Instructions for participating in grading
1. Definitions and Scoring
For the purpose of these instructions and the grading system at large, the following definitions shall apply:
1.1 “Run” = a single trip down the course from start line to finish line.
1.2 “Set” = a predetermined set of 6 runs following a particular set of rules. i.e. a Tower set or a Raid set.
1.3 “Style” = a particular set of rules defining an event, such as the Tower style or the Raid style.
1.4 A “competition” is an event at which a number of horseback archers compete against each other in one or more events. Grades may be obtained at competitions but the primary purpose of a competition is to compete against others.
1.5 “Score” = the score for a set (see 1.2). Therefore a “Raid score” is the number of points obtained from a single set of 6 runs using the Raid rules. If a grade requires the submission of, e.g. “2 scores”, that means the scores from 2 sets.
1.7 All of the normal IHAA rules for scoring apply to grading.
2. The IHAA Committee and Awarding Bodies
2.1 The grading system shall be administered by the IHAA committee through their Member Associations
2.2 The IHAA Member Association for a country shall instruct a committee member to act at the Grading Officer on their behalf.
2.3 Awarding Bodies may only award grades to people resident in their country. If they are approached by a person living in another country then they should refer them to the Awarding Body for that country or to the IHAA Committee.
2.4 A grading body should allow anyone from their country to grade regardless of membership of their organisation.
It is permitted to charge non-members extra to grade (it is expected that cheaper access to grading will be a benefit of joining the organisation).
2.5 Where there is no Awarding Body in a country, people in that country may grade through the IHAA Committee, or the IHAA Committee may ask the Awarding Body for another country to take on that job.
3. Student/Sportsman Grades
3.1 There are six S grades: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and S6 where S6 is the highest student grade.
3.2 Student grades can be obtained by shooting Raid sets and/or Aussie sets.
3.3 There is no particular speed requirement for the student grades, other than remaining in a canter throughout
3.4 All other Raid Style rules apply in the case of student grades, including bonus points for hitting multiple targets.
3.5 One score is required for S1; 2 scores are required for each of S2-6
3.6 Applicants may grade using any of the permitted events / track types (i.e. those shown on the grading table). A country may promote certain tracks that are more commonly done there, but any score from a track/event on the grading table must be accepted.
3.7 4 run R2-3 is allowed in exceptional circumstances (eg for iHBA participants) and may be used for grading at the discretion of the national grading officer. Multiply the 4 run score by 1.5 for comparison to the standard grade boundaries
3.8 Scores required are shown in the linked table.
4. Horseback Archer Grades
4.1 There are ten Horseback Archer (HA) grades, HA1-HA10, where HA10 is the highest HA grade.
4.2 2 scores from group A (Raid) and and 2 scores from group B (Tower / Hungarian (pre 1March2020 / Kassai's track) are required for HA grades.
4.3 Applicants may grade using any of the permitted events / track types (ie. those shown on the grading table). A country may promote certain tracks that are more commonly done there, any score from a track/event on the grading table must be accepted.
4.4 4 run R2-3, T90 or T60 is allowed in exceptional circumstances (eg for iHBA participants) and may be used for grading at the discretion of the national grading officer. Multiply the 4 run score by 1.5 for comparison to the standard grade boundaries
4.5 Scores required are shown in the linked table.
5. Submitted Scores
5.1 The number of scores required for a grade varies according to the grade (see points 3.5 and 4.2).
5.3 No more than one score from each style (Raid / Aussie / Tower) may be submitted from any given day’s shooting, but a person may submit scores from different styles gained on the same day, e.g. 1 Raid & 1 Tower, or 1 Raid and 1 Aussie.
5.4 Scores must be submitted to the relevant Awarding Body, either one at a time as they are achieved, or all together when enough have been collected to fulfil all of the grade's requirements. A grading body may express preference for one method or the other.
5.5 If an application for a grade is properly supported by the correct scores attained in accordance with these Rules then the grade shall be granted. If it is not so supported then the grade shall not be granted. That is: the only requirement for getting a grade is to have the relevant scores; it is not a requirement for people to progress through the grades sequentially (and Awarding Bodies must not require people to do so).
5.6 It is important that the integrity of the grading system is protected both within each country and internationally. It is important that the integrity of the Grading System is protected both within each country and Internationally. Each country has the authority to implement policy to ensure that rules are followed. Some examples may include but not limited to 1. Photo or Video Track Verification of each club or individual user. 2. Photo or video confirmation of regulation targets. 3. Video confirmation from first time Canter Grade users (Student Level and Horse Archer Level). Followed by the rest of the paragraph. In the rare circumstance that there are genuine reasons to believe a grading application to be falsified, the Awarding Body may refuse to accept a score. The applicant should be offered the opportunity to grade where their attempt can witnesses by a mutually agreed and independent witness, by video or at an independently run competition.
5.7 Scores may be submitted in support of an application for a grade equal to or below the level of the score (e.g. an HA3 score may be submitted in support of an application for HA3 or below).
5.8 A single score may be submitted in support of more than one application, so long as it is of the correct level (e.g. if a person submits an application for HA1 and uses an HA3 score as support, then that score MAY later be used in support of applications at HA2 and/or HA3), subject to the time limit on submitted scores (see Rule 5.9 below).
Example
Attila holds S3. To attain HA1 or HA2 he needs to submit 2 Raid and 2 Tower scores. One day he shoots a Raid set and a Tower set, achieving HA2 grades on both. A few weeks later he again shoots a Raid set and a Tower set. This time he only achieves HA1 scores.
Attila may apply for HA1 using the scores above, because they are all of HA1 or above.
A few weeks later (but still within 24 months: see Rule 5.9), Attila shoots another Raid set and another Tower set. He achieves HA2 scores in both and may now apply for HA2 using these sets and his previous HA2 scores, even though they have already been used to apply for HA1.
5.9 All scores submitted in support of an application must have been shot within 24 months of each other (i.e. the time between the first and last scores must be 2 years or less).
5.10 Rule 5.9 may be varied by Awarding Bodies, but any such variation may only make the period shorter, not longer.
5.11 A person may apply to the Awarding Body for an extension of time to shoot further scores. Such an application should only be granted in exceptional circumstances such as an illness, injury, Natural Disasters or Pandemic has prevented the person from riding/or shooting. Each awarding body will address each case individually and grant an appropriate extension if the situation warrants. An extension should not be granted if a person has just not been able to attain the required score despite having the opportunity to do so.
6. Grading opportunities
Scores submitted for grading may have been gained either:
6.1 At a grading event organised by the national association or grading body (these will normally be the same)
The organiser should verify the scores – if they are submitted electronically it is not necessary to sign a scoresheet, if submitted on paper just 1 signature is required.
6.2 At a competition
6.2.1 If the competition rules are the IHAA rules exactly AND the grading body trusts the reliability of the competition’s scoring/organisation, the score may be taken straight from the official competition scoresheet. The applicant may send a copy of the official scoresheet electronically to the grading body when submitting the score.
6.2.2 If the competition rules vary i.e. the scoring system for speed points / bonus points is different from the IHAA rules; or the target is a little further back / smaller; or there are 9 runs instead of 6; a competition score may still be used.
The applicant must get the raw scores from the organiser, enter them onto a scoresheet according to IHAA rules and work out their corrected score. They should present the raw scores and new scoresheet to the competition organiser / chief ref / their team captain or manager, and ask them to countersign it.
If converting a 9 run event to a 6 run event, the first 6 runs should be used.
6.3 At home / club training
The scoresheet should be countersigned by 2 witnesses then a scan emailed to the grading body or a real copy sent by post.
6.4 It is the IHAA’s intent to have grading available to the non competitor but also gives each Awarding body the discretion to limit or not accept home/club Grading.
6.5 The standard system (which an Awarding body may choose to implement or not):
Walk/Trot, Student, and HA1-2: there is no requirement for returns to include competitions scores.
HA3-4: of the four returns, at least one must be a competition score (it can be either a Tower score or a Raid score).
HA 5-10: of the four returns, at least two must be competition scores (one Tower and one Raid).
7. Procedure for grading
7.1 Participants may warm up as much as they wish with ground archery. Mounted archery warm-up, prior to commencing the grading attempt, should be as described in the rulebook (ie 2 warm-up runs for a 6-run event)
7.2 Where competition scores are submitted for grading the number of warm-up runs permitted by the competition organiser is allowed.
7.3 At a training session where, for example, people are training in the morning and doing a grading run in the afternoon; there must be a pause of at least 30 minutes between practice and scoring runs. After this a person may warm them self and their horse up then follow the warm-up procedure detailed in 7.1
7.4 Awarding Bodies may decide to increase the required pause above 30 minutes in their country.
7.5 A person may attempt no more than two scored sets at each style in a single day. Only one score for each style may be submitted from any given day (see 5.3).
7.6 Awarding Bodies are free to decide that, in their country, only one set of each style may be attempted each day.
7.7 Unless the Awarding Body for their country decides otherwise, participants may attempt to grade on as many days as they wish.
8. Grading lists
The IHAA maintains a list of people holding grades. This list is published on the IHAA website. Awarding Bodies should notify the IHAA of any new names that need adding to the list. It is the Awarding Body’s responsibility to ensure that they have the rider’s permission to add their name (it would be sensible perhaps to make it known that names will be added unless an applicant expressly asks that this isn’t done).