Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Royal Court Britannia Hotel On Sunday 21 st January 2007

Apologies:

Peter Lamont, Jo Carr, Margaret Willett, Adele Shardt,

Present :

Alan Thacker (Sapey),Sheila Berry (Berrington Hall), Anne & George Barlow (Bradwall), Brian Perry (Cloeberry Mortimer), Chris Badger (Ascott-u-Wychwood),Jan Cottam (Goring Heath), Brian Sims & Adrienne Howes (Margam),Pete Collins (West Wilts), J Walker ( Brooksby), K Knightley (Bishop Burton), Anthony Ffooks ( Wilton), Pattie Biden (Gatcombe), Teresa Dufosee & John Colson(Secretary)(Longleat), Jamie Innes (Floors), Jenny Nolan (S of England), Jean Russell (Charlton Park), Sir William & Lady Aldous (Stratford Hills), Pam Davidson & Hannah Matthews (Chepstow), Stuart Buntine (Belton), Richard Clapham (Mattingley), Alex Lochore(Museketeer), Polly Lochore (Burgie), Diana Bown (Chairman)(Mount Ballan), Arthur Stevens (Treasurer)(Bicton), Janet Plant (Sansaw)

Item 1 To confirm the Minutes of the last AGM held on 30 November 2005

The minutes had been circulated throughout the membership and were distributed at the meeting.

The minutes were deemed to be a fair reflection of the meeting

Proposed: Stuart Buntine

Seconded: Alex Lochore

Item 2 The Chairman’s Report

The chairman outlined the achievements over the last year including the streamlining of the whole of BE as a result of the initiatives from the Main Board started by Alex Fox.

BEOA initiatives were outlined as follows:

1. Organisers’ Survey managed by Jo Carr and Adele Schardt. The response was good and the data gathered of great value. This has now been drawn together and the report sent forward to Peter Durrent and Mike Etherington-Smith. This together with the members’ survey carried out by Fiona Monteith will be excellent input for the Sports Team to work with to shape the sport for the future.

2. The Report on refunds and Withdrawals. The study was started by Polly Lochore and is now in Arthur Stevens’ hands. The response from members has been excellent and as a result the next version of proposal will go to the Sports Team for inclusion for season 2008.

3. The new Sports Team. This is lead by Mike E-S. The BEOA member and representative is Stuart Buntine with Pete Collins as his deputy. It is up to us to keep Stuart informed of subjects that need to be discussed in the Sports Team.

4. Affiliation Agreements. The will be one small change this year. The agreement will be re-written for 2008. Please ensure that you sign them as you are not insured or covered by the abandonment fund if you do not sign.

5. Stuart Buntine has put out a Doctors Questionnaire to see if we can help with the increasing burden of resourcing medical support.

6. All the RD’s came to our Autumn meeting. Robert McKenzie will be acting as the RD to liaise with BEOA.

7. We now have a BEOA Website to assist with communications. It is up and running thanks to Jo Carr. Please use it. www.beoa.co.uk

8. Please use you local Representatives.

Item 3 To receive the Income and Expenditure Account, Balance Sheet for the year to 31 December 2006.

The Balance Sheet was explained and is attached. We now have the membership fee of £1875 collected on our behalf by BE

Janet Plant questioned how, with a balance of only £59.54 compared with £917.65 at the beginning of the year how we could remain viable. The Treasurer explained that we would not have the cost of a Fixture Meeting and AGM £1,100 and the funding of the survey (£400). The practice of having meetings in London was discussed. The alternative which is to have meetings in members’ houses made travel an impossible burden on committee members.

The Accounts be passed:

Proposed: Richard Clapham

Seconded: Alex Lochore

Passed

Item 4 Election / Ratification of the Appointment of Officers

The Chairman is elected by the Committee. It is difficult to find people willing to give up their time. Committee members are approved by their areas. Therefore the only two appointments to be ratified are that of Secretary and Treasurer.

To confirm the appointments of John Colson as Secretary and Arthur Stevens as Treasurer.

Proposed: Jenny Nolan

Seconded Lady Aldous

Passed

To confirm the appointment of all the area representatives who make up the Committee.

Proposed: Lady Aldous

Seconded: Hannah Matthews.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 1000 hrs

Post Meeting Discussions.

1. The web site is welcomed. Can there please be an e-mail alert sent round if there is anything of particular importance that has been placed on the site.

2. The old chestnut of Car Park income. Since there has been an increase in Car Passes recently the Income to events has decreased notably. This subject is correctly dealt with by the board and has not been raised recently. The Chairman undertook to take the subject to the board.

Mike Etherington-Smith’s address to the meeting

A snap shot of what the Sports Team is doing and what their responsibilities are.

Responsibilities

1. Running the day to day sporting aspects of Eventing as a sport.

2. Development of sporting side of the business

Members

1. 4 RD’s each responsible for a portfolio covering the various aspects of the sport

2. Stuart Buntine representing the Organisers

3. Nick Gauntlett representing the riders

4. Yogi Breissener

5. Nick Burd

M E-S will consult throughout the sport to ensure we get the maximum amount of feed back from all areas throughout the sport. Collective wisdom and widespread feed back is how we are going to progress.

Current Topics

• Affiliation agreements are being looked at for amendment in 2008

• A way to review the standards of events that are consistently sub standard

• Deployment philosophy. Refreshment on a regular basis that will both benefit both events and the field staff

• The board has given the sports team a ring fence chunk of money to invest in training of field staff.

• Sanitised Sports team minutes will be on the BE website. Approximately 8 meeting per year.

• Health & Safety advice at work is now a board matter. Sporting safety now the responsibility of the Cross Country Safety Advisory Group.

• Improve the communication between Organisers, TA’s and Show Jumping course builders

• Plastic Fences now not acceptable. If you have them you must have a wooden top rail.

• Identification of events that can and want to move forward.

• Formal wash up meeting to held between stewards, scorers, TA’s & Organisers.

• Volunteers’ incentive programme.

• Ideas to drive down costs

• A competitors’ watch list so we can track those who are sailing too close to the wind.

• Crisis Management Plans

• Request for a scorer to attend a BEOA meeting.