MDGA Live Show Rules

ELIGIBILITY

1. Eligibility to participate in an MDGA-sanctioned Live Show requires that you be a current MDGA member in good standing.

 

2. For animals to be accepted for participation in an MDGA show, the owner must present either an official registration certificate or a registrar-issued confirmation email.

 

3. To compete in an MDGA-sanctioned “Experimental” show, a miniature dairy goat is not required to be registered with MDGA but may be registered with another official miniature dairy goat registry. If such an animal is awarded Grand Champion of its breed, the animal’s owner will have two weeks from the show date to register the goat with MDGA for the animal to receive the winning leg; otherwise, the leg will be awarded to the Reserve Champion as long as the Reserve Champion is registered with MDGA.

 

4. All MDGA-recorded “Grade” animals are eligible to be shown in sanctioned “Experimental” shows and are also eligible to receive Champion or Reserve Champion wins. To be shown, all registered or recorded grade animals whose certificates were issued by a registry other than MDGA must meet the MDGA standards for registration/recordation. Should it win, an animal belonging to this category must be registered with MDGA within two weeks to receive its official Champion win.

 

5. In an MDGA-sanctioned “American” or “Purebred” show, all entries MUST be registered as an “American” or a “Purebred” with MDGA before the show.

 

6. For all entries in a sanctioned show, either a registration certificate or an email from the registrar showing that an application for registration has been submitted to the registry must be presented to the show secretary or appointed trustee at the time of check-in.

 

7. All animals must be tattooed with assigned tattoo numbers or microchipped before arrival at the show. No tattoos or EIDs (microchips) should be applied at the show.  Owners of animals with EID (microchips) must have a microchip reader available at the show. Champion and Reserve Champion animals will not receive official awards if the tattoo or microchip cannot be read.
   *Tattoo(s) and/or EIDs are allowed as primary identification and must match the recorded information exactly on the registration certificate to receive credit for an official “leg”. If the tattoo is correct but in the wrong location, MDGA will award the Championship but without the “official leg”. If the identification is incorrect for that animal, said animal will be disqualified.

 

8. Proof of Ownership shall be the name on the certificate of registration or application confirmation email. *Animals pending transfer of ownership being shown by the new owner or entered in the show by an exhibitor on behalf of the owner, must have proper documentation signed by the current OWNER of the animal appointing such persons as their “Agent.”

 

9. Animals with horns or scurs exceeding two inches are not acceptable for showing.

 

SHOW SANCTIONING AND FEES

1. Any change requested for a previously sanctioned show shall be sent to the MDGA Live Show Chair in writing for their approval. No verbal or telephone changes will be accepted.

 

2. The online show sanction application may be found on the MDGA Website or may be obtained directly from the MDGA Show Chairperson. Sanction Application should be submitted at least 31 days before the planned show.

 

3. A schedule of classes, breeds, and any local regulations (all listed in their entirety) must be submitted during the online sanction application process. The person submitting the application must make sure that the statement, “MDGA Rules Shall Govern,” is listed in the show rules and/or accompanying show flyer. If materials cannot be attached to the online application, files should be emailed to the MDGA Show Chair.

 

4. Sanction Applications, accompanied by the required information about classes and instructions, need to be submitted at least 31 days before the show for the normal fee schedule to apply.

 

5. Signed contract(s) for Judges hired to judge MDGA shows should be submitted during the online sanction application process. A “Judges’ Rules and Responsibilities” packet will be sent to the judge before the show. If contract(s) cannot be attached to the online application, files should be emailed to the MDGA Show Chair.

 

6. Dual Sanctions: MDGA will agree to Dual Sanctioning ONLY if MDGA rules govern the show, or if the other registry sanctioning has the same rules, registration standards, and restrictions as MDGA.

 

7. The Sponsoring “Show Committee” will determine the order in which classes will be shown.

 

8. Once the MDGA Show Chairperson has approved a sanction, classes CANNOT be changed.

 

9. Report of Awards (ROA) Forms must be submitted online and mailed to the MDGA Central Office within 10 days following the conclusion of the show. The online ROA submission link will be emailed to the Show Chair on the day of the show.

 

Sanction Fees are:

$15 - Each sanction (applied for at the same time)

 

Shipping

$20 – applications submitted 31 days before the show  $40 – applications submitted 30 days or less

 

Grand Champion rosettes and Reserve Champion rosettes are included in these prices. Other rosettes available ($5 each) include Best of Breed, Best Udder, Best Udder in Show, Best in Show, and Showmanship.

Upon receipt of the Show ROA, the MDGA Show Chairperson will send Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion certificates via email and Win Notifications to the owner of the animal winning the leg award – official and unofficial.

 

RULES GOVERNING SHOW OFFICIALS AND JUDGES

1. The designation “Official MDGA Show” shall be posted conspicuously at the show.

 

2. It is the responsibility of the Show Secretary to have a copy of these rules available at all times in case any question arises during the show.

 

3. The Show Chairperson and Show Secretary shall not be the same person. In the case of shows held simultaneously, the Show Secretary shall not officiate in more than one of them.

 

4. The Show Chairperson and the Show Secretary are responsible for enforcing the MDGA rules and certifying that the standards outlined in these rules have been met. In turn, the sponsoring organization is responsible for the actions of the entire Show Committee.

 

5. The local show committee and sponsoring organization may include show rules of their own to be used in addition to MDGA Rules to ensure orderly conduct and cooperative behavior by the exhibitor.

 

6. Any qualified dairy goat judge or otherwise qualified person may be approved to judge an MDGA show. MDGA, ADGA, and AGS judges are pre-approved.  The MDGA One Day Judge Application can be utilized to get others approved.

 

7. A Judge should not judge an animal in which they or any member of their immediate family has had a full or partial interest during the six months preceding the show.

 

8. When judging a dual-sanctioned show, a judge will make sure that all MDGA requirements are met and followed. This could mean that the Judge should check with the Show Chairperson that all entries are within height limits (and if not, what are the actual recorded measurements) or have pedigrees that allow them to be classified as “Experimental” under MDGA Standards. If there is any question about height, a Judge should measure the animal in the ring.

 

9. The judge shall read the tattoo(s) and/or EIDs on the GCH, RCH, and the Champion Challenge winner BEFORE they leave the ring.

 

10. The judge shall examine the teats, including the orifices, of all animals and may draw milk into a container to verify defects.

 

11. The Judges will be instructed to determine disqualifiable defects in Nigerian heights within the individual age classes as with all other disqualifications. The standardized measuring device should be used under the judges' supervision.

 

12. When a written agreement between a Judge and a show committee and/or sponsoring organization for the judging of an MDGA-sanctioned show exists, both parties are required to perform their respective obligations under said agreement. A judge unable to fulfill a contract to judge shall immediately contact the sponsor and explain the circumstances. If the sponsor requests, the judge shall contact a mutually agreed-upon replacement and work to negotiate terms.

 

ARRANGEMENT OF CLASSES AND MAKING OF AWARDS

Breed Abbreviations to be used in naming Divisions:
*Note: Nigerian Dwarf are always considered a separate show and cannot compete against minis even for “Best in Show.

• MA – Mini Alpine
• ML – Mini Lamancha
• MG – Mini Guernsey
• MN – Mini Nubian
• MO – Mini Oberhasli
• MS – Mini Saanen
• MT – Mini Toggenburg
• AOM – All Other Miniatures (Division for breeds with too few numbers to meet sanction requirements individually)
• ND – Nigerian Dwarf

 

Sanctions:
The show could have four sanctions: Junior Does, Senior Does, Junior Bucks, and Senior Bucks. For smaller shows, Junior and Senior Does can be combined, as can Junior and Senior Bucks, resulting in a “Combined” show. A larger show may receive enough entries for separate sanctions for different breeds, thus creating show divisions. The entire show must consist of either “Separate” or “Combined” sanctions. However, if a show is offering both doe and buck classes, the bucks are considered a separate show and can be combined even if the doe classes are separate.

Classes:
Classes fall under one of the three categories, based on sex and age. Below is a list of suggested classes; after the last class in each category, the typical Champion, Reserve Champion, and other awards are listed.

  

Junior Doe Show:

(Does under two years of age that have never freshened)

Class 1: Junior doelings - born between April and show date

Class 2: Intermediate doelings - born in March

Class 3: Senior doelings – born in January or February

Class 4: Junior dry yearlings - under one year through December of previous year

Class 5: Dry yearlings - are twelve to 24 months old and have never freshened

Awards: Junior Champion and Reserve Junior Champion

Class 6: Junior Champion Challenge - Any junior doe that has earned a dry leg award can challenge for Best of Breed.

Awards: Best Junior Doe is Show - All Best of Breed champions must be represented

 

Senior Doe Show:

(Does that have freshened or have been in milk)

Class 7: Senior does less than two years old

Class 8:  Senior does: between two and three years old

Class 9:  Senior does between three and four years old

Class 10:  Senior does between four and five years old

Class 11:  Senior does five years old and older

Awards: Senior Grand Champion and Reserve Champion

Class 12: Champion Challenge - Any Finished Grand Champion senior competes against the champion of the day for Best of Breed.

Awards: Best Doe in Show - All Best of Breed champions must be represented.

Best Udder in Show - All Best Udder champions of breeds must be represented.

 

Junior Buck Show:

(Bucks less than one year old)

Class 13: Junior bucklings - born between April and show date

Class 14: Intermediate bucklings - born in March

Class 15: Senior bucklings - less than twelve months old

Awards: Junior Champion and Reserve Junior Champion

Class 16: Champion Challenge - Any junior buck that has earned a leg award can challenge the champion of the day for Best of Breed.

Award: Best Junior Buck of Show - All Best of Breed champions must be represented.

 

Senior Buck Show:

(Bucks more than one year old)

Class 17: Bucks between one and two years old

Class 18: Bucks between two and three years old

Class 19: Bucks between three and four years old

Class 20: Bucks between four and five years old

Class 21: Bucks five years old and older

Awards: Senior Champion and Reserve Senior Champion

Class 22: Champion Challenge – Any Grand Champion senior buck competes against the champion of the day for Best of Breed.

Award: Best Senior Buck of Show - All Best of Breed champions must be represented.

 

1. All classes sanctioned must be held if any animal(s) of that breed division are present.

 

2. No breed divisions may be combined after the show is sanctioned.

 

3. An animal may compete only once in the age classes of an individual show.

 

4. No animal shall knowingly for any reason be entered, exhibited, or judged in the wrong age class.

 

5. An animal that for any reason has been exhibited AND judged in the wrong class must be disqualified in that class. The placing of the disqualified animal would then be assigned to the animal behind and subsequent animals moved up one placing.

 

6. An official MDGA rosette must be awarded to the Grand Champion and Reserve Champion of each sanctioned breed division of each official MDGA show.

 

7. Entries may not be added to or withdrawn from classes without permission from the officials in charge after the class is in the ring and the judging has started. The class shall not be reopened after reasons have begun.

 

8. In all classes, awards shall be made by the Judge according to the merit of the animal.

 

9. The Champion Challenge class is OPTIONAL. There may be one class per breed division. If the class is sanctioned, it shall be held and the following rules must apply:
   • Finished Senior Champions or Juniors with an official leg may be shown in the Challenge Class.
   • The Grand Champion of the same show must be shown in these classes and the winners of them shall be called “Best of Breed.”
   • The Grand Champion of the day not winning this class shall not compete in the Best Doe/Buck in Show class – the winner of the Champion Challenge class shall.
   • All animals in this class must be placed by the Judge.
   • Proof of Championship or Junior Leg shall be either: (1) The prefix FCH as affixed by MDGA on the animal’s registration or recordation certificate; or (2) Presentation of the Finished Champion Certificate issued by MDGA in conjunction with the original registration certificate; or (3) Presentation of the official Junior Leg Award email issued by MDGA.

JUNIOR DOE SHOWS, JUNIOR DIVISION CLASSES, AND CHAMPIONSHIPS (Does and Bucks)

1. Any doe under 24 months of age that has never freshened shall compete in a Junior Doe Show or the Junior Division.
2. Any buck under 12 months of age shall compete as a Junior Buck.
3. The JUNIOR CHAMPION shall be selected from a class consisting of the first place, blue ribbon winners of the age classes in this division. No animal shall knowingly for any reason be incorrectly exhibited or judged in this class. In a Junior Doe Show, the winner of this class shall be the Junior Grand Champion and called by that title.
4. The RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION may be selected after the Junior Champion has been selected and shall be selected from those remaining in the Junior Championship class plus the animal that stood second to the Junior Champion in its class. In a Junior Doe Show, this shall be the Junior Reserve Grand Champion.

SENIOR DOE SHOWS, SENIOR DIVISION CLASSES, AND CHAMPIONSHIPS (Does and Bucks)

1. Any doe that has ever freshened or that is being milked regularly shall compete in a Senior Doe Show. This includes dry and precocious milkers.
2. Any doe 24 months of age or over that has never freshened shall not be shown unless she is in milk.
3. Any buck 12 months of age or over shall compete as a Senior Buck.
4. The SENIOR CHAMPION shall be selected from a class consisting of the first place, blue ribbon winners of the age classes in this division. No animal shall knowingly for any reason be incorrectly exhibited or judged in this class. In a Senior Doe Show, the winner of this class shall be the Senior Grand Champion and called by that title.
5. The RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION may be selected after the Senior Champion has been selected and shall be selected from those remaining in the Senior Championship class plus the animal that stood second to the Senior Champion in its class. In a Senior Doe Show, this shall be the Senior Reserve Grand Champion.

 

WINNING A LEG TOWARD CHAMPIONSHIP

1. No animal shall receive credit for a leg unless it has a permanent legible tattoo(s) or EID (microchip) before it enters the ring. The tattoo(s) (or EID) must match the one(s) recorded on the registration or recordation certificate. Lack of tattoo, EID, illegibility, or the information included in the aforementioned documents not matching the tattoo(s) (or EID) on the animal shall not prevent the animal from receiving the MDGA rosette.

 

2. Any disqualified animal must NOT be counted in the total number shown.

 

3. The sanction requirements for MDGA Shows to qualify for awarding championship legs are as follows:

• In All shows, a Minimum of Eight (8) Animals, and Two (2) Exhibitors must participate.
• In a Combined Doe Show, at least Five (5) Does must be in milk.
• In a Combined Buck Show, at least Three (3) Bucks must be Twelve (12) months or older.

 

4. With MDGA's live show program, your animals can earn permanent champion titles.
   If a doe has multiple award titles, such as a Virtual Champion (VCH) and Finished Champion (FCH), the Live show title should show first on the animal’s updated registration certificate.

Example “FVCH.” The same applies to when a milk award is added to a goat’s registration “*P”, the prefix adds an “M” like so: “FMCH,” “FVMCH,” “VMCH,” etc.

To earn a Finished Championship title (FCH), a goat must earn three FCH leg awards under at least two different judges. One leg may be restricted, the others must be unrestricted.

 

Senior Does:
(a) Senior Does awarded Grand Champion in her Senior Division/Breed shall be entitled to an unrestricted leg if there are a minimum of 8 does, which include at least 5 does in milk within the division/breed, shall be entitled to an unrestricted leg.
(b) Senior Does awarded Grand Champion in a Combined Show over at least 8 does which include at least 5 does in milk shall be entitled to an unrestricted leg.
(c) Senior Does awarded Best In Show when two or more divisions/breeds are exhibited in the Best in Show Lineup shall be awarded an unrestricted leg if one was not already earned when awarded Grand Champion.  At least one division/breed must meet official requirements listed in (a) or (b).

 

Junior Does:
(a) Junior Does awarded Grand Champion in her Junior Division/Breed shall be entitled to a restricted leg if there are a minimum of 8 does exhibited within the division/breed.
(b) Junior Does awarded Grand Champion in a Combined Show shall be entitled to a restricted leg if there are a minimum of 8 does entered with a minimum of 5 senior does in milk within the division/breed.
(c) Junior Does awarded Best In Show when two or more divisions/breeds are exhibited in the Best In Show Lineup shall be awarded a restricted leg if one was not already earned when awarded Grand Champion. At least one division/breed must meet official requirements listed in (a) or (b).

 

Senior Bucks:
(a) Senior Bucks awarded Grand Champion in his Senior Division/Breed shall be entitled to an unrestricted leg if there are a minimum of 8 bucks exhibited within the division/breed.
(b) Senior Bucks awarded Grand Champion in a Combined Show shall be entitled to an unrestricted leg if there are a minimum of 8 bucks entered with 3 bucks being 12 months or older.
(c) Senior Bucks awarded Best In Show when two or more divisions/breeds are exhibited in the Best in Show Lineup shall be awarded an unrestricted leg if one was not already earned when awarded Grand Champion. At least one division/breed must meet official requirements listed in (a) or (b).

 

Junior Bucks:
 (a) Junior Bucks awarded Grand Champion in his Junior Division/Breed shall be entitled to a restricted leg if there are a minimum of 8 goats exhibited within the division/breed.
(b) Junior Bucks awarded Grand Champion in a Combined Show shall be entitled to an unrestricted leg if there are a minimum of 8 bucks entered with 3 bucks being 12 months or older.
(c) Junior Bucks awarded Best In Show when two or more divisions/breeds are exhibited in the Best In Show Lineup shall be awarded a restricted leg if one was not already earned when awarded Grand Champion.  At least one division/breed must meet official requirements listed in (a) or (b).

 

 REPORTS

1. Before the date of judging, a triplicate Report of Awards (ROA) shall be sent by the MDGA Live Show Chair to the Show Chairman.

 

2. This Report of Awards should be recorded and completed in its entirety by the show secretary, except for signatures and the judge’s notations. The information of the breed judged should be completed before the judging of the next breed begins.

 

3. The Show Secretary shall take all tattoo (or EID) information from the Judge only and as he/she reads it on the animal. The Judge is the only authority on what tattoos (or EID) are on the animal. When a registration certificate indicates an animal has been re-tattooed, the Judge may disregard duplication of tattoo or of individual letters or numbers of tattoo which, in the opinion of the Judge, are the result of re-tattooing.

 

4. The owner of the animal is responsible for certifying that all information about his/her animal and the win is correct on the Report of Awards to the best of his/her knowledge.

 

5. The Show Secretary and Show Chairperson are responsible for certifying that every detail on the Report of Awards is correct to the best of their knowledge.

 

6. A judge may refuse to sign the Report of Awards. If so, they must contact the MDGA Live Show Chair no later than the next working day from the show date and make a full report.

 

7. The Judge shall certify that all of the tattoos (or EID) on the winning animals are recorded on the Report of Awards exactly as they are on the animals and that all of the Best of Breed were present in the Best in Show class. All tattoo spaces provided shall be filled. If there is no tattoo the judge shall write “none.” If the tattoo is illegible, the judge shall write “illegible”. If the animal has an EID, the judge shall record the EID information in the microchip blank. If the tattoo(s) (or EID) on the animal does not match the one(s) on the registration certificate, the judge shall draw a line through the tattoo information (or EID information) on the Report of Awards and write “tattoo incorrect” (or “EID incorrect”) in the space above it.

 

8. The Judge, Show Secretary, Show Chairperson, and the winning exhibitors shall sign the Report of Awards. The Judge keeps the pink copy for their records; the yellow copy is for the club/association; and the white copy is sent to the MDGA mailing address by the Show Chair within two weeks.

 

9. After the completion of the show, the Report of Awards shall not be added to or changed by anyone, except by proper review and action of the MDGA show committee.

 

10. If an MDGA-sanctioned show is held, the report of awards must be completed and returned to the MDGA office for all breeds originally sanctioned regardless of the number of entries shown in each breed division.

 

SUGGESTED CODE OF ETHICS FOR EXHIBITORS AND SHOW COMMITTEES

1. Transportation should be furnished for the Judges.
2. Judges can be picked up at the airport by a Member of the show committee or the sponsoring club (organization) who is not showing his/her animals at this show.
3. Car Rental Funds may be provided in advance either by the organization or included in the show contract.
4. Accommodations for the Judge should be made in either a local motel or in the home of someone not exhibiting.
5. The Judge should not be entertained by anyone before the show who intends to exhibit at the show.
6. Do not request of the Judge a private opinion on any animal before the completion of the show.
7. Anyone who has purchased, within six months, an animal directly from the Judge should not show this animal under this same Judge.
8. Anyone who owns an animal in which the Judge has a financial interest cannot show this animal under the same Judge.
9. Do not offer information or comments to the Judge in the show ring unless requested by the Judge.
10. After the completion of the show, the Judge would welcome and encourage friendship and constructive questions.