NDGA Show Rules

NDGA Official Show Rules
[revised May 11, 2007]

A. SHOW SANCTION AND FEES

Application for show sanction shall be made to the Office of Show Committee Chairperson.
The schedule of classes published for any given show shall state: “NDGA rules to govern and take precedence over all other rules”.
A sanction application and a copy of the schedule of classes shall be sent to the NDGA Show Committee Chairperson for approval. All scheduled classes must be listed. Application forms may be obtained from the Official Show Committee Chairperson or online at NDGA.org.
Application for show sanctioning must be submitted to NDGA at least 45 days prior to the show for the following regular sanction fees to apply: Jr. Does, $25; Sr. Milking Does, which will include Best Udder Class, $25; Dry Does, $25; Combined Senior Does (Dry and in Milk), $25; Jr. Bucks, $25; Sr. Bucks, $25; Wethers, $25; Combined Buck show (Jr. and Sr. Bucks) $25. Any one or all of the sanctioning can be applied for. If application for show sanctioning is received less than 45 days before the show, each sanctioning will be $35. Each sanction will receive Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Rosettes.
Bucks and Does shall not compete against each other, but shall be considered as separate shows with a separate sanction fee required for each show.
No other Club, Organization, or Agency will make any rule or rules, which directly or indirectly affect the Sanctioned Show, without first obtaining approval from NDGA.

B. RULES AND REGULATIONS CONCERNING ANIMALS

An “official” NDGA registration certificate is required for any animal (except wethers, see “Requirements for Official Wins for Wethers”) entered and shall be presented to the show secretary. The show secretary will be responsible for assuring that each animal is accompanied by the proper registration certificate before the animals is shown.
In lieu of original registration certificates, registrar-stamped duplicate registration certificates, or an officially validated faxed copy of a registration certificate shall be accepted by show officials. The original registration certificate, a registrar-stamped duplicate registration certificate, or an officially validated faxed copy or a registration certificate shall be accepted as “official” NDGA registration certificates for the purpose of animal exhibition.
Proof of ownership shall be the name on the registration certificate, unless ownership has changed within 90 days of the show and a transfer of ownership form is presented with the certificate. In that case, ownership shall be the name on the transfer form. Transfer of ownership forms that are dated more than 90 days prior to the show date will not be honored as proof of ownership.
An animal may be judged in only one age class per show. Proof of birth date shall be the birth date on animal’s “official” NDGA registration certificate.
The base date for computing the age of the animal shall be the day the animal is to be judged, unless otherwise stated by a Fair Board in its rules governing livestock. This date must be stated on the show application and in the rules.
All Sr. animals will be measured for height, except wethers (at judge’s discretion) before entering the show ring. Any animal deemed to exceed the NDGA breed standard of maximum height (21” for does and 23” for bucks) cannot be shown in an Official NDGA Sanctioned Show. The Judge’s decision of height determination is final.
Health certificates may be required if specified in the schedule of classes and official show rules. When health certificates are not required, the show officials shall see that all animals brought to the show grounds are in apparent good health and free from noticeable disease. Show officials may deny entry if animal does not appear in good health.
Any animal disqualified in its class will not be counted in the total number of animals shown for sanction purposes.

B. RULES AND REGULATIONS CONCERNING ANIMALS (cont.)

Animals under 6 months of age are excluded from the rule requiring legible tattoos or microchips as a condition for recording a Grand or Reserve Grand win.
There are no minimum or maximum age restrictions.
Any animal of any age may be measured at any time by the judge at the judge’s discretion while in the show ring.

C. SHOW OFFICIALS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The Show Secretary/Chairperson must have a copy of these rules available at all times during the show.
The Show Secretary/Chairperson are/is responsible for enforcing NDGA show rules. The Sponsoring Organization is responsible for the actions of the entire show committee.
All NDGA sanctioned shows must be judged by a person officially recognized by NDGA.
No person shall judge any animal in which she/he has an ownership or part ownership, or which is owned by a member of his/her immediate family.
Prior to the beginning of the show, the “official” Registration Certificate must be shown to the Show Secretary/Chairperson to verify the following information:

That each animal is entered in the correct age class and division by verifying birth date.
That each animal is entered by its full and correct name.
That the registration number matches those on the entry form
Confirm ownership of animal.

Show Secretary/Chairperson is responsible for filling out all Reports of Awards correctly and mailing reports to the NDGA office within 10 days after the show.

D. JUDGE’S RESPONSIBILITIES

Judge all animals according to the NDGA scorecard and faulting sheet.
Judge shall make awards according to the merit of the animal in any class in which there is no competition.
Judge shall check the date of birth on the registration certificate of all grand and reserve grand champion animals to verify their having been shown in their correct age class.
Judge will check and verify that the tattoos or microchips on all animals selected for Grand Champion or Reserve Grand Champion animals match the information shown on the Registration certificates. It is acceptable for the tattoos to be reversed, as long as they are correct in all other ways. On the Report of Awards, the judge shall record the status of tattoos of both the Grand and Reserve. i.e.: correct OR reversed and initial the note. In the case of reversed tattoos, the Judge MUST tell the owner that he has 60 days to return his registration certificate to the Registrar for correction or the win will become invalid.
Judge will measure the height for the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion and relay this information to the Show Secretary/Chairperson to record on the Report of Awards.

E. CLASSES AND AWARDS

All animals will be judged according to the NDGA scorecard and faulting sheet.
Entries may not be added to or withdrawn from classes after the judging has started unless the Show Committee has given permission. Entries SHALL NOT be added to or withdrawn from a class once the Judge has placed the class and begun to give reasons.
Junior Division classes shall include all bucks under 12 months and does under 24 months and under which have not freshened.
Senior Division classes shall include all does 24 months of age and over including yearlings which have freshened one or more times and bucks that are 12 months or age or older. NOTE: any does delivering after 135 days of gestation is considered as freshened.

E. CLASSES AND AWARDS

Does that are over 24 months in age, and have never freshened, do not qualify for competition in NDGA sanctioned shows.
Wether classes shall be grouped under one Sanction. There are no Junior or Senior divisions for wethers.

F. SELECTION OF CHAMPIONS

Junior Grand Champion shall be selected from the first place winners of the classes in the junior division.
Reserve Junior Grand Champion shall be selected from the animal which stood second to the junior champion in its individual class and the remaining first place winners of the other junior division classes.
Senior Grand Champion shall be selected from the first place winners of the senior milking and or dry doe classes.
Reserve Senior Grand Champion shall be selected from the animal which stood second to the senior grand champion and the remaining first place winners of the other senior division classes including the dry doe class.
In Sanctioned Wether shows, Grand Champion shall be selected from the first place winners of each of the age classes.
In Sanctioned Wether shows, Reserve Grand Champion shall be selected from the animal which stood second to the grand champion in its individual class and the remaining first place winners of each of the age classes.
There must be at least three exhibitors in any sanctioned show for the wins of the Grand Champion or Reserve Grand Champion, if eligible for the leg, to be considered official.

G. PERMANENT GRAND CHAMPION

A Doe shall have a minimum of 3 wins, 2 of which must be in milk and under at least 2 different Judges to become a Permanent Grand Champion. [see Requirements for Official Wins for Does – section J].
A Buck shall have 4 wins under at least 2 different Judges to become a Permanent Grand Champion. [see Requirements for Official Wins for Bucks – section K].
Wethers shall have 4 wins under at least 2 different Judges to become a Permanent Grand Champion. [see Requirements for Official Wins for Wethers – section L].
No animal shall receive credit for a win unless it has been confirmed that the animal was judged and placed in the correct age class and division.
No animal shall receive credit for a win, which, in the opinion of the Judge, has had tattoo’s placed in the ears, tail web, or flank after the individual class but before the Grand Champion class.
The Judge will be the sole authority on height measurement of the Grand Champion and the Reserve Grand Champion.
The Judge shall be responsible to see that tattoos/microchips are read and that the wither measurements are taken. If the conditions of the judging ring are unsatisfactory for reading tattoos/microchips or taking measurements, the Judge may have the exhibitors take the Grand and Reserve Grand Champions to an area that is satisfactory for completing the tasks.

H. CHAMPION CHALLENGE CLASS

Animals which have earned their NDGA Permanent Grand Champion status prior to the date of the show, may only be shown in the Champion Challenge class of a sanctioned show.
The Grand Champion of the day MUST COMPETE in the Champion Challenge Class, and the winner of the class shall be called Best Doe in Show or Best Buck in Show.
When there are both Jr. and Sr. Buck or Doe divisions sanctioned separately at a show, only the Senior Grand Champion of the day will compete in the Champion Challenge Buck or Doe class.

H. CHAMPION CHALLENGE CLASS (cont.)

All Permanent Grand Champions which are shown in this class are eligible to be shown in group or udder classes.
Champion Challenge classes are NOT sanctioned by NDGA and are an option for the person or group sponsoring the show.
Champion Challenge classes will not be allowed at the NDGA National Show.

I. PRE-SHOW MILK-OUTS

The Show Committee will make the decision whether or not to require a pre-show milk-out and this information must be published along with the show rules in all advertising promoting the show.
The Show Committee is responsible for enforcing the rules if there is a pre-show milk-out.

J. REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICIAL WINS FOR DOES

At least 2 of the required 3 wins must be received as a Senior Doe in Milk.
Only one of the three required wins may be recorded as the winner of Senior Dry Doe or Junior Doe competitions, or as a Reserve Grand Champion winning a restricted leg due to default of the Grand Champion.
At a Sanctioned Sr. Dry Doe Show there must be at least 8 does competing in at least two different age classes with at least 3 different exhibitors. The doe earning the win must be named Grand Champion Senior Dry Doe.
At a Sanctioned Sr. Milking Doe Show there must be a least 8 does competing in at least two different age classes with at least 3 different exhibitors. The doe earning the win must be named Grand Champion Milking Doe.
At a Combined Sanctioned Senior Doe Show where Dry Senior Does and Milking Does are competing, there must be at least 10 senior does, with at least 5 in milk. There must be at least 3 different exhibitors. The doe earning the win must be named Grand Champion Senior Doe.
If senior dry does and senior milking does are sanctioned separately the show committee at their discretion may combine the 2 sanctions/shows in order to make sanction.
At all NDGA sanctioned doe shows, in the case of any Grand Champion doe that fails to qualify for the official leg, that leg will, by default, be awarded to the Reserve Grand Champion doe, assuming the Reserve Grand Champion doe qualifies to record the win. This “default” win will be considered a restricted leg.

K. REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICIAL WINS FOR BUCKS

At least 3 of the required 4 wins must be received as a Senior Buck. Only 1 of the required 4 wins may be earned as a Junior Buck at a Sanctioned Jr. Buck show or as a Reserve Grand Champion winning a restricted leg due to default of the Grand Champion.
In a Combined Junior and Senior Sanctioned Buck Show, there must be at least 8 animals in the show and at least 4 of these must be competing in the senior division in at least 2 different age classes. There must be a minimum of 3 exhibitors. The Buck earning the win must be named Grand Champion Buck.
At a Sanctioned Junior Buck Show, there must be at least 8 animals in the show and in at least 2 different age classes. There must be a minimum of 3 exhibitors. The Buck earning the win must be named Grand Champion Junior Buck.
At a Sanctioned Senior Buck Show, there must be at least 8 animals in the show in at least 2 different age classes. There must be a minimum of 3 exhibitors. The Buck earning the win must be named Grand Champion Senior Buck.
In all NDGA Sanctioned Buck Shows, in the case of any Grand Champion buck that fails to qualify for the official leg, that leg will, by default, be awarded to the Reserve Grand Champion buck, assuming the Reserve Grand Champion buck qualifies to record the win. This “default” win will be considered a restricted leg.

L. REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICIAL WINS FOR WETHERS

At least 3 of the required 4 wins must be received as a Senior Wether 12 months of age or over.
There must be at least 8 animals in the sanctioned Wether show and in at least 2 different age classes. There must be at least 3 exhibitors. The Wether earning the win must be named Grand Champion Wether.
One of the required wins may be received as a junior Wether under 12 months of age.
All Wethers that appear to the judge to be purebred Nigerian Dwarf goats shall be allowed to be shown.
Only Wethers registered with NDGA may receive credit for an official win in any NDGA Sanctioned Wether Show or participate in the World Wide Wether program, and be eligible for points towards the High Point Wether.
NDGA Wethers must be shown in an officially sanctioned Wether show to accumulate points in the World Wide Wether program.
Wethers are not required to be measured, except at judge’s discretion. It will be considered a serious fault for wethers over the height standard (23”) and are to be placed accordingly.

M. REPORT OF AWARDS

The Report of Awards shall be completed in its entirety THEN signed by the following people in this order:

First – by the exhibitors owning the Grand Champion and the Reserve Grand Champion.
Second – by the Show Secretary/Chairman
Finally – by the Judge

All tattoo/microchip information for the Report of Awards shall be taken from the Judge as he/she reads it on the animal. The Judge is the sole authority as to the accuracy or legibility of the animal’s identification.
The owner of the animal must certify that all information on the Report of Awards is correct to the best of their knowledge and by signing the Report of Awards has acknowledged that said information is complete and accurate.
All corrections to the Report of Awards will be done so in the following manner: Strike through the original information with a single line, enter the new information beside or above the strike through, and initial the change. Only the Show Secretary, owner of the animal, or Judge should make changes on the Report of Awards.
No changes may be made on the Report of Awards after it is signed by the Judge. Recording of wins will be taken from these reports as Official by the Official Show Chairperson. In the case of a clerical error on the Report of Awards, the Official NDGA Show Chairperson shall make note of the error, and is the only person who can verify the win and deem it official, if applicable.

N. COMPLAINTS AND PENALTIES

All complaints regarding shows are to be made in writing, within 7 days of the show, to the local Show Secretary or the NDGA Show Chairperson.
Technical errors shall not affect the official recording of the Grand Champion win unless reported within 21 days of a show.
Wins recorded at a show in which NDGA rules were violated may be invalidated.

Any questions about show rules, sanctions or other tips for hosting a successful show, please email Dotty Clark, Committee Chairperson .