Mountain Region Endurance Riders

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BYLAWS OF THE MOUNTAIN REGION ENDURANCE RIDERS

 

 

ARTICLE I

CORPORATE POWERS

The Corporate Powers of the Mountain Region Endurance Riders shall be vested in the Board of Directors; each of whom shall be voting members in good standing in the organization.

 

 

ARTICLE II

PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote the sport of endurance riding in the Mountain Region through conferences, record keeping, and education. The definition of the Mountain Region for the purposes of sanctioning and awards shall be that used by the American Endurance Ride Conference (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, part of Montana and Alberta, Western South Dakota and Western Nebraska).AERCsanctioned rides within the Mountain Region will automatically be sanctioned for awards purposes.

 

Rides in the states bordering the region may also be considered part of the region and eligible for sanctioning if a.) The ride manager is a member of MRER and b.) the ride manager annually applies for MRER sanctioning. c. the ride does not conflict with an existing Mountain Region ride and is within 100 miles of the AERC defined Mountain Region border.

 

The Board may also consider non-AERC sanctioned rides for the purposes of awards (mileage only) if a.) the ride manager is a member of MRER, b.) the ride manager applies to the board for sanctioning c.) the ride is held in accordance with AERC competition rules d.) the ride carries liability insurance.

 

The ride season for the Mountain Region shall be from December 1st through November 30th

 

 

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

 

SECTION 1. Any person interested in the purpose of this organization shall be eligible for membership, upon proper application and payment of the required dues, shall be accepted in membership.

 

SECTION 2. There shall be both Individual (Senior and Junior) and Family memberships. The Board will determine the dues classifications and privileges of theses members with the individual membership having one vote and the Family membership having two votes.

 

SECTION 3. No member shall be entitled to vote unless he is a paid-up member in good standing at the time when such voting takes place.

 

 

SECTION 5. Membership renewals are due at the beginning of the ride year. Any member whose dues are unpaid as of March 1st shall cease to be a member of the organization. All ride points and mileage accumulated during non-membership shall not be counted towards year-end awards.

Points and mileage may be recovered for any new, first time member who joins prior to August 1st.

 

SECTION 6. Membership to MRER may be revoked or denied for “cause.” Cause may be defined as, but not limited to, failure to pay dues, violation of AERC/MRER rules, abuse of animals or ride personnel, etc. A vote of 2/3 of the board of directors is required for denial or revocation of membership.

 

 

ARTICLE IV

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

SECTION 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of nine members in good standing from the Mountain Region.

 

SECTION 2. The term of each Director shall be two years. Annual elections shall be completed by the last Friday in December. Election will be by secret ballot. Four positions shall be elected on odd numbered years-the other five positions on even numbered years.

 

SECTION 3. The nomination of Board elections shall a.) be through self-nominated; b.) be through nomination by qualified member in which case the nominee must return an acceptance of the nomination by the date so specified; c.) require each nominee be paid-up members in good standing.

 

SECTION 4. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board of Directors.

 

SECTION 5. Each member of the Board shall have one vote. Vote may be submitted by proxy provided that written notice of the proxy is submitted to the secretary or president prior to any meeting.

 

SECTION 6. Should a member of the Board of Directors cease to be voting member in good standing of the organization, he or she shall cease to be Director. However, no act of the organization, its officers or Directors, shall be invalidated by reason of such vacancy in the Board.

 

SECTION 7. Vacancies in the Board shall be filled in the following manner: the President shall nominate a member to fill the term of the Board member at large whose office has become vacant and shall present such nomination to the Board of Directors at any duly constituted meeting or by mail. A majority vote of the Board members at such a meeting, a quorum being present, shall be required for the appointment of such nominee.

 

SECTION 8. The regular meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held at least twice a year and shall be open to the general membership.

 

SECTION 9. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the President or by three Directors, provided that the call for such a meeting be sent to each Director by mail or such other communication as may be chosen. Such call shall state the purpose of the meeting and shall be given no less than ten (5) days preceding the meeting.

 

SECTION 10. The Board of Directors shall have power to conduct, manage, and control the affairs and business of the organization and make rules not inconsistent with its Articles of Incorporation, or with the laws of the State of Colorado, or with these Bylaws for the guidance of the officers and for the management of the affairs of the organization.

 

SECTION 11. The Board of Directors shall cause an audit of the books and accounts of the said organization to be made when such audit may appear necessary to the Board, but no less often than once a year.

 

SECTION 12. The Board of Directors shall determine the time and place of an annual convention. The annual convention shall be for the purpose of a general membership meeting, for the installation of the new Board of Directors and the election of its officers, to conduct an educational/topical program, and to present year-end awards.

 

 

ARTICLE V

OFFICERS

 

SECTION 1. The officers of the said organization shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. One person may not hold more than one of these officers at a time.

 

SECTION 2. The Board may appoint a Points Secretary, a Newsletter Editor, and an Awards Chairman, A Social Media/Website Administrator and a Young Riders Representative. These three (5) five positions are not officer positions.

 

SECTION 3. Immediately following the annual election, the newly elected Directors shall take office and shall be installed at the annual convention. From the members of the Board, as thus constituted, there shall be elected, by a majority vote of the members present, a quorum being in attendance, the officers of the organization, the officers of the organization, namely a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

 

 

ARTICLE VI

PRESIDENT

 

SECTION 1. The President shall preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors. In absence of the President and the Vice-president, the members of the Board may elect a presiding officer for such meetings from the membership of the Board.

 

SECTION 2. The President shall sign all contracts and other instruments in writing which have been first approved by the Board of Directors and shall draw checks on treasury when directed by the Board.

 

SECTION 3. The President shall ensure that an annual audit of the books is performed.

 

SECTION 4. The President shall call special meetings of the membership when requested in writing by a majority of the Directors, or by a majority of the Directors, or by a majority of members of the organization, designating the time, place, and purpose of such meeting.

 

 

ARTICLE VII

VICE-PRESIDENT

 

SECTION 1. In the absence of the President, or his or her inability to act, the Vice-president shall act as President.

 

SECTION 2. The Vice-president shall be responsible for conducting the annual Board elections. If the Vice-president’s Board position is up that year, an alternate Board member shall be chosen to be in charge of the elections.

 

SECTION 3. The Vice-president shall provide assistance to the other Board members as required.

 

 

ARTICLE VIII

SECRETARY

 

SECTION 1. The Secretary shall a.) keep a full and complete record of the proceedings of the Board of Directors and of the meetings of the membership of the organization; b.) shall present the record of the previous meeting at each subsequent meeting; c.) shall make service of such notices as may be necessary or proper; d.) shall have possession of the records and archives of the organization; e.) shall conduct official correspondence.

 

SECTION 2. The Secretary, if so directed by the Board or by the Treasurer, may collect or dispose organization funds. If directed to handle funds, the Secretary shall be bonded and the cost of such bond shall be borne by the organization.

 

 

ARTICLE IX

TREASURER

 

SECTION 1. The Treasurer shall deposit or cause to be deposited at his/her direction all monies belonging to said organization in such bank or banks as may be designated by the Board of Directors. Funds paid out shall be only on the checks and/or debit card of  said organization, duly signed.

 

SECTION 2. The Treasurer shall present a full account of receipts, expenditures, and financial position of the organization at each meeting.

 

SECTION 3. The Treasurer shall give a bond for the faithful discharge of his/her duties, in such sum, and with such surety, as may be required by the Board of Directors. The premium on the said bond shall be paid by the said organization.

 

SECTION 4. The Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited and signed by a committee of two (2) appointed by the Board at the end of each term.

 

SECTION 5. The fiscal year of the organization shall end on November 30th of each year.

 

SECTION 6. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of dues from members and shall maintain an accurate list paid members. The list shall be made available to the President, the Points Recorder and the Newsletter Editor on an annual basis or as requested or needed.

 

 

ARTICLE X

POINTS SECRETARY

 

The President shall appoint, with the approval of the Board, a Points Secretary, not necessarily a Board member, who a.) shall receive and tabulate the results from each ride in the region; b.) shall keep account for the Year-End Awards; c.) shall regularly publish the standings during the ride season.

 

 

ARTICLE XI

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

 

The President shall appoint, with Board approval, a Newsletter Editor, not necessarily a Board member, who shall prepare a newsletter for bi-monthly publication.  Each issue of the newsletter shall contain a certain minimum amount of information including: Officers & Board members names, phone, and addresses; a membership application; the ride calendar and ; the minutes from any previous Board meetings.

 

ARTICLE XI

AWARDS CHAIRMAN

 

The President shall appoint an Awards Chairman, not necessarily a Board member, whose duties shall be to coordinate the selection and purchase, with approval of the Board, the Year-End Awards for the annual convention. The Awards Chairman shall coordinate activities with the Points Secretary and provide a report of activities to the Secretary. The position may be combined with that of Points Secretary.

 

ARTICLE XII

SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE ADMINISTRATOR

 

The President shall appoint a Social Media/Website Administrator, not necessarily a board member, whose duties shall be to administer any social media websites approved by the board and to administer and update the MRER website.

 

 ARTICLE XIII

YOUNG RIDER REPRESENTATIVE

 

The President shall appoint a Young Rider Representative who shall be a member in good standing between the ages of 14-21. The duties of this representative shall be to represent the junior and young riders in the region and to provide input on board actions from their point of view.

 

 

 

ARTICLE XIV

RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL

 

SECTION 1. The resignation of any member shall become effective upon written notice to the President or the Vice-president.

 

SECTION 2. SEE ARTICLE III, SECTION 5

 

 

ARTICLE XI

BYLAWS

 

These bylaws may be amended in either of the following ways.

 

a.Written ballot by mail. This method will require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Board members and notice of the proposed amendment must be given by mail postmarked not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date on which such ballot must be returned to the Secretary.

 

b.Vote at Board Meeting. This method will require a two-thirds vote of all board Members. A notice of such amendment to be considered must be in written and presented to all board Members not less than thirty (30) days prior to vote.

 

 

Revised February 9, 2021