Rules

GENERAL RULES

DEFINITIONS

Application deadline - The deadline designated by the VBBI to nominate animals for competition.

Competition period - The dates designated by the VBBI during which the participants must video their animal to compete in a futurity.

Member is defined as a person or entity that pays his/her fees to the VBBI and is in good standing. Becoming a VBBI member permits a person to participate in VBBI events and cast one vote for any matters which are submitted to a membership vote.

Participant is defined as anyone participating in a VBBI event.

Real time means recording the event at the time that it actually occurred and with a counter or timer showing the date and exact time of the recording.

Video submission deadline - the date and time specified by the VBBI for receipt of video submissions, i.e. the check-in deadline.

The VBBI is a Texas corporation and includes the corporation, its shareholders, directors, employees, and contractors.

CONSENT TO FOLLOW RULES AND REGULATIONS

By paying membership fees and/or entering an animal in a VBBI futurity, members and participants are expressly agreeing to abide and be governed by the VBBI's Rules and Regulations.

RIGHT OF REFUSAL

VBBI is a private business and reserves the right to refuse to do business with anyone it chooses.

APPLICABLE LAW AND FORUM SELECTION

Texas law shall apply to any and all disputes concerning the VBBI , the VBBI's Rules and Regulations, and participation in a VBBI event. In the unlikely and unfortunate event that a member or participant elects to pursue litigation concerning the VBBI, the VBBI's Rules and Regulations, and/or participation in VBBI's events, members and participants agree that the only proper county of venue is in Galveston County, Texas. Members and participants agree that if litigation is pursued, it must be filed and litigated in Galveston County , Texas . If litigation concerning the VBBI is filed elsewhere, members and participants agree to transfer the case to Galveston County , Texas .

CURRENCY

All entry fees shall be payable in U.S. dollars.

ASSUMPTION OF THE RISK

Members and participants assume all the risks inherent in bucking bovine athletes and/or bull riding activities, including, but not limited to, bodily injury, death, loss, or property damage to any persons and/or animals and/or equipment. The VBBI shall not be responsible for any injury, death, loss or damage that occurs from participation (or preparing to participate) in a VBBI event. Each member or participant is solely responsible for ensuring safe and reasonable practices and procedures for handling and/or preparing to buck and/or bucking animals for a VBBI event. Each member and/or participant is also solely responsible for advising or warning any spectators present of the risks inherent in handling, bucking, or preparing to buck a bovine athlete.

MISCONDUCT

In the event of a violation of any of the Rules and Regulations, the VBBI will determine the appropriate punishment and/or discipline based upon the seriousness of the misconduct. A member/participant can appeal a decision made by the VBBI to VBBI's Rules Compliance Committee, which consists of three individuals. If a majority, i.e. two or more, of the Rules Compliance Committee members, finds that any of the Rules and Regulations was violated, the Rules Compliance Committee will determine the appropriate punishment. Rules violations calling into question the integrity of the event such as competing with an ineligible animal, altering the videotape, submitting an ineligible video, and using means prohibited by the rules to enhance the performance of an animal, will be dealt with severely, and may include a forfeiture of all winnings and a lifetime ban on participation in VBBI events.

All video submissions that place in the top five of a competition will be reviewed by an independent professional retained by the VBBI to verify that the video submissions were not edited or altered to enhance the performance of the animals depicted in the videos. If it is determined that a video submission was altered or edited to enhance the performance of the animal, the video submission is disqualified, all entry fees are forfeited, and the person/entity that submitted the video will be permanently banned from ever participating in the VBBI. The VBBI may also pursue criminal penalties.

APPEALS

The judges’ scoring of an animal is final, determinative, and CANNOT be appealed.

An appeal concerning a video submission disqualified because the video was altered or edited to enhance the performance of an animal must be submitted directly to the VBBI’s Board of Directors. An appeal must be made in writing to the VBBI’s Board of Directors within three business days after the disqualification. The VBBI’s Board of Directors will confer with another independent professional to determine whether or not the disqualified video submission was altered or edited to enhance the performance of any animal. The member appealing the decision will be responsible for the cost of the professional’s review of the video submission. The Board of Directors will issue a ruling on the appeal. The Board of Directors’ decision will be final.

If a participant or member desires to appeal any other decision made by the VBBI , said member/participant must do so by 5:00 p.m. following the third business day of the decision and/or punishment. The appeal must be in writing and must list the reasons why the participant or member believes the decision and/or punishment is inaccurate or inappropriate. The VBBI’s Rules Compliance Committee will determine whether or not the appeal is meritorious and/or whether the discipline assessed was appropriate. A member/participant can appeal a decision made by the Rules Compliance Committee to the VBBI’s Board of Directors provided the appeal is made in writing and within three business days of the RCC’s decision.

The VBBI Board of Directors will make an independent determination of the alleged misconduct or rule violation and whether or not the discipline was appropriate. The VBBI Board of Directors' decision is final. If the VBBI Board of Directors so chooses, the VBBI Board of Directors may seek the advice of its members. All members deciding to vote will submit a vote to the VBBI. The VBBI Board of Directors' decision will stand unless 75% of the members disagree. If 75% of the members disagree, the members that voted will determine if the Rules and Regulations were violated and, if so, the appropriate discipline.

ELIGIBILITY

Only VBBI members can participate in a VBBI event.

NUMBER OF VIDEOS

Only one video per futurity may be submitted for each animal entered. However, a participant can buck his/her animal any number of times during the competition period to obtain the video that will be submitted. Each participant must be professional keeping in mind that the health and well-being of an animal is the primary factor to be considered in determining the number of times that an animal is bucked during the competition period.

UNLIMITED ENTRIES

There is no limit on the number of entries for a futurity or per participant unless stated otherwise by the VBBI .

OPEN EVENTS

Unless stated otherwise, all VBBI events are open events. Consequently, registered and unregistered bulls can compete provided the bull satisfies the other conditions and requirements listed herein. IMPORTANT NOTE. In the near future, the VBBI intends to require all animals to be registered with the ABBI to compete in the VBBI. The VBBI encourages members to register all animals they intend to compete with as soon as possible.

AGE REQUIREMENTS

Two year old events: Only those bulls born from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006 are eligible to compete in a 2008 VBBI Two Year Old event.

Yearling events: Only those bulls born from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 are eligible to compete in a 2008 VBBI Yearling event.

AGE VERIFICATION

All bulls must be age certified by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with the VBBI approved mouthing chart (L. Man Cropsey, DVM, Golden, Colorado ). All animals competing in a two-year old event must be mouthed no sooner than 18 months old. The veterinarian mouthing the animal must sign a VBBI mouthing form certifying: (1) the date he/she mouthed the animal; (2) the permanent number brand of the mouthed animal; and (3) the age the animal mouthed pursuant to the VBBI’s mouthing chart. Any animal that is mouthed as eligible to compete in the ABBI is eligible to compete in the VBBI if the VBBI is provided the documentation proving the same. While the mouthing chart is not completely reliable for animals under 18 months of age, all animals competing in a yearling event must be mouthed by a licensed veterinarian as a yearling, i.e. in the year 2008, the veterinarian must certify that the mouthed bull was born on or after January 1, 2007.

The VBBI reserves the right to age verify any animals entered into a VBBI event. The age verification will be based upon the VBBI approved mouthing chart. Any animal that is deemed too old by a veterinarian selected by the VBBI will forfeit all entry fees and winnings.

ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION

Each video submission must be clear enough to verify that the animal being bucked is the animal shown in the photographs that accompanied the entry form. Every effort should be made to video the permanent number brand of the animal.

DATE AND TIME STAMPED VIDEO

The VBBI encourages each participant to submit videos that have the date and time running in real time showing the year, month, day, hour, and seconds the video was taken. For example, a video taken on May 12, 2008 at 3:00:08 to 3:00:14 can show the same second by second. This feature is generally located on the bottom right of the video. In newer cameras, the counter may not translate to the video submission. Consequently, it is not mandatory that a video submission have the date and time displayed on the video. The VBBI's authentication code will validate that each video submission was recorded within the competition period. A video submission must be recorded within the competition period or it is ineligible.

AUTHENTIC VIDEOS

Each video submission must be submitted in the exact speed it was recorded. Any video submission that is found to be edited or altered, i.e. sped up, to enhance the purported ability of the animal recorded will be disqualified and the member or participant who submitted the video will be banned from ever participating in a VBBI event.

SUBMITTING VIDEOS OR VIDEO CLIPS

Participants must provide the VBBI a video submission in compliance with the video submission deadline. There are no exceptions to this rule. At the end of the video submission deadline, the VBBI will post a list of all video entries that were timely received. Any video not submitted by the submission deadline will be disqualified and the participant’s entry fees will be forfeited.

VIDEO FORMAT

A video must be submitted in a format that will permit the VBBI to view the video and post the video on the VBBI’s website given the VBBI’s posted video viewing capabilities. Members can submit video submissions via email and/or can send the VBBI a hard copy of the video. Members and participants should refer to the VBBI’s instruction page for details. A video submission that does not comply with this rule is disqualified and the participant’s entry fees will be forfeited.

USE OF VIDEO

By entering a video in a VBBI futurity, a member or participant expressly gives the VBBI permission to post the video on the VBBI’s website for the futurity, and gives the VBBI permission to use the video to market and advertise the VBBI’s business at no cost. All submitted videos are the property of the VBBI. The VBBI will not return any videos submitted via hard copy. Thus, members and/or participants should retain a copy of a submitted video prior to submitting it to the VBBI.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF VIDEOS

Prior to the VBBI’s showing the event and determining the winners, the participant must not post or display any video submission on the world wide web for public viewing. For example, if the VBBI intends to publish the event on its website on May 23, 2008, the participant shall not post any of its video submissions on a public website such as the Breeders Connection, etc. before the results are released on May 23, 2008. If a participant violates this rule, the video that is publicly posted will be disqualified from the competition. A video entry will not be disqualified if the video is posted by the ABBI, NBBA, or other organization posting the results of its competition.

BUCKING TIME

A video entry must show the following to be eligible to compete in a futurity: (1) the VBBI’s four digit code affixed on or adjacent to the bucking chute (to ensure the video is taken during the Competition Period, the VBBI will post a four-digit code on the VBBI’s website); (2) at least three seconds of video footage taken immediately prior to the animal leaving the bucking chute; (3) at least six continuous seconds of video footage of the animal bucking with a dummy after the animals breaks the plane of the chute (only the first six seconds will be scored by the judges); (4) five seconds of footage after the animal stops bucking to assist the VBBI in identifying the animal shown in the footage; and (5) footage of the flank that was used on the animal in the footage, including footage of the person who flanked the animal running their hand the length of the flank (this footage must be taken immediately before the animal is bucked or after the animal finishes bucking and exits the bucking arena).

A video that does not comply with all of the above requirements will be disqualified. For example, if a video shows 5.9 seconds or less of an animal bucking with a dummy after the animal breaks the plane of the chute, the video does not comply with this rule and will be disqualified.

VBBI’s FOUR-DIGIT AUTHENTICATION CODE

The VBBI’s four-digit code works as follows. After the expiration of the application deadline, the VBBI will post a four-digit code on its website. Each participant must write the four-digit code, which will be changed for each event, on a cardboard document in black marker and affix it to the bucking chute of the animal to be bucked. Each video submission must clearly show the VBBI’s four-digit code. If the video submission does not show the VBBI code, the video is ineligible, and all entry fees are forfeited.

OTHER COMPETITIONS

Participants can enter a bull entered in an ABBI, NBBA, or open competition provided the referenced event occurs during the VBBI’s Competition Period. If a participant elects to submit a video taken from such an event, the participant is responsible for recording the video footage. A video submission from a bull entered in a ABBI or NBBA event is excused from complying with rules (1), (2), (4) and (5) under the heading “BUCKING TIME,” i.e. a participant is not required to post the VBBI’s four-digit authentication code on the bucking chute, and is not required to video the bull three seconds before the bull leaves the chute or video close-up footage of the flank. Participants intending to enter a bull in a VBBI event with a video from an open event must comply with all of the VBBI’s rules unless prior arrangements are made with the VBBI. Accordingly, participants intending to enter a video submission taken from an open event are encouraged to contact the VBBI prior to doing so.

Participants that intend to enter a video submission from an ABBI or NBBA event that are not satisfied with their animal’s performance can re-buck their animal and submit that video to the VBBI provided the video is taken during the Competition Period. In the situation mentioned in the previous sentence, the video must comply with all of the VBBI’s rules, including those rules located under BUCKING TIME. In other words, participants that buck their calf at home must record video footage of the four-digit code, etc.

LATE ENTRY

Participants can enter a calf after the entry deadline by paying twice the entry fee for the referenced event. For example, if the event has an entry fee of $500, a participant must pay $1,000 to enter the event. Participants that submit a late entry will be given a separate four-digit authentication code that will be issued after the late entry fee is received. The separate four-digit identification code will be randomly selected by four persons competing in the same competition. For example, if the entry deadline is April 30, 2008, and the Competition Period is May 1, 2008 to May 14, 2008, a person can enter at any time before the end of the Competition Period; however, a separate four-digit code will be issued to that person upon payment of the late penalty. Thus, in the above example, a late entrant that gets a separate four-digit code on May 7, 2008 will only have from May 7, 2008 to May 14, 2008 to obtain a video submission for the VBBI event. The separate four-digit code prevents persons from bucking a calf during the Competition Period and then entering that trip of the calf by paying a late entry fee. A late entrant MUST use the separate four-digit identification code. If a late entrant uses the four-digit code posted for the entries that were timely received, his/her entry will be disqualified.

BUCKING TIME FOR YEARLING EVENTS

The bucking time for yearling events is four (4) seconds as opposed to the six (6) seconds required in two-year old events. A video showing a bull bucking for 3.9 seconds or less will be disqualified. A video submission for a yearling bull must show four (4) seconds of bucking time. All other requirements listed under the heading “BUCKING TIME” must be followed the same as in a two-year old event.

VIDEO QUALITY

The VBBI encourages participants to use the best quality video possible to assist the judges in fairly and accurately determining his/her animal’s performance. Participants should consider lighting, the angle at which the video is shot, and the quality of camera in obtaining a recording. Each participant is in charge of recording the video of his/her animal bucking. The VBBI is NOT responsible for the quality of video taken for any video submission. The judges will only consider video from one camera angle. Thus, any video submission showing the animal bucking from various camera angles will not be considered. Participants must pick the best angle and provide the video submission to the VBBI. A different camera angle can be used to record the VBBI’s four-digit authentication code and the filming of the flank.

JUDGING

Once videos submitted in compliance with the Rules and Regulations are received, a panel of four judges will score each entry. The score will be based upon kick, speed, buck, athleticism, and degree of difficulty. A judge’s score will range from one to twenty-five, with a score of twenty-five being the best and one being the worst score. The judges’ scores will be final. The judges’ scores will be added to determine the places of the entries. There are no tie-breakers. A straight split will be used for any animals that receive the same total score.

If two of the four judges determine that a video submitted is not in compliance with the Rules and Regulations, the video will be disqualified. The judges may elect to have the Rules Compliance Committee determine whether a submitted entry complies with the Rules and Regulations. The Rules Compliance Committee will make its determination based on a majority vote.

TESTING

VBBI reserves the right to take a tissue and/or blood sample of any animal participating in a VBBI event for any reason whatsoever. By participating in an event, members and participants agree to the foregoing.

PLACES PAID

VBBI will pay one spot for every five entries paid. For example, if 50 video entries are submitted and paid, and 5 video submissions are disqualified, VBBI will pay 10 spots as opposed to 9.

DUMMIES

All VBBI entries must use a VBBI approved dummy. A list of approved dummies is available on the VBBI’s website.

ELECTRICAL DEVICES OR FOREIGN OBJECTS

The use of any electrical device in or around the bucking chute to enhance or stimulate an animal’s performance is strictly prohibited. No foreign objects, including any tacks, ties, or otherwise, may be used in an animal’s flank. A violation of either of these two rules results in automatic disqualification from the event and any other discipline warranted.

DRAW

VBBI will randomly determine the order of videos submitted for judging. Judges are entitled to view each video submission as many times as necessary to get an accurate score and in any order the judges deem necessary. Judges may also view the video in slow motion.

ENTRY RULES

To participate in a VBBI futurity, a member must complete an application for each animal participating. The application is located on VBBI’s website. An entry will not be eligible for competition unless the following is provided: (1) a completed and signed application form; (2) a photograph of the entered animal’s head and a photograph showing a side profile of the entered animal; (3) a cashier’s check in the proper amount of the entry fee; and (4) proper age verification as provided in the Rules and Regulations. IMPORTANT NOTE. In the very near future, the VBBI intends to require all animals to be registered with the ABBI to participate. Once the VBBI does so, each application must include a copy of the animal’s registration papers.

WITHDRAWAL

Any entry may be withdrawn before the end of the application deadline. Once the application deadline expires, an entry may not be withdrawn for any reason and all entry fees are forfeited.

VBBI RULES AND REGULATIONS