1. Title
The club shall be known as the Oldham and District Riding Club
2. Objectives
The objectives of the Club shall be:
- To promote participation in and provide facilities for the amateur sport of riding in the Oldham and district area.
- 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.
- To organise instructional meetings, lectures and competitive events and other activities to further these objectives.
- To be affiliated to the British Horse Society and to support and co-operate with recognised organisations interested in the breeding and use of all breeds and types of horses and ponies.
- To actively defend and maintain equestrian access to bridleways and tracks within the district.
- To concern itself with any object which will benefit the horse and horse user in the district.
3. Membership
Senior members shall consist of persons who have attained the age of eighteen years. Junior membership will be open to all ages having 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 member, under age 18, may be a voting member of any Riding Club.
A member shall complete the application form as prescribed by the Committee. Membership shall be open to anyone interested in the sport regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. The Committee may refuse membership only for good cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or the sport into disrepute. Appeal against refusal may be made to the members of the Committee.
The annual subscription shall be payable on the first day of the calendar year. Any member whose subscription is more than three months in arrears shall have his or her name removed from the Membership List. Any member joining the club on or after 1 January shall be deemed to have paid his or her subscription for the remainder of the calendar year.
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 for an explanation of his conduct and provide a proper opportunity of answering the allegations against him.
4. Administration
The Committee
a) All powers of management shall be vested in the Committee consisting of the Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and at least 5 other Committee members up to a maximum of 20. Six members shall form a quorum.
b) At the Annual General Meeting each year, the existing committee will stand down and shall be eligible for re-election.
c) The Chairman, Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer shall be elected annually by the Committee from amongst their number.
d) The decision of the Committee shall be final unless over-ruled at a General Meeting.
e) 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.
f) The Committee may formulate bye-laws for the detailed running of the Club and elect sub-committees for any special activities of the Club which the Committee may authorise.
g) The Committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancy arising amongst 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.
5. The financial year of the Club shall commence on the 1 January in each year.
6. The annual subscription shall be £26.50 for riding members or free for non-riding social members or such other sum as shall from time to time be determined by the Committee.
7. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in November of each year to transact the following business:
a. to receive and if approved to adopt a Statement of the Club’s Accounts to the end of the preceding financial year;
b. to fill vacancies on the Committee;
c. to appoint an Auditor;
d. to deal with any special matter which the Committee may desire to bring to the members; and
e. to deal with any special matter which the Committee may desire to bring before the members and to receive suggestions from the members for consideration by the Committee.
8. A special General Meeting may be called by the Committee, or by a request signed by not less than five members specifying the business to be discussed. The Secretary shall give all members ten days’ notice of the date of such a meeting and shall specify in such notice matters to be dealt with at the meeting.
9. Notice may be given to any member by sending it by email or 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.
10. 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.
11. Members shall be correctly turned out at all mounted Club events. Hard hats to current BRC standards must be worn. The Club advises that body protectors are also worn. Dogs must be kept on leads.
12. The Club, its Committee or persons acting on their behalf shall not be held responsible for any accident or injury to any person or property, howsoever caused.
13. All surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the Club. No surpluses or assets will be distributed to members or third parties, other than in respect of charitable donations at the discretion of the Committee.
14. In the event of the dissolution of the Club, its assets and any surplus income or profits will be donated to alternative equestrian facilities or charitable bodies which support or promote horse riding or horse welfare or rider welfare, at the discretion of the Committee acting on behalf of its members.
15. All members agree to abide by the rules as stated in the current year’s event schedule.
Amended 24/10/2021