mmhc.info
MMHC MEMBERSHIP MEETING,
Meeting called to order by
the President at
Secretary’s Report: Mary Wilson read the
Treasurer’s Report: Andrea Severson gave the Treasurer’s Report. For
With club funds lower than previous
years, the discussion focused on cost cutting /income generating ideas
including group ad reduction to ½ page, increased fundraising, utilizing volunteer
and “multi-tasking” show staff (e.g. announcer is also secretary).
Eileen requested year end
P&L to include in the Feb/March newsletter.
Gelding Incentive: Renee Friauf reported
on the Gelding Incentive program and noted she’s been very busy and unable to
gather statistics. Renee made a motion to combine Open and Amateur divisions
into one class, explaining this would simplify the management/accounting effort
without impacting points/payout/offerings. Andrea seconded the motion, motion
carried.
Renee will continue to handle
the Gelding Incentive for 2010, and the 2009 G.I. winners will be published in
the next newsletter. Renee informed the group her last name had changed back to
Membership Report: Eileen Cameron noted 51 members have paid dues for
2010 (38 previous members unpaid). Richard Sievert reminded the group only paid
members could vote in the Officer elections scheduled for later in the
afternoon.
Newsletter:
The cover of the Feb/March issue—
Futurity:
Michele Prekker was unable to attend the meeting and has resigned as the
Futurity program leader. Mary Wilson will take over the role with help from
Michele. The website and newsletter Futurity
forms will be changed to refer to Mary’s address.
The members wish to thank
Michele for running our very successful MMHC Futurity program all these years.
Horse Expo:
Linda V reported on the 2010 Horse Expo, April 23-25th at the State Fair grounds. The four
Club Stalls were allocated to Sandy Englund, Jerry Ramaker (mare and foal), Bob
and Mary Sansevere, David and Janet Sieg. Farm Stalls were purchased by Maureen
Storm, Ron Henry, Sue Brooks and Bob/Mary Sansevere.
Linda encouraged all to get
involved in the Horse Expo, noting the popularity of the miniature horse. Many
attendees took pictures of themselves with the foal and/or in Storms’
Stagecoach. Thought is being given to a “donation fee” for photos this year
with funds going toward the club.
Volunteers are needed to help
throughout the event including setup/tear down--typically handled by Gene and
Eileen- -and to be available in the area to answer questions and provide
oversight. Anyone interested in helping for a few hours should contact Linda
VanRossum.
Historian’s Report: After mentioning the need for a member to replace Marilyn
Anderson, Deb Humann offered to become the Historian. Please contact Deb with requests
or ideas.
Youth Report: Mary Sansevere and Renee Anderson (Friauf) had nothing new to report
except that Renee will be resigning from the Youth Committee. Anyone interested
in assisting with the youth program should contact Mary Sansevere. Eileen
mentioned the need to promote the Youth program at the Horse Expo and in the
Special Edition newsletter.
Fundraising: Maureen Storm gave the Fundraising report and discussed the 2010
Raffle event. 6000 raffle tickets were printed, 6 tickets per packet for $5
with 4 payouts at $250, $100, $50 and $50. The tickets are available and may be
sold until
Maureen strongly urged members
to contact her and participate in the fundraising raffle for 2010. As Clair
pointed out, fundraising is critical to the club and we need an increase in
income now more than ever. Though clubs are fortunate to break even on shows, the
MMHC lost money last year on both club shows and fundraising and volunteerism
is a key focus for 2010
The raffle tickets will be
available at the upcoming MMHC meetings and members may contact Maureen
directly at 507-334-4013 or stormhill@ll.net.
The members gave Maureen and the Fundraising Committee a round of applause for
their efforts.
Website:
Bob Sansevere reported the MMHC website has been updated. The Sales Page utilization
is low and Bob encouraged members to use that function when selling items. Ron
Henry made a motion, seconded by Mike D. to pay the annual $29.99 website fee.
Motion carried.
Richard asked when unpaid member
names are removed from the website and Bob indicated he doesn’t remove any
names until directed to do so. This will be revisited at the February 14th
club meeting.
2010 Club Shows: Clair updated the group on the AMHR Area 6 Regional show in
There was some discussion
regarding classes including whether both Adult and Amateur Jumping were needed;
if Team driving should be offered; number/type of disabled adult classes, the
need to split up the driving classes on different days, etc. The group also
discussed the free dinner offered to all on Saturday evening of the event.
Linda V made a motion to offer attendees a dinner for a $5.00 fee with the
beverage provided by MMHC. Eleanor Mondale amended the motion to include a
vegetarian option. Motion passed.
Regarding the 2010 MMHC
AMHA/AMHR/MN Futurity show, the group spent some time discussing when and where
to hold the show. Clair informed the group of the board’s recommendation to
form a Show Committee who would look at options and make a recommendation at
the February meeting regarding but not limited to date, location, judges, fees,
show manager and staff, classes, promotions and invitations, photographer, etc.
Bob Sansevere, Mike Degner, Robbie Barth, Ron Henry, Judy Conger, Richard
Sievert and Clair Severson agreed to serve on the Show Committee and met
briefly after the membership meeting.
Prior to the meeting’s end,
Eleanor made a motion, seconded by Bob S to have the 2010 MMHC show at the
Club By Laws: The proposed changes to the By Laws were reviewed and voted on. Section
VIII, 2a. change related to BOD resignations was approved. After discussion
regarding the feasibility of having all checks $150.00 and more signed by the
President and Treasurer (Article IX, #5), the group did not approve the
proposed change. The change proposed in Article X, #3 to add an approval right
by a 2/3 consensus of the Board of Directors was approved.
Clair thanked Richard Sievert
and Mike Degner for their work on the By Laws.
Officer Elections: The existing President Clair Severson, Vice President
Eleanor Mondale, Secretary Mary Wilson and Treasurer Andrea Severson were
re-elected by acclamation. Bob Sansevere was re-elected to the Board of
Directors in a closely contested race with Judy Conger.
The board thanked the
Nominating Committee—Linda V, Mel Eidsmo, Ron Henry—for their efforts and Judy
Conger for her interest in serving the MMHC.
Raffle of Show Halter/Conchos/Miniature Horse Foal: Mary Sansevere won the Show halter, Maureen Storm won
the Miniature Foal sculpture and ticket# 139093
won the conchos (Renee Anderson is runner up for the conchos). If you have
ticket #139093, contact Mary Wilson.
Proceeds from the show halter and conchos go toward the Youth program with the
sculpture proceeds applied to the general fund.
Advertising:
Motion made and passed to reduce the 2010 MMHC World/Journal ad to ½ page.
New Business: The group welcomed new members Bruce Ebnet and Paula and Steve Wachs.
Ron Henry informed the group
of another Pine Island Horse Rally the weekend of June 12/13, 2010. The event
includes a trail ride, a fun show, karaoke and a parade during the two-day
event. All members are welcome to attend this fun event. More details to come.
The next meeting of the MMHC
will be February 14th at the
Motion to end the meeting at
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Wilson
MMHC MEMBERSHIP MEETING, SHAKOPEE, MN – January 10,
2010
Meeting called to order by
the President at 12:15PM.
Secretary’s Report: Mary Wilson read the 10/11/09 meeting minutes. Bob
Sansevere respectfully declined the complimentary copy of the newsletter for
his MMHC webmaster work. The minutes were approved as published.
Treasurer’s Report: Andrea Severson gave the Treasurer’s Report. For 1/1/09 thru 11/29/09, total income =
$49,331.71 with expenses of $55,568.28 leaving working capital of $1653.11.
With club funds lower than previous
years, the discussion focused on cost cutting /income generating ideas
including group ads reduction to ½ page, increased fundraising, utilizing volunteer
and “multi-tasking” show staff (e.g. announcer is also secretary).
Eileen requested year end
P&L to include in the Feb/March newsletter.
Gelding Incentive: Renee Friauf gave the Gelding Incentive report and
noted she’s been very busy and was unable to pull statistics together. Renee
made a motion to combine Open and Amateur divisions into one class, explaining
this would simplify the management/accounting effort without impacting
points/payout/offerings. Andrea seconded the motion, motion carried.
Renee will continue to handle
the Gelding Incentive for 2010 and the 2009 G.I. Winners will be published in
the next newsletter. Renee informed the group her last name had changed back to Anderson. Ron Henry
commended Renee for her efforts with the Gelding Incentive program.
Membership Report: Eileen Cameron noted 51 members have paid dues for
2010 (38 previous members unpaid). Richard Sievert reminded the group only paid
members could vote in the Officer elections scheduled for later in the
afternoon.
Newsletter:
The cover of the Feb/March issue—1/25/10
publication deadline--will feature Toy’s Miniatures (Clair, Linda and Andrea
Severson). Eileen mentioned she could
use more ads or business cards to fill an existing page. Andrea asked about the Special Edition
newsletter for the MN Horse Expo which typically includes club information and
offerings (e.g. Youth page, MMHC officers, Club Shows/Events). Linda VanRossum
encouraged members to participate and submit an ad for the Special Edition as
it’s a great opportunity to reach a wide group of people. After a discussion of
ad costs- -believed to be $40.00/1 page, $75.00/2 page--Eileen will verify and report
back at the February meeting.
Futurity:
Michele Preker was unable to attend the meeting and has resigned as the
Futurity program leader. Mary Wilson will take over the role with help from
Michele. The website and newsletter Futurity
forms will be changed to refer to Mary’s address.
The members wish to thank
Michele for running our very successful MMHC Futurity program all
these past years.
Horse Expo:
Linda V reported on the 2010 Horse Expo, April 23-25th at the State Fair grounds. The four
Club Stalls were allocated to Sandy Englund, Jerry Ramaker (mare and foal), Bob
and Mary Sansevere, David and Janet Sieg. Farm Stalls were purchased by Maureen
Storm, Ron Henry, Sue Brooks and Bob/Mary Sansevere.
Linda encouraged all to get
involved in the Horse Expo, noting the popularity of the miniature horse. Many
attendees took pictures of themselves with the foal and/or in Storms’
Stagecoach. Thought is being given to a “donation fee” for photos this year
with funds going toward the club.
Volunteers are needed to help
throughout the event including setup/tear down--typically handled by Gene and
Eileen- -and to be available in the area to answer questions and provide
oversight. Anyone interested in helping for a few hours should contact Linda
VanRossum.
Historian’s Report: After mentioning the need for a member to replace Marilyn
Anderson, Deb Humann offered to become the Historian. Please contact Deb with requests
or ideas.
Youth Report: Mary Sansevere and Renee Anderson (Friauf) had nothing new to report
except that Renee will be resigning from the Youth Committee. Anyone interested
in assisting with the youth program should contact Mary Sansevere. Eileen mentioned
the need to promote the Youth program at the Horse Expo and in the Special
Edition newsletter.
Fundraising: Maureen Storm gave the Fundraising report and discussed the 2010
Raffle event. 6000 raffle tickets were printed, 6 tickets per packet for $5
with 4 payouts at $250, $100, $50 and $50. The tickets are available and may be
sold until Oct. 1, 2010 with the drawing during the Oct. 2010 Club meeting. Maureen
thanked Gene Cameron for suggesting a different printer which reduced the cost
to print the tickets (total = $206.40) Total cost of the raffle is $606.40 with
possible net profit of almost 4K if all tickets are sold.
Maureen strongly urged members
to contact her and participate in the fundraising raffle for 2010. As Clair
pointed out, fundraising is critical to the club and we need an increase in
income now more than ever. Though clubs are fortunate to break even on shows, the
MMHC lost money last year on both club shows and fundraising and volunteerism
is key for 2010
The raffle tickets will be
available at the upcoming MMHC meetings and members may contact Maureen
directly at 507-334-4013 or stormhill@ll.net
The meeting attendees thanked
Maureen and the Fundraising Committee for their efforts.
Website:
Bob Sansevere reported the MMHC website
has been updated. He noted the Sales Page is rarely used and encouraged members
to consider using that function when selling items. Ron Henry made a motion,
seconded by Mike Degner to pay for the annual $29.99 website bandwidth fee.
Motion carried.
Richard asked when unpaid
member names are removed from the website and Bob mentioned he doesn’t remove
any names unless directed to do so. This will be revisited at the February 14th
club meeting.
2010 Club Shows: Clair updated the group on the AMHR Area 6 Regional show in Winona,
July 2-4th. A show steward has been hired and Pat Sanders will be
the sole judge. Entry fees will be $25.00 per class, $50.00 for multiple
classes with ribbons provided by the AMHR. The strategy for show staffing is to
use club volunteers as much as possible and to look for staff who can fill
multiple roles.
There was some discussion
regarding classes including whether both Adult and Amateur Jumping were needed;
if the Team driving should be offered; availability of disabled adult classes,
the need to split up the driving classes on different days, etc. The group also
discussed discontinuing the free dinner offered to all on Saturday evening of
the event. Linda V made a motion to offer a dinner to participants for a $5.00
fee with the beverage provided by MMHC. Eleanor Mondale amended the motion to
include a vegetarian option. Motion passed.
Regarding the 2010 MMHC
AMHA/AMHR/MN Futurity show, the group spent some time discussing when and where
to hold the show. Clair informed the group of the board’s recommendation to
form a Show Committee who would look at our options and make a recommendation
at the February meeting regarding but not limited to date, location, judges,
fees, show manager and staff, classes, promotions and invitations,
photographer, etc. Bob Sansevere, Mike Degner, Robbie Barth, Ron Henry, Judy
Conger and Clair Severson agreed to serve on the Show Committee and met briefly
after the membership meeting.
Prior to the meeting’s end,
Eleanor made a motion, seconded by Bob S to have the 2010 MMHC show at the
Winona facility the weekend of July 23-25th. Motion carried with 1
opposed and 4 abstentions.
Club By Laws: The proposed changes to the By Laws were reviewed and voted on. Section
VIII, 2a. change related to BOD resignations was approved. After discussion
regarding the feasibility of having all checks of $150.00 or more signed by the
President and Treasurer (Article IX, #5), the group did not approve the
proposed change. The change proposed in Article X, #3 to add an approval right
by a 2/3 consensus of the Board of Directors was approved.
Clair thanked Richard Seivert
and Mike Degner for their work on the By Laws.
Officer Elections: The existing President Clair Severson, Vice President
Eleanor Mondale, Secretary Mary Wilson and Treasurer Andrea Severson were
re-elected by acclamation. Bob Sansevere was re-elected to the Board of
Directors in a closely contested race with Judy Conger.
The board thanked the
Nominating Committee—Linda V, Mel Eidsmo, Ron Henry—for their efforts and Judy
Conger for her interest in serving the MMHC.
Raffle of Show Halter/Conchos/Miniature Horse Foal: Mary Sansevere won the Show halter, Maureen Storm won
the Miniature Foal sculpture and ticket# 139093 won the conchos (Renee Anderson
is runner up for the conchos). If you have ticket #139093, contact Mary Wilson.
Proceeds from the show halter and conchos go toward the Youth program with the
sculpture proceeds applied to the general fund.
Advertising:
Motion made and passed to reduce the MMHC World/Journal ad to ½ page for 2010.
New Business: The group welcomed new members Bruce Ebnet and Paula and Steve Wachs.
Ron Henry informed the group
of another Pine Island Horse Rally the weekend of June 12/13, 2010. The event
includes a trail ride, a fun show, karoke and a parade during the two-day
event. All members are welcome to attend this fun event. More details to come.
The next meeting of the MMHC
will be February 14th at the Shakopee Community Center beginning
with the board meeting at 11AM followed by the membership meeting at noon).
Motion to end the meeting at 3PM was approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Wilson
* * *
MMHC MEMBERSHIP MEETING, SHAKOPEE, MN
October 11, 2009
Meeting was called to order by the President at 12:20PM.
Secretary’s Report: The question was asked if it was necessary to read the last membership meeting notes from April, due to the length of time that has passed. Mel Eidsmo made a motion to approve the minutes as published, Eileen Cameron seconded, motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Clair Severson gave the Treasurer’s report since Andrea had to work. Reading from the Oct. /Nov newsletter, Bank balance is 6,226.16 with dedicated funds of 3526.46 and working capital of 2,699.70.
Clair noted we lost a significant amount of money on both shows (approx. 8K) with the breakdown as follows: Winona show expense = 32610.47 and income = 27141.10 ; I-90 show expense = 11344.73 and income = 8737.50. A detailed cost breakdown was distributed and reviewed at the meeting. Contributing factors/high cost items include: hiring show staff instead of using volunteers, ribbons, increases in mileage/flights, etc.
There was a question about an expense item for the Horse Expo which occurred in April. Maureen explained it was for the purchase of wagon wheels and paperwork was delayed. Mel made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report, Maureen seconded, motion carried.
Gelding Incentive: Renee Friauf gave the Gelding Incentive report. She is currently tabulating this years’ results to be announced at the annual MMHC Banquet (Nov 15, Dangerfield’s, Shakopee MN). She noted entries were up this year with more individuals participating.
Judy Conger asked if new classes could be added and what the procedure is to add classes. Renee stated the request should be submitted and the club will review. Renee went on to say that the criteria for adding or dropping a class should be the number of participants. When a class has only one entry, payouts are adversely impacted. The possibility of doing classes on a trial basis was discussed. Time permitting, Renee will go back and look at past participation and make recommendations for class changes.
Clair suggested additional marketing and pointed out that we have several club members who show geldings but do not participate in the Gelding Incentive. All agreed the Nov. banquet would be a good time to promote the G.I program and allow members to sign up. Renee, Deb H and Eileen will look at additional marketing in the packet mailed out to new members.
During the discussion about the 2010 G.I. shows, Judy Conger made a motion to have an AMHA/AMHR club show, date to be determined, Mike Degner seconded. Motion carried. Linda V made a motion to have the following 2010 shows count toward the G.I. program:
AMHA (3) - - S.F show (May), MMHC club show (TBD), MN State Fair (Aug).
AMHR (4) - - S.F. show (May), MMHC club show (TBD), June show in Des Moines, July show in Des Moines.
Mike D seconded the motion, motion carried.
The members present thanked and applauded Renee for all her hard work to make the Gelding Incentive so successful.
Membership Report: Clair noted that the club needs a new volunteer to chair the Membership Committee since Karen Mellenberndt is resigning. Eileen Cameron volunteered to chair the committee and Deb Hari will handle mailing the packets to new members. The group thanked Karen for her leadership of the Membership committee.
Newsletter: Eileen Cameron gave the Newsletter report and noted the next issue is the December/January issue with the cover featuring club members Brad and Machelle Bonde (Bondes’ Bouncin’ B Miniatures, Brookings S.D).
Richard Sievert complimented Gene and Eileen Cameron for the Oct/Nov. cover of the newsletter, which as Eileen pointed out, contained pictures from the 5 different club events during 2009.
Judy Conger asked what the rules/guidelines are for submitting something to be published in the newsletter including number per issue, cost, etc. After a discussion of cost and who approves submissions—the MMHC board—Renee Friauf made a motion to have one member-submitted article per newsletter, seconded by Judy Conger. Additional discussion ensued regarding min/max of articles per issue and using the club website to publish additional content as a way to minimize printing costs. The motion was amended by Richard S, seconded by Linda V to have each newsletter issue contain up to two additional articles, determined by the Editor, Eileen Cameron and approved by the board. Motion carried. Finally, all again agreed that Eileen does a FANTASTIC job with the newsletter and thanked her for her tireless service to the club.
Futurity: Nothing new. Michele Prekker unable to attend and Renee wasn’t able to contact her prior to the meeting.
Horse Expo: Linda V reported on the Horse Expo which will be held April 23-25th, 2010. There will be 4 Club Stalls--two already allocated*--so any club member interested in reserving one of the open stalls should contact Linda VanRossum. Unless bringing a mare and foal, the expectation is the club stalls will be filled by show quality, clipped and groomed horses.
*Note: Linda will follow up with Jerry Ramaker to determine if he is planning to bring a mare and foal. He mentioned that last year would be his final time, but Linda will verify with Jerry before making the third stall available.
We also have Farm Stalls available—Sue Brooks, Ron Henry have already reserved one—at a cost of $125.00 for those people wishing to bring horses to sell or highlight. Renee made a motion to give Linda $275.00 in order to reserve the MMHC stalls at the Expo. Mike Degner seconded, motion carried.
Eileen will send out a mass email to club members regarding the Horse Expo and anyone interested should contact Linda VanRossum.
Historian’s Report: Marilyn Anderson was not present and has resigned as the club Historian. The group thanked Marilyn for her years of service. Anyone interested in becoming the club Historian should contact a board member or Eileen.
Youth Report: Renee thanked Eileen Cameron for donating the cookie cutter at the Sherburn club show in August. Group pictures were taken during the Youth Awards ceremony at the July Winona MMHC show and Renee mentioned that she received the selected photo, donated by photographer Timothy Johnson, on Oct 1st.
Mary Wilson mentioned there were 15 halter bags left over from the Youth Awards at the Winona show, as well as the supplier-donated show halter and conchos. Clair noted that at the end of the Winona show, there were several Halter bags left at the arena and suggested that instead of giving these items to all youth, we could use them as next years’ prizes.
The show halter and conchos were originally to be raffled at the Winona show but time and availability of a resource did not allow for the raffle. Proceeds from the raffle would go toward the remaining balance on the halter bags (approx. $500.00). A number of ideas to raffle or auction off the two separate items were tossed around and Mel made a motion to hold an auction at the annual banquet in November. After additional discussion, Mel rescinded his motion and Judy Conger made a motion to sell raffle tickets for each item at the November banquet and up until the January annual club meeting where the winners will be picked. Gene Cameron seconded, motion carried. Linda VanRossum will pick up a roll of raffle tickets
Mary Sansevere asked if there would be any interest in a winter event for the kids. Please contact Mary with any ideas or suggestions.
Fundraising: Maureen Storm on behalf of the Fundraising Committee proposed an additional raffle for 2010, similar to last year’s raffle but on a larger scale. 6000 raffle tickets would be printed and sold, 6 tickets per packet for $5. Instead of one payout, there would be 4 payouts at $250, $100, $50 and $50. The tickets would be available in early January and could be sold until Oct. 1, 2010 with the drawing during the Oct. 2010 Club meeting. Expenses for the raffle would come out of proceeds, with the up front costs being paid for by the club. Mel Eidsmo made a motion to move forward with the proposed raffle, Ron Henry seconded, motion carried.
Another popular fundraising idea was to resurrect the annual MMHC calendar. Many members mentioned how often they are asked by friends and colleagues if the club is still producing the calendars. In the past, the advertising covered the cost to produce so all proceeds were clear profit. Maureen mentioned how much work goes into the calendar and how late in the year it is to get started for 2010. Given the current economy, it might also be difficult to find 12 farms to put up the advertising fee. The calendar idea was tabled and will be picked up at a future meeting.
Website: Nothing new to report, Bob S was in St. Louis covering the Vikings game.
Eileen made a motion to give the Sanseveres a complimentary copy of the MMHC Newsletter for Bob’s work on the website, and to cease sending a complimentary copy to Jean Barnhill. Linda V seconded, motion carried.
2010 Club Shows: Clair reminded the group that we have the AMHR National Area 6 show this year in Winona July 2-4th. The show is a one-judge show with ribbons provided by the national organization. We discussed raising the class fees to be the same as the other regional shows and the importance of obtaining a judge who will attract more participants.
There was a motion passed (see Gelding Incentive section above) to have an MMHC AMHR/AMHA show in 2010, date TBD. In order to lower costs, we will use volunteers to staff the show whenever possible and consider other cost-saving measures like using ribbons from past shows, raising class fees, and so on.
Club By Laws: Mary Wilson read the proposed changes, published in the Oct/Nov Newsletter. The changes will need to be read one more time, published one more time and voted on at a subsequent meeting.
Nominating Committee: Clair asked for volunteers to join the nominating committee for the 2010 election of officers, held during the January annual meeting. In addition to the officers, the Director position currently held by Bob Sansevere is up for election. Mel Eidsmo, Ron Henry and Linda VanRossum agreed to be on the committee, so anyone interested in running for one of the positions, should contact Mel, Ron or Linda.
New Business: The group welcomed new member Sandy Englund from Hugo, MN to the MMHC meeting.
The annual MMHC banquet is scheduled for Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at Dangerfield’s in Shakopee, MN. Reservations need to be to Eileen by Nov. 1.
Mary mentioned she’d been contacted by Nancy Pinke, an artist from Elko, MN who wanted to donate a sculpture—5” x 7” of a baby miniature horse to the club. She’s created a limited set of 50 and will custom-paint the sculpture for anyone interested in purchasing one. Sandy made a motion that we provide a free link on our website for her and one free full-page ad (black and white) in the newsletter, seconded by Linda V. Richard amended the motion to state that if Nancy wished to have a color, she would need to pick up the cost difference. Eileen seconded, motion carried.
The donated sculpture will be raffled off at the club banquet in November.
Judy Conger reminded the group that as of 1/1/2010, cost to hardship a Gelding into AMHA goes from $500.00 to $200.00.
Cynthia Sievert made a motion to send club VP Eleanor Mondale a card. Sandy seconded, motion passed.
Ron Henry made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mel Eidsmo, motion carried. The meeting was called back to order 2 minutes later by Clair to discuss fees for the Area 6 show. Mel E made a motion to charge the same class fees as last years Area 6 Show, Linda V seconded, motion carried.
Ron Henry made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mel Eidsmo, motion carried.
* * *
MMHC MEMBERSHIP MEETING, SHAKOPEE, MN
April 19, 2009
Meeting was called to order by the President at 12:15PM.
Secretary’s Report: The March 8th Meeting Minutes were read. Eileen Cameron identified an error with a newsletter date. After agreeing to modify the statement, the minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report: Andrea Severson reported the following for the January 1 thru March 25, 2009 time period: Total Income = $3,343.50, Total Expense = $2,614.38, Net income for period = $729.12. Cash at end of period = $729.12 with Working Capital at $8,122.64.
There was some discussion around the youth posters and how many were sold, remaining, etc. Bob Sansevere made a motion, seconded by Linda V to give the posters away at the upcoming Horse Expo. Andrea asked if posters should be free from now on and the response was only at club functions. Motion carried.
Gelding Incentive: Renee Friauf gave the Gelding Incentive report. There have been a few entries since the last meeting and Renee reminded the group the deadline for entry is May 1, 2009. Current balance is at $1,752.92.
Clair mentioned that a couple of our Gelding Incentive program classes are not being offered at our MMHC shows (American Roadster, Amateur Hunter/Jumper). Will look at the classes typically entered and bring back to the board.
Membership Report: Mike Degner gave the Membership Report in place of Karen Mellenberndt. Karen mailed out approx. 166 Membership Recruiting packets to AMHA/AMHR members from Minnesota. Actual cost to print and mail was $217.72.
Linda V made a motion, seconded by Renee F to reimburse Karen M for the $217.72 spent on mailing. Motion carried.
The board would like Karen to monitor the results of the mailing.
Newsletter: Eileen Cameron gave the Newsletter report and noted she was working on the June/July edition (submissions due by May 25th) with the cover featuring Tom and Carmie Viebrock, Mini Horseshoe Acres. She also passed around copies of the Expo Special Edition newsletter and noted the publisher had reversed the back cover, purchased by Richard and Cynthia Sievert. Many present liked the accidental reversal since the page featured many pictures including, as Bob Sansevere pointed out, one of the nicest photos of Richard ever taken.
Futurity: Renee Friauf reported in place of Michele Prekker. Renee made a motion, seconded by Andrea to add performance classes to next year’s futurity specifically, 1 driving and 1 jumping each for A and B size (total of 4 additional classes). Any horse who was part of MN Futurity before may enter by paying past years’ sustaining fee. Motion was amended to specify Performance class for 3 year olds only; Halter class for weanlings, yearlings and 2 year olds. Motion carried.Horse Expo: Linda V reported on the Horse Expo. Gene and Eileen are planning to be at the fairgrounds Wed. night with setup resuming at 8AM Thursday morning. Linda passed around a signup sheet for anyone wishing to help. Jerry R is bringing the mare and foal.
Historian’s Report: The report was given by Marilyn A. She talked about a newspaper article featuring a blind woman with a “guide” miniature horse. Due to a religious belief that dogs are “unclean”, the miniature horse was used to guide and assist the woman in her daily life.
Youth Report: Renee Friauf presented the youth report and noted there had been $790.00 in donations thus far for the youth awards. She presented two different companies and options for youth halter bags. The first halter bag would hold a single show halter and would cost roughly $12.00 including embroidery. The second option would hold multiple halters and including embroidery would cost approx. $29.00. The supplier for the second option would also donate a show halter and concho for harness and would also consider other perks like 5% cash back option at end of year. All premium sponsors--$100.00 donation--would have their names embroidered on the bag and members could donate other items to be stuffed in the bags.
The club recommended we proceed with investigation of the second option and requested that we continue to look for price concessions. Ideas included a free business card in the MMHC newsletter for a year and link to our website. The request was also made that we handle contractually as to avoid any cost surprises. The order would be somewhere between 40 and 50 bags, with youth participants and premium sponsors each receiving one. Andrea made a motion, seconded by Mike D that any donated items from the supplier be raffled off at the July Winona MMHC show, probably on Saturday night. Motion carried.
Renee will follow up and report back.
Fundraising: Linda V reported the April 4th clinic in Mankato was very successful and thanked everyone for their help and participation. Many people attended and she, Marilyn and Maureen received many compliments and thanks for the event. After declaring her opinion that the MMHC is “a heck of a great club”, Linda presented the board with a check for $1,858.95 from the event. The Youth Bake Sale amount was $101.00.
Website: Bob Sansevere reported on the MMHC.INFO website and discussed his belief that the $29.95 allocated at the previous meeting to increasing website visibility was not necessary. Bob demonstrated a couple of different searches someone might use and in both cases, the MMHC.INFO website showed up on the first page of searches. The types of items with a higher rank included sites like the Maine Men’s Health Clinic and similar items that would probably always have a higher listing. The club meeting members agreed with Bob’s assessment and the $29.95 will not be used.
As of 4/19, there had been over 1,645 visits to the new website and Bob has been doing frequent updates. Some people have reported issues with some of the forms but anyone should be able to cut, paste and print regardless of word processing software. Reminder: Eileen Cameron is the webmaster and any items for the website should be sent to her NOT to Bob.
Bob also created a master email list at the bottom of the Club News menu page. Members wishing to email a broad group of MMHC members can simply copy, paste and send their own email message quickly and efficiently without having to ask Eileen Cameron to forward to all club members.
Mike Degner reported on his research regarding Photobucket and demonstrated how we can create a Club photobucket and link it into the website. Each club member can also create their own farm photobucket folder and upload pictures as they wish. We also discussed the possibility of using this feature to market and promote other club-related events like the Sherburn I-90 Sale in August (e.g. pictures and descriptions of horses being offered for sale, edited by the seller), or, Marilyn could create an electronic version of the Historian’s Book.
All agreed we should move forward with the idea and Mike Degner will create the site and instructions for all club members to use.
Club By Law Committee: Mike Degner indicated he sent some thoughts to Richard S but the two had not been able to follow up with each other. Clair reminded Mike that any proposed change to club by laws must be published twice and read at a meeting.
Winona Club Show: Clair mentioned he is still looking for a Ring Steward and welcomes suggestions. We are also looking for a photographer since Jodi French is unavailable. The club will pay for a hotel room, please send suggestions to him. Linda V asked that we make sure the audio system is working in Winona. During the first part of last year’s show, there were problems with hearing anything outside of the arena area.
Sherburn Club Futurity, Auction and AMHR show: Clair reported the class lists have been determined and Portia Sue Kalenka and Mike McCabe have been confirmed as the judges. The Futurity show will be held Saturday at 5PM with the Sale commencing at 6PM. Jeanne Bragagnini is the show manager and show fees are $45.00 for unlimited classes; $45.00 stall for weekend; $30.00 for camping.
Clair discussed doing an Incentive Sale whereby for an extra fee, horses are nominated this year for particular classes and are eligible the following year to participate. The fee would be $150.00 ($50.00 sale fee, $100.00 incentive entry) and four classes would be offered (Halter Over, Halter Under, Driving Over, Driving Under). Winnings would be based on entries and sellers could elect to repurchase their horse and show in the Incentive Class the following year.
The sale will probably be limited to 50-60 horses with the following rules and priority: 1)anyone wishing to sell a stallion/stud colt must also enter a mare or gelding for sale; 2)no more than 4 from the same farm. MN Futurity horses showing in Sherburn will get top priority for entry into the sale followed by first come, first served (assuming above rules). The I-90 staff is responsible for all activities related to the sale.
Mike Degner made a motion, Linda V seconded to have an Incentive Sale as part of the Sherburn MMHC 09 event where for an additional $100.00 fee, horses may be entered in one of four classes (Driving Over, Under; Halter Over, Under) to be held at the following year’s show in 2010. Anyone entering a stallion or stud colt must also enter a mare/gelding in the sale and no more than 4 horses from each farm may be entered in the sale. Motion carried.
Show Ribbons: Due to the number of grand classes and the cost, Andrea Severson made a motion, Bob S seconded to purchase Large Rosette ribbons instead of neck ribbons. Motion carried.
New Business: The group welcomed new member Allen Broll from Chaska MN to the MMHC meeting.
The annual MMHC banquet is scheduled for Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at Dangerfields in Shakopee, MN.
After reminding the group this was the last club meeting until the fall of 2009, Clair made a motion to adjourn meeting, Mary seconded. Motion carried.
* * *
MMHC MEMBERSHIP MEETING, SHAKOPEE, MN
March 8, 2009
Meeting was called to order by the President at 12:15 PM.
Secretary’s Report: The February 8th Meeting Minutes were read. Richard Sievert questioned a reference to club bylaws with regard to membership renewal dates. After agreeing to modify the statement, the minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report: In Andrea’s absence, Clair gave the Treasurer’s Report. Current balance is at $10,044.37. Between 2/1/09 and 3/8/09 expenses were $1,215.00 with net income of $1,035.00.
Gelding Incentive: Renee Friauf gave the Gelding Incentive report. There have not been any entries since the last meeting and Renee reminded the group the deadline for entry is May 1, 2009. With the additional money donated by the club, the current G.I balance is at $1,067.92. The shows in play toward the ’09 Gelding Incentive are:
• AMHA (3 shows) - - Sioux Falls (May), Winona MMHC (July), State Fair (Aug)
• AMHR (4 shows) - - Sioux Falls (May), Winona MMHC (July), Des Moines (July 18/19), Sherburn MMHC Futurity Show (Aug)
Membership Report: Karen Mellenberndt gave the Membership Report and noted the current membership was up to 74. With regards to increasing membership, Karen contacted past members and obtained MN membership lists from the AMHR and AMHA. There appears to be approximately 120 AMHR and 60 AMHA members who are not MMHC members. Karen composed a one-page letter marketing the club and proposed a mass mailing to non-MMHC local members of AMHA/AMHR. The mailing packet would include the marketing letter, an events page, the upcoming Clinic flyer and a membership form. She thought the entire mailing would cost around $250.00
Mel Eidsmo made a motion to approve Karen’s suggestion, seconded by Ron Henry. Discussion included additional information for the mailing; sending via E-Mail instead of the Post Office; adding additional event announcements; the sufficiency of $250.00 for the mass mailing. Richard Sievert amended the motion to limit cost of mailing to $275.00, Ron Henry seconded. Motion carried.
Bob Sansevere thanked Karen for her efforts to improve membership numbers.
Newsletter: Eileen Cameron gave the Newsletter report and noted she was working on the March 25th edition (cover featuring Janet and Merrill Meyer). Eileen is also working on the Special Edition Newsletter and noted that as of March 8, she had only received 3 business cards for inclusion. Eileen proposed lowering the cost of 1-page ads to $40.00 with a second page for $35.00, and noted cost would about equal price.
Ron Henry made a motion to lower the cost of an ad in the Special Edition Newsletter to 1 page for $40/second page for $35, Mike Degner seconded. Richard questioned if we needed to rescind the motion from the previous meeting where the cost was lowered from $100 to $80.00 and Linda V asked for additional pricing clarification. Motion voted on and passed.
Eileen noted that one of the 2009 Newsletter covers had been purchased by someone who chose not to renew their membership this year and wondered if we should refund their money. Linda V recommended that we contact them and find out if they still want the cover. Eileen will follow up and get back to us.
Futurity: Renee Friauf reported in place of Michele Prekker. There were 54 mares nominated this year, which is a slight decrease from previous years. Michele did note the people nominating mares tend to show more and expects most foals will be sustained by the July 1st deadline. Richard Sievert asked about expanding futurity to include 3-year olds and having one performance class, like driving. People wishing to participate with a 3 year old would just pay the sustaining fee. Renee will follow up with Michele and report at the next meeting. Bob Sansevere thanked Renee for helping Michele with the futurity program.
Horse Expo: Linda V reported on the Horse Expo. There are sufficient volunteers for the show setup and she mentioned that anyone else planning to attend could help by relieving the show staff for a couple of hours. Jerry Ramaker will be providing the mare and foal. Cynthia Seivert asked about tickets for admission and Linda will send out a letter to people planning to attend the show.
Historian’s Report: The report was given by Marilyn A. Submissions are welcome, please email Marilyn. She did pass around a copy of the Mankato Free Press featuring club member Linda VanRossum.
Youth Report: Bob Sansevere gave the Youth report focused primarily on the T-shirt fundraising activity (see Fundraising section below). Renee Friauf sent out an email to youth families asking for help with the bake sale at the April 4th clinic in Mankato. Anyone wishing to help should email her. Renee also suggested Halter bags for this year’s youth participation gifts and knows an artist who would be willing to donate time toward decorating the bags.
Fundraising: T-shirt fundraiser is proceeding. A supplier has been located who has a $20 setup fee with unlimited use after that. Cost varies for the finished product based on type (e.g. hat, t-shirt, sweatshirt, etc) and who supplies the article. As an example, T-shirts are $8 if you provide, $15 if provided by supplier. Orders will be taken (as opposed to pre-printing and attempting to sell). Later in the meeting, there was some discussion around pre-printing some T-shirts and selling at events like the Horse Expo, MMHC clinic and club shows.
We received 3 submissions for the club logo contest and the board recommended going with a combination of two designs submitted by Samantha Sansevere and Laura Kroll. Samantha made the design modifications during the meeting and the final design was approved. Thanks to Danna Hanson, Samantha Sansevere and Laura Kroll for their excellent ideas and designs.
There was discussion about the club purchasing T-shirts for club members who will be working at the MN Horse Expo. Linda made a motion, seconded by Rich Sievert to purchase eight T-shirts for the Expo committee members to wear during the event. Additional discussion included: purchasing less than eight and sharing; type of shirt (e.g. typical T-shirt, windbreaker, etc); and color. The consensus was to go with eight royal blue with white lettering T-shirts. Motion carried. Linda will follow up with committee members regarding size.
Maureen Storm reported on the April 4th clinic in Mankato. Tickets for the Cub gift card are selling well. Club members are asked to bring items for the silent auction and to contribute a food item to the youth bake sale. Members are reminded to dress appropriately and feel free to bring a horse.
Linda VanRossum passed around a brochure she made highlighting each of the contributors who are donating their time and expertise to the Clinic. Contributors include Adam Longman, Bob and Mary Sansevere and family, Clair Severson, Robby Barth, Kerry Haugh and Scott Lang.
Website: Bob Sansevere gave a report on the new club website, address WWW.MMHC.INFO and mentioned he is looking at ways to link in to a free site where club members can post photos. Mike Degner will research “Photobucket” type options and report back to the club. Clair thanked Bob for the excellent and quick job he did getting the website up and running. Eileen Cameron will be the Webmaster for the site and club members should send all items to Eileen who will forward to Bob.
Connie Mann asked about how we can increase the visibility of the new website on common Internet search engines. Linda made a motion, seconded by Clair to have the club pay $29.95 to increase the club presence on search engines. Motion carried (1 abstention). Maureen Storm asked about how to add the new website to her computer and Mary Wilson will follow up with her.
Club By Law Committee: Richard noted nothing new to report.
Winona Club Show: Clair gave an update on the Club show and planning is going well. Clair has contacted Terre Anderson regarding his interest in being the Ring Steward.
It was also noted that the MMHC has been chosen to host the 2010 AMHR National Area VI show in Winona over the July 4th weekend.
Sherburn Club Futurity, Auction and AMHR show: Clair met with the I-90 facility manager and is working on obtaining judges. Current plans for the auction involve limiting to 50 horses with priority going to exhibitors, futurity entrants and so on. The goal is to have an equitable distribution of offerings and to limit the factors that typically drive price and partipation down (e.g. too many stud colts). Clair expects to have this figured out by the next meeting. Feedback regarding this late August show has been very positive.
April Meeting: Though we typically have club meetings the second Sunday of the month, it was noted that would fall on Easter this year. Mel Storm asked why we couldn’t hold the meeting during the April 4th Clinic in Mankato and various members noted it hasn’t worked out well in the past to try and hold a meeting during an event. Richard S made a motion, Clair seconded to have the next meeting on April 19th at the Shakopee Community Center. Motion carried (one opposed).
New Business
Richard Sievert mentioned that club member Jim Barenklau was elected the new President of the AMHA and suggested the club donate money to him for expenses. Clair mentioned that Jim is allocated a budget by AMHA and thanked Richard for his concern.
Clair made a motion to adjourn meeting, Bob seconded. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Wilson
* * *
MMHC MEMBERBSHIP MEETING, PRIOR LAKE, MN
(Minutes are official after being ratified at March 8, 2009 meeting)
February 8, 2009
Meeting was called to order by the President at 12:15PM.
Secretary’s Report: Clair asked the membership if there were any questions with Jan. 11 meeting. Following an inquiry by Cynthia Sievert, the minutes were approved as printed.
Clair noted the meetings would follow the same format as the National meetings where Committee reports would be heard first followed by other business.
Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s report was read by Andrea Severson. Working capital is at $7585.77. Clair made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report as read, seconded by Eleanor Mondale, motion carried.
Gelding Incentive: Renee Friauf gave the Gelding Incentive report. The current balance remains at 867.92 and the club was reminded the date for entry is now at May 1st. Bob Sansevere asked how many shows were included and Renee noted it had been 4 and was currently at 3. The shows in play for 2009 will need to be determined and published. Maureen S made a motion to have the club contribute $300.00 to the Gelding Incentive, Linda V seconded the motion, motion carried.
Membership Report: Karen Mellenbrandt noted the current membership stood at 65 members. Richard S asked if members from past years are being contacted and Karen stated she would follow up.
Spurred in part by the newsletter publishing issues (see below), additional discussion regarding membership decline occurred later in the meeting. Member retention and recruiting ideas included: 1) newsletter insert indicating final copy if members don’t renew; 2) sending the next newsletter following renewal deadline as a reminder; 3) actively recruit new members via other club newsletters, lists of AMHA and AMHR members, etc; 4) investigate and follow with ex-members. Richard made a motion to have the board look into getting membership lists from AMHA and AMHR, Mike D seconded, motion carried. Linda suggested a recruiting and membership committee be formed and Andrea S, Karen M and Mike D agreed to be members.
Newsletter: Eileen Cameron gave the Newsletter report and reminded the club that group advertising (World, Journal) was due on Feb. 10th. Also, 400 copies of the Special Edition newsletter would be printed this year with April 1st as the submission deadline. Current prices set at: $5.00 for business card; $25.00 for an insert (you print and submit); $100.00 for a full page ad. Eileen made a motion to drop the price of a full page ad from $100.00 to $80.00 and Mike Degner seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Newsletter/Renewal date: Eileen stated the Jan. 25th deadline for membership renewal was not working well with newsletter publishing dates. She finds herself with a lot of rework—membership list, business cards, mailing lists--particularly while creating the Feb/March newsletter. Eileen made a motion to change the renewal date to a Nov. 1 to Jan. 1 period with a 15 day grace period and Jim seconded the motion. The motion was amended to a single date of Dec. 31 and the motion carried. Renee Friauf made a motion to leave the membership list in the Feb/March Newsletter issue, Andrea S seconded. Motion carried.
Futurity: Renee F reported in place of Michelle Prekker. Michelle suggested we hold the club futurity show in Sioux Falls, SD during the fair (Aug 10-11). This would allow attendees to attend the regular show and participate in the MN Futurity show and could be more accessible to the SD, ND and NB participants than Winona. Primary objections were that mid-week was a bad and the MN show wouldn’t be in the state of Minnesota.
Clair discussed the possibility of our Futurity 2009 show in Sherburn MN the weekend of August 22 and 23rd at the I-90 facility. We would look at having a two-day, two-judge AMHR show, with the club futurity show occurring at a set time Sat. afternoon, followed by a horse auction. To limit club liability, the I-90 facility would handle the auction and give the club a donation, in the form of a dinner or something similar. The facility has approximately 175 stalls with an all-inclusive cost of $45.00 per stall and no minimum stall requirement. Additional discussion/questions around show chairman, marketing, etc.
A motion was made by Clair S to have a two-day, two-judge club show in Sherburn on Aug 22/23, Richard seconded the motion, motion carried. Andrea made a motion to make it an AMHR show, with club futurity show at a set time on the 22nd to be followed by an auction handled by the I-90 staff. Bob S seconded the motion, motion carried (one abstention). Renee F made a motion to add the Sherburn show to the Gelding Incentive, Maureen Storm seconded, motion carried.
Horse Expo: Linda V reported on the Horse Expo. She is looking for volunteers even if just for a few hours on Thursday – Sunday. She is checking on the status of the mare and foal and will get back to us if she needs a new volunteer.
Historian’s Report: The report was given by Marilyn A. Submissions are welcome.
Youth Report: Bob Sansevere gave the Youth report focused primarily on the T-shirt fundraising activity. Renee F did mention she had 2 Youth word searches returned from children in Monticello and Albert Lea.
Fundraising: T-shirt fundraiser is proceeding. A supplier has been located who has a $20 setup fee with unlimited use after that. Cost varies for the finished product based on type (e.g. hat, t-shirt, sweatshirt, etc) and who supplies the article. Orders will be taken (as opposed to pre-printing and attempting to sell.)
Andrea S made motion to have a competition to select a design with the winner receiving a $25.00 gift card. Eleanor M seconded, motion carried. Andrea will send an email out to club members inviting them to participate. Deadline for submission is March 8th with the winner being selected at the next club meeting.
Maureen Storm reported on the April 4th clinic in Mankato. There are a number of planned activities (see newsletter for details) and all proceeds will be donated to club. Members may be asked to donate to bake sale, raffle tickets for a $100.00 Cub gift card may be obtained from Maureen. Cindy S made a motion to do a 1-1 trade with the Northern Lights club to advertise the event in their newsletter. Maureen seconded, motion carried. Ron Henry also mentioned the upcoming June Miniature Horse Rally June 13/14 in Pine Island, MN.
Website: The board discussed the need to take over maintenance of the MMHC website, supplier agrees. Andrea made a motion, Eleanor M seconded, to have Bob Sansevere take over creation/maintenance of the website with the club paying for all associated costs and to include a link to the current website for 1 year. The website would follow a similar design and use the domain name of MMHC.INFO. The motion was amended to have the board responsible for content approval, seconded by Eleanor, motion carried.
Ellen will continue to be the webmaster until Bob indicates he is ready to take on that role. Andrea made a motion to continue the sales page with the ad fee ($10.00) going toward the club. Linda V seconded the motion, motion carried. All ads and fee should be sent to Andrea S who will forward to Bob.
Club By Law Committee: Richard S will be reviewing the club bylaws. Mike D will also be on the committee.
Winona Club Show: Clair gave an update on the Club show and planning is going well. Andrea made a motion to hire instead of using volunteers to work the gates, etc. Mike D seconded, motion carried.
Membership Meeting location: Andrea S made a motion to withdraw a previous motion to not hold meetings in the same place. Richard seconded, motion carried. Motion made to have Cynthia S find a location for next meeting and get back to us. Mary W seconded, motion carried.
New Business: Jim Ramacher suggested we look at a mentoring program for new members.
Linda V made a motion to adjourn meeting, Mike D seconded. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Wilson
