IBRA Rule Book

Purpose
The purpose of the International Barrel Racing Association is:
1. To have an association that will bring other organizations together in a positive way   helping to create larger paying classes. It is our goal to work with others in co-approving shows so that members can accumulate points and work toward year end awards in various associations without having the added expense of more traveling which will also in turn make it easier on the barrel horses.
2. To build an outstanding program that will recognize and award barrel racers for their yearlong efforts.
3. To always strive for honesty and fairness. We have set our goals high to create a quality barrel racing association.  As an Ohio founded association we are proud to use the Ohio motto of “With God, all things are possible.”

Memberships
Memberships run from season to season (August 1st - July 31st).
There are three ways to join:
(1) Pay by credit card online. These memberships begin instantly.
(2) Mail membership form into the IBRA office. Forms are mailed at the end of each season to current and are available online. Membership begins based upon post mark date.
(3) Join at a IBRA approved show. If an approved show is not equipped to accept memberships, members have until the Monday following the show (provided it is a weekend show) to join and earn point for the show. Membership turned in at a show begin the day they are submitted.
Memberships are open to any person who agrees to follow the rules and guidelines of this association. To earn and maintain points, a member must be in good standings of the IBRA. Members who do not fill out their membership applications properly or have a returned check in the office for more than 7 days will not receive points until these conditions are resolved. IBRA reserves the right to refuse membership to anyone who is or has caused hardship to fall upon the association or the sport of barrel racing.

State Points
Members will automatically receive points in the state they live in unless a different state is specified at the time you join. This must be written on your membership application. You may change your designated state during the season, however, you will lose any points you have accumulated in the prior state. Changes in state will only be accepted in writing and turned into the home office by mail, fax or email. There is a $50 fee to change your designated state.  The change will not be completed until payment is made.

Open Range
The "Floating State" or Open Range is designed to accommodate members who wish to travel to any IBRA show regardless of location and still accumulate points. Open range members are able to attend Preferred Shows, Super Shows, as well as any state show and accumulate points towards the Open Range standings. Your 14 shows per horse/rider combination, per division, will be counted to determine National Finals eligibility. There are no requirements on number of shows you must attend to qualify for the finals. Open Range will be treated like any other state (See State Qualifiers).  There will be no year-end awards for the Open Range.

IBRA Approved Classes
The IBRA sanctions 4 classes. Open, Youth, Masters and Adult. A riders age as of Aug. 1st determines which class they should participate in. Additional information for each class can be found below. If a show series or club has different standards for any class it may payout under its standards but it will be pointed via IBRA Rules. Approved shows that are not part of a series or separate club will assume IBRA standards for class ages.

Open Class
The Open Class is open to all riders regardless of age. Points will be awarded on a 4-D basis during the regular season.  National Finals may payout and award up to a 5-D format.

Youth Class
Youth age is 18 and under and is determined based upon your age on the first day of the season.  Points will be awarded on a 3-D basis during the regular season but will payout as a 4D at the National Finals.  

Masters Class
Masters age is 40 and over and is determined based upon your age on the first day of the season. Points will be awarded on a 3-D basis during the regular season but will payout as a 4D at the National Finals.  

Adult Class 
Adult age is 19-39  and is determined based upon your age on the first day of the season. Points will be awarded on a 3-D basis during the regular season but will payout as a 4D at the National Finals.  

Competition Rules
1. A contestant will be disqualified for running out of turn or running the wrong horse. It is the contestant’s responsibility to know their draw position. Rider changes must be reported to the show office prior to their run. Rider changes not reported to show office prior to run will result in a disqualification.
2. Only one horse may be in the arena during a run. The run begins when the horse crosses the timer line.
3. Reruns shall be granted if the timer fails to work properly, if the barrels are not placed properly on their markers or if there are any other situations that show producers and/or an IBRA representative deems may have had a negative impact on a run. Any penalty incurred on the original run shall not be applied against the rerun; however, any penalty occurring on the rerun shall result in a no time. Option of a fresh drag must be offered to contestant.
4. Show Producers and/or IBRA representatives have the right to disqualify any uncontrolled horse and/or a rider that may present a danger to other contestants, riders abusing their horse or that have not begun their run within 3 minutes of the time the rider has been called.
5. Knocked barrels are No Times. If a producer wishes to grant penalties for knocked barrels no points will be awarded to any penalized runs.
6. The same horse may not be ridden by more than one rider in the same class on the same day.

Penalties, Suspensions and/or Disqualifications
IBRA membership and participation in IBRA events are a privilege,
not a right. Behavior which is damaging to the Association, its
membership or the sport of Barrel Racing, will not be tolerated. Violation of any of, but not limited to, the following provisions may subject a member to disqualification from IBRA events, being denied entry to IBRA events, loss of points, suspension from the Association or a fine.                                                                            

1. Using abusive language, threatening or bribing, to influence or harass any contestant, or IBRA/show official. Any remarks made with the intent to cast aspersions on the character or integrity of an IBRA official, show official or the IBRA.
2. Abuse of a horse in any way is prohibited. All IBRA members are subject to drug testing. Random test may be performed throughout the year at IBRA produced and approved events.  By joining the IBRA you agree to adhere to the guidelines set forth and accept that any animal you ride is subject to testing. 
3. Drug or alcohol abuse by contestants is prohibited. Actions classified as "Abuse" may be decided by the shows staff, IBRA Directors and Representatives. Acts of abuse must be described in writing and supported by two witnesses from the event and sent to the IBRA office. Directors have the right to revoke points and deny entry to contestants at that event where abuse has taken place. Any dispute to a director's decision must be submitted to the home office within one week of event. IBRA home office reserves the right to make all final decisions.
4. Misidentifying a horse in any IBRA class will disqualify a contestant.
5. BAD CHECKS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
There will be an automatic $30 fee for each time a check is returned. The party that wrote the bad check will have 7 days to make the check good along with the $30 returned check fees. Should the party still be delinquent after the 7 day grace period, the contestant bouncing the check or the member or members for which the check was written will be placed on suspension and will not receive points for the show for which the check was written as well as any shows they may attend while they are on suspension. This includes checks for merchandise and checks made to anyone IBRA does business with. If restitution is not made within 30 days of the date of the check, the member/members will lose ALL points and be placed on a suspended list until payment is made. Lost points will not be reinstated. Any non-member who presents a returned check will be restricted from participating until the check and fine is made good and will be on a cash only basis for the remainder of the show season.
6. The IBRA routinely operates with a three-strike system with regards to violations of the rules stated within this book. An initial warning, a secondary warning and a notice of fine, suspension or expulsion.  Warnings may be verbal or written and may come from the State Director or the Home Office. Letters of fine, suspension or expulsion will come from Home Office or letters approved by Home Office. In extreme cases or cases of bad checks the fine, suspension or expulsion may be expedited.

Points    
The point season runs from August 1st to July 31st
First place points will always earn 100 points regardless of the number of entries. From first place, the point values per place decrease by
{9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1}

1. Points will be given on horse and rider combination. You may
accumulate points on as many horses as you would like. When entering, you must use the same name for horse and rider. You may use the horse’s registered name or nickname, but the same name must be used throughout the season for both horse and rider when you enter. If you use different names at different shows for the same horse or rider, the points will be split up applying points to the separate names as though they were separate pairs. If multiple names are used by the rider they may be combined once during the normal season and will incur a $50 fee. We will not combine names more than once as this could drastically upset standings and unfairly effect the standings and decisions of other competitors.
It’s the responsibility of the member to use the same name for themselves and their horse at every show. It will be the responsibility of each member to check and verify their season ending points.  There will be NO CHANGES made to correct points after September 1st of the new season and/or after year end awards have been handed out. It is from these standings that Top Dogs and State Qualifiers are determined for National Finals. If a discrepancy exists the member must notify the office on or before September 1st.

2. We will count your best 14 shows per horse/rider combination, per division, to determine Top Dogs, State Qualifiers, and year end standings. These 14 shows DO NOT include “State Finals.” A state’s points will end July 31st with the exception of a “State Finals” which must be held prior to September 1st. A show that will be used to hand out awards but does not award points for the season ending must be labeled as an “Awards Show” and can be held after September 1st.  Awards can, however, be handed out at “State Finals and Awards Show” (See State Finals and Awards Show)

3 . Open points will be awarded on a 4-D format.
1-D: Fastest time in the class and those who qualify in this division.
2-D: Fastest time in the class plus ½ second that qualify in this division.
3-D: Fastest time in the class plus 1 second that qualify in this division.
4-D: Fastest time in the class plus 2 seconds that qualify in this division.
Youth, Masters and Adult points will be awarded on a 3-D format.
1-D: Fastest time in the class and those who qualify in this division.
2-D: Fastest time in the class plus 1 second that qualify in this division.
3-D: Fastest time in the class plus 2 seconds that qualify in this division

4 . IBRA will award points as follows:
75 entries & Under:

5 places
76-100 entries: 6 places
101-125 entries: 7 places
126-150 entries: 8 places
151-200 entries: 9 places
201 + entries: 10 places

Non members and/or members of other states will be skipped when awarding points.  IBRA members must place in the top 20 of a division to earn points.  

6. Points will not be awarded for knocked over barrels.

7. In case of a tie, both contestants will receive points for the highest position they tied for.
Example: If they tied for 2nd/3rd, they both would receive 2nd place points.  The  4th place person would then get 4th place points.

8. Substitutions: Are only accepted due to injury, death, or sale of horse. One (1) substitution is allowed per season, per horse rider combination, unless you go back to your original horse then you must stay with that horse. Notification with vet release, transfer, bill of sale or death certificate MUST be sent to the IBRA office in writing (Fax or e-mail) by Monday following the show in which you have substituted. Substitutions turned into as states director, representative or show producers are invalid.
After results have been posted, NO CHANGES will be made.  
Regular Season Substitution Horse: may only be a horse that you have not received points on for the year it is being substituted in.                                                                      
For National Finals Substitution**See National Finals

State Qualifiers, Top Dogs and Wild Cards explained:

State Qualifiers
At the end of the season, any member with 100 points or more accumulated in a division will be considered a State Qualifier. State Qualifiers are eligible to qualify for the Short Go at the National Finals.* Points are not combined between divisions or classes.

Top Dogs
The top 5 State Qualifiers in each division at year end are titled Top Dogs. A huge benefit to becoming a Top Dog is that Top Dogs in each division of the open, youth, masters and adult automatically qualify for the short go of the Nationals Finals, when pre-entered, regardless of performance in the go-rounds of the National Finals.

WILD CARDS
A Wild Card enables a member to run at the National Finals and advance to the short go regardless of performance.*  Wild Cards will be awarded to IBRA members that win any Open, Youth, Masters or Adult division at a Preferred Show. Wildcards may also be won at various events approved by home office and also at the IBRA State Finals. Wild Cards may only be used by the person who won the Wild Card and cannot be sold.

Transfer of Wild Cards
If you win a Wild Card, it may be transferred to another horse that you own or have points on incase of injury, death or sale of the horse. You may also transfer one Wild Card if you have three or more Wild Cards in your possession or you're a top dog and have two Wildcards in your possession, all won with the same horse. In the last two cases, your original Wildcard/Top Dog qualifying horse must be entered in National Finals.

Wild Card Auctions
One wild card will be offered for sale by each State Director as an awards fundraiser. State Directors or any member of his or her immediate family may not purchase the Wild Card for sale in their own state. Only IBRA members can buy, win or use a Wild Card.

*All State Qualifiers, Top Dogs and/or Wild Card holders,  MUST PRE-ENTER the National Finals by the deadline to maintain their status. If you miss the deadline, you will not be considered a State Qualifier and you will be running for go round money only.             
IBRA 4-D Show Approvals

1. In order to have an IBRA approved barrel race, an Approval Form must be sent to the office at least four weeks prior to the show date being requested and be accompanied by a show flyer. Show flyers with a “subject to change” clause must be explicit in the types of changes possible and under what circumstances changes will be made. IBRA Home Office will make final decisions on all show approvals. IBRA reserves the right to refuse or cancel any show (or series) due to, but not limited to, lack of support for the show (series), poor facility and arena conditions, or poor show management.                                                          
2. For a show to be rescheduled without resubmitting an approval and requiring an additional four weeks lead time, the show must have a rain date listed on the show flier.  A show may move locations on the same day of the initial approval due to weather or uncontrollable circumstances if the location the show is being moved to is within 30 miles of the original location.  Rain dates and location changes will not be approved if they conflict with the mileage requirements of an existing show.                            

3. If a show producer prefers to hold an Open class that is not a 4-D class, it can be approved. When filling out the IBRA result sheets, the open class must be placed out as a 4-D class according to times run, regardless of how the show paid out. We will award points on a 4-D format for the open and a 3-D format for the Youth, Masters and Adult.

4. There may not be more than 1 show on the same day in the same state within 75 miles of each other. If a show has $250 or more added to the IBRA Open class, shows must be at least 100 miles apart. Added money must be submitted on approval form to receive proper mileage protection. Added money must be guaranteed regardless of entries to receive mileage protection.                                                                               
5. Only two (2) weekends may be approved per month at same arena. 
         
6. The IBRA fee is $2 per rider of each IBRA approved class. The show producer is responsible for paying the IBRA fee within 10 days following the show. If the results, memberships and show dollars are not received by the home office within 10 days the producer will be charged a $25 late fee. There will be an additional $25 late fee for each week that the show is late. IBRA approval is valuable largely due to our point system. Timely submitting of results is important for producers to receive proper support from our member. Should a producer lose their results they will be responsible for paying the amount of their average sanctioning fees plus a $50 negligence fee.  

7. All approved shows are to have an electronic timing system with a display board. Each producers circumstance will be considered in the enforcement of this rule.   

8. All members will comply with arena, and/or producer’s existing rules. Any protest concerning differences that a show, arena, and/or producer’s existing rules do not cover, or are in conflict with IBRA rules, shall be referred to the State Director. If the State Director is not present at show, any protest of the rule in question must be submitted to the home office & State Director in writing.  Protests must be emailed or postmarked within (1) week of occurrence.

9. IBRA logo must be used on all approved show flyers.

10. As a condition of approval, shows may be asked to display promotional items provided by IBRA National Sponsors.

11. No show will be approved that limits a member from competing unless that person was banned from that show or arena for bad conduct reported to the IBRA. The ban must be approved by the IBRA.

12. No show will be approved if a show committee charges excessive
contestant fees.                                                                                                     

13. Barrels must be closed on both ends. Pop up barrels are not allowed to run on. Barrels must be pulled during drags or if dragging on 5 or less every 2 drags not to exceed 10 horses. Super Shows must pull barrels every drag regardless of number of horses in drag.

14. For a IBRA class to be approved, it must have an entry fee and payback.             

15. Rollovers are accepted if advertised on show flyer.  Rollovers may be from Open to the Youth, Masters, Adult or vice versa. Contestants must designate rollover at time of entry. The pattern must be exactly the same and must not be changed in any manner from the original class to the rollover class.

16. A Super Show is an IBRA approved show that awards points to the show’s home state and all adjoining states. The race will appear on each of the bordering states approved show list and each state will have its own set of points awarded for that race. In order to be approved for a Super Show, the following requirements must be met: Producer must pay a $100 approval fee when approval form is submitted for a 1 or 2 day Super Show. A three day super show will be an additional $50. 1 day Super Shows must have a minimum of $2100 added. An Open class with $1500 added and a Youth, Masters and Adult class with $200 added per class. 2 day Super Shows must have a minimum of $3600 added. $3000 divided between the Opens over two days and $600 divided between the Youth, Masters and Adult.  3 day shows must have a minimum of $4600. $4000 divided between the Open over three days and $600 divided between the Youth, Master and Adult.  IBRA Super Show producers who will not be using the IBRA payback must provide payout formula to IBRA home office and may be required to display on show bill or other advertisement.                          

17. Side Pots for the Youth, Masters and Adult may be approved under the following circumstances.

1. Side Pots will only be approved when times are taken from an IBRA approved Open class.
2. For Side pots to be considered for Friday the Open must have $1000 or more added.  For side pots to be considered for Saturday the Open must have $3500 added or more.  For side pots to be considered for Sunday the Open must have $2500 added or more.  

1. Each shows prior year's performance will be reviewed when considering side pots.  Shows that have the required added money but low attendance may have their side pot options revoked.
2. IBRA Home Office can make exceptions to allow side pots for shows that do not meet the above criteria to accommodate atypical circumstances. (Ex: time ordinances or time constraints, extraordinarily large shows that do not have the added money such as memorial or benefit shows.)

18. It is the responsibility of the show producer to check IBRA.us for show approval. The IBRA website is the Official Website for show approvals. If a show is not on the website, it is not approved.

19. Co-approvals, with other IBRA states, may be made with any bordering state upon approval of bordering state director.  Directors have requirements that must be met with home office to allow co-approvals. There is a $25 co-approval fee per state co-approved, per weekend. Co-approved fee is to be paid by the show producer.         

20. Producers who do not follow IBRA’s suggested payout, may be requested to provide their payout formula to the IBRA. Producers may be required to display their payout formula on show bill and other advertisement.                                               

21. All show producers who request and receive IBRA approval acknowledge their submitted Approval Form is to serve as a contract between the show producer and the IBRA. The producer agrees to abide by the rules of the show approval form and the IBRA rulebook. Any litigation held due to breach of contract, including disputes regarding collections, is to be held in Louisville, KY.

State Finals & Champions
A State Finals is held to determine their year-end State Champions. A show can only be labeled a “State Finals” if points will be awarded for the season ending.  If the “State Finals” is held after Aug 1st, the beginning of the new season, the show will award points for the new season as well as the season ending. State Finals may be held in conjunction with a pre-existing show by getting approval from IBRA office. If at the end of a “State Finals” there is a tie, a runoff will be held to determine the winner. If, in such a circumstance, a runoff is not possible due to injury, absence or other obstacle deemed acceptable by the director, ties will be decided by adding together the total number of contestants each person has run against that season to determine their best 14 shows. All states must hold their “State Finals” prior to September 1st of the new season. If there is a tie in any state for the year-end champion-ship and the state does not have a “State Finals,” ties will be decided by adding together the total number of contestants each person has run against that season to determine their best 14 shows.  If a state is unable to hold a State Finals, the Champions will be determined based upon the standings as of the last approved show of the season. Side Pots may be ran at state finals but cannot count for the season ending. Season ending classes must have option to run.

Awards Show
1. A show can be labeled “Awards Show” if awards for the season ending are to be distributed at that show. A “State Finals” is not necessarily a “Awards Show” and a “Awards Show” is not necessarily a “State Finals.” A “State Finals” and “Awards Show” can be one in the same but the show must meet the requirements as listed above for “State Finals” and “Awards Show.” If a “State Finals” and “Awards Show” are to be one in the same it should be advertised as such.

IBRA Preferred Shows
Preferred Shows are produced by the IBRA home office. Any member who wins an Open, Youth, Masters or Adult division at a Preferred Show will receive a Wild Card. Anyone who places in a division at an IBRA Preferred Show in the Open, Youth, Masters and/or Adult class will receive points toward their State Standings following the same guidelines as #5 under Points.

National Finals Championship
National Finals rules are subject to change each year. For a complete and up to date list of National Finals rules please visit the IBRA website under National Finals. National Finals rules for each year are released with the show flyer.                                                                                   

Dress Code
Long sleeved, button up, collared shirt, a cowboy hat or safety helmet and cowboy boots. This dress code will be strictly enforced at all Preferred Shows, State Finals and National Finals. Anyone making a run at any of these shows that is found to be in violation of the dress code will be assessed a no time. Show producer has the right to refuse attire they deem inappropriate and waive dress code on their show bills at time of show. Directors may opt to have an alternative dress code for State Finals if approved by the home office.

Suggested Payout
Suggested payout for IBRA sanctioned shows: Added money will be divided the same amount of places among all divisions. All prize money must be paid out. If not enough riders qualify in a division based on numbers of places paid, the money which is unaccounted for shall be divided equally among those who have placed in that division. If no riders qualify in a division, the prize money for that division shall be equally divided among those riders in the other divisions of that class who have won prize money. The following table shows the number of places to be paid for the stated number of entries:

4-D Format                                                                                           
Divisions: 1D=40%, 2D=30%, 3D=20%, 4D=10%

3-D Format                                                                                            
Divisions: 1D=50%, 2D=30%, 3D=20%

Number of Entries

Number of Entries: