RULES

The National Capital Equitation League (NCEL)
RULES OF THE NATIONAL CAPITOL EQUITATION LEAGUE

RULE I. TEAMS

SECTION 1. Team Makeup

Participating schools will compete with teams composed of no more than nine regular members. A Roster containing the name, address and phone number of the members of each team (See Section 2, F), must be received by the Secretary not later than October 25th of each year. Six members will ride for the school's team and no more than three members shall serve as alternates. Alternates must be prepared to be substitutes for regular team members. If a team member drops out prior to the completion of the season, any person replacing that team member may only compete as an alternate. Alternates must be prepared to be substitutes for regular members unless they have been named to replace a member who has dropped out in which case they may only ride as an alternate.
Schools may enter one team in the "A" League and one team the "B" League.
Any team who decides not to participate in the NCEL after submitting the registration form shall be responsible for the full registration fee and not entitled to a refund.

SECTION 2. Rider Eligibility

Each team member is to be junior rider defined as an individual who has not reached his nineteenth birthday prior to January 1, of the beginning of the current competition year.
Each team member must be enrolled at their member school as a student in a regular lesson program (at least weekly) as of October 1, in the year in which they participate.
A rider beginning the year in the "B" League may move to the "A" league during the season to replace a team member who has dropped out in which they shall be eligible to ride as an alternate only but having once moved, they may not, during the same year, return to the "B" League. See Rule I, Section 1A. Any rider moving from the "B" League to the "A" league for more than 1 year may never go back to the "B" league even if they change schools.
A rider beginning the year in the "A" League may not move to the "B" league during the season unless they participate only as an alternate.
All riders must wear ASTM-approved helmets that must be secured at all times when mounted.
A Participation Agreement/Release form must be signed by every rider over eighteen years of age participating in the League or by the rider's parent or guardian, if under eighteen years of age. All participation agreements must be completed and given to the host school prior to the start of the first meet of the season. A rider that has not turned in a completed agreement may not ride. It will then be the responsibility of the host school to immediately get the completed forms to the president.

RULE II. HOST SCHOOL

SECTION 1. Host Schools are responsible for:

Providing adequate facilities for the meet.
Providing or securing an adequate number of school horses. See Rule 5.
Identifying the horses to be used and providing a brief behavior description for each.
Making available suitable tack for each horse. See Rule 5.
Reporting the results of the meet to the Secretary of the League within seven (7) days after the meet.
Providing and compensating a qualified judge. Insuring that the judge is informed about the NCEL competition procedure and is supplied with a copy of the NCEL rules and competition questions. Judges must not be affiliated in any way with the host school and may judge only one meet in each league within a competition year. Judges for Finale Meets must be and for all other meets it is recommended that they be licensed by the American Horse Shows Association as either Registered or Recorded in the Hunter Seat Equitation division.
Managing the competition and insuring that it runs in a timely and orderly fashion and to that end the host school shall:
1. Prepare and supervise the drawings.
2. Design and post all courses. Fences are to be simple and shall not include in-and-outs or other combinations and all spreads shall be reasonable.
3. Prepare and post jump orders for all classes over fences.
4. Present ribbons/awards.
5. Provide sufficient personnel for running the show.

RULE III. REGULAR MEETS

SECTION 1. Procedure at Regular Meets

Sufficient meets shall be scheduled in an attempt that each team with in a league plays every other team with in a league at least once during that competition year, however, complicated scheduling may not always permit this.
Visiting teams are to be at the host school one hour before show time but no earlier than 90 minutes ahead of time.
At the scheduled time, the riders will draw the horses, by lot, for all classes. Participating coaches will draw the two riders who will be the competitors in the finale class. Those riders will then draw their mounts for that class.
In the event a visiting team is not present 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the meet; the host school may draw for their visiting teams mounts.
Host schools may delay the start of a meet for up to one hour if a visiting school has not arrived.
Any team, which arrives after the show commences, will be allowed to participate for the remaining classes. They may not participate in any class, which has already started.
If a large rider draws a small horse or a small rider draws a large horse, they may with the consent of all participating coaches, draw again at the suggestion of the host school and no rider shall ride a horse other than the horse drawn by lot with out the consent of the host school and all participating coaches.
If a majority of the coaches at any meet agree that a particular horse appears unsafe, then the host school shall withdraw that horse from competition and substitute it with any other horse/horses.
All meets shall be governed by the rules established by the NCEL. If there is not a NCEL rule addressing an issue, then the USAE rules shall apply and if there is not a USAE rule, then the decision shall be decided in accordance with the usual and customary practices at local shows.

SECTION 2. Classes

Equitation on the Flat. Each rider on each team will participate in one equitation on the flat class. The total number of teams participating in a meet will determine whether a team has two or three riders in each equitation on the flat class. Riders to walk, trot and canter both ways of the ring. To be judged on position, hands, seat, legs and control.
Equitation over Fences. Each rider on each team will participate in two over fences classes:
1. Riders shall go once around the ring over four fences. To be judged on position, hands, seat, legs and control.
2. Riders shall jump six fences one of which shall be trotted and shall halt at a designated sport during the course. To be judged on position, hands, seat, legs and control.
Alternates will participate in one class and will be asked to walk, trot, and canter both ways of the ring and to jump two fences. To be judged on position, hands, seat, legs and control.
Finale Class. The riders in the finale class will be asked to walk, trot, sit trot and canter with stirrups, to walk, trot and sit trot without stirrups and, at the judge's discretion, may also be asked to canter without stirrups; to jump two fences with stirrups; and to respond to one question selected by the judge from the NCEL list of questions. To be judged on position, hands, seat, legs and control and response to question.
Fences shall be 2'6" for "A" League Meets and 2' for "B" League Meets.

SECTION 3. Class Procedure

For all flat classes, the riders will lead their horses into the ring and mount in the ring. There will be no less than a two-minute warm-up under the supervision of the coaches in order to acquaint the riders with their mounts. At the completion of the warm-up, the coaches will leave the ring and the class will begin.
In classes over fences, riders may stay mounted while waiting their turn to jump. Each rider will be allowed to jump two fences, unjudged, as specified by their coach and then briefly confer with their coach before commencing their judged round.
In the alternate class, the riders will be allowed to warm-up as in other flat classes and to jump two warm up fences.
No warm-up or practice fences will be permitted for the finale class.

RULE IV. FINALE MEET

The finale meet for each league will be conducted under the same procedure and will include the same classes as a regular meet with the following exceptions:
1. All teams in the League will participate.
2. Each participating school will bring their own horses as defined in Rule V. Schools who need horses may use other participating schools' horses.
3. Coaches may designate which horses their riders may use.
4. If a horse is privately owned or leased, the owner or lessee may not ride that horse in the finale meet.
5. The riders in the finale class will be the two riders from each school with the highest number of points.
6. If there are 50 or more entries in a finale class, it will be divided. If there are less than 50 entries, division of a class shall be upon the decision of a majority of the participating coaches.
7. All alternates from each team participating in the League during the season may ride in the Alternates Class at the Finale Meet.

RULE V. HORSES AND TACK

All horses and ponies used in NCEL meets must be school horses. School horses are defined as horses used in a regular lesson program. Privately owned horses may be used provided they are used in a regular lesson program, however, a rider cannot draw or ride his or her own horse or a horse they are leasing in any meet.
Horses must be suitable for use and high strung or extremely difficult to handle horses shall not be used. Horses with a tendency to kick must wear a red tail ribbon. No horse shall be used which has been administered a tranquilizing substance.
If a host school cannot provide the required number of hoses, they may ask another school to bring some animals including suitable tack and identification cards.
Horses may go more than once in over fences classes at the discretion of the host school.
All horses must be ridden with the tack they are accustomed to and martingales will be permitted in flat classes.
No bit or tack adjustments will be allowed unless approved by the host school.
At the discretion of the host school, riders may use their own saddles. The host school, which permits riders to use their own saddles, should be prepared to provide girths. If a host school does not permit riders to use their own saddles, then there shall be no tack changes during the meet.
Crops and spurs may be used at the express discretion of the host school.

RULE VI. COACHES

Coaches shall have the following responsibilities:
1. Transportation and timeliness of their riders
2. Schooling as provided in these rules
3. Sportsmanlike behavior of their riders
4. Prompt payment of entry fees to host school

RULE VII. POINTS AND AWARDS

SECTION 1. Ribbons

Ribbons for all meets will be secured by the Treasurer and provided to the host school.
At regular meets, six ribbons will be awarded in each class. At the finale meet, 10 ribbons will be awarded in each class.

SECTION 2. Points

Points will be designated in the following manner:
First Place -    7 points
Second Place-    5 points
Third Place -    4 points
Fourth place-    3 points
Fifth Place-     2 points
Sixth Place-     1 points

In the event that 1 or more teams forfeit a meet the points will be adjusted as follows:

	FOUR TEAM MEETS		THREE TEAM MEETS
	One Team Forfeits	Two Teams Forfeit	One Team Forfeits
First Place Second Place Third Place Fourth Place Fifth Place Sixth Place	5 � 3 � 4 2 � 1 � �	3 � 2 � 2 1 � 1 �	4 2/3 3 1/3 2 2/3 2 1 1/3 2/3

Points will be accumulated through the season for teams, for individual riders and also for individual alternate riders toward season-end awards.
Teams will be credited for all points earned by the riders in all classes except alternate classes.
Individual Riders will be credited for all points earned except in finale and alternate classes toward season-end awards.
Individual alternate riders will be credited for all points earned in alternate classes towards the alternates' season-end award, provided they ride as an alternate more than one time.

SECTION 3. Trophies

The school in each League accumulating the most points during the season will receive a perpetual trophy. In the event of a tie between teams following the Finale Meet, the winner will be the team with the most points in over fences classes prior to the Finale Meet. The school may retain possession of the trophy until the following year and if a team wins a trophy for three consecutive years, it shall retire it.
The individual rider in each League accumulating the most points during the season will receive a season-end challenge trophy. The rider may retain possession of the trophy until the following year.
The top individual alternate rider in each League accumulating the most points during the season will receive a season-end challenge trophy, provided they participate as an alternate more than one time during the season. The rider may retain possession for the trophy until the following year.
Ribbons will be presented to the riders on the teams in each League according to their teams' final standings at the end of the year.
Sportsmanship Trophies. At the conclusion of each meet, the coaches of each participating team shall nominate two riders for the Sportsmanship Award. Nominations must be for riders from other teams. Prior to the Finale Meet, nominations will be tallied and the rider in each League who has reached the most nominations will be presented with the Sportsmanship award at the Awards Banquet. In the event of a tie, the rider in each League, which, in the Board's discretion, best exemplifies all attributes of sportsmanship, will receive the Award to be retained for one year.
Coaches Trophies. At the conclusion of each meet, the riders of each participating team shall nominate a coach for the coaches' award. Nominations must be for coach from another team. Prior to the Finale Meet, nominations will be tallied and the coach in each League who has reached the most nominations will be presented with the Coaches award to the Awards Banquet. In the event of a tie, riders in each league will vote at the Finale Meet to break the tie for the coach who they feel best exemplifies all attributes of a good coach. Award is to be retained for one year.

RULE VIII. PROTESTS AND GRIEVANCES

All protests and grievances must be presented to the Coach of the school hosting the meet.
The coach of the host school shall then discuss the complaint, protest, or grievance with all participating coaches out of the hearing of all team participants and attempt to reach a consensus decision.
If no decision can be reached by the coaches, then the officiating judge shall make the decision, which shall be final and accepted by coaches and riders in a sportsmanlike manner.
Appeals from any decision made pursuant to this section may be made in writing and shall then be considered at the next NCEL meeting.

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