United States Dressage Federation

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Summary of Actions at USDF Fall 2005 Executive Board Meeting

November 29, 2005
Burbank, CA

The following people attended the meeting: all 13 Executive Board members, Executive Director Stephan Hienzsch, and many USDF office staff members.

Competitions

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to appoint a working group to recommend to the Executive Board how the current National Championships Fund should be used. The working group will consist of one Participating Member (PM) Delegate from each region, two Executive Board members, the Competitors Council Chairman, and a staff liaison. Motion carried. Alison Head and Linda Landers abstained. Sandi Bishop and Terry Wilson were chosen as the Executive Board representatives to the working group. On this working group, the PM Delegates will represent competitors so that they can provide input on how the National Championships funds should be used.

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Fern Feldman, that the Executive Board recommend that $2 of the $5 collected per Regional Championships qualifying ride be used to improve the quality of the Regional Championships. Motion carried.

Kat Kyle made a motion, seconded by Gaye McCabe, to support aggressively work on the extended USDF dressage rankings proposal. Motion carried. Implementation of this proposal would enable USDF to sort year-end awards rankings by state, region, breed, and other categories.

Sue Hughes made a motion, seconded by Sandi Bishop, to approve the request from the Competitors Council on competition evaluations as follows: When the Competitors Council Regional Coordinators receive evaluations of shows in their region, they should contact the Competition Management Council Regional Coordinator to discuss the issues. When it is a GMO-sponsored show, they should forward the information to the GMO president or responsible GMO representative. Motion carried.

Education

Linda Landers made a motion, seconded by George Williams, to approve Janet Foy's proposal to produce an educational video of the 2007 United States Equestrian Federation national-level dressage tests and the USDF Introductory Level tests. Motion carried.

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to appoint an oversight committee to monitor the educational video project. The committee will consist of the chairmen of the Judges Committee, the Test Writing Committee, the "L" Faculty, and the Instructor/Trainer Council. Motion carried.

Linda Landers made a motion, seconded by Fern Feldman, to continue the adult clinics in 2006, with a similar format to the 2005 series. There will be a theory session in all clinics, and additional clinicians will be used. Motion carried. Holding a clinic in a region will be at the discretion of the Regional Director.

Alison Head made a motion, seconded by Gaye McCabe, to include a standard lecture series for the 2007 adult clinics. The Adult Clinics Implementation Committee should develop a program patterned after the "L" program. Motion carried. One opposed and one abstention.

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Linda Landers, to continue the Disabled Riders Clinic as a pilot program in 2006, pending correction and approval of the budget at the December 1, 2005 meeting of the Executive Board with the Council/Committee chairmen. Motion carried.

Fern Feldman made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to recommend that GMOs implement the Ride a Test Clinic proposal without USDF involvement. Motion carried. Sue Hughes was opposed, and Theresa Hunt abstained. Upon request, USDF will provide the guidelines for the clinics to the GMOs.

Publications

Linda Landers made a motion, seconded by Fern Feldman, to publish a USDF rulebook and directory in hard copy beginning in 2007. It will be sent to all Participating Members. Motion carried. This will consolidate all USDF competition policies and procedures into one document.

A motion was made and seconded to approve changes to the USDF Bylaws. Motion carried.

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Alison Head, to approve changes to the USDF Policies and Procedures. Motion carried.

Fern Feldman made a motion, seconded by Sandi Bishop, to discontinue USDF regional newsletters in printed format at the end of the fiscal year (March 31, 2006). Instead, the newsletters will be produced online starting the next fiscal year. Motion carried. Sue Hughes and Kat Kyle abstained from the vote. Online newsletters will be more timely and contain more information, and will result in substantial cost savings.

Councils/Committees

Terry Wilson made a motion, seconded by Sue Hughes, that Janine Malone and George Williams act as division leaders from the 2005 annual convention to the 2006 Spring Executive Board Meeting as follows: Janine will oversee the Competition Division, which will consist of Competition Management, FEI Managers, Judges, and TDs. George will oversee the Youth Division, which will consist of Youth, FEI Junior/Young Rider, Young Rider Graduate Program, and Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Membership. Motion carried. Six in favor, three opposed (Theresa Hunt, Kat Kyle, and Gaye McCabe), and two abstentions (Janine and George because of conflict of interest.) The division leaders will serve as liaisons between the Executive Board, the staff liaisons, and the respective divisions to ensure that the work of the councils/committees will be successful and supported by the Board. This is a pilot program.

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Fern Feldman, to approve a change in the name of the Competitive Dressage Riders with Disabilities Committee to the ParaEquestrian Dressage Committee, effective January 1, 2006. Motion carried.

Kat Kyle made a motion, seconded by Theresa Hunt, to approve the following goal changes recommended by the Freestyle Committee: (1) Design and provide educational programs for general Freestyle and judge education, (2) Continue to review Freestyle and Pas de Deux rules, guidelines, definitions, and score sheets, (3) Coordinate with the Judges, Quadrille, and Test Writing Committees and the Competition Management and Awards Councils, and (4) Maintain a Freestyle page on the USDF Web site to increase exposure and create promotional activities for Freestyle. Motion carried unanimously.

Kat Kyle made a motion, seconded by Sandi Bishop, to approve the requested change in the goals for the Adult Education Council. Motion carried. Gaye McCabe and Janine Malone opposed the motion.

Administration

Linda Landers made a motion, seconded by George Williams, to approve the report on the proposed interior furnishings and fixtures for the USDF National Education Center, allocate the budgeted $242,000 for this purpose, and approve Cardinal Office Supplies as the vendor for the project. Motion carried.

Gaye McCabe made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to approve the Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance plan as an option for GMOs and announce it during the GMO Council meetings at the annual convention this week. Motion carried.

Fern Feldman made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to add the following fees in the appropriate section of the membership policies: GMOs pay annual dues of $17 per primary family member and $8 per supporting family member. Motion carried.

Fern Feldman made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to change the effective year of the Certified Instructor annual fee to December 1 - November 30, with a payment due date of November 30, to be in accordance with the new membership year. Motion carried unanimously.

Janine Malone made a motion, seconded by Alison Head, that the staff review program initiation fees and recommend increases in the Spring that could be approved or implemented at the 2006 annual convention. Motion carried unanimously.

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Linda Landers to change the time for Quadrille team registration. Motion carried unanimously.

Miscellaneous

Alison Head made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to approve the recommendation from the Youth Executive Board to implement a Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, beginning in 2006. Motion carried.

Linda Landers made a motion, seconded by Sandi Bishop, that effective for the 2006 awards year, the preliminary deadline for All Breeds awards will be October 31, and the final deadline for All Breeds organizations to make corrections will be November 5. The results will be final on November 7. Motion carried unanimously.

George Williams made a motion, seconded by Linda Landers, that USDF join the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) for an annual fee of $100. Motion carried. The ELCR's mission is to promote access of land for equestrian use. The organization provides resources for people who need help in this area.

Sandi Bishop made a motion, seconded by Kat Kyle, to approve the changes in the Freestyle and Pas de Deux tests and guidelines recommended by the Freestyle Committee. Motion carried.

Samuel J. Barish
USDF President

Janine W. Malone
USDF Secretary