Once a competitor has made a show entry, they are responsible for the cattle charge, whether they show or not. This charge is to be paid before they can compete again.

PRIZES:

Money profited from the show will be payed out. Money gained through sponsorships may be used at the discretion of the show committee. Some sponsors may specify how they want their sponsorship money spent.

Prizes will be given for versatility, determined by adding horse/rider combination scores for all 3 events in each show. Prize moneys should be split by division (Open, Non-Pro, Non-Pro Limit, Youth, Youth Limit, Novice Horse, 3-4 Yr Old) and based on show profit, jackpot fees and sponsorship collected for that division. The NRCHA payout schedule should be used, which includes the following:

Additional prizes may also be given at any regular show or finals show.

Year end awards: A horse/rider combination must attend 60% of shows held in a calendar year to be eligible for year end awards. If all shows are attended, the lowest score will not be included in the year end points, The cumulative year end points shall be divided by the corresponding number of shows attended to determine the year end average.

VIOLATIONS: The following violations will not be tolerated:

ANY INHUMANE TREATMENT OF HORSES OR LIVESTOCK IN ANY MANNER IN THE SHOW ARENA OR ON THE GROUNDS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

1)The misrepresentation of one’s professional status
2) Physically assaulting any judge or other person participating during or after the course of the recognized show.
3) Making any remark to a judge or other person participating, during or after the show, which is of threatening or abusive or unsportsmanlike either orally or in writing.
4) Making any obscene gesture to or for the benefit of the judge or judges while in the arena.
5) Abusing or mistreating in any fashion a horse while on the grounds of any CCHA approved show, either before, during or after the event.
6) Any person who does not pay bills or fees due to the CCHA or any approved show.

Any person desiring to file a complaint regarding any alleged violation of these rules may do so by submitting a written protest within 7 days of discovery in writing to the CCHA president, together with a check of $50.00 made payable to the Crocus Cow Horse Association. Upon receipt, all complaints will be referred to the Board of Directors for investigation and consideration in a closed meeting within 30 days of receiving the complaint and check. The identities of the involved parties shall remain confidential. If the Board of Directors determines that the protest is valid, the $50.00 check shall be returned.

LIVESTOCK COMPENSATION POLICY

If during a CCHA show, a cow dies or is injured requiring euthanasia, the owner will be compensated at fair market value from the CCHA general funds. An injured cow must be recognized as such by the owner and club before leaving the arena or pen.