Please correct me if I’m wrong. Nose nets were added to the list of prohibited equipment for hunters this year. Local shows, particularly VHSA associate shows should follow USEF rules. Therefore a horse should be eliminated if shown in said equipment. Yes? No? Thoughts
I don’t know the answer to your first question. But your second question is answered with “It depends”.
You says “should follow USEF rules”. What rules a local show follows and how strictly they follow them is all up to them. There is no should here. And even if they say that they follow USEF rules in the prize list, since they are not a rated show they can choose to ignore parts or add things to their liking.
If you were at a show and saw someone doing something you thought was against the rules, probably best to bring it up to the stewards, or whoever is in charge, while at the show.
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Rather than elimination, I would think a more appropriate response to an exhibitor using a nose net would be for the judge or show manager to advise them to remove it.
I see a lot of infractions at VHSA Associate shows that in the USEF rule book call for elimination (such as trotting through the ingate) yet it’s really up to the management and officials at that particular show to enforce it.
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HU106 Equipment
- Light pads and bar shoes are permissible, however, bar shoes indicate a weakness and in Conformation classes
a judge may penalize accordingly. All artificial appliances, including but not limited to nasal strips, nose nets,
belly bands, boots, wraps and bandages are prohibited. In the case of inclement weather competition management may permit the use of bell boots. BOD 6/22/20 Effective 12/1/20
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It’s a shame that nose nets are prohibited now. They do not give an advantage, they just make a horse more comfortable competing. They really should be treated the same as bar shoes. I had a horse who needed a nose net years ago when I was showing in the AOs. We would warm up with it, take it off right before the class, and then put it right back on after the class. It took him from a non-rideable horse who was physically uncomfortable doing a light hack outside, to a totally rideable and relaxed horse with the mask on. But, we knew that judges might not like it, so we took it off. My horse was a trooper on the days when it was bad and always did his job. I did my best to only put him in environments where he would be comfortable.
I even rode him in clinics with George Morris, who is the absolute biggest pain in the a$$ about turnout, and George was fine with it. It didn’t give my horse an advantage, it made him comfortable.
So, the rule is dumb. But, local shows can pick and choose the rules they follow to a degree. I’m sure many local shows don’t want to enforce a rule like that as they don’t want to discourage competitors.
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This makes me really sad. I had a lovely horse who developed headshaking when he was 8. I did everything for this horse including participating in a study done by Dr. Madigan, the headshaking guru at UC Davis. When the horse wore a nose net, he did not headshake.
For years, I showed (rated) by doing the following – I would write ahead of time to the show manager explaining the situation and asking if a nose net would be permitted. I supplied a letter from Dr. Madigan which was then shown by the manager to the judges at the start of the show. In the many shows we did, I had exactly 1 judge who said “No” (Sue Ashe). So for that show, we did jumpers.
Given all the things horses in the hunter ring are allowed to get away with (I’m thinking bits with whatever mouthpiece as long as the D-ring or whatever looks conventional, and nosebands that can have chains imbedded and unseen), this is really unfortunate. Headshaking is a medical condition that can afflict any horse yet can be managed for the “lucky” ones by a simple piece of net that results in absolutely zero advantage in performance over those without headshaking.
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What a shame. Nose nets shouldn’t be prohibited.
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The following of rules is at the discretion of the steward. I was at a VHSA show a few years ago where a girl fell off got back on using a jump standard and completed her course.
Is this for your horse? I’d just email the show management to ask. The majority of the shows ran around here are by very helpful and friendly people.
No, not for my horse, just thought I was losing my mind when I kept seeing the same exhibitor ( who is an R judge) showing with one and not getting called out for it. But I think I’m going to just classify this as none of my business, kick on, and enjoy showing. Thanks for the response 
Exactly… there are bigger hills to die on. Let this one go. It’s benefitting the horse and isn’t giving them any advantage.
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Wow I’m shocked USEF is banning nose nets, (black biting flys etc, will drive any horse crazy!) in Canada we can still use them in the hunters….thank goodness! As others have said, way bigger hills to fry on than nose nets, good grief
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