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AMERICAN RABBIT HOUND ASSOCIATION
A Tennessee
Corporation
ARHA HARE
HOUND RULES, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES
Revised 2002
The ARHA Board of
Directors has established all rules, policies and procedures
listed in this document.
Policy Statement:
The Board of Directors of the American Rabbit Hound
Association has developed the following policy statement.
"It is our desire
that the ARHA can bring a rabbit hound that will be exactly
like the type of dog that you would select to take hunting.
It is our intention, in interpretation of rules and
policies, that all ARHA clubs will conduct competition hunts
in a uniform manner. More importantly, competition events
will remain a family fun event that is free of dissent and
preferential treatment for any person or group."
ARHA Chartered
Clubs
Chartered clubs
are to hold their elections by December of each year.
Form A is to be sent to the ARHA Office by January 1,
listing the types of competition the club will hold,
names of all officers, and addresses' and phone numbers
of these officers.
Each chartered
club must have a liability insurance policy and a copy
of this policy must be sent to the ARHA Office by
January 1 of each year. New clubs, chartered after
January 1, must have 1, 2, and 3 before they hold their
first licensed hunt.
The annual
charter fee is $25.00, and must be sent to the ARHA
Office by January 1. If the club also runs Little Pack
competition, two checks of $12.50 each should be sent;
one to Little Pack and one to Hare Hound division.
If clubs fail to
comply with 1, 2, or 3 the ARHA President will cancel
the clubs' hunts and/or cancel their charters.
With the
exception of the World Hunt, all hunts must be scheduled
on Saturday or Sunday.
Each member club
must hold at least one Hare Hound licensed hunt in a
calendar year.
A club may not
hold more than 8 Hare Hound licensed hunts in a calendar
year. This number includes State and World hunts.
A club may hold
non-licensed hunts for over-size dogs. Results and
pictures will be published in The Rabbit Hunter
magazine.
UNSPORTMANLIKE
CONDUCT: If physical contact is involved the individual
that instigates the first physical contact is
automatically banned for life. Additionally, a person is
allowed to defend himself/herself.
I. Executive Board
A. The Executive Board shall
be made up of 7 members.
1. The President of ARHA, or
his representative, shall be a permanent member of the Board.
2.
2 members are to be elected for 2year terms the
Chairman of the Board and Secretary/treasurer.
3.
In the event that a member of the Executive
Board does not (or cannot) complete his/her term of office, the
President of the ARHA shall appoint a person to serve until the next
meeting of the Board of Directors.
B. Duties of the Executive Board
1.
The Board shall have the authority to approve or
reject all bills submitted to the Secretary/ Treasurer to be paid from
ARHA funds.
The Executive Board shall
request bids from ARHA chartered clubs that wish to host a World hunt or
State hunt. They shall approve the bids of the clubs that they believe
will put on the best hunts and provide for the best participation.
The Executive Board shall give
assistance to the Chairman of the Board when sought by the Chairman.
The ARHA President, with the
approval of the Chairman of the Board, shall appoint ARHA
Representatives for the different areas of the country to help new clubs
get started and to consult with existing clubs as needed. The
Secretary/Treasurer shall pay reasonable expenses for the
representatives in the conduct of their duties if the ARHA President
approves these expenses in writing.
II. Board of Directors
A.
The Board of Directors shall be made up of 1
Representative from each Hare Hound Club, the President of ARHA,
Chairman of the Board, Secretary/Treasurer, elected Executive Board
Members and Chairpersons of any committee appointed by the Chairman
of the Board of Hare Hound. 1 Representative from each Hare Hound
Club shall be allowed to be an active voter at all rule proposal
meetings.
Duties of the Board of
Directors
1. The Board of Directors shall set all rules,
policies and procedures for the ARHA and the conduct of all
competition events licensed by the ARHA.
2. There shall be a Board of Directors meeting
every year. The Chairman of the Board or the ARHA President can call
a special meeting.
3. The President of the ARHA must notify each
member of the Board of Directors at least 10 days in advance of the
meeting.
4. There must be a 2/3-majority vote of the
directors in attendance at the Board of Directors' meeting to change
any rule, policy, or procedure. Club presidents may vote by mail on
the published proposals at the annual meeting under procedures
established by the Chairman of the Board and the ARHA President.
5. At the meetings of the Board of Directors, the
Board shall elect a Chairman of the Board, Watchdog Committee and
elect other committees as it sees appropriate for the conduct of
ARHA business for the upcoming years. People elected shall serve
2-year terms.
6. Changes to the ARHA Rules, Policies, and
Procedures may be made only by vote of the Board of Directors. In
some emergency situations, the Chairman of the Board or the ARHA
President may solicit a vote of the Board of Directors by mail.
C. Duties of the Chairman of
the Board
1. The Chairman of the Board serves as an ex
office member of all ARHA committees.
2. The responsibility of the Chairman of the Board
shall be that of taking the association forward, with the specific
task of creating committees, appointing chairpersons of all
committees, and monitoring each chairperson's effectiveness.
3. The Chairman of the Board shall conduct all
Board of Director meetings. In the absence of the Chairman of the
Board the ARHA President or his designee shall conduct the meeting.
4. The Chairman of the Board shall assist in the
conduct of hunts, assist the Secretary/Treasurer in establishing new
clubs, and assist in the conduct of the Big Four and State
Championship hunts.
5. The expenses incurred by the Chairman of the
Board, while performing his/her duties, shall be paid by the ARHA
when funds become available.
6. The Chairman of the Board shall see that the
Board of Directors meeting is videotaped and a copy is placed in the
ARHA files for future reference.
7. The Chairman of the Board shall represent the
Hare Hound Division on the ARHA President's Cabinet.
D. Duties of
Secretary/Treasurer
1. Shall be elected every 2 years by the Board of
Directors at the scheduled meeting.
2. The Duties shall be:
a. Maintain the financial records for the ARHA
Hare Hound Special Fund. These records are open for audit at all
times and will be audited when directed by the Chairman of the Board
or the ARHA President.
b. Receive and deposit monies from the ARHA
office; charter fees, entry fees (50 cents per hound), and other
money designated for the Hare Hound Special Fund.
c. All funds collected shall be deposited into the
ARHA Hare Hound Special Fund.
d. All of the above are operating funds for the
Hare Hound division and shall be used as follows:
1. Reimburse Chairman of the Board for expenses
incurred in doing his/her duties.
2. Pay other expenses as approved by the Executive
Board.
3. Pay the expenses of the ARHA Representatives
that have been approved by the Chairman of the Board or the ARHA
President.
E. Rules Committee: 3 members
The Board of Directors at the
annual meeting elects this committee. Committee members serve 1year
terms.
The Rules Committee is to
organize the ARHA Hare Hound rules, policies and procedures and present
them in such a way that the average person can understand them.
In presenting the rules,
policies, and procedures, the committee should give examples in
situations where more explanation is necessary to make the meaning
clear.
All recommended rule proposals
are to be sent to the Chairman of the Rules Committee no later than June
1 of the year the scheduled meeting is being held. The committee shall
put them in proper order and send them out to all clubs by July 1. The
committee is to group so-called "housekeeping" rules in one section so
they can be voted on all at one time. The committee is to screen and
list all other proposals so they are grouped together in the appropriate
order. These rule proposals will be voted on by the Board of Directors
at their scheduled meeting in July.
It will be the responsibility of
the Rules Committee to update and/or rewrite the tests for field judges
and Master of Hounds to reflect any changes to the rules made by the
Board of Directors. These tests are to be approved by the Chairman of
the Board before they are distributed to Hare Hound clubs.
III. General Rules for the
Conduct of ARHA Licensed Hunts
A. Licensed Hunts
1. What constitutes a
licensed hunt?
a.
The hunt must be approved and licensed by the
President or Secretary/Treasurer of the ARHA.
b. The hunt must be listed in the ARHA Hunt
Schedule in The Rabbit Hunter at least 1 month before the hunt is
held.
c. Hunts listed in The Rabbit Hunter must
list the date of the hunt, the location of the hunt, the contact
person for information about the hunt, the type of hunt (LP, BP, PP,
GB, GP, HH), whether a Championship Class or Grand Rabbit
Championship Class will be held, whether a Bench Show will be held,
and the entry deadline. If a club is hosting a licensed hunt which
will be a two or three day event, no entries can be entered after
the deadline on the first day for any class, unless it is very
specifically stated in The Rabbit Hunter magazine,
separately.
d. All hounds entered in the hunt must be ARHA
registered and their owner must belong to an ARHA club. When an
individual becomes a member of an ARHA club, he/she forfeits all
rights to pursue in a court of law, legal measures against the ARHA
Little Pack National organization, the National Officers, including,
but not limited to, the President of ARHA, Chairman of the Board,
Chairman of the Watchdog Committee, Committee Members, Chair- man of
the Hall of Fame Committee and Committee Members, Chairman of the
Rules Committee and Committee Members, Local Clubs and their
officers and Members.
e. The hunt must be conducted under all ARHA
rules, policies, and procedures. All clubs must obtain a permit or
authorization from their State Department of Fish and Wildlife (if a
permit is required in that state) for all licensed hunts to protect
the out of state participants from receiving citations for not
having a hunting license. Clubs that fail to do so are liable and
responsible to pay for citations that are received by out of state
contestants participating in their licensed hunts.
f. There must be a minimum of 10 Open Class hounds
to conduct an Open Class ARHA licensed hunt. There must be a minimum
of 3 Rabbit Champion hounds to conduct a Rabbit Championship Hunt.
There must be a minimum of 3 Grand Rabbit Champion hounds to conduct
a Grand Rabbit Championship Hunt.
g. The use of firearms, weapons, alcoholic
beverages, and illegal drugs is prohibited from all individuals
participating in an ARHA licensed hunt.
B. In the Hare Hound Division
there will be a World Hunt.
1. Any dog meeting the breed standard will qualify for
the first World Hunt.
2. A State hunt shall not be scheduled the same
weekend as the World hunt.
3. It is mandatory for trophies to be presented 1st
thru 10th in all classes for the field at the World hunt.
4. The entry fee for State and World hunts will be
limited to $20.00 for the field and $10.00 for the bench.
IV. Judges
All judges must be ARHA
certified. An ARHA certified judge is one who has studied the rules,
passed a written test and is 16 years of age. Judges should
score at least 85% on the written test.
Judges cannot judge their
own hounds.
A club must provide at least
2 judges per cast, but may elect to have more than 2 judges per
cast.
The judge shall be
responsible for making all calls in the field and recording the
scoring on a scorecard or scoring booklet.
The judge's decision in the
field is final; however, a handler may appeal the judge's decision
to the Master of Hounds.
Before the hounds are cast
in the field the judge shall "lay down the law" to the handlers and
spectators and tell them what they can and cannot do during the
hunt.
The judge shall tell the
handlers and spectators the exact starting time of the hunt and
shall announce to them when there is a time out.
The judge is responsible for
seeing that all of the hounds in his/her cast are present at the
place of running before he/she releases the hounds in the field. The
judge must do whatever is humanly possible to see that all hounds
are present, including 1 trip back to the clubhouse to find missing
hounds.
A judge who is abusive, uses
abusive language, threatens or strikes a Master of Hounds, handler,
or spectator, shall face whatever penalties that are set down by the
host club's Board of Directors.
V. Scorecard and Protests
At the end of the cast the
judge shall total the scores and offer the scorecard to the handlers
for their signatures.
The handler may lodge a
protest with the judge by not signing the scorecard.
When the handler signs the
scorecard he forfeits his right to protest unless the score on the
scorecard is changed after he/she signs it.
If a handler protests and
does not sign the scorecard, the other handlers who agree with the
judge's decision shall sign the scorecard.
If a handler makes no
protest to the Master of Hounds within 15 minutes of returning to
the clubhouse, all handlers must sign the scorecard or they forfeit
placement of their hounds in the hunt.
The protesting handler must
report all protests to the Master of Hounds within 15 minutes after
returning to the clubhouse or staging area.
All protests shall be
settled in a private conference involving the Master of Hounds, the
judge involved in the protest, and the handler who is bringing the
protest. The Master of Hounds may, if he/she chooses, question (in
private) other handlers or spectators who were present in the field
for the cast being protested.
The Master of Hound's
decision is final, with the exception of an immediate appeal to the
host club's Board of Directors. The Board of Directors' decision
will be final. There will be no further appeal.
VI. Master of Hounds
Each club is to select a
person to serve as Master of Hounds. This person is to be
knowledgeable in ARHA rules, policies, and procedures for conducting
ARHA licensed hunts. Persons wishing to become Master of Hounds must
take the Master of Hounds test to be licensed. If a Master of Hounds
is also running hounds in the hunt the host club must provide a
co-Master of Hounds in the event of a protest.
The Master of Hounds must be
licensed by the ARHA.
The Master of Hounds shall
act as the final authority in the selection of methods of hunting,
location of hunting areas, selection of casts by draw, appointment
and assignment of judges, and super- vision of all functions
associated with the hunt; including the resolution of any protest
from the handlers concerning judges' decisions.
The Master of Hounds must
announce when entries are closed and no entries shall be accepted
after this announcement has been made. This includes bench show
entries.
VII. Breed Inspector
Each club is to select a
Breed Inspector for the hunt This person is to be knowledgeable
concerning breed standards.
The host club has the option
of whether or not to measure the hounds before the hunt; however,
any handler may challenge the size of the hound, and such hound must
be measured before advancing any further in the hunt. If a handler
is going to challenge the size of the hound it must be done at the
staging area before the hounds go out in the field at the beginning
of any cast. The handler should inform the judge of the cast he is
challenging the size of the hound. The judge will request a
measurement by the Breed Inspector. If the hound is found to be
oversized it is disqualified. No other challenge to the hound's size
can be made except at the casting area.
The Breed Inspector makes
the final decision as to whether the challenged hound shall be
allowed to hunt.
The Breed Inspector has the
right to measure all hounds that are entered in the hunt and to
disqualify any hound that, in his opinion, does not meet breed
standards, or is over 15 inches at the withers.
The Breed Inspector must
have available for use an official measuring stand. An official
measuring scale, is any type of device that measures 15", and cannot
be proven otherwise, shall be that club's official measuring scale.
The Breed Inspector shall
determine whether a hound qualifies for ARHA registration. The Breed
Inspector shall check AKC and UKC registration papers for hounds
being registered and write the AKC or UKC registration number on the
ARHA registration form.
The club secretary shall
issue a form signed by the Breed Inspector stating that said hound
has been registered with ARHA at that club on that date. This form
shall be filled out in triplicate. The club shall retain one copy.
One shall be sent to ARHA for registration. The third is to be given
to the dog's owner to be presented at subsequent hunts until the
owner receives the official ARHA number. No hound shall be entered
without an ARHA number or above proof of registration unless he is
registered at the hunt.
When being measured, a hound
shall be standing in a natural, alert position with its head up but
not stretched upward and with its feet well under the hound and
forelegs vertical. The hound shall be placed on a non-slippery
surface at floor or ground level. The hound shall not be required to
be posed, or set up as in a bench show pose by the measurer.
VIII. Conducting the Hunt
All clubs must have a Master
of Hounds and a Breed Inspector to conduct an ARHA licensed hunt.
The club Treasurer, or
another person appointed by the club President, must collect all
money for entry fees and keep an accurate accounting of this money.
He shall forward to the ARHA office all of the money that is
required by the ARHA for licensed hunts.
Casts
1. No casts shall be made until the Master of
Hounds has announced that the entries have been closed.
2. Methods for Selecting Judges and Casts
a. Judges for each cast may be drawn from the hat
and assigned, in order, to each cast after all the casts of hounds
have been drawn. If a conflict arises, the judge's name shall be
rolled to the next cast until no conflict exists. If a judge's hound
is in the cast to which he/she has been assigned, the judge shall be
rolled to the next cast Conflict means a judge cannot judge his/her
own hound.
b. Judges for each cast shall be assigned and
announced BEFORE the casts are drawn. If a Judge's hound is drawn in
the cast he/she is judging, his/her hound must be rolled into
another cast because he/she cannot judge his/her own hound.
3. Casts shall be determined by random selection
methods to insure that all hounds have equal opportunity to win the
event The casts may be formed by placing the names of the hounds, or the
assigned numbers, in a container with a non-hunting person, or the Breed
Inspector, drawing the casts from the hat. A Bingo selection method may
be used.
Each cast is to be made up of up
to eight (8) hounds, without discrimination made on the basis of sex or
size. Exception: the final cast should have 10 hounds.
If an owner (not handler) draws
2 or more of his/her hounds out in the same cast he/she may elect to
leave all hounds in the same cast or have the name and/or number of the
second hound drawn placed back in the hat and drawn into another cast.
This process is called "rolling the hound". In other words, the owner
need have only one of his/her hounds in a cast.
The hound must hunt in the cast
into which he/she was drawn. Any hound that is allowed to run in the
wrong cast is disqualified, even if he/she was scored and placed in the
cast.
The drawing of casts must be
open to all handlers or the results are void.
D. Identification of Hounds in
the Hunt
1. The hounds shall be marked using paint, with
numbers placed on both sides of the hound's body.
Awards
1. Each club that hosts a licensed hunt must present a
minimum of 5 awards to the top 5 finishers in the Open Class, but may
present as many as they see fit.
2. The awarding of prizes that are donated by dog food
companies is left up to the discretion of the host club, rather than
based solely on the order of finish of the hounds.
3. No cash prizes may be awarded without ARHA
permission.
4. No Calcutta, Shotguns, or other significant awards
may be given. 5. ARHA does not prohibit raffles at hunts.
F. Reporting Hunt Results to the
ARHA
1. The Secretary or President of the host club shall
issue ARHA approved winner certificates to the owners of the top
10 hounds in the Open Class. Certificates shall also be issued to Bench
Show winners.
The President or Secretary of
the host club must sign the certificates. A report of the hunt (using
the Official ARHA Hunt Report Form) must be sent to ARHA within 30 days
of the hunt. A white copy of each of the winner's certificate is to be
sent to the ARHA Office with the hunt report.
If these procedures are not
followed, the club hosting the hunt could face penalties as seen fit by
the Watchdog Committee.
IX. ARHA HARE HOUND RUNNING
RULES AND SCORING PROCEDURES
A. All points are plus or minus points.
B. A rabbit is defined as a cottontail, hare,
snowshoe hare, swamper, or Jackrabbit, but not a tame or domestic
rabbit. The judge does not have to see the rabbit to award points.
C. Strike
1. Definition: A strike is 3 or more barks from 1 hound after
the hounds have been released in the field.
a. If a hound catches a rabbit prior to giving
mouth, this hound shall receive strike and jump points.
2. Strike points must be awarded if a hound jumps the
rabbit. Example: Hound A jumps a rabbit from his setup. Even
though Hound A did not bark on the track before he jumped the rabbit, he
is still awarded the strike points. In this situation the hound shall
receive 10 strike points and 10 jump points even though he did not open
until after the rabbit was jumped.
3. A hound that opens on the track and is struck by
the judge does not have to jump the rabbit to receive his/her 10 strike
points, provided another hound jumps or produces the rabbit within the
allotted time of 5 minutes. Example: Hound A barks 3 or more
times on a track. Hound B harks in and barks and, in the judgment of the
judge, produces the rabbit. Hound A shall receive strike points.
4. Strike points can only be given once on each rabbit
5. The hound that opened and has been struck by the
judge shall receive 10 minus points if no hound in the cast jumps, or
produces a rabbit within 5 minutes.
6. No strike or jump points shall be awarded if a
rabbit is jumped by a judge, handler, or spectator and the hounds are
called in and placed on the track.
7. After a hound has opened (3 or more barks) and the
judge strikes the hound, the judge shall give the hound a maximum of 5
minutes to produce the rabbit before he/she calls the track dead and
asks the handlers to move their hounds to another area. In this case the
hound that was struck receives a minus 10 points.
8. A hound that opens on a track and is struck by the
judge shall be given minus 10 points if that hound quits the track
within 5 minutes. Example: A hound that is "ghost tracking", cold
scenting, or barking on "trash", and then leaves the track is minused 10
points.
9. The judge shall give the hound that is struck a
full 5 minutes on that track no matter what the other hounds in the cast
do.
10. The judge shall award 10 points for a successful
strike.
11. In the situation where the judge cannot determine
which hound barked on the strike, he/she may ask the handlers which
hound barked. If all handlers agree on which hound opened first the
judge shall award strike points. These may be minus or plus points
depending on whether a rabbit is jumped or produced within the allotted
5 minutes.
D. Jump
1. Definition:
A jump occurs when a rabbit has been flushed from a setup.
2. A jump only occurs at the beginning of a chase. No
jump points shall be awarded except at the beginning of the chase.
3. Only 1 jump may be scored on each rabbit.
4. The judge may be unsure of which hound actually
jumped the rabbit and may not award any jump points. Example:
Hounds A, B, and C go under a brush pile and a rabbit runs out the other
side of the brush pile. 1,2, or 3 of the hounds may have actually jumped
the rabbit, but the judge cannot determine this, so he does not award
points.
5. The judge shall award 10 points for a jump.
6. The judge shall award 10 points per jump per
rabbit, if he/she can determine which hound jumped the rabbit.
7. The judge does not have to see the rabbit on the
jump to award 10 points.
8. The hound that jumps the rabbit shall receive
strike and jump points and shall receive checkpoints if he/she carries
the rabbit by himself/herself because the other hounds in the cast do
not pack up and run the rabbit with him/her. At this point the judge may
instruct the handlers of the other hounds to bring in their hounds and
place them in the chase with the hound that first jumped the rabbit.
Example: Hound A jumps the rabbit and follows the track. No other
hound joins him/her in the chase so he/she is running this rabbit by
himself/herself. Hound A loses the track, but then straightens it out
and again tracks the rabbit successfully. Hound A shall receive 10
strike points, 10 jump points and 10 checkpoints. In this case the judge
shall continue to judge the hound on the rabbit, even if the other
hounds never join the chase.
9. If hounds jump a second rabbit during the chase and
the pack splits, the judge, if knowing which rabbit was the original
rabbit he/she gave the hound strike points for, shall continue to follow
the rabbit and request the handlers to catch the hounds that split and
return them to chase the original rabbit. The judge will call a time out
if the original rabbit cannot be determined.
10. Any hound that does not hark in, or join the chase,
once the rabbit is jumped, shall receive a minus 10 even if he/she
produces another rabbit. The judge shall judge the hound that jumped or
produced the rabbit first and the other hounds that are in the chase.
Example: Hound A drifts away from the pack. Hound B jumps or strikes
a rabbit and the chase is on. Hound A jumps a rabbit after Hound B is
scored, and Hound A receives a minus 10.
If the judge does not see which
hound jumped the rabbit he/she must ask the handlers to identify the
hound that jumped the rabbit, but he/she shall not award any jump points
unless all handlers agree on which hound jumped the rabbit.
No hound shall be awarded jump
points on a rabbit that is jumped by the judge, handlers, or spectators.
No jump shall be given on a
rabbit that is jumped by the presence of a hound, if the hounds have to
be put on the rabbit.
E. Checks
1. Definition:
A check occurs when if is evident that the hounds in pursuit of the
rabbit have lost it. The hounds do not have to shut up barking in the
check area for it to be considered a check, only lose it to where they
cannot make forward progress with the rabbit. A hound must claim the
check by giving mouth and making forward progress.
2. Any hound that pulls the other hounds away from the
check area shall receive minus 10 points. Example: Hounds A, B,
and C are searching the area where the rabbit was lost. Hound D is
several yards away from the check area and is barking, one, or more of
the hounds (A, B, and C), hark in on Hound D and the rabbit is not
produced. Hound D receives a minus 10 points.
3. The judge shall award 10 points for a check.
4. The scoring of checks shall continue as long as the
rabbit is running.
5. If the judge determines that the rabbit is holed
up, or that the hounds have lost the rabbit and are unable to get it
started again, he/she shall announce that the track is dead and ask the
handlers to move their hounds to another area.
F. Scoring of Speed and Drive
1. When there are no breakdowns in running the rabbit,
every 10 minutes the lead dog will receive 10 points.
G. Scoring of Minus Points
1. If a hound opens and barks 3 times and no rabbit is
produced within 5 minutes, the hound that opened first shall receive
minus 10 points. If another hound jumps the rabbit or produces a rabbit
within 5 minutes, no minus points are given.
2. Any hound that pulls other hounds away from the
check area shall receive a minus 10 points.
3. Any hound that accumulates 30 minus points during
the cast shall be disqualified, regardless of how many plus points the
hound has. Example: Hound A has 200 plus points, but, accumulated
30 minus points. Hound A is disqualified.
Any hound caught backtracking on
a trail 50 feet or more shall be minused 10 points every time it is
observed backtracking this distance. This backtracking does not have to
be on different rabbits.
** Definition of backtracking:
When a hound is clearly running and
barking in the opposite direction on a line that has already been run by
a hound or hounds. Barking while returning to the point of loss is
NOT backtracking.
MINUS POINTS MUST BE SUBTRACTED
FROM PLUS POINTS.
H. Reasons a Hound May be
disqualified
1. If a hound accumulates 30 minus points during 1
cast.
2. If a hound is fighting, or attempting to fight,
with another hound so as to prevent it from hunting. If the judge cannot
determine which dog started the fight, both dogs may be disqualified.
3. If the hound runs deer, fox, coyote, moose, elk,
bear, wolf, bobcat or house cat. The judge does not have to see the off
game to disqualify the hound. A hound shall be barred from all
competitions in ARHA licensed hunts for 1 year if he/she runs deer, fox,
coyote, moose, elk, bear, wolf, bobcat or house cat 3 times in a
calendar year. It is not the intention of this rule to penalize the
hound that is merely harking in on another hound, smells around, and
then immediately returns to rabbit hunting. If the hounds are running
off game, the judge can stop the chase at any time but can take at least
10 minutes before he/she disqualifies any hound. When there is a
question as to whether the hounds are running off game or not, the
handler cannot scratch his/her hound to prevent the judge from
disqualifying his/her hound and turning it in for running off game. If
the handler scratches his/her hound under these circumstances, the hound
will be turned in for running off game.
4. If a female is in heat and is distracting to the
other hounds.
5. If a male continues to try to mount another female
that is not in heat, or tries to mount another male and interferes with
that male's hunting.
6. If the
hound refuses to hunt the first 30 minutes of any cast it will be
disqualified.
7. If the hound's handler is drinking alcohol, using
un-prescribed drugs, engages in abusive conduct or language, or
interferes with the judge in conducting the hunt.
8. If the handler touches his/her hound without the
judge's permission. An exception to this is if the hound is in danger.
9. If the handler carries on an argument with the
judge.
10. A hound that has been inspected by the Breed
Inspector and found to be oversized shall be disqualified. If a hound is
disqualified because of measuring over 15 inches it is mandatory that
the name, ARHA number, and owner of the hound be reported on the same
page of the reporting form as the off-game runners are reported.
11. All cast winners must be present and accounted for
at the clubhouse, or place of cast drawing, when the second, or later,
casts are drawn out. Any hound not so present and accounted for will be
disqualified even if they are the previous cast winner. In the event of
this disqualification, the balance of the cast will be put down and run.
No other hound will be brought up to take the place of the hound
disqualified. This rule applies to hounds that still have to go back out
to run.
12. All hounds that have been spayed or neutered
because of Brucellosis shall be prohibited from all Little Pack
competition.
I. Time Outs
1. Only the judge has the authority to call a time
out, but a handler may request a time out.
2. During a time out the judge shall tell the handlers
to call in their hounds, or leash them, and no scoring shall take place
during the time out. Example: The judge calls a time out. Hound A
jumps a rabbit or strikes a rabbit. No points are awarded for this jump
or strike.
3. If a rabbit is jumped, or struck, during a time out
the judge may use this rabbit for the next chase, but no jump or strike
points are awarded.
4. The amount of time used for a time out shall be
added to the total time of the hunt. Example: A 1-1/2 hour hunt
stared at 9:00 AM. The judge called a 10-minute time out. Instead of the
hunt ending at 10:30 AM, it will end at 10:40 AM.
5. During the cast, if a judge gets tired and cannot
continue to perform his/her duties as a judge, he/she shall call a
time-out and rest until able to complete the cast
Dead Track
The judge shall announce to
the handlers when he/she has determined that the track is dead and
the chase ended.
When a track is declared
dead by the cast judge, the hounds must be moved a reasonable
distance (50 yards) from the previous dead track to ensure that a
hound is not struck back in on a dead track; or the judge can call a
time out, have the handlers leash their hounds and move to another
area of the hunt site. In either situation, the scoring has stopped
on that track. If the judge has called a time out he/she shall
announce when the cast and scoring have resumed.
X. Handlers and Spectators
A. Definition of handler:
Any person who takes the hound into the field for a hunt, after the
hound has been entered in the event.
1. Distances between judge and handlers, and at
times of spectators, are at the discretion of the judge.
2. All handlers must stay in a group. If a handler
does not stay in the group he/she shall be warned by the judge and,
on the second offense, the judge shall disqualify his/her hound.
3. The handler shall not direct any questions to
the judge regarding scoring until the cast has ended. The handler is
to remain quiet unless the judge asks him/her a question.
4. The handler shall identify his/her hound when
asked to do so by the judge.
5. The handler shall not tell the judge how to
score.
6. The handler shall not call or encourage his/her
hound unless he/she is permitted by the judge to do so.
7. Any handler who is abusive or uses abusive
language, threatens or strikes a judge, Master of Hounds, another
handler or spectator shall be banned from ARHA competition for a
period of time to be determined by the host club's Board of
Directors. Any handler who argues with a judge or Master of Hounds
shall have his/her hound disqualified by the judge or Master of
Hounds.
8. If a handler is banned from ARHA competition,
his/her name shall be reported to the ARHA. At the end of the ban,
this handler may apply to the club that banned him/her for
reinstatement, which mayor may not be granted. If the handler who is
banned is a hound owner, none of his/ her hounds shall be allowed in
ARHA competition during the time that owner is barred. Even if the
banned individual sells his/her hounds, the hounds still cannot
compete until the banned time is up.
9. After the cast is over and the judge presents
the scorecard, then the handler may ask questions about the cast and
the scoring of the cast.
10. If the handler does not agree with the judge
and wishes to protest, he/she should not sign the scorecard. See section V concerning protests.
11. If the hound is running a second rabbit, other
than the one the pack is running, or the hound has wandered away at
some distance from the other hounds, the handler may ask the judge's
permission to catch his/her hound and put it back in the pack.
12. Only 1 handler is allowed for each hound in the
cast. A handler is permitted to handle more than 1 hound in a cast.
13. During the hunt the handler cannot use any
controlling device to assist his/her hound in hunting. This includes
whistles using his/her voice (whistling, hissing, calling, etc.), or
using hand signals, to direct his/her hound. The handler may use
these methods only if the judge tells him/her to call in his/her
hound.
a. Note
the following rule was passed effective 8/2/96: Tracking collars are
not considered to be controlling devices. If a tracking collar is
used the handler may carry the encased receiver in the field, until
the judge gives him/her permission to use it, or his/her hound has
already been disqualified. The handler is to report to the Master of
Hounds before the hounds go out in the field that he/she plans to
use a tracking collar. The Master of Hounds shall inspect the
equipment. In the field, before the hounds are released, the judge
shall inspect the tracking collar. If the handler is caught cheating
and is using the collar as a shock collar (or dummy collar) the
hound is disqualified, the handler shall be reported to the Master
of Hounds, and this handler shall face penalties as set down by the
host club's Board of Directors.
b. Bells may be used on a hound's collar.
A handler is not permitted to
catch his/her hound and lift it over a fence, or other obstacles, unless
directed by the judge to do this.
Anyone who enters a hound in an
ARHA hunt, knowing that their hound is infected with Brucellosis, is
banned from all ARHA licensed events for life.
B. Definition of spectator:
A spectator is a person who goes into the field to observe the hunt.
1. The spectator is not part of the hunt. He/she is
only an observer.
2. A spectator, who is abusive, uses abusive language,
threatens or strikes a judge, Master of Hounds, handler, or another
spectator, shall face whatever penalties are set down by the host club's
Board of Directors.
3. The judge shall instruct spectators as to where
he/she wants them to be in relation to the handlers and himself/herself.
4. Spectators cannot be called as witnesses in a
protest situation.
5. A spectator cannot talk to the judge, nor try to
tell him/her how he/she should be judging the hunt
6. A spectator cannot touch a hound; talk to a hound,
or in any way try to encourage the hound when they are in the field.
7. With the permission of the judge, a spectator may
help a handler catch his/her hound if the hound is in danger, if the
hound is chasing a deer, fox, coyote, moose, elk, bear, wolf, bobcat,
house cat or at the end of the hunt
XI. Running Time
A.
Before a hound is declared to have placed (1st
through 10th) in a licensed hunt and received ARHA and Hound of the
Year points, it must have been judged in active hunting for a
minimum of 2 hours. Each and every cast will be run for 1 to 2 hours
at the discretion of the judge.
B. All second place hounds, not cast winners, will
be placed by their points, using the Progressionary Sequence Method,
if there are less than 10 casts in the first series. The final cast
will be 10 hounds, with hounds brought up by points to fill 10
positions.
C. All hounds entered in an ARHA licensed hunt
must run a minimum of 1 hour in the first series.
D. If a hound strikes in with less than 3 minutes
remaining in the cast and no rabbit is produced, the hound shall
receive neither plus nor minus points.
XII. Breaking the Ties
If 2, or more, hounds are
tied with the same number of points at the end of a cast, the tie
shall be broken as follows:
1. The hound with the fewest minus points. If this
does not break the tie, go to #2.
2. The hound with the most speed & drive points.
If this does not break the tie, go to #3. The hound with the most
jump points. If this does not break the tie, go to #4.
3. The hound with the most plus checkpoints. If
this does not break the tie, go to #5.
The hound with the most strike
points.
4. If still tied, the judge shall award 10 points
for hunting and handling for the hound that in his/her judgment
hunted and handled the best Other hounds that are tied, under these
conditions, shall be placed by the judge rating the hounds on
hunting and handling.
5. Note that the only time that a coin flip is used is
to break a tie when none of the above tiebreakers will do.
XIII. Rabbit Champion & Grand
Rabbit Champion
A.
To qualify as a Rabbit Champion a hound must
place first in at least 1 licensed hunt and earn a total of 100
points. No more than 50 points may be earned from 1 club.
Exception: When a club hosts a State or World Hunt, it becomes a
neutral club as far as awarding points are concerned.
B. After a hound receives a first place and 100
points, he must then become certified, before going on to hunt in
the Champion class.
C. To qualify as Grand Rabbit Champion a hound
must have at least 3 first place wins in Champion class licensed
hunts, one of which must be a State, World, or place 1st in at least
five licensed hunts in the Champion class at three or more different
clubs.
D. Rabbit Champions and Grand Rabbit Champions
cannot compete in the Open class against non-champion hounds.
E. In order to be awarded points toward Rabbit
Champion a hound must compete in licensed hunts where there are at
least 10 hounds entered.
F. Rabbit Champions shall be allowed to compete in
all licensed hunts where 2 or more Rabbit Champions are entered in
the hunt If there are less than 2 Rabbit Champions entered in the
hunt, the Champion class cannot be run.
G. Grand Rabbit Champions may be allowed to
compete in all licensed hunts where 2 or more Grand Rabbit Champions
are entered. If there are less than 2 Grand Rabbit Champions entered
in the hunt, the Grand Rabbit Champion class cannot be run.
H. It is the responsibility of each competitor to
keep up with the points on every hound that he/she enters in a
licensed hunt, and when a hound has acquired the necessary points to
advance to the next class, to have that hound certified, and to
enter the hound in the Rabbit Champion or Grand Rabbit Champion
class at the very next event the hound is entered in. This applies
to both field and bench when the hound has acquired the necessary
points.
XIV. Awarding of Points of ARHA
Licensed Hunts
ARHA Scoring for Rabbit Champion
1st Place 40 points
2nd Place 30 points
3rd Place 25 points
4th Place 20 points
5th Place 15 points
6th Place 10 points
7th Place 10 points
8th Place 10 points
9th Place 5 points
10th Place 5 points
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