ALL NATIONAL NBHA RULES WILL APPLY TO THE IOWA NBHA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW. ALL DECISIONS MADE BY THE IOWA NBHA STATE SHOW COMMITTEE ARE FINAL.
Carry-Overs & Running Order
The running order will be drawn after all pre-entries are received. The draw will be printed and posted at the time of check in.
Carry-overs are allowed in the 1st and 2nd Go Rounds and can be designated on your entries.
All carry-overs or changes to carry-overs must be declared by Thursday at 6 pm. Your decision to carry-over or run will remain the same for both Go Rounds.
Carry-overs are ALLOWED in Sunday’s Short-Go Round and must be designated by Saturday night at 6 pm.
It is the contestant’s job to ensure the draw is correct based on carry-overs. Please verify your draw number after the office closes Thursday in the aged classes as carry-overs/draws may have changed.
Running out of order will result in disqualification in that Go Round. If you are running more than one horse, you must run the horse in its drawn position.
The 2nd Go Round running order will be reversed from the 1st Go Round.
Late entries will run at the end of the draw in the 1st Go Round and will be first in the 2nd Go Round.
Dress Code
The NBHA Dress Code, as stipulated in the NBHA Rule Book, will be strictly enforced.
Section 9 states: To enhance the image of our sport, the NBHA encourages and promotes appropriate western attire. This includes a long-sleeved, western-themed shirt with a collar, jeans, a cowboy hat, and cowboy boots (no heels down or like type shoes are permitted). Shirt sleeves must be rolled down and buttoned or snapped. Shirttails must be tucked in.
Helmets may be worn instead of cowboy hats.
Anyone making a run and found to be in violation of the dress code will be fined $50. A second violation will result in a disqualification.
A $10 hat fine is assessed if your hat comes off after breaking the timeline. This fine MUST be paid to the barrel setter before getting your hat back.
Arena Preparation
The ground will be tractor-dragged after every 5 runs. Big Drags will take place every 50 runs in a class, regardless of number of entries. The drags will take place on this schedule regardless of scratches.
Competition Rules
The State Show Committee will determine how the warm-up area and gate into the alleyway will be set up. All contestants will be required to enter the alleyway as designated by the State Show Committee. Failure to comply will result in disqualification for that go-round.
Two full go-rounds and a short-go will be run
Contestants must check in with the gate official and be in the holding pen prior to the start of their assigned drag. Failure to do so may result in a forfeit of your run.
Only 5 contestants will be allowed in the holding pen at a time. Contestants who are not within the drag will not be allowed in the holding pen.
Youth parents must be near the gate when their children are competing and exiting the arena. You must make sure they have complete control of their horse.
Failure to start your run within THREE MINUTES of being called to run may result in disqualification.
Contestants may elect not to run in a go-round. You will be called 3 times to run. If you are not there, your run will be scratched. If you decide to forfeit your run, please notify the show office prior to that run.
All runs will be made with a closed gate.
A contestant will receive a “no time” for knocking over a barrel.
Pulling up your horse will be grounds for immediate disqualification in that Go Round.
The 2nd go-round will be run on a clean slate. No times or penalties from the 1st Go Round will be considered.
A $10 hat fine will be assessed if your hat comes off after breaking the timeline. This fine MUST be paid to the barrel setter before getting your hat back!
Even if your horse goes off pattern during a run, you may only circle a barrel once. If your horse goes off pattern, you may return to the barrel where you went off pattern and then complete the pattern and exit the arena. Violation of this will result in a $100 fine.
Reruns will be granted if the timer fails to work properly or if the barrels are not placed properly on their markers. No prior penalty will apply to the rerun, but any penalties that occur during the rerun will apply. The rider will be given the option of taking their rerun immediately after the current drag or making the run at the end of the class. Reruns will be run on a fresh drag. If the primary timer fails, then the backup timer will be used. If both timers fail, then the rider will be given a rerun.
Contestants are required to keep their horses under control at all times. The State Show Committee reserves the right to disqualify a horse and/or rider who, in the opinion of the State Show Committee, is a threat to the safety of its rider or other horses and riders.
Iowa NBHA has a zero-tolerance policy for abusing horses; the State Director may handle any events of this at their discretion.
This event will be held in conjunction with the 2025 Iowa NBHA State finals. The futurity is open to ANY horse 5 and under that has not competed in barrel racing prior to November 15, 2024. The Derby is open to ANY horse 7 and under that has completed its futurity season.
All Futurity/Derby horses must be entered in the Iowa NBHA State Finals Open 5D to enter the Futurity or Derby Incentive. All entries in the Futurity or Derby must include an
ORIGINAL COPY OF YOUR HORSE’S REGISTRATION PAPERS (FRONT AND BACK). Any un-registered horse MUST HAVE A SIGNED AFFIDAVIT FROM A VET VERIFYING THE HORSE’S AGE.
The Derby will be a $40 entry fee, 2 go-round, 2D format.
The Futurity will be a $40 entry fee, 2 go-round, 2D format.
Late entries will be accepted for the Futurity and Derby. Open 5D late fee rules apply.
All Futurity/Derby horses must be inspected for age verification prior to the start of the Open 5D. Inspection and check-in for Futurity/Derby horses will be at the designated time and location (see the Schedule). You are required to bring your horse and your ORIGINAL registration papers or a signed vet affidavit with you to check-in. Late entries will also be required to go through check-in. Any horse not checked in for the Futurity/Derby class will forfeit its entry for the class.
A downed barrel will result in a “no time” for that go-round.
Your time from both go-rounds will be used to determine the average time. Payouts will be based on an average and determined as follows:
1D overall fastest average time of the Futurity/Derby horse runs
2D fastest average time of the Futurity/Derby horse runs + 2 seconds
To enter the Derby/Futurity, you must meet all of the Iowa NBHA State Finals requirements.
Qualifying for the Short Go Round
State Championship Show format is Open 5D (½-second, 1 second, 1-½ seconds, 2 seconds splits), Youth 4D (½-second, 1 second, 2 seconds splits), and Senior 4D (½-second, 1 second, 2 seconds splits).
The number of short-go qualifiers will be based on the number of entries:
0-60 entries = 4 to short-go from each division
61-80 entries = 5 to short-go from each division
81-100 entries = 6 to short-go from each division
101-120 entries = 7 to short-go from each division
121-140 entries = 8 to short-go from each division
141-160 entries = 9 to short-go from each division
161-180 entries = 10 to short-go from each division
181-200 entries = 11 to short-go from each division
201-300 entries = 12 to short-go from each division
300+ entries = 15 to short-go from each division
The short-go draw will be posted no later than 11:59 pm Saturday, August 2nd.
A horse/rider combination may qualify only once for the short-go. In the case of the same competitor qualifying twice for the short-go on the same horse, additional contestants will qualify for the short-go by adding the next non-qualified positions from the 2nd go-round only.
Riders may only qualify 2 horses per division for the short-go round. In the event of a contestant qualifying more than 2 horses for the short-go round in the same division, the contestant must declare which horses they will run in the short-go prior to the short-go draw being posted.
Contestants may be paid go-round money on more than one horse in the same division.
Qualifier example:
Betty Barrelracer qualifies on Lightning for the Short-Go in the 1st Go in the 1D. She runs in the 2nd Go and qualifies for the Short Go in the 2D. She will still receive money for her 2D placing, but does not receive an additional Short Go qualifier. The next non-qualified rider/horse combination in the 2nd Go 2D will advance to the Short Go.
5D Redemption Round
Open to all Open 5D competitors
Entries must be declared in the Redemption Round before Saturday, August 3rd before the awards begin at the conclusion of the Senior class.
Entry must be the same horse/rider combination entered in the Open 5D race.
Entries for the State Finals Short Go will be scratched from the Redemption Round and will forfeit the entry fee. 75% of forfeited fees will remain in the event purse.
Remaining entries will be randomly drawn into a race. This race will be a 5D format with half-second splits with the number of payout positions determined by total entries in the race.
Division winners in the Redemption Round will proceed to the Iowa NBHA State Finals Short-Go at a random draw holding spot.
In the event that a division winner does not wish to proceed to the short-go, that holding spot in the short-go draw will be declared a scratch.
This race will be run on Saturday, approximately 30 minutes after conclusion of the Awards
Dress code does not apply to this class, but we do ask that you wear a family-friendly top, appropriate long pants, and boots with a heel.
Competing in the Short-Go
The short-go is a “clean slate” barrel race. No times from the qualifying go-rounds are considered.
Winners will be determined by the fastest time in the short-go, not an average.
The same horse must be ridden in both long rounds and the short-go. No substitutions!
The running order of the short-go will be a random draw.
Competition rules (see above) will be the same for the short-go.
Carryovers will be allowed for the aged classes.