Rules & Regulations

All exhibitors, their parents, legal guardians, employees, or agents as a condition of participation, do hereby release and forfeit all legal rights to bring litigation in any form or any state against the ASA, its Board of Directors, employees, or show officials for claims arising in any manner from the enforcement, interpretation of any rules or policies of ASA.

  1. Exhibitors must be paid members of the AJSA and must be 7 as of Jan. 1, 2023, and not have had their 22nd birthday as of Jan. 1, 2023
  2. Entries must be completed by May 1, 2023. Late entries are accepted online after May 1 and no later than May 15, 2023. Entries are online ONLY.
  3. Entry substitutions will be allowed until the May 15 deadline. Absolutely no entries online or substituted past May 15. Entries received without a registration number, MUST provide the registration number by May 15 or your entries will be considered incomplete. You will not be able to show any incomplete animal entries. You will not receive refunds for animals that are incomplete. It is the exhibitor’s responsibility to provide registration numbers at the time of entry.
  4. Animals must be officially registered to the one person who will be showing it at Junior Nationals by May 1, 2023.
  5. Animals must be in the name of only ONE individual junior member to be eligible to show. (No farm name allowed)
  6. No refunds of paid entries for any reason.
  7. You must have registration papers and health papers for all animals at check-in.
  8. General health requirements for the state in which the show is held will be followed. Current health papers must accompany the animals at the show.
  9. Animals entered in the National Junior Shorthorn Show must be tattooed. We may not verify tattoos at check-in, but an animal’s tattoo must match the corresponding registration papers. If there becomes a reason to check, entries not matching will be disqualified from the show.
  10. Steers ONLY will be weighed at check-in on June 19. The weight per day of age may be provided to the judge.
  11. All Champion and Reserve Champion Divisions and show Champions and Reserve Champions will be subject to DNA testing. This will be done at the completion of each show.
  12. All members of the AJSA in attendance at the Junior National are expected to conduct themselves in a manner becoming an AJSA member and abide by the on-site directives of the facility, ASA staff, and/or host state. Violations of these standards include but are not limited to; misrepresentation of animals, vandalism, theft, fighting, unsportsmanlike conduct, failure to comply with the directives of officials, being under the influence of intoxicating or prohibited substances, or willful violation of rules. Failure to cohere to the above regulations may lead to disciplinary actions, which may include expulsion from the event at the discretion of the ASA staff and/or ASA executive board.
  13. Exhibitors must show his/her own animals unless excused by the ASA Junior Activities Director. Only exhibitors who attend the Junior National and are physically unable to show the animals due to illness or injury, with a doctor’s note as confirmation, will be excused. The animal may be shown only by an AJSA member that is entered to show at the NJSS. Written explanation and doctor’s note must be given to the ASA Junior Activities Director prior to the show in cases of illness, injury, or if the exhibitor has more than one entry in the same class.
  14. All exhibitors must wear the official 2023 Junior National Shirt when showing entries, excluding showmanship and team fitting. (Showmanship will have its own t-shirt that must be worn). Every exhibitor must also wear the correct show number in a show harness for all shows. (These back numbers are specific to the individual animal being shown)
  15. Any exhibitor who loses control of his/her entry three times in a single appearance in the show ring (calf gets away) will be required to remove the animal from the ring. ALL BULLS older than one year of age on Jan. 1, 2023 are required to have a permanent nose ring or clip in nose ring any time they are being handled for the safety of everyone. For the sake of the safety of all exhibitors and spectators, any animal that is presenting an unsafe atmosphere in the show ring can be removed at the discretion of ASA staff and the ASA board of directors.
  16. Exhibitors are NOT permitted to have help or assistance handling their animals from anyone but show officials unless they have a physical or mental handicap or are otherwise impaired. Size/age alone is not considered a valid impairment. All exhibitors who meet the qualifications for allowing assistance and plan to do so must give prior notification to the ASA Director of Junior Activities. Exhibitors are NOT allowed to use AirPods or other forms of communication in the show ring for assistance in exhibiting cattle.
  17. Any animal presented by any individual is assumed to be a representative of the member/owner(s). The ASA reserves the right to disqualify any animal that has been fitted in an unethical manner. Unethical manners include the following: The use of a stomach pump or esophageal tube to deliver liquid, feed, or medication is not allowed. (Oral administration of electrolytes or feed additives is allowed if accomplished without the above devices). The cutting, tearing, or gluing of the hide or underneath the hide or removal of tissue in an attempt to alter the normal conformation or shape of an animal; an injection of any gas, solid, or liquid under the hide to alter the normal conformation or shape of the animal. Any attempt to disrupt or change the normal dental development of an animal. No changing the natural color pattern of any spots or markings on the animal. (Only white coloring can be used on white, red coloring used on red and black coloring used on Black, etc.) The ASA also endorses and upholds the position of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the rules of the Food and Drug Administration. ***To view the complete set of ASA show rules (ASA Rule V, VI, VII, and VIII) that must be followed by the exhibitor, visit juniorshorthorn.com and view under rules & regulations. ***

17-1.

The ASA Executive Committee shall investigate any possible violation of the Rules & Regulations of the American Shorthorn Association. If a violation of said rules and regulations has taken place, a formal protest must be submitted.

A formal protest must consist of:

  • A written description of the violated rule and rule number along with a photo or video of the activity.
  • One of the following forms of animal I.D.: tattoo or ear tag, along with the date, location, and time of activity.
  • Print and sign your name to the protest stating that you witnessed the illegal activity.
  • Contact information for yourself and any supporting witnesses who are willing to sign to the protest, so that you may be easily reached.
  • Submit a formal protest with a $1,000 cash protest fee to an ASA staff member or board director to be reviewed by the ASA executive board of directors. Protest must be submitted before the grand drive of the designated show. (Bred & Owned, ShorthornPlus, Bulls, Steers, Purebred, etc.)
  • If the protest is upheld at any time: any class placing and show results will be stricken for the exhibitor; premiums forfeited; and/or the exhibitor and/or any person directly involved with the rules violation may be banned from future exhibiting or fitting at ASA events at the discretion of the ASA Board of Directors. If any of the above items are not included in the formal protest, the protest will be declared null and void or non-enforceable.  Animals shall be subject to a physical examination by the show official before and/or after the animal is exhibited. The decision of the ASA Executive Committee is final.  All exhibitors agree by signing the entry form that no litigation in any form or in any state can be brought to resolve any issue regarding rule 17.
  1. Any animal that reaches the entrance of the show ring after the judge has given the sign for the animals to walk will be disqualified from the competition.
  2. All animals must be stalled in the barns throughout the day, regardless of heat, space, or other conditions. There shall be NO stalling at trailers during the day. Exhibitors who are uncooperative with this rule risk being disqualified from the competition. All cattle must remain on the grounds and be in the barns during the day following check-in.
  3. It is recommended that no personal, family, or farm signs of any kind are used in the stalling or tack States to create unity.
  4. Classes and divisions will be broken as proportionately to age and class size as possible and will be guided by the class break allowances of the ASA National Show specifications. Class breaks will be posted at least one day prior to the day of the show and are at the discretion of the ASA staff. Once class breaks are posted, they are final and there will be no further discussion.
  5. No portacools or buttfans allowed in barns at any time.
  6. No tents or pens are allowed in tie-outs. You must tie in the designated tie-out area, no tying to trailers.
  7. No nurse cows are allowed on grounds except for those entered and exhibiting in the cow/calf class.

Additional ShorthornPlus Show Regulations

  1. Eligible heifers must be born on or after Sept. 1, 2021, and on or prior to March 31, 2023. ShorthornPlus females must be 50% Shorthorn or higher to be eligible for ShorthornPlus shows (see ASA rule: Sec.3, B6a). ShorthornPlus heifers/steers/cow-calves will have green registration papers and will be eligible to show only in the ShorthornPlus heifer/steer/cow-calf classes.
  2. To be eligible to show in the ShorthornPlus Cow/Calf Division, both the cow and calf must be 50% Shorthorn and calves must be of equal or higher percentage than their dams. Purebred Shorthorn cows with a ShorthornPlus calf at side are eligible to show in the ShorthornPlus Cow/Calf division.
  3. All single-entry heifers shown in the ShorthornPlus Owned and Bred and Owned Shows must be weaned and cannot be nursing at the Junior National unless they are also entered as a Cow/Calf Pair. No nurse cows are allowed on the grounds except for those entered and checked in for the cow/calf class.
  4. We will have a separate ShorthornPlus Bred & Owned Show with the same classifications as the ShorthornPlus Owned Show. If you show in both shows, you will pay entry fees for both shows. You are not automatically entered in the Bred & Owned Show.

Additional Purebred Female Show Regulations

  1. Eligible heifers must be born on or after Sept. 1, 2021, and on or prior to March 31, 2023. Purebred heifers are 15/16 or higher.
  2. All single-entry heifers shown in the Owned and Bred & Owned Shows must be weaned and cannot be nursing at the Junior National unless they are also entered as a Cow/Calf Pair. No nurse cows are allowed on the grounds except for those entered and checked in for the cow/calf class.
  3. To show in the Bred & Owned show, the animal must be purebred (15/16 or higher), bred by the individual junior exhibitor (must own cow at time of breeding), owned and shown by the individual junior exhibitor. For embryo transplant (ET) calves, the junior must have been the owner of the dam at the time of the flush, and the junior name must be listed as the sole “breeder” on the registration certificate.
  4. If showing a bred and owned cow/calf pair, both the cow and calf must be bred and owned. If the cow is not bred and owned, then it will show in the owned show. See additional cow/calf show rules for more details.

Additional Bred & Owned Bull Show Regulations

  1. Eligible bulls must be born on or after January 1, 2021, and on or prior to March 31, 2023. To show in the Purebred bull show, the animal must be purebred (15/16 or higher), bred by the individual junior exhibitor, owned, and shown by the individual junior exhibitor. To show in the ShorthornPlus bull show, the animal must be at least 50% Shorthorn, bred by the individual junior exhibitor, owned, and shown by the individual junior exhibitor.
  2. All single-entry bulls must be weaned and cannot be nursing at the Junior National, unless they are also entered as a Cow/Calf Pair. No nurse cows allowed on grounds except for those entered and checked-in in the cow/calf class.

Additional Cow/Calf Division Regulations

  1. Cow/Calf entries are a division and compete for overall Grand Champion Female.
  2. Cow/calf pair entries may be made prior to the calf being born/registered, but the calf must be registered by May 1, 2023. Both cow and calf must be registered to same exhibitor. Calf at side can’t be older than 280 days on show day.
  3. If the cow is less than 15/16 Shorthorn blood or has a ShorthornPlus calf at side, the pair shows in the ShorthornPlus cow/calf division. See ShorthornPlus Regulations for blood requirements.
  4. Calf must be cow’s natural calf, not embryo transplant.
  5. Unless showing in the Bred & Owned show, Cow does not have to be owned at time of conception but must be owned by the ownership deadline of May 1, 2023.
  6. Calf is eligible to compete as a single entry in Owned and Bred & Owned Shows but must be entered as an additional entry. Calves shown as a single entry must be fit in the show classifications to be eligible.
  7. Bred and Owned pairs must have a bred and owned cow AND bred and owned calf.
  8. No nurse cows allowed, unless entered as a cow/calf pair.

Additional Steer Show Regulations

  1. Eligible steers must be born on or after September 1, 2021, and on or prior to March 31, 2023. All steers must be weaned and cannot be nursing at the Junior National.
  2. All single-entry steers must be weaned and cannot be nursing at the Junior National, unless they are also entered as a Cow/Calf Pair. No nurse cows allowed on grounds except for those entered and checked-in in the cow/calf class.
  3. Classes will be broken as proportionately to weight and class size as possible. Purebred and ShorthornPlus steers exhibit in different shows. Classes will be broke at the discretion of show officials after check-in is complete.
  4. ShorthornPlus animals are considered to be steers must be 25% Shorthorn or higher to be eligible to show. This rule is for steers ONLY. Purebred steers are 15/16 or higher.
  5. Purebred steer divisions will be:
    • Prospect Steers: 900 lbs. and lighter
    • Market Steers: 901 lbs. and heavier
    • Bred & Owned – the top placing B&O steer in each class will be asked to come back to compete for the Bred &Owned. Prospect and Market will not show together for Bred and Owned.
  6. ShorthornPlus steer divisions:
    • Prospect Steers: 900 lbs. and lighter
    • Market Steers: 901 lbs. and heavier
    • Bred & Owned – the top placing B&O steer in each class will be asked to come back to compete for the Bred & Owned. Prospect and Market will not show together for Bred and Owned.
  7. Steers will be weighed on check-in day. Steers may be weighed back upon entering the showing.