Non Pro FAQ

Here are some scenarios you might find yourself in.

Questions about your non pro status, and the answers to those dilemmas.

BY LISA COVER

Non Pro Scenario #1:
Katie, a youth non pro, eats, breathes, and sleeps riding and showing reiners. She has a horse and transportation, but she's having a hard time coming up with the expenses to go to shows. The local paper runs a public interest article telling people what Katie wants to do and asks for support. Several businesses offer her sponsorships. She accepts. Is Katie in jeopardy of losing her non pro status? If so, why?

Answer:
While we might feel that Katie deserves every break she can get since she's a youth, for her to accept sponsorships while she holds a youth non pro card is the same as receiving remuneration and therefore not allowed under the non pro rules. So yes, Katie's non pro status would be in jeopardy.

That being said, if Katie held a youth only card, she'd be allowed to accept any sort of financial support since the youth only card is the same as an open card with the exception of youth ownership restrictions. (see NRHA Handbook, Youth Rules and Regulations, Section A, subsection 3 & 4).

Point:
A youth open competitor who has accepted payment must make that declaration on any future non pro application before being considered for non pro status. So, it's important that all youth know the rules that apply to them and think about how their choices are going to affect their non pro status present or future

Non Pro Scenario #2:
Fred, an NRHA non pro, goes to his trainer's place once a week for a lesson on his horse. He pays by check for this lesson. The trainer also has Fred to lope some client horses to warm them up so he can get through his day faster since Fred took up time with a lesson. Is Fred in jeopardy of losing his non pro status? If so, why?

Answer:
Fred isn't at risk for losing his non pro card. He pays in full, complete with paper trail, for the lessons that he takes, and he receives no remuneration of any kind when he lopes the other horses. If there were a trade situation, or any "off the record" arrangement between Fred and the trainer, the non pro status would be at risk.

Non Pro Scenario #3
Melinda, the wife of an NRHA Professional, goes out to her husband's arena where he's working on a client's horse. Her husband's cell phone rings, and he needs to take the call. He asks Melinda to get on the horse and finish it up for him before taking it back to the barn.

Melinda holds a non pro card. Is Melinda in jeopardy of losing her non pro status? If so, why?

Answer:
Melinda could be in jeopardy of losing her non pro status if she gets on the client's horse her trainer husband hands her and proceeds to "finish it up for him". The rule states that a non pro shall be defined as a person who has not directly or indirectly received remuneration for showing, training, or assisting in the training of any horse ridden astride. . . Remuneration is defined as "to pay an equivalent for a service; recompense; to give something to by way of compensation." Therefore, even though Melinda does not receive direct payment for the training work her husband has entrusted her to finish, it can be argued that she receives indirect remuneration for her assistance to her husband's training business through the benefit afforded by the compensation he receives from his client.

While it can also be argued that Melinda would receive that same benefit even if she never threw her leg over the client's horse, the fine line she crossed was when she did climb aboard in a training capacity. If her husband utilizes her in an assistant capacity on a client's horse, a horse that is being ridden and trained for remuneration, then her non pro status is in question. If she'd simply held the horse on the ground while her husband finished his phone call, or took the horse back to the barn and even put him away, there would be no impropriety.

Non Pro Scenario #4:
Bob, an up and coming NRHA Professional, has 10 horses at an NRHA-approved show Kelly, his wife, normally helps by grooming and saddling. Concerned for her husband and to help make his day shorter, she gets on and rides a client's horse in the warm-up pen. The horse is not being shown at the show. Is Kelly in jeopardy of losing her non pro status? If so, why?

Answer:
Many spouses help their trainer partners in a myriad of ways; Feeding, cleaning stalls, barns, tack, etc., washing, grooming, saddling horses, invoicing clients, dealing with vet or farrier, sleepless nights with sick or injured horses , running errands, housing wayward clients, videos, entries, maintaining harmonious relationships with many different people associated with the trainer's business, only to name a few. Sometimes at a show, especially one with long hours, it is easy to see how a spouse could want to help their trainer partner however they can when things become overwhelming. The bottom line is, a trainer's spouse may not get on a client horse FOR ANY REASON unless he or she wishes to jeopardize their non pro status.

Non Pro Scenario #5:
Martin, a successful NRHA non pro rider, raises, trains and sells his horses to other non pro reiners. Part of Martin's unwritten sales agreement to his buyers so that they have a successful and fun experience is that he'll coach them, or even schools their horses for them before they show. Is martin in jeopardy of losing his non pro status? If so, why?

Answer:
This non pro is not out of line trying to make a profit, or make his horses more successfull/desirable to other non pros. Also, there's nothing wrong with him verbally helping his customers learn to ride and show the horses he sells. We non pros should help each other. That's where much of our fun comes into play! (besides, the trainers call it "job security "). However, in this instance, it could be argued that Martin is walking a very fine line when he steps on those horses that no longer belong to him, that he has sold and been paid for, to school them before his customers go in to show. This person may be going farther than most of us would feel comfortable by schooling/ riding the horse he sold to the client, for the client, in the warm-up pen, at an NRHA event. It may show a certain "in your face attitude" than of the other competitors at the show object to.

While there might not be a provable indiscretion (non pro accepting remuneration for riding a horse not owned by the non pro), as the agreement to ride/school the horse is unwritten, there's still an appearance of impropriety that could have implications on Marin's character and ability to do business down the road. While his desire to help his purchasers is understandable, he might want to limit his involvement to assistance from the ground to avoid the appearance of impropriety and damage to his reputation. As well as the wrath of the fellow non pros at the show!

This begs all of us, as non pros, from top to bottom, to take the responsibility of conducting ourselves beyond reproach or question, adhering to the Non Pro Conditions set forth in the NRHA Handbook.

We hope you have enjoyed these hypothetical scenarios and that they have been informative. If anyone has questions, please feel free to contact the NRHA Non Pro staff liaison or the Non Pro Committee chairperson. Have fun and good luck!

January 2008, NRHA REINER pages 56-57

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