2022
BY-LAWS OF THE G&M RIDING CLUB
(Goshen & Middletown Riding Club)
**check paperwork Charter
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this corporation, duly organized under the not-for-profit corporation laws of New York State, shall be G. & M. Riding Club, Inc, the latter being included in all letterhead and official documentation. (Goshen & Middletown Riding Club)
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
Section 1. To create, stimulate and maintain interest in horses and their care.
Section 2. To foster social interaction, and to work together for the common advantage of all who ride and drive horses.
Section 3. To promote and encourage interest and proficiency in horsemanship.
Section 4. To promote and sponsor horse shows, gymkhanas exhibits and other horse-related functions.
Section 5. To encourage and promote the construction, repair, improvement, and management of facilities which may at any time be necessary, useful or advantageous for the use and purpose of the Corporation.
Section 6. The corporation shall be a type B corporation pursuant to Section 201 of the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law.
Section 7. Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt under section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any further federal tax code.
Section 8. No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to its members, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Section 7 hereof.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. To become a member of the club, the name of the applicant should be proposed by a member of the Club or by signifying his/her desire to become a member of the club by submitting an application and payment of the current dues. New members shall also receive a copy of the By-Laws of the club or view them on the club’s website.
Section 2. A junior who reaches the age of majority (18) during the year beginning January 1st shall remain classified as a junior for that year.
Section 3. There will be no less than five general membership meetings per year, three of which must be in September, October and November for nominating purposes, which shall be designated by the Board of Directors at the first board meeting of the year.
Section 4. Animal Abuse
4.1 Any member who abuses his animals or fails to follow the rules and regulations governing club events, or who otherwise causes a disturbance at Club events may be subject to a sanction to be determined by the Board of Directors and/or termination of membership privileges. Anyone so charged with violating Club protocol can request a hearing of the President. Failure to appear at such hearing will constitute acceptance of the sanction imposed by the Board of Directors.
4.2 The general board not including the Executive Board (President, Secretary and Treasurer), will hear initial allegations and if a sanction is necessary, the general board would assess said punishment. (Vice President of Club would act as chairman of this committee but would take no active role or vote.)
4.3 If the sanctioned person requires a hearing the Executive Board (President, Vice President and Secretary) would be the panel to which the hearing would go and they, after hearing all the facts, would then make a final determination in said matter. (Vice President or Club would again act as chairman and would take no active part in voting but would present the facts for the Board of Directors to the Executive Board.)
4.4 If a member of the G. & M. Board is the party that the allegation has been made against they will take no part in the above process.
Section 5. The membership committee will set standards to determine active and inactive membership status.
Section 6. The junior membership will follow the By-Laws of the G. & M. Riding Club, Inc.
Section 7. Lifetime Membership Guidelines and Qualifications.
7.1 Nomination Committee will be appointed according to the guidelines set forth in Article V – Elections, Section 1.
7.2 There shall be no more than Ten (10) Lifetime Members at a given time within a calendar year.
7.3 Nominations for Lifetime Membership will NOT be accepted from the floor during Club meetings.
7.4 Candidates for Lifetime Membership to the G. & M. Riding Club Inc. will be voted upon by sealed paper vote by the Nomination Committee.
7.5 Deadline for nominations shall be May 1st (October 1st as to correspond with the Awards Banquet in January) of the calendar year. To be considered for a Lifetime Membership in the G. & M. Riding Club Inc, the following qualifications shall be met:
7.5.1 Candidate will be nominated, in writing, by a current member of the Club. The nominating member shall be in good standing of the Club.
7.5.2 Candidate must be a Club member in good standing, or candidate has excelled in supporting club events, such as by working, or providing guidance and services to members and participants for at least 10 consecutive years prior to nomination.
7.5.3 Candidate will have held a Board position, including that of Junior Advisor, for a minimum of One (1) term.
7.5.4 Candidate will have attended at least 75% of scheduled Club meetings.
7.5.5 Annually, the candidate will have completed, in entirety, at least three Club events and assisted in other Club activities as directed by the program coordinator.
7.5.6 “Honorary Life Membership” is at the Board of Directors discretion and voted on with majority rule, as for dedicated volunteer service which may not include above qualification. “Honorary Life Membership” will have limited privileges as not to include voting in election of officers or running for Executive Board Position if service on the Board of Directors has not been met.
ARTICLE IV – ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. The Administration and conduct of business of the G. & M. Riding Club, Inc., shall be vested in the club’s elected officers and board members. The Board of Directors shall exercise executive and such other powers as are compatible with the By-Laws of and in the best interest of the G. & M. Riding Club, Inc.
Section 2. In order for business to be conducted at a general meeting there must be 10 voting club members present. A general meeting may be treated as a board meeting should there be no representation of non-board members.
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall be elected by membership and shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer and no less than 6, but no more than 10 board members.
Section 4. Junior members will elect their own officers, Junior meetings will be held at regularly scheduled club events and or specific Junior outings to encourage participation. The juniors will also hold their own elections. This election is independent from the election of the general membership.
Section 5. Each member of the Board of Directors shall have one vote.
Section 6. If a Board seat shall become vacated, the President at his/her discretion shall appoint a member to fill the position for the balance of the term. In the event a President and Vice President position becomes vacant with no interested parties, the Board as a unified body, will act as the decision making/governing body until such time as one or both positions are filled. This can be appointed by the other Executive Officers or by majority vote.
Section 7. Board members shall make all possible efforts to attend board meetings, but if for any reason they cannot attend they should inform an Executive Officer of their situation. If they do not have valid reasons, they can be removed from the board unless otherwise approved by board vote.
Section 8. If a board member misses Two (2) consecutive board meetings and has not been removed from the board, that member should not take part in any vote involving issues or controversies that were discussed in their absence.
Section 9. Order of business for general meetings shall be opening of meeting, reading of minutes, treasurer’s report, reading of correspondence, committee reports, old or unfinished business, new business and adjournment.
ARTICLE V – DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS & EVENT CHAIRS
Section 1. President
1.1 The President shall preside over all general meetings and shall only vote in event of a tie, except during elections where the President may vote.
1.2 The President may appoint committees as deemed necessary and shall be responsible for the proper functioning of all committees other than the Event Committee. These committees will remain in place until completion of their task even if this means they run into a new President’s term and will remain unless the new President can give good cause for this not to occur to the general board.
Section 2. Vice President
2.1 The Vice President shall preside over the Board of Directors and will assume duties in the absence of the President. The Vice President shall vote only in the event of a tie.
2.2 The Vice President shall take responsibility to oversee the Event Committee which will include the Open Horse Show Chair and Gymkhana Chair. They will work with the event chairs to ensure events run smoothly and resolve issue prior to escalating concerns to the President and/or Board Members.
Section 3. Secretary
3.1 The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the general membership meetings and the Board of Directors, attend to the correspondence of the club, and give all notices required.
Section 4. Treasurer
4.1 The Treasurer shall pay bills, have charge of all funds, collect the dues, and perform all duties usually pertinent to said officer that may be required. A report will be made at each general meeting and a copy should be supplied to the Secretary for recordkeeping.
Section 5. Open Horse Show Chair
5.1 The Open Horse Show Chair’s responsibility is manage and direct all aspects of event coordination relevant to the horse shows, and is responsible for horse show finances and reporting.
5.2 Ensure horse show events run smoothly, including both English and Western rings, while working with and reporting to the Vice President.
Section 6. Gymkhana Chair
6.1 The Gymkhana Chair’s responsibility is manage and direct all aspects of event coordination relevant to the gymkhanas, and is responsible for gymkhana finances and reporting.
6.2 Ensure gymkhana events run smoothly, while working with and reporting to the Vice President.
Section 7. General Responsibilities for All Board Officers
7.1 The Board shall discuss and consider issues referred to them by the President of the club and shall make findings and recommendations concerning such issues to the club.
7.2 The Board shall meet no less than Five (5) times per year. Any member of the Club may ask to address a Board Meeting. To do this the member should make their request known to the Vice President of the Club so that they may be added to the agenda of the Board meeting.
7.3 As the club is entirely run by volunteers, Board Members are requested to work at Two (2) of the Six (6) events held per year, to ensure the continued success of the club for the future.
7.4 All Board members are expected to work on at least One (1) committee.
ARTICLE VI – SALARY
Section 1. No officer shall for reason of their office be entitled to receive any salary or compensation. But nothing herein shall be construed to prevent an officer or director for receiving any compensation from the organization for duties other than as an officer.
Section 2. The Board of Directors, if deemed necessary for the conduct of business of the organization, shall hire or fix compensation at their discretion for any and all employees.
ARTICLE VII – DEDICATION OF ASSETS
Section 1. Upon the dissolution of the corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
ARTICLE VIII – COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall appoint all committees. There term of office shall be as deemed necessary but no longer than for a period of one year. The board will approve and appoint a chairman to each committee.
Section 2. Standing Committees
2.1 Event Committee
2.1.1 The Event Committee shall:
– set forth show rules and regulations
– schedule classes and divisions
– propose and set entry fees
– coordinate show awards and year-end awards
– coordinate park facilities and sanitation requirements
2.2 Membership Committee
2.2.1 The Membership Committee shall set forth dues and membership requirements.
2.3 Advertising/Fundraising/Publicity Committee
2.3.1 The Advertising/Fundraising shall propose ideas to promote the club and enroll new members. It shall suggest fundraising goals and activities to maintain the club funds. Fundraising for the junior fund shall be governed by the G. & M. Riding Club juniors.
2.4 Banquet Committee
2.4.1 The Banquet Committee shall set forth venue, menu, invitations, seating arrangements, entertainment, and decorations.
2.5 Scholarship Committee
2.6 Endowment Committee
Section 3. Ad-Hoc Committees
3.1 Nominating Committee
3.1.1 The Nominating Committee shall consist of Two (2) Board members and Three (3) from the general membership. Said committee shall meet in September, select candidates and consult with these candidates to ascertain their willingness to accept such office.
3.2 By-Law Committee
3.2.1 The By-law Committee is responsible for the creation and maintenance of the organization’s bylaws.
ARTICLE IX – ELECTIONS
Section 1. Elections will be held yearly, voting on President, Treasurer and up to five members on odd years. Vice President, Secretary and up to five members of the Board will be elected on even years.
Section 2. The Nomination Committee shall present the slate of officers at the September meeting.
Section 3. Nominations from the floor will be accepted at the September and October meetings and a vote will be taken at the November meeting. No nominations will be accepted after the October general meeting.
Section 4. At the regular November meeting, a list of proposed and nominated candidates for office shall be voted upon by membership. Members must be nineteen (19) or older to vote.
Section 5. Absentee Ballot. The list of proposed candidates shall be sent to each member by the Nomination Committee by November 1st. Those persons unable to attend the November meeting may vote by using an Absentee Ballot form provided by the Nomination Committee, which must be completed, signed and received by the Nomination Committee Chairperson by the November meeting.
Section 6. In case of a tie for any position, the incumbent President, who shall have no vote otherwise, must make the tie breaking vote.
Section 7. The Officers shall be installed and assume office at the next regular meeting.
Section 8. The Nomination Committee will run the general election and at the conclusion of the general election will become null and void.
Section 9. Proposed and nominated candidates must be members in good standing for One (1) year to serve on the Board of Directors.
Section 10. Proposed and nominated candidates for President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer must be a member in good standing for Two (2) years and have served on the Board of Directors for One (1) year.
ARTICLE X – DUES AND FINANCES
Section 1. The dues of the club shall be set by the membership committee prior to the November general club meeting.
Section 2. The amount of dues payable shall remain the same throughout the fiscal year in which the membership is received. Fiscal year will be January 1st through December 31st of each year.
Section 3. Members whose dues are not renewed as of the last day of February shall be dropped from the membership rolls.
Section 4. All sums collected by the organization in the furtherance of its business shall be deposited in a regular business bank account.
Section 5. All financial records shall be audited annually or as deemed necessary by the board members.
Section 6. All the monies spent must be approved by board members either by in-person vote or by electronic means.
Section 7. The treasurer may sign checks or drafts of the organization. No special fund may be set aside that shall make it unnecessary for the Treasurer to sign the checks issued upon it. One (1) other Executive Officer, other than the Treasurer, must be able to sign checks or be authorized on the bank accounts.
The board may grant signature rights to the additional board member, who has been a member in good standing for a minimum of five years, to ensure uninterrupted flow of business. It is at the discretion of the board to request background checks of all members involved in financial transactions.
ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS
Section 1. By-Laws may be amended annually. Submissions must be delivered to the board by May 1st of any given year so that the proposed change can be emailed and discussed at least Two (2) open meetings prior to voting on the proposed change at the November general election meeting.
Section 2. By-Laws will be reviewed and/or revised by a committee appointed by the President as necessary.
Main Address & Email
G&M Riding Club
PO Box 35
Campbell Hall, NY 10916
Main Email: [email protected]
Junior Email: [email protected]