The Group shall be known as the North Staffs Regional Group of the Arab Horse Society.
2.1 Full Members – persons, who on application to the Membership Secretary, have been accepted by the Committee of the North Staffs Regional group of the AHS (hereinafter called ‘The Group’), and have paid the due subscription for the current period, shall be known as Full Members.
2.2 The Committee of the Group retains the right to refuse to accept any new application for membership, or any application for renewal of membership for any reason that they see fit. The reason for refusal of acceptance of membership or renewal of membership shall be made known to the person making the application, in writing, by the Chairman of the Committee.
2.3 The Committee reserves the right to refuse membership to, or withdraw membership from, any person or member found guilty in a court of law, of cruelty, neglect or negligence of animals in their care.
2.4 The annual subscription shall be payable on the first day of the Group’s financial year, 1st January. Any member whose subscription is more than 3 months in arrears shall have his or her name removed from the Membership List after written notice to the effect has been sent to him or her. Any member joining the Group on or after 31st October shall be deemed to have paid his or her subscription for the ensuing year.
3.1 All powers of management shall be vested in the Committee consisting of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer and the other Committee Members, who shall be Full Members of the Group: Fifty Percent of Committee members shall form a quorum.
3.2 Each year at the Annual General Meeting, one third of the members of the Committee shall retire being those who have been longest in office. For those who have been in office the same length of time, the members to retire shall be decided by lot. Retiring members shall be eligible for re-election.
3.3 The Committee from among their number shall select the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer annually.
3.4 One Council Member of the Arab Horse Society, whether or not a resident in the Group’s regional area, shall be nominated by the Committee each year, to be an ex-officio member of the Committee with a vote, unless one such Council Member shall already have been elected to the Committee in the ordinary way.
3.5 The decision of the Committee shall be final unless over-ruled at a General Meeting.
3.6 The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of the Rules or for anything relating to the Group not provided therein and their decision shall be final and binding on members.
3.7 The Committee may formulate bylaws for the detailed running of the Group and elect sub-committees for any special activities of the Group, which the Committee may authorise.
3.8 The Committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancy arising amongst members of the Committee, but any person co-opted shall retain office only until the next following Annual General Meeting and then shall be eligible for re-election.
3.9 Only one member of a family can stand and be an elected Committee member with voting rites. Another member of the same family can be co-opted on to the Committee but will not have voting rites.
4 The financial year of the Group shall commence on 1st January each year.
5 The annual subscription shall be £8.00 Single and £12.00 Double, or such other sum as shall from time to time be determined by the Committee.
6.1The Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of March each year to transact the following business:-
6.1.1To receive and if approved adopt a Statement of the Group’s Accounts to the end of the preceding year.
6.1.2To fill vacancies on the Committee.
6.1.3To appoint an Auditor.
6.1.4To deal with any special matter, which the Committee may desire to bring before the members and to receive suggestions from the members for consideration by the Committee. Notice convening the General Meeting shall be sent to members not less that 21 days before the Meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.
6.2A Special General Meeting may be called by the Committee, or by a request signed by not fewer than 10 members, specifying the business to be discussed. The Secretary shall give all members 10 days notice of the date of such a meeting and shall specify in such notice the matters to be dealt with. General Meetings called by members shall be held within 42 days of a request being lodged.
6.3The Accounts of the Group shall be certified each year by the person appointed at the previous Annual General Meeting.
6.4Notice may be given to any member by sending it by post to him to his address in the United Kingdom registered in the records of the Group. If a member has no address in the United Kingdom such member shall not be entitled to receive any notice. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by a member shall invalidate the proceedings of that meeting.
7 These rules may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting, provided that such resolution shall be deemed to have been passed by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present and voted thereon, and provided that prior notice has been sent to all members stating the proposed amendment.
8 The Group, its Committee or persons acting on their behalf shall not be held responsible for any accident or injury to any person or property howsoever caused.
9 If any Committee member does not attend one half of the Committee meetings held in a 12 month period, then they shall retire.
10 In the interests of safety, and general enjoyment of Group Shows, the Committee reserve the right to refuse future entry to its shows to any person(s) failing to comply with requests from its official officers or representative, ie stewards, car park and lorry park stewards and officials appointed in the stabling, office and arena areas.
March 2008