Dear RS's,

The 2009 Horse Management Annual Newsletter has been posted and we
wanted to give you a brief amplification of its contents.

New in Horse Management for 2009:

Required Equipment List - Equine First Aid Kit: a scrub with
antibacterial properties will now be accepted along with
antimicrobial and antiseptic. This means that a liquid soap with
antibacterial properties will now be accepted, and up to 1/3 of it's
contents may be added water to create a sudsier scrub.

Leather tabs on peacock stirrups: while recommended they are not
required.

Competitors who are rated C+ or HB will compete at the C2 level in
Horse Management at rallies. (This is a repeat from 2007 and 2008)

Portable music devices such as iPods and MP3 players are allowed in
the stable areas and should be used docked to speakers. Earbuds
and/or headphones are a safety hazard and if used may only be in one
ear. Completely blocking your hearing in the stable area is very
unsafe, if earbuds and/or headphones are used one ear should remain
uncovered.

Longeing (HM11b): In addition to the list of "Individuals Authorized
to Longe": Any competitor C3 and higher, regardless of age, the adult
owner of the mount, or an adult designated by the owner, please add:
At the discretion of the Chief HM Judge, any competitor may longe
their own mount directly supervised by a non-competing adult approved
by the Chief HM Judge.

Note: While longeing is inherently dangerous we are trying to make
provisions where a lower rated competitor who regularly longes their
own mount can do so at a rally under the direct supervision of a
parent/guardian, chaperone, club DC, or other non-competing adult
who will vouch for their competency. The competitor must still meet
all the attire and equipment safety guidelines required by HM11b.

Rope Halters: Horse Management recognizes both the popularity and
potential uses for rope halters. For safety, every halter used in
Pony Club activities must fit well and either be made of leather or
have a breakaway device. Should members choose to use rope halters, a
hemp twine or leather loop, tab, or section shall be added to provide
a breakaway feature. The halter must be appropriately fitted as
described in the HM10b "Halters" in the Horse Management Handbook and
Rules For Rallies. Particular care should be paid to the noseband
which is often generously sized on rope halters. Halters intended for
training purposes are not designed for stall or tying use and should
not be used as such.

Note: bottom line - every halter must fit and must have a breakaway
feature.

Short-shorts, a definition: 'Short-Shorts' are not allowed as
appropriate attire for rallies under Horse Management rules HM15 b
and HM18 a (and does not apply to Tetrathlon approved attire). To
give everyone a clear, simple way of determining if shorts are too
short, we are going to use the ' Fist Test'. Many schools in the
United States have instituted this method as their standard.

Fist Test for Shorts at USPC Rallies: The competitor stands up
straight and points their fingers to the ground, then makes a fist.
To be acceptable, the hem of the shorts should fall at or beyond the
end of their fist, no shoulder hunching allowed.

HM Scoring For Teams without a Stable Managers (3 or 4 Rider):
At the discretion of the Regional Supervisor and rally organizer, it
is possible to have a three or four rider team without a Stable
Manager. In those situations a `Ghost Stable Manager' should be
created to carry the Required Equipment and Daily scores.

Note: We had a few instances where the RE and Daily scores were being
divided amongst the riders and ghost rider, therefore creating a
fractional penalty to the short team. The newsletter shows an
example of how this scoring should be done.

Rally Reminders:
Please keep your jewelry at home. HM rule 18a (amplification) says
the only jewelry you are allowed to wear at a USPC activity are Medic
alert bracelets and/or necklaces, watches, wedding bands, and/or stud
earrings. Specifically not allowed are dangling earrings and
jewelry/piercing of any kind in the airway (nose, lips, tongue, etc.)
or facial piercings.


Please dress appropriately for USPC rallies and activities. HM rule
18a (amplification) says competitor attire must be safe, appropriate,
neat and in good repair. It also states shirts must cover the
shoulder (to the point of shoulder – no tank-tops), and also cover
the midriff (no bare midriffs). These dress requirements are in
effect the entire time a competitor is on the competition grounds.

Note: the above is also true for HM staff.

Reminders For Rally Organizers:

USPC Intent To Rally Notification Form - is now available online at
http://hm.ponyclub.org - under "CHMJ/HMO" tab. This notification must
be sent at least four weeks before a qualifying rally occurs and the
Chief HM Judge must be selected from the Current List of Nationally
Approved CHMJs or the region risks the rally not being considered
qualifying.

Required Equipment Amplification is now available on the Horse
Management website, http://hm.ponyclub.org under `Rally Resources'.

HM Rally Evaluations -
To help improve the rally experience for all members it is vitally
important that you distribute and return to the USPC office HM Rally
Evaluations. They are available online at www.ponyclub.org, under
FORMS. Please destroy all old versions of the HM evaluation forms.
Horse Management Rally Evaluation - Competitors (one per team)
Horse Management Rally Evaluation - Officials

Horse Management Impartial Observers Job Description - now available
at www.ponyclub.org, under FORMS, HM: Horse Management Impartial
Observers Job Description.

With regards,
Mary Waldman
Chair, HM Committee