NFHR Members:
We want to sincerely thank the membership for their comments and suggestions related to the proposed rule changes from earlier this year. The topic of crossbreeding is what stood out the most and the BOD took this topic to the top of our list.
After the Membership Townhall and June 30 comment period ended, the board thoroughly reviewed and discussed the membership comments. The common theme was the membership wanted action taken to clarify the rules of registration as it related to crossbreeding. While the board had stated earlier in the year we wanted to hold off on rule changes for 2022, the membership comments indicated otherwise. The Rules Committee was given the task to come to the board with their recommendations.
At the BOD meeting on August 9, the Rules Committee brought 4 motions to the table for discussion. All 4 motions were discussed at length amongst the board and voting was conducted to accept the 4 motions. A 5th motion was also brought forward based on the newly accepted rule updates.
The Rules of Registration and Transfer have been updated accordingly on the NFHR website. A summary of the approved motions are as follows:
Motion #1:
It is hereby moved that all issues concerning modification of Rules of Registration shall be addressed and adopted by the NFHR Board of Directors within the existing NFHR Rules of Registration and not be codified in the NFHR By Laws.
Motion #2:
It is hereby moved that the following amendments to the NFHR Rules of Registration be adopted by the NFHR Board of Directors:
ARTICLE I - CRITERIA FOR REGISTRATION
D - OUTCROSSING PROHIBITION
Delete
"In the interest of protecting the genetic purity and the highest standards of the Norwegian Fjord Horse, the NFHR Registrar will withdraw from the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry any mare or stallion that is used for crossbreeding with another breed or species. Violators may have their membership suspended and may lose all membership privileges including registration, transfer of horses and any voting rights. The names of horses who have been crossbred and their owners will be placed on the suspended list."
Add "The NFHR prohibits NFHR registered horses from being outcrossed with other breeds of horses."
"If an NFHR registered horse, mare or stallion, has been proven to have been used for outcrossing with another breed, the NFHR Registrar will withdraw that horse from the Registry and so remove any registration privileges to that horse and to any future progeny of that horse."
Motion #3:
It is hereby moved that the following amendments to the NFHR Rules of Registration be adopted by the NFHR Board of Directors:
ARTICLE IV - REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
SECTION B - DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR TRANSFERS FROM OTHER REGISTRIES
Add: 8. Horses registered in Foreign Registries that have been used for outcrossing may not be transferred to the NFHR except in the following circumstance:
a. If the horse was outcrossed to another breed, and that horse’s home Registry does not prohibit such outcrossing, that horse may be transferred to the NFHR with the stipulation that future outcrossing of that horse is prohibited and violation of that prohibition would result in the same penalties as those described in Article I, Section D.
Motion #4:
It is hereby moved that the following amendments to the NFHR Rules of Registration be adopted by the NFHR Board of Directors:
ARTICLE XI - APPEALS REGARDING REGISTRATION, TRANSFERS AND FEES
SECTION C. HARDSHIP SITUATION
(Delete bullets numbered 1, 2 and 3):
C. Hardship Situation
1. The definition of a hardship situation is the inability to provide the required paperwork due to:
a. Death or incapacity of a required signer
b. Inability to locate a required signer
2. Proof of parentage will not be waived.
3. In the case of a hardship situation appeal, the appellant must make a diligent effort to locate the required signer and disclose their process and findings to the Board of Directors.
Add:
1. The definition of a hardship situation is as follows:
a. The inability to provide the required paperwork due to:
*Death or incapacity of a required signer.
*Inability to locate a required signer.
b. Other hardship situations as identified by the NFHR Registrar and Board of Directors.
In any hardship situation, proof of parentage will not be waived. In the case of a hardship situation appeal, the appellant must make a diligent effort to locate the required signer and disclose their process and findings to the Registrar and Board of Directors.
The NFHR Rules of Registration and Transfers can be found at this link [
click here ].
In addition, there have been questions about the Zoom meeting recordings. For clarification, the recording of the BOD meetings are for use by the Secretary to generate minutes. Zoom BOD meeting links will not be shared with the membership.
We encourage members to listen in via Zoom to the live meetings and ask questions at the end of the meeting. The dates and times for the meetings are posted here:
Calendar
Meeting minutes can be found here:
Meeting Minutes
Please send comments or requests to the BOD using the contact information found here:
Contact Information
