constitution
Barn
Constitution
(revised October 2007)
Article I.
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Barn membership
consists
of all current boarders.
Section 2. Boarders must be
enrolled
undergraduate or graduate students, faculty, staff, or advisory
committee
members. Enrolled students are given priority over other applicants.
Section 3. Boarders are
required
to attend all barn meetings, scheduled events and work days unless an
excused
absence is granted. Work Study and EQUUS members are strongly
encouraged
to attend barn meetings, although it is not mandatory. The barn manager
may
give an excused absence prior to the scheduled event. Situations that
warrant
an excused absence include exams, academic functions, illness, and
family
emergencies. Work is not a warranted
excuse. Other situations may
be
discussed with, and will be determined by, the executive committee.
Boarders
must complete the Horse Barn Cooperative class each semester they are
in
membership. Boarders must fulfill all horse watch and chore
duties.
Section 4. As decided by the
executive committee, a written warning will be issued to any
boarder/horse
who disobeys/breaks UVM Horse Barn rules as per the Constitution and
Code
of Conduct. A third infraction in one year is grounds for
dismissal
from
the barn, at the discretion of the UVM Horse Barn Executive Committee
and Barn faculty advisors.
Written warnings will be issued in the
following
manner. A verbal warning will be issued at the time of the
observed infraction. The executive committee will then schedule a
meeting with the barn faculty advisors to discuss the warning.
Prior
to this meeting the member(s) involved will be notified of and invited
to
the already scheduled meeting in which the issue will be
discussed.
If the member(s) choose to attend this meeting, he/she may give his/her
testimony
as well as present any other individuals to the committee who they feel
can
give further information with regard to the situation in
question.
The member(s) involved, as well as the said witnesses, will address the
committee
individually. If the above occurs, the member(s) waive their
right
to appeal the warning at a future time. The executive committee
and barn faculty advisors
will
then discuss the issue further. A designated faculty member will
decide if the warning will be upheld in the form of a written
warning.
If the member(s) cannot or chooses not to attend the already scheduled
meeting,
the issue will still be discussed by the executive committee and barn
faculty advisors and the
decision
to uphold the warning or not will be made. The written warning
will be given
to
the member(s) by the designated faculty member in person and in
private. At
that
time the designated faculty member will invite the member(s) involved
to appeal the
warning
if desired. If the member(s) wish to appeal the decision, he/she
may
ask the barn manager to schedule an executive committee and barn
faculty advisor meeting in a
timely
manner. At the appeal hearing, the member(s) involved may give
his/her testimony as well as present any other individuals to the
committee who they feel can give further information with regard to the
situation in question. The member(s) involved as well as the said
witnesses will address the committee individually. The
executive committee and barn faculty advisors will then discuss the
issue
further and the designated faculty member will decide whether to uphold
or revoke the given warning.
Once
the above process is complete there will be no further consideration of
the
incident by the Executive Committee. The next avenue for appeal is the
Department Chair of Animal Science.
In the event that an infraction occurs that
the Executive Committee or barn faculty advisors deem to be minor and
not deserving of a
written
warning, a verbal reminder of the rules will be issued. Repeated
minor
infractions
will result in the issuance of a verbal warning. The severity of
an
infraction will be determined by the Executive Committee. Horse
and
member warnings will be considered separate. If a member receives
three
warnings and is dismissed from the barn, the horse is also dismissed
from
the barn. That horse will not be allowed back into the barn, unless
under
different ownership. (The new owner must apply with the
horse).
If a horse receives three warnings and is dismissed from the barn, the
barn
member may apply with a different horse. Acceptance of that horse
will
be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. If the member
does
not have a suitable replacement horse, he/she will lose her
stall. If
for any other reason, a member’s horse leaves the barn, that member may
apply
with a different horse. Acceptance of that horse will be at the
discretion of the Executive Committee. If the member does not
have a suitable
replacement horse, he/she will lose her stall.
Section 5. If for any
reason
a member leaves membership, other than a mandatory dismissal, he/she
will
be responsible for all member duties and board payments for the
remainder
of the semester in which he/she leaves. In the event that another
suitable
applicant is available to fill the stall and the member duties, the
previous
member may be released from membership duties and board payments at the
discretion
of the executive committee. If a member gives written
notification to the Executive Committee that they are leaving for any
reason, but then change their mind and wish to stay or return to the
barn, they will not be offered their old stall back, even if it has not
been filled by a new member yet. They must put in a new
application for the next academic year to be reconsidered for barn
membership. In the event that there is no suitable applicant
available to fill the stall, the previous member may be readmitted to
the barn at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Section 6. If member in
good
standing decides to study abroad, the member has two options for
remaining
in barn membership. Option A:
the member may ask that her/his stall be
guaranteed
for the following year. The member must go through the
reapplication
process. If accepted, he/she will be guaranteed a stall for the
following
year only. During the academic year the student is studying
abroad,
his/her stall will be filled for the entire year. The student
relinquishes
the right to vote on any barn issues. Option B: The student
may
request that his/her stall be saved. The member must go through
the
reapplication process. If accepted, during the semester(s) the
student is abroad he/she must pay a reduced board and the stall will
remain empty. If the student returns to the barn with his/her
horse during that year, he/she must pay full board and complete all
membership duties. The member
still has the right to vote on barn issues. He/she will agree to
submit
his/her votes by telephone or e-mail in a timely manner.
Section 7. If an ex-barn
member
reapplies to the Horse Barn, this member’s application will be reviewed
along
with all other applications. No special preference will be given.
An
ex-barn member is defined as someone who has chosen to leave or not
return
to the horse barn and has not made any special arrangements for his/her
stall
to be saved.
Section 8. All barn members are
required
to fulfill the expectations of being a UVM Horse Barn Member as
outlined
by the document, Barn Member
Expectations. All barn members shall
willingly
participate in joint barn activities when called upon to do so.
Article
II.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES &
ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA
Section 1.
Acceptance in the barn will be determined through an application
process. For
non-current barn members, applications must be received by the barn
manager by
April 1st. Acceptance of suitable students and horses will be decided
by Animal
Science Faculty/Staff following the recommendations of the UVM Horse
Barn
Executive Committee.
Section 2. If there are
more applications than stalls available, then a waiting list will be
made to
include all remaining acceptable applicants. Any acceptable
applications
received after the deadline of April 1st will be put on the end of this
list in
the order in which the applications were received.
Section 3. Each boarder
must submit a reapplication by April 1st if they would like to be
reconsidered
for membership in the next year. Returning
barn members are not guaranteed a place for the next year. Reacceptance will be
based on past
performance and contributions to the barn.
Section 4. There is a four-year barn membership limit for any boarder.
For
extenuating circumstances, a waiver may be issued at the discretion of
the
Animal Science Faculty/Staff following recommendations by the UVM Horse
Barn Executive Committee.
Section 5. Eligibility
for horses is limited to geldings and non-pregnant mares. Horses known to kick,
bite, or have other
dangerous habits and vices are considered unacceptable.
A
new barn applicant must have worked with the horse he/she is applying
with for
a minimum of one year to be considered for acceptance OR must have
owned the
horse for a minimum of 6 months.
A
returning or current barn member in good standing may apply with a
horse he/she
has worked with for less than one year.
Acceptance will be at the discretion of the Animal Science
Faculty/Staff
following recommendations by the UVM Horse Barn Executive Committee. A trial period of 4
weeks will be required
and the horse may be asked to leave without warning during this time. Acceptance will be
based on compatibility of
the horse and the applicant to the cooperative barn environment.
Article III.
STALL ALLOCATION
Section 1. The assignment of stalls in the UVM Horse Barn will be done
by the barn manager before the start of each academic semester. All
stall
assignments are subject to change throughout the year at the discretion
of the barn manager, with justified cause.
Section 2. When any stall assignments change, the stall condition
report must be reviewed and any damage done to the previously assigned
stall must be repaired before the issuance of a new stall and the
signing of a new
stall condition report.
Section 3. Stall condition reports will be filled out by the barn
manager and the boarder upon arrival. Stalls must be maintained as
described in the stall condition report. Stalls will be reexamined by
the barn manager and boarder upon departure.
Article IV.
HORSE CARE
Section 1. Each day boarders must make arrangements to muck out stalls
and refill water buckets. AM and PM grain must be left on the feed
cart.
Morning and evening feeders are provided.
Section 2. Boarders are responsible for the proper exercising of their
horses, as appropriate to the horse's health and barn safety.
Section 3. Boarders must follow the vet schedule as stated in the UVM
Horse Barn Boarding Contract and are responsible for their own farrier
care.
Article V.
HORSE SAFETY
Section 1. No nylon halters are to be worn in the stalls or in the
pastures. Nylon halters with a leather safety strap are acceptable for
turn out.
Section 2. No more than four horses are allowed in the upper and lower
paddocks at any time. If there is a horse out there must be a person
responsible for that horse on the grounds of the UVM Farm.
Section 3. There must be no more than four sets of cross ties in each
aisle (total 8). No horse may be left unattended while on the
crossties.
There will be no ground tying or training in the aisle.
Section 4. No more than eight horses may be worked at the same time in
either of the riding rings with the exception of UVM Drill Team
practices.
Section 5. No horse may be turned out loose in the outdoor arena. No
horse may be turned out in the indoor arena without an attendant in the
ring
with the horse at all times.
Article VI.
BOARDER SAFETY
Section 1. All boarders must fill out an emergency contact sheet upon
arrival to the UVM Horse Barn to put in their personal folder.
Section 2. All boarders must write down their class schedule which
includes times, building and room numbers to put into their personal
folder.
Section 3. In the event of an accident and/or incident involving
horse(s) at the UVM Farm, an accident or incident report must be filled
out.
Article VII.
RIDER SAFETY
Section 1. All riders are required to wear an ASTM/SEI approved hard
hat with a harness and a chin strap when mounted.
Section 2. All riders must sign a release form before mounting.
Section 3. When working in the outdoor ring, the gate must be closed at
all times. When working in the indoor ring, all exits must be secured
at
all times.
Section 4. Boarders may bring in their own trainer(s) for lessons.
Section 5. Boarders may only give lessons to persons affiliated with
UVM. All lessons must be approved by Executive Board in advance of
their occurrence. Lessons must be entered on arena use calendar. All
UVM classes, events
and scheduled use of the arena takes precedence over lesson giving or
taking.
Section 6. All lessees or part-lessees of horses in the UVM barn must
be approved by Executive Board.
Section 7. All visitor riding/driving must have owner (or lessee) of
horse being ridden/driven in attendance at all times. (This means in
the ring with the visitor and horse.)
Section 8. All exercising of horses after 6 p.m. should adhere to the
following guidelines for optimum safety precautions:
a. A companion should accompany the member to the barn to be present
(can study in tack room) in the advent of an accident or emergency.
b. If #1 is absolutely impossible, the member should have pre-arranged
a time to call other member/friend upon return from the barn. If that
call is not made/received within appropriate time, other member/friend
should go to barn (or call campus police) to check barn.
Section 9. Keep all exits to barn secured by closing doors or putting
safety boards across openings.
Section 10. Do not ride horses in barn.
Article
VIII.
MORNING FEEDING
Section 1. Morning feeding will be started between 6:30-7:30 a.m. The
morning
feeder will first feed hay, then grain and then water.
Section 2. The executive committee members will be given the first
option to do
the morning feeding of the horses. If this option is not taken, other
boarders
may apply to the current barn membership and will be chosen by a
majority
decision of all barn members.
Section 3. Whomever does morning feeding will get 1/30th of
monthly
board taken off their board each day that they feed.
Article IX.
BARN EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Section 1. The student barn
manager shall be appointed by Animal Science Faculty/Staff. Potential
candidates will have ideally served on the executive committee for at
least one year, have enough time in their academic schedule to devote
to the position, have extensive knowledge of good horse management
practices, be very safety conscious, display leadership qualities, be
highly
responsible, be reliable, considerate and honest, communicate well with
peers and faculty, be approachable, and have a positive attitude about
the barn. The student barn manager will be eligible to sign up for 0-4
credits and will automatically be a member of the executive committee.
Section 2. Up to three executive barn officers shall be elected
annually by secret ballot
by the barn membership. EQUUS gets as many votes as they have horses in
the barn. If you know that you will not be able to attend the election,
an absentee ballot can be obtained from the barn manager.
Section 3. Election of barn officers will be in the month of April. The
new officers will work in cooperation with the present school year's
officers and shall assume their official duties in May.
Section 4. All barn executive officers must be present for any policy
discrepancies.
Section 5. The barn executive committee shall consist of the following:
A. Student Barn Manager—The barn manager shall:
1. Meet barn manager job description requirements.
2. Act as a liaison between the horse barn and UVM Farm managers.
3. Assign chores to boarders.
4. Report any problems or concerns to the UVM Horse Barn Executive
Committee and barn members for discussion.
5. Preside over barn meetings.
6. Organize and oversee the workings of the UVM Horse Barn.
B. Three Barn Executives—The barn executives shall:
1. Be of at least sophomore standing while in office.
2. They will have boarded a horse at the UVM Horse Barn for at least
one year prior to taking office.
3. Act as a liaison between the horse barn members and the barn manager.
4. Assume the barn manager's responsibilities when the barn manager is
absent.
5. Act with the barn manager to solve problems and select new barn
members.
Return to the
top
Last modified October 16 2007 09:09 AM
