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EAST TENNESSEE RIDING CLUB

AND HORSE SHOW ASSOCIATION, INC.

CONSTITUTION

Adopted:  January 16, 1945                            Revised:  April 17, 1975

Revised:  March 29, 1956                            Revised:  July 21, 1977

Revised:  May 26, 1960                                  Revised:  November 17, 1983

Revised:  July 19, 1962                                  Revised:  October 15, 1992

Revised:  December 19, 1968                            Revised:  October 19, 1995

Revised:  August 19, 1971                            Revised:  October 27, 2000

                                                                         Revised:  January 21, 2001

ARTICLE I                NAME

The name of this organization shall be the East Tennessee Riding Club and Horse Show Association, Inc.

ARTICLE II               PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization shall be "operating, encouraging and promoting horsemanship and horse shows; for the purpose of encouraging the growing and breeding of horses of blooded stock; for the maintenance of clubs for social enjoyment; and to do all and everything necessary, suitable or proper for the accomplishment of the foregoing purposes."

ARTICLE III             MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1:  The membership shall consist of Charter Members, Life Members, Active Members, Junior Members, and Affiliate Members, defined as follows:

            A            Charter Members:

Charter Members are those members who joined the Club prior to September 20, 1950.

            B            Life Members

Life Members are those members who have been so honored by a majority vote of the membership. Life Members shall have all the rights and privileges of Active Members and shall be subject to all liabilities and penalties which may be imposed upon Active Members, but shall be exempt for annual fees and assessments.

            C            Active Members

Active Members are all members whose financial obligations are current as further defined herein, and in the Stall Rental Rules and Lease Agreement. The family of an Active Member shall have access to and use of the Association's facilities.

            D            Junior Members

Junior Members are all member dependants under 18 years of age and subject to principal member control.

            E            Affiliate Members

Affiliate Members are persons who have paid the fees as set by the membership, but who do not have voting privileges and may not hold office. Affiliate Members may participate in all Club activities and use all Club facilities, but may not occupy stalls.

SECTION 2:  Each application for membership shall be submitted in writing using the application form approved and furnished by this Association, and each application must be endorsed by an adult member in good standing. Each applicant must display some interest in horsemanship or horsemanship activities and/or other activities as stated in the charter.

SECTION 3:  To be accepted for membership, each applicant for membership shall be reviewed and approved by the Membership Committee and then accepted by a 2/3 majority of the board members present at a general board meeting.

SECTION 4:  All Charter, Life, and Active members over 18 years of age shall enjoy full privileges including the right to vote and hold office. Voting rights are further defined to include a member's spouse in the absence of the member.

SECTION 5:  All members and guests of members shall abide by the Club rules as established by the membership.

SECTION 6:  Any member observing a violation of the rules or an unsafe act should so advise the individual(s) concerned, and also inform a member of the Board of Directors.

SECTION 7:  Any member may be expelled for conduct unbecoming a member, by 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IV:                        FEES

SECTION 1:  The amount of the annual fees for members and the initiation fee for new members shall be established by the membership at the January meeting. Fees are payable at the beginning of the fiscal year and delinquent if not paid within the time limit set by the membership.

SECTION 2:  Each new applicant for membership shall pay an initiation fee. Initiation fee and pro-rata fees for the current fiscal year shall accompany the application.

SECTION 3:  Each member who occupies a space (as a stall and/or tack room) shall pay a monthly fee as established by the Board of Directors. The amount of stall and/or tack room fees will be set by the Board of Directors at a level to cover expenses for the East Tennessee Riding Club and Horse Show Association, Inc.

SECTION 4:  Members, other than Life Members, of this organization who are more than 30 days delinquent in payment of fees shall forfeit their rights of membership, subject to action by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall give Members 30 days advance notice of changes in fee structure. All members expelled for non-payment of fees must make application as a new member.

ARTICLE V               GOVERNMENT

SECTION 1:  The government of this organization shall be vested in a duly-elected Board of Directors, comprised of four officers: a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, elected annually; and four Directors, each elected to serve two years, with two Directors replaced and two Directors elected annually. No business shall be transacted concerning selling, buying, or leasing Club property, and no money shall be borrowed in excess of $500.00 without prior approval of the membership.

SECTION 2:  The fiscal year shall be the calendar year.

SECTION 3:  Removal of a Director:  Any Director may be removed at any time, without cause or charges, at a meeting called for that purpose, by a majority vote of the members.

ARTICLE VI             DIRECTORS

SECTION 1:  Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held regularly once each month at such time and place as shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The President may call a special meeting of the Board of Directors and must call a meeting within five days if requested to do so by a Director. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be presided over by the President of the organization, and in his/her absence, by the Vice-President.

SECTION 2:  Any officer or Director absent without an excuse acceptable to the Board for three consecutive Board meetings shall no longer retain his/her office as an officer or director.

SECTION 3:  The President may call special meetings of the membership. The President must call a special meeting of the membership within 10 days at the request of a majority of the Directors or by a petition of 50% of the membership, presented to the President.

SECTION 4:  Vacancies in the Board of Directors shall be filled by a majority vote of a quorum of the membership, to serve the un-expired term.

SECTION 5:  To be eligible for election as a Director or Officer, members must be willing to serve, and must be Charter, Life, or Active Members in good standing.

ARTICLE VII            ELECTIONS

SECTION 1:  Annual election of officers and directors shall be held on the date of the regularly scheduled general meeting during the month of October.

SECTION 2:  The President shall appoint a nominating committee of not less than three members in August of each year.

SECTION 3:  The nominating committee shall recommend to the members, in writing, the names of the members they have nominated for election. Other nominees may be added to the committee's list by submitting names in writing to the Secretary before the September Board of Directors meeting.

SECTION 4:  At the annual election, there shall be elected by majority vote a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and two Directors.

SECTION 5:  The President shall appoint two election officials from the General Membership to supervise the voting procedures, tally the votes, and verify the results.

SECTION 6:  Voting shall be by secret ballot, and no person shall cast more than one ballot. At least 10 days prior to the annual election date, a list of the nominees for officership and directorship shall be mailed to the last known address of each member of the organization with voting privileges. In the event a member in good standing is unable to attend the meeting in person, an official absentee ballot will be accepted, enclosed in a plain envelope marked "Ballot for Election," sealed and enclosed in another envelope with the name and address of the voting member plainly marked on the outer envelope and addressed to the Secretary of the Association, and received by the Secretary prior to the election. The absentee ballot will be the only recognized proxy. Any absentee ballots will remain sealed in their original envelopes and in the possession of the Secretary until election officials have been appointed, at which time the Secretary will certify the absentee ballots, remove the outer envelopes, and pass the inner envelopes to the election officials.

ARTICLE VIII            MEETINGS

SECTION 1:  The organization shall hold regular monthly membership meetings on such date as may be set at each annual meeting. Additional membership meetings may be scheduled by a majority vote of the members at a regular meeting.

SECTION 2:  Special meetings of the general membership may be called as defined in Article VI, Section 3.

SECTION 3:  The annual meeting of the organization shall be held on the date of regularly-scheduled meeting during the month of October.

SECTION 4:  A quorum for the transaction of business at general, special, and annual meetings shall be the number of active members attending.

ARTICLE IX             NOTICE OF MEETINGS

Each member shall be notified of special meetings of the membership at least 48 hours prior to the meeting, either by written notice or personal contact, whichever is more feasible. Each member of the Board shall be notified of special meeting of the Board at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, either by written notice of personal contact, whichever is more feasible.

ARTICLE X               DUTIES OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1:  The President, as chief executive officer of the organization, shall supervise the organization's affairs and activities, and

Not later than 60 days following the election, the President shall appoint, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, the following standing committees:

Building and Grounds

Entertainment and Program

Finance

Health and Safety

Horse Show

Membership

Rules, Forms, and Documents

Youth and Youth Clubs

The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

The President may appoint ad-hoc committees and must appoint ad-hoc committees as requested by the Board of Directors or the membership.

The President shall appoint a parliamentarian to serve at membership meetings.

SECTION 2:  The Vice President, who shall preside in the absence of the President, shall assist the President in coordinating and supervising the affairs and activities of the organization, including committee activities. The Vice President shall serve as the Barn Manager.

SECTION 3:  The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, in typed form, a permanent record of the minutes of all meetings. The Secretary shall be custodian of all official records of the organization. The Secretary shall publish or cause to be published a monthly Newsletter containing pertinent information and items of interest. The Secretary shall post publicly in the organization's meeting place a list of all main motions and resolutions which have been adopted and will require further action either by an individual member, a group of members, or the body as a whole. All such motions and resolutions shall remain posted until the action called for has been taken to the satisfaction of the membership.

SECTION 4:  The Treasurer shall issue or cause to be issued notices of fees payable and other account receivable and be responsible for the collection thereof, keep or cause to be kept the books of the organization, disburse funds at the direction of the Board of Directors, and shall report at each regular membership meeting on the financial condition of the organization. Funds of the Association shall be deposited in, and disbursements made from, such bank or banks as may be approved by the Board of Directors. No disbursements of over $50.00 of the funds of the organization shall be made in any one month, unless the same shall have been approved, authorized, and ordered by the Board of Directors, except routine bills and emergency repairs necessary to the operation of the organization. Disbursements of less than $50.00 may be made by the Treasurer with the approval of the President.

ARTICLE XI             RULES OF ORDER

Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall govern the proceedings of all meetings of the organization and its constituent parts except as provided by these By-Laws and by the Charter of Incorporation governing this Association.

ARTICLE XII                  AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended by the following procedure:

            A. A proposal to amend may be made at a regular meeting and passed on by a majority vote.

            B. Written notice of the proposed action must be given each member at his last known address at least 10 days prior to the next scheduled meeting.

            C. The proposed amendment can be adopted by a 3/4 majority at said meeting.