I have also started a regular (non pinned) topic for anyone that wants to make comments. Please do not post to this poll, but to the topic started for Poll Comments. Thank You.
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I am aware that there are others issues that have been brought up about the Base of the Withers measuring rule that was voted on, and I do not have all of those issues mentioned in this topic. I have tried to stay with only those things that I personally think are most important at this time, and I have asked some questions to get a feel for who is voting in the poll. Thank you for your participation.
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This poll is designed to get some feedback about a new By-Law that was passed at the last AMHA Annual Meeting. It is due to take effect on January 1, 2009.
The rule will change the point that is used to measure our AMHA horses. It will move the location from the ‘last hair of the mane’ (LHOTM) to the ‘base of the withers’ (BOTW). Changing this By-Law automatically alters all other measurements in the rulebook, so it will also change the Standard of Perfection.
The change will mean that some horses that were previously over 34” when measured at the LHOTM will now measure 34” or less when measured at the BOTW. Some people are not familiar with using the BOTW as a measuring point.
These issues have created some questions that still need to be addressed:
1. What will happen to horses whose AMHA papers were turned in because the horse went ‘over’ 34” measured at the LHOTM, but now measures 34” or less at the BOTW? Will the owners have to ‘hardship’ this horse or pay a fee, or will the papers be reactivated at no cost to the owner upon notice of the new measurement?
2. What is the legally defendable definition of BOTW, the defining anatomical feature?
3. How will the membership and measuring officials be trained to accurately find this new location?
4. Will this change to the BOTW subject the Association to lawsuits regarding measuring if these questions are not answered before the rule takes effect?
These issues were not discussed with the membership or considered before the vote was taken, and as of this date, no answers have been found. Some people feel that the AMHA Board should stop the BOTW rule from going into effect until all the questions have been answered and there is no concern about lawsuits. Some people do not think the rule will create any problems, and feel no Board action is necessary.
Those that feel something should be done to delay the implementation suggest that the Board take the same type of action to stop this By-Law change as they did when dealing with a height ‘protest’ Rule change in the past.
Last year, at the 2007 Annual meeting, a rule was proposed that gave a person a bigger ‘window’ to file a height protest, and it passed the membership and was to be implemented in January 2008. However, later in 2007, the Board felt that the ‘window’ was too large and that they could not legally make horses stay for that period of time, so there could be lawsuits if show management tried to exercise the new rule.
Therefore, the Board voted to stop the rule from going into effect. They prevented the new rule from being added to the 2008 rulebook, and they formulated an ‘amended’ proposal for the rule that they presented to the Membership at the February 2008 Annual Meeting.
At the 2008 Meeting, the members were given the option of passing the ‘amended’ proposal (which would be effective immediately), or going back to the ‘old’ rule (that was still in the rulebook as the ‘new’ rule was not placed in the 2008 book). The membership voted for the ‘amended’ rule, as it was still a bigger ‘window’ for protest, yet met the concerns about lawsuits. (The rulebook ‘on-line’ now shows the new ‘amended’ rule, but the printed rulebooks still have the ‘old’ (no longer valid) rule, and a supplemental sheet is added with the new ‘amended’ rule.)
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Above is the poll with some questions regarding the new BOTW rules, the issues it has raised, and some background data. Please participate in this poll.
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[SIZE=10pt]I have also started a regular (non pinned) topic for anyone that wants to make comments. Please do not post to this poll, but to the topic started for Poll Comments. Thank You.[/SIZE]
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I am aware that there are others issues that have been brought up about the Base of the Withers measuring rule that was voted on, and I do not have all of those issues mentioned in this topic. I have tried to stay with only those things that I personally think are most important at this time, and I have asked some questions to get a feel for who is voting in the poll. Thank you for your participation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This poll is designed to get some feedback about a new By-Law that was passed at the last AMHA Annual Meeting. It is due to take effect on January 1, 2009.
The rule will change the point that is used to measure our AMHA horses. It will move the location from the ‘last hair of the mane’ (LHOTM) to the ‘base of the withers’ (BOTW). Changing this By-Law automatically alters all other measurements in the rulebook, so it will also change the Standard of Perfection.
The change will mean that some horses that were previously over 34” when measured at the LHOTM will now measure 34” or less when measured at the BOTW. Some people are not familiar with using the BOTW as a measuring point.
These issues have created some questions that still need to be addressed:
1. What will happen to horses whose AMHA papers were turned in because the horse went ‘over’ 34” measured at the LHOTM, but now measures 34” or less at the BOTW? Will the owners have to ‘hardship’ this horse or pay a fee, or will the papers be reactivated at no cost to the owner upon notice of the new measurement?
2. What is the legally defendable definition of BOTW, the defining anatomical feature?
3. How will the membership and measuring officials be trained to accurately find this new location?
4. Will this change to the BOTW subject the Association to lawsuits regarding measuring if these questions are not answered before the rule takes effect?
These issues were not discussed with the membership or considered before the vote was taken, and as of this date, no answers have been found. Some people feel that the AMHA Board should stop the BOTW rule from going into effect until all the questions have been answered and there is no concern about lawsuits. Some people do not think the rule will create any problems, and feel no Board action is necessary.
Those that feel something should be done to delay the implementation suggest that the Board take the same type of action to stop this By-Law change as they did when dealing with a height ‘protest’ Rule change in the past.
Last year, at the 2007 Annual meeting, a rule was proposed that gave a person a bigger ‘window’ to file a height protest, and it passed the membership and was to be implemented in January 2008. However, later in 2007, the Board felt that the ‘window’ was too large and that they could not legally make horses stay for that period of time, so there could be lawsuits if show management tried to exercise the new rule.
Therefore, the Board voted to stop the rule from going into effect. They prevented the new rule from being added to the 2008 rulebook, and they formulated an ‘amended’ proposal for the rule that they presented to the Membership at the February 2008 Annual Meeting.
At the 2008 Meeting, the members were given the option of passing the ‘amended’ proposal (which would be effective immediately), or going back to the ‘old’ rule (that was still in the rulebook as the ‘new’ rule was not placed in the 2008 book). The membership voted for the ‘amended’ rule, as it was still a bigger ‘window’ for protest, yet met the concerns about lawsuits. (The rulebook ‘on-line’ now shows the new ‘amended’ rule, but the printed rulebooks still have the ‘old’ (no longer valid) rule, and a supplemental sheet is added with the new ‘amended’ rule.)
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Above is the poll with some questions regarding the new BOTW rules, the issues it has raised, and some background data. Please participate in this poll.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SIZE=10pt]I have also started a regular (non pinned) topic for anyone that wants to make comments. Please do not post to this poll, but to the topic started for Poll Comments. Thank You.[/SIZE]
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