ENO TRIANGLE PONY CLUB POLICIES
ENO TRIANGLE PONY CLUB’S POLICIES Eno Triangle Pony Club’s Policies will serve to govern the club in addition to the Club Bylaws. (Go to Club Bylaws as published by the United States Pony Club (USPC) on their website: www.ponyclub.org then link to Forms and Bylaws - Club). These policies will be reviewed annually before the Annual Sponsors Meeting by the Executive Board. Additions, modifications or deletions to policy will be formulated with the input from the Eno Triangle Advisory Board and presented to, and in accordance with USPC Club Bylaws, approved by the Club Sponsors.
ENO TRIANGLE PONY CLUB OFFICERS Executive Board The Executive Board consists of the District Commissioner (DC) and, if elected, Joint District Commissioner(s) who are Administrative Officers of the USPC. All Administrative Officers must be USPC Corporate Members as required by the UPSC Bylaws. Fees for the Corporate Memberships are paid by Eno Triangle’s Treasury. Other members of the Executive Board are the Secretary and the Treasurer. It is very important that the club's DC(s) are informed about all local, regional and national Pony Club issues and events. To facilitate this, and while there are funds in the Club Treasury to do so, the club will reimburse the DC(s) for fees, travel expenses and hotel accommodations to attend these meetings and represent Eno Triangle at Pony Club Meetings.
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Eno Triangle Pony Club Advisory Board As stated above, the Executive Board of the club are elected at the Annual Sponsors Meeting and are responsible for the management of the club and its activities. To assist them in carry out their duties, there are many committees that fill specialized functions. Some functions last for only a short time (i.e., preparation for a specific rally) while others last throughout the year. These committees are chaired by volunteers appointed by the DC(s) and are members of the Eno Triangle Pony Club Advisory Board.
ENO TRIANGLE SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS To become a Sponsor of Eno Triangle Pony Club (a voting member) an annual fee of $10.00 is required. Sponsor’s should be active participants in club activities. Attendance at the Annual Meeting is highly recommended because it is the only time where all members are gathered to discuss important club matters. The Annual Sponsors Meeting is usually held in the fall. Supporters, who may not want to become Sponsors, are encouraged to help the club through volunteering and donations, both benefit the members in numerous ways and are greatly appreciated.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE The information listed in this section is taken verbatim from the Club Bylaws. USPC Bylaws for Nominating Committee 4.1.5 (October 29, 2000) The Nominating Committee shall be elected at least 3 months before the Annual Sponsors’ Meeting and shall select one of its members to serve as Chair of the Committee. The District Commissioner shall nominate the committee for election by the Sponsors. The Committee shall consist of no less than three and no more than five Sponsors of Record. The Nominating Committee shall propose a slate of Club Officers and recommendations for
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District Commissioner and Joint District Commissioner(s) for presentation at the Annual Sponsors’ Meeting.
REQUIRED AGE FOR MEMBERSHIP All individuals who join Eno Triangle Pony Club must be a minimum of 7 years of age at the time they apply for membership. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEMBERS For a period of one year January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003, Eno will limit the number of members to 70. If an individual inquires after that cap is reached an opportunity will be given to the individual to be placed on a waiting list. Your Membership Inquiry will be kept on file and new members will be placed on a first come, first served basis.
ANNUAL MEETING The information listed in this section is taken verbatim from the Club Bylaws. 4.2 Sponsors’ Meetings Clubs shall have sufficient Sponsors’ Meetings to enhance communication within the Club. Registered Clubs shall hold an Annual Meeting as defined herein. 4.2.1 Protocol Sponsors, Regional Supervisors, and the USPC Vice President of Regional Administration or his/her representative may attend a Sponsors’ Meeting. Discussion may be open to all but only Sponsors of Record may vote. Sponsors of Record must be present to vote. Voting by proxy shall never be permitted. The District Commissioner, or the designated individual, shall chair the meeting. A quorum for the conduct of Club business shall be onethird (33%) of the Sponsors of Record present in person. The District Commissioner, Joint District Commissioner, Club Secretary, Regional Supervisor or Vice President of Regional Administration may convene a meeting of the Sponsors.
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4.2.2 Annual Meeting An Annual Meeting of the Sponsors shall be held in the fall of each year for the purpose of transacting the Club business on the agenda. 4.2.2.1 Annual Meeting Notice Notice of the Annual Meeting shall be sent by the Secretary of the Club to all Sponsors of Record. The notice shall be postmarked or delivered no less than 30 days prior to the date of the meeting. A copy of the meeting agenda shall be sent with the notice. 4.2.2.2 Annual Meeting Agenda The agenda for the Annual Meeting shall include: (a) the report of the District Commissioner on activities and general financial status; (b) presentation and approval of the proposed financial plan for the coming year; (c) recommendations for a District Commissioner and one or more Joint District Commissioners; (d) election of officers for the next year, based on the report of the Nominating Committee and nominations from the floor; (e) amendments to the Club policies; (f) establishment of an activities calendar; and (g) such other issues and business that are germane to the effective operation of the Club. 4.2.2.3 Annual Meeting Minutes The Secretary shall record, prepare, sign and submit a copy of the minutes of the Annual Meeting to the Regional Supervisor, the National Office and the Vice President of Regional Administration with the annual membership renewal. The minutes shall include recommendations for District Commissioner and Joint District Commissioners, a copy of the agenda, and all documents (e.g. plans, budgets, rosters, lists, schedules, calendars, etc.) approved by the Sponsors at the Meeting. A year-to-date Club Financial Report shall also be included in the minutes.
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REGULAR MEETINGS The Eno Triangle Pony Club Executive Board and the Eno Advisory Board will meet at least 3 times a year. Anyone wishing to submit items for the meeting’s agenda must submit these items to the DC(s) at least 2 weeks prior to the meeting date so that a final agenda can be published and disseminated to the members. All parents and sponsors are welcome to attend these meetings. Only items on the agenda may be presented. If there are policies for which a vote is necessary, all sponsors present may vote. The club Secretary is responsible for taking minutes of these meetings and publishing them in the newsletter or on our website. RATING/RALLYING AND ATTENDANCE It is USPC policy that each club’s District Commissioner(s) endorse a pony clubber’s readiness/ability to participate in ratings and rallies. Therefore, they must have several opportunities to observe and determine the candidate and their mount’s level of experience, knowledge and readiness to rate or rally at a certain level. In addition to this USPC policy we, as a club, want to take all steps possible to insure the success and safety of our members at ratings and rallies. In order to achieve this goal, participation in club clinics is essential. Effective January 1, 2002, we strongly recommend that all members attend a minimum of half of all rally/rating preparatory clinics/meetings both mounted and unmounted (including Quiz Prep). Past experience has proven that it is very difficult to succeed and benefit from all pony club has to offer without attending a significant number of mounted and unmounted meetings. Exceptions to this policy will be determined by the DC(s) on a special needs basis. USPC recommends that new members rate 30 days, or as soon as possible, after joining a club. In order to facilitate this, it is required that a new member attend a minimum of 1 mounted meeting. If this is not possible, the member must contact the District Commissioner to schedule an observation
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time. Following this time, an observation period will continue until the DC(s) is satisfied that they can make a decision as to the preparedness of a member to rally. USPC encourages individual clubs to provide ongoing clinics and unmounted instruction to prepare all levels of candidates for ratings as part of the club’s instructional program. Rating preps for C-3 and above are organized at the regional level and are subject to their regulations. Riding is a high-risk sport and because of this we recommend that parents accompany their child to rallies. Should this not be possible, parents must make the necessary travel arrangements and notify the DC(s) of these arrangements at least a week in advance of the rally. If you are sending your child unaccompanied, it is your responsibility · To arrange for a chaperone and transportation for the Pony Clubber and their horse as well as their accommodations. Send a medical release form for the chaperone, money for meals, lodging and incidentals. Make sure that your child knows the rules.
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ENO RALLY EQUIPMENT Eno Triangle Pony Club has made a commitment to insure that all official sets of Eno Rally Equipment and Rule Books with addendum are complete, uniform and ready for the rally season. No Team Equipment Sets, other than the approved Eno sets, may be used during rallies by Eno Triangle Horse Managers. Considerable club expense is required to equip and maintain these sets. As a courtesy to club members, we hope that any lost equipment or rulebooks (not equipment that may be used during the rally) are replaced by the person(s) responsible for the loss of this equipment.
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The Horse Manager is responsible for picking up and returning the equipment within seven days from the date of the rally to the Equipment Managers. As a courtesy to the Equipment Managers, it is best to prearrange both the pick-up and drop off of the Equipment Set. Upon returning the equipment, the Horse Manager and their parent must complete the checklist form and sign the form. Please note equipment that has been damaged or lost on the form. ENO TRIANGLE RED BOOKS As stated previously and according to the USPC, the District Commissioner(s) must endorse a Pony Clubber’s readiness to attempt a rating. While this endorsement will not insure that a candidate will pass their rating, it does let them know that they have prepared well for their attempt. The Red Books were designed by Eno Triangle PC from UPSC materials to help the Pony Clubber and the District Commissioner determine the Pony Clubber’s level of preparedness for their attempted rating by tracking their mounted and unmounted instruction. The Red Book is intended to be a guide to help you determine what you need to learn and study. Use this Red Book along with the enclosed Standards of Proficiency, Tests, Eno library materials and other resource information to facilitate your progress in Pony Club. The Red Book should be brought to all pony club mounted and unmounted rating/rallying preparatory clinics. The boxes may only be checked off by the Eno Clinician, the District Commissioner(s) or an Eno Adult Clinic Supervisor and only at Eno sponsored clinics. Your riding instructor can help you with each skill, but can not sign off in the Red Book. The exception to this is that your instructor happens to be giving the clinic and therefore may sign the Red Book, the same holds true for unmounted or knowledge clinics. You should note, that the signed checklist does not mean that the pony clubber is riding at that standard. It simply means that you have been to a clinic where some part of the standard was taught. For example, if you are rating up to a D-2 and have your diagonal work checked off, this
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demonstrates that you have practiced diagonal work at that level. You may, and should, have more than one signature in a box. When a Pony Clubber feels they are ready to take a rating, they should arrange a meeting to review their preparation with the District Commissioner. During this meeting, you should be ready to review your Red Book along with other methods of studying to evaluate your readiness. It is very important that the pony clubber and their mount are a safe and solid team before they chose to rate-up at any level.
RATING FEE PAYMENT In order to provide ratings at a minimal or no cost to members, Eno Triangle Pony Club will pay for all ratings provided there are sufficient funds in the Club’s Treasury to do so. The few exceptions to this policy are as follows: I) For ratings D-1 through C-2 (local ratings), if a pony club member is unable to attend a rating that they have signed up to attend for reasons other than personal illness or lameness of their mount, they will be responsible for paying their portion of the cost of the rating. A doctor’s or veterinarian’s note will be required. However, if notice of withdrawal is received in sufficient time as not incur additional costs for a rater, no veterinarian’s or doctor’s notice will be required nor will charges be levied. II) For ratings C-3 and above (regional and national ratings), if the candidate withdraws for any reason, they will be responsible for payment of fees incurred and not refunded to Eno Triangle. The club will then pay for the next rating less amount not refunded. Eno Triangle will only pay for the first attempt at upper level ratings. The candidates are personally responsible for all subsequent ratings. III) A pony club member must be a member of Eno Triangle in good standing for a minimum of one year to benefit from the payment of fees for ratings at the C3, B, H, HA and A levels.
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RATING/RALLYING PREPARATORY CLINICS AND CLINICIAN FEES Due to the hard work of our member’s, their parent’s and our executive board’s and past fundraising activities, we have been very fortunate to have most of our rating/rallying preparatory clinics (our monthly mounted and unmounted clinics) provided to members at no cost. We hope that all of our members will utilize this club benefit. We will continue this practice in the future provided that the Club’s Treasury Funds are sufficient to do so. The Horse Manager is a vital rally team member and contributes to the team’s success. As such, Eno Triangle Pony Club commits to developing Horse Managers is two ways: 1) through our unmounted clinics and 2) through payment of rally entry fees. As long as there are funds in the Club’s Treasury to do so, the club will pay the rally entry fees for all Eno Triangle Pony Club Members participating in a Carolina Regional Rally as a Horse Manager. If a Horse Manager withdraws for reasons other than personal illness, and is not replaced by another club member, they must repay the rally fees paid on their behalf. It is our policy to cap payments to clinicians at $200.00 per 8 hour session and pay a prorated figure for time less than 8 hours. In the past, this figure has been sufficient to provide a high caliber lesson to our members. In the event that a clinician charges more for their instruction, we may ask members to pay a nominal fee.
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