Basset Hound Club of America

BHCA MATURITY STAKES FORMS

2013 Maturity

2013 Maturity Stakes Form (PDF format)

BHCA MATURITY STAKES RULES

Revised and adopted by the board of BHCA 1/10/07. The Maturity will become effective for the 2009 Maturity Stakes.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Maturity is to validate the expectations of Basset Hound Breeders from the previous 24 months of Futurity nominations and entries. The maturity stakes is intended to encourage the breeding of the best possible “Basset Hound” and to reward breeders for their efforts. Recognition is also given to the owners in whose hands lie the responsibility of developing the inherited potentialities.

GENERAL

The maturity stakes will be held immediately following the Futurity stakes at the BHCA Nationals. All financial transactions will be coordinated and reviewed by the BHCA Treasurer. All rules and regulations in regards to the futurity shall apply to the maturity where applicable.

ELIGIBILITY

The Maturity stakes is open to all breeders, co breeders co-owners, or owners at the time the dogs and bitches that have previously completed their enrollment in the futurity, according to the futurity stake rules and are listed in the futurity catalog or the futurity section of the catalog under futurity. All must be members in good standing with the BHCA at the time of maturity entry.

Maturity nominations are open to Bassets Hounds who have completed the Futurity enrollment process through the third and final enrollment of the year in which they were eligible for the Futurity. They must also have been listed in the Futurity section of the catalog and recorded from the past 24 months of the Futurity Stakes, with a beginning date of April 1 and ending March 31.

A list of eligible dogs will be kept by the Futurity Secretary.

Individuals are not eligible to enter the maturity stakes as a breeder or co breeder nor allowed to exhibit if they are:

• The Futurity Secretary, Assistant Secretary or members of their immediate family or household are ineligibility to participate.
• Judging any BHCA National event held in conjunction with the BHCA national specialty.
• Members of the immediate family or household of the person elected to judge the Maturity.

ENROLLMENT

Any breeder, Co-breeder, or owner of a previously eligible futurity nominated litter may continue their enrollment into the Maturity year and class for which they are eligible. The Maturity nominated dog or bitch must be nominated individually for each year in which they choose to compete. Maturity nominations will become eligible beginning October, 2005.

The dog or bitch must be nominated by the nominating breeder or owner, by July 1 of the current Futurity/Maturity year. The F/M Secretary on or before January 15 of the current Maturity  Year shall send to each eligible Maturity participant a notice along with the Maturity Nomination Form, advising them of the deadline for nominating their individual dog(s).  This notice may be sent either electronically or by the U.S. Postal Service. The nominating form will also be available on the BHCA web site.  No late nominations will be accepted after July 1.

In the event of ownership change on the maturity nominated dog or bitch it will be the responsibility of the previous owners to notify the Futurity Secretary within 30 days of that change in order to continue in the maturity.

CLASSES

The maturity stakes will be judged in separate classes each year, divided by dogs and bitches, and the year in which they were nominated. The winners of each of the 4 classes will compete for best in maturity and best of opposite sex in maturity.

MATURITY CLASS 1 — Dogs and bitches eligible from the prior 12 months futurity competition, and have been born April 1 to March 31 of that futurity year.

MATURITY CLASS II — Dogs and bitches eligible from the 24 months prior futurity, born, between April 1 to March 31 of that futurity year.

The show entry fee for the maturity will be $15.00.

PRIZE MONEY

All monies collected from the enrollment fees, penalties and entry fees will be pooled. BHCA will retain 30 % to cover maturity expenses. The remaining will be divided as follows: BEST IN MATURITY — 60% & BEST OF OPPOSITE IN MATURITY — 40%.

There will be no money prizes given in the four maturity classes.

JUDGES

All BHCA members in good standing are eligible to judge the Maturity stakes. AKC regulations May prevent BHCA members who are licensed judges from competing at the nationals specialty show if they judge the maturity event. BHCA member judges who currently exhibit and participants nominating prospective maturity judges, should be mindful of such constraints.

The judge who is selected to judge the futurity stakes, through the futurity stake process, will also judge the maturity stakes and will be listed in the premium list and program of judging.

Adopted:  Oct 2005
Revised:   Jan 10, 2007
Revised:   October 9, 2009
Revised:   April, 18, 2010
Revised:   October 5, 2010