Rule change resolutions submitted by APHA members and committees will be considered by their respective advisory committees at the 2023 APHA Convention; the committees will determine which proposals will pass out of committee for voting by the association’s elected State Directors.
The Breed Integrity (RG), Show & Contest (SC), Amateur (AM), Judges (JC) and Youth (YP) committees will meet live in Fort Worth, Texas, at the 2023 APHA Convention February 24-26 to discuss/vote on the rule change proposals. State directors will also need to be present at the 2023 APHA Convention in order to vote on rule change proposals. Details about Convention, including links to hotel room blocks and registration details, can be found at apha.com/events/convention.
Below is a summary of rule change resolutions; full text can be read at apha.com/rule-books—click on “Rule Change Proposals.”
Rule Change Resolutions to be considered for voting at 2023 APHA Convention
CONTROL NUMBER: RG-050 – Simplifies and removes duplication of information in the existing RG-050 rule for enhanced readability and comprehension.
CONTROL NUMBER: RG-070 – Allows horses with multiple Paint pattern genes and at least 1 Paint trait to be classified as Regular Registry horses.
CONTROL NUMBER: RG-110 –Simplifies and clarifies verbiage in the existing RG-110 rule for enhanced readability and comprehension.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-045– Removes the restriction that a judge may only be used twice when tabulating an exhibitor’s Top 20 award.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-090 – Establishes the same submission deadlines for show approval applications for all show producers regardless of state/province/country and entry deadline.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-105-1 – Allows an individual to hold a maximum of one POR per calendar year.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-105-2 – Expands the classes that can be judged simultaneously or in a split arena format for back-to-back shows.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-125 – Allows show producers to submit score sheets to APHA electronically.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-160-1 – Clarifies that scoresheets should be posted after each class for exhibitors to view to provide education and allow for clerical errors to be caught and fixed during the show.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-205 – Encourages exhibitors to show away from the middle of the arena where the judges stand in hunter under saddle.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-250 – Removes the Off Pattern (OP) rule for Novice and Walk/Trot divisions.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-250-1 – Eliminates “elevated trot-overs” in Walk-Trot Trail classes.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-302-1 – Changes language to be more user-friendly for exhibitors, show management and judges.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-303 – Defines the required gaits for ranch rail pleasure.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-303-1 – Changes language to be more user-friendly for exhibitors, show management and judges.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-304 – Adds Green Ranch classes to the APHA approved-class list.
CONTROL NUMBER: SC-312 – Removes Competitive Trail Horse from the rule book.
CONTROL NUMBER:  AM-010 – Brings APHA in line with other major breed association rules by allowing Amateurs to become independent contractors using their name, image or likeness for remuneration using common performance metrics without losing their Amateur eligibility. This rule change allows for a more inclusive opportunity for all Amateur-level exhibitors.
CONTROL NUMBER: AM-015 – Updates the rule to reflect the current methods APHA employs to process showing eligibility cards.
CONTROL NUMBER: AM-205 – Revises Novice Amateur qualification to reflect not having earned more than 75 points in any division.
CONTROL NUMBER: AM-210 – Novice Amateur exhibitors would not be required to own the horse they are exhibiting at open/regional/zone shows in order for points to be eligible for APHA-sponsored titles and awards. Ownership requirements for APHA-sponsored shows (i.e. World Show) would remain unchanged.
CONTROL NUMBER: AM-300 – Increases the maximum number of allowed obstacles in the Walk-Trot Trail classes from eight to 10 to match the regular trail rules.
CONTROL NUMBER: AM-300-1 – Would no longer allow cross-entry between Amateur/Novice Amateur Showmanship and Amateur Walk-Trot Showmanship.
CONTROL NUMBER: AM-300-3 – Amateur Walk-Trot exhibitors would not be required to own the horse they are exhibiting at open/regional/zone shows. Points earned would not be eligible for APHA-sponsored titles and awards. Ownership requirements for APHA-sponsored shows (i.e. World Show) would remain unchanged.
CONTROL NUMBER: JU-000 – Adds Judged Roping to the list of APHA Restricted Judge classes.
CONTROL NUMBER: JU-000-1 – Allows clerical errors to be corrected after the show has concluded but before the results are submitted to APHA.
CONTROL NUMBER: YP-005 – Removes the exception of an exhibitor in Youth Lead Line from having an AjPHA membership.
CONTROL NUMBER: YP-110 – Aligns Youth Walk-Trot 5-10 Showmanship with Amateur Walk-Trot Showmanship, making the class walk only.
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