NRHA Judges

"To rein a horse is not only to guide him, but to control his every movement," from A. General by Jim Willoughby

This is the standard every NRHA Judge uses when sitting in the illustrious chair. NRHA Judges are responsible for upholding the standards of reining within competition by scoring maneuvers in line with the NRHA Handbook. NRHA Judges embody the spirit of the sport of reining through their leadership within the association and the judge’s chair.

 

Judging Privileges

Designation as an NRHA approved judge is a privilege, not a right, bestowed by the NRHA Board of Directors, according to procedures formulated by the Judges Committee. This privilege shall be open to individuals whose equine experience and expertise, as well as personal character, merits the honor. An individual’s conduct as a member, exhibitor, and judge, and his or her ability must be exemplary. An individual’s conduct will be subjected to continuous committee review.

 

Judges Approval & Testing

(a) A prospective judge must attend an NRHA Applicant Seminar and upon passing the testing requirements as set forth by the Judges Committee will be eligible to attend an NRHA Judges School. Upon passing the testing requirements of an NRHA Judges School as set forth by the Judges Committee, those persons will then have their names submitted for consideration for judging privileges as provided for in the NRHA Judges Policy as listed in the Members Only section of nrha.com.

(b) The applicant must be at least twenty-five (25) years of age and must have been an NRHA General, Non Pro, or Professionals members in good standing for 24 months prior to the date of application before he or she can be considered for approval as an NRHA judge.

(c) Approved judges and prospective judges must be current NRHA members.

(d) All approved NRHA judges must submit to re-testing every two (2) years.

(e) The NRHA Judges Committee may, on reasonable notice, require any current judge to submit to a Judges School and re-test. Failure to comply or failure to pass the test will result in the immediate suspension of judging privileges.

 

Restricted Equipment Privileges 

Individuals who are NRHA Judges in good standing, and who have been an NRHA Judge for a minimum of 10 years, may request for the Board of Directors to grant them the privilege of being an NRHA Restricted Equipment Judge. These privileges allow the judge to check equipment only. Restricted Equipment Judges cannot serve as a chair judge for any NRHA class. All approved NRHA Restricted Equipment Judges must submit to a written test every two years. The judge will not be required to attend the Judges School every two years, but will be required to maintain knowledge of all rule or equipment updates. Upon passing the written test, the list of those seeking approval will be submitted to the NRHA Board of Directors for approval.

 

Who is eligible to attend a NRHA Judges School?

(a) Current judges, worldwide and restricted, with expired privileges of five years or less ARE ELIGIBLE.

(b) Judges with worldwide or restricted certification with an expiration of more than five years must apply to the Judges Committee to be reviewed on a case by case basis. The Judges Committee will determine if the individual must attend a seminar and school, or school only, based on review of experience and shows judged.

(c) Restricted judges ARE ELIGIBLE as long as their judging privileges have been expired for less than two years.

 

NRHA Judges School Fees

• New Judges Applicant Fee: $300
• Current Judges Fee: $300
• Lapsed Judges Fee (less than 5 years lapsed): $400
• Late Fee/Cancellation Fee: $50
• Audit Fee: $100 ($50 for any NRHA judge to audit at any NRHA Judges School)

 

NRHA Stewards

NRHA Stewards play an important role within reining events, acting as the liaison between show management/judges and exhibitors. This is an important role to execute communication during events, promote animal welfare, and to ensure guidelines and procedures are being properly followed.

 

Stewarding Privileges

Designation as an NRHA approved Steward is a privilege not a right, bestowed by the NRHA Board of Directors, according to procedures formulated by the NRHA. The privilege

shall be open to individuals whose experience and expertise, as well as personal character, merits the honor. An individual’s conduct as a member, exhibitor and steward and his/her ability must be exemplary. An individual’s conduct will be subjected to continuous review.

 

Stewards Approval & Testing

(a) Applicant must be at least twenty five (25) years of age and must have been an NRHA General member in good standing for at least one calendar year immediately preceding application before he/she can be considered for approval.

(b) Prospective Stewards must attend an NRHA Steward School and upon passing the testing requirements as set forth by NRHA those persons will then have their names submitted to the Board of Directors for consideration for Steward Privileges.

(c) Prospective stewards who have at least one year’s previous stewarding experience with an NRHA Alliance organization, National Federation or FEI, may be exempt from the membership and/or letters of recommendation requirements and will be handled on a case by case basis.

(d) All licensed NRHA Stewards must submit to re-testing every two (2) years.

 

NRHA Steward School Fees

• Recertifying NRHA Show Stewards Fee: $50
• New Stewards Applicant Fee: $150