To start a new WSCA member club, an Application For Membership form must be completed and submitted to the WSCA Secretary by May 15, 2016 (late fees begin for any renewal submitted after January 1). The appropriate dues must accompany the application. The fee schedule and other instructions are included on the form. A club membership list must be submitted through the WSCA website Online Membership List by May 31, 2016. The information on the Online Membership List and instructions on how to use it can be downloaded from the WSCA website under Forms. A club must have a minimum of 12 members. More details may be found in the WSCA Rulebook on pages 11 and 12.
The yearly club membership renewals (the Application For Membership and dues) are due by December 31st of the year prior to the renewal year (i.e. due December 31, 2015 for the 2016 membership year) in order to avoid a late fee. After that date, club renewals are accepted by WSCA until May 15th with ever increasing late fees. The late fee schedule is listed on the Application For Membership form to be filled out for the club renewal. After May 15th, WSCA will not accept any club renewals for the year. The club membership lists must be submitted directly online by the member clubs. This must be done by May 31st. After that deadline, there is a late membership procedure. Contact the WSCA Executive Secretary for the late membership procedure. The late membership procedure will allow a club to add members to the club membership so that they will be eligible for the WSCA Championship Show. Adding members through the late membership process WILL NOT allow clubs to have those late members be eligible for that year’s WSCA classes at the MN State Fair.
The WSCA rulebook has lots of great information including WSCA show rules, by-laws, club lists, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs. You may purchase a WSCA rulebook by sending a request with your name and address along with a check, written out to WSCA, in the amount of $6 (this amount includes postage) to Cindy Ladd, Rulebook Chairperson. Her contact information may be found under Committee Chairpersons on the website. It is possible to purchase the rulebook at various places including the WSCA booth at the MN Horse Expo. If a book is purchased in person, the fee is $5.
Each WSCA member club may have up to two club delegates and two alternate delegates. Member delegates or their alternates have the voting power of their club. The General Meetings are held in March and October every year. Each delegate gets one vote with a total of two votes per club on issues that come up for a vote to the General Delegation or during elections. For more details, check the WSCA rulebook, page 63.
Each WSCA member club receives a subscription to the Spotlight. The monthly issues are sent to the club secretary. If you wish to purchase a subscription to the Spotlight, CLICK HERE to learn more or you may contact Herald Journal Publishing, the publisher of the Spotlight. The contact for Herald Journal is: Randy Heuer: (320) 485-2535 or e-mail: wsca@heraldjournal.com.
The WSCA website has an On Deck Submission Form listed on the home page. If you click on this, it will bring up a form that can be completed and submitted online. This is the most expeditious way to get your listing on the On Deck Listings, however it may be submitted by mail: Randy Heuer, Herald Journal Publishing, 120 Sixth St. N., PO BOX 129, Winsted, MN 55395.
The best way to do this is to purchase a WSCA rulebook which lists ‘Recommendations For Show Committees’ on page 13. This section covers the most important aspects of running a show including hiring judges. See WSCA Judges List on the website. You will also find the WSCA rules for classes and equipment regulations in the rulebook. Remember, WSCA does not approve shows, it approves judges and rules of the WSCA rulebook.
The requirements to apply for a WSCA judges’ card are: 1) Applicant must have reached the age of 25 years. 2) Applicant must have five consecutive years experience in training, showing and/or judging horses. 3) Applicant must have some type of judging experience. 4) Applicant must have been a member of a WSCA club for the last two years.
The testing application must be submitted by January 1 to be eligible for testing that year. The initial testing is usually held in late March or early April. You must complete an application and submit it with $50 non-refundable fee. You must arrange to have three letters of recommendation submitted directly to the Judges Committee Chairperson, Roy Johnson. You will receive a rulebook.
Testing consists of a written test, an interview, and judging classes either from video or live. If your score merits, you will then be required to guest judge three shows. The judge at these shows completes a form evaluating your judging ability. The results are then evaluated by the Judges Committee and the Committee then makes a recommendation to the WSCA Board of Directors. The Board votes to approve or disapprove.
This is covered in the WSCA rulebook under General Rules, page 15, paragraph 1. To ask for an addition, deletion or change of a WSCA rule, you must request the forms and procedures from the Rulebook Committee. Cindy Ladd is the Rulebook Chairperson. Except for safety purposes, revisions will not take effect until the next printing of the rulebook. The current rulebook is good for 2016/2017/2018.
The WSCA Secretary, Board of Directors & Committee Chairpersons contact information can be found in the Spotlight or on the home page of the WSCA website. You will also find the WSCA Judges List on the home page, which gives contact information for the WSCA judges.
If your daughter was 13 years old as of January 1, she will ride in the Junior classes throughout the entire calendar year (through December 31) and at this year’s Champ Show, even after she turns 14 years old. Starting next calendar year, January 1, she will ride as an Intermediate.
Yes, although she has shown as a Junior rider for this calendar year, if she places 1st or 2nd at a WSCA qualifying show after this year’s Champ Show (which is part of next year’s Champ Show qualification period), those qualifications will be valid for her to show in the Intermediate classes at next year’s Champ Show. She must ride in her proper (current) age group at Champ Show.
The qualification period for the MN State Fair WSCA classes and the WSCA Championship Show are different from each other and vary from year to year. Typically, the qualification period for the MN State Fair runs from a specific date in July of one year to July of the next year. The Champ Show qualification period runs from a specific date in August of one year to August of another year. These specific dates change from year to year. You will find the exact dates for both events on the Qualifications page on the website.
Refer to the Champ Show page which gives you lots of great information. You may also find details on this in the WSCA rulebook, page 12, under Eligibility for WSCA Championship Show. However, some of the requirements include that the contestants must be members in good standing of WSCA member saddle clubs. Also, horse and rider, together, must have placed 1st or 2nd at a WSCA qualifying show during the appropriate qualification timeframe. If these requirements are met, entries for Champ Show may be completed and sent in. The Champ Show entry forms, with instructions, as well as other Champ Show information such as the Champ Show stalling forms, Class List, etc. will be published in the Spotlight and posted under forms on the website.
Stalling has been a big issue in the last years as the WSCA Championship Show has grown immensely. Accommodating so many horses has become a challenge for the Champ Show committee. Information and forms will be available to WSCA members in the Spotlight and the WSCA website. However, some things to remember are: 1) There is a stalling deposit required. If the stalls are not cleaned, and verified to be clean by a WSCA representative, the deposit will NOT be returned. 2) There are NO refunds for stalling. This includes cases of injury or illness to horse or rider. 3) Stalls are assigned in order received and no guarantees are made on stall preferences. 4) During the Pleasure portion of the show, tack stalls cannot be ordered unless there are three or more horses on the tack stall request. During the Games portion of the show, tack stalls cannot be ordered unless there are five or more horses on the tack stall request. 5) There are options for box stalls and ties stalls. There will be no In & Out permits issued this year.
Be sure to look for other important details on the Stalling Forms.
The WSCA Board supports the WSCA Royalty by adding many exciting incentives to those who run. There is a Royalty Clinic held each spring to help interested saddle club queens find out more about the contest. A contestant must be at least 18 years of age by January 1 of the current year and a member in good standing of a WSCA member club. A Royalty Contest application must be submitted by the deadline. CLICK HERE to get all royalty forms. The competition includes interviews, public speaking, written tests and riding. The coronation of new WSCA Royalty is held at the WSCA Championship show. Bridget Behrns, Royalty Chairperson, can answers detailed questions regarding the contest. Their contact information may be found under Committee Chairpersons on the website.
Scholarships are awarded each year by WSCA. The Scholarship application will be available in the Spotlight and on the WSCA website. Scholarship Chairperson, Kelly Nelson, can answer detailed questions regarding the scholarship application and award process. Her information may be found under Committee Chairpersons on the website.