If you could change one rule at horse shows, what would you change and why? We posed this question to several top trainers and exhibitors in the industry. We received various answers involving the lease program, walk-trot eligibility, drug rules, and excessive white in halter.
Many of the current regulations have been vigorously debated over the years. Some have been changed, while others have remained the same. With a new horse show season already underway, we wanted to revisit this topic to see if any issues or rules should be addressed to improve the horse industry. Some of these topics will be discussed at the upcoming AQHA and APHA Conventions. If you have an opinion, please speak up and express your concerns.
Do you have any rules you’d like to see changed? Let us know on our social media.
Brent Maxwell – I would change the medication rules to allow for proper administration so they could be effective during the show period. I say this because of the length of show days and am only referring to medications such as bute, banamine, equioxx, etc., that prevent mild pain and muscle soreness from the extra work.
Brad Jewett – You can only lease a horse once in your life (maybe more). The idea behind my rule change is that fake leases are ruining up-and-coming horse show exhibitors. We need to let leases go wild or better police ownership/leases.
Jamie Hartman – I show two-year-olds, but I wish that weren’t an option.
Ashley Dunbar-Clock – I think I would propose a change on the eligibility of Green Trail…these days, we have so many three-year-old futurities for the Trail, and I believe that some of us wait and show our three-year-old a couple of times just in the futurities. Then they are greened out if you win enough money for their four-year-old year, but that’s a huge step to make as a junior horse. If you just showed three-year-old futurities, which is not a lot, your three-year-old should still be green-eligible going into their four-year-old year.
Kelly McDowall – I wish two and three-year-olds could be shown in a bridle, snaffle, or hackamore. They should be allowed to show one or two hands in a bridle if that’s the chosen headwear. Why? Because sometimes riding in a snaffle or hackamore is much more traumatic to the young horse than riding in a bridle. People with different skills and horses with varying pressure points should all be allowed to choose the easiest path for their horse.
Patty Bogosh – Perhaps I’m overthinking this, but I would love for the All-Around qualification not to require halter. I love that we have the performance halter classes, but I want to change and go ride once I am done showing showmanship. I’m all about efficiency, and I hate waiting around to show halter.
Chelsea Carlson – The one thing that comes to mind is showing horses two and under in the showmanship classes. The length and level of patterns most breed shows offer these days and how many times each individual runs each pattern is too much. I don’t start mine in the showmanship until they are three. I may teach them to set up, give pressure, and trot with you. My issue is teaching them all the elements to put a pattern together. I think our show horses usually (hopefully) have such long show careers and limited time to grow up and be a horse. Half the time, I see a yearling in a showmanship class, and they look sour. When you’re showing at a higher level, you’re pushing each element to be as snappy (while staying soft) as possible, and I think that’s a lot to ask or expect something immature-minded like a yearling or two-year-old to do.
Kathy Tobin—They finally changed it, allowing Amateurs and Selects to show the same horse at the same show in their respective classes.
Julian Harris – Novices in their FIRST YEAR of showing should be given two years of novice eligibility regardless of how many points they’ve earned to continue to show and get the experience they need to be more competitive riders in their respective division classes.
Vanessa Froman – I would allow exhibitors to show more than one horse in the showmanship. They allow it in longe line and trail. I’ve been told it’s because they could call you all back in on the lineup, which they never do anymore. So, change the rules to allow you to show more than one showmanship horse in the same class.
Jimmy Daurio – I would change the rule not to allow excessive white horses to show in the halter. We let them into our registry, and they should be allowed to compete in any halter class.
Leonard Berryhill – Having been a student of the rulebook for the past 28 years as an AQHA judge and committee member, I believe the rules have been written with the owner, exhibitor, and equine athlete in mind. Of course, there are contradictory rules and grey areas, and there will always need to be improvements and corrections made, but as a whole, when adhered to, our rulebook pretty much covers anything we have problems with. I cannot think of any rules that need changing, again, maybe tweaking, but if I were to change something, it would be for a more strict adherence to the rules as written.
Elizabeth “Spike” Brewer – I fully support the APHA Amateur Walk-Trot program. Still, I wish it had remained as written initially for true novices, medically challenged exhibitors, and our older exhibitors rather than being open to any Amateur cardholder. A Quarter Horse Congress Champion could legally compete in the APHA Walk-Trot the following year, which affects fairness. AQHA’s Amateur Walk-Trot program structure better promotes growth by encouraging progression while preventing skilled riders from staying indefinitely. APHA should align more closely with AQHA’s approach while allowing the exemptions mentioned earlier. This would balance competitive fairness with accessibility for those needing the division.
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Do you have a rule you’d like to change? Let us know on our social media.
