Another British Horse Society c**k-up

D66

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Caught up on this thread last night - interesting not many have agreed / supported the few individuals with personal agendas posting?

I’m following with interest - having been alerted to the issues, ie poor HR practice, muddles over membership, communication and finance I am happy for those with more involvement to lead a movement to challenge the current officials.
Where else do we get our information from? The magazine only ever gives a positive spin on th BHS. I don’t compete or even regularly meet up with other BHS members but I am interested in ensuring that a charity I help to fund behaves in a proper manner.
Increasing the EGM calling group to a percentage of total membership would be a more credible notion if BHS HQ could quickly, confidently and accurately report the total number.
There seem to be a lot of directors but who is actually doing the work?

I’ll carry on following quietly. Please don’t think I don’t care what’s happening.
 

honetpot

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If you haven't join the FB page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/membersBHS/about/

It has documents a lot that are in the public domain, that are all in one place.
I was a member that attended the meeting just to find out what was going on and found out its a shambles.

The are using GDPR regulations, despite spending £1.4m on IT last year, to prevent members contacting other members, no chance to opt in for emails for local groups.

So its the only place for people to post their concerns, local and national.
 

Velcrobum

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As a member I am concerned about various expenditures that BHS has made

1 Compensation for unfair dismissal with a second case being heard.

2 The cost of the large HGV and its associated running costs. This is a huge white elephant £165k is an awful lot of venue rentals for educational meetings and promotional meetings.

3 The lack of support for Bridleways volunteers with the Insurance price hike.

4 Compensation with gagging orders for staff booted or forced out.

5 Cost of the puppet which I have never seen despite attending Badminton and Blenheim for the whole of the events.

It also concerns me that long standing volunteer groups have resigned or stepped away from volunteering. I have been a member of BHS for close to 30years and am concerned about some of the things that have happened in recent years. Yes BHS is doing good work, yes it lobbies well, yes the road safety campaign is a good one, however the welfare side seems to have been overtaken by various other charities. World horse welfare seems to be coming far more prominent on that side of things.

The number of BHS approved Livery yards and Riding Schools has gone down a lot why is this happening??
 

honetpot

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I depends what you call a personal agenda.

When a long standing volunteer of great experience feel forced to leave because of BHS employee comments, well it makes me want to cry, but perhaps I'm soft.

I will try and explain how the Trust Board is made up, I didn't really really know till last week.

So no members of the Trust Board are directly voted on by the members.
They are put they apply for the space on the Board, then there is an interview process made up of thee people, two who already Board members, who can turn you down, how ever good candidate you could be. Which is fair enough if there is someone else better.

But the Trust Board can co-opt people in on to the Board, who do not have to be BHS members. They may have skills which is great but you could have an imbalance of one type of person. Which I think, and this only my opinion is marketing, at the moment.
The changes proposed make this possibility more likely

The 'self interest' at the meeting, was asking why someone who had won Scottish Business Women of the Year, and a horsewomen, had put herself forward for a post, had been turned down. I think her friends were more incensed than she was. Could her skills not have been co-opted in, or as they do in some roles, trained up for the post. Can the BHS afford to pass over this sort of person, when they say they have had trouble attracting trustees?

I am not an ex employee, I am not a failed candidate, I am just someone who has looked at all the evidence I could find from the internet and looking at the Stratgeic Plan and its going somewhere most people would never think of.
Do we really want to go to China and India, its seen as raising money, when we have very young foals dumped.
 
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Velcrobum

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I am very curious as to when the nominations committee came into being? The chair stated this was nothing new so when did the opportunity to effectively blackball genuine applicants come into the constitution/articles ????
 

honetpot

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I am not sure. I think the AGM's were lost in 2009, because so few people were attending. In my reply I was told because the do hold AGM, they do not have to supply accounts or minutes of meeting. We fell asleep at the wheel folks. As BHS employees who are members can also vote, HO staff could push through anything normally anyway. ' there is no conflict of interest',


I suppose this would not matter as much if the BHS headquarters made us aware of what was going on, but they did not replace the AGM with anything else, only the British Horse which is more a PR mag. Until the meeting on the 5th no one really new how bad it was, when lots of senior, in age and experience, were raising the same issues.

I think the outcome of this at least Board member should be directly elected by members, as a conduit for receiving an passing information as raising issues at Board level. This should be a non-interviewed post and the only remit, communication with staff.

They are using GDPR as a way of filtering information, emails have to be actioned by Regional office.
Some of the members have had emails about the Meeting, but not others, even if they had a proxy vote. There are 40k ish email addresses missing
 

Palomino Dream

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BRC MEMBERS ARE NOT VOTING MEMBERS OF THE BHS UNLESS THEY ARE ALSO BHS MEMBERS.

They are also NOT included in the BHS membership numbers. Sorry to appear shouting, but it's important that this is clearly understood.
I thought that answer was very clear at the 5th Jan meeting. My friend is a member of BRC but had to join BHS separately. She has said though that some BRC members aren't clear about the need to join separately. She definitely got the email and insert about the meeting but couldn't attend.
 

Chica

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In my view BHS has made scant little effort to engage or inform its membership . At the meeting the board was very unclear in its answers to questions which is why the adjournment vote was tabled not because it was a positive meeting as suggested in the letter which I received today . It did make me smile ! Good effort David but unfortunately there is now a growing number of us who have grown wise to BHS style smoke and mirrors .
 

OldNag

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In my view BHS has made scant little effort to engage or inform its membership . At the meeting the board was very unclear in its answers to questions which is why the adjournment vote was tabled not because it was a positive meeting as suggested in the letter which I received today . It did make me smile ! Good effort David but unfortunately there is now a growing number of us who have grown wise to BHS style smoke and mirrors .

I did wonder, when I read the letter, how accurate it was.
 

rabatsa

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I have had neither letter or emails from the BHS although I did send them my voting proxy by recorded delivery and it was recieved/signed for.
 

PAK

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Why can't we be passionate in our debate and still be accepted as having a valid opinion . You see as I have said before maybe before Palomino Dream and Violetta Tears joined I like a two sided debate as that is what a debate is ! In addition they're invariable a little heated and at times can become personal . That is what passion does . I'm really driven by horse welfare and traning to promote horse welfare good horse care and horse sensitive schooling / horse training . I can get a little wound up when I hear of all the financial waste that is being promoted by our Board and CEO . More could be done if they looked more closely at the expenditure . I want the Board to be more challenging of the CEO and very large leadership team and insist on digging down further into the questions that we are raising . I want the BHS to prosper and to do an even better job on behalf of horses .
Well said Chica.
 

Velcrobum

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Just make sure your on the mailing list, some have had it, some not, ring membership, to check they have your email address.
They certainly have my email as they have emailed things to me before and they replied to my email stating I was attending the meeting. Was the letter emailed or snail mailed??
 

PAK

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I depends what you call a personal agenda.

When a long standing volunteer of great experience feel forced to leave because of BHS employee comments, well it makes me want to cry, but perhaps I'm soft.

I will try and explain how the Trust Board is made up, I didn't really really know till last week.

So no members of the Trust Board are directly voted on by the members.
They are put they apply for the space on the Board, then there is an interview process made up of thee people, two who already Board members, who can turn you down, how ever good candidate you could be. Which is fair enough if there is someone else better.

But the Trust Board can co-opt people in on to the Board, who do not have to be BHS members. They may have skills which is great but you could have an imbalance of one type of person. Which I think, and this only my opinion is marketing, at the moment.
The changes proposed make this possibility more likely

The 'self interest' at the meeting, was asking why someone who had won Scottish Business Women of the Year, and a horsewomen, had put herself forward for a post, had been turned down. I think her friends were more incensed than she was. Could her skills not have been co-opted in, or as they do in some roles, trained up for the post. Can the BHS afford to pass over this sort of person, when they say they have had trouble attracting trustees?

I am not an ex employee, I am not a failed candidate, I am just someone who has looked at all the evidence I could find from the internet and looking at the Stratgeic Plan and its going somewhere most people would never think of.
Do we really want to go to China and India, its seen as raising money, when we have very young foals dumped.

The rationale for China & India & soon the USA - profit. Well there's lots of ways to make profit but these don't fit with our core purpose, our values, or our status as a British Charity.
 

honetpot

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They certainly have my email as they have emailed things to me before and they replied to my email stating I was attending the meeting. Was the letter emailed or snail mailed??
I got mine by email, almost straight away.
Its not a real account of the meeting, its spin.I will copy and paste it for you in pm.
 

Velcrobum

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I got mine by email, almost straight away.
Its not a real account of the meeting, its spin.I will copy and paste it for you in pm.

Is it the letter posted on the Facebook page entitled "Response from the Trustees" from the chair?? If so I have a copy. I will be asking HQ why as a meeting attendee I was not sent the email!!

Anyone any idea when the minutes now renamed notes are going to be available???
 
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honetpot

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They are called notes as. apparently it was not a meeting, I kid you not.
I have it is black and white, they do not have AGM, so they do not have to give out minutes or Treasurers accounts. It gets worse.
 

Velcrobum

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I have had neither letter or emails from the BHS although I did send them my voting proxy by recorded delivery and it was recieved/signed for.
According to the above mentioned letter you as a proxy voter should have been sent an email with aforementioned letter. It has subsequently emerged that apparently BHS disallowed many of the proxy votes held by members attending the meeting in person !!!!!!
 

PAK

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Is it the letter posted on the Facebook page entitled "Response from the Trustees" from the chair?? If so I have a copy. I will be asking HQ why as a meeting attendee I was not sent the email!!

Anyone any idea when the minutes now renamed notes are going to be available???
No idea what so ever.
 

Violettears

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The rationale for China & India & soon the USA - profit. Well there's lots of ways to make profit but these don't fit with our core purpose, our values, or our status as a British Charity.
Come on PAK, if the BHS are expanding in order to create growth and more funds, and use these funds to promote horse welfare, safety, access and education in the UK and elsewhere in the world together with other partners, that has to be a good thing. I can not believe that you don’t support that! I have asked the BHS for an up to date membership figure, over 104,000. That is brilliant growth over the last few years I think, lots of supporters. They are doing a great job.... modern, proactive, and a real mover and shaker in the equine world, UK and abroad. There is too much conjecture, rumour and innuendo at work here, trying to stifle it. I still think this is too personal and the bigger picture seems to have been lost..... of course there may be items to be addressed, there always are, but please acknowledge some of the great work that they are doing rather than knock, knock, knock. You may get more support that way.
 

PAK

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Come on PAK, if the BHS are expanding in order to create growth and more funds, and use these funds to promote horse welfare, safety, access and education in the UK and elsewhere in the world together with other partners, that has to be a good thing. I can not believe that you don’t support that! I have asked the BHS for an up to date membership figure, over 104,000. That is brilliant growth over the last few years I think, lots of supporters. They are doing a great job.... modern, proactive, and a real mover and shaker in the equine world, UK and abroad. There is too much conjecture, rumour and innuendo at work here, trying to stifle it. I still think this is too personal and the bigger picture seems to have been lost..... of course there may be items to be addressed, there always are, but please acknowledge some of the great work that they are doing rather than knock, knock, knock. You may get more support that way.
Sorry V - I don't support expansion into countries with clear track records of human and animal cruelty. I don't place profit above living creatures. And I have a large file of facts, not conjecture, to back up my statements. Your statements, in my humble opinion, seem rather non specific and are primarily judgemental adjectives.
 

Goldenstar

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Personally I have no problem with taking the BHS abroad to raise funds if it’s done in a financially sound way and it can be done without compromising the BHS ethics .
 

ester

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According to the above mentioned letter you as a proxy voter should have been sent an email with aforementioned letter. It has subsequently emerged that apparently BHS disallowed many of the proxy votes held by members attending the meeting in person !!!!!!
on what basis?
 

Chica

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BHS really need to improve on many fronts . I advise it starts with addressing it's perceived lack of openness and honesty with its members . In short drop the spin and push for genuine engagement using modern methods perhaps like social media or an interactive members portal on the website . Make some real effort to update members email addresses , currently they only have 67 thousand member email addresses . Use the new strategy as a PR doc as it looks great but says very little . Ask the membership what they think should be included in the actual working strategy which could have the effect of gaining bye in .I want to see spending money wisely having pride of place in the actual strategy.
 
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