A. PARTICIPATION

1. The participating weanling must be the product of the stallion service purchased at the Missouri Breeders' Challenge auction two years prior to the class, and of the mare designated as carrying the MBC weanling on or before December 31 of the breeding year. If December 31 falls on a weekend or holiday, the postmark of facsimile date of the next business day will be accepted.
The donor of a stallion service may pay the same amount as the auction purchase price by December 31 following the auction, and thereby participate with a second weanling by that stallion. All other requirements and deadlines applying to Missouri Breeders Challenge participants must be met by donors.

2. The dam and weanling must be nominated in the ASHB Futurity of Missouri, with all fees paid on or before the regular nomination closing dates. Sire nomination fees will be paid by the Missouri Breeders Challenge. Failure to comply with this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class.

3. All entries must be registered with the American Saddlebred Horse Registry in order to show. Failure to comply with this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class.

4. The owner of the weanling must be a member of, or join, the ASHB Futurity of Missouri.

5. All indebtedness to the ASHB Futurity of Missouri, including dues, must be paid prior to showing. Any owner of a nominated weanling who has outstanding indebtedness to either the Missouri Breeders Challenge or ASHB Futurity of Missouri at the time of the Missouri Breeders Challenge class will be ineligible to show. Failure to comply with this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the Missouri Breeders' Challenge Class.

B. SOURCE OF FUNDS

1. The prize fund for each class will be derived from stallion services donated to the Missouri Breeders' Challenge, to be auctioned off to the highest bidder at the annual MBC Stallion Auction, and from stallion donors' participation fees. The Missouri Breeders Challenge will retain ten percent (10%) of the auction proceeds, adjusted by the deduction of stallion nomination fees, for administrative purposes, and will deduct the required amount for USEF testing from the prize fund. All monies will be maintained separately by Breeders Challenge class year. Accrued interest from the date of each auction until distribution will first be used to cover additional Breeders Challenge expenses, with the entire remainder added to the prize fund. Other fund raisers specifically designated to benefit the Missouri Breeders Challenge may be sanctioned and added to the MBC funds as approved by the ASHB Futurity of Missouri. All Missouri Breeders Challenge funds and records shall be reported and audited annually.

2. Starting bid for each donated stallion service will be one-half the stud fee plus the futurity's current stallion nomination fee (the latter sum to pay the stallion nomination fee in the MBC class year,) or $350, whichever is higher.

3. Bidders at the Stallion Auction will be required to register and to sign a statement of liability for bids placed. All stallion services must be paid for at the time of the Auction or the Missouri Breeders Challenge may resell the service for the bid price or higher. Any agent acting on behalf of a buyer is liable for payment at the Auction. Sealed bids will be accepted, but must be received prior to the Auction. A check MUST accompany the sealed bid, and will be returned if the live bid exceeds the sealed bid. No telephone bids will be accepted. A $100 fee will be charged for any insufficient funds checks returned.

C. STALLION SERVICE CONDITIONS

1. Neither the ASHB Futurity of Missouri nor its Board of Directors shall intervene between the purchaser of the stallion service and the stallion owner. All contracts, arrangements and negotiations that arise in the service of any mare designated for the Missouri Breeders Challenge class will be strictly between the mare owner and the stallion owner. The MBC will attempt to identify additional specific costs, beyond normal breeding expenses, at the time of the Auction, but is not liable in any manner for such information and/or costs.

2. A refund of the amount paid for the purchased stallion service will be made by the Missouri Breeders Challenge if the stallion dies before the purchaser's mare has been bred; or if the stallion is unable to breed or sire colts, as certified by a veterinarian.

D. MAINTAINING ELIGIBILITY OF THE WEANLING

1. A completed MBC mare designation form and a copy of the ASR registration for the designated mare MUST be mailed to the ASHB Futurity of Missouri by December 31 of the year the mare is bred, as indicated by the postmark of the US Postal Service or other public mailing service, or by Facsimile received on or before December 31. If December 31 falls on a weekend or holiday, the postmark or facsimile date of the next business day with be accepted. Failure to comply with this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class.

2. The designated mare and eligible weanling MUST be nominated to the ASHB Futurity of Missouri, with all fees paid by the nomination closing dates. Failure to comply with this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class.

3. Stallion nominations to the ASHB Futurity of Missouri will be paid by the Missouri Breeders Challenge in the foaling year of the eligible weanlings, from the applicable MBC Stallion Auction class year proceeds.

4. An embryo transfer foal is eligible to participate if it is the ONLY embryo transfer foal produced by the cross of the designated mare and donated MBC stallion. A mare may have embryo transfer foals by other stallions, but only one transfer foal may result from the designated mare bred to the donated MBC stallion. Failure to comply with this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class.

E. CLASS AND PRIZES

1. Weanlings in the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class must be properly entered with the UPHA American Royal National Championship (Horse Show.)

2. Weanlings must be registered with the American Saddlebred Registry in order to show. Conditionally registered weanlings may show, but any prize money won will be held until registration is completed. Failure to comply with this rule will result in automatic disqualification from the Missouri Breeders Challenge class.

3. Ring procedure: The order of presentation will be determined by a drawing done at the direction of the horse show management. Each weanling is to be presented as assigned or the right to show may be forfeited. Each weanling will enter the ring at a trot, trot to the end of the ring and return, stand for the judges' inspection, then be excused to the opposite side of the ring at a walk. Further directions will be at the judges' discretion.

4. The class will be tied to ten (10) places.

5. Weanlings showing in the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class will be subject to drug testing following the competition, contracted by the ASHB Futurity of Missouri and conducted by US Equestrian Federation. Testing will be performed on the first five (5) places and on one other weanling in the class, not necessarily a prize winner, identified through a random drawing conducted at the direction of the Futurity. Any drugs or medications violations will be heard by US Equestrian Federation.

6. Prize money will be paid to eight places, with 75% of each prize assigned as the weanling share and 25% assigned as the stallion share. The weanling prize will be paid to the purchaser of the stallion service, unless written notification of a transfer of interest is received by the Futurity secretary-treasurer prior to payment. The stallion prize will be paid to the donor of the stallion service at the time it was auctioned, unless written notification of a transfer of interest is received by the Futurity secretary-treasurer prior to payment.

1st place - 40% of prize fund
2nd place - 25% of prize fund
3rd place - 15% of prize fund
4th place - 10% of prize fund
5th place - 10% of prize fund
6th place - $1,000
7th place - $1,000
8th place - $1,000

F. VIOLATIONS, PROTESTS, CHARGES AND HEARINGS

1. Inasmuch as the UPHA American Royal National Championship is a recognized competition of US Equestrian Federation, all violations, protests, charges and hearings shall follow US Equestrian Federation procedures and will be conducted by the Federation.

2. American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) rules applicable to futurities are applicable to the Missouri Breeders Challenge Class. Any violation of ASHA rules and regulations shall be referred to the ASHA.

3. Rules Governing the Missouri Breeders Challenge which pertain to Participation and Eligibility to show, and which are not under the authority of US Equestrian Federation, the American Saddlebred Horse Association, or the UPHA American Royal National Championship are the responsibility of the ASHB Futurity of Missouri. Disqualifications of weanlings for failure to comply with the requirements for participation and eligibility shall be automatic.

4. Any winning entry that is disqualified by the US Equestrian Federation, the American Saddlebred Horse Association, the UPHA American Royal National Championship, or the ASHB Futurity of Missouri shall forfeit all winnings and other prizes or trophies, and class placements will be adjusted accordingly.

MBC Rules revision and effective date July 1, 2002