Since its inception, the Show Horse Council of Australasia (SHCA) has been a member-driven organisation, relying on people’s contributions for its running and continued success. We are very fortunate to have people who continue to devote their time and energy to making our events successful, and we should all embrace this for as long as we can.

When we look at our current member profile and reflect upon society today, we recognise that people have less time than ever to devote to volunteering and being involved with committees.   With Show Horse Council shows and events such as the Grand Nationals growing bigger each year, we face a very real risk that the time and energy currently required to successfully run events and committees may not be as available as it has been to date.

With good intentions, we initiated discussions around certain aspects of the SHCA. With a particular focus on NSW and the structure of the SHCA, discussions were facilitated through letters and other forms of exchange of ideas by some members. Unfortunately, from the feedback we have received, it is apparent that this process has caused confusion and negativity for some members, which in turn is causing division, not collaboration. This was not our intention.

Comments such as, “Members don’t care, they just want to go to shows”, are causing people to feel disenchanted with providing feedback that they feel is not actioned. Often “they don’t care” could really be that they are not participating for a number of reasons, primarily that they are unsure of what is required of them to become more involved. Therefore, in a proactive attempt to find out what members want, we are contacting all members directly via email over the next couple of days.

The Show Horse Council of Australasia (SHCA) is listening to feedback from its members, delegates, judges and organising committees, and is pleased to announce the introduction of a SHCA Judge Agreement and a SHCA Code of Conduct for Judges.

The Judge Agreement has been designed to formalise an agreement between a judge appointed to officiate at a SHCA Affiliated Show and the organising committee.  The Agreement confirms the acceptance, reimbursement of expenses, travel arrangements and the need for a judge to perform their duties to the best of their ability and to make decisions free from undue influence by any other person.

The SHCA Code of Conduct for Judges outlines the behaviours that are expected of any person on the SHCA List of Judges or who has been engaged to officiate at Show Horse Council of Australasia sanctioned events.  The Code of Conduct for Judges is to be read in conjunction with all Rules, Regulations, By-Laws and Policies of the Show Horse Council of Australasia Inc. 

To officiate at a SHCA Affiliated Show is a privilege and honour.   And, when making a decision to accept an invitation to judge, a judge must take into account all responsibilities associated with the appointment.  By creating a Judge Agreement and Code of Conduct, the SHCA is confirming the responsibilities and expectations of the organising committee and the judge.

The SHCA Judge Agreement and SHCA Code of Conduct for Judges will be available to on our website www.showhorsecouncilaust.com.au and will be sent to all Affiliates.

a)  Horses holding a SHC Life Certificate of Height issued prior to 1st September 2012 shall retain their Life Certificate unless the horse is recalled for Remeasure under Rule 2.14 and Rule 22.1a).

b)  The horse is at least eight years of age and in possession of a current SHC certificate of height

and the next measurement places the horse in the same height division as the previous measure.

c) The horse must have held THREE CONSECUTIVE ANNUAL MEASURES in the same height division been measured by TWO DIFFERENT SHC MEASURERS.

d)  The horse is not being measured under a RIGHT OF APPEAL (section20.0) or REMEASURE of the horse (section21.0) situation.

e) SHC life certificate of height will be marked in blue.

f)  A fee will be charged for a LIFE certificate determined by the SHCA from time to time.

g) Horses 16.3 or over at any age may be issued with a life certificate on their first measure

VERSION 2.1
For equestrian sports and SHCA members, social media is an important tool in celebrating success, distributing
information, promoting events, advertising and marketing, social activities, having a voice, brand awareness and so on. Whilst the use of social media has become integral to the way in which we communicate and share
information and ideas, along with it comes responsibility.
The updated SHCA Social Media Policy has been implemented to inform the extended Show Horse Council of Australasia community about using social media in a way that people feel enabled to participate, while being  mindful of their responsibilities and obligations. The policy assists in establishing a culture of openness, trust and  integrity in all online activities relating to the Show Horse Council of Australasia.