Rule Book

With the new show year comes a revised and updated 2023 NRCHA Rule Book. Printed rule books are in the works, but we have the 2023 NRCHA Rule Book linked online for your review of the changes to the eligibility, class names and new divisions.

Name and Criteria for Level 1 Non Pro Bridle (formerly Limited Non Pro Bridle)
3.5.5 Level 1 Non Pro Bridle – Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and has not earned more than $15,000 in Open and Non Pro monies at NRCHA events. There is no fall back to the Level 1 Non Pro Bridle.

Clarification to World Show Equipment Rules
4.16 Non Pro Boxing, Youth Boxing, and Youth Cow Horse riders may show a 6-year-old in a snaffle or hackamore as they qualified during their 5-year-old year.

SHTX World Show Invitations
4.9.3 The top 10 SHTX world show finalists in Youth, Limited, Non Pro and Open SHTX divisions will be invited to compete at the NRCHA World Show in the corresponding NRCHA classes for which they qualified.

National Standings Calculations
4.11 Regional and national standings and winners will be named at the end of the regular season, before the NRCHA World Championship Show.
4.12 NRCHA World Championship Show Finals will result in World Champions being named, but will not earn points and will not count toward National (year-end) Championship points.

Boxing Merit Awards
8.1.4 Non Pro Boxing Achievement Certificate – the NRCHA wishes to recognize those horses that excel in the Boxing classes.
8.1.4.1 The horse must have earned a total of $7,500 in Horse Show Category 1 Boxing classes including Select, Youth Boxing and Youth Boxing 13 and Under.

The Non Pro Boxing Achievement Award is now known as the Superior Non Pro Boxing Achievement Award.
8.1.5 Superior Non Pro Boxing Achievement Award – the NRCHA wishes to recognize those horses that excel in the Boxing classes.
8.1.5.1 The horse must have earned a total of $15,000.
8.1.5.2 The horse must have been shown in approved Limited Age Events and earned at least $1,000 in these events in either a fence class or a Limited Boxing class.
8.1.5.3 The horse must win a total of $10,000 in Horse Show Category 1 Boxing classes including Select, Youth Boxing and Youth Boxing 13 and Under.
8.1.5.4 After considering the totals earned from Limited Age Events and the Boxing classes, with the limitations previously stated, the remaining money may be earned in any NRCHA Category 1 class.

Cowboy Class
11.1.3 Cowboy Class
11.1.3.1 The Cowboy Class includes reined work, cow work, and modified steer stopping.
11.1.3.2 Open to cowboys who have earned less than $15,000 in Open and Non Pro money at NRCHA events other than the Cowboy Class, and are currently employed by ranching or livestock operations.
11.1.3.3 Horses will be shown in the same age appropriate NRCHA legal equipment throughout all phases. No tie-downs will be permitted.
11.1.3.4 Scoring of the reined and cow portions of this contest will be in accordance with NRCHA rules. It will be at Show Management’s discretion if the reined and cow work are run back to back or separately.
11.1.3.5 The modified steer stopping will be run separately from the reined and cow work and will utilize the Steer Stopping Judge Card. Modified steer stopping will be run as a walk-out roping and will not utilize a chute or barrier.
11.1.3.6 Equipment will be checked after each go-round. A score of zero will be given for bloody mouth on the horse.
11.1.3.7 NRCHA rules and regulations will apply in all other instances.
11.1.3.8 NRCHA Payout may be used as a guide but is not mandatory. Payouts must paid on the composite, and go-round monies may also be paid.

AAAA Judges
16.2.8.1 “AAAA” Judge: AAAA Judge is the highest rating and is eligible to judge any Major Event. A 4A judge must be an active, experienced, knowledgeable NRCHA Judge. They must judge by the rules and use their score sheets correctly. (This helps the exhibitors understand their scores).

Eligibility for a 4A rating can be achieved by the following criteria:

1. Must have been a 3A Judge that has judged at least 3 Major Events where the NRCHA Director of Judges served at the Judges monitor.
2. Must have judged in a 5 Judge system where the NRCHA Director of Judges served as a Judges monitor.
3. Must be well informed, have practical knowledge, be a co-operative and willing teammate.

The Director of Judges and the Chairman of the Judges committee will recommend to the Judges committee that a Judge be elevated to 4A when all criteria has been met. The Judges committee shall then recommend to the Board the judge’s designation.

Steer Stopping Rules
19.5.1 The use of a rope barrier or an electronic eye will be at the discretion of show management.
19.5.2 The roper on the horse being judged may throw a total of 2 loops within a 60 second time limit.
19.5.14 Once the steer has been released from the chute, should the judges deem it unusable, they have the option of blowing the whistle 2 times to signal for a new steer. This may be done at any time during the run, even after the rider has thrown a loop. If the exhibitor intends to accept the new cow, he or she must pull up immediately.

NON PRO BOXING LAE ELIGIBILITY:

• NON PRO BOXING (Formerly NON PRO LIMITED): Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is an approved Non Pro Boxing rider.
• LEVEL 1 NON PRO BOXING (New Division): Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is an approved Non Pro Boxing rider with less than $1,000 in lifetime earnings.
• SELECT CLASSES (New Division): Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is 55 or older as of November 16th, 2021. A select class may be run concurrent with Non Pro Boxing LAE classes. They cannot be run as standalone classes, will not count toward National Standings and will be offered as jackpot only.

NON PRO HORSE SHOW ELIGIBILITY:

• NON PRO BRIDLE: Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card.
• INTERMEDIATE NON PRO BRIDLE: Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is not in the top 25 Non Pro rider listing based on the previous three years of Lifetime Earnings.
• LEVEL 1 NON PRO BRIDLE (Formerly NOVICE NON PRO BRIDLE): Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is not in the top 60 Non Pro rider listing based on the previous three years of Lifetime Earnings. Riders with over $100,000 in lifetime earnings are not eligible to fall back to the Limited Non Pro regardless of their ranking on the top Non Pro rider list.

NON PRO BOXING HORSE SHOW ELIGIBILITY (Formerly NON PRO LIMITED HORSE SHOW):

• NON PRO BOXING (Formerly NON PRO LIMITED): Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is an approved Non Pro Boxing rider. Riders cannot have earned more than $750 in fence work classes, or must have exercised a fallback option afforded to them in Rules 3.8.1.1 or 3.8.1.2.
• INTERMEDIATE NON PRO BOXING (Formerly $5K NON PRO LIMITED): Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is an approved Non Pro Boxing rider who has not earned more than $5,000 in Lifetime Earnings.
• LIMITED NON PRO BOXING (Formerly $1K NON PRO LIMITED): Open to any rider who possesses a current Non Pro card and is an approved Non Pro Boxing rider who has not earned more than $1,000 in Lifetime Earnings.

OPEN LAE ELIGIBILITY:

• OPEN: Open to any rider who possesses a current NRCHA membership card.
• INTERMEDIATE OPEN: Open to any rider who is not in the Top 30 Open rider listing based on Open money won in the past three years at any NRCHA approved events.
• LIMITED OPEN: Open to any rider who is not in the Top 120 Open rider listing based on Open money won in the past three years at any NRCHA approved events AND who has not earned over $350,000 in Open and Non Pro money at any NRCHA approved events.
• LEVEL 1 OPEN (Formerly LEVEL 1 LIMITED OPEN): Open to any rider who has not earned over $20,000 in Open and Non Pro money at any NRCHA approved events.

The Judge Cards posted online and in the Rule Book reflect the division changes.