PERFORMANCE HALTER
Prepared by the Education/Evaluation Commission and Judges & Stewards Commissioner 10805 E. Bethany Drive Aurora, Colorado 80014-2605 (303) 696-4539
© 2019 Arabian Horse Association
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PERFORMANCE HALTER
Table of Contents https://www.arabianhorses.org/additio GENERAL ...... 2 nal/judges-stewards/resources/ SCORING SYSTEM ...... 2 For Purebred Arabians, the following TIES ...... 3 seven (7) attributes will be scored: RESPONSIBILITIES OF MANAGEMENT . 3 Athletic Structure USE OF THE SCORE SHEET ...... 4 o Breed Type SCORING CATEGORIES ...... 4 o Quality, Balance, Substance at the PENALTIES ...... 5 Walk PENALTIES and THEIR APPLICATION .... 6 o Neck and Shoulder o Back, Loin and Hip o Legs and Feet GENERAL o Movement Horses are presented in a relaxed and dignified manner at all times. o Horses are not to be shown as in a breeding in-hand class o Absolutely critical to enforce this requirement. o Positioned with weight squarely on their feet/ ie. weight evenly distributed on their feet; not stretched. Either the “In the Ring” or “Exit the Ring” class procedure may be used. Management decision. o No final inspection AR Subchapters AR-1, AR-2, ad AR-3 apply. Including, but not limited to excessive amounts of oil or grease on For Half Arabians, the following six (6) the horse along with the balding rule. attributes will be scored: Horses with loss of sight in one eye may o Athletic Structure compete. o Quality, Balance, Substance Mandatory use of Performance Halter o Neck and Shoulder Score Sheet. o Back, Loin, and Hip Characteristics/conformation of a good o Legs and Feet performance halter horse will mirror o Movement those of a good breeding/in-hand
horse. SCORING SYSTEM AHA Performance Halter Score Sheet will be used. Score sheets can be downloaded from the AHA website at Performance Halter effective 12/1/19 2
3. Conformation 4. Call Judge In a multiple judge system the same tiebreakers will be used. If a tie still remains the call judge’s card shall break the tie.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF MANAGEMENT
Provide a separate score sheet for each horse entered in each Performance Halter class. Provide a ‘runner’ to transport the score sheet from the judge to the ring clerk or scorer. This should be done after each horse. There will also be a penalty category for Provide a ring clerk or scorer to tabulate rule infractions, poor manners, undue the score sheet and to maintain the stress or inhumane treatment. Master Score
Each judge(s) scores may be announced Designate a location on the competition immediately following the presentation grounds where the Master Score Sheet of the horse when the competition is will be posted. utilizing the In-ring Procedure. The scores must be announced when the competition is utilizing the Exit-the-ring Procedure or the Combined Ring Procedure. Scores must be posted within an hour of the end of the session in which the final section of the class was held. The horses shall be ranked based on a total numerical score.
TIES Ties for Arabian Mares, Fillies, Colts, Stallions Competition management utilizing the 1. Athletic Structure Arabian Scoring System shall have the 2. Breed Type option of choosing either the In-the Ring 3. Quality/Balance procedure or Exit-the Ring procedure. 4. Conformation Determine in advance which ring 5. Call Judge procedure will be utilized – this Ties for Arabian Geldings and Half- information should be published in the Arabians/Anglo-Arabians prize list. The EEC recommends the use 1. Athletic Structure 2. Quality/Balance Performance Halter effective 12/1/19 3
of the In-ring Procedure for the majority Runner takes score sheet to person of competitions. assigned to scoring – possibly the ring How to decide whether to use the In- clerk. the-ring Procedure, the Exit-the-ring After verifying that a score has been Procedure. circled for each category and that the o Safety of the horses, handlers, and score sheet was signed by the judge, the spectators is the primary factor in scores are added and scores of all the decision on whether the In-ring categories for each horse and each judge Procedure, Exit-the-ring Procedure are transferred to a Master Score Sheet. is most appropriate for a specific (This transfer can be electronic through competition. a computer program or by hand.) It is required that scores that are The scores may be announced at this announced following each horse in the time if the competition is using the In- Exit-the-ring Procedure but not in the In- the-ring Procedure; they must be the-ring Procedure. What are the announced if the competition is utilizing wishes of the competition? the Exit-the-ring Procedure. If Exit-the-ring procedure is chosen, The Master Score Sheet (right) and all competition needs to mark an area of individual score sheets are kept together 40-75 feet where the handler walks the by the scorer and returned to the show horse after trotting into the ring. office; these are the official judges’ cards for Performance Halter classes. USE OF THE SCORE SHEET The individual score sheets are Use a clip board with a letter size page of retained for three (3) years by the paper behind the smaller score sheet. competition as part of the official This page is handy for recording notes records. during a class, such as the list of all horse The Master Score Sheets are to be numbers as they enter the ring. posted within an hour of the end of Refer to AR104 for breed standards the session in which the final section Refer to Conformation section of AHA of the class was held. They are also Judges Notebook for major/minor faults retained for three (3) years and are As each horse enters the ring, the judge kept with the individual score sheets writes down the exhibitor number on for that class. the score sheet. The judge will circle a score for each SCORING CATEGORIES category, indicate any penalties, and The categories on the score sheet are sign the form. If a judge needs to change listed in an order commonly utilized by a score PRIOR to turning in the score judges as they evaluate each horse. sheet, the change must be clearly Athletic Structure – indicated and initialed. o The first impression of Athletic No change to a score can be made after Structure is when a horse enters a the score sheet is turned in. ring, but the score could justifiably be the last score recorded. o Proper Arabian conformation equals good athletic structure. Performance Halter effective 12/1/19 4
o Correct conformation is key to the PENALTIES intended performance of your horse. A horse will be eliminated and excused, o Beauty and functionality must be if it: one single goal. o is crouching, cowering, buckling at Breed Type – the knees, sweating, trembling, o Overall breed type is emphasized racing backwards or sideways to rather than specific parts of the escape their handlers or other horse. behavior indicating fear, stress or o Purebred classes only intimidation. Quality, Balance, Substance o exhibits any welt or swelling that o Look to criteria for Arabian and look like a whip mark, regardless of Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian horses how this was caused; in Breeding/In-hand o is obviously limping or of impaired Neck and Shoulder gait; o Look to criteria for Arabian and o horse (AR109.3) has fallen; Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian horses o (AR105.6) for inhumane treatment in Breeding/In-hand and undue stress. Back, Loin and Hip o A judge must order from the ring any o Look to criteria for Arabian and unruly horse or one whose actions Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian horses threaten to endanger the handler, in Breeding/In-hand other exhibitors or their entries. Legs and Feet o A judge must order from the ring any o Look to criteria for Arabian and handler who exhibits inappropriate Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian horses or dangerous behavior or whose in Breeding/In-hand actions would in any way threaten Movement the safety of any exhibitor, their
o Look to criteria for Arabian and entries or the safety of class officials. Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian horses in Breeding/In-hand Ineligible to receive an award but not
The categories with an asterisk (*) (Neck necessarily excused from the ring: and Shoulder, Back. Loin and Hip, and o A horse with a cut or abrasion Legs and Feet) in front of the title showing clear evidence of fresh comprise the ‘Conformation Category.” blood in the mouth, nose, chin, When a total score for Conformation is shoulder, barrel, flank or hip area needed to break a tie, then these must be considered to be ineligible individually scored categories are added to receive an award in that together. respective class. Major faults in any of the four categories o Removal of eyelashes that comprise the ‘Conformation o Changing the natural color of the Category’ cannot be scored any higher mane and/or tail (See AR106) than a score of 15 for that category. o No product shall be applied to a Major faults in any of the other horse’s hoof to hide or conceal a categories are to be penalized. conformation defect.
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Mandatory elimination from judging A judge may penalize for balding the consideration (whether excused from area around the eyes or proximal to the the ring or not) is a ‘no score’ – list the muzzle and nostrils. cause on the score sheet; judge still signs Actions that may disturb other entries the score sheet. shall be severely penalized. Shanking, as defined by USEF, is only A horse may be disqualified, penalized permitted “where a horse has become and/or excused for the following: dangerously unruly and immediate o exhibits disruptive behavior such shanking is required in order to gain that it or other horses are unable to control of the horse and prevent be inspected by the judge; imminent harm to the horse or others.” o exhibits behavior such that the safety See: of it, the handler, an exhibitor, a https://www.arabianhorses.org/.conte judge, or another horse is in danger; nt/judges-stewards/jrelas- o is not under the control of the docs/USEF_rules_letter_5122016.pdf exhibitor; . o breaks loose from the exhibitor; o shanking is not permitted o Total penalty points shall not exceed PENALTIES and THEIR APPLICATION -2.5 and can be assigned in half-point increments. (More than one penalty Score Sheet can be checked, but only one penalty Disruptive Behavior score is assigned and that score Excessive oil, grease, other cannot exceed -2.5.) substance Penalties can be assigned for poor Balding manners. A judge may penalize an entry with NOTE: score sheet is being updated for excessive amounts of oil, grease or other 2020 – download new form when it similar substances. becomes available on AHA website.
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