ABRA RULE BOOK - YEAR 2003
ARTICLE VIII
GENERAL CONTEST RULES
1. All spectators,
participants, members and all other persons taking in any event connected with
the ABRA should understand the Association’s involvement with any
competition or event is merely organizational.
ABRA is not responsible for any animals, competitor’s equipment,
portions of the arena and/or any portion of the event site. As with any competition, certain rules and
regulations must be enforced in order to preserve the organization of the event
so all participants, spectators and other persons can enjoy the event as is the
intent of all of us.
2. Contest rules will be
adopted by the Board of Directors and set forth in a document entitled “ABRA
RULE BOOK”.
3. The “ABRA RULE BOOK”
will be distributed to the general membership at the time membership is
obtained.
4. Rules may be changed from
time to time by majority vote of the Board of Directors.
5. All members, participants,
contestants and other persons taking part in the event do so at their own risk
and should understand they are responsible for the care, inspection, custody
and control of the animal, the equipment and all other aspects of the event,
including the area where the event will take place. Any inspections and/or checks for dangerous
conditions should be made by the participant prior to participation in the
event.
6. No member, participant,
contestant or other person should enter the arena for any purpose, including
participating in an event, if they have ingested any drugs or alcohol within a
period of twelve (12) hours prior to their participation in the event.
7. No member, participant,
contestant or other person shall bring food, drink, equipment, or other
tangible objects into the arena unless it is directly connected with the
competition itself. No equipment or
objects, which are not being used for the competition, should be left in the
arena for any reason.
8. The ABRA is not in
any way responsible for any of the facilities used either by participants
and/or spectators. Any complaints or observations
regarding the arena should be addressed with the arena personnel as soon as
possible.
9.
The decisions of the Arena Director or his/her designee are final. ABRA will not tolerate any verbal
disputes at the announcer’s desk during the show. If there is a question concerning a ruling, a
written grievance may be submitted to: ABRA,
2413 Segura Road, New Iberia, LA 70560.
10. Members, non-members,
participants or persons representing said individuals (parents, spouse,
sibling, etc) are expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike fashion at
all times while participating in an ABRA sponsored event. Failure to do so may result in
disqualification, loss of points, a monetary fine, or dismissal from the
Association. ABRA’s Board of
Directors will make that decision by a majority vote and will inform the
individual of the final decision in writing.
11. Excessive whipping or other
cruelty toward the horse will not be tolerated.
12. Memberships available for
the 2003 season are: a) Individual - $40.00 and b) Family $55.00. “Family” is defined as a mother/father and
their children, age seventeen and under.
Age eighteen (18) or older must have their own membership.
13. When ABRA sponsors a
barrel race sanctioned by another organization (such as NBHA) the rules of the
sanctioning organization will be followed.
In the event something occurs for which the other organization has no
specific rule, ABRA rules will prevail.
14. Boots must be worn by all riders. No other
kind of foot covering will be allowed. HEELS-DOWN SNEAKERS” OR ANY OTHER RIDING
SNEAKERS ARE NOT ALLOWED. ABRA has no set dress code, however,
it is requested each participant dress neatly and appropriately for the event.
15. Electric timers will be used
at all shows. In case of total electrical failure, the entire class will re-run
and stopwatches will be used.
16. In case of a timer malfunction, the rider has
the option to re-ride immediately or at the end of the class. Penalties
incurred during the first run will
not be carried over to the
re-ride.
17. In the event stop watches
are used, the following protocol will ensue:
a. The Arena Director or his
designee will utilize one (1) stopwatch while seated at the clock.
b. The flagman must be a Board
member or spouse of a Board member. The
flagman will stand at the starting line and will flag when the horse’s nose
crosses the line at the beginning and end of the contestant’s run.
18. The alley gate at the CROWLEY ARENA will be closed during
each run. Riders have the option to run
through the left or right gate. At the NEW IBERIA ARENA, the rider will have the option of leaving the gate
open or closed during their run. IT WILL BE THE CONTESTANT’S RESPONSIBLITY
TO HAVE SOMEONE IN THE ALLEYWAY IF THEY WISH TO RUN WITH A CLOSED GATE.
19. The alleyways will remain
clear at all times.
20. A rider is responsible for
his/her own riding equipment. There will
be no re-rides because of equipment failure.
21. A rider does not have to be
the owner of the horse to ride in any class.
22. IN THE EVENT A RIDER CHANGES
HORSES IN A CLASS IN WHICH POINTS ARE KEPT ON RIDER/HORSE COMBINATION, IT WILL
BE THE RIDERS RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY EITHER THE PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT
OF THE CHANGE. A rider cannot transfer points
from one horse to another with the exception of changing horses in the Open or
Youth classes due to the fact the points are kept on the rider only and not on
the horse. Riders attempting to
illegally retain points will forfeit all points. A rider may ride more than one horse in a
class and will receive points on each horse with the exception of the Open, Youth,
Cowboy Barrels and 40 & Over classes (see rule #38).
23. Any rider, who is found to
be illegally entering a horse or riding a horse in a class in which the horse
does not qualify, will be fined fifty dollars ($50.00). The rider will lose all points in ALL CLASSES up through the date of discovery and will not
be allowed to ride any ABRA jackpot shows until the fine has been paid
in full.
**An
inquiry can be submitted to any Board Member or mailed to the President, ABRA, 2413 Segura Road, New Iberia, LA 70560, notifying the Board of a
rider/horse illegally entered. Inquiries
will be kept anonymous.
24. In the event a rider’s horse
should die during the year, points may be transferred to another horse that
qualifies for the same class. A written
statement from a veterinarian must accompany this request and the rider should
notify the President or Vice President of ABRA before the next point
show.
25. Points are kept on the
horse/rider team in the Novice Horse Classes.
Points are kept on the rider in Open, Youth, Cowboy Barrels and 40 &
Over classes (see rule #38). Points are
kept on members only. Contestants begin
accumulating points after an ABRA membership has been purchased.
26. A point system will be
utilized to determine year-end standings.
One (1) point will be awarded for each entry in the class. Example:
20 entries in a class - 1st
place = 20 points, 2nd place = 19 points and so on, with 20th
place receiving 1 point. Exception: 8 & Under Lead in – see rule #37. Current point standings will be available at
each show.
27. On Sunday shows,
the books will close promptly at 11:00 A.M. – Saturday shows,
the books will close promptly at 4:00 P.M. There will be no money refunded after the
books close. A rider may scratch a horse
after the books are closed by reporting to the announcer’s stand.
LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED - Late entries will be accepted until the class
being entered begins. The class begins
when the first horse in the class enters the arena. Late entries will be placed at the bottom of
the draw in the order they’re received.
28. Running positions for each
class will be drawn prior to the beginning of each show (just after the books
close). Riders shall not request any
special position for any reason. Riders
will be called according to the draw. The arena announcer will announce the running
order of each class prior to the running of the class.
It is
the responsibility of riders to check the running orders and promptly notify a
board member of any errors. **Please do not
disturb the timer or announcer for this information**
If a rider
has two horses entered in the same class, he/she must indicate which horse will
be ridden first. If no specification is
made, horses will be placed in the order as they appear on the entry form.
29. There will be $5.00 added to
the entry fees of any non-member rider.
Non-members, who only want to exhibition, do not have to pay the $5.00
non-member fee, but will be charged a $5.00 one-time pen fee.
30. There will be a pen fee of
$5.00 per rider, not per horse.
31. The barrel pattern will be a
minimum of fifteen feet (15’) from the fence.
Distances between the barrels will be according to the arena size. During the pre-show exhibitions and Eight
& Under Lead In, the barrels will be placed off the pattern used for the
show. Contestants MAY touch or
hold a barrel upright to keep the barrel from falling over.
32. There will be a “no time”
issued to any horse and rider who breaks the regulation barrel pattern.
Breaking the regulation barrel pattern consists of, but is not limited to,
going around the wrong side of the barrel, going around the wrong barrel and
circling the barrel more than once.
Breaking the time line before the pattern is complete will also result
in a “no time”.
33. The pole pattern will be
according to AQHA rules. Contestants ARE
allowed to hold the poles upright and/or keep them from falling over.
34. There will be a “no time”
issued to any horse and rider who breaks the regulation pole pattern. Breaking of the pole pattern consists of, but
is not limited to, going on the wrong side of the pole, around the wrong pole,
circling a pole more than once, or breaking the time line before the pattern is
complete.
35. There will be a five (5)
second penalty for any barrel or pole knocked over. This includes barrels and poles that are
turned completely, touching the ground and coming back upright.
36. With the exception of the 8
& Under Barrel Class, payoffs for all classes will be as follows:
1-4
Riders Pays one place: 100%
5-8
Riders Pays two places: 1st 60%, 2nd
40%
9-12
Riders Pays three places: 1st 50%, 2nd
30%, 3rd 20%
13-16
Riders Pays four places: 1st 40%, 2nd
30%, 3rd 20%, 4th 10%
17-20
Riders Pays five places: 1st 30%, 2nd
25%, 3rd 20%, 4th 15%, 5th
10%
21+
Pays six places 1st 28%, 2nd
22%, 3rd 18%, 4th 14%, 5th
10%, 6th 8%
37. Classes for the year 2003
season will be as follows:
PRE-SHOW EXHIBITION BARRELS: Open to all riders. No excessive training or working of the
pattern will be allowed. Riders shall
limit the length of their exhibition to one (1) minute. A rider who exceeds the one-minute time limit
will be fined $5.00 for each occurrence.
8 & UNDER YOUTH BARRELS: Rider must be 8 years of age
or younger as of January 1st of the current year. Points are kept on RIDER ONLY. Even though this is one class, there are two
categories:
a) RIDE ALONE - riders will accumulate
points based on the total number of riders in the 8 & under barrels.
b) LEAD LINE - riders will get one (1)
point per show regardless of their time.
When a rider feels he/she wants to ride alone, the child can ride alone
and their points will follow them.
OPEN BARRELS: Available to all riders and any
horse. Points will be kept on the rider
in the class. A member may choose to
ride more than one horse, but they must designate the horse they wish to
receive points on at the time of entry.
If the person making out the entry does not designate a horse at the
time of entry, the points will be awarded to the first horse competed on.
40 YEARS AND OVER: Riders must be forty (40) years or older as
of January 1st of the current year to be eligible. Points are kept on rider only. A rider may choose to ride more than one
horse, but the rider must designate the horse they wish to receive points on at
the time of entry. If a horse is not
designated at the time of entry, the points will be awarded to the first horse
competed on.
$1000 NOVICE BARREL HORSE - A horse qualifies for this class if it has won less
than $1000 in any barrel racing competition in its lifetime as of January 1st
of the current year. Awards such as
ribbons, tack, feed, trophies, etc. are not included. However, if ten (10) points or more (ROM)
have been earned in any registered breed association, the horse is not eligible
for this class.
18 & UNDER YOUTH BARRELS: Rider must be 18 years of
age or younger as of January 1st of the current year. Points are kept on RIDER ONLY.
$500.00 NOVICE HORSE BARRELS: A horse qualifies for this class if it has
won less than $500.00 in any barrel competition in its lifetime before January
1st of the current year.
Awards such as ribbons, tack, feed, trophies, etc. are not included;
however, if ten (10) points or more (ROM) have been earned in any registered
breed association, a horse is not eligible for this class.
13 & UNDER YOUTH BARRELS: Rider must be 13 years of
age or younger as of January 1st of the current year. Points are kept on RIDER ONLY.
$100.00 NOVICE HORSE BARRELS: A horse qualifies for this class if it
has won less than $100.00 in any barrel racing competition in its lifetime as
of January 1st of the current year.
Awards such as ribbons, tack feed, trophies, etc. ARE NOT included;
however, if ten (10) points or more (ROM) have been earned in any registered
breed association, the horse is not eligible for this class.
COWBOY BARRELS CLASS – Open to all male riders – any age – Points
kept on rider only.
JR. GREEN HORSE: A horse qualifies for this class if it
has not competed in any barrel racing competition in its lifetime as of December
1st of the prior year. The
horse must be five (5) years or younger to be eligible. Exhibition is not considered
competition. This rule is consistent
with futurity eligibility.
EXHIBITION BARRELS: Open to all riders. No excessive training or working of the
pattern will be allowed. A $5.00 fine
will be imposed to anyone exceeding a one (1) minute time limit (for each
occurrence).
OPEN POLES:
Available to any horse and rider.
Points will be kept on RIDER only.
If a member chooses to ride more than one horse, the member must
designate which horse he/she wishes to receive points on at the time of
entry. If a horse is not designated at
the time of entry on the entry blank by the person making out the entry, the
points will be awarded to the first horse competed on.
13
& UNDER YOUTH POLES: Rider must be 13 years of age or younger
as of January 1st of the current year. Points are kept on RIDER ONLY.
EXHIBITION POLES: Open to all riders. No excessive training or working of the
pattern will be allowed.
**HORSE INFORMATION SHEETS MUST BE FILLED OUT FOR
EACH HORSE COMPETING IN ANY NOVICE CLASS AND JR. GREEN HORSE CLASS.**
38. Finals will be held at the
end of the year. All 8 & Under
Barrel Racers, who have participated in eight (8) of the twelve (12) point
shows and met their sponsorship and merit requirements, will be eligible for
the finals. The maximum number of riders
in each class to advance to the finals will be fifteen (15), unless there is a
tie between 15th and 16th place, then both will go to the
finals. A MEMBER MUST PARTICIPATE IN AT LEAST 65 % (8) OF THE TWELVE SCHEDULED
SHOWS FOR YEAR 2003. PARTICIPATION IS
DEFINED AS CROSSING THE CLOCK AS A HORSE/RIDER TEAM. Finals are for members only. You must participate in the finals to be
eligible for year-end awards. (Two-day
finals will require participation in both shows). Finalist must meet one (1) of the following
minimum sponsorship requirements:
A. Sell
fifty (50) raffle tickets
B. Submit three (3) - $10.00
good luck ads for the finals program, or
C. One (1) $25.00 ad for the
finals program.
- Year-end awards will be determined after the eighth (8th)
point show and will be based on the participation in each class and the
funds available. Barrel and pole
classes must average eleven (11) or more entries per show to earn a
year-end Champion Saddle.
- FINALS - If a tie should occur
for 1st and 2nd place, a run-off will ensue. In the event a tie occurs for any other
position, 2nd place or beyond, the tie will be broken by a coin
toss. Both riders must
consent. Should a rider forfeit,
he/she will move to the next position.
- FINALS - In the event a rider
receives a “No Time” during a run at the finals, he/she will not receive
points for that go-round, but will be placed and allotted points in the
average.
- Horse and rider teams, who have competed in the Novice classes and
won ABRA saddles, are required to move up to the next eligible
class the following year for ABRA Point Shows ONLY.
- CONSOLATION BARREL CLASS- Members who have participated in at least ten
(10) point shows, and have not placed in the top fifteen of any class,
will be eligible to participate in the ABRA Finals if a minimum $100 in
sponsorships or raffle tickets (or a combination of the two) are turned
in. Merit requirements must also be
met.
- MERIT QUALIFICATIONS: EACH
FINALIST must earn FIVE (5) merits in order to qualify for finals. Merits can be earned by helping to pick
up barrels, working the entry gate or picking up poles. Contestants will be awarded a merit for
each class they assist in. IT WILL
BE THE CONTESTANTS RESPONSIBILITY TO SIGN THE WORKSHEET FROM WHICH THE
MERITS WILL BE TALLIED – PLEASE SIGN THE NAME OF THE RIDER Contestants who do not wish to earn
their merits by working can buy them for $25.00, which will be
added to the funds used to purchase year-end awards. Volunteers who contribute more than
the required amount of time will be eligible for special recognition at
our finals.
2003
Board of Directors
PRESIDENT – Michelle LeLeux - 337-367-3423
e mail: ABRAPresident@YAHOO.COM
VICE-PRESIDENT – Lisa Champange – 337-394-5450
e mail: lchampagne@ebesco.com
TREASURER – Michelle Begnaud – 337-989-4360 e mail: thebegnos@yahoo.com
SECRETARY – Glenda Leblanc – 337-856-1272 e-mail:
gleb1957@bellsouth.net
SPONSORSHIP DIRECTOR/BAYOU CLASSIC REP - Susan Delcambre –
337-394-5450 – email: sdcantrn@yahoo.com
RAFFLE REP – Lisa Champagne – 337-394-1222 email:
lchamp@aisp.net
ARENA DIRECTOR -
Charlie Haddad – 337-896-7609 email saddlesoar1969@yahoo.com
MERIT REP - Glenda
Leblanc, Secretary
BACKUP POINT KEEPER – Donna Savoie –
337-896-3288 email: vturnnburn@aol.com
SIGN UP DESK REP – Julie Haddad 337-896-7609
email: saddlesoar1969@yahoo.com
PUBLICITY CHAIRMAN - Jamie Ligon
337-668-4351 email: mailtojme@aol.com
ANNOUNCER/TIMEKEEPER - Barbara Trahan –
337-893-7647 email: btrrider@aol.com
Alice Faul – 337-924-0025
email: amfaul924@cs.com
