MOUNTAIN PLEASURE HORSE ASSOCIATION

BY-LAWS (2017)

I. DEFINITION

The Mountain Pleasure Horse Association shall be a not for profit corporation registered in the state of Kentucky dedicated to the conservation, promotion, breeding and market development of the traditional Mountain Pleasure Horse throughout North America.

II. THE HORSE

The Mountain Pleasure Horse Association is dedicated to develop, preserve and promote the traditional Mountain Pleasure Horse, in which the natural gait and temperament breeds true. Proper breeding will enhance this and other desirable characteristics in successive generations. To this end, no action devices, aids or harsh training methods are permitted. Through breeding, we strive to produce an animal that meets the highest standards of this breed, a horse for most occasions and all persons. The Mountain Pleasure Horse naturally demonstrates a smooth, natural gait. The horse moves out with a gait in which one can count four distinct hoof beats that produce a cadence of near equal rhythm. The speed may vary, but the four beat rhythm remains constant. The gait is initiated by the hind leg.

The conformation of the Mountain Pleasure Horse will be as follows:

The horse should have medium sized bones, with medium feet in proportion to the body.

The horse should have a wide and deep chest.

The fore and hind legs should be free of noticeable deformity.

The shoulders should be sloping, ideally with an angle of 45 degrees.

The horse should have bold eyes and well shaped ears, with a face which is neither dished nor protruding.

The head should be medium sized, in proportion to the body with medium sized jaws.

The neck should be gracefully arched, medium in length and set in at an angle to allow a natural carriage with a break at the poll. Any body color is acceptable, however, Spotted Mountain Pleasure Horses are not encouraged by the Association for breeding or showing.

To be eligible for registration, the horse must meet all the rules of registration.

III. REGISTRATION

General rules of registry of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association will include the recognition that the registration papers of an animal are a representation of the data maintained by the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association registry on a specific animal. The registry does not mediate disputes between members or others. The Association provides the Registry as a service and is in no way liable for any misrepresentation of the horses to a buyer or to the public.

Foals resulting from artificial insemination will be allowed to be registered with the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association. Foals resulting from embryo transplant will be allowed to be registered with the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association.

The owner will promptly return to the registry the papers of deceased animals. The papers will be clearly marked to indicate the animals’ demise and then be returned to the owner if requested. At no time will any person or entity be allowed to retain papers on an animal that they no longer own, unless the animal has been removed from the registry and the papers so marked.

No changes can be made to Section II -The Horse or to Section III -the current MPHA Rules of Registration without the consent of the MPHA Board of Trustees. However, any member or board member can propose changes to the Trustees after passing a majority vote of the board of Directors or 2/3 majority of the membership. This can be done no more than once a year and only during the annual Board Meeting. Please refer to the Association’s Rules of Registration for further specifications regarding the registration of Mountain Pleasure Horses.

IV. MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association is granted to all persons and legal entities who desire to make application and agree to abide by the rules of and are accepted by majority vote of the Association’s Board of Directors. Legal entities will have one vote in the Association so long as the individual or individuals that maintain controlling interest in that entity have no other vote in the Association. The privilege of participating in elections or voting on matters in the Association shall be limited to those members who are current in their dues. No proxies shall be allowed in any voting.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

Appropriate disciplinary action against members within the Association will occur with majority vote of the Board of Directors.

A. Disciplinary actions that may be brought include but are not limited to a non-compliance with the constitution and by-laws of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association.

B. Flagrant and /or repeated noncompliance with the decisions of the inspectors of the Association.

C. Fraud and misrepresentation of the facts pertaining to the registration or breeding of the Mountain Pleasure Horse.

D. Moral turpitude of a degree that reflects adversely on the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association.

Before charges are made against a member, a written notice will be sent to the member asking the member to attend the next scheduled Board of Directors meeting and to explain possible charges. Following the meeting, the Board of Directors will follow the guide of Robert’s Rules of Order as to resolving the problem.

** BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board of Trustees shall consist of four lifetime members. One member will be selected by the Trustees to be the Trustee Chair, the person who calls for and leads any meetings, and keeps the other Trustees informed. The sole job of the Trustees is as a watchdog to maintain the purity of the original Mountain Pleasure Horse, to safeguard the traditional inner traits (temperament, hardiness, heart, etc) and traditional visual traits (conformation and movement) as defined in the Section II-The Horse.

The Trustees oversee the Board of Directors who carry out the day to day work of the Association with the grace of the membership. It is the responsibility of the Trustees to see that Section II and Section III of the By-Laws and the Rules of the Association are faithfully followed and that the officers of the Association perform their overall duties in the proper manner. Trustees have immediate access to Board of Director minutes as well as those from General Meetings and any year end reports and/or any working facet of the Association. Trustees have the power to remove any member of the Board of Directors with due cause.

Other than an annual trustee meeting in the first quarter of every year, Trustees have no scheduled meetings. Special meetings can be called for at any time with reasonable notice(minimum 3-4 days) and conducted in person, by mail, or by email. Email votes must be unanimous. Any resulting Trustee actions/votes must be conveyed to the Board of Directors and MPHA Secretary to be recorded.

V. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The board of Directors shall consist of seven members and two alternates, who must be members in good standing of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association. All Board Members of the Association shall be elected to a term of five years. The Board of Directors must have a quorum of five members present to conduct business.

Directors or the Association shall be elected by a majority vote of all Association members’ casting votes. The election of these directors shall be conducted by mail in December of the expiration year. Only one member of a family (a family being the head of household and all legal dependents) can serve on the Board of Directors at any one time. In the event more than one member of a household is nominated, the one getting the most votes shall serve. Prior to each election, the Board will hold open nominations and will prepare a nomination ballot for each vacancy to be filled. The list need not contain more than one nominee for each position. This ballot will be mailed to each and every eligible member.

The Board of Directors will have the authority to conduct the general business of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association, however, two-thirds of response from the general membership will be required on any decisions concerning the Bylaws of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association with the exception of changes proposed for Section II-The Horse and Section III-Registration which require approval from the Board of Trustees.

Any Board Member that is ABSENT FOR THREE CONSECTUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE REMOVED FROM THE MPHA BOARD. Also, ANY BOARD MEMBER MISSING MORE THAN FOUR BOARD MEETINGS IN ONE YEAR WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE REMOVED FROM THE MPHA BOARD. Replacing any removed Board Members will be done according to the current MPHA By Laws.

VI. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors will consist of the elected Directors of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association. The Board of Directors will conduct all business of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association. The Board of Directors will meet no less than 4 times annually, with an Annual meeting to be held in December. The regular meetings of the Board of Directors will be announced in advance, and will be open to all members of the Association with prior approval. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at anytime by a majority of the Board of Directors. These special sessions do not require prior announcement to the general membership, but all members of the Board of Directors must be notified of special meetings in a timely fashion. For business to be transacted by the Board of Directors, a quorum of at least five members is required. The Board of Directors will have the authority to take any action it deems appropriate without prior consultation with the general membership, with the exception of changes to the By-Laws. All significant actions of the Board of directors will be reported to the Trustees and membership in a timely fashion.

VII. OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

The officers of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, which shall be elected every 5 years by the Board of Directors, from the membership of the Board of Directors.

VIII. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

PRESIDENT: The president is responsible for the executive action of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association. The President may call Board of Directors meetings. It will be the responsibility of the President to see that the By-Laws and the Rules of the Association are faithfully followed and that the officers of the Association perform their duties in the proper manner.

VICE-PRESIDENT: The Vice-President is responsible for conducting the business of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association under such conditions as absence, illness, or death of the President.

SECRETARY: The Secretary will maintain complete and correct transcriptions of the business transacted at Board of Directors meeting. The Secretary will present full minutes to the general meeting of the Association. The Secretary will be responsible for the maintenance of the registry and for supervising the Registrar if and when the Board of Directors appoints one.

TREASURER: The Treasurer will maintain accurate and correct financial records for the Association. The Treasurer will receive and document all fees and payments made to the Association, maintain the bank accounts, cause to be prepared all necessary tax forms for the Association, and tender a written report of all receipts and disbursements at each regular Board meeting. The Board of Directors will appoint an Audit committee of three members, which shall review the books of the treasury no less often than every two years. The Audit Committee may request when needed, the assistance of a CPA at the Association’s expense. The Treasurer’s books will be closed by the Audit Committee at the time of a chance of Treasurers.

INSPECTORS: The Board of Directors will designate one inspector as the Executive Inspector. That Inspector will be responsible for seeing that inspections of horses are completed on a timely basis and presented to the Board of Directors for consideration. Inspectors will be expected to be present at the Board meetings when horses they have videotaped are presented for consideration.

IX. RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS/OFFICERS

The resignation of a trustee/director/officer may be presented orally or in writing to the Board of Directors at a regular or special meeting.

The removal of a director/officer will follow the guidelines of Roberts Rules of Order.

Only the Trustees can remove another Trustee. Trustees have the power to remove a trustee/director/officer by majority vote after a written warning sent by certified mail, followed by a 4/5 Trustee vote if removal is necessary. All Trustees must participate in every vote called for by the Board of Trustees or be considered derelict of duty.

FILLING OF VACANCIES

If a single vacancy should arise, the President will appoint with the approval of the Board of Directors an interim officer and or/director to finish out the term of the office vacated. If more than one vacancy occurs at the same time, a special election will be held to fill the unexpired terms of the Board Members. This special election shall follow the same form and rules as are established for the election of the Board of Directors of Mountain Pleasure Horse Association.

Only the Trustees can fill a vacancy in the Board of Trustees. Until a vacancy is filled, the current Board of Trustees may conduct business as usual.

X. MEETINGS

General membership meetings of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association may be called by the Board of Directors as needed and will be held at the location determined by the Board of Directors. Order of business at meetings of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association will generally follow the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order. The general business of the Association will be transacted on the basis of simple majority of those members present.

Amendments to the By-Laws of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association will be presented to the Board of Directors and if approved, must be presented to and can only be approved by The Board of Trustees if it affects Section II – The Horse or Section III – Registration. If 3 of 4 Trustees approve, the amendment passes.

All other amendments to the By-Laws will be presented to the Board of Directors and, if approved, are presented to the membership at General Meeting. If the amendment is approved by simple majority at a General Meeting, it will then be mailed to the entire membership for approval. All eligible members will be mailed a ballot Two-thirds of the ballots returned must be in favor of the amendment for it to be approved. A special meeting of the members may be called by members only via petition signed by one-third of the members in good standing of the Association.

Any other situation not covered by these By-Laws will be handled according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and/or Roberts Rules of Order.