Tennessee Walking
Horse Shows of America
PO Box 238
Reynoldsburg, OH, 43068
Phone: 614-751-8525
Fax: 614-868-0165
Email: TWHSA@aol.com
Corporate Sponsors
Chapter 1
DEFINITIONS
A. CLASSES
Amateur Class: Each rider, driver, or handler must be an amateur, as defined in Chapter 1, Section B. Show management may also restrict amateur classes by age, gender or other criteria as stated on the class sheet. Trainers’ spouses, who otherwise qualify as amateurs, may not show a customer’s horse in an amateur class.
Amateur Owned and Trained Class: Horses must be owned, trained and ridden by amateurs only. The horse shall have had no professional training, other than attendance at open-to-the-public clinics, within 90 days of the class.
Local Class: Entries are restricted to an area of reasonable size described on the class sheet. In classes that restrict entries by state, such as “Tennessee bred”, the word bred is defined as foaled in the state, not necessarily mated.
Novice Class: Entries are restricted to horses and/or riders who have not won three blue ribbons as of the closing date of entries for that competition. Ribbons won at that competition will not change novice status.
Open Class: Entries are open to horses and riders of any age, sex, size or winnings as specified in the class description.
Open Tack or Optional Tack Class: Exhibitors may choose to show in either English or western tack and attire but not a combination of both.
Owner-Amateur Trained Class: Horses must be owned, trained and ridden by the amateur exhibitor or a member of his immediate family. The horse shall have had no professional training, other than attendance at open-to-the-public clinics, within 90 days of the class.
Owners Class: Each exhibitor must be an owner, co-owner, or immediate family of an owner or co-owner of the horse being exhibited.
B. INDIVIDUALS
Age: For competition purpose, the age of an individual on January 1 will be maintained throughout the year. An adult is a person who has reached his 18th birthday as of January 1 of the current year.
Agent: Any adult or adults acting on behalf of an exhibitor
Amateur: An amateur is a person who, after his or her eighteenth birthday does not engage in the following activities:
- Accepting payment in cash or other forms of remuneration for the training of horses, including yearlings and weanlings, the riding of horses for others, or the preparation of horses, including yearlings and weanlings, for exhibition. If these activities are engaged in, even on a part time basis, the person is considered a professional.
- Accepting payment in cash or other forms of remuneration for giving lessons or clinics for cash or other forms of remuneration if it is that individual’s primary source of income.
Breeder: Owner of the dam at the time of service.
Designated Qualified Person (DQP): A person meeting the requirements specified in § 11.7 of this part who has been licensed as a DQP by a horse industry organization or association having a DQP program certified by the Department and who may be appointed and delegated authority by the management of any horse show, horse exhibition, horse sale or horse auction under section 4 of the [Horse Protection] Act to detect or diagnose horses which are sore or to otherwise inspect horses and any records pertaining to such horses for the purposes of enforcing the [Horse Protection] Act. means a person meeting the requirements specified in § 11.7 of this part who has been licensed as a DQP by a horse industry organization or association having a DQP program certified by the Department and who may be appointed and delegated authority by the management of any horse show, horse exhibition, horse sale or horse auction under section 4 of the [Horse Protection] Act to detect or diagnose horses which are sore or to otherwise inspect horses and any records pertaining to such horses for the purposes of enforcing the [Horse Protection] Act.
Exhibitor: A rider, handler, or driver who shows or exhibits a horse in a horse show, exhibition, or sale. Exhibiting can include showing in competition, presenting a horse in a sale or any other public exhibition of a horse.
Immediate family: For competition purposes, the term family refers to husband, wife, parent, stepparent, brother, sister, child, stepchild, half brother, half sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandmother, grandfather, grandchild and in-laws of the same relation stated above.
Owner: The person shown as the owner by the records of TWHBEA or the other appropriate registry, or a person who has a legal lease on the horse.
Professional Trainer: Any adult who accepts remuneration for the riding, driving, showing and/or training of horses, including yearlings and weanlings, for persons outside the immediate family.
Show employees: Gate attendants, ring clerks, office clerks, farriers, announcers, ringmasters and other persons engaged directly by the show management.
Show officials: Show managers, judges, DQPs, veterinarians and timekeepers
VMO (Veterinary Medical Officer: The APHIS Doctor of Veterinary Medicine responsible for the conduct of the Department's activities under the Horse Protection Act at any horse show, horse exhibition, horse sale or horse auction.
Youth Exhibitor: An individual who on January 1 of the show year has not reached his eighteenth birthday. All youth exhibitors are considered amateur riders and may show in amateur classes unless the class list states otherwise.
C. HORSES AND PONIES
Action: Movement of the feet and legs.
Age of horse: For show purposes, a horse is one year old on January 1 following the foaling date. Exception: Foals born in October, November or December are not considered one year old until the second January 1 following their foaling dates.
Bad image: Includes failure to move freely, stiff movement of the front legs, cramped crawling action in the back leg motion, struggling, stumbling, buckling knees, lack of rhythmic timing, excessive tail swishing, uneven action, pointing or favoring a particular leg.
Barefoot: Unshod.
Blemish: An abnormality that does not affect the serviceability of the horse, including such things as rope burns, wire cuts, etc.
Condition: The state of health as evidenced by the coat, amount of flesh, muscle tone and general appearance.
Conformation: Body shape or form.
Height of Horse: A horse’s height is measured in hands, with one hand being four inches, from the withers to the ground. The measurement includes the shoe and pad or pads.
Junior Horse: A horse under 5 years of age.
Pony: A horse 14.2 hands or under. Measurement includes shoe but not pads.
Sore: Term that when used to describe a horse means: (1) an irritating or blistering agent has been applied, internally or externally by a person to any limb of a horse, (2) any burn, cut, or laceration has been inflicted by a person on any limb of a horse, (3) any tack, nail, screw, or chemical agent has been injected by a person into or used by a person on any limb of a horse, or (4) any other substance or device has been used by a person on any limb of a horse or a person has engaged in a practice involving a horse, and, as a result of such application, infliction, injection, use, or practice, such horse suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer, physical pain or distress, inflammation, or lameness when walking, trotting, or otherwise moving. Such term does not include an application, infliction, injection, use, or practice in connection with the therapeutic treatment of a horse by or under the supervision of a person licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the State in which such treatment was given.
Unsoundness: Abnormalities that affect the serviceability of the horse.
D. TERMS
“A” Show: A schooling show or fun day show, in which tack and attire rules may be somewhat relaxed.
“AA” Show: A regular horse show, whether one day or multi day.
Affiliated show or sale: A show or sale affiliated with any recognized organization that licenses DQP’s or maintains a rulebook.
APHIS: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Services, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) An
APHIS representative
means any employee of APHIS, or any officer or employee of any State agency who
is authorized by the Administrator to perform inspections or any other functions
authorized by the Act, including the inspection of the records of any horse
show, horse exhibition, horse sale or horse auction.
Competitor: The horse and rider combination entered in a class.
Disqualification: Exclusion of an exhibitor or horse, for cause, from participation in a given class, division or competition. If the competitor is disqualified following the completion of a class, any award received must be forfeited.
Elimination: The entry may complete the class but shall not be placed. For instance, use of prohibited equipment results in automatic elimination.
Excused: A judge gives permission to, or requests that a competitor leave the class. Excused entries may not receive an award in that class.
Exhibitor: Rider, driver or handler of a horse in competition or exhibition.
Fall: A rider has fallen when he is separated from his horse that has not fallen, in such a way as to necessitate remounting. A horse has fallen when the shoulder and haunch on the same side have touched the ground or an obstacle and the ground.
Horse Protection Act (HPA): The federal Horse Protection Act of 1970, as amended by the Horse Protection Act Amendments of 1976, 15 U.S.C. § 1821 et seq.
Keg Shoe: Unaltered factory made shoes of the sort normally referred to as a keg shoe, without turned-back caulks, only poured caulks on the originally manufactured shoe.
Penalize: The judge will lower placement of the horse consistent with the severity of the condition or action present.
Shown and Judged: An animal that has performed all required gaits both ways of the ring and remained in the ring until excused by the judge.