At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the American Saddlebred Horse Association held on July 13, 2018, the Board approved revisions to the Association’s Bylaws following a presentation from the Association’s Bylaws Committee composed of Tandy Patrick, Chair, and Committee members Evan Orr, Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes, and Owen Weaver.
Significant changes to the Bylaws include the following:
- Governance: The Executive Committee of the Association has been eliminated, and all prior functions of the Executive Committee are now vested in the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will meet on a monthly basis, with at least three meetings a year in person.
- Membership Categories: The previous categories for individuals age 17 and under have now been consolidated into one Junior Member category, which permits Junior members to attend all meetings of the membership, take part in all junior programs, compete in licensed USEF shows and pay the member fee for registrations or transfers of horses. The Fan Member category has been clarified to permit Fan Members to upgrade their membership to a competing category with credit given for the cost paid for the Fan Membership, and to explain that Fan Members have Internet access to the Association’s Website but are not eligible for election to the ASHA’s Board of Directors, have no voting power, are not eligible to compete in licensed USEF shows and are required to pay the non-member fee for registrations or transfers of horses.
- Election of Board Members: Annual voting for Directors of the Association will be by electronic ballot; voting by paper ballot will be permitted only for members who submit a written request to the Association for a paper ballot.
- Nominees for Directors and Officers: Board members will have the ability to accept the slate of candidates for election to the Association’s Board of Directors as proposed by the Nominating Committee for Directors, or propose different candidates for such slate. Similarly, Board members will have the ability to accept the slate of officers as proposed by the Nominating Committee for Officers, or propose different individuals for officer position(s).
- Code of Conduct: All members of the Association are subject to the Association’s Code of Conduct, which is currently being developed by the Association’s Code of Conduct Committee and will be posted on the Association’s website following adoption by the Board.
ASHA President David Mount noted, “The new Bylaw changes address many important issues raised by our members over the past year. I would like to thank the Bylaws Committee, chaired by Tandy Patrick, and our Board of Directors for moving forward with these much needed changes.”
Updated ASHA Bylaws are now available on the website.
-- via ASHA
|