The name of this organization shall be the Delta Sierra Chapter of the California Dressage Society. The purpose of the Chapter shall be to encourage interest and education in dressage. Dressage, (training or schooling), as an equitation term, means the gradual harmonious development of the horse’s physical and mental condition with the aim being to achieve the improvement of its natural gaits and a perfect understanding with its rider. The Chapter shall be educational and shall be designed primarily to offer a framework in which individuals can progress with the schooling of themselves and their horses.
Membership
A chapter membership shall be open to persons who are paid members in good standing with CDS and who have indicated their interest in the association with this chapter. Any member in good standing with CDS who has declared his/her association with this Chapter shall be able to participate in Chapter functions, vote in Chapter elections and is eligible to hold office in the Chapter.
Voting / Election of Executive Board
All members in good standing with CDS and Delta Sierra are eligible to vote.
All members shall be entitled to one vote each, no proxy voting will be allowed.
Only the Chapter Executive Board will vote on business matters for the Chapter, the general membership shall vote/nominate Executive Board members.
Any Delta Sierra member in good standing with the Chapter and CDS shall be eligible to hold office. The Secretary shall mail nomination forms to the General Membership in July. Nominations for the Chapter Executive Board shall be submitted to the Chairperson who will obtain consent from the nominee by August 15th.
Ballots will then be printed by the Secretary and mailed to all Chapter members no later than September 1st. Members will mail ballots to the Election Chairperson no later than September 30th. The Election Chairperson will hold the sealed ballots until the General meeting in October. A simple majority of the ballots cast shall determine election results. The newly elected board will meet privately during the general meeting to appoint Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and Member at Large.
General Board Duties: The Chapter Board shall meet a minimum of 5 times per year which will be open to all Chapter members and guests. Minutes of these meetings must be kept and published for the general membership to read.
The Chapter Executive Board will meet as necessary or requested. These meetings will be held to discuss sensitive personnel or monetary matters. The Chapter Executive Board meetings will not be open to the general Chapter membership. Minutes of these meetings will be kept but will not be published and will only be available upon request to the CDS Executive Board.
The Chapter Board shall conduct all of the business of the Chapter between meetings of the membership. The Chapter Board shall expend those funds deemed necessary to carry on the activities of the Chapter. The Chapter Board shall ask for an officer’s resignation when and if the Board feels that the officer’s duties are not being satisfactorily fulfilled.
The Chapter shall be governed by the by-laws and standing rules of CDS. The Chapter Board is subject to the orders of CDS and none of its acts shall conflict with the actions taken by CDS. If, at any time, the Chapter dissolves, any funds remaining shall revert directly to CDS
Chapter Executive Board Members
The Executive Board Members shall consist of the Chairperson, Vic-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Program /Awards Chairperson and Member at Large. Chapter Board Members shall attend Board meetings and shall have one vote. Committee Board Persons may be appointed by the Chapter Board. Term of office will be two years, starting November 1st and ending October 31st . There shall be a limit of four consecutive terms for each office. Non-elected Committee Board Members do not carry a vote at Board Meetings and shall consist of, Show Secretary, Election Chairperson, , Fundraiser Chairperson and any other committee member as deemed necessary.
Duties of the Executive Board Members:
Chairperson: Shall preside over all business meetings of the Chapter Board.
He/She shall create the meeting agenda. He/she shall receive copies of the Chapter Board meeting minutes and place them on the Board Minute DVD to be held in the Chapter Safe Deposit Box. He/she shall keep paper records available for members review. He/she shall appoint all committee chairpersons and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nomination committee. He/she shall make appointments of vacant positions and shall appoint a replacement for any Board member which is unable to complete his/her term for any reason. The appointments must be approved by a simple majority of the Chapter Board. He/she shall be a liaison between CDS and the Chapter, will be responsible for publicizing and promoting Chapter activities through CDS Dressage Letters and the Chapter Web Site.
Vice-Chairperson: Shall take over in the absence of the Chapter Chair at all Chapter meetings and activities. He/she shall actively maintain and improve communications between members of the Chapter Board and perform other duties as requested by the Chapter Chair. He/she shall be responsible for tabulating scores for the Chapter Rider Awards Program and will review all scores and awards with the Awards Chairperson. He/she shall keep record of all members who volunteer at Chapter Functions. He/she shall review the record with the Program/Awards Chairpersons to assign any Year End Volunteer Awards.
Secretary: Shall take minutes of each meeting of the Chapter and provide copies to the web master to be published on the Chapter web site. Attend to the correspondence of the Chapter with the approval of the Chairperson. He/she shall keep the standing rules updated. Shall maintain a membership roster with current addresses in order to send nomination ballots to the General membership. He/she shall send a welcome letter to all new members and advise them of the next Chapter meeting. He/she shall maintain an email list for the web site and shall work with the Chapter Web Master on publishing any items for the Chapter web site.
Treasurer: Shall handle all funds received and paid out by the Chapter. He/she shall bank funds in a bank approved by the Chapter Board. He/she shall maintain a complete record of all business transactions and be prepared to report on the financial status of the Chapter at all times, to both the Chapter Board and membership and the CDS Executive Board. He/she is responsible for preparation of the year end report required by the CDS Treasurer. All Chapter financial records must be kept for 7 years. He/She shall be responsible for the maintenance of the Chapter Treasury DVD that shall be kept in the Chapters Bank Safe Deposit Box. The Treasurer and Chairperson shall keep the Safe Deposit Box keys.
Program /Awards Chairperson: Shall propose and organize educational meetings for the general membership. He/she shall keep records for all Chapter Awards Programs and review these records with the Vice-Chairperson as necessary. He/she shall organize the Chapter Awards Banquet and any other social gatherings of the Chapter. He/she shall be responsible for presenting the Treasurer with a financial statement for each event.
Member at Large: Shall represent the interest of the general membership. He/she shall be the liaison for members that wish to place an item on the Boards agenda and voice the concerns and comments from the general membership for the Boards review.
Duties of the appointed Board members
Show Secretary: Shall be responsible for all the Chapter shows. He/she shall file all necessary requests for dates with appropriate entities, CDS, USEF, USDF. He/she shall file all insurance requests with CDS, hire judges, technical delegates, EMT, Farrier, Veterinarian and recruit volunteers. He/she shall be responsible for and maintain all Chapter show equipment, ribbons, and prizes. He/she will be responsible for all reports to appropriate entities, posting of times and results. He/she shall be responsible for the collection of all funds and shall give the funds to the Treasurer for depositing in the Chapter account. He/she shall meet with the Treasurer for the payment of all invoices. He/she shall give a profit/loss statement to the Treasurer. He/she shall keep all show records for 3 years as required by USEF Rules.
Election Chairperson: Shall be a Chapter member who has not been nominated for office. He/she shall receive and hold sealed ballots mailed to the General Membership. He/she shall open and count the ballots at the General Chapter Meeting usually held in October.
Fundraiser Chairperson: Shall be responsible for receiving and proposing chapter fundraising ideas. He/she shall be responsible for researching the proposal for site availability, costs, profit, and feasibility. He/she shall be responsible for the organization, recruiting of volunteers, advertisement and working in conjunction with the Program/Awards Chairperson as necessary. He/she shall give a financial proposal to the Board for approval. He/she shall be responsible for the collection of all funds and shall meet with the Treasurer for the payment of invoices. He/she shall give the Treasurer a profit/loss statement.
The Chapter shall award Gold, Silver & Bronze lapel pins with the Chapter logo to the volunteers with the most points from the previous year.
Award Criteria:
1. All members submitted for this award must be in good standing with CDS & the Chapter.
2. Points will be earned as follows: 1 point for each meeting attended, for every 4 hours of volunteer service at a chapter function or a $35.00 contribution to the Chapter.
3. The Vice-Chairperson will keep a record of all members who attend meetings, volunteer or contribute $35.00 and will tabulate the scores for the year end award.
4. The Volunteer Awards will be presented at the Chapter Annual Awards Banquet.
High Point Rider Awards:
There shall be four award categories:
1. Junior high point per level;
2. Senior high point per level;
3. Junior highest single percentage score over all levels; and,
4. Senior highest single percentage score over all levels.
Award Criteria:
1. All Riders must be CDS/Delta Sierra members in good standing at the time scores are submitted. Awards go to RIDERS so owners need not be members.
2. In order to qualify for the awards programs, the RIDER must attend 2 meetings in the calendar year in which he/she is submitting scores and perform 1 volunteer task. Please list dates of meetings attended and describe task preformed when you submit your scores. Riding in a Delta Sierra Show DOES NOT constitute volunteering and will not be accepted in lieu of the volunteer and/or attendance requirements.
3. Individuals are eligible as Juniors until the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 21.
4. It is the RIDERS responsibility to contact the Awards Chairperson to make sure their scores have been received.
5. All score submissions must be RECEIVED by January 15th. No scores submissions will be accepted after that date.
6. All riders wishing to compete for High Point must submit all scores by January 1st. Scores submitted must be from the calendar year (January 1 – December 31).
7. High Point awards will take the top 5 scores and add them together, take the average (5 scores added then divided by 5) to produce high point score.
8. The 5 top scores must be from 3 different judges from recognized shows and recognized classes. No schooling classes or schooling show scores will be accepted.
9. High Score award will recognize the single highest score from the 5 scores submitted from 3 different judges at recognized shows and recognized classes. No schooling classes or schooling show scores will be accepted.
10. Submit a copy of the front page of your dressage score sheet that shows score, date, level, and the judges signature to the Awards Chairperson.
CDS Amateur Clinic Award
The Chapter will award $150.00 for the annual CDS Amateur Clinic to one rider.
Award Criteria:
1. All Riders must submit the Amateur Clinic Award Application and Volunteer verification.
2. All Riders must be CDS/Delta Sierra members in good standing at the time of application submission and drawing.
3. To qualify for the award the rider must have earned 5 volunteer points from the previous year and submit details of their volunteer points earned along with their application.
4. All applications and volunteer verification must be submitted to the Vice-Chairperson by January 1st. No applications will be accepted after that date.
5. All qualified applicant names will be placed in a “hat” and 3 names will be drawn, one winning rider and 2 alternates.
6. The Riders understand that this award pays for the clinic. The Chapter is not responsible for stabling fees, hotel fees or traveling cost. These cost are the responsibility of the Rider.
7. The Vice-Chairperson will be responsible to send the $150.00 check and the winning Rider application to the appropriate CDS Clinic Organizer which is available through the CDS Office.
The Standing Rules have been approved by the Delta Sierra Chapter Executive Board in 2008. The Standing Rules will be updated and/or amended and approved as deemed necessary by the Chapter Executive Board.
The California Dressage Society Executive Board must approve the Chapter Standing Rules.