ASB New Direction

Who We Are

The people behind ASB New Direction are Lifelong Stakeholders in the American Saddlebred industry.
We are Owners, Exhibitors, Breeders, Trainers and Judges.
We are passionate about the breed and gravely concerned for our future without a change in leadership and direction.

What We Hope To Accomplish with your affirmative vote on February 13th

Return control of the Association to the Members by electing the Board of Directors by vote of the membership.
Prohibit amending the bylaws without a vote of the membership.
Elect a new slate of Directors.
Reduce the number of Board Members from 18 to 11 in order to to improve effectiveness and accountability.
Prohibit ASHBA Directors from holding positions as Directors/Officers of any other associated equestrian organization (such as USEF, UPHA or ESC) to eliminate potential conflicts of interest.

Read Proposed Bylaws

Next Steps: Roadmap for Change

Evaluate our Affiliation with USEF.
Address the Futurity and Sweepstakes Prize Programs and our participation in the Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show.
Create a balanced budget for both the Registry and the Membership organization.
Evaluate staff to operate efficiently and competently.

Ways to Vote YES to Return Power to the Membership

IN PERSON

ELECTRONIC PROXY FORM

BLANK PROXY FORM

at the Membership Meeting on

Thursday, February 13th

at 2:00pm

Lexington Marriott City Center

BLANK PROXY FORM

ELECTRONIC PROXY FORM

BLANK PROXY FORM

Download this Blank Proxy Statement, fill it out and send it to an ASHBA Member in Good Standing who will be attending the meeting in person.

Download PDF

ELECTRONIC PROXY FORM

Follow the link below to complete an Electronic Proxy Statement naming either Scott Hagan or Anna Marie Knipp as your Proxy.

Online Form

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at info@asbnewdirection.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Do the proposed bylaw changes return control to the membership?

YES! The primary goal of the bylaws change is to return a voice to the membership as well as returning rights of members to vote for the Board of Directors, and requires membership vote to amend the bylaws.

The bylaws also preserve the Nominating Committee and the right of any member to nominate any other member for consideration as a candidate for the Board of Directors.

What committees will remain and be restored?

The proposed by laws preserve essential committees and allows the Chair of the Board to establish any committees deemed necessary, as well as requiring that the Chair establish a committee if a majority of the Board directs creation of a committee.

The proposed bylaws also require the following committees be REINSTATED to ensure proper governance and internal controls.

Audit/Internal Controls Committee
Equine Welfare Advocacy Committee
Finance Committee
Human Resources & Compensation Committee

Do the proposed bylaws ensure broad representation across the industry and prevent conflicts of interest?

YES! The proposed bylaws ensure that there will be representation for Amateurs as well as Professionals on the Board, and ensures that a majority of the Board will be composed of Breeders. This is extremely important to the operation of a breed registry organization.

To ensure broad representation, the proposed bylaws maintain the variety of factors to be considered by the Nominating Committee in identifying Board candidates.
To ensure an active Board with broad representation, but maintains active participation and contribution from all Directors, the proposed bylaws reduce the size of the Board from 18 to 11 Directors.
In order to protect against conflicts of interest, the proposed bylaws changes prohibit any ASHBA Director from serving as an Officer or Director of another equestrian organization with whom ASHBA has an affiliation. Protecting against these conflicts of interest is vital to ensuring strong representation of ASHBA without undue interference from other organizations to whom Directors may otherwise have allegiance or obligations.

Do the proposed bylaws require 2/3 of the membership to amend the bylaws in the future?

No. The proposed bylaws state “These bylaws may be amended only by two-thirds (2/3) vote of eligible members voting upon any proposed amendment.” In other words, if there are 3500 members, and 500 members vote, it would take 334 favorable votes to amend the bylaws, not 2/3 of the entire membership.

The current bylaws allow the Board of Directors to amend the bylaws with NO vote of the membership.