LFA Information

The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 4:07 p.m. PT by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, and Rennie Squier were present. Keith Duly and Delphi Toth were not present.

2. Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Ms. Littorin offered a motion to approve the May 18th minutes, Mr. Iannuzzi seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved without further discussion.

3. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
Mr. Iannuzzi reported that he had received paperwork from Ms. Stephanie Gliege but had not yet had a chance to talk with her. He will report on her work with the Articles of Incorporation at the next meeting.
b. Rules and Regulations
Ms. Squier reported that the committee was still working on the Rules and Regulations document. Ms. Squier then remarked that the issue of cloning had come to the attention of the committee because two Lipizzan clones were expected to be born by year end. The Rules and Regulations committee had not been able to come to a complete consensus on a recommendation to the Board but felt that the LFA needed to address whether we are going to register clones or not. Mr. Foley remarked that since clones were going to exist, the LFA needed at least a tracking mechanism. The Board discussed the problems of identifying clones and the offspring of clones as separate from their donors. Ms. Squier pointed out that the benefit of cloning for the Lipizzan breed was the potential to preserve DNA that might otherwise be completely lost. Ms. Littorin suggested a possible compromise that would carry the clone pedigrees in an auxiliary book to maintain records but that clones would not be acceptable for breeding until some future date when more is known about clones and we can determine whether clones can be incorporated in the regular breeding program. Ms. Littorin pointed out that the United States could not accept clones for full registration or breeding if Europe did not accept clones. The Board concurred that the LFA should at least track clones. The Board also recognized that more information was needed before this issue could be addressed with sufficient understanding. The Rules and Regulations committee will continue to research the issue. The Rules and Regulations committee still expects to complete its work by June 20th. Ms. Smith will circulate an article with websites with cloning information to the Board for their review.
c. Finance
Ms. Squier remarked that the Finance committee had nothing new to report. Ms. Smith reported that Lyn Schaeffer, USLR Treasurer, had agreed to serve as LFA Treasurer.

d. Database
Ms. Squier remarked that the Database committee had nothing new to report.

4. Annual Meeting Location
In Mr. Duly’s absence, Ms. Smith reported on a meeting location in Monterey, California, that Mr. Duly had researched and received some favorable quotes on meals and meeting room costs. The Board discussed the location but decided that it wasn’t convenient. The Board decided that a site in the middle of the country would be easier for travel.

The Board agreed to meet again in two weeks on June 15th at 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. ET. The meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m. P.T.

Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

May 18, 2010

The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 4:11 p.m. PT by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Keith Duly, Tim Foley, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, Rennie Squier, and Delphi Toth were present. John Iannuzzi was not present.

2. Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Ms. Squier offered a motion to approve the May 4th minutes, Dr. Toth seconded the motion and the minutes were approved without further discussion.

3. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
Ms. Smith remarked that the Arizona State Corporation Commission’s website indicated that Ms. Stephanie Gliege, a lawyer in Arizona, had filed a change of Statutory Agent form that changed the LFA’s Statutory Agent from John Gliege to herself.
b. Rules and Regulations
Ms. Squier reported that committee members Melody Hull and Jeff Kelly had been working to streamline the Rules and Regulations document and make it more readable and user friendly. Ms. Squier and Dr. Toth have been discussing a few remaining issues all of which Ms. Squier described as minor and remarked that there were no points of disagreement. In addition to the full set of Rules and Regulations, the committee is creating a condensed version of the Rules and Regulations for the website to serve as a “how to” guide for members wanting clear and concise guidance to register a horse and will include forms and the fee schedule. The committee expects to complete its work by June 20th. Ms. Littorin and Mr. Duly agreed to begin identifying milestones toward unification and developing a timeline with completion dates.
c. Finance
Dr. Toth remarked that LANA was about to begin their annual membership drive and wondered if LANA should wait for the Finance committee to review the fee structures of the three organizations. The Board discussed the need to set a date when the LFA is the single Lipizzan organization, all the current members of LANA, ALBA, and USLR, have become members of the LFA, and the three member organizations have been disbanded. Ms. Boardman remarked that as soon as the Articles of Incorporation are amended the LFA will need a Treasurer. The Board discussed some length possible candidates for the office of Treasurer and concluded that Mr. Foley should ask USLR Treasurer Lyn Schaeffer, a LFA Finance committee member, to serve as Treasurer.
d. Database
Ms. Squier remarked that the Database committee had nothing new to report. The FileMaker software used by ALBA and USLR will exchange data with the Alpha software used by LANA so, in the long term, any issues to be resolved are strictly data issues rather than software issues. Ms. Squier continued that Melody Hull and Jeff Kelly will be reviewing any remaining discrepancies between the two databases. Dr. Toth reported that during the past year LANA’s Alpha database has been upgraded to make it more flexible, user friendly, and that a user’s manual will document its expanded facilities. The Board also discussed the form the registration the LFA registration certificates might take and considered whether a simpler font might make the pedigree data more readable. Ms. Squier offered to make a PDF of an ALBA pedigree from their studbook which uses a similar font to the pedigrees issued by Piber and circulate it to the Board as an example. Mr. Lashinsky offered a motion to make January 1st, 2011, the effective date for beginning of the issuance of LFA pedigrees and memberships. Mr. Duly seconded the motion. In the discussion of the motion that followed, the Board also discussed when the issuance of pedigrees and the transfer of memberships might be accomplished even earlier by October 1st, 2010. Mr. Lashinsky withdrew his motion and the Board agreed to discuss the unification timeline at the next meeting.

4. Annual Meeting Location
The Board discussed the location of the next annual meeting and decided that a neutral location rather than a religious retreat be selected. The Board decided that a site in the middle of the country would be easier for people to reach and that a hub such as Denver would be preferred. Ms. Littorin suggested that the Board identify members in the Denver area who could help plan the annual meeting.

The Board agreed to meet again in two weeks on June 1st at 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. ET. The meeting adjourned at 5:07 p.m. P.T.

Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Attached are a letter from Ingun Littorin, President of the Interim LFA Board, announcing the start of the LFA and the final version of the LFA Bylaws. It's been a long wait but the three organizations have, after considerable consideration, agreed on both the LFA Bylaws and on the selection of the first LFA Registrar, Melody Hull, currently a LANA Board member and a Trustee of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust.

Attached, also, is a brief summary of the features of the new Bylaws put together by Muffin Smith, USLR Secretary, and a member of the Interim LFA Board. Although the summary addresses the features of the LFA Bylaws members are probably most interested in, everyone should read the LFA Bylaws in their entirety and not rely just on the summary.

The three Lipizzan organizations through their representatives, June Boardman, Ingun Littorin and Rennie Squier for the American Lipizzan Breeders Association (ALBA), John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky and Delphi Toth for the Lipizzan Association of North America (LANA) and Keith Duly, Tim Foley and Muffin Smith for the United States Lipizzan Registry (USLR) on the Interim Board of the LFA have agreed to and signed a document approving a set of bylaws, which will form the foundation of this new organization.

We are now looking forward to making this organization the best it can be with the assistance of all of you, who have been waiting for this to become a reality, over many years of negotiation. There is a large amount of work that still needs to be done, new committees to be formed to deal with a myriad of issues now facing the actual, physical combinations of the three organizations.

Ingun Littorin
Acting President
Lipizzan Federation of America
________________________

The purposes for which the Lipizzan Federation of America [LFA] is organized and shall be operated are:

B. To establish, maintain and publish pedigrees and transfers of ownership of Lipizzan horses;

D. To collect and record data about the origin and development of Lipizzan horses; together with all other matters necessary or convenient to further the interests of the breed;

E. Subject to the restrictions set forth in the Restated Articles of Incorporation of the LFA to engage in any other lawful activities, none of which shall be for profit, for which corporations may be organized under the Arizona Nonprofit Corporation Law.

The LFA shall have two classes of members. The designation of such classes and the qualifications of the members of such classes shall be as follows:

A Regular Member shall be any person at least 18 years of age paying one membership fee, whose application for Membership has been approved by the Secretary in accordance with Section 2.1.A.i.a of this Article II and any person recognized as a Life Member.

i. Any person owning a Lipizzan horse registered with the LFA shall be eligible to apply for “Regular” Membership.

a. Confirmation of pedigree and ownership may be requested. This request may be satisfied by Documentation establishing the pedigree and bloodline of the prospective member’s horse as well as documentation of ownership.

b. All applicants for regular membership shall file with the Secretary of the LFA a written application in such form as the Board of Directors shall from time to time determine. The Secretary shall pass upon each application and shall approve or reject it in accordance with such rules and regulations as adopted from time to time by the Board of Directors.

a. The Board of Directors may elect to Life Membership any person who for special reasons may be deemed entitled to this privilege. Life Members shall not be required to pay an initiation fee or annual dues. Life Membership continues for the natural life of the person to whom it was awarded, regardless of whether or not that person owns a registered Lipizzan Horse.

b. Those individuals currently recognized as Life Members of either LANA, ALBA, or USLR shall continue to be so recognized as Life Members of the LFA. Only such Life Members whose names are submitted to the LFA by the Boards or Officers of the LANA, ALBA, or USLR shall be recognized by the Board of Directors upon the adoption of these By-Laws.

Any person interested in or associated with the Lipizzan horse, such as, but not limited to, trainers, exhibitors, suppliers, veterinarians, show managers, farriers, or approved judges, who pays the LFA an Associate Membership fee as determined by the Board of Directors of the LFA shall be eligible to apply for “Associate” Membership.. Associate Members may be invited to events as observers. Associate Members are granted such privileges as determined at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Membership shall have an annual term from October 1 to September 30 of each year. New members joining between the beginning of the year and July 1 of any year shall be considered active Regular Members for the current dues year. New members joining after July 1 of any year shall be considered an active Regular Member for the upcoming Dues year.

Each Regular Member in good standing who has been a member for at least sixty (60) days per LFA records and who currently owns a Lipizzan horse registered with the LFA or has, within the last 12 months, owned a Lipizzan horse registered with the LFA shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members except that members shall have the right to nominate candidates and vote in elections of Directors only to the extent authorized by Section 3 of Article IV of these Bylaws.

A. Regular Members in good standing shall have equal rights and privileges, except as otherwise limited by these Bylaws. All members shall obey and be bound by these Bylaws, by the rules and regulations adopted from time to time by the Board of Directors and by the decisions and actions of the Board.

B. Members of the LFA shall be admitted, retained and expelled in accordance with such rules and regulations as the Board of Directors may, from time to time, adopt.

Members may be disciplined, suspended, or expelled for cause after an appropriate hearing in accordance with such rules and regulations as adopted from time to time by the Board of Directors.

Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the Secretary of the LFA, but such resignation shall not relieve the member so resigning of the obligation to pay any dues, assessments or other charges for which the member became liable prior to resignation.

Upon written request signed by a former member and filed with the Secretary, the Board of Directors may, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the directors in office, reinstate such former member to membership upon such terms as the Board of Directors may deem appropriate.

Membership shall be renewed annually. Renewal and dues notices shall be sent by the Secretary by August 1 of each year. Dues must be paid before October 1 of any year.

A member whose membership has lapsed shall be eligible to be reinstated by the Secretary upon such terms and conditions as determined by the Board of Directors upon payment of any and all unpaid back membership fees, together with a reinstatement fee to be determined and published by the Board of Directors.

A. Suspension of membership. The Board of Directors, upon its own initiative or upon the request of an Officer or Member may bring expulsion or suspension charges against any member for conduct deemed to be disruptive or detrimental to the welfare or good of the LFA.

B. The affected member shall be notified in writing with a full statement of the reasons by registered first class mail sent to the Members last known address. Within thirty days of mailing the charges, the member may request a hearing before the Board by mailing such request to the office or address established by the Board of Directors for conducting business. If a request for hearing is not received within 30 days, the Board may decide whether to terminate the membership. If a hearing is requested, it shall be held at a place to be determined by the President or Chairman of the Board. The hearing shall be informal and the rules of evidence shall not apply.

i. Following a hearing, the Board shall decide whether to terminate the membership. The Board may, with or without a hearing, take action less than expulsion, including reject the charges, reprimand the member, suspend the member for a specified term or institute any other action as may be appropriate. The decision of the Board is final and cannot be appealed.

ii. If membership is terminated, all membership rights, including prepaid dues, shall be forfeited. Any member expelled, or who resigns after expulsion charges have been brought, is barred from any class of membership for life.

C. The President or the Board or its authorized designee(s) may take immediate action to suspend a member who is involved in disruptive conduct or conduct detrimental to the welfare or good operation of the LFA including, but not limited to, behavior at LFA events or on the LFA website, in those situations which, in the opinion of the LFA, mandate immediate action to prevent disruption or disparagement of the LFA its operations, reputation or public image. Such suspension may continue until further direction from the Board or its authorized designee(s) or until expulsion or other appropriate action is taken by the LFA.

An annual meeting of the members shall be held at a time and date no later than the end of November of each year as determined by the Board of Directors, for the purpose of receiving annual reports relating to the activities of the LFA and for the transaction of such other business as may come before the meeting.

Special meetings of the members may be called by the President, the Board of Directors, or not less than two-tenths of all members having the right to vote at such meeting.

The Board of Directors may designate any place, either within or without the State of Arizona, as the place of meeting for any annual meeting or for any special meeting called by the Board of Directors. If a special meeting be otherwise called, the place of meeting shall be as designated in the notice of such meeting.

Written notice stating the place, day and hour of any meeting of members shall be delivered either personally or by regular or electronic mail, to all members entitled to vote at such meeting, not less than 30 before the date of such meeting, by or at the direction of the President, or the Secretary, or the officers or persons calling the meeting.

A. In the case of a special meeting or when required by statute or by these Bylaws, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be stated in the notice. If mailed, the notice of a meeting shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the members at the members’ address as it appears on the records of the LFA, with postage thereon prepaid.

Any action required by law to be taken at a meeting of the members, or any action which may be taken at a meeting of members, may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by a quorum, as defined in Section 3.6, of Regular Members entitled to vote with respect to the subject matter thereof.

Those Members present at any annual or special meeting of Members together with the personally signed ballots of other Members, all of which amount to at least thirty (30%) percent of all then recognized LFA active members shall constitute a quorum at such meeting.

At any special or annual meeting of members, a member entitled to vote may cast one (1) vote, either in person or by signed ballot which was distributed for such purposes by the Secretary or by electronic mail. The nomination and election of directors may be conducted in person, by mail, or electronic mail in accordance with such rules and regulations as adopted from time to time by the Board of Directors.

A majority of the votes entitled to be cast on a matter to be voted upon by the members at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be necessary for the adoption thereof unless a greater proportion is specifically required by law or by these Bylaws.

The business and property of the LFA shall be managed and controlled by the Board of Directors hereinafter created and empowered. The Board of Directors shall be comprised of members of Elected Directors.

It is a privilege, not a right to serve on the Board of Directors. Throughout his/her tenure, a Director must (1) remain an LFA member in good standing, (2) adhere to LFA rules and regulations pertaining to membership conduct and (3) conduct themselves in an exemplary manner such as to favorably reflect on the Board of Directors and the LFA. A Director’s conduct is subject to continual review, and a Director’s service on the Board of Directors may be terminated or rejected by the Board of Directors for cause detrimental to the interest of the LFA, its programs, policies, objectives and harmonious relationship of its members.

The Board of Directors may adopt rules and regulations governing the rights, privileges and obligations of members not inconsistent with these Bylaws. The Board of Directors may affiliate the LFA with LFA Regional Clubs, International Affiliates, and/or other organizations that share the purposes of the LFA upon such terms and conditions and in such manner as determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.

Section 4.3 Qualifications, Number, Term, Nomination, Election and Member Voting.

A. To be eligible to serve as an LFA director, a person must be a voting member in good standing of the LFA and have been an active member in good standing of the LFA for at least three (3) consecutive years next preceding the applicable election and elected in accordance with these Bylaws.

i. Any member who, as the result of LFA disciplinary action, has been determined guilty of a violation of any LFA Rules and Regulations shall be ineligible to hold the position of director. Any member who has been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment in a State or Federal prison, or who has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude shall be ineligible to hold the position of director. If a director ceases to be an active member in good standing of the corporation, such director shall thereafter be ineligible to continue to serve as a director and the Board of Directors shall immediately remove such director from the Board of Directors and the vacancy shall be filled in accordance with these Bylaws.

C. To be nominated for election as a director, a member qualified to be a director must submit a petition, on a form approved by the LFA. In a regular election, the petition must be submitted on or before the last day of July in the election year and in a special election the petition must be submitted as required by the LFA Board of Directors. The nominating petition must be signed by at least five (5) LFA members in good standing.

D. The regular election of directors shall occur in October or November of each year. Only regular LFA members in good standing at least 60 days before the election who have, within the past 12 months, owned a Lipizzan horse registered with the LFA shall be eligible to vote in the regular election that year. The LFA Board of Directors may establish the membership eligibility deadline for special election and other purposes.

E. Each active member in good standing shall be entitled only to one (1) vote on all matters upon which such member is entitled to vote.

F. The LFA shall prepare a ballot for each election being held. Ballots must be completed and returned according to LFA election procedures as determined from time to time by the LFA Board of Directors.

G. The nominee receiving the highest number of votes on the ballot will be named director. In the event two or more candidates receive the same and highest number of votes in the election of a director, a runoff election shall be held between such candidates.

H. Directors elected at the regular election of directors shall be elected to serve for a term of three (3) years commencing at the commencement of the regular meeting of the Board of Directors next following the regular election and held in conjunction with the annual meeting of members as required under Section 4 of this Article IV and ending upon the taking of the oath by the successor director at such meeting three (3) years following. The terms of office shall be staggered so that the terms of one-third of the members of the Board of Directors expire each year.

In case of any vacancy in the Board of Directors by death, resignation, disqualification, increase in number or other cause, the President, with the advice and majority vote of the Board of Directors, may appoint a qualified successor to serve until the next general election of Directors at the Membership Business Meeting.

The annual meeting of the Board of Directors ("Annual Board Meeting") shall be held in conjunction with the Annual Membership Meeting. Unless otherwise established by the Board of Directors, the Annual Board Meeting shall consist of two (2) sessions hereinafter referred to as the "General Board Meeting" and the "New Board Meeting".

A. The General Board Meeting shall be immediately following the Membership General Meeting. The New Board Meeting shall be immediately following the Membership Business Meeting. Notice of the Annual Board Meeting shall be given in the same manner set forth in Section 3.4 of Article III above.

Special Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held whenever called by the President with the advice and majority vote of the Board of Directors or by two-thirds of the voting Directors. The President shall give notice of each Special Meeting to each Director by mailing, telephoning, electronically communicating (or by any other means allowed by law) such notice at least 15 days before the meeting, but such notice may be waived by any Director. Unless otherwise indicated in the notice there of, any and all business may be transacted at a Special Meeting. At any meeting at which every Director may be present, even though without any notice, any business may be transacted.

Two-thirds (2/3) of the number of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but if at any meeting of the Board there may be less than a quorum present, two-thirds (2/3) of those present may adjourn the meeting from time to time until a full quorum shall be present. To exercise voting privileges, a Director must be present at a meeting, either physically or by teleconference, which privilege cannot be delegated by proxy.

At meetings of the Board of Directors, business shall be transacted in such order as the Board of Directors may determine.

Except as otherwise provided herein, the rules and regulations pertaining to the registration of horses shall be subject to change only by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall have the power and authority to make, amend, repeal and enforce such rules and regulations, not contrary to law or the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, as they may deem expedient concerning the conduct, management and activities of the LFA, the admission, classification, qualification, suspension and expulsion of members, removal of officers, the rules and regulations governing the procedure of such suspension and expulsion and removal, the fixing and collecting of dues and fees, regulations regarding maintaining the stud book, registration, expenditures of money, auditing of books and records, awarding of championships, conducting of shows, contests, exhibitions, races, sales and social functions and other details relating to the general purposes of the LFA, all, however, subject to announcement to the members at any regular or special meeting of the members, provided written notice of intention of any rule or regulation shall have been mailed to all members at least 30 days in advance of the meeting.

The Board of Directors, from time to time, may create and empower other committees, general or special.

For the first three annual elections, three (3) seats on what is now the Interim Board of the LFA shall be vacated by the resignation of one Interim Board member from each of the three unifying organizations (American Lipizzan Breeders Association, Lipizzan Association of North America, United States Lipizzan Registry), those vacated seats to be refilled by Directors elected by the members in accordance with Section 4.3 hereof.

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

A. The President and the Vice President shall be elected by and from the members of the Board of Directors. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, but need not be members of the Board. The Board of Directors may elect or appoint such other officers or assistant officers as it shall deem desirable, such officers to have the authority and perform the duties prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors. Any two offices may be held by the same person, except the offices of President and Secretary.

The President and Vice President shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors at the regular annual meeting of the Board of Directors. If the election of such officers shall not be held at such meeting, such election shall be held as soon thereafter as may be convenient. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for terms not exceeding one year. Appointments may be renewed for successive year periods. The terms of such appointments, including salaries, if any, and duties, shall be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors. Each officer shall hold office until the officer’s successor shall have been duly elected or appointed and shall have qualified.

Any officer elected or appointed by the Board of Directors may be removed by the Board of Directors whenever in its judgment and best interests of the LFA would be served thereby, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officers so removed.

A vacancy in office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification or otherwise may be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired portion of the term.

The President shall preside at all meetings of the members and of the Board of Directors. The President may sign, with the Secretary or any other proper officer of the LFA authorized by the Board of Directors, any deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts, and other instruments which the Board of Directors has authorized to be executed, except in cases where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Directors or by these Bylaws, or by statute to some other officer or agent of the LFA; and in general the President shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors from time to time.

In the absence of the President or in the event of the President’s inability or refusal to act, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. The Vice President shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or by the Board of Directors.

The Secretary shall keep full and accurate minutes of the meetings of the members and of the Board of Directors in one or more books provided for that purpose; see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law; be custodian of the corporate records and of the seal of the LFA and see that the seal of the LFA is affixed to all documents, the execution of which on behalf of the LFA under its seal is duly authorized in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws; keep a register of the post office address of each member which shall be furnished to the Secretary by such members; and in general perform all duties incident to operations of the LFA, the office of Secretary and such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board of Directors.

The Treasurer shall keep or cause to be kept, correct and complete records of accounts showing the financial condition and results of operations of the LFA, shall be responsible for the preparation of an annual budget and shall report thereon to the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall be legal custodian of all monies, notes, securities, and other valuables which may from time to time come into the possession of the LFA. The Treasurer shall deposit all funds of the LFA coming into the Treasurer’s hands in depositories, to be designated by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board of Directors.

A. Subordinate officers shall be Registrar and any other subordinate officers deemed necessary by the Board of Directors. Subordinate officers shall be appointed by the president with approval of the Board of Directors. A subordinate officer may resign effective upon giving notice to the Board of Directors, president, or secretary unless the notice specifies a later time for the effectiveness of such resignation. No approval is necessary. Any appointee may be removed from their position without cause, by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors.

B. After any annual election of Directors, if the Board of Directors does not contain someone also a Trustee of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust, the Board will establish a Subordinate Officer seat on the LFA Board and chose a Lipizzan Pedigree Trust Trustee to serve as a non-voting advisor to the LFA Board. This Subordinate Officer will also be responsible for reporting the status of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust and its pedigree records and will also serve as the point of contact between the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust and the LFA Board. This seat shall exist in perpetuity and no Bylaws changes may delete it.

The Board of Directors, by a resolution adopted by a majority of the directors in office, may designate and appoint one or more committees each of which shall consist of two or more directors, which committees, to the extent provided in said resolution shall have and exercise the authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the LFA, except that no such committee shall have the authority of the Board of Directors in reference to amending, altering or repealing the Bylaws; electing, appointing or removing any member of any such committee or any director or officer of the LFA; amending or restating the Articles of Incorporation; adopting a plan of merger or adopting a plan of consolidation with another corporation; authorizing the sale, lease, exchange or mortgage of all or substantially all of the property and assets of the LFA; authorizing the voluntary dissolution of the LFA; or revoking proceedings therefore; adopting a plan for the distribution of the assets of the LFA; or amending, altering or repealing any resolutions of the Board of Directors which by its terms provides that it shall not be amended, altered or repealed by such committee. The designation and appointment of any such committee and the delegation thereto of authority shall not operate to relieve the Board of Directors, or any individual director of any responsibility imposed upon it or the director by law.

The Breeders Committee will be a permanent committee whose members will be appointed by the Board of Directors in the same manner as all committees are assigned by these Bylaws with the additional qualification that committee members should be breeders or judges with knowledge of the issues that affect the breeding and judging of horses or others possessing special expertise, such as veterinarians. The Breeders Committee will have the following responsibilities:

A. Overseeing and maintaining the established LFA Lipizzan Breed Standard [the Breed Standard established by the Lipizzan International Federation in 2001] through evaluations and inspections,

C. Compiling performances and show results, as well as evaluations and inspections,

D. Maintaining and updating all necessary records for the USDF and USEF awards programs,

E. Forwarding performance and show results, evaluation results, and inspection results to the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust, as a final official repository for Official Pedigrees, for inclusion in the Database or to the LFA Registrar or to both, and

The Registration Committee will be a permanent committee whose members will be appointed by the Board of Directors in the same manner as all committees are assigned by these Bylaws with the additional qualification that committee members should possess special expertise and experience in the registration of Lipizzan horses such as breeders or judges or other experts who have extensive knowledge of pedigrees and historic bloodlines. The Registration Committee shall be chaired by the Registrar and be responsible for assisting the Registrar as requested and directed by the Registrar.

The Registrar shall be chosen by the Board of Directors of the LFA to serve a three-year term. The Registrar may be appointed to unlimited subsequent terms. The Registrar shall not be a voting member of the Board of Directors or of any Committees except the Registration Committee. In order to qualify as Registrar, the individual must demonstrate experience and comprehension of the process of registering Lipizzan Horses and the process of conducting appropriate research through the appropriate resources in order to obtain the information necessary to properly register Lipizzan Horses. The Registrar must demonstrate at least thirteen years in the ownership and study of Lipizzan Horses and their pedigrees.

The duties of the Registrar are to:
        i.             chair the Registration Committee
        ii.             research and produce registration certificates and/or recorded documents
        iii.            maintain statistics of both purebred and crossbred Lipizzans and release information relative to the Registry's records as directed by the Board of Directors
        iv.            prepare and submit written opinions with recommendations for action to the Breeders Committee and the Board of Directors
        v.             make an annual report to the membership of registration activities
        vi.            sign and record all transfers or changes in any registered horse's status
        vii.           transmit all official Pedigrees to the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust as a final official repository of Official Pedigrees.

In the event that the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust refuses to accept a pedigree for inclusion in the database of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust, such pedigree shall not be issued nor such registration be issued until the differences with the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust are resolved. Such resolution shall occur in the following manner:

i. The Lipizzan Pedigree Trust shall set forth its reasons for rejecting the pedigree.

ii. The LFA shall set forth its reasons why the pedigree should be accepted as part of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust database.

iii. If the parties cannot come to an agreement, such dispute shall be submitted for binding arbitration to a panel of three arbitrators chosen from the Lipizzan Horse Industry and experts worldwide, each party choosing one persona and then the two people choosing the third. The same information shall be provided to such Arbitrators which was provided by each side to this dispute. The decision of the arbitrators shall be deemed final.

Before registration paperwork is issued by the Registrar, the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust shall review the pedigrees of Lipizzan Horses whose parents are not both registered with the LFA, LANA, or USLR or whose parents’ DNA is not on record. The Lipizzan Pedigree Trust shall act in a commercially reasonable manner to review these pedigrees without delay.

A Trustee of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust shall be a permanent member of the Board of Directors, either by election or non-voting appointment in accordance with Section 5.9B hereinabove.

Other committees not having and exercising the authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the LFA may be appointed in such manner as may be designated by a resolution adopted by a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present. Except as otherwise provided in such resolution, members of each such committee shall be members of the LFA, and the President shall appoint the members thereof. Any member thereof may be removed by the person or persons authorized to appoint such member whenever in their judgment the best interest of the LFA shall be served by such removal.

Each member of a committee shall continue as such until the next annual meeting of the members of the LFA and until such member’s successor is appointed, unless the committee shall be sooner terminated, unless such member be removed from such committee, or unless such member shall cease to qualify as a member thereof.

One member of each committee shall be appointed chairman by the person or persons authorized to appoint the members thereof.

Vacancies in the membership of any committee may be filled by appointments made in the same manner as provided in the case of the original appointments.

Unless otherwise provided in the resolutions of the Board of Directors designating a committee, a majority of the whole committee shall constitute a quorum and the act of a majority of the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the committee.

Each committee may adopt rules for its own government not inconsistent with these Bylaws or the rules adopted by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors may provide for the issuance of certificates evidencing membership in the LFA, which shall be in such form as may be determined by the Board. Such certificates shall be signed by the President or the Vice President and by the Secretary and shall be sealed with the seal of the LFA. All certificates evidencing membership of any class shall be consecutively numbered. The name and address of each member and the date of issuance of the certificate shall be entered on the records of the LFA. If any certificate shall become lost, mutilated or destroyed, a new certificate may be issued therefore upon such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors may determine.

When a member has been elected to membership and has paid any initiation fee and dues that may then be required, a certificate of membership shall be issued in the member’s name and delivered to the member by the Secretary, if the Board of Directors shall have provided for the issuance of certificates of membership under the provisions of Section 1 of this Article IX.

The LFA shall keep correct and complete books and records of account and shall also keep minutes of the proceedings of its members, Board of Directors and committees having any of the authority of the Board of Directors, and shall keep at its registered principle office a record giving the names and addresses of the members entitled to vote. All books and records of the LFA may be inspected by any member, or the member’s agent or attorney, for any proper purpose at any reasonable time. An address for the transaction of business shall be maintained by the Secretary with the approval of the Board of Directors.

The fiscal year of the LFA shall begin on the first day of October and end on the last day of September of the next year.

The Board of Directors may determine from time to time the amount of initiation fee, if any, and the annual dues payable to the LFA by members of each class.

When any member of any class shall be in default in the payment of dues for a period of 30 days from the date fixed by the Board of Directors for the payment of such dues, the member shall thereupon be deemed an inactive member and shall not be entitled to the privileges and rights of an active member. Such inactive member shall be reinstated as an active member with full privileges and rights immediately upon payment of the full amount due.

The Board of Directors shall provide a corporate seal, which shall be in the form of a circle and shall have inscribed thereon the name Lipizzan Federation of America and the words Incorporated in Arizona.

Whenever any notice is required to be given under the provisions of the Arizona Nonprofit Corporation Law or under the provisions of the Restated Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the LFA, waiver thereof in writing signed by the person or persons entitled to such notice, whether before or after the date stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to the giving of such notice.

These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed and new Bylaws may be adopted in accordance with the procedures and provisions of the Arizona Nonprofit Corporation Law by 1) the Board of Directors or, 2) at a duly constituted annual meeting of members by an affirmative vote of a least two-thirds of a quorum, as defined by Section 3.6, of the members either present at the meeting or represented by official ballot; provided, however, that notice of any proposed change shall have been given under the provisions of the Arizona Nonprofit Corporation Law and, further provided, however, that any proposed change shall thereafter be submitted to the members for approval by means of an official ballot. No more than three changes to the Bylaws will be allowed each year.

May 4, 2010

The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 4:14 p.m. PT by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, and Delphi Toth were present. Rennie Squier was not present.

2. Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Ms. Littorin offered a motion to approve the April 20th minutes, Mr. Lashinsky seconded the motion and the minutes were approved without further discussion.

3. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
The Bylaws committee had circulated by email the May 2nd version of the Bylaws and Ms. Boardman made a motion that the Bylaws version of May 2nd be accepted as the final version. Mr. Lashinsky seconded the motion. Ms. Littorin requested the Board to sign and date the signature page at the end of the Bylaws, to fax or scan it to Ms. Smith as soon as possible, and then to mail the original to Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith will email the Board with her fax number and mailing address. With regard to the status of the LFA’s Articles of Incorporation, Dr. Toth reported that she had been in contact with both of John Gliege’s daughters and that they would be contacting Mr. Iannuzzi regarding the LFA and the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT). Mr. Iannuzzi indicated that he would review the paperwork he’d received from Ms. Stephanie Gliege, an attorney in the state of Arizona, contact Ms. Gliege to determine what needs to happen, and then email the Board. The Board also reviewed its email vote that accomplished approving Melody Hull as the LFA’s first Registrar.
b. Rules and Regulations
Dr. Toth reported that she and Ms. Squier had discussed the Rules and Regulations over the phone and that Ms. Squier was going to consolidate the comments and redistribute the draft Rules and Regulations to the committee.

The rest of the working group reports were not addressed and the Board returned to discussing the distribution of the new Bylaws version to the members. Ms. Littorin suggested that the Bylaws wait to be officially distributed until Ms. Smith had received a fax or scan of the signed signature pages from the Board members. Ms. Littorin also suggested that the email lists be consolidated as soon as possible so that members could be contacted and encouraged to renew their membership. Mr. Duly suggested that the remaining tasks to accomplish unification be documented and a timeline be developed. Ms. Littorin will draft a letter to members that will accompany the distribution of the Bylaws announcing the formation of the LFA and suggested that the Bylaws could be distributed as soon as Friday, May 7th, pending the return of the signature pages. Ms. Smith offered to coordinate lists of priorities and tasks to be accomplished.
4. Annual Meeting Location
The Board discussed the location of the next annual meeting. Mr. Foley suggested the St. Francis retreat, San Juan Bautista, CA, convenient to the San Jose and San Francisco area airports, with reasonable conference rates. Mr. Foley remarked that the majority of members lived on the west coast and Ms. Littorin suggested that if the annual meeting is held on the west coast this year that the Board should promise to the members that the 2011 meeting will be either in the middle of the country or on the east coast. The Board agreed to assemble suggestions for other locations and to make a decision at the next meeting.

The Board agreed to meet again in two weeks on May 18th at 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. ET. The meeting adjourned at 4:49 p.m. P.T.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

April 6, 2010

The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 4:11 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Keith Duly, Tim Foley, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, Rennie Squier, and Delphi Toth were present. John Iannuzzi was not present.

Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Ms. Boardman offered a motion to approve the March 20th minutes, Mr. Lashinsky seconded the motion and the minutes were approved without further discussion.

1. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
Ms. Smith reported that she had added language to the Bylaws addressing the LFA/LPT interface and circulated it in the Bylaws committee. Ms. Boardman had agreed with the proposed language but that the committee had not received any comments from Mr. Iannuzzi. Ms. Smith had then circulated the proposed changes to the entire LFA Board but the Board agreed that without Mr. Iannuzzi’s input, the Board preferred to table the Bylaws discussion until all the Board members could be present. Dr. Toth offered to contact Mr. Iannuzzi to arrange a time and date when he could be available for the next meeting. Mr. Duly will be unavailable until April 18th but remarked that the changes were fine with him and to proceed without him.

The remainder of the agenda was not addressed. The meeting adjourned at 4:20 p.m. P.T.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We, the members of the LFA interim board want to thank you all for your patience and for the support which many of you have shown us through the long, long process of unification. We are very near the end now.

We are currently making the last few changes to the bylaws to incorporate the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust into the structure of the LFA and will be meeting again on the 6th of April to come to a final agreement.

We understand your frustration with the lack of communication from this board and with the amount of time this is taking. We have all felt it important to be sure we had a functional structure to which we all agreed to before sharing information with you which might not be complete.

We will be trying to keep you all informed as we progress from here. It will soon be time to get more folks on board for various committees to get our new organization off the ground and running.

We would also like to encourage you to support your current organization, whether that is LANA or USLR, by renewing your membership promptly. It is important that these organizations remain fiscally healthy until the merger is complete. Your membership dues paid to either USLR or to LANA will carry over to your membership in the LFA.

If you have specific questions you would like answered, please contact one of your board members, listed below.

Ingun Littorin (Acting Chair), Muffin Smith (Acting Secretary), John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Delphi Toth, Tim Foley, Keith Duly, June Boardman, Rennie Squier

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 3:10 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Keith Duly, Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, Rennie Squier, and Delphi Toth were present.

Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Mr. Lashinsky offered a motion to approve both the February 28th minutes and the corrected March 6th minutes. Mr. Iannuzzi seconded the motion and the minutes were approved without further discussion.

1. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
Ms. Smith opened the discussion of the Bylaws by referring to her email to the LFA Board of March 8th summarizing the proposal from the previous meeting. (From the previous meeting, the Interim LFA Board will be transitioned onto the Board of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust, the first Registrar will be chosen from this LPT, and the LPT will have a subordinate officer seat on the LFA Board to serve as liaison between the LFA and the LPT.) The Bylaws committee will prepare additions to the Bylaws to reflect the proposal and distribute it to the entire Board by the next meeting. The Board articulated the three-year transition plan from Interim Board to elected Board and clarified that Interim Board members leaving their seats would be permitted to immediately stand for election to return to the Board as an elected Director, thus preserving some continuity for the Board. The Board also reviewed the agreement that the Board would decide issues by consensus for the first two years after unification. After a brief discussion, the Board concurred the Bylaws committee should review the Bylaws and propose a modification to permit the Board to move to decision making by the majority as soon as the Board deemed feasible but not later than after the second year’s election when the majority of the Board would have been elected. Ms. Squier suggested that a status report be prepared summarizing the Board’s progress since the annual meeting in November 2009 and describing the LPT’s participation in the LFA and the function the LPT will be performing. Ms. Squier will put together a status report and circulate it by email to the Board for their review and approval before posting it to the list servers.

The remainder of the agenda was not addressed. The Board decided to meet on Tuesday, April 6th, at 4 p.m. P.T., 7 p.m. E.T. The meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m. P.T.

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The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 3:15 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Keith Duly, Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, Rennie Squier, and Delphi Toth were present.

Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Mr. Iannuzzi remarked that the minutes did not correctly reflect the Mr. Duly’s suggestion regarding the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT). Ms. Smith will review the meeting tape for the wording of Mr. Duly’s suggestion and report at the next meeting.

1. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
Mr. Iannuzzi reported on the progress made during the past week to expand the LPT Board to create vacancies for the LFA Interim Board. Currently, Mr. Iannuzzi, Dr. Toth, Mr. Lashinsky, and Mr. Duly are four of the eight members of the current LPT Board which can have up to eleven Board members. Mr. Iannuzzi continued that the LPT and the Lipizzan Association of North America (LANA) had agreed to go along with unification as long the LFA Bylaws were altered to reflect this new compromise that the LFA Interim Board would fill the vacancies on the LPT Board simultaneously with the rest of unification, enabling the LFA to choose its first Registrar from the LPT Board. Mr. Iannuzzi and Mr. Lashinsky indicated that they could resign from the LPT in order to accommodate the entire Interim LFA Board if necessary. Mr. Duly suggested that the issue to be decided was the degree of authority that the LPT would have in the LFA’s operations. Mr. Iannuzzi stressed that the LPT would only be involved with the Registrar. The Board discussed at length the issue of the LFA Board being able to choose the most qualified person to be Registrar, including considering people outside the LPT. Mr. Iannuzzi summarized the position of LANA and the LPT that the entire Interim LFA Board would be moved onto the LPT Board and then a Registrar would be chosen from the LPT. Ms. Smith suggested an approach to minimize changes to the Bylaws that establishes a subcommittee to the Registration Committee consisting of the entire LPT. Mr. Lashinsky cited as an alternative the Andalusian horse registry’s system of a Registration committee whose members were elected by the members and which oversaw the work of the Registrar. Ms. Squier suggested that if the LFA Board did its job correctly then the controls over the registration process and the data security included in the LFA Bylaws could be made more explicit to preclude history repeating itself. In this view, the LPT would be assured that pedigree records could not be misappropriated and would therefore need no active role in the LFA. Ms. Littorin suggested that to worry about an individual absconding with the paperwork in this era of databases and electronic backup copies was no longer as necessary as it might have been in the past. Mr. Lashinsky expressed the opinion that the LPT, as a separate organization, strengthens the U. S. Lipizzan community because there is a trusted pedigree situation that cannot be tampered with. Ms. Littorin suggested that to limit the LFA in perpetuity to only being able to choose a Registrar from the LPT was less than desirable when there were qualified candidates outside the LPT. It became clear that the procedural issue of the Registrar selection was central to the discussion. Mr. Lashinsky suggested the LFA Board be able to agree to choose the most qualified person who wanted to handle the Registrar duties regardless of organizational affiliation and independent of any political affiliation. Mr. Iannuzzi suggested a compromise over the period of three years that a known individual be initially selected as part of the startup. Mr. Iannuzzi also suggested a “compromise of the compromises” that as three Interim LFA Board members are replaced by elected Board members each of the first three years, that somehow the old Interim Board members be replaced on the LPT by their elected counterparts and that eventually the Registrar would not have to be a member of or be selected from the LPT. The Board agreed that it could be possible that as soon as the Interim LFA Board was off the LPT, the Registrar could be chosen from other than the LPT Board. Mr. Iannuzzi suggested that the Registrar come out of the Interim LFA Board as a members of the LPT Board, for the transitional three years and then the LFA Board would be able to appoint a Registrar outside the LPT and after that period all the Interim LFA Board would be phased out of the LPT as would the LFA Registrar. Ms. Smith offered to email this proposal around to the LFA Board. The Board concurred that the first Registrar will be chosen by majority vote of the LFA Board. Mr. Iannuzzi suggested three or possibly four Interim LFA Board members could be added to the LPT Board. Mr. Iannuzzi offered to email the LFA Board the list of current LPT Board.

The remainder of the agenda was not addressed. The Board decided to meet on Saturday, March 20th, at 3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET. The meeting adjourned at 4:44 p.m. P.T.

Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 3:07 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Keith Duly, Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, Rennie Squier, and Delphi Toth were present.

Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Mr. Foley offered a motion that the minutes of the February 14th LFA meeting be approved as presented, Ms. Littorin seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved without further discussion.

1. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
Mr. Iannuzzi opened the discussion with LANA’s list of three requirements to be added to the Bylaws in order for LANA to continue its participation in unification. (The LFA Board had received LANA’s email the day before on Saturday, February 27th. LANA’s three requirements were (1) that the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT) selects one of its Trustees to Chair the LFA’s Registration Committee, (2) that this Chair of the Registration Committee must have a voting seat on the LFA Board of Directors, and (3) that the LPT and this Chair will function as the LFA’s Registrar.) Ms. Squier, responding for ALBA, thanked Mr. Iannuzzi for revealing LANA’s requirements for unification, and stated that since LANA’s requirements gave complete control of the registration process to the LPT, that ALBA could not agree to LANA’s requirements. Ms. Littorin remarked that the issues LANA raised had been discussed and resolved in the past. Mr. Foley, on the USLR’s behalf, pointed out that LANA’s issues were settled in principle years before, that the Bylaws reflect the agreements already in place, and that to reopen these issues was regressive. He further stated that he would recommend to the USLR Board at its next meeting that the USLR remove itself from the unification process. Mr. Iannuzzi explained that the LPT was formed to prevent a person from unauthorized appropriation of pedigree papers and files. Ms. Squier and Ms. Littorin both stressed that with today’s technology that pedigree records no longer remain in one person’s hands but are stored electronically in multiple places so that such a misappropriation of data is no longer possible. Ms. Littorin remarked that to date inconsistencies between pedigree records maintained by the three organizations have been resolved without any intervention from the LPT. The lengthy discussion that followed served to document LANA’s discomfort with the existing Bylaws and the differences between the organizations’ views of the function of the LPT. Dr. Toth clarified that LANA did not want to move forward to approve the Rules and Regulations until the Bylaws were in place. Mr. Duly suggested an alternative approach that would reform the membership of the LPT at the same time or after unification had been accomplished and then the LFA Board would select the first Registrar from LPT members. Mr. Iannuzzi and Mr. Duly will work during the upcoming week to develop a plan that preserves ALBA’s and the USLR’s interests while addressing LANA concern about the safety of the pedigree data.

The remainder of the agenda was not addressed. The Board decided to meet on Saturday, March 6th at 3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET. Mr. Iannuzzi offered a motion to adjourn and Ms. Littorin seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 4:31 p.m. P.T.

Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
________________________________________________________________________________________________
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 1:37 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. Keith Duly, Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, Rennie Squier, and Delphi Toth were present. Dr. Toth is acting for John Gliege in his absence. June Boardman was not present.
Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Mr. Lashinsky offered a motion that the minutes of the January 10th LFA meeting be approved as presented, Ms. Littorin seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved without further discussion.
Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation
Ms. Smith reported that she had circulated the Articles of Incorporation to the Board and had also emailed a summary of the changes that should be addressed to bring the Articles into agreement with the Bylaws to the Bylaws committee. She remarked that she had also asked Mr. Iannuzzi if a new statutory agent was needed in Mr. Gliege’s absence.
b. Rules and Regulations
Ms. Squier reported that she had contacted the members of the Rules and Regulations committee and apologized for the misunderstanding regarding the LANA representative. The LANA representative to this committee will be Dr. Toth in John Gliege’s absence. Ms. Squier also mentioned that she had been expecting comments back from the Board members but had received none. She remarked that the Rules and Regulations committee hopes the entire LFA Board should review the proposed Rules and Regulations and be prepared to discuss them and hopefully vote to approve them at the next meeting. She also stressed that the committee felt it was very important for the Board to review them to address any possible points of concern.
Bylaws discussion resumed
The Board returned to discussing the Bylaws. Mr. Iannuzzi remarked that the LANA Board had met after the last LFA meeting and reminded the LFA Board that all three organizations had agreed in 2006 that the LFA would work by consensus. In a letter to the LFA Board dated February 12, 2010, the LANA Board listed four issues in the Bylaws that the LANA Board believed must be settled before the unification could be completed. Ms. Littorin remarked that the first and fourth requirements are already addressed in the Bylaws. With regard to the first requirement, the Bylaws already include the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT) as one of possibly several official repositories of Lipizzan pedigrees because the LPT will serve as the official backup of the pedigree database. Mr. Iannuzzi countered that the issue was not the location of the pedigree data but of the right to reject a pedigree if it was not a purebred Lipizzan. Because this issue of a possible question of whether a horse is purebred had been addressed in previous LFA meetings, the Bylaws also include the provision for an LPT review of the pedigree of any new imported horse or any U.S. horse whose parents are not already registered before LFA registration papers are issued and a procedure to resolve any disagreement between the LFA Registration Committee and the LPT over any pedigree subject to the LPT’s review. The fourth requirement, that an interim Board member from each of the three organizations be replaced by elected directors for each of the first three years, was agreed to in 2007 at Tempel Farms and also already exists in the Bylaws. However, it became apparent that a discrepancy exists between Mr. Gliege’s statements in Las Vegas that the LANA Board had already accepted the Bylaws and Mr. Gliege’s notes to the LANA Board citing the availability of a comment period. Mr. Iannuzzi remarked that the LANA Board had not yet voted to approve the LFA Bylaws and that Mr. Gliege had not been authorized by the LANA Board to cite LANA’s approval. After further discussion, it became clear that there was no consensus on LANA’s second requirement, the reservation of a permanent and irrevocable seat on the LFA Board for an LPT Director. Ms. Littorin suggested the LFA Board could consider the third requirement, that an LPT Director have a permanent seat on the LFA’s Registration Committee, and Mr. Iannuzzi agreed to discuss this with the rest of the LANA Board within the next few days. Mr. Iannuzzi also offered that the LPT was willing to serve on the LFA Registration Committee but Mr. Duly remarked that not all the LPT Board members had been consulted. The Board also recalled that the LPT had voted to not include three members of the LFA Rules and Regulations committee as agreed to at the 2007 Tempel Farms meeting. Mr. Duly offered to email to Mr. Iannuzzi and Dr. Toth copies of letters he had received in October 2007 from several LPT Directors approving the additional members as evidence that some LPT Directors were not included in either the LPT’s decision making process or in the discussions of incorporating the LPT into the LFA.
Membership lists
The Board then turned to Mr. Foley’s previous request that LANA provide its membership list for the purpose of communicating with the members of all three organizations simultaneously. Mr. Iannuzzi returned that the membership list would not be available until the unification is complete.
The remainder of the agenda was not addressed. Ms. Smith will email the Board to determine if the Board could meet again in a week. Ms. Littorin offered a motion to adjourn and Ms. Smith seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 2:33 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
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MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 1:33 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Keith Duly, Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith, Rennie Squier, and Delphi Toth were present. Dr. Toth is acting for John Gliege in his absence.
Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Mr. Lashinsky offered a motion that the minutes of the January 10th LFA meeting be approved as presented, Mr. Iannuzzi seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved without further discussion.
Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
Mr. Iannuzzi suggested that a vote of the LFA Board was needed to approve the draft Bylaws. Ms. Littorin reminded the Board that the Bylaws had been announced to the members at the 2009 Annual Meeting as approved by all three organizations. Mr. Iannuzzi remarked that the Lipizzan Association of North America (LANA) Board had never voted to approve the draft Bylaws, that John Gliege didn’t have the authority to agree to the LFA draft Bylaws for the LANA Board, and further offered a change to the Bylaws to give the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT) a seat on the LFA’s Board. Dr. Toth continued that the LANA Board did not forgo the 30 day comment period after the annual meeting and therefore was offering changes. Ms. Littorin stressed that changes to the Bylaws could be developed during the year and voted on at the next annual meeting. Mr. Iannuzzi remarked that he would discuss this further with Dr. Toth and Mr. Lashinsky before the next LFA Board meeting.
b. Rules and Regulations
Ms. Squier reported that after circulating the proposed Rules and Regulations that to date she had only received two comments. Dr. Toth remarked that John Gliege had wanted to review the Rules and Regulations more closely and still had comments to supply to the committee. The LFA Board will review the proposed Rules and Regulations and prepare to discuss them at the next meeting.
c. Finance
Mr. Lashinsky remarked that he had contacted Melody Hull, LANA Treasurer, and was pleased to report that she was willing to continue to serve on the LFA’s Finance committee. Ms. Smith will ask Lyn Schaeffer, USLR Treasurer, to forward the USLR’s financial reports to Ms. Squier so the committee can begin consolidating financial information. Ms. Squier remarked that the Finance committee’s recommendations, developed in 2007, needed updating but that communication between committee members had been excellent and she expected to have a report by the next meeting.
d. Database
Ms. Squier commented that the Rules and Regulations need to be in place in order to proceed with the reconciliation of pedigree databases. Mr. Lashinsky reported that the software LANA is currently using will interface with the database software that ALBA and the USLR are using for their combined database.
Discussion of Additional Committees and their Responsibilities
Ms. Littorin remarked that the LFA has been designed to be transparent in its decision making and to allow for member participation. Committees should be identified that reflect the organization’s priorities so that members can begin to participate in the organization by volunteering for committee work. Each Board member will be responsible for directing at least one committee’s efforts and will report its activities at Board meetings. Ms. Littorin suggested that all Board members submit a list of committees that will be needed to get the organization operational. Ms. Boardman remarked that the Breeding Committee needed to begin its work quickly so that evaluations could be planned for this year. The Board discussed the needed for evaluations and for educational seminars to make sure breeding programs support the breed standard. Ms. Lashinsky pointed out that a Membership committee needed to be organized to promptly address membership renewals.
Officer Selection
The Board postponed the selection of officers until the next meeting.
Additions to the Agenda
- Timeline
Mr. Duly offered to identify functions needed to be in place so the organization can begin operations by the USLR’s proposed deadline of July 1st. The Board concurred that biweekly meetings would help maintain forward momentum.
- Letter from the USLR Board
Mr. Foley reviewed the letter to the LFA Board from the USLR Board which suggests a timeline to unification, frequent communications with members, and the exchange of member address lists. The Board agreed that the approved meeting minutes could be published and Ms. Littorin offered to draft a cover letter for the first distribution of minutes. The Board also discussed emailing minutes to members. Ms. Littorin remarked that LANA should supply its email addresses so that a unified mailing list could be developed and Mr. Iannuzzi offered to have an answer for this request by the next Board meeting. Mr. Iannuzzi also offered to focus the LANA Board’s attention on approving the draft Bylaws by the next meeting.
Next Meeting Date
The Board decided to meet again Sunday, February 14th at 1:30 p.m. PT.
The meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 1:35 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Keith Duly, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Muffin Smith and Rennie Squier were present. Tim Foley, John Iannuzzi, and John Gliege were not present. Mr. Duly has replaced Lyn Schaeffer as a U.S. Lipizzan Registry (USLR) representative.
Approval of Past Meeting Minutes
Mr. Lashinsky offered a motion that the minutes of the 2009 LFA Annual Meeting minutes be approved as presented. Ms. Boardman seconded the motion. Mr. Lashinsky offered a second motion that the meeting minutes for August 20th, September 20th, October 4th, November 1st, and November 7th be approved as presented; Ms. Squier seconded the motion and all the minutes were approved without further discussion.
Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
Bylaws were approved at the 2009 LFA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. Ms. Smith remarked that since the meeting she had received some comments from USLR members. Ms. Littorin remarked that in order to keep the organization as open and transparent as possible, that Board members should respond appropriately and promptly to our members to acknowledge the receipt of their comments and to let them know the Board welcomes their suggestions. Ms. Smith will circulate the comments received to the rest of the Bylaws committee. Ms. Smith will contact Mr. Iannuzzi to see if he is willing to make the necessary changes to the Articles of Incorporation to make them consistent with the Bylaws.
b. Rules and Regulations
Ms. Squier reported that the Rules and Regulations had been very carefully put together by the original committee and could now be considered complete since Mr. Gliege had reviewed them and his comments incorporated. She will circulate the final version of the Rules and Regulations, dated 11/22/2009 and reissued 1/11/2010, to the Board. Mr. Lashinsky will meet in the coming weeks with the Lipizzan Association of North America (LANA) Board to discuss appointing a third LANA representative to the LFA Board by the next LFA meeting.
c. Finance
Ms. Squier reported that she has been unable to contact Melody Hull, LANA Treasurer and LANA representative to the LFA Finance committee. Mr. Lashinsky will call her to ask her if she is willing to continue to represent LANA and to let her know that the LFA Board hopes she is still willing to represent LANA. Ms. Littorin remarked that the Finance committee also needs to begin discussing the details of combining assets and deciding who will be the Finance officer.
d. Database
Ms. Squier commented that the Rules and Regulations need to be in place in order to proceed with the reconciliation of databases. She stressed that an important consideration is to choose software that permits the LFA to easily exchange data with other organizations such as the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT) and the Lipizzan International Federation (LIF). The previous recommendation from the Database committee was to continue with some version of FileMaker software due to its ability to exchange database with LANA’s database. Mr. Lashinsky will check with Sandy Heaberlin, LANA’s registrar, to ascertain what software LANA is currently using.
Officer Selection
The Board postponed the selection of officers until all three organizations were fully represented on the LFA Board.
Committee Responsibilities
The Board discussed at length the importance of identifying and forming additional committees and getting members with business experience involved. Committees to combine newsletters, to organize merchandise, and to do general fundraising were suggested. Ms. Littorin stressed the need to outline priorities before getting members actively involved. As the next step, Ms. Littorin suggested that the Board members give her lists of committees they believe will be needed going forward so that committees can be set up and then member participation can be solicited.
Additions to the Agenda
Mr. Duly introduced the USLR’s suggestions that a timeline for consolidation was needed and that the LFA Board should meet more frequently to help complete the consolidation expeditiously. He cited the USLR membership’s frustration with the length of time the consolidation was taking and suggested holding a special meeting for all parties to identify the “roadblocks” so they can be addressed. Ms. Littorin remarked that contention over the Bylaws had slowed progress but that with approved Bylaws in place, the process should proceed more quickly and suggested holding meetings every two weeks. Ms. Smith remarked that the USLR is being pressed by its members for the LFA to publish a timeline for consolidation with milestones. She also suggested that a new statutory agent be selected. Ms. Littorin suggested that a timeline be discussed at the next meeting as soon as a third LANA representative has joined the LFA Board, along with committee assignments.
Next Meeting Date
The Board decided to meet again Sunday, January 31st at 1:30 p.m. PT.
The meeting adjourned at 2:26 p.m. P.T
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
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MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 5:09 p.m. P.T. in Las Vegas with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, Muffin Smith and Rennie Squier were present. Gary Lashinsky and John Iannuzzi were not present.
Next Steps Toward Unification
Ms. Littorin began the discussion by stressing the need to resurrect the existing committees, now that the Bylaws are in place, and the need to review the committees’ past recommendations. In particular, the recommendations of the Registration Committee should be reviewed given the changing economic conditions, especially in light of the changes in registrations. Currently, the members of the Registration Committee are Ms. Squier (ALBA), Mr. Gliege (LANA), Ms. Melinda Suydam (USLR), and Mr. Jeff Kelly. Ms. Squier will be sending Mr. Gliege the recommendations already developed in 2007. The Board discussed the need to bring in one new committee member per organization to both the Finance Committee and the Registration Committee in January. A committee member with CPA or finance background would be a desirable addition to the Finance Committee. Ms. Littorin stressed the need for the Board to consider what additional committees might be helpful and suggested a phone conference in two weeks to prioritize the addition of new committees. She also remarked the need for procedures to ensure the accountability and the reporting requirements of these committees to the Board. The Board concurred that the best way to keep the unification moving and give credibility to the LFA was to keep the membership involved in and informed of progress. Ms. Gliege will contact Ms. Melody Hull to see if she wants to continue on the Finance committee or will find a replacement to represent LANA on that committee. Ms. Littorin suggested that committee responsibilities will be assigned at the next Board meeting. The Board will also consider assigning officers at the next Board meeting. The Board decided to meet again Sunday, November 22nd, at 1:30 p.m. PT.
The meeting adjourned at 5:22 p.m. P.T
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lipizzan Federation of America
Annual Meeting
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 7th, 2009
American Lipizzan Breeders Association: Ingun Littorin, June Boardman, Rennie Squier
Lipizzan Association of North America: John Gliege
United States Lipizzan Registry: Tim Foley, Lyn Schaeffer, Muffin Smith
Opening Remarks
At approximately 11:40 a.m., Ms. Littorin, Chairperson of the Lipizzan Federation of American (LFA) Interim Board of Directors, called the meeting to order and opened the meeting with a brief history of the attempts to unify the three Lipizzan organizations in the United States, acknowledging that some people in the Lipizzan community had worked toward this goal for more than twenty-five years. She continued that in the past two years the efforts to unify have been more concerted and have resulted in a consensus between the three organizations.
Bylaws
Ms. Littorin then announced that a set of draft LFA Bylaws, dated October 27, 2009, had been approved by the Interim LFA Board and by the Boards of all three organizations. Ms. Littorin continued that the current draft Bylaws was not perfect but that the LFA could live with this draft with the understanding that modifications will be necessary in the future and that there is a process in place to modify these Bylaws. A Bylaws committee will always be available to receive changes and concerns, to develop amendments as needed, and that probably every year the members would be asked to vote on amendments to the Bylaws. However, the number of modifications presented by the Bylaws committee each year would be limited in number so that changes would not be chaotic; Bylaws guide the organization’s functioning so there will be a limit to the number of amendments that can be voted on and implemented each year. Much hard work has been spent on the Bylaws but a lot more hard work will be necessary to finish the unification. Now, with the Bylaws in place, the work to combine the three treasuries, to develop the Rules and Regulations, and to admit members to the organization, can be completed. Several committees are already in place for these efforts and will be asking for volunteers in the coming year.
With the Bylaws now in place, the Interim LFA Board is also assuming that by next year’s meeting, we will truly be one organization.
Mr. Gliege stated his concurrence with Ms. Littorin.
Mr. Foley stated the USLR representatives also concurred but that their concurrence was subject to the memberships’ recommendations to the USLR Board to participate and move forward and that the USLR had intended that their members have a 30-day comment period before fully concurring.
Ms. Littorin reminded the audience that the Bylaws were not perfect and that going forward, the members would have the opportunity to comment and to propose changes but that this initial draft Bylaws would be the starting point. Ms. Littorin remarked that all three organizations had concerns and that changes were virtually guaranteed for the future.
Ms. Littorin then opened the floor to questions. A member of the audience remarked that the USLR, as a member-driven organization, could not completely accept the draft Bylaws and Mr. Foley remarked that the purpose of the 30-day comment period was to allow USLR members to review the draft and comment to the USLR Board. Ms. Littorin reminded the audience that there were no members yet in the LFA and therefore USLR members should not hold up the concurrence of the Bylaws by the USLR representatives on the LFA Board. Mr. Foley returned that without the USLR members’ authorization, he could not yet give the USLR’s concurrence as a member of the LFA Board. Ms. Squier remarked that everyone should read the Bylaws as a potential member of a new organization, rather than as an existing organization. Ms. Littorin stressed that LFA members, once there are LFA members, should address their comments to the LFA Bylaws committee. A member of the audience asked for a timeline for the rest of the unification processes. Ms. Littorin continued that many details need to be worked out, that committees will be active to complete various aspects of the unification, and that a timeline will be developed in the near future. She referred to the work of the Finance committee and the Rules and Registration committee in 2007 reported at the Tempel Farms Annual Meetings as mostly completed but with some issues remaining and some work still to be finished.
Mr. Foley stressed that the USLR representatives wanted the USLR membership to have the opportunity to express any concerns about the draft Bylaws that might keep the USLR from continuing to move forward toward unification. Ms. Littorin remarked that member concerns would be handled through the Bylaws amendment process at the next annual LFA meeting. Members of the audience suggested that a communiqué announcing the draft Bylaws be free of the ambiguity between Ms. Littorin’s and Mr. Foley’s statements.
Ms. Littorin thanked the members of the Interim LFA Board for their hard work in developing a Bylaws document that made sense.
The meeting adjourned for lunch at noon.
The meeting reconvened at 1:17 p.m. for further discussions and questions. Members of the USLR suggested shortening the review period. Ms Littorin stressed that after the review if any changes were suggested by the USLR that the Bylaws process would be reset to the beginning. The majority of opinions expressed by the audience indicated that the USLR members present wished to shorten or entirely forego the comment period planned by the USLR Board. The USLR Board expressed that they had expected to be able to offer their members a 30 day comment period and that they believed this had been agreed to at the last LFA meeting but apparently there had been a misunderstanding during the last LFA meeting and the other LFA representatives had believed that a consensus to accept the current draft of the LFA Bylaws had been reached. Mr. Gliege expressed LANA’s position that if many changes are proposed at the end of 30 days that LANA would hold its own meeting next year and that unification would not be possible.
Because the USLR members present in the audience wished to hear the USLR Board’s concerns with the draft LFA Bylaws, the LFA meeting adjourned temporarily at 1:50 p.m. in order to allow the USLR Board to reconvene its Annual Member Meeting.
The LFA meeting reconvened at 2:25 p.m. after the adjournment of the USLR Annual Member Meeting. The USLR representatives were able toforward the LFAdraft Bylaws on to the LFA Board with their approval.
Ms. Littorin stated that a list of additional work to be accomplished is being developed.
Finance
The LFA’s Finance Committee members, Ms. Schaeffer (USLR), Ms. Squier (ALBA), and Ms. Melody Hull (LANA), have not met this year but Ms. Schaeffer remarked that the committee had found no major impediments to combining the treasuries of the respective organizations.
Registration
The Registration Committee members are Ms Squier (ALBA), Mr. Gliege (LANA), and Ms. Melinda Suydam (USLR). Ms Squier reported that the Registration Committee delivered its recommendations and only three or four differences exist between the USLR and LANA Rules and Regulations for registering Lipizzans, none of which were major sticking points. The Registration committee also addressed some additional issues not mentioned by the USLR or the LANA Rules and Regulations and also developed some recommendations for merging and vetting the two organizations’ databases so that the LFA could begin keeping records. Ms. Littorin stressed the importance of developing deadlines for the completion of the committees’ work.
2010 Meeting
The LFA Board briefly discussed the location for next year’s meeting. Mr. Gliege remarked that during their 2010 U.S. tour, the Spanish Riding School will be in Kentucky in conjunction with the world championships as well as other cities. Ms. Courtney Niemuth, Program Manager for Tempel Farms, offered to take back to Tempel management the suggestion that the LFA meet at Tempel Farms. Ms. Littorin thanked Ms. Niemuth for her gracious invitation. The members were asked to email their respective organizations with suggestions for the 2010 meeting location.
Ms. Littorin thanked the members for their attendance and their comments. The meeting was adjourned at 2:48 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

1. Roll Call of Board Members:
The eleventh scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 1:32 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, Ingun Littorin, Gary Lashinsky, Lyn Schaeffer, and Muffin Smith were present. Rennie Squier and John Iannuzzi were not present.
2. Bylaws Discussion
The Board discussed at length how to best address the changes that each organization would like to see made to the Bylaws. Ms Littorin suggested that an addendum to the Bylaws be developed that lists issues yet to be worked out.
Mr. Lashinsky made a motion that the Bylaws document from the last Board meeting be approved and presented to the members at the annual meeting. Mr. Gliege seconded the motion.
In the discussion that followed, the Board discussed taking member comments at the meeting and also beginning to plan for other steps and activities needed to continue moving the consolidation forward. Mr. Gliege suggested that each organization develop its own method of approving the draft Bylaws and pointed out that until the three organizations agree on a version of Bylaws that the separate organizations are still functioning separately.
After lengthy discussion, the Board adopted Mr. Lashinsky’s suggestion to give the members of all three organizations thirty days to return their comments to the Bylaws committee. The Bylaws committee would use the members’ comments to develop recommendations and a final version of the Bylaws for the Board’s approval. The version of Bylaws to be distributed is the version dated October 27th and the Board concurred that the Bylaws would not be distributed until the meeting date. After the meeting, the Bylaws committee would then receive members’ comments through December 10th and present a revised version of the Bylaws to the Board to review by January 2nd. The Board agreed to meet sometime during the second week of January to approve the final version of the Bylaws and to then turn their attention to the Finance, Rules and Regulations, Database, and other committees needed to complete the consolidation of the three organizations.
The meeting adjourned at 3:42 p.m. P.T
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

1. Roll Call of Board Members:
The tenth scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 1:47 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Lyn Schaeffer, Rennie Squier, and Muffin Smith were present. Ingun Littorin was not present.
2. Approval of Minutes
Mr. Iannuzzi offered a motion to approve the minutes of the August 20th meeting and Mr. Foley seconded the motion. Mr. Gliege suggested that the discussion of the draft Bylaws should be more completely described and Ms. Smith offered to review the meeting tape, revise the minutes and redistribute them
3. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
The Board discussed the changes made to the latest version of the draft Bylaws distributed by the Bylaws committee since the last meeting. The most recent version includes the description of the Registration Committee and the Registrar’s duties including the role the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT) as a final official repository of pedigrees.
The Board discussed at length issues regarding the process of pedigree approval and developed several agreements that will define the interface of the LFA with the LPT. The first of these was Mr. Gliege’s suggestion that in the case of the LPT identifying problems with a pedigree approved by the LFA Registrar, that an independent arbitration procedure that relied on the decision of outside experts be used. The Board concurred that no registration should be issued for a horse until the LFA and the LPT agree on the correctness and completeness of its pedigree. But there were concerns about the LPT effectively having a “veto” over an LFA decision, that the LPT’s review process would add a delay by reviewing all pedigrees presented for registration, and that the LPT was assuming a role larger than the previously agreed upon role as archival database. This discussion also returned to an unresolved issue from previous meetings that the LPT remains a closed organization which has not disclosed its internal procedures regarding the registration of horses and the selection of trustees. The Board resolved the issue of disputed registrations by adopting Ms. Boardman’s suggestion that the LPT review horses either with parents unregistered with the USLR or LANA or with no DNA on file. The Board expected that some horses coming into the United States might fall into this category but that most U.S. horses already are registered and have been DNA tested. Disputes between the LPT and the LFA would then be resolved by Mr. Gliege’s outside arbitration process. Ms. Smith will add wording to the Registration Committee section of the draft Bylaws to describe this process.
The Board then turned to reviewing Mr. Gliege’s other comments on the draft Bylaws. The Board clarified in Section 2.1.A.i that in order to apply for Regular Membership, a person must own a registered Lipizzan rather than one simply eligible for registration. In Section 2.1.A.ii.a, the Board agreed that Lifetime Membership would continue for the natural life of the person to whom it was awarded regardless of whether that person continued to own Lipizzans. Since the privilege of voting is limited to members owning Lipizzans, the Board discussed giving members a grace period after losing their Lipizzans to acquire another one before losing their right to vote; Mr. Lashinsky offered to check the Andalusian Society’s bylaws for appropriate wording. In Section 2.11.A, the Board agreed that in the future some standards should be written for the Board to follow when suspending or expelling members so that their actions are not arbitrary or capricious. With regard to Section 4.3.C, the Board discussed whether electronic signatures were acceptable on nominating petitions but decided to require original signatures. In Section 6.3, the Board decided that the Registrar would serve a three-year term without limit to the number of terms that could be served and to require thirteen years of experience in the ownership and study of Lipizzans and their pedigrees to qualify as Registrar. Instances of typos and several other minor clarifications were also identified and a signature page for the directors to approve and adopt the Bylaws will be added to the end of the document.
Ms. Smith will revise the draft Bylaws and redistribute them to the Board.
b. Rules and Regulations
Due to the length of the Bylaws discussion, Rules and Regulations were not discussed.
c. Finance
Due to the length of the Bylaws discussion, Finance was not discussed.
d. Database
Due to the length of the Bylaws discussion, Database issues were not discussed.
4. Discussion of Webcasting the Annual Meeting
Mr. Gliege suggested and the Board agreed that the responsibility for webcasting the 2009 Lipizzan Symposium could lie with the members who had approached various members of the Boards of the organizations. The webcasting would be entirely arranged and paid for by the members with the stipulation that the LFA would receive a licensing fee for each person viewing the webcast equal to the cost of all meetings that person would not be attending in person.
5. Additions to the Agenda
There were no additions to the agenda.
6. Set Next Meeting Date
The Board agreed to meet again Sunday, October 11th at 1:30 p.m. PT.
The meeting adjourned at 3:24 p.m. P.T
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

1. Roll Call of Board Members:
The ninth scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 12:16 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Lyn Schaeffer, and Muffin Smith were present. Ingun Littorin and Rennie Squier were not present.
2. Approval of Minutes
Mr. Iannuzzi offered a motion to approve the minutes of the July 28th meeting. Mr. Lashinsky seconded the motion and the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Ms. Smith will distribute the approved version to the Board.
3. Donation of Auction Funds to Karl Mikolka
Mr. Gliege offered the LANA Board’s proposal that funds from the 2008 Symposium auction being held for the startup of the LFA be donated instead to Karl Mikolka to help him and his family during his illness and resulting inability to carry on with his normal schedule as a show of appreciation for his many years of hard work and support of the Lipizzan breed. After lengthy discussion, the Board expressed deep sympathy for Mr. Mikolka’s situation but agreed instead to establish an email campaign requesting donations from the members of the three Lipizzan organizations. Mr. Gliege will write a letter to members, Ms. Schaeffer will email it to members whose email addresses are current, and the upcoming newsletter will mention the fundraising efforts.
4. Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
The Board discussed the changes made to the latest version of the draft Bylaws distributed by the Bylaws committee since the last meeting. The Board changed Section 6.2, Breeders Committee, to more completely specify that the LFA Breed Standard would be the 2001 LIF Breed Standard and that the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust would be a final official repository of pedigrees. The Board also reviewed the duties and responsibilities of the Breeders Committee. The Bylaws committee expected to be able to make the changes, standardize the formatting, find and correct any remaining typographical errors, and redistribute the draft by early the following week for final approval by the rest of the Board.
b. Rules and Regulations
Mr. Gliege remarked that he is still reviewing the proposed Rules and Regulations and will contact Ms. Squier to resolve some issues that remain outstanding and hoped to be able to report back to the Board at the next meeting.
c. Finance
Ms. Schaeffer reported that the Finance working group has more work to do before presenting a plan to the Board. Ms. Schaeffer remarked that the Finance group still needs to understand how the existing organizations will dissolve once the LFA forms. The Board designated the Finance working group to develop a proposal for dissolution of the three organizations for the next Board meeting.
d. Database
The Board briefly discussed the membership of the Database Committee but in Ms. Squier’s absence, database issues were tabled for the next meeting.
4. Additions to the Agenda
Email Approval of Bylaws
The Board agreed that a unanimous approval of the draft Bylaws could be accomplished by email in order to save time, once the Bylaws Committee distributes the final draft.
Articles of Incorporation
The Board briefly discussed amending the Articles of Incorporation to align them with the new Bylaws and Mr. Gliege promised to review the Articles in preparation for amending them.
5. Set Next Meeting Date
The Board agreed to meet again Sunday, September 20th at 1:30 p.m. PT.
The meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m. P.T
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Roll Call of Board Members:
The eighth scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 12:10 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, Rennie Squier, and Muffin Smith were present. John Iannuzzi joined the meeting a few minutes later.
Approval of Minutes
The Board approved the minutes of the May 28th and June 30th meetings. Ms. Smith will distribute the approved versions to the Board.
Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
The Board discussed several issues remaining from previous meetings.
Modifying the Rules and Regulations: The Board agreed to add language to the Bylaws to reserve the control of the Rules and Regulations to the Board itself so that members would not modify or ratify changes to the Rules and Regulations.
Voting Privileges for Lifetime Members: The Board resumed its discussion of whether Lifetime members who did not own a Lipizzan horse would still be entitled to the same voting privileges as regular (i.e. Lipizzan owning) members. LANA currently permits its Lifetime members to vote regardless of Lipizzan ownership; the USLR requires Lipizzan ownership. The Board discussed at some length whether Lipizzan horse ownership or Lipizzan breed knowledge was the key to voting privileges. Ms. Littorin offered a motion that all voting privileges required Lipizzan horse ownership; Ms. Squier seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of seven to two; Mr. Gliege and Mr. Iannuzzi were the dissenting voices. Ms. Schaeffer noted that the Bylaws needed a small grammatical modification to keep Lifetime Members from being included in the Regular Member category.
Breeders Committee:
Ms. Boardman read the responsibilities of the Breeders Committee for the Board to discuss. The Breeders Committee shall be responsible for:
! Overseeing and maintaining the established LFA Lipizzan Breed Standard through evaluations and inspections,
! Training and Continuing Education of Judges and Breeders,
! Compiling performances and show results, as well as evaluations and inspections,
! Maintaining and updating all necessary records for the USDF and USEF awards programs, and
! Forwarding performance and show results, evaluations, and inspections to the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust for inclusion in the Database or to the LFA Registrar or to both.
The Board concurred that the Board of Directors would appoint the members of the Breeders Committee in the same manner as all committees are assigned in the Bylaws. Ms. Littorin remarked that members of the Breeders Committee required a greater depth of knowledge and experience with the Lipizzan than other committees consisting of members and the Board agreed that the Rules and Regulations would describe more completely the necessary qualifications for the Breeders Committee. The Board recognized that the questions of what breed standard was acceptable and to whom pedigree information was forwarded remained unanswered. After discussion, the Board agreed that the Lipizzan International Federation’s Breed Standard issued in 2001 would be used as the LFA’s official Breed Standard. The Board also concurred that the adjudication function that pedigree questions that could not be resolved by the Registrar would be assigned to the Breeders Committee and would be further described in the Rules and Regulations as procedural issues. The Board affirmed that the LPT would be the archive of all approved data, the official final repository of all approved pedigree information, and that only after the LFA Registrar has resolved all questions, would the LFA Registrar issue a pedigree and at the same time turn over the record to the LPT. The Board suggested that any continuing questions, beyond the Breeders Committee, would be resolved by the LFA Board of Directors to whom the LFA Registrar is ultimately responsible.
Quorum at Member Meetings
After some discussion, the Board decided that a quorum at a meeting of the members would be thirty percent of the LFA membership represented either in person at the meeting or by ballot.
Final Approval of Bylaws
Mr. Gliege made a motion to accept Mr. Iannuzzi’s draft bylaws subject to the changes made at this meeting and other Board member comments received, that the LPT be the final official repository of pedigree records, that the LIF Breed Standard of 2001 is the LFA’s Breed Standard, that a Breeders Committee be appointed and made custodian of the Breed Standard and adjudicate pedigree questions, that the Rules and Regulations not be subject to member changes, that thirty percent of the LFA membership either present or submitting a ballot constitutes a quorum, and that all members owning Lipizzan horses are entitled to vote. Mr. Lashinsky seconded the motion and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
b. Other working groups
No other working groups were discussed.
Additions to the Agenda
There were no additions to the agenda.
The meeting adjourned at 1:06 p.m. P.T
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Roll Call of Board Members:
The seventh scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 12:06 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, and Muffin Smith were present. John Gliege joined the meeting a few minutes later. Rennie Squier and John Iannuzzi were not present.
Approval of Minutes
Ms. Smith suggested that since she and Mr. Lashinsky were still working on his proposal for regional representatives during the May meeting, that the minutes were not ready for approval. The Board continued discussing Mr. Lashinsky’s proposed organizational structure based on regional representation. After some discussion of the pros and cons, the Board did not reach a consensus that this proposal was appropriate as a starting point for the new organization, although it could be reexamined once the organization was up and running. Ms. Littorin suggested that at this time implementing an organizational structure based on regions would delay unification by extending the time needed to research and fairly define the geographic regions and develop the procedures for nominating and electing regional representatives, thus requiring another rewrite of the Bylaws. The Board will keep the idea in mind for a future reorganization after the LFA has been in operation for some time. Ms. Smith will distribute the finished minutes for electronic approval by email.
Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
Before the meeting, Mr. Iannuzzi had circulated a revised draft Bylaws for discussion. The Board then turned to the draft Bylaws. The Board agreed that Life Members would be grandfathered in by their respective organizations, rather than the LFA Board, but that future Life Members would be voted in by the LFA Board. The Board also discussed whether Life Members must currently own a Lipizzan or have owned a Lipizzan in the past for some number of years in order to vote. The Board suggested the formatting be standardized. The Board asked that the wording of the Term of Membership section, 2.1.D not conflict with 2.2 in which active members of 60 days or more be allowed to vote. The Board asked that all references to Executive Committee and Executive Secretary be removed throughout the document. The Board discussed the language in 3.6, Quorums, and reaffirmed that a quorum for member meetings and Board elections was the number of members returning signed ballots or present at annual meetings.
The Board also suggested wording for the following articles and sections:
1.1.A “protect” rather than “improve and standardize”
2.8 Renewal of Membership – renewal notices to be sent out August 1 rather than October 1.
2.10 Suspension/Expulsion from Membership – “immediate” rather than “emergent”
3.1 Annual Meeting – omit the phrase “during October” so that the annual meeting is simply held before the end of November
4.1 Directors – omit the phrase “, and Directors Emeriti or Directors-at-Large, if any,” since Directors Emeriti and Directors-at-Large are not defined.
4.3.D “at least 60 days before the election” rather than “as of July 10”
4.7 Change the number of Directors that constitute a quorum to 2/3 rather than a majority.
The Board discussed at length implementing the LFA as an organization with regional representatives at its startup but there was no consensus reached on either including an option to go to regional representation after several years of operation or mentioning a preference for such an organizational structure in the Bylaws.
Although the issue of coordinating with the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT) is still to be resolved, most other issues are resolved and a set of bylaws should be ready for the Board’s review by the next meeting.
b. Other working groups
No other working groups were discussed.
Lipizzan Pedigree Trust
Mr. Gliege offered to draft language for the Bylaws that would illustrate how the LPT could be incorporated in the LFA and what role it would play. Mr. Gliege reported that the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust cannot be amended.
Breed Committee
The Board returned to the topic of the Bylaws to discuss the description of the Breed Committee circulated by Ms. Boardman. The Board concurred that the Breeders Committee should be a standing committee defined in the Bylaws along with their duties. The discussion turned to the Breed Standard. The Board generally agreed that following exactly the Standard used by the Lipizzan International Federation was not desirable since the LIF changed their standard periodically and the Board agreed that the LFA should establish its own standard rather than be subject to a changing standard over which we have no control. Mr. Gliege will circulate the Breed Standard used by LANA before the next meeting.
Additions to the Agenda
There were no additions to the agenda.
The meeting adjourned at 1:09 p.m. P.T. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, July 28th at noon P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Secretary
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MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Roll Call of Board Members:
The sixth scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 5:13 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, and Muffin Smith were present. Rennie Squier joined the meeting partway through.
Approval of Minutes
Ms. Schaeffer offered a correction to the May 7th draft minutes and the Board approved the corrected minutes.
Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
The Bylaws committee circulated a draft Bylaws for discussion. Mr. Iannuzzi reported that the Bylaws committee has reviewed most of the articles in the draft and that the committee members are mostly on the same page. Both Ms. Boardman and Ms. Smith have returned comments to Mr. Iannuzzi on the articles concerning membership and the meetings of members, on directors and officers, and on the Breeding Committee. Although the issue of coordinating with the LPT is still to be resolved, many other issues are resolved, the remaining ones are mostly administrative, and a set of bylaws should be ready for the Board’s review by the next meeting. During the quorum discussion, Mr. Lashinsky proposed an organizational structure composed of a Board of Directors at the national level along with a system of regional associations representing geographic divisions of the country. Constituents of each region or zone elect a regional representative to serve on the national Board of Directors along with the national Directors and Officers. Mr. Lashinsky proposed this structure because it would be an easily managed arrangement to start with for LFA. The regional constituents are represented by their regional representative along with the national Board. The Board overall concurred that such an organizational structure had advantages but that the additional layer of bureaucracy would require some method of dividing the nation into regions. The Board had also agreed in past LFA meetings that the individual members would elect the Board of Directors and that regional representatives would not fulfill that agreement. The Board discussed at great length the issue of quorums at annual meetings and for elections and concluded that the number of members who respond either by mail, email, or personal attendance at a meeting will constitute a quorum and a simple majority will decide the issue being voted on. The Board also concurred that lifetime members of any of the three organizations will be grandfathered into the LFA as lifetime members. This affects approximately five USLR members and approximately six LANA members. The Board also agreed that ex-Directors should not be granted Life Member status. The Board agreed that regular membership requires owning a Lipizzan. The Board discussed at length the advantages and disadvantages of different fiscal years and eventually decided to vote between the most discussed options, a fiscal year matching the calendar year, and a fiscal year beginning October 1st and ending September 30th of the following year. The roll was called and the October 1st to September 30th fiscal year was selected by a vote of 6 to 3. The Board concluded the Bylaws discussion with a general agreement to look into democratizing the LPT and making its operations more transparent to LFA members. Mr. Iannuzzi and Mr. Gliege will look into how the LPT can be modified. Mr. Gliege will email the trust agreement to Mr. Iannuzzi. Still to be decided are the approaches to folding the LPT into the LFA and making the LPT more transparent. Discussion of both issues will be continued at the next meeting as will a discussion of the methodology for approving pedigrees.
b. Other working groups
The Board decided to reschedule these discussions to future meetings in order to more fully discuss and resolve issues raised in the Bylaws.
Additions to the Agenda
There were no additions to the agenda.
The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. P.T. The next meeting will be held Thursday, June 25th at 5:00 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Meeting Secretary
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MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Roll Call of Board Members:
The fifth scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 5:05 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, Muffin Smith, and Rennie Squier were present.
Approval of Minutes
Citing no changes to the minutes of the March 5th and March 12th meetings since their distribution, Ms. Smith offered a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Ms. Schaeffer seconded the motion and the meeting minutes were approved.
Discussion of the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust
Mr. Gliege described the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust (LPT) as primarily interested in holding and protecting the pedigree records and as being an arbiter of the issue of who should be defining which Lipizzans are pureblooded. He reported that the Lipizzan Association of North American (LANA) Board believes that the LPT should be the sole arbiter of that decision. Ms. Littorin reminded the group that the original agreement was that an active database would be used on a day-to-day basis and backed up at regular intervals into the database that is the LPT. She also stressed that any question of whether a horse was pureblooded could be referred to the arbiter of the accepted international standard, such as the Lipizzan International Federation or its successor organization. Ms. Littorin asked Mr. Gliege and Mr. Iannuzzi to develop language for the bylaws that prevents the LFA Directors from changing the Rules and Regulations to allow the registration of non-pureblooded horses, i.e., horses whose parents are not both registered. Ms. Littorin identified as a problem, the fact that the LPT is in the control of a small Board of Directors who are not elected by any membership but instead appoint their own successors and that the LPT, while not representing the overall breadth of Lipizzan owners in the United States, wishes to control absolutely the decision of their horses as purebred or not. Mr. Iannuzzi agreed that the LPT should have transparency to the LFA membership. Ms. Littorin identified the need for a process to resolve any difference of opinion between the LFA registrar and the LPT on whether a horse to be registered is purebred. She also remarked that ALBA would like to see a proposal from the LPT on how it plans to change the membership of its Board to accept more directors from ALBA and the USLR. Mr. Foley remarked that adding representation from outside the LPT to the LPT Board would not in itself be sufficient for the USLR to agree to give the LPT veto power over registrations. Ms. Littorin remarked issues of pureblood should be identified and resolved in the registration process so that the LPT would simply be the archive and final audit of the pedigree data. Ms. Squier identified a concern with the Board in perpetuity of the LPT and how it could be adjusted to be democratic. Mr. Gliege suggested that the Trust document could be changed by approval of the trustees. Mr. Gliege promised to distribute documentation of the LPT. Ms. Littorin suggested that for the next meeting Mr. Gliege and Mr. Iannuzzi perhaps could develop a proposal to legally modify the Trust to be more transparent and democratic. On a separate issue involving the LPT, Mr. Gliege announced that Melinda Suydam, Jeff Kelly, and Rennie Squier had not been added to the Board of Directors of the LPT.
Working Group Reports
a. Bylaws
Mr. Iannuzzi reported that the Bylaws committee has reviewed most of the articles in the draft and that the committee members are mostly on the same page. Both Ms. Boardman and Ms. Smith have returned comments to Mr. Iannuzzi on the articles concerning membership and the meetings of members, on directors and officers, and on the Breeding Committee. Although the issue of coordinating with the LPT is still to be resolved, many other issues are resolved, the remaining ones are mostly administrative, and a set of bylaws should be ready for the Board’s review by the next meeting.
b. Finance
Ms. Squier reported that there has been no activity in the Finance committee.
c. Rules and Regulations
Ms. Squier reported that Mr. Gliege is still reviewing the Rules and Regulations recommendations but hopes to be able to discuss them at the next meeting.
d. Database Consolidation
Ms. Squier reported that the database consolidation issue is discussed in detail in the Rules and Regulations recommendations document including discussions of database suitability for the storage and maintenance of LFA records. Mr. Iannuzzi and Mr. Gliege added that the LPT does not specify certain software or hardware but rather that the data be kept in a cost efficient form.
Ms. Littorin’s April 22nd Letter To Members
Mr. Gliege stated that the letter by Ms. Littorin to members of all three Lipizzan organizations contained errors and because of those errors, LANA chose not to distribute the letter to its members. Mr. Gliege also remarked that the statement in Ms. Littorin’s letter that a set of bylaws had been completed in December 2008 was immaterial. (This bylaws draft is referenced in the LFA meeting minutes of January 9th, 2009, as tabled until the entire LFA Board had a chance to review it.) Mr. Gliege continued that the letter had also been emailed to USLR and ALBA members before the LANA representatives had reviewed it, thus the letter had not been approved by the entire LFA Board for distribution. Ms. Littorin graciously accepted the rebuke. The Board agreed that approved minutes should be posted on websites or distributed to members.
Additions to the Agenda
There were no additions to the agenda.
The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. P.T. The next meeting will be held Thursday, May 28th, at 5:00 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Meeting Secretary
________________________________________________________________________________________________
4/23/2009
Dear Members,
Below you will find an update regarding the progress being made toward the formation of the Lipizzan Federation of American as we work towards the unification of the three Lipizzan organizations in the United States, the American Lipizzan Breeders’ Association (ALBA), the Lipizzan Association of North America (LANA), and the United States Lipizzan Registry (USLR).
The LFA Interim Board met on Thursday, April 17th. In attendance were all the representatives of ALBA and USLR; however LANA could not attend due to late scheduling conflicts. The working meeting was tentatively rescheduled for May 7th when all Board members can be present. Those in attendance formulated a proposed agenda for the next meeting and discussed moving forward on the Steps to Consolidation still to be addressed. The committees formed at the Tempel Farm meeting in 2007 are working concurrently to plan the different aspects of unification.
The Rules and Regulations Committee is comprised of Jeff Kelly (Lipizzan Pedigree Trust), Melinda Suydam (USLR Registrar), John Gliege (LANA), and Rennie Squier (ALBA). The initial recommendations by this Committee were completed last year and submitted to the Interim Board, however since then; the LANA Board of Directors has raised new concerns. The Committee is waiting for LANA to finish their review and detail their issues and concerns. John Gliege has since resigned from the Committee and no new member has been appointed by LANA.
Rennie Squier (ALBA) and Jeff Kelly (Lipizzan Pedigree Trust) as the Database Committee are working on a consolidation plan. Their work is on hold until the Bylaws Committee has formalized the relationship between the LFA and Lipizzan Pedigree Trust. Once this is done work can start on finalizing the two pedigree databases and the resolution of their inconsistencies.
The Finance Committee made up of Melody Hull (LANA), Lyn Schaeffer (USLR), and Rennie Squier (ALBA) is updating its action items based on the financial position of the three organizations at the close of 2008 and pending decisions made in the bylaws. Currently there appears to be no major issues.
The Bylaws Committee has had some changes since the Florida meeting. Current members are June Boardman (ALBA) and Muffin Smith (USLR), and John Iannuzzi (LANA) and Bylaws is the area where we have made the least progress. In December, Susan Castle representing LANA, Lyn Schaeffer (USLR), and June Boardman (ALBA), completed a set of bylaws which was circulated to the three Boards of Directors for comments. This document is still under review by LANA. The LANA pedigree base – the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust – has again become an issue brought up by LANA although at the 2007 meetings at Tempel Farm, it was decided that the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust would be utilized as a secondary data storage and archive for the new Registry. The decisions regarding the content of the pedigree databases would rest solely in the hands of the LFA Directors. LANA again insists that the Lipizzan Pedigree Trust be the primary and sole repository of pedigree data and that the issue in non-negotiable. At the request of the LANA Board of Directors, the Committee also started to look into drafting a new set of Bylaws; however this has been a slow process.
The committee must also address the duties of the Directors and Officers, the levels of quorums required for Member and director voting at meetings and for elections, the election procedures themselves, and the conduct and duties of standing LFA committees especially the Breeders’ Committee. Until such time that the revolving issue of the LANA Pedigree Trust can resolved, the Bylaws Committee is unable to progress to addressing the other issues before them. However, the discussions are continuing and the rest of the committee hopes that this issue can be resolved at the next meeting on May 7th
So it is with considerable frustration but also with a clear vision of the benefits of unification that I ask you, the Members of all three organizations, to be patient and to continue your valued support of the LFA’s Directors’ efforts. We are determined to continue the process to unification and hope that the road will become smoother. To that effect, I ask all of you to voice your desires in this process and to discuss these with the representatives for each of the organizations you belong to, so that we can proceed into the future as full and equal partners and as friends, sharing a common goal.
Sincerely,
Ingun Littorin
President, American Lipizzan Breeders’ Association
Chairman, Lipizzan Federation of America Interim Board of Directors
________________________________________________________________________________________________
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Roll Call of Board Members:
The fourth scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 5:00 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, Gary Lashinsky, and Muffin Smith were present.
Approval of Minutes
The approval of the minutes of the March 5th meeting was tabled until a future meeting.
Discussion of Draft Bylaws
The Board resumed its discussion of the draft bylaws. Because Mr. Iannuzzi had not had time to review the draft distributed by Ms. Boardman and Ms. Schaeffer on March 4th,, the Board decided that the Bylaws committee should begin again with Mr. Iannuzzi’s draft and work within the committee to craft an agreement that the draft document reflects the needs of the LFA before releasing it to the rest of the Board members for review. The next meeting to review the draft is scheduled for April 2nd. Ms. Smith will temporarily take Ms. Schaeffer’s place on the Bylaws committee.
The next meeting will be held Thursday, April 2nd, at 5:00 p.m. P.T. The meeting adjourned at 5:12 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Meeting Secretary
________________________________________________________________________________________________
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Roll Call of Board Members:
The third scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 5:06 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, Muffin Smith, and Rennie Squier were present. Ms. Schaeffer had begun the recording of the meeting just after 5 p.m. P.T.
Approval of Minutes
No changes were made to the minutes of the LFA Board meeting held January 29, 2009.
Discussion of Draft Bylaws
The Board began its review of the draft bylaws distributed by Ms. Boardman and Ms. Schaeffer on March 4th. Mr. Iannuzzi, of the Bylaws Committee, had sent a boilerplate bylaws draft, originally planned for distribution on February 17th, to the Board on March 3rd. Ms. Boardman and Ms. Schaeffer, the other two members of the Bylaws Committee who had initially planned a week to redraft the boilerplate adding language to address the Lipizzan breed, redistributed the updated draft to the Board on March 4th. Mr. Gliege questioned the tracking of changes made between the two drafts and the Board decided that the document should stay in committee until completed. The Board decided that a week was needed for the Bylaws Committee to review its work and reach a consensus and for the Directors to review the resulting draft. The Board will continue its discussion of the draft Bylaws on March 12th.
Distribution of Meeting Minutes
The Board decided to distribute the minutes of the two previous LFA Board of Directors meetings to the members. Ms. Smith will use a mailing list that combines the membership lists of both the USLR and ALBA for distribution, while Mr. Gliege will be responsible for distributing the minutes to the LANA members in a separate emailing. Ms. Smith will email the minutes to be distributed to Mr. Gliege.
The next meeting will be held Thursday, March 5th, at 5:00 p.m. P.T. The meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Meeting Secretary
________________________________________________________________________________________________
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Roll Call of Board Members:
The second scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America (LFA) began at 5:05 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, Muffin Smith, and Rennie Squier were present. Ms. Schaeffer had begun the recording of the meeting just after 5 p.m. P.T.
Approval of Minutes
No changes were made to the minutes of the LFA Board meeting held January 9, 2009.
Agenda Development and Distribution
The Board decided that future meeting agendas should be circulated for comments and additions more in advance of the scheduled meetings so that the Board members will have more time to include items and make changes.
Revised Language for the LFA Amended Articles of Incorporation
The Board discussed whether the language of the Amended Articles of Incorporation was sufficiently specific on member approval of bylaws changes. The Board agreed on wording to be added to the Amended Articles of Incorporation that will refer to the Bylaws of the corporation for procedures to obtain approval of the members. Mr. Gliege will modify the Amended Articles of Incorporation and circulate them for comment. The Board revised the language of Resolution 4 that accepts the Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation and Ms. Schaeffer will redistribute Resolution 4 for review.
Draft Bylaws
The Board discussion of the LFA Bylaws draft began with a review of the changes proposed by Mr. Gliege and resulted in an offer by Mr. Iannuzzi to review various other organizations’ Bylaws and craft a boilerplate that establishes precise procedures for functions common to all member organizations, such as the inclusion and disposition of members as well as the voting procedures by which the members elect the Board of Directors and vote to approve other issues. Mr. Iannuzzi estimated that this process could be accomplished by February 17th. Ms. Boardman and Ms. Schaeffer will then add language specific to the protection, preservation, and promotion of the Lipizzan to the draft created by Mr. Iannuzzi. The draft Bylaws are estimated to be completed by February 24th. Ms. Schaeffer will forward the bylaws of the Appaloosa and Quarter Horse associations and Mr. Lashinsky will forward the bylaws of the Andalusian and Lusitano associations to Mr. Iannuzzi as examples of breed registry bylaws that have been vetted. Mr. Iannuzzi will join the Bylaws committee for this effort.
Rules and Regulations Discussion
The Board tabled the discussion of the revised Rules and Regulations for the Registration of Horses until the next meeting to give the Rules and Regulations committee time to review and revise their recommendations. Mr. Gliege will represent LANA on the committee.
LFA Database Plan
The discussion of the Database Plan was also tabled until the next meeting since the Database plan has not yet been circulated to the Board.
Distribution of Meeting Minutes
The LANA Board has not yet met to discuss distribution of the LFA minutes to LANA members but is expected to meet before the next LFA meeting.
Breed Standard Discussion
The Board discussed whether the Lipizzan International Federation (LIF) Breed Standard should be adopted or whether a standard should be adopted that will always prefer the original baroque type horse but will allow for the sport horse if not too extreme. Ms. Squier will redistribute the LIF Breed Standard for member comment and will incorporate those comments with the intent of creating a LFA Breed Standard distinct from the LIF Breed Standard. The description that all three organizations have agreed to is generally broad enough to include both the baroque and the sport horse type. Breeder education will keep the breed standard as promoted by the LFA from being used to engineer or permit undesirable extremes in offspring. Mr. Lashinsky will distribute the breed standard for the Andalusia horse as an example of another historic standard for the baroque horse. Mr. Gliege and Mr. Iannuzzi will also be continuing their work to develop language for the Bylaws to protect the Breed Standard from member modification.
2009 Annual LFA Meeting
Mr. Gliege volunteered to represent LANA on the committee that will plan the 2009 LFA annual member meeting. Jennifer Roth, USLR Vice President, and Ms. Squier, ALBA, had previously volunteered. The committee will develop recommendations for location and dates.
The next meeting will be held Thursday, March 5th, at 5:00 p.m. P.T. The meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Meeting Secretary
________________________________________________________________________________________________
MINUTES
LIPIZZAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

1. Roll Call of Board Members:
The first scheduled Board of Directors meeting of the Lipizzan Federation of America began at 5:03 p.m. P.T. by teleconference with a roll call of the Directors. June Boardman, Tim Foley, John Gliege, John Iannuzzi, Gary Lashinsky, Ingun Littorin, Lyn Schaeffer, Muffin Smith, and Rennie Squier were present.
2. Appointment of Meeting Chairperson
Ms Littorin accepted the group’s recommendation that she chair the meeting.
3. Appointment of Meeting Secretary and Discussion of Procedural Issues
Ms. Smith volunteered and was appointed Secretary for the meeting. Ms. Schaeffer began the recording of the meeting. Although the recording will be available for the Directors, the Directors determined that minutes will be prepared to summarize the meeting for the membership. Once approved by the Directors, meeting minutes will go out to members of all three organizations at the same time from the LFA recording Secretary. The individual organizations will coordinate developing a consolidated list of email addresses of all their members. Once the meeting minutes are available, the LANA Board will meet within a week to determine if the list of addresses and email addresses of their members, because of the list’s proprietary nature, can be released for this purpose. Minutes will be emailed or hardcopies will be mailed (when no email address is available) to members once the full mail/email database is compiled from all three organizations. The Directors also decided that each organization will pay one third of the teleconference costs quarterly. The Directors also agreed that meetings should be limited to an hour duration and that future Board meetings will be held Thursday evenings.
4. Additions to the Agenda
Additions to the agenda were deferred to the end of the agenda.
5. Resolution Accepting the LFA Board of Directors Transition and Election Plan
Ms. Schaeffer read the text of the LFA Board of Directors Transition and Election Plan and the Board accepted it. In order to have Resolution #7 accepting the plan signed by all the Directors, the resolution will be faxed from Director to Director, ending with Ms. Smith, Secretary, so that all signatures are collected on one page. The Directors will also mail an original of their signature on a printed copy of the resolution to Ms. Smith so that the Secretary will have all the original signatures. Along with the minutes, Ms. Smith will distribute an updated Steps to Consolidation document showing that the resolution was accepted in this meeting and showing the revised dates
6. Resolution Accepting the LFA Bylaws
Mr. Gliege moved that this item be tabled until such time as everyone has had time to review these Bylaws in the form we believe they’re supposed to be in and that this group has an opportunity to talk among themselves about it. The motion was seconded by Mr. Lashinsky. The Bylaws were distributed December 11, 2008 by email to the Board. This item will be on the next meeting’s agenda. Mr. Gliege will survey the LANA Board of Directors for their concerns and email the LFA Board within two weeks.
7. Resolution Accepting the LFA Rules and Regulations for Registration of Horses
Ms. Squier will forward to Mr. Lashinsky and Mr. Iannuzzi the proposed Rules and Regulations for Registration of Horses developed by the Rules and Regulations Committee. Mr. Gliege made a motion to table this item until the next meeting. Mr. Iannuzzi seconded the motion. Mr. Gliege will develop legally appropriate language to add to the document to protect the LFA in disputes arising over questions of ownership. The approval of this resolution was tabled until the next meeting to give more time to review the committee’s work.
8. 2009 Annual Meeting
The Board formed a committee to plan the 2009 LFA annual member meeting. Jennifer Roth, USLR Vice President, will participate for USLR and Ms. Squier volunteered for ALBA. Mr. Gliege was unsure who would represent LANA. The committee will develop recommendations for location and dates.
9. Additions to the Agenda
a. Update to the LFA Articles of Incorporation
The update of the LFA’s Articles of Incorporation has not yet been completed as originally scheduled. Ms. Schaeffer will assemble the chronology of email correspondence discussing the issues still outstanding and distribute this by email to the Board. This item will be discussed at the next meeting. The Board discussed at some length the issue of membership approval of changes to the Rules and Regulations and whether members should be able to modify and approve the Lipizzan Breed Standard. The Breed Standard currently in use by all three organizations is the standard published by the LIF. The Board concurred that the Breed Standard should be a separate document from the Rules and Regulations and that it should remain inviolate from any member changes. Mr. Gliege and Mr. Iannuzzi will develop a resolution to make the current Breed Standard irrevocable and will distribute this before the next meeting. Ms. Squier will email the current Breed Standard to the Board.
b. Developing a LFA website
Ms. Littorin suggested and the Board concurred that an LFA website should be developed to serve as a source of information for members. Ms. Schaeffer will email the Board a summary of possible domain names and their status.
The next scheduled meeting will be held Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. P.T. Ms. Littorin adjourned the meeting at 5:58 p.m. P.T.
Respectfully submitted,
Muffin Smith, Meeting Secretary
________________________________________________________________________________________________
November, 2008
Dear USLR Members,

Success! At least a giant step forward. The annual Lipizzan Symposium in Florida yielded amazing fruit. The USLR, ALBA and LANA have agreed on a process for unification. This is something that has taken much diligence and work on the part of so many people from each of the organizations. A group is putting the finishing touches on the bylaws which have been a point of contention. Ultimately, compromise was established and the process proceeded rapidly. The three groups will each be represented on an interim LFA Board. USLR will be represented by Tim Foley, Muffin Smith and Lyn Schaeffer; ALBA by Ingun Littorin, June Boardman and Rennie Squier; LANA by John Iannuzzi, Susan Castle and John Gliege. The LFA Board will run by consensus until duly elected Directors are a majority on the Board. One of the first orders of business was to approve the timetable for transition.
I have attached the signed resolutions adopted by ALBA and USLR approving the formation of the LFA (Resolution 1A and 1C). The LANA resolution (Resolution 1B) will be available shortly, once all the LANA Board has signed. I have also attached Resolution 3 signed by the LFA Board accepting Steps to Consolidation for the LFA and a copy of those Steps. We will keep you apprised of the progress toward completion of these Steps.
The Symposium was a smashing success. I want to send a salute to Gary and Elizabeth Lashinsky who did so much of the leg work in making the arrangements with Disney. On Sunday they were our very gracious hosts at the ranch and training facility of White Stallion Productions. It’s a beautiful place with the highest standards for care and training. Thank you, Gary and Elizabeth, you are an inspiration.
The business at hand was so smooth and efficient that we even had time for the attractions at Disney World. Courtney Tripp deserves recognition for organizing the auction and being such a great auctioneer. The proceeds of the auction will be held for the Lipizzan Federation of America. Of course, the best part was seeing old friends and talking horses. Next year’s Symposium will be extra special.
This will be the phase in year for the LFA and the phase out year for the USLR. It is still business as usual at the USLR Office and with your Board. We can be proud that we join LFA as a strong organization that is fiscally solvent, growing in stature and vibrant in its mission.
I wish each of you a very happy Thanksgiving. One of the things I am happy for is the opportunity to have served our horses and members. Your kind words and thoughtful messages were appreciated during the long process.