AQHA Ranch Rule Changes Effective Jan. 1st, 2020

AQHA Publicity

This spring, the AQHA Executive Committee reviewed and approved various ranch-horse-related rule changes and additions that were recommended by the AQHA Ranching Committee and approved by the AQHA Board of Directors at convention in March. All rules are effective January 1, 2020. Read the full standing-committee reports at www.aqha.com/committee-reports.

The highlights of the approved ranching committee recommendations are listed below.

• Create Ranching Heritage Challenge Team Roping rules by adopting SHW520- SHW522.4 & SHW529-SHW534.5 and adopting the American Rope Horse Futurity format using the AQHA judging and scoring system.
• Adopt rule SHW100 Show Approval for all Versatility Ranch Horse shows.
• Amend rule SHW419.2 regarding 3-point penalties in Ranch Riding to include “Break of gait at lope except when correcting an incorrect lead.”
• Amend rule SHW419.5 regarding off-pattern penalties in Ranch Riding to include “Eliminate or add maneuver, incomplete maneuver and repeated blatant disobedience.” The remainder of SHW419.5 to remain the same.
• Amend rule SHW 552 to read: “Four divisions will be offered: open, cowboy/limited open, amateur and youth (18 and under).” ** Amend the first sentence of rule SHW 552.2 to read “Cowboy/limited open, amateur and youth exhibitors would be eligible to show up to three horses in each class.”
• Amend rule SHW 552.3 to read “The cowboy and limited open division is for working ranch cowboys or limited open riders with less than 25 AQHA or American Paint Horse Association (APHA) Open Points in Reining, Cutting or Working Cow Horse within the previous 3 years. For exhibitors with less than $15,000 combined earnings in the following within the previous 3 years: National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA), National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), American Cutting Horse Association (ACHA), Ranch Horse Association of America (RHAA), American Stock Horse Association (ASHA), National Ranch & Stock Horse Alliance (NRSHA), or Stock Horse of Texas (SHTX) earnings. **
• Amend rule SHW552 regarding Divisions by adding Junior and Senior Open Versatility Ranch Horse classes. **
• Amend rule SHW560.3 VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE and RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE Ranch Riding 3-point penalties to include “break of gait at lope except when correcting an incorrect lead.”
• Amend rule SHW560.3 VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE and RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE Ranch Riding to include “eliminate or add maneuver, incomplete maneuver, repeated blatant disobedience.” The remainder of SHW560.3 to remain the same.
• Amend rule SHW561.10 regarding VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE Ranch Trail 3-point penalties to include “break of gait at lope except when correcting an incorrect lead.”
• Amend rule SHW561.10 regarding Versatility Ranch Horse Ranch Trail Off Pattern penalties by removing “breaking pattern” from the list and adding “incomplete maneuver” and, “eliminate or add maneuver” to the list.
• Amend rule SHW563.2 VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE and RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE Ranch Cow Work off-pattern penalties to include “Complete loss of rope in open/cowboy.”
• Amend rule SHW563.2 VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE and RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE Ranch Cow Work by adding “illegal catch” to the list of 5-point penalties for the open as well as to the list of 2-point penalties for amateur and youth.
• Amend rule SHW564 VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE and RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE Limited Ranch Cow Work Amateur/Youth such that the second, third and fourth sentences will read: “Limited ranch cow work exhibitors are allotted one minute and forty-five seconds to complete the work. When there are fifty seconds left, the announcer will announce, fifty seconds remaining. At one minute and forty-five seconds, the announcer will call for time.”
• Amend rule SHW565.2 VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE Ranch Cutting by adding the following as the second sentence: “The announcer/time keeper will give a warning when one minute of the two-minute working time has expired.”
• Amend rule SHW565.8 VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE Ranch Cutting to add “repeated blatant disobedience” to the list of off-pattern penalties.

View more on AQHA’s rules and regulations. 

Read additional highlights of approved agenda items from the 2019 standing-committee reports.

**Denotes pending computer programming.

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHAnews on Twitter and visit www.aqha.com/news.