BY-LAWS OF
THE MONTANA DRAFT HORSE AND MULE ASSOCIATION
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ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSES

Section 1.  The name of this Association shall be the Montana Draft Horse and Mule Association. The area of jurisdiction shall be the State of Montana.

Section 2.   No advertising or similar endeavor of this Association shall be more advantageous to one member or group of members, but shall be of advantage to the entire membership.

Section 3.   The objectives of the Montana Draft Horse and Mule Association shall be, but are not limited to, the promotion of equine in harness or draft for education among the members, to encourage youth participation and to extend education to anyone interested. To continue to recognize the historical heritage of the draft equine and its place in today’s society. To encourage the fundamental values and skills required to be learned working with animals for enjoyment, recreation and entertainment for the owners and the public through shows, working horse and driver events, pleasure drives, parades, educational workshops and any other related events.

Section 4.   The objectives of this Association shall be stated in Article III of the Articles of Incorporation.

ARTICLE ll – MEMBERSHIP

            Section 1.   Active membership requires a payment of $30.00 annual dues. This covers an active single membership for which one vote is permitted or in the case of a family, all children under the age of 18 are included with only two votes permitted.

            Section 2.   Membership becomes effective immediately upon payment of dues. Active membership will expire and annual dues will become due on December 31^st. Members joining during some portion of the year after June 1^st will have dues prorated at the rate of $2.50 per month remaining in the current year.

            Section 3.   Upon payment of the required dues, all active members over the age of 18 are eligible to hold an office in this Association, attend and to have a vote in all meetings of this Association, and to be appointed to all committees of this Association.

            Section 4.   If dues are not paid by January 1^st of the succeeding year, membership in this Association and all privileges therein shall be subject to cancellation and membership shall be dropped from this Association.

            Section 5.   Donations and grants may be accepted by this Association. Any such monies shall be deposited to the general fund to be expended for purposes intended.

ARTICLE lll – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

            Section 1.   The affairs of the Association shall be conducted by a Board. The Board shall consist of five (5) persons, consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and two (2) Directors. All officers will be elected from the general membership.

            Section 2.   The State of Montana will be divided into four (4) districts: northwest, southwest, and northeast, southeast, as defined by the Association. Responsibility for each of the districts will be assigned to Board members by the President.

            Section 3.   Each Board member shall be elected for a two (2) year term by a majority vote of the membership present at the Fall meeting. Board members will be elected in alternating years, with either two or three members being elected in any given year.

            Section 4.   A quorum of 50% of the Board members must be present for the transaction of any business. A Board member may not serve more than two consecutive terms in one office.

            Section 5.   Any vacancies on the Board shall be filled by appointment by a majority vote of the Board for the unexpired term of the vacancy.       

ARTICLE lV – MEETINGS

            Section 1.   The Association shall hold two regular meetings each year. Special meetings shall be held at such times and in such places as may be determined by the President or a majority of the Board. Notice and purpose of such meetings shall be mailed to all members at least 20 days prior to the date of said meeting except in extreme emergencies.

            Section 2.   The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this Association and its various bodies in all cases to which they are applicable.

            Section 3.   The order of business for any meeting of this Association shall be as applicable:

A.     Call of order

B.     Roll call of standing members (and ascertainment of a quorum)

C.     Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting

D.    The President’s report

E.     Unfinished business

F.      Reports of the Secretary/Treasurer

G.      Reports of any committees

H.      Reports of any Board members

I.        Regular business

J.       Procedures of program scheduled

K.      Appointments of committees

L.      Election of Board members

M.     Adjournment

Section 4.   A simple majority of the membership present at the meeting will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. (A properly notified meeting is notification in writing twenty days prior to the scheduled meeting.) Notification will most likely be the Association newsletter.

Section 5.   All voting shall be by secret ballot and no proxy voting shall be allowed. Election of Officers and Directors by ballot may be dispensed with by unanimous vote when there is only one candidate for the office in question.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS

 Section 1.   The Officers of this Association shall consist of a President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer. The Officers shall be elected for a two year term at the Fall meeting by a majority vote of the members present.

Section 2.   The President shall preside at all regular and special meetings of this Association and shall preside at all meetings of the Board. The President shall supervise the work of the Association, initiate other activities for the good of the Association, direct the work of the Officers and Board members, and make committee appointments as needed. The President shall perform all other such duties that affect his or her office. The President shall call all meetings of the Board or shall direct the Secretary/Treasurer to do so.

Section 3.   The Vice President shall perform all duties of the President in his or her absence or in the event of his or her inability to act.

Section 4.   It shall be the duty of the Secretary/Treasurer to conduct the correspondence of the Association; to keep all records and accounts; to collect all dues from members as provided in the By-Laws; to keep in an accounting book for that purpose an accurate account of the same; to do all things necessary in the conduct of business of the Association which may be assigned by the President or the Board; to sign checks and vouchers for the disbursing of funds and all records will show for what purpose such monies were paid; to make an oral report to the Association at each regular meeting. To report all changes in Officers, policies, and other related matters to allied agencies, organizations, companies, associations, or individuals as may be affected. This report may be done by special letter or bulletin.

-          All funds of the Association shall be deposited by the Secretary/Treasurer from time to time to the credit of the Association in such bank, trust company, or other depositories as the Board may select.

-          All checks or drafts drawn on the account of this Association must be signed by the Secretary/Treasurer and countersigned by the President and/or Vice President.

Section 5.   It shall be the duty of the Directors to represent Montana Draft Horse and Mule Association members in their assigned districts at all annual meetings of this Association. In the event they are unable to attend an annual meeting, they shall make a report to the Secretary/Treasurer. They shall also act as a representative of this Association at meetings of other Draft Horse and Driving Clubs in their assigned districts and make reports to the newsletter editor of draft horse activities happening in their assigned districts.

Section 6.   A vacancy in any office shall be filled by appointment by a majority vote of the Board for the unexpired term of the vacancy. An officer shall not serve more than two consecutive terms in one office. 

ARTICLE VI – COMMITTEES

 Section 1.   All committees not otherwise specified in the By-Laws shall be appointed by the President of this Association and the President shall be an ex-officio of these committees.

Section 2.   Committee members shall be selected from the active membership of this Association. A committee meeting quorum shall consist of the chairman and a majority of its members present.

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

 Section 1.   Amendments to the By-Laws may be made at any regular scheduled meeting of the Association by a vote of three-fourths of the voting membership present.

CERTIFICATE

I, Secretary/Treasurer, of the Montana Draft Horse and Mule Association, hereby certify that the foregoing constitutes the By-Laws of said Association, as adopted by the Board of Directors at the organizational meeting held on the 15^th day of July 1982.

This copy of the By-Laws has been updated with all amendments as of October 24, 1992.

Signed: Leslie B. Clark, Secretary/Treasurer

 This copy of the By-Laws has been updated with all amendments as of October 24, 1998.

Signed: Allan Lien, Secretary/Treasurer

 This copy of the By-Laws has been updated with all amendments as of February 14, 2009.

Signed: Alexandra Clemow, Secretary/Treasurer