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AMERICAN RABBIT HOUND ASSOCIATION
(Revised 2012)
All rules, policies, and procedures listed in this document have been
established by the ARHA Board of Directors and the President of ARHA and are
in effect as of January 1, 2012.
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
1.
Chartered clubs are to hold their elections by
October or
earlier of each year. The club update
form is to be sent to the
NKC
Office by January 1st
, listing the type/s of competition the clubs will hold, names of all
officers, and addresses’ and phone numbers of these officers. Each club must
have at least 5 officers; president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer
(may be 2 positions), and 3 board of directors. It is recommended that
president and treasurer not be husband and wife.
Note: If a person is
banned from ARHA competition for a year or more, that person cannot serve as
an elected club officer, nor can he/she serve on the Executive Board, or any
other national committee, without the approval of the ARHA President and the
Little Pack Executive Board.
2.
Each chartered club must have a liability insurance policy to cover judges,
handlers, hound owners, spectators and club officers and a copy of this
policy must be sent to the NKC office by
January 1st of each year. The
minimum coverage is $20,000 per accident or event.
3.
The annual charter fee is
$50.00,
and must be sent to the NKC Office before January 1. The check is to
be made out to the Little Pack Special Fund.
4.
All clubs must comply with 1, 2 and 3 before they schedule their first
licensed competition event.
5.
To begin an ARHA club there must be at least 12 paid members.
6.
All hunts with the exception of the Big Five Hunts (that have had 400 plus
field entries in the past) must be scheduled on Saturday or Sunday.
7.
Each member club must hold at least
1 Little Pack licensed hunt in a calendar year.
8.
A club may not hold more than
8
Little Pack licensed hunts in a calendar year. This number includes
State and Big Five hunts. I. Executive Board
A. The Executive Board shall be made up of 7 members.
1.
Del Morgan or his representative shall be a permanent member of the Board.
2.
The 6 other Executive Board members shall be made up of the Chairman of the
Board, Secretary/Treasurer, Chairman of the Watchdog Committee and 3 members
at large. These members shall be appointed by the President of ARHA to a
2-year term.
3.
In the event that a member of the Executive Board does
not (or cannot) complete his/her term of office, the President of ARHA shall
appoint a person to serve in place of this person.
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 special ARHA funds.
2.
The Executive Board shall request bids from ARHA chartered clubs that wish
to host any of the Big Five hunts or State hunts. They shall approve the
bids of the clubs, which they believe will put on the best hunts and provide
for the best participation.
3.
The Executive Board shall give assistance to the Chairman of the Board when
sought by the Chairman of the Board.
4.
The Executive Board shall give assistance to the Watchdog Committee whenever
the committee seeks this assistance.
5.
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 President or the Chairman of the Board
approves these expenses in writing. II. Board of Directors
A.
The Board of Directors shall be made up of 1 Representative from each Little
Pack Club, the President of ARHA, Chairman of the Board,
Secretary/Treasurer, Executive Board Members, Watchdog Committee members of
Little Pack, and Chairpersons of any committee appointed by the Chairman of
the Board of Little Pack. One Representative from each Little Pack Club
shall be allowed to be an active voter at all rule proposal meetings.
B. Duties of the Board of Directors
1.
The Board of Directors or the President of the ARHA
shall set all running rules and scoring procedures for the ARHA and the
conduct of all competition events licensed by the ARHA.
2.
Chairman of the Board, with the approval of the ARHA President, can call a
Board of Directors meeting when he/she feels it is necessary.
3.
Each member of the Board of Directors must be notified by the President of
ARHA 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 running rule or
scoring procedure. Club presidents may vote by mail on the published
proposals. The President of ARHA has final veto power on all changes.
5.
Changes to the ARHA Running Rules and Scoring
Procedures may be only
by a vote of the Board of Directors or the President of ARHA. 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 meeting shall be conducted by
the ARHA President or his designee.
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 Five and State Championship hunts.
5.
6.
The Chairman of the Board shall have an annual gift of $2000.00 payable in
December of the year he/she served.
7.
The Chairman of the Board shall represent the Little Pack Division on the
ARHA President’s Cabinet. D. Secretary/Treasurer and Duties
1.
Shall be appointed every 2 years by the President of ARHA.
2.
The Duties shall be:
a.
Maintain the financial records for the ARHA Little Pack 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 NKC Office; charter fees, entry fees,
and other money designated for the Little Pack Special Funds.
c.
Receive and deposit Protest fees sent to him/her by the Chairman of the
Board.
d.
All funds collected shall be deposited into the ARHA Little Pack Special
Funds.
e.
All of the above are operating funds for Little Pack and shall be used as
follows;
(1). Return
$50.00 to
persons who have his/her protest up held.
(2). Reimburse Watchdog Committee members and Chairman
of the Board for expenses incurred in doing their duties.
(3). Pay other expenses as approved by the Executive Board.
f.
Pay the expenses of the ARHA Representatives that have been approved by the
Chairman of the Board or the ARHA President.
g.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall have an annual gift of $1250.00; payable in
December of the year he/she served.
E. Duties and Procedures of the Watchdog Committee
1.
Enforce the ARHA rules, policies, and procedures as they pertain to protests
of rule infractions at licensed hunts.
2.
Any protest concerning the decision of a Master of Hounds, or the conduct of
a licensed hunt, can only be made by the owner or handler of a hound that is
entered in the hunt being protested. A protest of a Judge in the field can
only be made by the person handling the hound in the cast. Every protest
must go through the Master of Hounds and must be postmarked within
15 days of the hunt. Protests
(and Protest fees) must be sent to the NKC Office. The only exception will
be for the World Hunt. If an individual wants to protest the decision of the
Master of the Hounds or conduct of the World Hunt, the individual has 30
minutes after the time the Master of Hounds gives his decision, to file a
written protest. A protest fee of $50.00 will still be required. The written
protest should be given to the Chairman of the Board and a copy sent to the
NKC office. The Chairman of the Board will get the Watchdog Committee
together and have them rule on the protest. Their decision will be final and
cannot be appealed.
a.
It is clearly understood that spectators are not allowed to protest. They
are simply an observer and not a part of the hunt.
3.
The person making the protest must deposit
$50.00 when that person
files the protest. The deposit shall be returned to the person who filed the
protest only if the Watchdog Committee rules in his favor.
4.
The decisions of the Watchdog Committee are final and cannot be appealed. If
it is a matter of the Little Pack Division upholding the ban of another
division, this, if appealed, must be done to the ARHA President’s Cabinet.
The appeal would be sent to Del Morgan, P.O. Box 331, Blaine, Tn., 37709.
5.
The Master of Hounds at the licensed hunt makes the final decision
concerning protests against a judge or the conduct of the hunt. The Watchdog
Committee only becomes involved in the event that the Master of Hound’s
decision is protested.
6.
Penalties Invoked by the Watchdog Committee:
a.
The final decision of the Watchdog Committee may affect a class, division,
or the entire hunt results may be nullified.
b.
If the Watchdog Committee finds a violation of the rules, the results of
that hunt may be treated as a non-licensed hunt.
Example: Club A
conducts a licensed hunt and a person protests the way the casting was done,
the Master of Hounds denies the protest, and that person files a protest
with the Watchdog Committee. The Watchdog Committee rules in favor of the
person who protested. The Watchdog Committee may rule that the license for
the hunt has been removed and that the hounds that placed in the hunt shall
not receive ARHA points.
c.
The Watchdog Committee has the authority to take any disciplinary action as
is appropriate.
7.
Ban Period Stipulations
a.
If abusive language or abusive conduct is used.
1st Offense: not less
than six months. 2nd offense: Not less than one year. 3rd
offense: Not less than three years
b.
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.
c.
If a person is found guilty of knowingly re-registering a hound that has
already made champion or grand champion and then starting the hound over
again in the open class competition.
1st offense: Not less than one
year.
d.
If a person is found guilty of knowingly running or showing a hound in the
wrong class.
1st offense: Not less
than one year.
e.
If a breed inspector is found by the Watchdog Committee or ARHA President to
knowingly falsify a measurement of a hound at registration time or at a
hunt, the penalty shall be the breed inspector will be banned for a period
of 6 months and he/she will lose all licenses they have.
8.
The Watchdog Committee is made up of 3 regular members and 2 alternate
members. All members are appointed by the President of ARHA for a 2-year
term to again serve on the Watchdog Committee.
9.
An alternate becomes a regular member of the Watchdog Committee if a regular
member resigns as a member of the committee, or a regular member is removed.
10.
A member of the Watchdog Committee, while attending a licensed hunt, has the
responsibility to privately inform the Master of Hounds of that hunt if
he/she sees that the hunt is not being conducted according to ARHA rules.
11.
The Chairman of the Board and/or the ARHA President have the authority to
request that the Watchdog Committee give an official interpretation of a
Little Pack rule if there is concern about the meaning of the rule. The
Watchdog Committee has the responsibility to give this interpretation as
soon as possible so that this rule can be re-written and distributed to the
club presidents and other ARHA officials.
12.
All members of the Watchdog Committee must be licensed Master of Hounds
before they start their term of office.
13.
Any dispute or legal problems that may arise from any competition event that
is not resolved by the Watchdog Committee would be litigated and resolved in
the Circuit Court of Grainger County, Tennessee.
14.
The Chairman of the Watchdog Committee shall have an annual gift of $1000.00
payable in December of each year he/she served.
F. Hall of Fame
1.
NKC will receive nominations and verify that each individual or hound has
met the criteria set forth by the ARHA Little Pack Board of Directors.
2.
All hounds meeting the requirements as set forth in the criteria shall be
inducted into the Hall of Fame on
December 31 following the date in which the hound gained the 35
points necessary to go into the Hall of Fame. Whoever owns this hound, as
far as NKC records show at NKC headquarters, at the time the hound reaches
the points needed to go into the Little Pack Hall of Fame, their name shall
go on the Hall of Fame plaque. Once a hound has
earned the 35 points, then
the hound is not penalized for running off-game (as far as taking the Hall
of Fame from him/her) but still will be penalized under the rule of running
off-game 3 times in a calendar year. The Hall of Fame title cannot be taken
from the hound unless it is proven that the title was given illegally.
3.
These hounds will be honored at the World Hunt Banquet. This shall be an
annual induction if any hound has met the needed requirements. If no hound
meets the requirements on a given year, then no hound will be inducted that
year. A hound must be a Grand Rabbit Champion to be inducted into the Hall
of Fame as a competition hound. A hound does not have to be alive to be
bestowed this honor as long as it has met the criteria set forth.
1st Time running off game No Penalty
4.
Hall of Fame Beaglers shall be nominated. All individuals meeting the
requirements as set forth in the criteria shall be inducted into the Little
Pack Hall of Fame on
December 31.
These individuals will be honored at the World Hunt Banquet. This shall be
an annual induction. If no one meets the requirements on a given year, then
no one will be inducted that year.
5.
For Beagler Hall of Fame at least 30 points must come from Hound
accomplishments.
6.
When counting points for Beagler Hall of Fame only 50
total points will be counted from field and bench judge.
Note:
To receive Beagler Hall of Fame points for starting a club, the ARHA member
must have prior authorization from the Chairman of the Board or the ARHA
President to assist the new club. Normally it is a State ARHA Representative
who is assigned this task, and has the above-mentioned approval. Sometimes
it is not an ARHA Representative. Conditions for starting a club:
a.
Meets with the people interested in starting the club and answers questions
about ARHA Little Pack and/or in phone conversations with the person who is
organizing the club does the above.
b.
Attends at least 1 of the club’s fun hunts and observes their operations of
this hunt and assists them with the hunt.
c.
Writes a report to the ARHA President recommending them for a charter.
d.
Continues to be supportive of the new club as an advisor. All points must
come from Little Pack Division only! To total points, take the number to the
right of the line and multiply it by the number of years you have done it.
Add up your points to get the total. Induction will take place at the World
Hunt Banquet each year. Cutoff date will be
December 31 prior to the
World Hunt date.
Verification will
come from the NKC. Send nominations to the NKC P.O. BOX 331 BLAINE, TN
37709.
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
NKC.
b.
The hunt must be listed in the ARHA Hunt Schedule
in
The Rabbit Hunter
at
least 1 month before the hunt is
held and the ARHA Hunt Schedule in the NKC office at least 90 days 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, or
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 NKC 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,
Secretary/Treasurer, Chairman of the Watchdog Committee and other Committee
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 entered and present to
conduct an Open Class ARHA licensed hunt. There must be a minimum of 3
Rabbit Champion hounds entered and present to conduct a Rabbit Championship
Hunt. There must be a minimum of 3 Grand Rabbit Champion hounds entered and
present to conduct a Grand Rabbit Championship Hunt.
(Note:
All hounds must be present at the
staging area; present means that hounds entered in the hunt must be on the
premises)
g.
The use of firearms, weapons, alcoholic beverages, and illegal drugs is
prohibited from all individuals participating in an ARHA licensed hunt.
B.
The Big Five Little Pack hunts are the World Hunt, Little World Hunt,
Grand Nationals, North American Championships, and Spring Nationals.
1.
To qualify for the World Hunt Little Pack Open Class Competition, a hound
must have placed
1st thru 5th place
in at least one (1) ARHA licensed hunt within the time frame of after the
previous World Hunt to the present World Hunt, and must show proof of the
same at the time of entering the hound.
2.
A State hunt shall not be scheduled the same weekend as one of the Big Five
hunts.
3.
Normally 3 of the Big Five hunts are to be scheduled in the spring and 2 are
to be scheduled in the fall.
4.
Judges at all Big Five Hunts shall be paid not less than the price of a
single entry fee for each cast.
5.
The Chairman of the Watchdog Committee shall serve as Master of Hounds at
the World Hunt.
a.
If the Chairman of the Watchdog Committee is not present, another member of
the Watchdog Committee shall serve.
b.
If none of the Watchdog Committee members are present, the host club shall
provide the Master of Hounds.
6.
It is mandatory for trophies to be presented 1st thru 10th in all classes
for the field in all Big Five Hunts.
7.
The entry fee for
State Hunts shall
be limited to $20.00 and $10.00 for the bench and Big Five Hunts
shall be limited to
$25.00
for the field and $10.00 for the Bench.
8.
A member of the Executive Board will be appointed to
be Master of Hounds at all Big 5 Hunts. If an Executive Board member cannot
attend, a member of the Watchdog Committee will be appointed. The host club
will be responsible for gas & lodging for the Master of Hounds. IV. Judges
A.
All judges must be ARHA certified. An ARHA certified judge is one who has
studied the rules and passed a written test. Judges should score at least
85% on the written test. All
judges must be ARHA certified and be a minimum of
16 years old to judge by
themselves.
1. APPRENTICE JUDGES:
Anyone age 14 to 15 who have a willingness to learn proper judging
techniques from an experienced licensed judge. An apprentice judge’s license
will be given to anyone of proper age that passes the ARHA judges test with
an 85% or better. This license will allow an apprentice judge the
opportunity to run and judge with an experienced licensed judge. Any judge
with an apprentice license WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO SCORE ANY OF THE CAST.
Scoring will only be done by the licensed judge. Each cast will be
documented on the apprentice judge’s license application form. The licensed
judge must sign and document his/her license number for each cast the
apprentice judge judges with him/her. The apprentice judge must judge with a
minimum of three different judges over a total of 10 casts to apply for a
Junior Judge’s License.
2. JUNIOR JUDGES:
Once an apprentice judge has met all the requirements of the apprenticeship
judging he/she will be allowed to apply for a junior judge’s license. This
license will give a young judge the opportunity to complete a judging
apprenticeship and gain valuable hands on experience with ARHA Little Pack
trailing events. Once this license is granted the Junior Judge WILL BE
ALLOWED TO RUN AND SCORE WITH AN ARHA LICENSED JUDGE ONLY. At the age of 16
the Junior Judge will automatically be given his/her permanent ARHA judge’s
license when applied for.
3.
Judges cannot judge a hound that is owned by them, a kennel or partnership
or an immediate member of his/her family. Immediate family is defined as
husband/wife, father/mother, brother/sister, son/daughter or spouse of any
of the above.
4.
A club must provide at least 1 judge per cast, but may elect to have more
than 1 judge per cast.
5.
The judge shall be responsible for making all calls in the field and
recording the scoring on a scorecard or scoring booklet.
The score must be read to the
handlers each time the dogs are handled.
6.
The judge’s decision in the field is final; however, a handler may appeal
the judge’s decision to the Master of Hounds.
7.
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.
8.
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.
9.
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 before they are released, including 1 trip back to the clubhouse
to find missing hounds.
10.
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 Watchdog committee. V. Scorecard and Protests
A.
At end of the cast the judge shall total the scores and offer the scorecard
to the handlers for their signatures.
1.
The handler may lodge a protest with the judge by not signing the scorecard.
2.
When the handler signs the scorecard he forfeits his right to protest unless
the score or the placements of the hounds on the scorecard is changed after
he/she signs it.
3.
If a handler protests and does not sign the scorecard, the other handlers
who agree with the judge’s decision shall sign the scorecard.
4.
If no protest is made by a handler 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 cast.
5.
All protests must be reported to the Master of Hounds by the protesting
handler within 15 minutes after returning to the clubhouse or staging area.
6.
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.
7.
The Master of Hounds’ decision is final, with the exception of the appeal
(protest) to NKC within 15 days of the date of the hunt. If this is
at the World Hunt, then the individual has 30 minutes to file the written
protest with the Chairman of the Board. VI. Master of Hounds
A.
Each club is to select a person to serve as Master of Hounds.
1.
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. EXCEPTION:
A member of the E-Board or Watchdog
Committee will serve as Master of Hounds at all Big 5 Hunts.
2.
The Master of Hounds must be licensed by the ARHA.
3.
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 supervision of all functions
associated with the hunt; including the resolution of any protest from the
handlers concerning judges’ decisions.
4.
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.
5.
The Master of Hounds’ duty in
handling a protest is to listen to all parties involved and make a ruling
based on the rules. Nowhere in the ARHA LP rules does it state that a cast
is to be automatically re-run due to a rule violation. The Master of Hounds
must address the protest in a professional manner and correct the situation.
Re-running of a cast is the absolute last resort when the problem(s) cannot
be resolved by the rules. VII. Breed Inspector
A.
Each club is to select a Breed Inspector for the hunt.
1.
This person is to be knowledgeable concerning breed standards.
2.
The Breed Inspector must measure all hounds before they are allowed to enter
an ARHA/NKC sanctioned hunt unless the hound has an official measurement
card. The Breed Inspector must record the height of the hound on the Hunt
Entry Form and place his/her signature in the correct place. If the hound is
over 15 inches, the Breed Inspector keeps the form and sends it into NKC
along with the hunt results.
3.
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
Master of Hounds. 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. Once a dog is
challenged and found to be
15” or
less by the
Master of Hounds
the dog cannot be challenged again that day at the same hunt.
4.
The
Master of Hounds makes the
final decision as to whether the challenged hound shall be allowed to hunt.
5.
The Breed Inspector and Master of Hounds must have available for use an
official measuring stand. An official measuring stand is any type of an
adjustable measuring stand that is scaled in inches so the hound can be
measured and recorded. The part touching the hound must be serrated (saw
tooth) so as to go through the hound’s hair.
6.
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.
7.
The club secretary shall issue a form signed by the Breed Inspector stating
that said hound has been registered with NKC at that club on that date. This
form shall be filled out in duplicate. One copy shall be sent to NKC for
registration. The second is to be given to the dog’s owner to be presented
at subsequent hunts until the official NKC number is received by the owner.
No hound shall be entered without an NKC number or the above proof of
registration unless he is registered at the hunt.
8.
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.
The Breed Inspector
or Master of Hounds may
request the handler’s assistance in getting the hound to stand up.
If the handler refuses to help then the hound is
scratched.
VIII. Conducting the Hunt
A.
All clubs must have a Master of Hounds and a Breed Inspector to conduct an
ARHA licensed hunt.
B.
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. C. 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 or any hound owned by an immediate member of his/her
family. Immediate family is defined as husband/wife, father/mother,
brother/sister, son/daughter or spouse of any of the above.
b.
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 or other ARHA approved
computer software.
3.
Separate drawings shall be made for Open Class, Rabbit Champion, and Grand
Rabbit Champion.
4.
Each cast is to be made up of 3 to 5 hounds, without discrimination made on
the basis of sex or size. Exception, the final cast may have 2 hounds.
5.
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.
6.
If you enter a hound in a Little Pack sanctioned hunt
and the hound has more than one owner (Registered Kennel Owners), then in
order to roll a hound out of a certain cast, you must show proof of more
than one owner, when you enter the dog in the hunt. This proof requirement
would be an updated Kennel Registration Certification or the ARHA
registration certificate of this hound showing more than one owner.
Both
certificates must be on file at the NKC office
showing the same
owners. If an individual buys a hound and wants to run the hound in
his/her name and be able to roll it at that hunt, he/she must give the
hound’s signed registration paper(s) to the hosting Club and then he/she can
roll the hound. (The Club is a Representative of NKC and will send the
papers to the NKC Office.)
7.
The hound must hunt in the cast into which he/she was drawn
and with the number assigned by the
club. Any hound that is allowed to run in the wrong cast is
disqualified, even if he/she was scored and placed in the cast.
8.
The drawing of casts
and judges
must be open to all handlers or the results are void
unless using NKC software to roll
the casts and judges.
D. Identification of Hounds in the Hunt
1.
All hounds must be marked in such a way that the judge can identify each
hound without the handlers having to report to the judge which is his/her
hound.
2.
The hounds shall be marked in one, or both, of the following methods:
a.
Using paint, the hound is numbered on both sides of his/her body. It is
recommended that automotive or industrial paint with acrylic lacquer be used
when marking hounds.
b.
Using color-coded collars. The collars must be a minimum of 1-1/2 inches in
width and be made of day glow fabric or other fabric that is clearly
visible. E. 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.
3 awards must be awarded in the Rabbit Champion Class, 2 awards in the Grand
Champion Class, but a Club may award more if they see fit.
3.
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.
4.
No cash prizes may be awarded without NKC permission.
5.
No Calcutta, Shotguns, or other significant awards may be given without NKC
permission.
6.
ARHA does not prohibit raffles at hunts. F. Reporting Hunt Results to the ARHA/NKC
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, and the
winners of the Rabbit Champion Class, and the Grand Rabbit Champion Class.
Certificates shall also be issued to Bench Show winners.
2.
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 NKC within
15 days of the hunt. A white
copy of each of the winner’s certificate is to be sent to the NKC Office
with the hunt report.
3.
If these procedures are not followed, the club hosting the hunt could face
penalties as seen fit by the Watchdog Committee.
4. Club Hunt:
State Hunt:
Big Four Hunt:
World Hunt:
IX: 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 the point.
1. Clubs will be allowed to use running pens upon meeting the NKC guidelines
and with approval from the NKC. The running pen will be inspected by an NKC
Representative before a permit will be issued. The permit will need to be on
display at the clubhouse. Hounds will be allowed to run and be judged in a
fenced enclosure designed to hold rabbits. In case all cast will not be run
in enclosure, you will draw for the place where the casts will run so each
cast has equal chance to run in enclosure.
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 the rabbit is jumped by a hound.
Example: Hound A jumps the 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 30 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 3 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 produces the rabbit within 3 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 3 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.
The judge shall give the hound that is struck a full 3 minutes on that track
no matter what the other hounds in the cast do.
9.
The judge shall award 10 points for a successful strike.
10.
In the situation where the judge cannot determine which hound barked on the
strike, he/she may ask the handlers which hound barked. If the
majority of handlers agree
on which hound opened first, the judge shall award strike points. These may
be minus or plus points depending on whether the rabbit is produced within
the allotted 3 minutes.
D. Jump
1. Definition:
A jump occurs when the 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 goes under a brush
pile and the 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 30 points for a jump.
6.
The judge shall award 30 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 30 points.
8.
The hound that jumps the rabbit shall receive strike and jump points and
shall receive check points 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 for more
than 15 seconds, but then straightens it out and again tracks the rabbit
successfully. Hound A shall receive 10 strike points, 30 jump points and 25
check points. 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.
10.
Any hound that does not hark in, or join the chase, once the rabbit is
jumped, shall not be scored 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 the rabbit and the chase is on. Hound A
jumps a rabbit after Hound B has already jumped or struck the rabbit first.
Hound B is scored and Hound A is not scored.
11.
If the judge does not see which hound jumped the rabbit he/she may if he/she
chooses, ask the handler to identify the hound that jumped the rabbit, but
he/she shall not award any jump points unless the majority of the handlers
agree on which hound jumped the rabbit.
12.
No hound shall be awarded jump points on a rabbit that is jumped by the
judge, handlers, or spectators.
13.
No jump shall be given on the 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 it is evident that the hounds in pursuit of the rabbit
have lost it for 15 seconds, or more. The hounds do not have to shut
up barking for 15 seconds in the check area for it to be considered a check,
only lose it to where they cannot make forward progress with the rabbit for
15 seconds. A hound must claim the check by giving mouth and making forward
progress.
a.
If a hound catches the rabbit during the open check time, the hound shall be
awarded 25 check points. If a hound catches the rabbit when the check time
is not open, the judge shall call dead track and no check points shall be
awarded.
2.
Any hound that pulls 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 for more than 15 seconds. 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 25 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 Minus Points
1.
If a hound opens and barks 3 times and no rabbit is produced within 3
minutes, the hound that opened first 3 times shall receive minus 10 points.
If another hound produces the rabbit within 3 minutes and the hound that is
on the clock for the strike pulls into the chase within the 3 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.
4.
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.
5.
MINUS POINTS MUST BE SUBTRACTED FROM PLUS POINTS.
G. Reasons a Hound Must 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 in such a
fashion that it prevents the other hound from hunting.
3.
If the hound runs major off game. 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 one year if he/she runs off game 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. Major off game is described as deer, fox,
coyote, elk, moose, antelope, wolf, bobcat, cougar, bear, wild hogs, wild
goats and wild sheep.
4.
If a female is in heat and is distracting to the other hounds. This applies
to both field and bench competition.
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 or Master of Hounds
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, NKC
number, and owner of the hound be reported on the same page of the reporting
form as the off-game runners are reported. Any hound measured and found to
be oversized 3 different times by 3 different Breed Inspectors or Master of
Hounds, in the lifetime of the dog, shall be banned from all future
competition.
11.
All cast winners must be present and accounted for at the
casting area, when the
second, or later, casts are
taken
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. This does not apply to hounds
that will be placed using the Progressionary Sequence Method.
12.
All hounds that have been spayed or neutered because of Brucellosis shall be
prohibited from all Little Pack competition.
13.
The hound must hunt in the cast into which he/she was drawn
and with the number assigned by the
club. Any hound that is allowed to run in the wrong cast is
disqualified, even if he/she was scored and placed in the cast.
14. If a handler is caught with a tracking collar receiver in their
possession in the field, their hound(s) in the respective cast will be
scratched and reported to the Master of Hounds.
H.
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-hour hunt started at 9:00 AM. The judge called
a 10-minute time out. Instead of the hunt ending at 10:00 AM, it will end at
10:10 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.
I.
Dead Track
1.
The judge shall announce to the handlers when he/she has determined that the
track is dead and the chase ended.
2.
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.
3.
During a dead track call and hounds
are being handled, all scoring has stopped until the judge opens it back up.
Example: 5 dog cast and dead track is called, 4 handlers have caught their
dogs and the fifth dog jumps a rabbit, NO JUMP can be scored-release the
four caught hounds and when all of the dogs have had an opportunity to join
the race, begin scoring from the first check.
4. During a dead track, hounds are being handled, and one or more hounds
cannot be caught, the judge moves 50 yards or more from the area and turns
the caught hounds loose. The strike is now open to all dogs, including dogs
that were not handled.
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. Exception: A handler who is not
capable of keeping up with the cast because of age or a disability, who is
in no way interfering with the hounds, the rabbit or the cast.
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
except in a Check situation.
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 Watchdog
committee.
a.
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
by the Watchdog Committee or
President of ARHA, his/her name shall be reported to
NKC. At the end of the ban,
this handler may apply to NKC for reinstatement, which may or 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
banned, unless the hounds are sold to non-immediate family members and the
transfer of ownership is recorded in the NKC/ARHA office. Immediate family
is defined as husband/wife, father/mother, brother/sister, son/daughter,
grandson/granddaughter, stepson/stepdaughter or spouse of any of the above
or anyone residing within your household.
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.
A handler is permitted to handle more than 1 hound in a cast. Any handler in
the cast may assist another handler, more especially the elderly and
handicapped.
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. Bells are allowed to be used on the hounds,
but not to be used by or worn by the handlers.
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 must leave the searching equipment in the vehicle 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 a
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 Watchdog Committee.
All tracking
collar receivers must remain in the truck during the cast. If a handler is
caught with a receiver in their possession in the field, their hound(s) will
be automatically scratched from the cast and reported to the Master of
Hounds as such.
14.
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.
15.
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.
a.
Spectators are not allowed to protest.
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 Watchdog Committee.
3.
The judge shall instruct spectators as to where he/she wants them to be in
relation to handlers and him /her.
4.
A spectator cannot talk to the judge, nor try to tell him/her how he/she
should be judging the hunt.
5.
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.
6.
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, or coyote, or at the end of the hunt.
7.
If a spectator is caught with a
tracking collar receiver in their possession in the field, the Judge shall
instruct the spectator to return to the truck until the cast is over. The
Judge shall report this to the Master of Hounds when returning to the club
house.
XI.
Running Time
A.
Before a hound is declared to have placed
1ST in a licensed hunt, it
must have been judged in active hunting for a minimum of 2 hours.
1. Exception:
In a Rabbit Championship, or Grand Rabbit Championship hunt, if there are
only 5 or less hounds entered in the hunt, the active hunting time shall be
a minimum of 1 hour.
B.
All second place hounds, not cast winners, will be placed by their points,
using the Progressionary Sequence Method, and only have to run the first
cast (1 hour), if there are less than 10 casts in the first series.
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.
E.
Hunting and Running time are the same, one hour means one hour, exception
time outs are added on. XII. Breaking the Ties
A.
If 2, or more, hounds are tied 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 jump points. If this does not break the tie, go to
3.
3.
The hound with the most check points. If this does not break the tie, go to
4.
4.
The hound with the most plus strike points. If this does not break the tie,
go to 5.
5.
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. The judge
rating the hounds on handling and hunting shall place other hounds that are
tied, under these conditions.
6. Note
that the only time that a coin flip is used is to break a tie when using the
Progressionary Sequence Method to place the hounds.
B.
If 2 or more hounds are tied in the final cast (running for first place) and
the tiebreaker rules 1 through 4 does not break the tie; the coin toss will
not be used. The tied hounds shall run for 15 additional minutes. If they
are still tied at the end of this time, the judge shall use hunting and
handling ability to break the tie. XIII. Selection of Winners
A.
Conduct a trial where the First Round cast run for 1 hour. After the first
series the winner of each cast advance to the second round of competition.
If less than 10 casts in the first round, the places not filled with cast
winners, shall be filled using the Progressionary Sequence Method.
1.
In the second round of competition, the hounds must run 1 hour. In the
remaining rounds of competition, the hounds must run a minimum of 30
minutes.
2.
Continue to run until a final cast of 2 to 5 hounds is left. The winner of
this cast shall be declared winner with the remaining hounds in the cast
placing in their order of finish.
3.
Should any hound(s) be disqualified in the running of the final casts,
places vacated due to disqualification shall not be filled. (Hounds will NOT
be moved up to fill places 1 through 10.) EXAMPLE: The event has
attracted 35 hounds. The Master of Hounds elects to run 7 casts of 5 hounds.
The 7 cast winners advance to the 2nd round to compete for places 1-7 and
the second place hounds, by using the Progressionary Sequence Method, are
used to fill places 8-10. The first place winners are drawn into two casts.
One cast would have 4 hounds and the other cast would have 3 hounds. The
winners of these two casts would run against each other for 1st and 2nd
places. 3rd-7th places would be awarded (using the remaining hounds from the
two winner’s casts) by the Progressionary Sequence Method.
B.
Progressionary Sequence Method
1.
This method is used to determine the place winners that have not been
determined after the second (or third) round of competition.
2.
The reasons for using this method are:
a.
Some casts may find several rabbits and have high scores, while other casts
may find very few rabbits and have low scores.
b.
A hound that scored second in his/her cast should not be placed lower than
hounds that scored third or fourth in another cast.
c. Example:
In this example we are determining 3rd through 10th places.
Steps:
1.
Look at the second place finishers. Hound #5 has the highest point total and
is awarded 3rd place. Hound #25 is placed 4th.
2.
Look at the third place finishers. Hound #30 has the highest point total and
is awarded 5th place. Hound #9 is placed 6th.
3.
Look at the fourth place finishers. Hound #16 has the highest point total
and is awarded 7th place. Hound #1 is placed 8th.
4.
Look at the fifth place finishers. Hound #6 has the highest point total and
is awarded 9th place. Hound #20 is placed 10th. XIV. Rabbit Champion and Grand Rabbit Champion Classes
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 Big Five Hunt, it becomes a neutral club as far as
awarding points are concerned. That is, the points earned toward Rabbit
Champion are not charged against the host club. Example: Northwest Beagle
Club is hosting the Florida State Hunt and John’s Little Susan scores 30
points, but already has 40 points from the Northwest Beagle Club. John’s
Little Susan can use all 70 points she has received because 30 points were
from a State Hunt.
B.
To qualify as Grand Rabbit Champion a hound must have at least
3
first place wins in a
Champion Class in licensed hunts,
1
of which must be a state, or Big Five Hunt, or place first in at least
5 licensed hunts in the
Champion Class at
3 or more
different clubs.
C.
Rabbit Champions and Grand Rabbit Champions cannot compete in the Open Class
against non-champion hounds.
D.
In order to be awarded points toward Rabbit Champion a hound must compete in
licensed hunts where there are at least 10 hounds entered.
E.
Rabbit Champions shall be allowed to compete in all licensed hunts where 3
or more Rabbit Champions are entered and present at the hunt. Otherwise, the
Rabbit Champion Class cannot be run.
F.
Grand Rabbit Champions may be allowed to hunt in all licensed hunts where 3
or more Grand Rabbit Champions are entered and present at the hunt.
Otherwise, the Grand Rabbit Champion Class cannot be run.
G.
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 enter the
hound in the Rabbit Champion or Grand Rabbit Champion Class at the very next
event the hound is entered in after the hound has acquired the necessary
points to advance to the next class, both field and bench.
H.
Once a hound has the necessary points/places to become a Champion/Grand
Champion it is the responsibility of the owner to submit copies of the
placements to the NKC office within
30 days. After
30 days if
the owner does not have a Champion/Grand Champion certificate the hound
cannot compete in an ARHA event until the certificate(s) are received. This
applies to both the field and the bench.
XV. Awarding of Points of ARHA Licensed Hunts
A.
ARHA Scoring for Rabbit Champion;
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