RODEO OFFICIALS STANDARDS FOR JUDGES, TIMERS AND SECRETARIES

RODEO OFFICIALS
STANDARDS FOR JUDGES, TIMERS AND
SECRETARIES
Arena Directors:
1. Purpose of arena directors is to assure that the rodeo is conducted
in accordance with NHSRA Rule Book to the best interest of the contestant.
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2. Arena Directors will be responsible for carrying out the duties stated
herein.
a. Management of their respective arenas before and during the
rodeo.
b. Carrying out NHSRA rules and responsibilities as stated in rulebook.
c. Stock Contractors and host committee will abide by the arena
director’s decisions.
d. It shall be the arena directors’ responsibility to see that contestant
competes on the stock drawn for them. In the event of a mistake,
stock drawn for must be run during that performance and only that
time or score taken.
e. Timed Event Stock will be inspected two (2) weeks prior to the
rodeo.
f. At NHSFR when it is determined by the timed event arena director
before stock draw that the draw herd is uneven, the herd will be
divided into a light/morning draw herd and heavy/night draw herd.
g. Any undesirable conditions will be ruled on by the Arena
Director.
3. All judges will meet with Arena Directors before the rodeo and discuss
their respective events, and judging procedure.
4. An Arena Director may declare particular animals unsatisfactory.
Upon notification, either written or verbal, stock contractor shall
eliminate such animal from competition draw.
5. Arena Directors are to be approved by the National Board of
Directors at the Mid-winter meeting before the coming National High
School Finals Rodeo (rough stock arena, timed events arena, and cutting
arena.)
Rodeo Secretary:
1. No one except the National and State/Province Secretaries or
Central Entry will be allowed to accept entries at the state or national
finals rodeos.
2. All positions will be drawn by National and State/ Province
Secretaries before the livestock draw.
3. Receptacle containing order of position numbers to be drawn must
be held above the drawing secretary’s head and numbers shaken
between each number drawn. Numbers as drawn will be assigned to
list of contestants. List to be in non- alphabetical random order. At
State/Province Rodeos and the National High School Finals Rodeo the
Secretary may have the option of using a computerized random draw
for positions.
4. Positions must be drawn in all events for the first go- round.
5. Order to be reversed for Second Go, and for the finals worked from
the last qualifying position down to the first position. Optional: Each

district/state/province and at the National High School Finals Rodeo
may draw for positions in Barrel Racing and/or Pole Bending in the
short go- round only.
a. Positions will be drawn for Cutting final go- round.
6. There will be no trading out by contestants in any event, except in
conflicting events due to multiple arena situations and high school
graduation.
7. If contestant is in two or more events, the secretary will draw for
events then draw for working order in each event.
8. Rodeo secretary is required to post information as to when and
where draw will be held.
9. The draw at all rodeos shall be posted where the contestants can
examine it.
10. Rodeos that have slack stock to run before or after scheduled performances
shall post the order of events and the draw on the bulletin
board.
11. Contestant is privileged to see the records of all contestants in any
event in which he takes part at the end of each go- round, at a reasonable
time so secretary and judge may be present.
12. Judges’ score sheets will be turned in to the Rodeo Secretary and
posted after each performance.
13. Markings must be totaled by the judges and checked by the secretary
in the presence of the judges.
14. Scores will not be changed once turned in, except for an obvious
mathematical error, and judges, only, will make these changes.
15. Judges and secretaries shall make exact copies of each judge’s book
and post the copies on the bulletin board at the end of each go- round.
16. Master score sheets will not leave the office, except with the
approval of the National Secretary.
17. Rodeo results must be audited within two (2) days after rodeo to
check for errors.
18. No scores, positions, or prizes will be changed after five (5) days
from National High School Finals Rodeo performance.
19. State secretaries are required to fill out the NHSR Association
result sheet and submit it to the National High School Rodeo
Association’s office including the contestant’s high school status with
each winner’s name.
20. Results must be submitted to the National High School Rodeo
Association Secretary within five (5) days after the State High School
Finals Rodeo or the State/Province Cutting Finals.
21. All qualifications forms (National Entry Blanks) must be mailed
to the National Secretary postmarked no later than seven (7) days following
each respective state/province finals rodeo in order for entries
to be accepted and processed for the National High School Finals

Rodeo.
22. Central Entry: The following rules only pertain to the
states/provinces using the central entry system:
a. Under no circumstances will the rules in this section apply to
any state/province not using central entry.
b. Contestant will be allowed to ask for performance preference.
Once rodeo is drawn, no changes will be allowed.
c. Members of the same family and team roping partners will be
given preference on the buddy system allowing them to compete at the
same performance.
d. Position must be drawn for, and under no circumstances will a
trade out be allowed in the position draw.
e. Performance with slack will be considered the same performance
and a contestant must compete in the position he or she draws
up in whether in the slack or performance.
Timers: Personnel:
1. Timers must have prior experience with electric timers.
2. Timers must work from the same position in all performances of
that go- round.
3. Management must provide a place for official timers and announcers
to work without obstruction or interference.
4. Management must position timers at a place that will facilitate for
good communications with the Arena Director, judges and announcers.
5. Timers for the go- round may not be changed after the first performance
except for sickness or injury, or by the request of an
Association official because of timer’s incompetence, or through
agreement of the rodeo committee and Association officials.
Timers: Equipment:
1. Electric Timers:
a. Equipment necessary: Twin units of battery-power electric eyes
with one electric-power digital clock and one battery-power digital
clock and two (2) hand-held battery-power digital watches in hundredths
shall be used, with the time indicated by the electric eye
timers, or, if necessary, the average of the watches used by the official
timers to be the official time. (Optional at State/Provincial level).
b. When the electric eye fails to work for one or more contestants during
a performance, the manual back-up time will be used for those
electronically missed. The electric eye controlled times will remain
unaltered.
c. Complete electric timer must be backed up by a flagman. One
timer will record the times that appear on the electric eye controlled
readout. Two timers will operate the digital watches and record the
average time which is shown thereon. These two timers will operate

from the flagman’s signals.
d. Permanent markers should be put in the ground for the electric
eyes. Electric eyes should be placed on the starting line no closer
together than the width of the first two barrels and for the electric eyes
to be centered on the pattern for each performance.
e. Line on fence for flagman should be well marked. These markers
should be checked every performance along with the barrel markers
and restaked if pulled out. A record of these measurements shall be
kept.
f. Set timer beforehand in the same height and position and lock
the legs.
g. Barrels are not to be used as stands for the electric eye timer
devices.
2. Electronic Timer Failures:
a. The battery digital clock will be the first backup time and digital
hand-held watches to be second back up time.
b. When both the digital clocks malfunction and no time was
recorded from digital watches, contestant will be given a rerun at a
time designated by the Judges and the Arena Director.
General:
2. Events with 30 second/one minute time limit may have penalties
which will exceed the 30 second/one minute time limit.
3. Lap and Tap — No barrier to be used. If barrier judge is used to flag
the start, he shall flag the animal when animal’s nose crosses the
starting line.
4. All riding events shall be timed for eight (8) seconds, that time to
start when the animal’s inside front shoulder passes the plane of the
chute.
5. Tie Down Roping, Breakaway Roping, Team Roping, and Steer
Wrestling: These events shall not be conducted with an open catch
pen gate at any rodeo.
6. Timing of Stock Timed Event: Time should be taken with the average
of two times at all rodeos.
Judges — General:
1. Judges and flagmen for State/Province rodeos shall be chosen with
regard to their integrity, ability and availability.
2. Judges, (including Queen Judges) and Flagmen shall not officiate
an event at a State/Province Rodeo in which a member of their immediate
family or household is contesting.
3. All judges will meet with Arena Directors before the rodeo and discuss
their respective events, and judging procedure.
4. Queen Judges will meet with the Queen Chairman.
5. Judges must read and be knowledgeable of the NHSRA rule book
before judges’ meeting with Arena Directors and officials.

6. Any problems or infractions not covered by the NHSRA Rule Book
will be referred to current PRCA Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws
and Rules, provided their rules cover the event in question.
7. No barrier judge, field flag judge, or riding judge may be changed
during the course of a go- round, except in the case of sickness or
incompetence and then by the request of an Association official in
agreement with rodeo committee.
8. Judges must check all equipment two (2) hours prior to the first
Rodeo performance in his respective arena.
9. Judges must be present and supervise drawing of stock and changing
of positions.
10. Judges must remain available at all times.
11. Executive Committee and Judges will meet and discuss problems
encountered during any event.
12. Judges must remain available to the rodeo office until the rodeo
secretary has made a final check of the rodeo books.
13. The decision of any judges, flagmen or timers will be final, and no
protest by contestant will be permitted, except first through the contestant
event director; or a National Director or Arena Director. Such
protest shall be made before the end of the performance or slack in
which the question arose. If the National Director or Arena Director
determines that the protest is based upon a possible misinterpretation
of an event rule, the National Director or Arena Director shall, at the
first convenient opportunity, describe the protest and the interpretation
of the rule upon which it is based to the judge. If the judge agrees
that an erroneous ruling was made and that the error is correctable,
then the judge shall modify the ruling accordingly. Otherwise, the
decision shall stand.
14. A judge shall conduct himself in a manner fitting and proper to
one afforded the honor of officiating at any NHSRA approved contest.
15. Any misconduct on the part of the judge at any NHSRA approved
rodeo, such as drinking immediately prior to or during the contest, or
use of abusive language, showing obvious favoritism to, or discrimination
against, either an individual or a horse performing in the contest,
or any misconduct unbecoming to one in his position, will make
him subject to a complete and impartial hearing of the cause of the
complaint before the appropriate committee.
16. No riding judge is to judge over two rodeos in succession for the
same stock contractor.
17. If one judge is injured and cannot score a ride, the other judge’s
score will be used as other score.
Judges — Scoring
1. Judges are required to keep a record book and mark all penalties,
no- times, and any change or working order of contestants in all

events they are judging.
2. After each performance, judge will check his records with the
recording secretary in the events he or she is judging and make necessary
changes if error has occurred.
3. Judges score sheets will be turned in to the Rodeo Secretary and
posted after each performance.
4. Markings must be totaled by the judges and checked by the secretary
in the presence of the judges.
5. Scores will not be changed once turned in, except for an obvious
mathematical error, and judges only will make these changes.
6. Judges and secretaries shall make exact copies of each judge’s book
and post the copies on the bulletin board at the end of each go- round.
7. Judges are required to mark on their books any turned out stock
and report it to the Rodeo Secretary and the Arena Director.
Officials — National High School Finals Rodeo Only
1. Only one judge can come from a Host State/Province or any one
State/Province except in the Queen Contest.
2. All personnel contracted are subject to approval by the National
Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting and to be reaffirmed at the
Mid-Winter Meeting.
3. All judges and flagmen for the National High School Finals Rodeo,
except the Queen Contest Judges and Cutting Horse Event Judges,
must be PRCA/CPCA members in good standing. And must have
attended an NIRA or Wrangler Judging Seminar, sponsored by the
PRCA/NCHA, prior to judging a NHSRA Finals.
4. The NHSRA will obtain the announcers, clowns, all judges, timers
and secretaries. This shall be the financial obligation of the NHSRA.
Salaries will be covered by contract.
5. Any problems or infractions not covered by the NHSRA Rule Book
will be referred to current PRCA Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws
and Rules, provided their rules cover the event in question.
6. Cutting Horse Event Judges must be certified NCHA judges to be eligible
to be a judge of the Cutting Horse Event at the National High
School Finals Rodeo.
7. Arena Directors, Judges, Timers, Host Committee, National
Directors, or Assistant National Directors, Secretaries and other officials
will meet one day prior to the National High School Finals
Rodeo.
8. Judges (including Queen Judges) and Flagmen shall not officiate
an event at the National High School Finals Rodeo in which a member
of their immediate family or household is contesting.