1. Trial/Class Schedules

The HA Secretary or Webmaster shall maintain a list of all sanctioned trials, and shall publish on the USBCHA website the number of trials to be run in each sanctioned class during the course of the overall trial.

2. Deadlines

a. Trial hosts must apply to the HA Secretary for sanctioning at least thirty (30) days prior to the trial entry opening date. The number of trials to be offered in each sanctioned class (e.g., 2 Open trials and 2 Nursery trials) must be specified. If the HA Secretary deems it necessary, the President or appointed committee, if any, will review the request and either approve or disapprove. The President may waive errors or omissions by the trial host and his/her decision will be final.

b. Trial information should include trial name and dates, contact name, phone number, email or web site address, and location. Upon request, the HA may furnish local district mailing addresses to the trial host.

c. The 30-day requirement may be waived with the consent of the two Directors from the District in which the trial will take place provided there is a good reason for the delay and so long as the opening day for entries is no less than 14 days prior to the trial date, or the trial will accept same-day entries. Any such waiver is on a casebycase basis and for one year only.

3. Sanctioning Fees

a. A $3.50 per dog sanctioning fee shall be charged for each dog entered in Open and Nursery competition at all sanctioned trials. One dollar ($1.00) of this fee shall be allocated to the current year National Finals Committee in order to meet expenses. Fifty cents ($0.50) of this fee shall be allocated to the general fund and shall be paid to the Secretary as compensation for work performed for the Association. These funds are not considered a loan, and the USBCHA will continue to share in any profits associated with a current year National Finals, which shall include the sanctioning fee as income.

b. Not later than twenty-one (21) days after the trial, the trial results form is to emailed or mailed (postmarked) to the HA Secretary’s office. If mailed, the sanctioning fee is to be included with the trial results. If the trial results are emailed, the sanctioning fee check must be postmarked within 7 days of the email. If paid by PayPal, payment must be made within 7 days of the invoice being sent. The Secretary shall assess a penalty of $25.00 per class for all reports filed after the 21 days. If a trial report is late for two consecutive years, the trial host shall be referred to the Grievance Committee and the trial will not be sanctioned in the following year without pre-payment of sanctioning fees in an amount equal to 10% more than the prior year’s fees. Any overage shall be refunded when and if the results are filed in a timely manner.

4. Trials Ineligible for USBCHA Sanctioning

a. Any trial, if designed to exclude specific people or regions, is not eligible for USBCHA points. Or, conversely, any trial that is designed to INCLUDE only a specific set of people or a specific region cannot be awarded USBCHA points.

b. Trials sanctioned by other national or international organizations, including but not limited to the American Kennel Club, the American Herding Breed Association, and the Australian Shepherd Club of America, are not eligible for sanctioning by the USBCHA.

c. Trials hosted or sponsored by, affiliated with, or benefiting any organization that advocates or supports conformation breeding or showing of Border Collies, and trials held in conjunction with any event sanctioned or sponsored by such an organization, are not eligible for sanctioning by the USBCHA.

d. All sanctioned trials must conform to the rules and regulations of the HA. Allowing a suspended individual to enter a trial will result in automatic loss of USBCHA sanctioning. Trial hosts requesting sanctioning will be kept notified of individuals suspended by the USBCHA. Individuals under suspension (both members and nonmembers) are barred from participation in any HA sanctioned trial as either dog owner or handler.

5. Minimum Number of Entrants

a. The Open class must have 10 competitors run to be a sanctioned class.

b. The Nursery class must have 5 competitors run to be a sanctioned class.

6. Nursery Class Sanctioning and Participation

a. At a trial where no Open classes are offered, only one Nursery class per day may be sanctioned.

b. At a trial where Open classes are offered, the total number of Nursery classes sanctioned may not exceed the greater of either the total number of open classes or the total number of days that the trial is sanctioned for. The scheduling of the Nursery classes is at the discretion of the trial host; however, no more than two sanctioned Nursery classes may be run in one day.

c. No nursery dog may compete in nursery trials after the August 1 cut-off if that dog is not eligible to compete in the nursery program for the next year. For additional rules on Nursery qualification, see Part 3E.

1. When by two thirds (2/3) vote of the BOD, a certain individual is deemed incompetent to judge HA sanctioned trials, that person shall not judge any HA sanctioned trials/events for a period set by the BOD.

2. Judges are encouraged to read and follow the Judging Guidelines and International (ISDS) rules, posted on the HA website.

3. Judges accepting an invitation to act at any USBCHA sponsored trials will be held, by their acceptance, to have been given a responsibility to judge strictly according to the rules laid down by the HA and agree that they will not favor any dog, man or country.

4. Binoculars are not permitted to be used by a judge in any trial.

5. Judges shall conduct themselves in a manner fitting and proper to one afforded the honor of officiating a USBCHA approved or sponsored trial. Any misconduct on the part of the judge at any HA trial, the use of abusive language, showing favoritism to, or discrimination against, either an individual or a dog performing in the trial, or any other action unbecoming to one in that position, either on the grounds or elsewhere during the entire trial, will make the judge subject to disciplinary action.

6. Points/deductions for each competitor shall be recorded on an acceptable score sheet, and the judge is required to review each score sheet at the completion of the run to ensure accuracy. The score sheets are to be retained by the trial secretary for a period through the current year’s National Finals. The trial secretary may make a copy of the score sheet if requested by competitor. Judging sheets are available for download on the HA website but it is not essential that trial hosts use the HA judging sheets.

7. Judges may not be changed after a trial begins except in cases of sickness of injury. The trial committee is then responsible for appointing a new Judge.

1. A handler must be a current paid member of USBCHA before that handler’s dog receives Open qualification points or Nursery qualification legs for the Finals.

2. Each contestant must be ready when called by the Course Director or an assistant. Anyone failing to answer the call may be disqualified. Contestants should note that the order of the runs will be strictly followed unless the trial committee or Course Director authorizes changes. The Course Director or trial committee, however, cannot guarantee the exact time a competitor will run.

3. A contestant wishing to have the course explained or any other point clarified must question the Course Director before he/she starts his/her run.

4. By commencing the run, a contestant is presumed to understand the course and is expected to follow it.

5. Once a contestant starts his/her run, it is entirely in the hands of the judge. By deviating from the course, the contestant may be disqualified or suffer a point loss as the judge considers suitable, having regard for all circumstances.

6. A contestant who receives assistance of any kind while running his/her dog may be disqualified.

7. If a contestant is disqualified, no points will be earned.

8. If a contestant is called for expiration of the time limit, points earned to that time will count. After being called off, the contestant will stop running the course and will collect the sheep and remove them from the trial field unless directed otherwise by the Judge or Course Director. A contestant who retires or leaves the field, without the judge’s permission, will forfeit all points.

9. A contestant who intentionally harasses the stock after his/her run will be disqualified at the discretion of the judge, in conference with the Course Director, and may be subject to further disciplinary action by the HA.

10. Neither contestants nor any others shall take dogs onto the trial course before the competition starts, except with permission of the Course Director or trial management.

11. No contestant, or other person, shall engage in any form of misconduct or harassment toward trial management, judges, or HA officials. Trial management has the right to disqualify or refuse entry to any contestant or other person for violation of this rule. Any contestant so denied access may request that the District Directors determine if the trial manager’s decision was appropriate, and if it was not, what action should be taken. If either party is dissatisfied with the decision of the District Directors, they may appeal to the BOD. This appeal may or may not be heard by the Grievance Committee, at their discretion.

12. A contestant shall not enter the trial field at any time with any kind of training device. The trial management, representative, or judge must disqualify a contestant if he/she enters the trial field with any such equipment, and all entry fees and/or premiums pertaining to said contestant shall be forfeited. Such devices include, but are not limited to, electronic collars, dummy or weighted collars, a leash or rope that is not detached before the dog is sent, and any device used to distract or cause pain to a dog while it is working. The judge has the right to inspect the dog for any violation to this rule.

13. Handlers with physical disabilities may be allowed to use tools that are not normally accepted (binoculars are an example). Handlers needing these tools should notify the judge/trial host of their needs before the trial starts. The USBCHA encourages those with physical disabilities to participate in our sanctioned events and believes that trial hosts and judges should make reasonable efforts to accommodate these handlers.

14. Contestants (and trial officials) may be required to be properly attired for any competition. Dress should be acceptable for weather and magnitude of occasion. Good judgment should prevail.

1. If two or more competitors stand equal in total points, the judge(s) shall settle their priority by 1) totaling their points for the outrun, lift, and fetch (outrun + lift + fetch = total gather points) and then proceed to the next phase of work = drive, shed, pen (or pen, shed). If this does not resolve the tie, go back to consider the outrun, then lift then fetch, or 2) by ordering a re-run tie breaker of any kind, or 3) dividing the prize money involved. In cases of equality where a trophy is at stake and the judge orders re-runs, the re-run will decide not only the trophy but also all case prizes involved.​

2. The judge may stop a dog at any point of a trial run and order a rerun if he/she feels circumstances warrant such action. The rerun will commence where the original run was stopped and points as scored before the stop will stand.

3. With few exceptions left to the judge’s discretion, a rerun should be ordered if the wrong number of sheep have been let out, sheep are wrongly marked, or one or more sheep is unsound for working. In these cases, the judge shall decide if the rerun will commence at the beginning and, if not, at which point it will start. If decided that the rerun starts at any point other than the beginning, the points scored up to the point of rerun shall stand. When a rerun is granted, the handler shall send the dog in the same direction as the original run unless otherwise instructed by the Judge.

1. By the conclusion of the trial all scores must be posted. Trial officials shall confer with the Judge and determine whether the deductions for each phase of work shall be posted.

2. Awards announced at any HA trial are subject to correction of any error discovered within two weeks of trial completion. Any discovered error will be corrected, and the awards as announced adjusted accordingly. In such a case, awards may be recalled and will be returned to trial management.

3. All prizes and awards for any trial shall be paid within one month of trial completion.

1. A veterinarian shall be in attendance, or reasonably available at every trial.

2. No stock belonging to either contestant or stock contractor should be confined to vehicles beyond a period of twenty-eight (28) hours without being unloaded and properly fed and watered. If animals are carried in conveyances in which they do have proper food, water, space and opportunity to rest, the provision for unloading shall not apply.

3. No sick or injured animals, discovered before or after the draw, may be used in competition. To the extent possible, animals will be inspected and objectionable ones eliminated before drawing. Judges and course directors will be responsible for inspection.

4. At the recommendation of a veterinarian, course director, or at the discretion of the judge, a sick or injured dog will not be allowed to compete.

5. Fresh water shall always be available on the field for cooling a dog. Handlers should be allowed to direct a dog to the water and the dog use the water with no points penalty. Handlers should not leave the post to go to the water with the dog. However, if the handler is moving to the shedding ring or moving to the pen, he/she may detour to the water. The clock will not be stopped. Actions of the stock are still being judged and may result in a loss of points, up to disqualification if the stock leaves the trial area.

SANCTIONED TRIALS: These rules and regulations apply only to USBCHA sanctioned trials and approved events.
If a trial host incurs a monetary loss that he/she cannot otherwise recover because of a COVID related entry withdrawal after the trial refund date, the host may submit a request for reimbursement of that cost to the HA. Requests must include all supporting documentation related to the amount of the loss and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The option to submit these requests will expire on July 31, 2022.