STANDARD RULES AND CONSTITUTION OF THE SOUTH WILTSHIRE RIDING CLUB
1. TITLE
The Club shall be known as the South Wiltshire Riding Club
2. OBJECTS
The objects of the Club shall be:
i. To encourage riding as a sport and recreation, to promote good fellowship amongst riders and to improve and maintain the standard of riding and horsemanship.
ii. To organize instructional meetings, lectures and competitive events and other activities to further the objects.
iii. To be affiliated to the British Horse Society and to support and co-operate with recognized organizations interested in the breeding and use of all breeds and types of horses and ponies.
iv. To investigate the subject of bridle tracks and rights of way with a view to opposing those that have been closed and maintaining and more clearly defining those that are in existence.
v. To concern itself with any object which will benefit the horse and horse user in the district.
3. MEMBERSHIP
This shall consist of persons who have attained the age of eighteen years (and persons over twelve years who may join as junior members) and, having been accepted by the committee, have paid the due subscription for the current period. Honorary membership may be conferred by the Committee upon any person deemed by them to have rendered notable service to the Club. No junior member may be a voting member of the Riding Club.
4. Anyone desirous of becoming a member shall forward his or her name and address to the Membership Secretary of the Club on the appropriate membership application form.
5. The annual subscription shall be paid on the first day of the Club’s financial year. Any member whose subscription is more than three 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 Club after 1st August shall pay a reduced subscription of £10 for the remainder of the current year.
6. The Committee may expel from membership of the Club any member who has breached any of the rules of the Club, or who has in the opinion of the Committee been guilty of any conduct derogatory to the character or prejudicial to the interest of the Club, provided that before expelling him or her the Committee shall call upon him or her for an explanation of his conduct and provide a proper opportunity of answering the allegations against him or her.
7. ADMINISTRATION
The Committee
i. All powers of management shall be vested in the adult Committee consisting of Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasure and four other Committee members. Five shall form a quorum.
ii. At the Annual General Meeting each year, one third of the members of the Committee shall retire, the members to retire being those who have been longest in office, Those who have been in office for the same length of time shall determine retiring members by lot.
iii. The Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall be elected annually by the Committee from among their number.
iv. The decision of the Committee shall be final unless over-ruled at a General Meeting.
v. The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of the rules and for anything relating to the Club not provided therein and their decision shall be final and binding on the members.
vi. The Committee may formulate by-laws for the detailed running of the Club and elect sub-committees for any special activities of the Club which the Club may authorize.
vii. The Committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancy arising among members of the Committee, but any person so co-opted shall retain office only until the next following Annual General Meeting and then shall be eligible for re-election.
8. The financial year of the Club shall commence on the 5th October in each year
9. The annual subscription shall be £20 for adult membership and £18 for junior membership or such other sum as shall from time to time be determined by the Committee.
10. The Committee may appoint annually a President and Vice Presidents. They shall not by virtue only of such appointment become members of the Committee.
11. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in October of each year to transact the following business:
i. To receive and if approved to adopt a Statement of the Club’s Accounts to the end of the preceding year.
ii. To fill vacancies on the Committee
iii. To deal with any special matter which the Committee may desire to bring to 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 than 21 days before the meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.
12. A special General Meeting may be called by the Committee, or by request signed by not less than five members specifying the business to be discussed. The Secretary shall give all members ten days notice of such a meeting and shall specify in such notice the matters to be dealt with at the meeting
13. Notice may be given to any member by sending it by post to him at his address in the United Kingdom registered in the records of the Club. If any 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 any member shall not invalidate the proceedings of the meeting.
14. These rules may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting, provided that no such resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting thereon, and provided that prior notice has been sent to all members stating the proposed amendment.
15. Members shall be correctly turned out at all mounted club events. Hard hats of the current safety standards must be worn.
