The ApHC Board met Friday-Sunday March 9-11 in Moscow, Idaho. Newly installed directors from the photo are Todd Michael, Findlay, Ohio (Territory VI) and Leslie Foxvog, Phelan, California (Territory II). Officers elected for the year include: President, Frank Larrabee, Corrales, NM (Territory II), Vice President, Lonnie Ledbetter, Fort Worth, TX (Territory IV), Chair of Rules Committee, Diane Rushing, Decatur, IL (Territory III), Chair of Marketing, Steve Bennett, Climax, NC (Territory V), Chair of Finance Jack Zuidema, Alachua, FL (Territory IV) and Chair of Planning & Review, Monty Holmes, Cabot, AR (Territory V).
The board reviewed a number of proposals and considered various new and second-hearing motions and approved a fiscal year budget. We’ll have additional notes soon on specific provisions and their dates of implementation. You’ll also need to check future E-Newsletters and your email notices for more information. We had a good group of ApHC members from several states in attendance as well. Thanks to everyone who made the trip!
Plans are being developed and we hope to provide live web streaming for the July 14-16 board meeting which will be in Tulsa during the National Show.
We appreciate the interest among ApHC members who would like the opportunity to view committee and board meetings via live webcast. The ApHC Planning & Review Committee is in the process of developing policies relating to this option as well as some general Internet usage guidelines for social media, email and other interactions for full consideration by the Board of directors. These proposed policies will be on the agenda for the March board meeting. Once the specifics have been established and approved by the Board of Directors, the ApHC will be able to provide appropriate notice of any future webcasts and ensure that procedures and schedules are publicized well in advance of meetings or events. For the March, 2012 meeting, committee and board agenda items will be posted on the appaloosa.com website and members are encouraged to visit with their respective directors to discuss specific recommendations or ideas.
We’ve been advised that site maintenance for the Votenet eballot process will be conducted Sunday, October 16, 2011 from 1am to 8 AM Eastern Standard Time. A service interruption message will be displayed to inform visitors of this and request them to check back later.
They may complete the process sooner, but wanted you to know in case you’re an early bird or a really late night bird. In any case, voters should attempt voting after 8 AM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, October 16, 2011.
A mailing has been sent to all current ApHC members who are eligible to vote in this year’s election of directors and consideration of proposed bylaw amendments. The mailing includes full text of the proposed amendments as welll as three-step instructions for voting online. When you log on to the voting site, the process is pretty simple and you’ll be able to review candidate information as well as bylaw language.
Eligible members in territories I, II, III, IV, and VI will vote for Board of Directors candidates. All voters in these territories are eligible to vote for candidates in their respective territory, regardless of zone. Voters in territories where a candidate is unopposed will vote on bylaw amendments only. Unopposed candidates are elected automatically.
Voters in all territories (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII) will vote for bylaw amendments.
To view the 2011 ApHC Board of Directors candidates and proposed 2011 ApHC bylaw amendments, please visit http://www.appaloosa.com/association/bod.htm.
The Appaloosa Horse Club Board of Directors held its March meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Many of the regular agenda items were put on hold to engage in a discussion of “big-picture” issues facing the equine industry and the club. In fact, there was a consensus resolution to not adopt any new rules or make any major rule changes at this meeting. ApHC members in attendance also participated in roundtable chats about key topics such as membership, registration, marketing, regional clubs, shows and the youth and non-pro programs.
President McWhirter has followed up the initial conversation with the appointment of a Strategic Planning Group, which will be gathering input from all the directors and as many ApHC members as possible. In fact, we’ll be posting questions and surveys so that members can respond and participate in the process.
The ApHC has operated with several assumptions about direction and priorities, based on earlier versions of a strategic plan and on a general understanding of what’s going on in our business. As was often noted in the March discussion, the world has changed and the ApHC needs to ensure that it is focused on the changing needs of the membership. Above all, an organization’s primary mission is to provide value for the investment of dues dollars. We need to understand more about what the “value proposition” means for today’s members and the various membership segments. And, we need to use all of our resources in ways that build on what works and that support a positive climate for Appaloosa activity worldwide.
A 2012 budget of $3,988,810 was approved by the board. Among the areas of focus for the coming year are making the National Show and Youth World in Tulsa successful events, international marketing, stronger numbers of registrations and memberships, and more interaction with regional clubs, non-pro’s and the Appaloosa Youth Association.
ApHC directors and several members who made it to Tulsa last week for the board meeting also got a guided tour of Expo Square, site of the 2011 National Show. In this photo, the group is visiting Ford Truck Arena. The facility staff and the community of Tulsa are excited to be hosting our shows. We also learned that we’ll have a total of three barns with new stalls available this year! In addition to the information that’s already posted on the National Show pages of this Web site, we’ll be providing updates and details regarding such things as the sweepstakes classes, local business connections, traffic flow on the grounds, etc.
We know it’s not always easy to decipher the “official minutes” from ApHC Board of Directors meetings. Here’s a brief summary of decisions made at the June meeting in Jackson:
Policy/Rule changes effective immediately:
•The ApHC adopts the American Horse Council’s Welfare Code of Practice.
•Establish a Hall of Fame Committee to include non-director members and change the voting process to a yes-or-no ballot, with a two-thirds affirmative vote required for induction.
•ApHC resolves to establish a stronger relationship between the ApHC and the Appaloosa Horse Breeders Society of South Africa.
•Confirms that four judges will be used at the World Show in 2010 and beyond.
Policy/Rule changes effective January 1, 2011:
•Establishes that heritage class exhibitors are responsible for compliance with Federal laws regarding the use of feathers.
•Clarifies eligibility for Foundation Pedigree Designation.
•Endurance and limited distance competitions approved by ApHC will follow AERC guidelines; age requirement were adjusted — minimum of four years old to qualify for an ROM, five years old to qualify for a medallion.
•Novice youth points will be tabulated regardless of ownership status of the horse.
•Confirms that registration names must not conflict with previously reserved breeder, bloodline or ranch names; and the ApHC has discontinued the practice of reserving names for future use.
•ApHC will award a 1,000-mile Trail & Distance Medallion for recreational trail riding for horses enrolled in the Distance Program.
•Men’s and Ladies’ Heritage will be separate classes at ApHC-sponsored shows, but may be combined at regional shows at the discretion of show management. The new rule also substitutes “Appaloosa history” for the “old west period.”
•In single-judge, fee-waiver shows, non-Appaloosa horses may compete in the same class with ApHC registered horses at the discretion of show management. The rule further explains ApHC class placings and entries.
•Provides owners of Appaloosa race horses with the option of purchasing either a “Race Medallion Permit” ($100) or a Performance Permit prior to becoming eligible to earn medallion points.
•“Act of God” rule for regional clubs forced to reschedule a single-judge show. Allows the show to be combined with another previously-scheduled single-judge show approved under the fee-waiver provision.
•Establishes some flexibility for the CEO and Executive Committee to issue a Performance Permit to a non-characteristic Appaloosa born prior to 2007 that cannot be parentage verified.
•Reinforces guidelines for ApHC judges and outlines a procedure for notice, hearing and appeal of any Judges Committee action to consider revocation of a judge’s card.
•Establishes a “Limited Participation Membership” for use by an individual at one ApHC-approved or sponsored event except the National Show, World Show and Chief Joseph Trail Ride. The one-event membership fee is $15.
New and re-elected directors were sworn in Thursday night. Lori Richards, Parker, SD (Territory I) and Lonnie Ledbetter, Fort Worth, TX (Territory IV) were the new faces.
Officers elected to serve on the Executive Committee for the coming year incude: Chuck McWhirter – President; Steve Bennett – Vice President; Jack Zuidema – Finance Committee Chair; Diane Rushing – Rules Committee Chair; Laura Lyon – Planning & Review Committee Chair; and Lonnie Ledbetter – Marketing Committee Chair.
Two amendments to the Appaloosa Horse Club Bylaws have been approved by a vote of the members. The first involves adjusting the election schedule for directors so that voting each year will take place in September, October and/or November, with newly elected directors being seated at the spring meeting (usually March). Beginning in 2011, the nomination deadline will be shifted to July. Directors whose terms would normally expire in July of 2011 will continue to serve until the “regular” meeting in March, 2012.
The second amendment outlines a formal process for board member conduct, the review of such conduct and a board procedure for filing complaints, notice of hearing and potential removal from office of a director.
To review the full text of the amendments, visit the “association” link from appaloosa.com, then click on Board of Directors.
These are the winners in this year’s director election:
Territory I – Lori Ann Richards, Parker, SD
Territory II – Sandra Matthews, Colorado Springs, CO
Territory III – Diane Rushing, Decatur, IL (uncontested)
Territory IV – Jack Zuidema, Alachua, FL (uncontested)
Territory V – Tracy Meisenbach, Brookneal, VA (uncontested)
Territory VI – Chuck McWhirter, Newton, NJ
Results from voting on proposed bylaw amendments will be available next week (June 15th). The deadline was set later to allow for returns from Europe and beyond.
We know that some of you beyond the borders are just now receiving election/bylaw ballots in the mail. We did extend the deadline for international ballots to this Thursday June 10th. If you live outside the U.S. and have not received your ballot or if you anticipate that your ballot won’t arrive by the deadline, you have an option.
Request an electronic version of the ballot from Kendra at executiveassistant@appaloosa.com. We’ll include your membership number and you can then email your ballot to the election auditor directly (Kendra will give you the address and any other instructions.
Thanks!
We’ve heard reports of slow (bulk) mail delivery of ballots to ApHC members beyond the U.S. borders and we’ve had the trend confirmed by our election auditor based on slow returns. Because three territories/zones being contested this year involve voters from outside the country, ballots from those areas will be accepted up to and through next Thursday – June 10th. If you have not received a ballot, you should contact the ApHC office immediately. We can issue a replacement ballot by email.
We can tell you that in Territory IV, Zone A (Texas), where a special election was held to fill a vacant seat, Lonny Ledbetter has won.
The Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) is holding a Special Election to fill a Board of Directors vacancy in Territory IV-Zone A. The unexpired term of the former director (Larry Baker has resigned due to relocation to another zone) extends through July 2011.
In order for a candidate’s name to appear on the special election ballot, candidates must file a petition with the Appaloosa Horse Club on or before April 10, 2010. The affidavit must be signed and notarized to be considered for nomination, as well as include a pertinent resume and photo. Declaration of Candidacy for the 2010 Special Election can be found at the ApHC official Web site, www.appaloosa.com. Click on the “Association” link, then the Board of Directors page, or call the ApHC Executive Assistant at 208-882-5578 ext. 274.
ApHC members in all territories must have renewed their membership by March 31, 2010 in order to be eligible to vote in the upcoming election and for bylaw changes on the ballot!
The ApHC Board of Directors Spring meeting will take place in Fort Worth, TX at the State National Insurance Company. The meeting will occur March 19-21.
Information regarding the meeting, including schedule, agendas, suggested accommodations and directions, will be made available online on the “Association” page as this information is developed.
In response to some inquiries we’ve had in the office, here are a few excerpts from the Board of Directors meeting last week in Jackson:
Offspring of erroneously registered parents
Amended and approved a motion to protect “innocent third-party owner(s)” of offspring that are the product of a breeding of previously eligible parents that took place prior to date of cancellation of the Certificate of Registration of such parent or parents, such offspring are eligible for registration; however, any previously issued Certificates of Registration for such offspring shall be recalled to designate the pedigree behind the ineligible or cancelled parent(s) as “Unknown.”
World Show qualifying
Effective September 1, 2009, An exception may be made to the one (1) National Point requirement if it is documented on forms requested from and provided by the ApHC and submitted by the owner of the horse by the World qualifying point cutoff deadline that the horse was entered and attempted in good faith to earn points under at least five (5) different judges in that class during that qualifying year but could not earn the required one (1) point due to lack of other entrants in that specific class.
Regional Club application
Charter application from Central Prairie Appaloosa Club in Illinois was not approved.
International Charters
Panama Appaloosa Association was approved as an International Affiliate of the ApHC.
The Dubai-Gulf Cooperative Council Club was approved as an International Affiliate of the ApHC, subject to receipt of required documentation by October 15, 2009.
APEX
The Board revised the APEX program to offer $10,000 payouts in the currently established APEX categories, but replaced Just for Pleasure with the NSBA World Championship in the Two-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure category for 2009. All other payouts are terminated. The program will be evaluated to determine any implementation beyond 2009.
CEO
The Board authorized the ApHC President to enter into an Employment Agreement to continue Steve Taylor’s employment as ApHC CEO effective August 1, 2009.
Registration
Increased registration fee for pedigreed gelding to $50, effective January 1, 2010.
Extended the Canadian re-registration window indefinitely.
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