American Endurance Ride Conference
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
held via telephone conference call
June 7, 2004
President C. Mike Tomlinson called the meeting
to order at 6:04 p.m.Also on the
line for the call:Vice President
Susan Kasemeyer, Treasurer Terry Woolley Howe, Vonita Bowers, Mike Jaffe,
Roberta Harms, Connie Caudill, Jan Stevens, Howard Kent, Stan Eichelberger,
Patti Pizzo, Bob Morris, John Parke, Duane Barnett, Randy Eiland, Roger
Taylor, Nick Warhol, Jim Baldwin, Barney Fleming, Dane Frazier, Mike Maul,
Stagg Newman, Maggy Price, Robert Ribley, and Executive Director Kathleen
Henkel.Absent:Secretary
Jan Jeffers and Gail Williams.
It was moved by Bob Morris and seconded by Maggy Price to accept as written the minutes of the conference call meeting
held May 3, 2004. Motion passed with Jan Stevens abstaining.
It was moved by Stan Eichelberger and seconded by Robert Ribley to accept the committee reports submitted for this call.
Committee reports received: convention, insurance, international, and
veterinary. Motion to accept committee reports passed.
Vonita Bowers, chair of the Special Sanctioning Committee presented information on the 5 rides requiring special
sanctioning approval. The Spirit Mountain, 7/30-8/1/04, Candy Barbo ride manager, MW Region, 3 days, 30/50/2-day 100,
30/55/75, 30/50 is an established ride, but this is the first year as a pioneer. The ride was sanctioned on March 24,
2004 using the online sanction feature and has appeared in the Endurance News, however, it was not noted that the ride
should be designated a pioneer ride and went through all channels without being noticed. There is an established pioneer
ride one week later in the same region, and that ride manager has been contacted and has given his approval for the
Spirit Mountain to proceed as a pioneer. It was noted by Bob Morris that this particular ride appears to offer more
than one pioneer configuration, a 50/75/50 and also a 50/55/50. Vonita will contact the Rules Committee regarding whether
or not 2 pioneers can be sanctioned within one ride and report her findings to the board during a future meeting. Motion
presented from committee to sanction the Spirit Mountain 50/55/50 only as a pioneer ride. Motion passed with Bob Morris
abstaining. Roberta Harms was asked to convey to Candy Barbo, Spirit Mountain ride manager, that the 50/55/50 are the
only distances that qualify as a pioneer ride.
Fun in the Sun Pioneer, 2/28/05, Jan Stevens ride manager, SE Region, 6 days, with a 25 and 50 each day. Ride manager
Jan Stevens withdrew this sanction request until the meeting next month.
Nicola Valley Railway Express, 5/21-23/05, Rusty Toth, ride manager, NW Region, 3 days –50/30 55/30 50/30. Motion
passed.
Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer I, II, & III 2/4-6/05, Karen Chaton, ride
manager, PS Region, 3 days 55/50/50. Motion passed with Barney Fleming abstaining.
Desert Gold I, II, & III 11/26-28/04, Scott Sansom, ride manager, W Region, 3 days, 50/25,50/25, 55/25. Another pioneer
ride takes place in an adjoining region with an approximate 10-hour drive separating the two. The other ride manager was
contacted and gave her approval. Motion passed.
Vonita will check with the Rules Committee regarding the necessity of skipping a day between 3-day pioneer rides and will
report to the board during a future meeting.
John Parke, chair of the Legal Committee, advised the Technical Committee is working on the contract to purchase the
online software from Doublejoy and requires an attorney for this purpose. John advised he will supervise and monitor the
work and an attorney in John’s office, Jennifer Tice, has agreed to do the work and will work with Mike Maul directly.
Proposal is to hire John Parke’s firm, with Jennifer Tice doing the contract work with John Parke supervising. Jennifer
will charge for her hours, not to exceed $1000.00 however, John will not charge for his time involved. If it looks like
the billable time will exceed $1000.00, Mike Tomlinson will be notified for authorization. John advised he cannot
participate in the vote because he has a conflict of interest in hiring his own firm. Since a board member is being
hired, the whole board should be involved in the vote.
Terry Woolley Howe, Finance Committee chair, moved $2,000 be authorized for use in working on the Doublejoy contract and
if the amount exceeds the $2,000, the new estimate will be presented to President Tomlinson for authorization. Motion
seconded by Stan Eichelberger. Motion passed with John Parke abstaining.
AERC International presented the following from committee:
1) Requesting a motion by the Board of Directors to approve the International Committees Amended Budget request to:
a. Provide a Grant money program to Ride Managers of FEI one-day 100-mile rides to assist in covering up front
sanctioning fees that must be filed 15 to 18 months in advance of the event.
i. Each Grant could be up to $800 per event at the review and discretion of the AERC International Committee.
ii. Grants would be approved for a maximum of 10 events per calendar year.
iii. Zone Representatives in each area will qualify the intended ride
managers that apply for a Grant through an interview process in order to give a report to AERC International regarding
the Ride Managements experience,resources, infrastructure, volunteer base and event planning capabilities.
iv. Each Ride Manager will be required to present a proposal and budget structure to be presented to the International
Committee to be reviewed prior to approving the Grant.
v. Stipulation to ride managers would be that Grant funds are to be repaid after the conclusion of the event.
vi. Review of this Grant program will be done in 1 year and yearly thereafter to assess its success or continued need.
2) Amended 2004 Budget request reflecting above Grant money program.
a. The amended budget reflects the line item of $8000 (Maximum) expense to fund the program and does not
show $8000 repayment of Grant money by RM's because those funds will not be received until 2005.
Proposed Emergency Revised
2004 Budget for AERC International
May 26, 2004
INCOME:
International Dues $3,750
Inventory sales 4,000
Interest Income 200
Total $7,950
Expenses:
Convention Booth Rental $ 360
Election of Zone Reps 400
International Procedures 1,500
Inventory purchases 2,500
Promotion & advertisement 1,500
Donations to US World team 1,500
Storage Shed Rental 360
FEI Grant Money 8,000
Total $16,120
Revised No. are in Italics
Account Balance $27,202.68 as of 12/31/03
Stagg Newman amended the motion as follows: "If the money is not repaid, no
further rides will be sanctioned for this ride manager until the money is repaid." Seconded by
John Parke.
Roll call vote results regarding the amendment - 14 No, 8 Yes, 1 Abstention
Susan Kasemeyer Yes
Terry Woolley Howe Abstain
Vonita Bowers No
Mike Jaffe No
Roberta Harms No
Connie Caudill No
Jan Stevens No
Howard Kent Yes
Stan Eichelberger No
Patti Pizzo No
Bob Morris Yes
John H. Parke No
Duane Barnett No
Randy Eiland No
Roger W. Taylor Yes
Nick Warhol No
Jim Baldwin No
Barney Fleming Yes
Dane Frazier No
Mike Maul No
Stagg Newman Yes
Maggy Price No
Robert Ribley Yes
Roll call vote results regarding the motion, above, presented by the
International Committee - 3 No; 19 Yes; 1 Abstention
Susan Kasemeyer Yes
Terry Woolley Howe Abstention
Vonita Bowers Yes
Mike Jaffe Yes
Roberta Harms Yes
Connie Caudill Yes
Jan Stevens Yes
Howard Kent Yes
Stan Eichelberger Yes
Patti Pizzo Yes
Bob Morris No
John H. Parke Yes
Duane Barnett Yes
Randy Eiland Yes
Roger Taylor No
Nick Warhol Yes
Jim Baldwin Yes
Barney Fleming No
Dane Frazier Yes
Mike Maul Yes
Stagg Newman Yes
Maggy Price Yes
Robert Ribley Yes
Motion passed with repayment required of the $800 per ride grant.
Stan Eichelberger, chair of the Questionnaire Committee, advised a draft copy of the proposed questionnaire
should be in the hands of the members of the board by the next meeting (July 12, 2004).
Mike Jaffe, chair of the Trails Grants Committee, presented the following motion from committee:
The Trails Grants Committee would like to send 4 delegates (Jim Barnett, Earl Baxter, Bill Wilson and Roger
Taylor) to the upcoming Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference (SETC) in Atlanta, GA, July 29-31. Jerry Fruth is also
attending on behalf of the Trails Committee. The title of this year's conference is "Tomorrow's Trails through Education,
Communication and Preservation." This is the seventh running of the SETC. It will include both presentations and hands
on sessions focused on building and preserving multi-use trails in cooperation with public land managers. Both the U.S.
Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are attending, partly because they're starting to question whether
they should expect trail volunteers to have qualifications before they're allowed to build/repair trails. The AERC is a
Silver sponsor of the conference ($500 contribution.)
We are asking for approval to spend $3500 of the remaining $6000 Trails Grants 2004 budget to offset expenses
associated with the above individuals attending the conference. The amount breaks down as:
Airfare/Mileage $1,097
Hotel $1,200
Shuttle from Airport $80
Registration (3x) $375
Trails Course $175
It was moved by Barney Fleming and seconded by Bob Morris to consider an action item not on the agenda. Motion
passed with Stagg Newman, John Parke, Connie Caudill, Roger Taylor, Robert Ribley and Jim Baldwin abstaining.
Mike Jaffe changed the original motion to remove the meal allotment. The amount is now "not to exceed $3100"
to send the 4 delegates to the SETC in Atlanta, GA.
Roll call vote regarding the motion above presented from the Trails Grants
Committee as follows:
Susan Kasemeyer Yes
Terry Woolley Howe Yes
Vonita Bowers Yes
Mike Jaffe Yes
Roberta Harms No
Connie Caudill Abstain
Jan Stevens Abstain
Howard Kent Yes
Stan Eichelberger Yes
Patti Pizzo Yes
Bob Morris Yes
John H. Parke No
Duane Barnett Abstain
Randy Eiland Yes
Roger Taylor Abstain
Nick Warhol Yes
Jim Baldwin Abstain
Barney Fleming Yes
Dane Frazier Yes
Mike Maul Yes
Stagg Newman Yes
Robert Ribley Yes
Motion passed: 15 Yes; 2 No; 5 Abstentions.
Jim Baldwin alerted the Board to keep the two-vet rule and the rider card motion in mind and advised he will present
information in written form for a future meeting.
Terry Woolley Howe advised budget requests for next year are due by August 1, 2004, so that voting can take place
at the midyear meeting on the 21st of August.
Meeting adjourned at 7:41 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Jeffers, Secretary
*******************************************************************
Committee reports:
Convention Committee Report
June 2, 2004
Robert Ribley, Chair
1) The committee is receiving and discussing suggestions from the general membership for convention
speakers and topics.
2) Committee member John Mayeroff has offered to act as liaison with the Nugget Hotel for the 2005
convention.
Insurance Committee Report
Roger Taylor, Chair
Report prepared by Patti Pizzo, 6/4/04
The Insurance Committee has been working on securing quotes from various agencies for the upcoming year. We have
also had a phone conference call to go over the time line for receiving quotes and approvals by the BOD along with any
additional requirements we may recommend. What we have found out so far follows:
Equisure - We are working with them to get the best quote possible.
Horse Insurance Specialists Agency United National Group - they do not write insurance for sanctioning bodies,
only the actual ride group putting on the ride.
Wyman Ins. Agency - Farm Family Casuality Ins. Co. - not interested, too large and they are not licensed in all states
Wm Thomas Ins. Penn American Ins. Co. - not interested, they are semi retired
Diamond State Ins. Co. - four agencies all use Diamond State, we contacted one. Connie is waiting for a quote
Wade & Egbert Agency American Bankers Ins. - SERA uses this - Connie is waiting for the quote
North American Horsemens Assoc. Agency, Tudor Ins. Co. Ark Agency - not
interested
West Coast Equine Insurance Services, Rich Maggard - AERC office would have to do additional insured and the
committee has decided this is not acceptable
The committee is reviewing the minimum requirements for all non AERC policies for next year. We are looking into
recommending that the certificates show AERC/ & the actual ride name on the certificate, not just AERC. We are
discussing the requirement of a new date for all non AERC- insurance rides to have their certificates into the
office.
Our new time lines are as follows:
All quotes to the committee prior to the Mid year meeting.
All quotes presented to the BOD at the mid year meeting.
BOD vote on which quote to accept at mid year meeting.
Policy year to be changed to the actual ride year - Dec. 1
To date (6/2/04) the office has received results for
66 rides. 34 rides and 2 ride clinics have purchased the AERC insurance out of the 66 ride total. Total dollars
received to date: $3000
(including $120 for the 2 clinics mentioned above)
8 W Region rides; 8 PS Region rides; 3 CT Region rides; 6 MT Region rides; 4 SW Region rides; 2 NE
Region rides; 1 NW Region ride and 2 MW Region rides have used the insurance.
AERC International Committee
Report Dated May 26th, 2004
Russell Broussard/Mark Dial, Co-Chairs
1) Requesting a motion by the Board of Directors to approve the International
Committees Amended Budget request to:
a) Provide a Grant money program to Ride Managers of FEI one-day 100 mile rides to assist in covering up front
sanctioning fees that must be filed 15 to 18 months in advance of the event.
i. Each Grant could be up to $800 per event at the review and discretion of the AERC International Committee.
ii. Grants would be approved for a maximum of 10 events per calendar year.
iii. Zone Representatives in each area will qualify the intended ride
managers that apply for a Grant through an interview process in order to give a report to AERC International
regarding the Ride Managements experience, resources, infrastructure, volunteer base and event planning capabilities.
iv. Each Ride Manager will be required to present a proposal and budget
structure to be presented to the International Committee to be reviewed prior to approving the Grant.
v. Stipulation to ride managers would be that Grant funds are to be repaid after the conclusion of the event.
vi. Review of this Grant program will be done in 1 year and yearly thereafter to assess its success or continued need.
2) Amended 2004 Budget request reflecting above Grant money program.
a) The amended budget reflects the line item of $8000 (Maximum) expense to fund the program and Does not show $8000
repayment of Grant money by RM's because those funds will not be received until 2005.
Proposed Emergency Revised
2004 Budget for AERC International
May 26, 2004
INCOME:
International Dues $3,750
Inventory sales 4,000
Interest Income 200
Total $7,950
Expenses:
Convention Booth Rental $360
Election of Zone Reps 400
International Procedures 1,500
Inventory purchases 2,500
Promotion & advertisement 1,500
Donations to US World team 1,500
Storage Shed Rental 360
FEI Grant Money 8,000
Total $16,120
Revised No. are in Italics
Account Balance $27,202.68 as of 12/31/03
Veterinary Committee Report
Jim Baldwin, Chair
5/12/04
Equine Death, 4/17/04, Grizzly Mountain Ride
On April 17, 2004 Julie Sutton's 11 yr old bay gelding "Cisco" coliced following the completion of a
50 mile ride and was subsequently euthanized.
From AERC records it was the beginning of the horse's 5th year of successful competition with all rides
completed. All but one of its previous rides were in limited distance and spaced over four years. In
2000 the horse did four limited distance rides (three 25 milers and one 30 miler) at speeds ranging
from 5.97 miles/hour to 9.52 miles/hour. In 2001 the horse did three limited distance rides (two 25
milers and one 30 miler) at speeds ranging from 8.62 miles/hour to 11.04 miles/hour. In 2002 the horse
did two 25 mile rides at speeds of 7.93 miles/hour and 10.27 miles/hour. In 2003 the horse did two 25
mile rides at speeds of 10.49 miles/hour and 10.95 miles/hour then moved up to a 50 mile ride and
completed it in 23rd place with a riding time of 7.04 miles/hour.
The Grizzly Mountain Ride lacked five days being nine months from the date of its last ride which was
a 50 mile ride. This Grizzly Mountain Ride was the first ride of the year for this team and it was
completed in seventeenth place with a ride time of six hours and 27 minutes. The first leg of the ride
was 18.9 miles and was ridden in two hours and twenty eight minutes (7.66 m/h). The second leg was 21.5
miles and was ridden in three hours and thirty five minutes (6 m/h). The final leg was 10 miles and was
ridden in one hour and nine minutes (8.69 m/h). From a speed perspective this horse had completed nine
rides at a faster pace and only three at a slower pace. This was the horse's fourth time to ride this
particular trail and it was ridden at just a slightly higher speed than it's only other fifty mile
ride (7.04 vs 7.75 m/h). There were two 45 minute holds between the vet checks.
The Grizzly Mountain Ride this year had a large turnout with a total of 201 entries. It offered a
total of four rides: 75 miles - 50 miles - 25 miles and 10 miles. The fifty mile portion of it had
89 starters and 71 finishers compared with last years entries of 73 starters and 68 finishers. The
ride manager of record is Linda Tribby but the duties were shared between Linda and Sarah Miller with
Sarah doing most if not all of the paperwork. The head veterinarian was Dr. Gene Nance who was assisted
by Dr. Jennifer Strelkauskas (also served as treatment vet) and one other veterinarian. There were
three horses treated with all of them being in the 50 mile distance.
The rider card indicates that the horse was vetted in by Dr. Nance (whom I was told has a nickname
of Dr. B's) with a resting pulse of 38 and B+'s across the board. At the first vet check
Dr. Strelkauskas examined it and it had a pulse of 60, A- on Gut sounds, tack galls, impulsion and
attitude with the rest all recorded as A's. The second vet check Dr. Nance examined it again with a
60 pulse and the rest A's. Dr. Nance again saw it at the finish where the pulse was 60 and all A's.
In talking with Dr. Nance, he indicated that the horse looked good enough at the finish to pass a
pre-purchase examination.
The horse was presented to Dr. Strelkauskas sometime after 5:00pm (finishing time was 2:57pm) while
she was working with a more violent colic (which responded to treatment). Within a short time,
however, the horse was attended to. Upon presentation to the treatment vet it had a pulse of 38
with gut sounds present. It was started on fluids and refluxed. DMSO was added to the second
five liter bag of fluids and analgesics were administered. Gut sounds progressively diminished
during this time. Around 8:00pm the decision to ship the horse to Bend Equine Clinic was made
and the owner immediately started packing and left as soon as possible with the horse.
Dr. Leslie Griffith DVM MS Dipl. ACVIM attended to the horse while at the clinic. He was
presented with abdominal cramping, T101.8, pulse 66 to 70 bpm and a respiration of 24.
His mucous membranes were hyperemic, tacky and with a capillary refill time of 3 seconds.
There were no gut sounds. Upon insertion of a stomach tube, 8 liters of spontaneous reflux
came out. Rectally there were multiple loops of turgid distended small intestine. An
ultrasound of the abdomen also revealed loops of distended small intestine with no
visible motility. An abdominal paracentesis revealed a normal cell count but elevated
protein. Blood work indicated a mild hemoconcentration with low sodium/chloride and a
mild metabolic alkalosis. There was a mild increase in AST/CK, BUN, total bilirubin/glucose
and a mild hypocalcemia. The urine was within normal limits with a specific gravity of 1.040.
Over the next twelve hours the horse received Banamine plus three doses of analgesics
for pain plus 48 liters of fluids with Calcium Gluconate and Potassium Chloride added.
Also one liter of 7% sodium chloride was added to bring the low sodium up to normal.
The horse was refluxed every two hours. After twelve hours, the heart rate had come
down to 60 bpm and normal CRT. There was no improvement in volume of reflux, gut sounds,
rectal or ultrasound findings. Due to finances and a poor prognosis the owner elected to
euthanize.
A gross post mortem examination (no histopath) was done and it revealed 30 feet of
distended necrohemorrhagic small intestine. There were numerous petechiations on
abdominal and intestinal serosal surfaces. No other gross abnormalities were found.
When asked specifically about gastric ulcers it was reported that the horse had none.
When reviewing disease processes such as this it illustrates how rapidly body tissue
can deteriorate and how subtle the signs are early on. The bowel has a compromised
blood supply that initiates early tissue degeneration without showing any clinical
signs. But as the tissue degeneration accelerates it becomes uncontrollable with anything
short of surgical intervention. In this particular case had finances not been a problem the
removal of the damaged bowel is possible and if no abdominal peritonitus resulted and
the remaining bowel healed with no complications the horse might have survived. If this
had been possible and all things went perfectly and the horse survived it would still
have a lifetime of decreased bowel digestion and would never be able to compete. The
veterinary committee agrees that all things considered euthanasia was the proper thing to do.
Even though this was a large ride and the veterinarians were probably rushed, most
of the veterinary committee still feel that doing a cardiac recovery index at all
vet checks within the ride and at the post ride will pick up some problems and may
give a treatment veterinarian a jump on realizing there is a problem going on.
Our sympathies to all concerned.
Jim Baldwin, Chair