Articles of Association

Statutes of the Westernriding Ranch Horse Association

1. The name of the association is Westernriding Ranch Horse Association
2. It shall be entered in the register of associations at the Neuruppin Local Court. Upon registration, it shall bear the suffix "e.V."
3. The registered office of the association is in Zehdenick OT Ribbeck
4. The financial year is the calendar year

1. The association pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes within the meaning of the section "Tax-privileged purposes" of the German Tax Code.
2. The purpose of the association is the promotion of sport in accordance with § 52 para. 2 no. 21 AO.
   1. the purpose of promoting sport in accordance with § 52 para. 2 no. 21 AO is realized in particular by
   - Promotion of equestrian sports, especially in the area of western riding
   - Promotion of popular sport
   - Promotion of training opportunities, in particular for the preparation and organization of sports competitions
   - Accompanying and supporting sports competitions
3. The association is selflessly active and does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes.
4. The association is politically and denominationally neutral.
5. The association may become a member of associations or other legal entities that pursue the same purposes.
6. The corporation's funds may only be used for the purposes set out in the articles of association. The members shall not receive any benefits from the funds of the corporation. No person may benefit from expenses that are alien to the purpose of the corporation or from disproportionately high remuneration.

1. Any natural or legal person can become a member of the association. The application for admission to the association must be addressed to the Executive Board. The Board of Directors decides on admission.
2. Membership ends through death, resignation or exclusion.
3. Resignation must be declared in writing to the Executive Board. It is only permissible with a notice period of two months to the end of a calendar year.
4. A member can be expelled from the association if it has grossly violated the interests of the association or if it is more than six months in arrears with at least one annual membership fee. The Executive Board decides on expulsion. The member to be expelled must be given the opportunity to comment before the decision is made; the expulsion for late payment must be threatened in writing with a notice period of three months.
5. The person concerned may lodge an appeal against the rejection of admission and exclusion from the association within one month of receiving the decision. The next general meeting shall decide on the appeal. The appeal against expulsion has a suspensive effect.
6. The General Meeting may appoint any natural or legal person who has rendered outstanding services to the association as an honorary member.

1. Every member is obliged to observe and comply with the provisions of these Articles of Association and the Association Regulations.
2. Every member is obliged to observe the purpose of the association, to promote the interests of the association and, as far as he or she is able, to support the life of the association through his or her cooperation.
3. Every member may participate in the General Meeting.
4. Each member has equal voting and election rights at the General Meeting.
5. Every member has the right to use the association's facilities and to participate in association events.

1. Members are required to pay a regular annual membership fee. The amount and due date are determined by the General Meeting.
2. Honorary members do not have to pay a contribution.

1. The Executive Board of the association in accordance with § 26 BGB consists of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the Treasurer.
2. The Executive Board represents the association in and out of court. Each member of the Executive Board is individually authorized to represent the association.
3. n addition to the Executive Board pursuant to Section 7 (1), the extended Executive Board - which is not to be entered in the register of associations and is therefore not authorized to represent the association - also consists of
      a. the sports director and
      b. the public relations officer
4. The Board of Directors is elected by the General Meeting for a term of three years.
5. The members of the Executive Board remain in office after the expiry of their term of office until the new Executive Board is elected. If a member of the Executive Board resigns during their term of office, the Executive Board may appoint a replacement member for the remaining term of office of the resigning member.
6. Only members of the association are eligible.

1. The Executive Board is responsible for all matters of the association that are not assigned to another body of the association by the current Articles of Association. It has the following tasks in particular:
      a. Preparation of the General Meeting and preparation of the agenda
      b. Convening of the General Meeting
      c. Implementation of the resolutions of the General Meeting
      d. Management of the association's assets and bookkeeping
      e. Preparation of the annual budget and the annual report
      f. Resolution on the admission and exclusion of members
2. It is not permitted to combine several board offices in one person.

1. The Board of Directors passes its resolutions at Board meetings or in writing.
2. Board meetings shall be convened by the 1st Chairman or, if he is unable to do so, by the 2nd Chairman in text form or (remotely) verbally, subject to a notice period of one week. An agenda does not need to be communicated. The meeting is chaired by the 1st Chairman or, if he is unavailable, by the 2nd Chairman.
3. The Board of Directors is quorate if at least two members are present. It decides by a simple majority of the valid votes cast. In the event of a tie, the chairperson of the meeting has the casting vote.
4. Minutes must be kept of the meetings of the Board of Directors, which should include the time and place of the meeting, the names of the participants, the resolutions passed and the result of the vote. The minutes serve as evidence.
5. A Board resolution can be passed in writing if all Board members agree to the resolution.

1. The General Meeting is responsible for the following matters:
      a. Election and dismissal of the members of the Board of Directors and the auditors
      b. Passing resolutions on amendments to the Articles of Association
      c. Resolution on the dissolution of the association
      d. Determination of the amount and due date of the annual membership fee
      e. Deciding on complaints against the rejection of an application for admission and against an exclusion decision by the Board of Directors
      f. Appointment of honorary members
      g. Approval of the budget and acceptance of the annual report and other reports of the Executive Board
      h. Discharge of the Executive Board
2. The ordinary general meeting of the association takes place once a year, if possible in the first quarter of the year. Further (extraordinary) general meetings must be convened if the interests of the association so require or if one third of the members request a meeting in writing from the Executive Board, stating the purpose and reasons.
3. Minutes must be taken of the resolutions of the General Meeting, which must be signed by the chairman of the meeting and the keeper of the minutes. The secretary shall take the minutes; if the secretary is unable to do so, the meeting shall appoint a secretary. The minutes should include the place and time of the meeting, the number of members present, the names of the chairperson and secretary, the agenda, the voting results and the type of vote.

1. The General Meeting shall be convened by the Executive Board with two weeks' notice. The meeting shall be convened in writing by simple letter to the last address provided by the member, stating the agenda. Members who have provided the association with an e-mail address can also be invited electronically by e-mail to the last e-mail address provided in text form, unless the member has communicated otherwise in text form. The invitation period begins on the day after the invitation is sent.
2. Any member may request that additional matters be added to the agenda at a later date. If such a request is received by the Executive Board in writing at least one week before the date of the General Meeting, the agenda must be amended accordingly at the beginning of the General Meeting. If it is received later or is only submitted at the General Meeting, the General Meeting shall decide on its admission.

1. The general meeting is quorate if at least a quarter of all association members are present. If there is no quorum, the Executive Board must convene a second General Meeting with the same agenda within four weeks. This second general meeting shall constitute a quorum regardless of the number of members present if this was indicated in the invitation; otherwise, the general provisions shall apply to the invitation.
2. The General Meeting is chaired by the 1st Chairman or, if he is unable to attend, by the 2nd Chairman; if he is also unable to attend, the meeting appoints the chair. In the case of elections, the chairmanship of the meeting may be delegated to another member for the duration of the ballot and the debate.
3. Every member (including every honorary member) has one vote at the General Meeting. The manner of voting is determined by the chairman of the meeting. However, the vote must be conducted in writing if at least a quarter of the voting members present request this.
4. Unless expressly stated otherwise in the present Articles of Association, the General Assembly shall adopt resolutions by a simple majority of the votes cast. Abstentions are considered as votes not cast, but a majority of three-quarters of the votes cast is required for:
      a. the amendment of the statutes
      b. the dissolution of the association
      c. the admission of subsequent requests to supplement the agenda
5. For elections, the provisions on decision-making apply accordingly. However, if no candidate reaches the absolute majority in the first round of voting, the election must be repeated. If no candidate reaches the absolute majority in the second ballot, the simple majority is sufficient in each subsequent ballot.

1. According to section 32 of the German Civil Code, the decision-making in the organs of the Association can be carried out both in the presence and without attendance at the place of assembly by participation of individual members of the organs by means of electronic communication (hybrid assembly) or as a virtual meeting of all members of the bodies. When inviting a hybrid or virtual meeting, the access data for participation by electronic communication must be specified in the invitation.
2. In addition, resolutions may also be taken without a meeting by inviting the members of the institution in text form to cast their votes on a draft resolution. The provisions on decision-making in attendance shall apply mutatis mutandis.

1. The treasurer must keep a book of the cash transactions and prepare an annual statement.
2. The annual accounts are reviewed by two auditors who are elected by the General Assembly for a period of 2 years. The audited annual accounts must be submitted to the General Assembly for resolution.

1. In the event of dissolution or cancellation of the corporation or the loss of tax-privileged purposes, the assets fall to the Erste Westernreiter Union Deutschland e.V.