Rule # 1. All entries must be owned by Mid-America member. Membership fees of $15.00 - individual or $25.00 - family, payable to the secretary at the time of nomination or before. No entry will be accepted without current membership number.

Rule # 2. Entries must be in or postmarked by October 1, 2007 or be subject to late penalties in rule # 3.

Rule # 3.  The entry will be $150.00 paid as follows:

$25.00 with the nomination on or before October 1, 2007
$45.00 on or before December 1, 2007
$40.00 on or before February 1, 2008
$40.00 on or before April 1, 2008

The entire amount of entry fee may be paid at the time of nomination with a 10% discount of $135.00 paid.  The entry fee payment will be due on the 1st of the month.  In the event the December, February or April payment is late, a late fee equal to the amount of the late payments will be charged, per last payment.  Horses must be paid in full by April 1, 2008 in order to nominate a judge.  If the owner does not wish to nominate a judge, the horse must be paid in full by April 15, 2008 in order to show. 

Rule # 4. Complete the attached entry form in full. The rules and entry form are also available at our web site www.mofoxtrot.com/midamerica.

Rule # 5. All horses must be nominated by their registered name.

Rule # 6. All entries will be nominated, paid and Judges ballots sent to:

Mid America Fox Trotting Horse Assoc.    Two Year Old Futurity     P.O. Box 726     Republic, MO 65738

2008 Futurity secretary is Marilyn Morris (417) 833-4633. Please make checks payable to MAFTHBA. Please do not send cash in the mail. Be sure to mail all correspondence to the address above.

Rule # 7. No entry can be shown at halter after January 1, 2008, and remain eligible for the show.

Rule # 8. The entry fee will be refunded upon receipt of a death certificate from a licensed veterinarian, provided the certificate is presented to the Futurity Secretary within 7 days of death.

Rule # 9. A minimum of 40 nominations must be received by October 1, 2007 or fees will be refunded.

Rule # 10. No horse shall be shown in performance prior to the Futurity.

Rule # 11. Declaration as to the division (Open, Open Amateur and Amateur Owned and Trained) will be made at the futurity check in on the first day of the futurity horse show. There will be no cross entries of a horse in more than one division.

EXHIBITING

Rule # 12. Both owner and rider of any horse shown in the 2008 Futurity shall be required to be a current member of the Mid America Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association.

Rule # 13. Each class shall be ridden 10 minutes, with the class called by the timekeeper, rested 5, reversed, and ridden another 10 minutes. During the rest period, riders may dismount if so desired. (Both 10 minute rides shall be broken up as follows: walk 1 minute, trot 3 minutes, walk 2 minutes, trot 3 minutes, walk 1 minute.) The time ridden can be adjusted by the board of directors.

Rule # 14. Check – in will be held on the first day of the Futurity. An original or photocopy of the MFTHBA registration papers, with up-to-date ownership transfers, coggins papers and health papers for out-of-state horses must be presented at the check in.

Rule # 15. If a rider dismounts because of a fall or without permission he/she will be disqualified.

Rule # 16. Time-out allowed only for broken equipment.

Rule # 17. The USDA/HPA rules will take precedence over Mid-America rules in case of conflict.

Rule # 18. If preliminary workouts are necessary, they can be adjusted at the board's discretion. The top ten from each preliminary workout are eligible to show back in the semi-final classes and the top ten from each semi-final class are eligible to show back in the championship classes. If Futurity is a two day event, format will consist of preliminary and championship classes.

Rule # 19. Amateur – Conforms to the rules of the MFTHBA.

Rule # 19A. All horses must be out of training by January 1 of the year showing in the Amateur Owned and Trained Division of the Two Year Old Futurity.

Rule # 20. An infraction of the rules must be protested in writing within 60 minutes of the offense by submitting a $50.00 fee to a board member. The protestor may have the option of remaining anonymous. Frivolous protests will not be considered.

Rule # 21. An original or photocopy of MFTHBA registration, with up-to-date ownership transfers, coggins papers, and health papers for out-of-state horses, must be presented at the check-in.

Rule # 22. Any entry that is disqualified by a judge will be excused fro the class. The reason for the disqualification will be announced.

JUDGES AND JUDGING

Rule # 23. All Futurity entries paid in full by April 1, 2008, are eligible to nominate one willing judge (provided that judge did not judge the Futurity the previous year). Nominations in writing will be sent to the Futurity Secretary by April 1, 2008. The top ten names will be determined and a ballot sent to all eligible entries who will select five judges. The ballot must be returned to the Futurity Secretary postmarked by May 1, 2008. The judges will be determined by exhibitor ballot.

Rule # 24. Neither the judge nor members of their family shall exhibit or own a horse in the show.

Rule # 25. The judge will not be eligible to judge provided that he/she has trained, exhibited, conditioned, boarded, or owned any horse to be shown. If a judge cannot exercise an objective opinion, free from possible prejudice, bias, or, outside influence, because of a connection with an owner, exhibitor or anyone else connected with the horse, or, for that matter, if such connection would appear to others of possible bias, whether or not the judge feels he or she would be affected, a judge must disqualify himself or herself, or may be disqualified by the MAFTHBA Board of Directors. Judge must have MFTHBA judge’s card and be in good standing.

Rule # 26. The judge shall not appear on the show grounds more that 15 minutes before the judging begins from the day the show begins until the conclusion of the final day of the show. Judges shall not visit with the exhibitors, owners, or handlers before the show, nor inspect or discuss any horse prior to class time. In the event this rule is violated, the judge will be dismissed and the alternate will judge. Judges will not discuss horses or judging from the day the show begins until the conclusion of the final day of the show.

PAYBACK

Rule # 27. Payback will be determined by the money received from the entries in each division. 5% of the money received will be held for administrative cost of the Mid-America Fox Trotting Horse Assoc. 95% of the total fees paid will be paid back to the winners as follows. 50% of the purse will be paid on the first workout, and the balance of the purse will be paid in the finals. It will pay 10 monies as follows: 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 8%, 7%, 5%, 4%, 3.5%, and 2.5%.

Rule # 28. Total monies will be divided equally for each division, using the percentages in the rules, provided classes are full. In the case of unfilled classes, the unpaid premiums will be added to the stake class pay-offs.