THJA Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my horse not receiving points?
The horse is not registered with the THJA.
If the horse was already registered, it was never transferred to your name.
The owner listed with the THJA is not a current member.
The owner name listed with the THJA is not the same as the one listed with the USEF.
You showed the horse in a division that is not recognized by the THJA.
The Rider of the horse is not a current THJA member.
Why is my credit card transaction being refused?
The most common reason is that the billing address is incorrect. Another common
reason is that one of the numbers from the card is typed incorrectly.
When specifying the height of a horse, it asks for “hands.” What is a “hand”?
A hand is 4 inches. Horse heights are specified in the form 13.3 h which is equal
to 55 inches. The number after the decimal point is inches. 13.3 h = 4 X 13 + 3
= 55 inches. If you listed a horse as 13.4 h (which is incorrect) we would convert
it to 14.0 hands.
The form asks for the sex of my horse. What should I put down?
New owners often select “M” when they think their horse is a male. The three choices
are M – mare (female), G – gelding (male), or S – stallion.
Why do you ask for my birth date?
For junior members, divisions are sometimes split by age. Also, you are no longer
considered a junior member if you are 18 when the show year begins. Our computer
system checks these ages and flags them when the horse show reports your results
incorrectly. For adults, there are several age brackets that we need to check when
entering results. We do not share age information with anyone. It’s only used to
make sure your points get put into the proper divisions when they are based upon
age.
Why am I not receiving prize lists?
The THJA does not mail prize lists for shows. You must contact the individual horse
show managers to get on their mailing list.
My year end point standings are wrong. What do I do?
Year-end points become final on December 5th. Please let us know before then if you think they are incorrect. We cannot make corrections after that date. On the THJA web site, there is an option to have point standings and audits emailed to you after each show. Use this option and there should not be any surprises at year end. VERY IMPORTANT!!! When year end standings are published, horses that have not competed in at least 3 shows and placed in their divisions, are eliminated from year end awards. Horses below them are moved up in the standings.
I lost my membership card or horse registration, what can I do?
The THJA web site has an option to request a replacement membership card, horse registration, or name change certificate.
What do I do if I lease a horse?
This can be a very complicated transaction. Call Ann Yaffe at 281-934-3251 or send her an email at Ann Yaffe. She will lead you through the required steps.
Do I need to renew my horse registration each year?
Horses are registered for life. Once registered, we only need to know about name changes or ownership changes for the horse.
Why haven't I received a membership roster?
The THJA membership roster is now available by email request only. It will be updated frequently rather than once a year as done in the past. Click the "Request Member Roster" button and send a request to the email address shown. As soon as we verify your current membership status, a roster will be emailed to you.
Why haven't I received a rule book?
The THJA rule book is available online at the THJA web site. If you need a hard copy, you can print it from there or we will mail you a copy for a small fee.
Why are the USEF and THJA numbers the same?
The numbers are the same to help members by not having to remember so many numbers when filling out horse show entries and doing yearly renewals. Remember that the USEF, USHJA, and the THJA are all separate organizations that you must be a member of.
Why do I pay a non-member fee?
Starting with the 2013 horse show year, the THJA will no longer be able to collect a non-member fee due to a rule change by the USEF. If you are charged a THJA non-member fee, bring this to the attention of the horse show office or horse show manager and it will be refunded or taken off your show bill.
What is the Horse Show year? How can it affect me?
The horse show year is not the same as the calendar year. The horse show year starts on 12/1 and ends on 11/30 of the following year. The starting date of a horse show determines the year that it falls into. This can cause much confusion during the Thanksgiving and Christmas horse shows. Sometimes the Thanksgiving show is at the end of one year and the Christmas show is the first show of the new year. We have had a number of our members go to both show and forget to register for the new show year. This results in getting points one week and not getting them for the following week. Your age for classification as a junior or adult rider is also determined by the start of the show year. Your age on 12/1 determines your classification for the whole show year. If your birthdate falls on 12/1, you assume the greater age on that date. If you are in a show that is in progress on 11/30, you maintain your lesser age for the show, even if it ends beyond 12/1. Points accumulate from the first show of the show year to the last show of the show year. There are three exceptions to this.
1. USEF Pony Medals qualifications end on 7/1. Any qualifications after that date carry into the next show year.
2. Junior Medalist qualifications end 10/1. Any qualifications after that date carry into the next show year.
How are Champions & Reserves Calculated?
The typical Hunter division consists of 4 over fences classes and 1 under saddle class. The various placings are assigned points that are used for two different purposes, year end point standings and Champion/Reserve calculations. For the year end awards, the THJA and USEF have point tables that take into account the horse show rating and the number of horses in the classes. The year end award points have nothing to do with the calculation of Champion & Reserve.
For Champion and Reserve calculations, one table from the USEF rulebook is used and it does not change because of the show rating or number of horses involved. Basically, the table awards 10 points to 1st place, 6 points to 2nd place, 4 points to 3rd place, 2 points to 4th place, 1 point to 5th place and ½ point to 6th place. For each of the over fences classes, these points are totaled for each horse. The horses with the top 4 totals over fences, have their points for the under saddle class added to their over fences total. The result of this calculation is not necessarily intuitive if you have watched a division take place. The horse that wins the under saddle class only benefits from the win if it has done fairly well in the over fences classes. The scores of the top 4 horses with their under saddle points included are now ranked and the top score receives the Champion award and the 2nd highest score is the Reserve Champion. Occasionally the top 2 horses are tied after this calculation so, there are more rules to cover this situation. For the tied horses, you go back to the over fences points and see who had the most points. The horse with the most points over fences is declared Champion and the other horse is the Reserve Champion. If there is still a tie, the judge has the tied horses compete in an additional under saddle class and he determines the Champion and Reserve Champion from that extra class.
Only after Champions and Reserve Champions are determined, can you use the THJA and USEF point tables to see how many points you have earned.
Some jumper divisions count money won toward year end standings. There are no Champions or Reserve Champions calculated for these jumper divisions. Hunter Breeding Divisions only have one class in each division so the 1st place horse and the 2nd place horse become eligible to move to the "Best Young Horse Class" where additional year end points can be earned.
