Bylaws

ByLaws

MANITOBA BARREL RACING ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION

THE NAME

The name of the organization is the Manitoba Barrel Racing Association, Inc. (Non profit organization #890069511MC0001) and shall be referred to as MBRA hereafter.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSOCIATION
1. The MBRA is a provincial, non-profit organization formed in 1997 to promote the sport of barrel racing in Manitoba. The MBRA strives to advance the sport by providing 3-D and 4-D barrel race competitions in which each horse and rider has an equal opportunity to be competitive at his or her own level.
2. The MBRA's goals are to increase our membership and to bring barrel racers together at the annual provincial finals.
3. The Board - There will be an executive and board of directors to oversee the MBRA and ensure that its bylaws and rules are adhered to. Board members and directors must be MBRA members.

CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

Any changes to the constitution must be brought forward in writing with at least 30 days notice. There must be 75% of the general membership present at the meeting for the constitution to be changed.

MBRA BY-LAWS & REGULATIONS

Memberships
Officers of the MBRA
Duties of the Officers
Board of Directors
Vacancies
Finances
Meetings
Voting
Head Office
Signing Authority
Auditors
Regulations
By-Law and Regulation Amendments
Dissolution
MEMBERSHIPS

Memberships are to be purchased in written form from the MBRA and will be considered active when processed by the MBRA office. Memberships are due annually.

Memberships will be valid from January 1st to December 31st of each season year. Members renewing their MBRA membership can submit renewals any time from the current years finals until December 31st for any jackpots attended after the finals cutoff date to count towards the next season.
Members who resign from the MBRA or whose membership has been revoked shall not be entitled to a refund of membership fees.
Memberships will consist the following categories:
1. Open – open to any age
2. Youth – open to 16 and under, as of that calendar year
3. Select – Open to 50 years and over, as of that calendar year.
4. PeeWee – open for participants 4 to 10 years of age, as of that calendar year. There is no cross entry into the other divisions. If members age 4-10 want to compete in the Youth and Open divisions they must purchase an Open membership.

Membership is mandatory to compete at sanctioned events.

OFFICERS OF THE MBRA

a. The officers of the MBRA shall be President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

b. Officers shall be elected every two years at the Annual General Meeting of the association. All officers must be MBRA members at the start of each term of position.

c. The officers of the MBRA shall meet a minimum of 10 times per year.

d. An Annual General Meeting is to be held each year, with the date to be decided by the current board.

e. All directors and officers must be current members. Membership must be paid prior to the first meeting.

DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

The President
The president shall be the chief executive officer and will preside at all meetings of the MBRA. The president shall conduct meetings in accordance with established rules of procedure. The president shall ensure that the decisions of the MBRA and the board of directors are carried into effect.

The Vice President
The Vice President should be prepared to assume the duties of the President, if the President cannot fulfill their duties. The Vice Present will attend all meetings, assist with fundraising and sponsorship and aid in any MBRA decisions.

The Secretary / Treasurer
The Secretary / Treasurer position will be filled by an expression of interest and interview process. They shall be responsible for setting up an office, deal with correspondence, update the website, send correspondence to the newspaper and take minutes at all meetings. He or she will keep an updated spreadsheet of memberships, sanctioned jackpots and the prize fund. He or she also will keep an updated spreadsheet of sponsors, sponsor packages, and prize lists. In preparation for finals, the secretary will send out finals packages, receipts, sponsor information, thank yous, worker lists and help with general planning of the finals. The secretary will assist in sponsorship and fundraising. They will also keep an updated ledger of all aspects of the MBRA financial account. He or she will provide a statement at each meeting and a prepare a current financial statement for the AGM. With board approval, the treasurer is responsible for having an audit completed.

f. In general, the officers can meet at as required.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The board of directors has the authority to render decisions related to business matters of the MBRA, members' conduct and MBRA Finals matters. Directors will be elected at the AGM and vacant directorships filled at this time. Upon accepting a position as a director, that person must purchase their MBRA Membership.

a. Duties of the Directors:

Attend MBRA meetings
Assist with fundraising
Recruit Sponsors
Plan and Enact Policy
Meet at least 10 times per year
Aid in making decisions
Assist with financial management of the MBRA
Assist with fund raising

VACANCIES

The board may approach any current MBRA member to fill a vacant position for the remainder of the current year. Upon approval by the board, the member may accept the position.

FINANCES

Finances for the MBRA will be accumulated through memberships, fund raising and sponsorship.

MEETINGS

An Annual General Meeting will be held each year, with the option to hold a Semi-Annual meeting.

a. Only current MBRA board and MBRA members may submit motions.

b. All motions for the AGM must be submitted to the MBRA office in writing and be signed by the motion giver. A deadline date for receiving motions will be decided upon by the board and be advertised to the membership.

c. All motions submitted for the AGM will be reviewed by the MBRA board for final approval.

d. Any motion brought forth by an MBRA member must be seconded by another MBRA member before it can be discussed at the AGM.

e. The board may determine an appropriate length of time to discuss each motion to ensure that the meeting is completed within a reasonable length of time.

f. The board is responsible for finals planning, thus motions pertaining to finals planning (format, date, location, prizes, personnel, scheduling, monies, payout format, cut-off dates) will not be accepted.

VOTING

At the Annual General Meeting, open memberships receive 1 vote with the exception that members under 16 years of age are not eligible to vote.
All elected members, with the exception of the Acting President, have the right to vote at meetings of the Board of Directors.
At meetings of the Executive Members, all officers have the right to vote.

HEAD OFFICE

A head office will be established at a suitable location to ensure that the secretary can adequately perform his or her stated duties.

SIGNING AUTHORITY

There will be 3 officers with signing authority for the MBRA accounts, the President, Vice President and the Treasurer.

AUDITORS

There will be an independent review performed on the MBRA once per year.

REGULATIONS- SEE "MANITOBA BARREL RACING REGULATIONS"

BY-LAW AMENDMENTS

By-law amendments can be made each year at the AGM.

Dissolution
In the event that MBRA must be dissolved, all assets will be put up for tender. Proceeds from the sale of assets and any remaining funds will be donated to a registered charity or association chosen by the MBRA board.

MANITOBA BARREL RACING REGULATIONS

SANCTIONING A JACKPOT

Sanctioning a Jackpot : Hosts wishing to sanction jackpots must submit a sanction form to the MBRA secretary a minimum of five days in advance of the intended jackpot to provide the required information for the website.

o Anyone hosting an approved MBRA sanctioned jackpot must be a member in good standing. (Additional clarification – agreed that in the event a non-member wants to sanction a jackpot, they can have someone with a current membership agree to be responsible for the jackpot. This person would have to be listed on the sanction form and would be responsible that results, prize fund fees and sanction fees are submitted to the MBRA office and will be held accountable should any issue(s) arise at the sanctioned event.)

Sanction Fees: Each jackpot must pay a $10.00 Sanction fee to the MBRA.
Sanction Approvals: MBRA Board has the right to decline hosts the opportunity to sanction jackpots due to past problems from hosting jackpots.
$2 Prize Fund: Regardless of location, each sanctioned jackpot must pay a $2.00 fee per horse entry per jackpot, to be collected and sent to the MBRA . Only the PeeWee division is exempt from the prize fund fee. Cancellations: Cancelled jackpots without notification to the office will be charged the $10.00 sanction fee.
Categories: Hosts have the option of offering any age category or all.
Rescheduling: Jackpot hosts have the opportunity to reschedule the same day they cancel without the 5 days notice but must reschedule when cancelling their scheduled jackpot.
Association Insurance : Non-members who wish to compete at a sanctioned event, can purchase a permit card in advance of the jackpot through the MBRA office. Permit cards will not be available for purchase at the jackpot and competitors must give the office a minimum of 14 days notice to process the permit application.

JACKPOT RULES

The MBRA recommends a closed gate for safety.
The MBRA barrel pattern must have the following minimum distances:
- 45 foot stopping distance
- 20 foot score line
- 15 feet off the fence/wall for 1st and 2nd barrels, 18 feet off the wall/fence for 3rd barrel.
- The arc between 1st to 3rd, and 2nd to 3rd should be equal.
The HOST WILL USE A PATTERN THAT BEST FITS THE ARENA!
The start/finish line and the barrel positions must be marked with ground markers for the entire event, excluding the peewee age category.
The starting gate will remain the same for the entire event.
Every effort should be made to keep the ground conditions in the arena consistent throughout the event. The ground around each barrel must be worked and levelled after a certain number of contestants have competed. Hosts will decide on a ground maintenance schedule depending on ground conditions.
When a contestant crosses over the start line, the time will begin. The time will end when they cross it again after a completed pattern.
Three barrels must be set in the cloverleaf pattern. The barrels must be empty and have both ends closed.
When a contestant knocks over a barrel, he/she receives a no time. A "no time" will also be given if a barrel is knocked over and sets up again on either end.
A no time will result in the contestant being removed from the payout and all calculations
Touching a barrel, including keeping it from falling while remaining horseback, is permitted without penalty.
If a barrel is moved off its marker during competition, the barrel must be reset prior to the next competitor's run.
A horse may not compete against itself in a division. It may only be ridden by 2 different riders at each specific jackpot in different divisions. This is excluding Peewee and including side pots. Any horse competing at an approved MBRA competition can only make 4 runs total per day. (Amended 2019 AGM)
Companion horses leading a competing horse into the arena cannot be in the arena or past the entry gate during the competitor's run.
Contestants must be mounted and at least trot the pattern in order for that jackpot to count as a qualifying jackpot.
Contestants must follow the cloverleaf pattern, if the cloverleaf isn't completed it will result in a no time.
Jackpots that offer more than 1 division can allow carry over of times if the pattern is the same for both divisions. A rider must declare their intention to carry over a time at entry time and they may not change their decision. Regardless of carry over times, youth and select will have separate payouts from the open.
Reruns shall be granted if the timer fails to work properly or if the barrels are not placed properly on their markers. No prior penalty will apply to the rerun.
The host has the discretion to use stop watches or electric timers. If using electric timer, the MBRA recommends the use of a backup stop watch.
If the timer fails to record times on 3 competing horses, the host has the option of rerunning these horses or using the stop watch times for all competitors.
Administration fees are not taken out of the added money. Administration fees are deducted from entry fees after timer fees have been deducted.
Hosts must follow an approved MBRA payout guide.
Jackpot hosts are required to state on the sanction form if they intend on NOT paying out the day of the jackpot.
The host has the option of choosing "required western dress" (cowboy hat, western boots, long sleeved shirt, etc.) If this option is chosen, the host also has the responsibility of enforcing dress code.

MISCONDUCT

Any of the following actions may result in suspension or disqualification from the MBRA:
Using abusive language or attempting to threaten, bribe, influence, or harass any contestant, show official or MBRA official.
Moving or attempting to move markers at any time.
Use of electronic and/or remote controlled devices to alter the outcome of a run.
Abuse of a horse in any way.
Misidentifying a horse in any MBRA classes will disqualify a contestant.
Use of social media in any form in a negative manner towards the MBRA, its board of directors and members will not be tolerated.
Other conduct that is not in the best interest of the MBRA or its members.
Matters involving misconduct will be brought before the MBRA executive by a written statement. A person(s) who believe a rule violation/infraction or other improper action(s) or conduct has occurred at a MBRA sanctioned event may file a SIGNED WRITTEN PROTEST with the MBRA Board
A member accused of a rule violation may send a written appeal to the MBRA Board.
A member who has been suspended or disqualified may send a written appeal to the MBRA Board.
The MBRA Board will deal with each case in its entirety.

ADMINISTRATION
NSF Cheques: There will be $25 charge for any NSF cheques written to the MBRA.
Secretary Fees: For each membership purchased $7.00 will be paid to the secretary excluding peewees the secretary will receive $2.00 for each peewee membership. As well the secretary will have monthly internet costs covered. The secretary is to be paid at the yearly at the MBRA finals.

President: The president will receive an annual payment of $2,000 dollars when the current year finals is complete. The president is to be paid at MBRA Finals. As well the president will have monthly internet costs covered.

Directors receive 1 free Open membership in the second year of their term on the board. If they do not complete the term and step down before finals of that year they are required to pay their membership fee to continue with the year. Please add under the president section.
Fundraising Fees: Fundraising fees cannot be included in the membership cost.

FINALS
Finals Eligibility: To be eligible for the MBRA finals, you must be a current member of the MBRA and have competed in the required number of sanctioned jackpots as a horse/rider combination in each age category you wish to enter. Open - 5 jackpots Youth - 3 jackpots Select - 3 jackpots PeeWee - 1 jackpot

Out-Of-Province Eligibility: Passed out 2013 AGM Open members must attend 2 out of 5 jackpots on MB soil. Youth and Select must attend 1 out of 3 jackpots on MB Soil. There is no MB soil requirement for PeeWee memberships.

Finals Announcement: The date of finals must be announced and posted as soon as the date and place are agreed upon by the MBRA board

AGM Minutes

ByLaws