Amateur
Certain Non-Professionals within this Association may be classified as Amateurs. A member of this Association shall be disqualified from being classified as an Amateur under any one of the following circumstances: (a) the member has ridden or trained horses or horse riders in any equine discipline astride for remuneration, directly or indirectly; (b) the member has assisted in training horses or horse riders astride for remuneration, directly or indirectly. (c) the member is married (or had a co-habitational relationship) or has been married (or had a co-habitational relationship) to a person who is engaged or has been engaged in activities that would require that person to be classified because of the activities then occurring as a professional by the provisions of Rule 51.a.3; (d) the member has resided with a person who is engaged or in the last five years has been engaged in activities that would require that person to be classified because of the activities then occurring as a professional by the provisions of Rule 51.a.3; (e) the member has resided with or on the premise with a parent, step-parent or foster parent of the member who was, during the time of the member’s residency, a Professional; (f) the member is directly or indirectly employed by a Professional and performs the duties of employment on the premises of a horse training operation astride a horse; (g) the member has been an apprentice cutting horse trainer at any time, or ever in their life been a trainer or assistant trainer of cutting horses; (h) the member has received more than $100,000 ($50,000 Limited Age/$50,000 Weekend) in eligibility lifetime NCHA cutting horse earnings. See Amateur Rules for details.
Please be aware that NCHA Rules contain several exception rules that may allow a member to obtain amateur status under certain limited circumstances. Please consult NCHA rules for the details of these exception rules. If you believe that you may qualify for amateur status under one of these exception rules and would like to apply, please contact the NCHA office to obtain an application form for the exception that you are seeking.
Non-Professional
A non-professional in this association is a person who has not received direct or indirect remuneration to work in any manner in the following activities on the premises of a cutting horse operation: showing, training or assisting in training a cutting horse or cutting horse riders. For purposes of this rule, a cutting horse training operation is any facility where cutting horses are trained. Any person who has trained horses astride in any equine discipline for direct or indirect remuneration shall be considered a professional by this association, with the exception of those who have been granted a change of status since January 1, 1997, from professional to non-professional.
Please be aware that NCHA Rules contain several exception rules that may allow a member to obtain non-pro status under certain limited circumstances. Please consult NCHA rules for the details of these exception rules. If you believe that you may qualify for non-pro status under one of these exception rules and would like to apply, please contact the NCHA office to obtain an application form for the exception that you are seeking.
Any person applying for amateur and/or non pro status under any one of the exception rules shall obtain an exception Application from the NCHA membership department (this is a different application than what is available on-line or in the Chatter), complete the application, have it notarized and signed by a director (where required) and return the application to the NCHA office for review by the Non Pro Amateur Review Committee and shall also provide the NCHA any and all additional information as the NCHA may request related to documenting the status of the applicant. Failure by the applicant to comply with requests for information from the NCHA will result in denial of the application. There is no right to a specific classification and classification may be granted based upon an evaluation of all circumstances considered relevant by the NCHA. The decision on exemption applications shall be made by the Non Pro Amateur Review Committee. The applicant can appeal any adverse decision of the Non Pro Amateur Review Committee to the Executive Committee, whose decision will be final and binding.
Mail to: NCHA Membership file 916204 * Dept. 602 * P.O. Box 961218 * Fort Worth, Texas 76161-9797
As a Non-Pro what can I do?
In regard to remuneration, as a Non-Pro you may:
- share expenses while hauling, i.e. gas, lodging, food, etc.
- accept a horse from anyone provided there is no pre-arranged agreement to return the horse to its prior owner
- buy a horse based on installment payments, provided a fixed amount is stated and paid. A copy of the written sales agreement must be provided to NCHA and needs to state the name of the horse, the sale price, payment dates and amounts and the date of final payment.
- receive compensation for judging cutting horse contests and other horse show classes
- board horses in your barn and provide cattle for training; however, you may not work the boarder’s horse on cattle in any arena, pen or pasture, or on a cutting device
- endorse products publicly as long as you receive no remuneration, pay all of your own expenses and keep any logo modest.
As a Non-Pro what can I not do?
In regard to remuneration, as a Non-Pro you may not:
- receive remuneration (pay) to show, train or assist in training cutting horses or cutting horse riders under any circumstance or in any capacity
- show, train or assist in training a cutting horse in exchange for any goods or services (i.e. feed, rent, cattle use, veterinary bills, transportation for self or horse, etc.)
- transfer a horse to another non-pro for the sole purpose of sharing expenses
