BYLAWS CHANGE

["navion" <navion@lightspeed.net>]

Regarding the proposed bylaw change of deleting the age requirements in the bylaws and handling them in the rules only.

 

  I have thought about this bylaws change and my personal knowledge of some of the directors. I cannot see any of the ones I know from rides attempting to circumvent us by this seemingly innocuous proposed change in the bylaws. However this change would make it possible for the board to enact rules such as the 6 yr 100 rule without our vote. Which at this point they cannot do.

 I quote from June 97 EN pg 13.  "C. Hart moved for the Committee to change rule 3.1 to read "Equines in a one-day 100 miles or longer distances must be at least 72 months old at the time of the ride. ..........(skip some language regarding lesser distances)..." To be published in Endurance News and to become effective in 1998. Motion carried."  This was from the minutes of the Feb 22, 1997 board meeting.  So I assumed it was a done deal.  If I have not interpreted the minutes of the meeting correctly perhaps somebody can correct me. 

  The minutes of the midyear meeting held July 26th 1997 and published in Sept EN then  stated "Chair Frazier declared the motion to be illegal because it is in direct violation of AERC BYLAWS. "  So now I didn't have to worry about it. The reason I followed this so closely was I had a horse I was preparing for his first 100 in Feb of 98. The horse would still be 5 although only 2 weeks shy of his 6th birthday. So my plans were disrupted when I thought AERC changed the rules on me then salvaged when they were illegal. The 100 was an excellent first 100 for a young horse in my opinion and really the only close, easier 100 that I felt fit my plans so well.

  So in closing I would like to thank our directors for their endless unpaid effort toward this sport. And I don't believe the majority attempted deliberatly to use this slyly worded change to enact the 100 mile rule I think they attempted to pass over a year ago.  (maybe I'm gullible now, changed from cynical)  But I know most rational people would view this as a way to avoid a membership vote on something somebody wanted to change. (according to EN minutes)

   Although not against a 6 yr rule one can see in my horses case a really 6 yr old horse would not be allowed to do a ride based on an inflexible rule.

   I will forward these to AERC and hopefully get an explanation of the 97 meeting minutes. Did the board approve this in 97 or not.

 

Jim Mitchell