ARTICLE I
The name of this organization shall be the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association. Maritime shall be defined as the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
ARTICLE II
The purpose of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association shall be to enhance and increase the involvement of young men and women in the Quarter Horse industry.
ARTICLE III
Objective:
a) Development of leadership, sportsmanship, team spirit and other desirable traits of character.
b) To encourage and promote the ownership of the Quarter Horse Breed among young men and women.
c) The teaching and learning of care and safe handling of horses.
ARTICLE IV
Membership shall consist of young men and women 18 years and under as of January 1 of the current year. Annual dues shall be due January 1 of each year. Regular annual membership dues as of January 1, 2000 and thereafter shall be $5.00 per year per member for the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association. Members of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association must also be members in good standing with the Maritime Quarter Horse Association.
ARTICLE V
a) This association shall be under the direction and guidance of the Youth Director and Board of Directors of the Maritime Quarter Horse Association.
b) There shall be one (1) Youth Director chosen by the Maritime Quarter Horse Association Board of Directors from the Board of the Maritime Quarter Horse Association for a period of one (1) year. In addition to this Youth Director, there shall also be one (1) Youth Advisor. The Youth Advisor shall be chosen by the Board of Directors of the Maritime Quarter Horse Association for a period of one (1) year. This person may, but is not required to, serve on the Board of Directors of the Maritime Quarter Horse Association.
ARTICLE VI
Officers shall be elected from the membership of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association and shall be as follows: president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.
a) The duties of the president shall be to preside over all meetings of the association. Subsequent to the first full year of this organization’s existence, each president elected must be a member of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association for one (1) year prior to the annual election
b) The duties of the vice-president shall be to assist the president and to act for the president when the president is absent.
c) The duties of the secretary shall be to keep an up to date roster of the association’s membership and shall call roll at each regular meeting. He/she shall take minutes at meetings and distribute a copy to all officers, the advisor and the director within fourteen (14) days following the meeting. He/she will submit all association news to the publications that will accept it and print it at no charge.
d) The duties of the treasurer shall be to keep the association’s financial records under the guidance of the Youth Advisor.
e) The duties of the Youth Director shall be to simply direct the youth members. This person shall be notified of all Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association meetings and should attend as many as possible. The Youth Director shall also serve as a liaison between the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association and the Maritime Quarter Horse Association.
f) The duties of the Youth Advisor shall be to simply advise the youth members. This person shall be notified of all Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association meetings and should attend as many as possible.
ARTICLE VII
a) There shall be a minimum of 4 meetings a year or as deemed necessary by the officers.
b) The election of officers shall occur at the general membership meeting at the annual awards banquet of each year.
c) The annual general membership meeting shall coincide with the Maritime Quarter Horse Association annual general membership meeting.
ARTICLE VIII
Any officer not attending 2 consecutive meetings without due cause may be asked to resign and may not be re-elected as an officer for one year. Furthermore, the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association may, by special resolution, remove any officer before the expiry of the period of office and appoint another member in his/her place.
ARTICLE IX
The Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association and or the Maritime Quarter Horse Association, being a non-profit organization shall not be responsible for the loss due to accident, theft, or otherwise sustained by any member, visitor or guest.
ARTICLE X
The Constitution and By-laws when approved by the Youth Director, Youth Advisor, the Board of Directors of the Maritime Quarter Horse Association and the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association shall stand until the annual awards banquet meeting. They may be amended by a vote of 51% of the members of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association present at the meeting. Notice of all proposed amendments shall be given to the Secretary, in writing, sixty (60) days in advance of the annual awards banquet meeting and they shall be circulated to the membership of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association thirty (30) days in advance of said meeting, otherwise the meeting shall not have power to deal with proposed amendments. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be adopted by this association for matters not covered in this document.
BY-LAWS
Membership
The members of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association are any members as defined in the constitution whose dues are up to date and meet the criteria as established by the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association and the Maritime Quarter Horse Association. Members of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association may reside in any province or state.
Election of Officers
a) Subsequent to the inaugural executive committee, the election of officers shall occur at the general membership meeting at the annual awards banquet of each year.
Officers
a) The officers of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association shall be president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.
b) The four (4) officers shall also be the Executive committee of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association.
c) The president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer shall be elected for one (1) year. Subsequent to the first full year of this association’s existence, each president elected must be a member of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association for one (1) year prior to the annual election.
d) Any officer not attending 2 consecutive meetings without due cause may be asked to resign and that position shall be deemed vacant.
e) Any vacancy occurring on the Executive may be filled by the Executive Committee until the expiry of that term.
Annual Meeting
a) The annual general membership meeting shall coincide with the Maritime Quarter Horse Association annual awards membership meeting.
b) Notice of the time and place of the annual meeting shall be published in the Maritime Quarter Horse Association Newsletter.
Special Meetings
a) Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the president and the Youth Advisor.
b) Notice of the time, place and purpose of the meeting shall be forwarded to each member at least twenty (20) days before the date of the meeting.
Voting
a) Only members in good standing with the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association shall be eligible to vote.
b) Privilege of discussion may be extended to others present at the discretion of the meeting through the presiding officer.
c) All questions, except as otherwise specified in the Constitution and By-laws of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association, shall be decided by majority vote of the members present.
d) In the event of a tie, the presiding officer shall have the casting vote at any meeting of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association or the Executive committee.
Executive Meetings
a) Meetings of the Executive committee shall be called at the discretion of the President and the Youth Advisor.
b) Notice of Executive meetings, stating the time and the place, shall be forwarded to the Executive committee at least ten (10) days before the date of the meeting except that with the consent of all the Executive members, a meeting may be called on shorter notice.
Quorum
a) A majority of the Executive committee shall constitute a quorum for an Executive meeting.
Committees
The Executive committee of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association may delegate duties to committees from time to time as may seem necessary.
Amendments
Amendments to the Constitution and By-laws may be made by a vote of 51% of the members of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association present at the annual membership meeting. Notice of all proposed amendments shall be given to the Secretary, in writing, sixty (60) days in advance of the annual awards banquet meeting and they shall be circulated to the membership of the Maritime Quarter Horse Youth Association thirty (30) days in advance of said meeting, otherwise the meeting shall not have power to deal with proposed amendments.