RULES

EAST TEXAS TEAM PENNING ASSOCIATION OF HENDERSON

2012 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

1. Contestants must be a member of East Texas Team Penning Association of Henderson (“ETTPA of Henderson”).

2. Membership Fee will be Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) for an individual, Forty Dollars ($40.00) for family, and Fifteen Dollars ($15.00) for youth. Individuals nineteen (19) years and older as of the first show date of the current year, living at home or otherwise, must purchase their own membership.

 
3. ETTPA of Henderson consists of eleven (11) divisions/classes:

Penning:

Open Draw Penning

#6 Class Penning

#9 Class Penning

Novice (#3 Class) Penning

Youth Draw Penning (15 years and under as of the first show date)

 
Sorting:

#10 Arena Sorting

Open Ranch Sorting

#6 Ranch Sorting

Youth Draw Ranch Sorting (15 years and under as of the first show date)

#2 Ranch Sorting

#4 Ranch Sorting

There will be a limit of five (5) rides per division per person. All adult divisions will have a mandatory one (1) draw ride with the exception of the Open Penning which will be all draw.

Youth penning class will be all draw. The Youth penning teams will consist of two (2) youth and one (1) adult. The adult rider will not be allowed to ride into the herd or call for time. There will be no fee for the adult rider. There is a (5) five ride limit, and two (2) goes.

Youth Ranch Sorting Class will be all draw. The Youth sorting teams will consist of two (2) youth. There is a (5) five ride limit, and only one (1) go.

All riders must ride in five (5) shows (not including the Finals) AND be in the top 45 of a class to ride that class at the Finals. Any youth rider wishing to compete in an adult class at the Finals must compete in adult classes at five (5) or more shows (not including the Finals) AND be in the top forty-five (45) of an adult class to ride that adult class at the finals.

4. Awards will be given on the basis of points earned in each division at any ETTPA of Henderson sanctioned event.

Members will receive points in each class in which they compete for finishing in the top ten in that class.

 
Members will receive a show point in each class in which they compete at any sanctioned show.

 
5. Any member of ETTPA of Henderson suing, attempting to sue, or seeking monetary damages for any expense or injury while participating or as a spectator at any ETTPA of Henderson function shall be barred from ETTPA of Henderson.

 
6. ETTPA of Henderson reserves the right to refuse a ride to any person, at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Examples: use of alcohol, drugs, or abusive language.

PENNING AND SORTING RULES

 
1. Tank tops, t-shirts, and shorts will not be allowed. Shirts with collars must be worn. Western hat, western shirt, jeans, boots and belt will be required for the Finals.

 
2. A penning and arena sorting team consists of three (3) riders. A Ranch sorting team consists of two (2) riders. A rider may be substituted by notifying the announcer, prior to the ride in the first round only. The substituted rider can only be signed up a total of four (4) times.

 
3. Each contestant may enter a maximum of five (5) times per class with a different partner on each team. Four (4) of those entries may be picked teams. One (1) ride will be a mandatory draw. A contestant may enter any combination of pick and draw up to five (5) rides. The only exceptions will be the Open penning, Youth penning and Youth ranch sorting which will be all draw.

 
4. All members of a team must enter on the same entry form and be responsible for their own rides. Each person is responsible for their own entry, regardless of age.

 
5. Each show will have a Director in charge. The Director in charge will make final decisions on any dispute.

The Judge will raise the flag to signal when the arena is ready. Riders are committed once they enter the arena and any delay will cause disqualification. The team will be given a cattle number when the nose of the first horse crosses the starting line. This will also start the time.

 
6. No other rider can enter the arena once time begins. The team will have thirty (30) seconds to enter the arena after the team names have been called. Time will stop when the nose of the first horse enters the pen and the rider’s hand is raised.

 
7. To enter a protest you must tell a Judge before you leave the arena. If you leave the arena without making the Judge aware of your protest, it will not be a valid protest.

 
8. If any of the cattle hits the back of the pen and a rider is in the pen, the team may be disqualified. Judges only will make this call.

9. A penning team may pen one (1), two (2), or three (3) head of cattle. The Open, #9 and #6 penning classes will run on a sixty (60) second clock. The Novice and Youth penning classes will run on a seventy-five (75) second clock. Three (3) head of cattle beats two (2) head; two (2) head of cattle beats one (1) head. A thirty (30) second warning call is optional. Cattle worked in two (2) goes beats cattle worked in one (1) go, regardless of head count. The Arena Sorting time limit will be sixty (60) seconds. All Ranch Sorting class time limits will be sixty (60) seconds.

 
10. The foul line will be approximately forty percent (40%) of the arena on the cattle side for all penning and arena sorting divisions.

 
11. At the start of the top ten of the current class, the books will close for the following division with the exception of Open Penning.

 
12. Drawing for positions will be done just prior to the starting of a division. Back-to-back rides may be unavoidable.

 
13. The running order of each division will be announced by calling the team member names. That announcement will designate the numerical running order of the competition.

 
14. Prior to competing, the timekeeper will draw the cattle number the contestants will pen. The cattle number will be announced as the time starts.

 
15. To call for time, one (1) rider must stand in the gate and raise his/her hand for the flag. The flag will drop when the nose of the first horse enters the pen and the rider raises his/her hand.

The entire body of the penned cattle must be in the pen to call for time.

If a rider calls for time while a calf is exiting the pen, this is a “no time.”

If a rider calls for time while other cattle are on the pen-side of the foul line, time will continue until all unpenned cattle are back across the foul line.

 
16. Only one (1) trash cow in penning is allowed across the foul line. Two (2) trash cows across the foul line will be a “no time.”

 
17. Contact with or hazing the cattle by hat, ropes or any other equipment is a disqualification. A team exhibiting any unnecessary roughness or roping of the cattle will be flagged a “no time.” No whips or bats are allowed in the arena. Excessive roughness to the cattle can result in a complete disqualification of the contest for the entire penning. This includes roughing the cattle in the pen.

Any cow that lies down and stays down during a run and interferes with the team’s ability to pen cattle or sort may be grounds for a re-ride. If any cow lays down during a run and stays down, the contestant may stop the ride, raise his/her hand and request a re-ride. If the Judge agrees the ride was hindered, a re-ride may be granted.

 
18. A number five (5) rating system will be utilized. The Board of Directors will have the option to re-rate a participant after watching that person in two (2) events. After two (2) events, the rating is final for the remaining year.

 
19. When a team completes their run, it is the responsibility of two (2) of the team members to group the cattle together for the next team and hold the herd.

 
20. Cut-off times will be enforced.

21. Re-rides will be determined by the Director-in-Charge or the Judge.

 
22. Come-backs in Penning and Sorting Classes.

 
All goes will be progressive.

23. If a situation arises in which ETTPA of Henderson does not have a rule, ETTPA of Henderson will go by the USTPA Rules and Regulations.

*Announcements and Postings on day of event supersedes any previous advertisements*