2022 Officers

 ARTICLE I - Purpose and Goals

The purpose of The Dressage Company shall be to promote interest in Dressage in the local area; to educate the members in the form of speakers, clinics, and other educational activities; to provide information regarding the sport of Dressage; and to encourage Dressage shows in our area to provide experience for our members. 

ARTICLE II – Voting

1. All motions shall be voted on by the members present at a meeting and passed by a simple majority vote.

2. The President shall not vote unless a deciding vote is necessary.

3. If a motion is made and carried at a regular membership meeting that, after further consideration, a member believes not to be in the best interest of the club, a protest may be submitted in writing to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will then vote on whether or not a re-vote may be taken at the next regular membership meeting. If a re-vote is to be taken, notice must be given in the Newsletter and the re-vote must be held at the next regularly scheduled meeting. All action will be held on the subject of question until the re-vote. A majority vote of the members present will reverse or reinstate the motion in question. This decision will be final.

ARTICLE III – Elections

1. Nominations shall be made beginning September 1 through October 1 via the email specified on the club's social media platform. Nominations shall also be accepted at the September or October meeting each year.

2. Elections shall be held at the October meeting each year.

3. Elections shall be made by a simple majority vote of the members present.

4. All officers shall be elected by ballot, or by acclamation in the event of no contest.

5. Two (2) non-nominated members shall tally all election ballots.

6.  The President shall vote, but the ballot shall not be opened unless a deciding vote to break a tie is necessary.

7.  The order of elections shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Membership Chairperson, Historian, Sergeant at Arms, Librarian,  and two (2) Trustees.

8.  Nominees for the office of President and Vice President must be club members for at least one (1) year prior to the time of election and must have attended at least three quarters (3/4) of the club's meetings or activities during the calendar year in which the election is being held.

9.  New officers shall take their posts as of November 1.

10. The President may not hold this position for more than two (2) consecutive years.

11. If at any time the President must leave the club, the Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency of the club and there shall be a special election for the new Vice President. If any other Officer or Trustee must leave the club, there shall be a special election for that vacant position.

ARTICLE IV - Officers and Duties

1. President - It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Members and Trustees; to sign records; and, in general, perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office, or which may be required by the Members or Trustees.

2. Vice President - It shall be the duty of the Vice President to perform all duties of the President in case of the President’s absence, and to serve as the chairperson of the Education Committee with responsibility for supervising the securing of speakers and clinicians. He/she will appoint one member of the Education Committee to develop a Calendar of Events to be published in the newsletter. The Vice President will be responsible for purchasing and presenting an engraved gift (President’s Cup) for the outgoing President to be presented at the Year End Award Banquet at the end of the President’s last term of office.

3. Secretary - It shall be the duty of the secretary to record all minutes at the general membership meetings and Board of Trustee meeting and deliver same to the Newsletter Editor for publication in the monthly Newsletter; to act as correspondent in matters the club; to keep records pertaining to the club and its property; to circulate membership attendance sheets and announcement sheets at each regular membership meeting; and, in general, perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office. On the expiration of his/her term, the Secretary shall deliver all records, papers and club property in his/her possession to his/her successor or to the President.

4. Treasurer - It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive and safely keep all money of the club and to disperse same under the direction of the Board of Trustees; to keep accurate accounts of the finances of the club and hold all records open for inspection and examination by the Board or any members appointed for such an inspection; to present a quarterly financial report which will be published in the newsletter and accepted by vote at the next meeting; to send memorials (not to exceed $50.00) in case of death in the immediate family of a member; to send cards/flowers at his/her discretion in case of major illness or injury of a member; and in general, all duties pertaining to the office. The Treasurer may hire outside assistance for the preparation of taxes if necessary, at the expense of the club. The Treasurer will be responsible for getting a proposed budget from the chairperson of a planned event prior to said event. The Treasurer shall deliver all money, financial records and other property of the club in his/her possession to his/her successor or to the President.

5. Newsletter Editor -  It shall be the duty of the Newsletter Editor to be in charge of the quarterly Newsletter/member e-mail in which meeting minutes, notices of meetings and anything else pertaining to the club business shall be distributed. The Editor shall, in general, perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office.

6. Membership Chairperson - It shall be the duty of a Membership Chairperson to keep a complete list of all current club members including name, address, and telephone number. The Membership Chairperson shall furnish a complete membership list to the Newsletter Editor. The Membership Chairperson shall collect dues, send affiliate dues and a membership roster to the USDF and deliver the remaining money paid for dues to the Treasurer. He/she shall publish in the Newsletter a dues renewal notice at year end, a list of members once a year, and periodic listings of new members as often as necessary. He/she shall keep copies of member guest attendance records for the entire year and until after elections in October for the following year. He/she shall greet and introduce guests at meetings, provide prospective members with a Membership Application, and inform them of the three-meeting limit. He/she shall greet and introduce new members at meetings and provide them with a copy of the Bylaws and other pertinent club information; and, in general, perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office. At the expiration of his/her term, he/she shall hand over all membership records and other pertinent membership information to his/her successor or to the President.

7. Historian (Optional) - It shall be the duty of the Historian to keep a pictorial record of all club activities for the calendar year and present this at the first meeting of the following year. He/she is responsible for the safekeeping of all club pictures or other material which may be of interest regarding club activities; and, in general, perform all duties usually pertaining to the office. At the expiration of his/her term, he/she shall hand over all club property in his/her possession to his/her successor or to the President.     

8. Sergeant at Arms - It shall be the duty of the Sergeant at Arms to call meetings to order; keep order at meetings; adjourn meetings; enforce all rules and policies of the club; conduct the Split-The-Pot drawing at meetings; and, in general, perform all duties usually pertaining to the office.

9. Social Media Chairperson - It shall be the duty of the Social Media Chairperson to keep the club Facebook page up to date by publishing pertinent information, such as meeting and event dates and times. He/she will monitor posts placed on our page by other persons, and remove anything inappropriate, using the Dressage Company Social Media Policy as a guide. He/she will perform administrative duties, including approving and/or removing others with permission to post on our page, such as Historian or Newsletter Editor and update these after yearly elections. He/she shall advise the Historian on posting pictures of club events and reply to any private messages received by the Facebook message system. The same duties would apply to any other social media outlet that the club chooses to utilize in the future, for example, Instagram or Twitter.

10. Trustees - It shall be the duty of the Trustees to attend all Board meetings and vote on matters subjected to vote at such meetings. One Trustee will be responsible for purchasing the gift for Most Contributing Member given at year-end awards. If the recipient is a Trustee, the other Trustee shall be responsible for purchasing the gift. This gift shall not exceed $50.00. All requests for any type of donation (charitable or otherwise) shall be presented to the two Trustees, who will decide if the request should be presented to the membership. 

11. Each Officer will be asked to give a report of the activities of his/her office at each meeting. Any Officer found to be shirking his/her duties or abusing the privileges of his/her office may be removed from office by a petition submitted to the Board of Trustees followed by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (b) of the members in attendance at a regularly scheduled meeting.

ARTICLE V - Meetings

1.  A membership meeting shall be held in September and October for the purpose of electing officers.  

2.  Educational programs shall be offered throughout the year from January through November. Such meetings may be open to non-members, and admission fees may be charged as circumstances require. There will be no regularly scheduled meeting in the month of December. There may be an awards banquet each December instead of a meeting. 

3.   Special business meetings may be requested by the president, any three (3) officers, or one-fourth (1/4) of the membership. Such requests shall be made in writing to the president, and the president shall call such meetings. All members must be notified of such meetings and all such meetings shall be open to all members.

ARTICLE VI - Board of Trustees

1. The Board of Trustees shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two Trustees elected for the year, as well as the immediate past president. All meetings of the Board of Trustees must be attended by at least five (5) members of the Board for the purpose of voting. In the event that fewer than five (5) Board Members are present and a vote is necessary, a Board Member’s vote may be solicited by telephone.

2.  Notice of Board meetings shall be published on the club’s website and social media platform and members shall be notified by email. Board meetings shall be open to all club members. 

3.  The Board of Trustees shall hold business meetings at least four times a year and any other time necessary. 

4. If a matter comes before the Board for a vote, only Board Members will be entitled to vote on the matter and a proposal shall be passed by a simple majority.

5. The Board of Trustees shall concern itself with the management of the business affairs of the club; more specifically, planning the agenda, activities, and finances.

6. All matters discussed and voted upon at the Board meeting shall be brought up and acted upon as necessary at the next regularly scheduled membership meeting.

7. The Board shall have a yearly audit of the finances conducted; this will be completed no later than the April meeting of the following year.

ARTICLE VII - Absentee Ballots

No member may authorize another to vote for him/her at any meeting or election, but may submit a written, signed ballot to the President.

ARTICLE VIII - Compensation

The club will not pay wages or salaries to any officer for performing the duties of his/her office, not to any member for other services rendered to the club which are generally of a volunteer nature. The club may pay an officer or member to provide a service such as horse show judge, technical delegate, clinician or any other service for which the club normally pays someone.

ARTICLE IX - Termination

In the event that club membership drops below 10 members and that 75 percent or more of the members in good standing elect to terminate the club, any remaining balance in the treasury shall go to a qualified nonprofit charity that pertains to horses. 

ARTICLE X - Regulations Amended

If it becomes necessary for these bylaws to be repealed or changed, the proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the Board of Trustees at a regularly scheduled membership meeting or a Board of Trustees meeting. The proposed amendment or notice thereof must then be published on the club’s social media platform to inform the membership of the upcoming vote. Discussion of the amendment and vote will take place at the next business meeting. The amendment must be passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members present. 

1. Black and white are the official colors of the club.

2. Any club member may make the request that a motion be voted upon by a written ballot.

3. The Dressage Company will keep a minimum bank balance of $800.00 to cover fixed expenses and to avoid bank service charges.

4. All members must submit receipts or proof of purchase to Treasurer in order to receive reimbursement for purchases made on behalf of the club.

5. Expenditures of club members related to club functions must be approved by the Chairperson of the event prior to reimbursement by the Treasurer.

6. The Treasurer will handle obtaining the club’s yearly insurance, as well as, insurance for special events.

7. The Dressage Company will pay the standard federal rate for mileage fees incurred by judges, speakers, and clinicians.

8.Speakers who donate their time to speak at club meetings will have their dinner purchased by The Dressage Company; this may include one guest of the speaker.

9. A committee will be selected to plan miscellaneous activities and entertainment to meet the needs of the membership.

10. In case of planned activities involving reservations, all monies are payable in advance.

11.Deposit refunds will be at the discretion of the planning committee.

12.All clinic participants must sign a liability waiver.

13. Non-members will pay an additional fee for clinics. Auditors will pay a set fee whether they are a member or not.

14. A Pre-Clinic Checklist/Contract will be drawn up between the club and the hosting facility when deemed necessary by the planning committee. 

15. Clinic auditor fees will be waived for the clinic manager and the owner of the facility hosting the clinic.

16. Any educational information from speakers will be given out at that month’s meeting or at the following month’s meeting if there is a shortage of handout information available and more copies need to be made.

17. Any letters or information received by the newsletter editor for publications that is deemed to be inappropriate will be brought to the attention of two members of the Board of Directors. These two board members will decide if all of the board members need to be contacted. If a board meeting is held the decision to publish or not publish the item in question must be passed by a majority vote.

18.Membership and Dues (moved from Bylaws on 01/11/05)

A. Membership in The Dressage Company shall be open to all persons regardless of race, creed, or color.

B. There are two types of membership: Individual (receives one newsletter subscription) and Family (individual dues + appropriate fee for each additional family member as denoted by USDF; receives one newsletter subscription.)

C. Upon reaching the age of 21, a child who has been receiving membership privileges as part of a family must pay his/her own membership dues to receive full membership privileges including a newsletter subscription and the right to vote.

D. Charter Members are those who joined the club before 01/01/85. An asterisk (*) appears next to the name of charter members on the club membership roster.

E. Membership in The Dressage Company is non-transferable.

F. Any member found to be abusing or misusing his/her membership privileges shall have his/her membership revoked by the Board of Trustees.

G. As of 2022, dues for regular membership are $45.00 and for Junior membership are $30.00, due November 1 of each year and expiring October 31 the following year; $24.00 of this is applied to USDF affiliation. Family memberships may be obtained by contacting the membership chairperson to determine the total of membership fees as set by USDF.