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Commissioner’s News - June 2023

PROTOCOL POLICIES & PROCEDURES

• Developed by the EEC as a quick study guide/summary of how to handle certain situations that may occur in the show ring.
• https://www.arabianhorses.org/export/content.export/judges-stewards/js-docs/JS_Protocol_Policy_Procedures.pdf
•  If you have any questions or would like to see another situation added to the Protocol document, please contact the J&S Office.

WORKING WITH AN APPRENTICE JUDGE

•  Instructions for working with an apprentice judge can be found under General Judging Resources at this link: https://www.arabianhorses.org/judges-stewards/education/
• The Apprentice Evaluation form is on the “Become A Judge” page of the website: https://www.arabianhorses.org/judges-stewards/judge/
• The apprentice must request and receive permission first from the competition manager and then the judge prior to the apprentice experience.
• If you have any questions about the form or would like to submit an additional addendum, please contact our office.

JUDGES REPORT FORM

• A reminder that the Judges Report Form is available in a fillable format you can complete and email to our office. The forms are important in that they give us a feel of how competitions are being conducted, through the eyes of the judge.
• The form can be located by either using the Forms tile under Quick Links in the side bar. https://www.arabianhorses.org/additional/forms/index.html or with this direct link to the form:
• https://www.arabianhorses.org/export/content.export/judges-stewards/js-docs/Form_JudgesReport.pdf

USEF RULE CHANGES

• A few USEF rule changes were approved in January and went into effect May 1. 
• Sport Horse wording about protective headgear has been added to AR179.2a, AR181.2, and AR183.3b.
• Working Western Appoints has new AR210.2 and AR210.3.
• Walk-Trot 10 & Under has an added statement permitting cantering or loping in Short Stirrup Reining and Cross Rails 10 & under.
• Please be familiar with these new rules PLUS the changes that went into effect December 1, 2022. 

SEMINAR and NATIONAL/REGIONAL INTERVIEWS

The Seminar and N/R interviews will be virtual again this year, with two separate half-day sessions. Both sessions must be attended to receive continuing education credit with USEF and AHA. The first session will be held Thursday afternoon, December 8th, starting at 1:00 p.m. Mountain Time. The second will be Friday morning, December 9^th, starting at 8:00 a.m. Mountain Time.

National/Regional interviews will be conducted December 9^th and 10^th. Application forms for the National/ Regional interviews forms are separate from the Seminar registration.  

The complete schedule is on the website and the applications will be online in early June. Registration deadline is November 6^th for the Seminar and for National/Regional interviews. You can check your USEF records to verify if you are due to attend the Seminar. USEF will list the year due as 2024 if you are due in December 2023 as their competition year begins December 1^st. https://www.arabianhorses.org/judges-stewards/seminar-schools/

STEWARD WORKING GROUP

• The Judges & Stewards Commissioner established a Steward Working Group in November. 
• The Steward Working Group is led by Jean Kraus and includes C2 Stewards and Dressage Technical Delegates and an Equestrian Canada Steward.
• Watch for announcements regarding additional resources for stewards.

SPORT HORSE SPECIALTY CARD

• Convention Delegates approved Draft 2 of Resolution 5-22, establishing the AHA Sport Horse Specialty Card with the effective date of December 31, 2023, or when approved by USEF/EC. 
• The resolution will allow Arabian judges who obtain the AHA Sport Horse Specialty Card to officiate Arabian/Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian Sport Horse classes at non-regional and non-national level competitions.
• The J&S Commissioner appointed a Sport Horse Specialty Working Group, with the chair of the AHA Sport Horse Committee serving as the lead person in the Working Group. Every member of the Working Group has judged sport horse classes at the AHA Sport Horse Nationals. 
• An applicant must be a current USEF or EC Arabian division judge, in good standing with all requirements met, and on the AHA List of Approved Judges. 
• The requirements include documented competition and scribing experience. 
• Once accepted into the Training Program, apprentice work will be required in addition to classroom-style educational sessions and testing.
• Both the requirements for the AHA Sport Horse Specialty Card and the Application to Enroll in the Training Program can be found in the Education portion of the Judges & Stewards section of our AHA website. https://www.arabianhorses.org/judges-stewards/education/

EQUITATION MANUAL UPDATES

• Due to changes in USEF Hunter Seat Equitation rules, a number of the patterns previously published in the Manual are no longer ‘legal’. 
• The revised Hunter Seat Equitation patterns can be found on the AHA website: https://www.arabianhorses.org/judges-stewards/patterns/

ONLINE EDUCATION COMING!

• The J&S Office has invested in the Canvas Learning Management System. Our long term goal is to create modules for our judges, stewards, and apprentices. 
•  Our short term goal is to have a few modules ready to rollout as part of the Exhibitors and Judges School. 

Please feel free to provide input on any of the topics in this newsletter. Also, please let us know what future content you would like to see us provide to you. Thank you!