During the 2025 SHOW Judges’ a discussion was had regarding if owners could show horses in front of a judge that they had horses in training with. Under the 2024 rules, an owner could show a horse that they owned in front of a judge that was also a professional trainer that the same owner also had horses in training.

In past history, that rule had been interpreted to mean that the owner himself/herself could not ride the horse in front of the other trainer who was judging but that the professional could ride that horse in front of the judge who had horses in training for the owner.

The new rule will not allow either circumstance.The new rule reads:

Ethics & Rules for Judges, Owners, Exhibitors and Trainers - Under D in the Judges Section and G in the Rule Book Divisions section, (a.) has been added effective immediately;

8. A horse cannot be entered in a show that is being trained or boarded by the judge officiating the show. However, stud fees and care and associated mare care are excluded from this rule. (a.) If an owner has horses in training with multiple trainers and one of those trainers is officiating a show, then none of the horses owned by that owner can show under that judge.