Proposed Change:  26-01-09
 

B. NON PRO CONDITIONS

            (9)  Relinquishing Non Pro Status:  A Non Pro that gives up his/her Non Pro status, and becomes a professional must notify the NRHA office in writing within (30) days of the change.  Non Pro earnings in any category/class will not be utilized in determining current eligibility, with the exception of the Rookie Professional class (see definition of Rookie Professional in D. Categories of Competition and Class Eligibility, Category 1).

D. CATEGORIES OF COMPETITION AND CLASS ELIGIBILITY

Category 1

Rookie Professional – Open to any rider, except those holding an NRHA Non Pro, Youth or Youth Non Pro card, who has earned less than $5,000 in NRHA lifetime earnings, all categories, at the start of the NRHA year.  Can run concurrent with any Category 1 Open, Intermediate Open or Limited Open class.

 

Intent of Proposal (include additional pages as necessary):

To give more new professionals the ability to get used to showing horses in various stages of training.

When the Rookie Professional class was first discussed by NRHA, the Limited Open Class eligibility was $5,000.  A Non Pro with lifetime earnings of over $5,000 can give up on Pro eligibility to go into Open classes whereby Non Pro earnings are dropped.  But, if that brings earnings below $5,000, that former Non Pro is still not eligible for Rookie Professional (lifetime earnings all categories less than $5,000).

Since the eligibility cap was raised to $10,000 for Limited Open, now the new professional who has just entered the Open division has to compete with more experienced trainers.  Lifetime earnings of over $5,0000 may indicate some show experience on broke horses, but that same person does not necessarily have much experience to break and show horses through various stages of training.  The original intention of the Rookie Professional was to have a class for new professionals, from any other discipline, where they can start to show in reining and not have Non Pros or Youth riders be allowed to compete in that class.  This should be extended to new professionals within the reining discipline who may have earned over $5,000 as a Non Pro, but are now beginning a new direction within the same discipline.