AERC Board of Directors Meeting

November 2, 2001: Phoenix, Arizona.

NOTE: These minutes have not yet been approved by the Board. Any corrections and additions will be published in a subsequent issue of Endurance News.

The meeting was called to order by President Barney Fleming at 5:00 p.m. Also present were Roger Rittenhouse, Dane Frazier, Stephanie Teeter, Louise Riedel, Susan Schomburg, Lem Beason, Maryben Stover, Becky Hart, Vonita Bowers, Lawrence Kanavy, Susan Kasemeyer, Earle Baxter, Duane Barnett, Barbara McCrary, Terry Woolley Howe, Jerry Fruth, Randy Eiland, Mike Tomlinson, Vicki Rutter, Dean Jackson, Mike Maul, Gail Williams, and Executive Director Kathleen Henkel. John Parke arrived during the meeting.

The president reviewed the procedure for discussion. All motions and amendments must be in writing and presented to the secretary before discussion by the group.

The first item of business was ratification of Executive Committee actions, reported by J. Fruth. The first motion from the Executive Committee was to cancel AHSA membership until AHSA agrees that AERC is entitled to hold exclusively its own national championship, and excuses AERC from following AHSA rules that conflict with AERC rules, policies and procedures. This was unanimously approved by the Executive Committee. Motion carried 20 - 3.

The second item to be ratified was to approve a new ride in the Northwest to replace a cancelled ride on Labor Day weekend that did not meet the normal deadline. The Executive Committee unanimously agreed to approve this ride. Motion carried unanimously.

The third item to be ratified was to accept the ad hoc Corporation Relocation Search Committee’s recommendations to remain incorporated in California and put the idea of potential incorporation in another state to rest. Motion carried unanimously.

SECRETARY’S REPORT: L. Riedel moved to accept the minutes of the last general meeting as approved by mail and printed in Endurance News. Motion carried unanimously.

RIDE MANAGERSÕ COMMITTEE: R. Eiland reported on concerns of the committee including a new questionnaire, best condition for limited distance, ride insurance, mandatory number of vet checks, number of vets at rides, informal alliance with the Australian and Canadian endurance organizations. A data study group was formed which studied the records of 1213 rides. R. Eiland reviewed results of this study. It was discovered that there were no files on equine fatalities preceding 2000. The problem of recording deaths that occur after the ride needs to be addressed.

The president presented the following instructions: that the veterinary committee with the cooperation of the ride managers committee and the office revise the post ride statistical report and bring it to this assembly at the next meeting. A show of hands was favorable.

R. Eiland moved for committee to add the following new rule to the AERC Rules and Regulations to be identified as AERC Rule 2.1.9 Equines that have participated at an AERC sanctioned ride and subsequently die from complications related to the ride shall be reported to the AERC office. After discussion, R. Eiland withdrew the motion and will confer with rules and legal committees.

R. Eiland moved for committee to add the following wording indicated in italics to AERC Rule 2.1.8, Equines that are treated or die at rides shall be reported on a form with ride results to be completed by the ride veterinarian and submitted with the ride results. This information will be kept permanently on file at the AERC Office. Motion carried 21 to 2.

R. Eiland moved for committee to add the wording in italics to the following sentence found in our Preamble: Additional measures may be taken by any ride to provide greater safety for equine and rider, provided these do not conflict with nor cancel any AERC rule. Motion postponed for action as the first order of business Saturday morning.

R. Eiland moved to accept the following non-binding Mission Statement binding AERC and AERA (Australian Endurance Ride Association) as allied partners in the international community: The AERC and the AERA agree to form an alliance with the following aims:

1) To develop endurance riding as an international equestrian discipline, while insuring that the highest standards of horse welfare is achieved. This to be achieved by the maintenance of the integrity of the priorities and protocols that have been developed in the member countries and through acceptance of these by the FEI.

2) Through joint liaison with the FEI, facilitate the acceptance of endurance riding as an Olympic discipline, in a manner which maintains the philosophies and tradition of endurance riding as it has developed in the member countries.

3) To make international endurance riding available to as many ordinary members as possible and to discourage all attempts to make this arm of our sport elitist.

R. Eiland withdrew the motion for further study - to be re-presented Saturday.

SPECIAL SANCTIONING: Requests for rides requiring Special Sanctioning:

1. Ft. Stanton, July 1-5,wishes to increase from three to five days.

2. Grand Canyon October 10-13, wishes to add a 4th day

3. Owyhee Canyon, October 22-26 New five-day ride.

Voting on each ride separately resulted in unanimous approval for all.

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE: M. Maul reported on the implementation of the new computer system, Tomcat, which is working very well. Archive endurance records are available back to 1984. Online membership page initiated. E-mail alerts and personal calendar. On-line sanction requests now available.

The following was suggested to be adopted as an Instruction: to allow the Tech Committee to negotiate the terms of an agreement with the Arabian Horse Registry for the mutual benefit of the AERC and AHRA The databases would provide links to each other so information on file in the AHRA files would be available (fees set by AHRA) to parties using the AERC database. In turn the user of the AHRA database would have links to the endurance records of the horses being researched in the AHRA files. A portion of the fees for accessing the AHRA database from the AERC portal would be paid to the AERC. A show of hands resulted in unanimous approval.

JUNIOR COMMITTEE: Roger Taylor reported that the committee is working on a brochure designed to interest more juniors in AERC.

IAHA has a list of juniors that would be available to us at a fee to be determined. M. Tomlinson suggested that the legal committee and Board see this brochure before it is printed.

CONVENTION AND AWARDS COMMITTEE: S. Kasemeyer will distribute a list of special awards so Board members could choose which they would like to present. A list of speakers was announced.

K. Henkel announced that a search for a location for the 2003 convention, required to be somewhere in the East, resulted in only Chattanooga being available.

SANCTIONING COMMITTEE: V. Bowers suggested an article be printed in Endurance News describing details of the duties of sanctioning directors and information about filling out of sanctioning forms.

PROTEST AND GRIEVANCE: J. Parke reported on two protests: The Osceola protest was settled by negotiation. A protest concerning the NASTR ride was against AERC for not having more rules. The protestor was advised to re-file protesting the rider.

TRAILS COMMITTEE: J. Fruth reviewed cases of trails having problems from various sources. He moved to increase rider fees to $5.00 (an increase of $1.00) beginning with the 2002 Ride Season - All funding to go to the AERC Trail Committee. This would replace any funding coming out of the AERC general fund. The fee would be referred to as a “trails preservation” fee. J. Parke proposed to clarify to state “all of the $1.00 increase to go to the Trails Preservation Fund.” T. Woolley Howe moved for a roll call vote. L. Riedel seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Roll Call vote carried 13 - 10 as follows: IN FAVOR: Fruth, Beason, Jackson, Kanavy, Howe, Parke, Kasemeyer, Barnett, McCrary, Stover, Hart, Maul, Rittenhouse: OPPOSED - Riedel, Rutter, Bowers, Schomburg, Baxter, Teeter, Williams, Eiland, Frazier, Tomlinson.

J. Fruth withdrew a motion proposing an award to the “Outstanding Trail Preservationist of the Year.” on the grounds that the by-laws specify awards are for endurance riding.

Meeting recessed at 10:00 p.m.

--Louise Riedel, Secretary