KDA Policies and Procedures
To download a pdf file of the KDA Policies and Procedures, please contact the KDA.
KDA Policies & Procedures
Approved May 3, 2010
Revised August 2, 2010
Revised November 7, 2012
Revised December 15, 2012
Revised July 8, 2015
Budget Addition on June 13, 2019
From time to time, pursuant to the Kentucky Dressage Association (“KDA”) By-Laws, the KDA Board of Directors may adopt new Policies and Procedures. While the By-Laws govern the affairs of the KDA, the Policies & Procedures represent the practice of the Board of Directors, and, in some cases, the membership, in areas not covered by or interpreted through the By-Laws.
Safe Sport—It is the policy of the Kentucky Dressage Association to immediately refer any possible Safesport violations, or complaints of same, to the USEF Safesport department per stated USEF procedures. If the accused is not under USEF guidelines (ie a non-member of the USEF) the KDA Board of Directors shall make a one time, permanent decision on whether that person’s services and/or assistance will subsequently be utilized by the Association.
STANDING COMMITTEES
Annual Meeting Committee
Responsible for: Organizing and implementing the Annual meeting—including determining the date, venue, meal and other food related setups, preparing a budget for the ENTIRE Annual meeting, recommending a cost to the Members for attending the Annual Meeting, working with other committees that might be involved with the Annual Meeting, organizing & implementing registration, acquiring equipment needed, displays, as well as preparing and submitting a written year end report for inclusion in the Official Records.
Date approved: 5/3/10
Awards Committee
Responsible for: The development and implementation of the Awards program, the Awards Ceremony, organizing the Awards Presenters, ordering and engraving of awards, tracking & collecting perpetual trophies, overseeing Volunteer awards, keeping of year end points, submitting a committee budget for the year (in September), providing a list of award winners (including horse name, rider, division, and horse owner) for publication in the Newsletter and on the website, as well as preparing and submitting a written year end report for the annual Awards Presentation.
Date approved: 7/8/15
Business & Finance Committee (See Section 7.8 of the KDA By-Laws)
Responsible for: Overseeing the bookkeeping and finances of KDA, overseeing procedure in handling the club finances, overseeing/arranging for outside audits/reviews, gathering operational budgets from other committees, submitting an overall operational budget for KDA at the beginning of each year, preparing financial statements for each meeting, any official/legal paperwork that may arise, preparing and submitting a written year end report for the Annual Meeting and inclusion in the Official Records. KDA may and reserves the right to request outside services of accounting, bookkeeping and auditing.
Date approved: 7/8/15
By-Laws/Policies & Procedures (See Section 7.5 of the KDA By-Laws)
Responsible for: Annual review of KDA’s By-Laws and Policies & Procedures. Upon review, recommended amendments or changes to either the By-Laws or Policies & Procedures are to be presented to the Board of Directors. Once the Board of Directors approves the By-Laws, they must go before the General Membership to be voted upon. The Policies & Procedures need only to pass a majority vote of the KDA Board of Directors.
Date approved: 7/8/2015
Education Committee (See Section 7.7 of the KDA By-Laws)
Responsible for: Developing and implementing the Educational Activities for the members of KDA, submitting a committee budget for the year in September, arrangement and implementation of any Educational Program at the Annual Meeting, tracking and implementing the Scholarships and Grants, preparing and submitting a written year end report for the Annual Meeting and inclusion in the Official Records.
Grants: Grants may be awarded to KDA Members who either fall under the USEF professional status or are a hopeful Jr/YR candidate. The Education Chair will have an annual educational budget from which Amateur/Professional and Jr/YR Grants will be provided thorough a raffle/lottery. In order to qualify for a Grant, the KDA Member must have an uncommon Dressage related opportunity arise, provide a written request (with supporting documentation) to the Education Committee who will be responsible for reviewing requests, determining their validity, and making any appropriate recommendations for approval to the Board of Directors. Once out of committee, final approval is at the discretion of the current Board of Directors. Members receiving funds in one year shall not be eligible to apply the next calendar year.
Scholarships: Scholarships may be awarded to Adult Amateur and Junior/Young Rider members who are enrolled in a college or university, who have met the requirements and intentions for the usage of the allocation as set out in the current year Scholarship Application. The Education Chair will have an annual educational budget from which Scholarships will be provided. Members receiving funds in one year shall not be eligible to the next calendar year.
Date approved: 7/8/15
Junior/Young Rider Committee
Responsible for: Developing and implementing programs for KDA Junior/Young Rider members (in conjunction with the Education Committee), organizing and conducting a Junior Membership Meeting(s) through the year including one at the Annual Meeting, submitting a budget for any planned activities, assisting with fundraising for Junior/Young Rider activities, as well as preparing and submitting a written year end report for the Annual Meeting and inclusion in the Official Records.
Date approved: 5/3/10
Marketing & Communications Committee
Responsible for: Work in conjunction with the Newsletter Editor, Website Administrator, and Membership Chairperson. Developing and implementing a plan to promote KDA and attract new members, developing and implementing promotional opportunities for KDA, managing/administration for social media, develop and distribute club promotional materials, submitting a yearly budget, preparing and submitting a written year-end report for the Annual Meeting and inclusion in the Official Records.
Date approved: 7/8/15
Nominating Committee (See Sections 7.4 and Section 5.1.4 in the KDA By-Laws)
Show Committee (See Section 7.6 in the By-Laws)
Responsible for: Organizing and running all KDA USEF Sanctioned shows, KDA Schooling shows and Breed shows (in conjunction with other committees as necessary to add interest to the events), preparing and submitting a budget for the competition(s), preparing and submitting a written year end report for the Annual Meeting and inclusion in the Official Record.
May create sub-committees such as: Show Awards, Marketing and Communication, etc. to handle the breed show and/or schooling shows, as the Show Committee Chairperson sees fit. Individuals on subcommittees should keep in contact with the full KDA committees on a regular basis.
Date approved: 7/8/2015
Social Activities Committee
Responsible for: Planning and implementing activities for members as well as notifying members of activities outside KDA that are horse related and that are more social in nature, i.e., Potluck/Open House, Wine Tastings, Pool Parties, Trail Rides, Alltech News N’ Brews, etc. Additionally, responsible for preparing and submitting a budget, and for preparing and submitting a written year end report for the Annual Meeting and inclusion in the Official Records.
Date approved: 5/3/10
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Roles & Responsibilities during an Officer/Board Members two-year term include:
Ensuring that the mission of KDA is fulfilled. Board Members establish policies and priorities, approve procedures to accomplish them, and monitor and assess KDA’s success in fulfilling its mission.
Know and understand KDA’s By-Laws and Policies & Procedures documents.
Meet fiduciary responsibilities. Board Members have a duty to understand the budgeting process, to know the budget, to participate as needed in developing the budget and to see KDA has funds necessary to meet the budget.
To respect other Board Members by attending meetings as required in the KDA By-Laws and Policies & Procedures as well as being prepared for meetings, respecting different points of view and to argue positions—not personalities.
To participate in Standing Committees and special projects of KDA.
To maintain professional and ethical standards. Board Members have a responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of the discussion of the Board and to support in a positive manner the actions of the KDA Board—even when they do not agree. Board Members also have a responsibility to avoid conflicts of interest.
Enhance the public image of KDA and represent the organization in a positive and supportive manner at all times.
To recruit new members into KDA, it’s committees, and activities.
To resign from the KDA Board of Directors if you can no longer carry out the responsibilities outlined.
Date approved 5/3/10
Ground Rules for Board Meetings
Actively Participate—Come prepared to work on KDA business, sharing your ideas, insight, knowledge, and experience with the Board.
Respect the Speaker—One speaker at a time, allow the person speaking to finish before you begin.
There are no bad ideas. Please respect the ideas/opinions of others and be open to new and different approaches.
Avoid Side Discussions—Talk to the group and not your neighbor. Your comment may be just the one to clarify a point or move the discussion for the group.
Argue Positions not Personalities—Speak to the differences of opinion about issues not to the differences with the individual Board Members.
Honor Confidentiality—Discussions of the Board remain in the Board. Airing dissention with others outside the Board Meeting creates lack of confidence in the Board’s ability to lead and strains interpersonal relationships.
Start on Time/End on Time—Meetings will start and end at the agreed upon time. Any change will be brought before the Board for discussion and approval.
Persons not adhering to the Ground Rules may be excused from the meeting.
Electronic format of communications may be utilized by the Board of Directors regarding issues that are critically important to be addressed before a regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting or are of a very time-sensitive nature, to be determined by the President.
Date approved: 7/8/15
Electronic* format meeting(s) shall be defined as follows:
Can be called by the President or any 2 Directors (same as by-laws states for any special meetings)
Time, date, topic to all BoD members by email
Issues presented with a time limit stated for discussion and feed-back
President calls for a Motion and a Second
Call for a vote, the majority (of responses) prevailing, but a quorum must be met.
Record of the special electronic meeting shall be approved by the BoD at their next regular meeting and entered in the official KDA minutes.
* Electronic format shall include email, conference call/telephone or text/instant messaging.
Date approved: 7/8/2015
Delegate(s)
KDA delegates to the USDF Annual Convention will be selected in the following order:
Executive Officers
Committee Chairpersons
Function Managers
Event Managers (non-Board)
Any KDA Member
In the event of many members interested in going to the Convention, those KDA members that are not representing the Region 2 or other GMO’s as Delegate will be selected first. In the event of more people interested in going to the Convention than we have Delegate slots, the Board will make the final decision regarding the selection of Delegates. All Delegates are required to attend the USDF Committee Meetings and the Regional Meetings to become informed, so that they may adequately represent KDA at the USDF Board of Governors’ Meeting in its entirety. Since these meetings generally start on a Wednesday and run through Saturday noontime, Delegates should understand that they made a commitment to be at the Convention and to attend KDA business for the duration of this period of time.
Delegates should understand that as a KDA representative they should be at the convention in time for the first Region 2 Meeting. They are representing KDA throughout the Convention until they have discharged their official responsibilities as KDA Delegates at the conclusion of the Board of Governors Meeting. All KDA Delegates will be asked to sign the Delegate’s Agreement form. Given the amount of time and expense to each KDA Delegate for the USDF Annual Meeting, each Delegate will be partially or fully reimbursed by KDA, per decision of the Board in the same year. Reimbursement will follow submission of receipts by KDA President or Treasurer.
Date approved: 7/8/15
Budgeting Process
Each Committee Chair will submit a preliminary budget to the Business & Finance Committee.
The Business & Finance Committee will review the budget of each Committee and determine how the Committee budgets fit within the financial constraints of KDA.
The revised objectives will be communicated to the respective Committee Chairs who will share the budget with their respective Committee member(s).
The Committee Chairs will submit a revised budget to the Business & Finance Committee that fits within the financial objectives given.
The Business & Finance Committee will provide the Board of Directors with the final budget(s) for approval.
Once approved by the Board of Directors, the Committees are permitted to allocate the approved dollar amount as they sees fit for any of the activities listed in the approved budget. If one line item exceeds its expected budget, the Committee may use the money allocated to their Committee for that line item causing other line item(s) within their budget to need downward adjustment(s).
Money not spent in the current budget year will not roll over to the following year.
If there is not participation from a Committee or area, the Business & Finance committee will assign a budget to said Committee or area.
Within Committees having assigned budgets, decisions of the Committee Chair are final in budgetary matters at the committee level. They may only be supercede by two individual Board Members, one of which must either be the Treasurer or the President.
Addition to policy voted and approved on 6/13/2019, in affect for the 2020 competition year "All contracts and agreements entered into, or on behalf, of KDA, over $500, must receive approval by (at least) three Board members. The approvals must be from the appropriate Committee chair, another Board member and the President or Vice-President. Signatures or electronic communication are suitable for approval."
Dates:
Operating with a goal to have Budgets completed by November 1—and in time for the Annual Meeting—the budget planning process shall occur on the following schedule starting in 2011:
September 1 – Committees submit budgets to finance committee
September 15 – Finance committee returns revised budget objectives to Committees.
October 1 – Committees submit revised budgets to finance committee.
October 15 – Finance Committee submits budget to Board.
Committees/Area Involved: Membership, Marketing/Communications (including Newsletter, Membership, Website), Awards, Annual Meeting, Show Committee, Education, Board Meetings, Jr. Young Rider, Trailer, General & Administrative. Date approved: 8/2/10
Charitable Donations
On an annual basis, the KDA may choose a charity to support. It is recommended that the money donated to the charity be raised either through profits received from the annual May shows or through a fundraiser designed to raise money for both the KDA and that particular charity. If the payment is coming from the horse show profits, all in going and out going payments related to the horse show must be recorded prior to a vote on distribution of funds. The Business & Finance Committee will make recommendations as to the amount of proceeds that can be donated to a given charity. The Board will then vote to approve the amount donated.
Date approved: 5/3/10
Communication
To Members
Date approved: 7/8/05
AUTHORITY: The Board of Directors shall have absolute authority over the communications sent to members as official publications from the Board. This includes print material, emails, and other media, including the KDA website. The Board recognizes that members or persons will send unofficial communication to our members, but persons sending these unofficial publications may not use the KDA logo nor represent themselves as KDA officials in their published material.
PRE-PUBLICATION: All official communication shall be reviewed by other Board members as necessary before publications, and this group shall include the KDA President.
ACTION: If these rules are not followed, disciplinary actions may be taken in accordance with KDA By-Laws Section 4.5.
E-Happenings
E-Happenings will be sent via e-mail bi-monthly (providing there is enough new information for the second E-Happenings to publish). Material for E-Happenings will be due to the Newsletter Editor 48 hours in advance. E-Happenings will publish a maximum of twice a month—unless a situation is determined to be an emergency by the Board of Directors. Then, and only then, may another edition of E-Happenings be published during at month.
Date approved: 5/3/10
Social Media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
KDA Members joining any social media network (listed here or not) as member of KDA are subject to following the rules set forth by such social media site, the KDA By-Laws, and the KDA Policies & Procedures. Any member who violates terms of use of such networks may be subject not only to revocation of their rights on that social network, but their KDA Membership rights as well. See Section 4.5 of the KDA By-Laws for how such a situation might be handled. Date approved: 5/3/10
Show Sanctioning
Date approved: 12/14/05
AUTHORITY: The Board of Directors shall have absolute authority over the setting of show sanctioning policy. Sanctioning of shows shall be the duty of the person delegated with that responsibility. That person shall implement this policy.
It shall be the policy of the KDA that all shows granted the designation “KDA Sanctioned” shall have judges licensed by the USEF or MSEDA. Those shows so designated shall also employ a Technical Delegate (“TD”) licensed by USEF and follow USEF rules for safety and procedure.
KDA Clinics
Date approved: 3/1/06
Safety: It is the policy of the KDA that ASTM-SEI approved helmets (or helmets that meet or exceed current USEF standards) are to be worn by participants at all KDA clinics. Safety attire at clinics, like shows, is according to USEF Rules.
Auditing: All current KDA Board Members will be allowed free admission to most all KDA sponsored events as an auditor of that event. All other expenses will be the responsibility of the individual. From time to time, KDA clinics may be advertised by KDA that are not KDA sponsored. Members may have to pay for those clinics.
Date approved: 7/8/215
Membership Roster
The KDA membership roster information shall be used only by KDA individual or family members for the purpose of communication with other KDA members. However, membership contact information may be released to a Business Member or bulk mail company for a printed postal service mailing by another GMO or an equine service or product vendor only if a written statement is provided by the bulk mail company verifying that the KDA roster information (name & address only) would be used only for a one-time mailing. The written statement would also have to state that the member contact information would not be given or sold to a third party, and the KDA member information would be deleted from the bulk mailer’s electronic (or other type) files following the mailing.
Date approved: 5/3/10
Membership
Annual Honorary (By-Laws Section 4.3.5.1)
From time to time, there may be an individual who has gone above and beyond all required of them as a KDA member or KDA BOD Member. At the discretion of the BOD, an individual may be nominated and approve for an annual Honorary Membership.
Date approved: 7/8/15
Lifetime Honorary (By-Laws Section 4.3.5.2)
From time to time, there may be an individual whom has dedicated their life to the Dressage community, be it KDA, USDF/USEF, or promoting Dressage in their local area through teaching lessons, training, judging, as a TD or USEF Steward, providing clinics/clinicians, etc. The nominee may be a current member of KDA or their membership may have lapsed. It is recommended that to be nominated for an Honorary Lifetime Membership, the nominee no longer be competing in horse shows. Nominees may be presented to the BOD. The BOD will then vote on the nominees. Majority vote of the BOD stands.
Date approved: 7/8/2015
Volunteer Positions
Website Administrator
Responsible for updating the Calendar of Events and the website as necessary. Any funds collected as part of Website advertising must be handled per KDA By-Law Section 8.4.
Date approved: 5/3/10
Newsletter Editor
Responsible for six (6) publications of Impulsion, collecting articles, member profiles, ads, etc. for the newsletter.
Date approved: 5/3/10
Partnerships
Any organization wanting to partner, join or be affiliated with KDA in any manner at a show, clinic or event KDA is organizing, hosting or involved with, must be presented to the BOD. The BOD must approve the new partnership before entering into any contracts or agreements. Organizations wanting KDA to participate, run, organize, or be a part of their events must also be presented to the BOD and then approved before entering into any contracts or agreements. This does not include financial or show sponsorships obtained by members, committees, or board members to offset expenses at a KDA event.
Date approved: 1/7/16
