The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association By-Laws

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Amended October 2023/2024

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ARTICLE I, NAME

The name of this association shall be The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association

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ARTICLE II, PURPOSE

1. The purpose of this association is to preserve and promote the original Lippitt Morgan horse as defined in subparagraph 2 of this Article, and to better the conditions of those engaged in the breeding and care of the Lippitt Morgan horse. The Association is organized and shall be operated exclusively for agricultural purpose within the meaning of section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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2. The Lippitt or Lippitt Morgan (the two expressions are synonymous) is defined by the complete derivation of its blood from the following horses only:

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STALLIONS             AMHR #     LIPPITT REG #         D.O.B.
Croydon Prince         5325         1                              1890
Rob Roy                    4483         2                              1893
Donald                      5224         6                              1904
Bob B.                      5282         9                              1905
Welcome                  5702         10                            1907
Sir Ethan Allen         6537         13                            1909
Sealect                    7266         43                            1921
Bilirubin                   7462         49                            1925

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MARES                 AMHR #     LIPPITT REG #         D.O.B.
Bonnie Jean           0343         3                              1895
Polly Rogers           02109       4                              1896
Lucille                     01547       5                             1902
Rose of Sutton        02232       7                             1904
Bridget                   02852        8                            1904
Emily                      03026        11                          1909
Evelyn                    0684         12                           1909
Hippolyta             03222         14                           1910
Nancy                  03553         15                           1911
Trilby                    02532         16                           1911
Susie                    0386           21                          1915
Lippitt Trixie         X0469         25                           C1916
Croydon Mary     02900         26                           1917
Jenny Woodbury 03258         30                          1917
Lippitt Sallie        04656         34                           1918
Lucinne               04542         35                           1918
Hannah               03196         40                           1919

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3. The purpose of the Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association shall be implemented by the following instruments:

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a) A registry of all horses tracing totally to the above named Foundation Stock. It is the intent of the  Association to maintain a complete registry of Lippitt Morgans. For Lippitt Morgans foaled prior to 1980,  the Association’s registry is based upon information contained in THIE LIPPITT REGISTER (editions 1 and 2) authored by Kenneth A. Telford. The Association’s registry shall be updated based upon registrations and transfers of ownerships previously filed with the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) or any other Morgan Horse Association that is reciprocal with the AMHA in their standards for registering and blood testing. The LMBA cooperates with the American Morgan Horse Association, (AMHA) in promoting the Lippitt Morgan. The Association’s Register will be published periodically as designated by the registrar and the Board of Directors.

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b) The publication of a periodical to be called The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Guide and Bulletin, devoted to the education of the membership, and any other interested parties, concerning the history of the Lippitt Morgan, the true history of the Morgan generally, the promulgation of the Standard of Excellence as stated in Article XII, and sound procedures of equine management and training, as well as the encouragement in the membership of the will and ability to promote the purpose of the Association. The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Guide and Bulletin will publish nothing that is alien to or irrelevant to the purpose of the Association. See Article IX.

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c)The publication of a Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Directory as provided in Article X. 

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d) The periodic display of the Lippitt Morgan in shows, clinics, demonstrations and exhibits open to the general public in which the conformation and type as stated in the Standard Excellence, as well as skill in the proper training and management of the horse, will be emphasized and rewarded to the disregard of any other consideration. See Article XI. 

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4. The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association, being concerned with the future of the Lippitt, is pledged to aid those engaged in breeding and marketing only the Lippitt. A portion of the resources of the Association, such as proceeds from its dues, fees, shows and exhibitions, will be used to make available to breeders inaccessible bloodlines through the transportation of breeding stallions, artificial insemination, the registration and DNA of rescued Lippitts, the leasing of idle brood mares, and help with registration fees etc. The aim is to encourage cooperation between breeders in the interests of the Lippitt Morgan.

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5. The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association encourages the breeding of Lippitt stallions to Lippitt mares. However, breeding Lippitt stallions to non Lippitt mares is nonetheless viewed as improving the mares’ Morgan inheritance. But the Association will not, through any of its instruments, publicize, advocate or advertise such breedings, as such activities would be inconsistent with the purpose of this Association. Due to the limitations on the mare’s production, the breeding of any Lippitt mare to any horse other than a Lippitt stallion is in conflict with the purpose of this Association. The membership is therefore encouraged, if they have a healthy mare they do not intend to breed, to seek out members who might wish to avail themselves of an opportunity for a foal. Any member, then, who breeds a Lippitt mare otherwise than to a Lippitt stallion will have his or her membership changed to Associate Member for a period of 3 years and lose all right to office for 6 years, from the time of breeding, not foaling date. The time of penalty will not apply to any member who produced such breeding before the first time they were members of the LMBA. Only full Lippitt embryo transplants are acceptable.

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6. The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association will work with any other organization to the extent that the work fulfills the purpose stated above.

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7. The offices and means of this association shall be used to no purpose save that stated in Article II. See Article III.

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ARTICLE III, MEMBERSHIP

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1. There shall be two categories of membership to this Association. The first, Voting Membership, shall be offered to
any person over the age of 18 who shall entirely own or co-own a Lippitt Morgan registered with AMHA or one of it’s affiliate registrars. A prefix is allowed, but not required to register with AMHA. From this class of Full Membership, according to the rules set forth in Article IV and V, shall be drawn the candidates for all Officers and Committees of the Association. Full and Voting Members will hereafter be called simply Voting Members. Any person who has qualified for 5 years as a Voting Member, before or after the formation of this Association shall continue as such if old age, bad health, or financial difficulties, but no other reason, forces the Member to discontinue ownership or breeding of Lippitts.

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2. There shall also be an Associate and Non-Voting Membership extended to any person over the age of 15 who shall declare an interest in the purpose of this Association and would like to aid our cause. Such a person, hereafter called Associate Member, may upon invitation join any committee of the Association as a non-voting contributor or adviser. 

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3. Membership fees shall be fixed by majority vote of the Board of Directors. At its discretion the Board may distinguish between Individual and Farm Membership assigning a fee at least 50% higher and two votes to the latter. However, no Farm membership shall be accorded to one who has not had 2 Lippitt Morgan foals credited to his or her breeding program. The Voting Membership fee and the Associate Membership fee shall be the same, as the primary purpose is to offset cost incurred, such as the periodicals, shows and exhibits, which all Memberships will share.

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4. In any dispute between the Association and any of its members or former members regarding normal membership
transactions which cannot be resolved through information negotiation, it shall be the policy of the Association to use mediation whereby an impartial mediator may facilitate negotiations between the parties and assist them in developing a mutually acceptable settlement. No party with a grievance against the other shall have recourse to litigation until the matter is submitted to mediation and attempted to be resolved in good faith.

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5. Membership may be terminated in any of the following ways: 

(a) voluntarily by a member upon notice to the Association; 

(b) automatically whenever a member becomes delinquent to an extent determined by the Board in fulfilling the annual dues requirement; and 

(c) involuntarily for cause by the Board, provided that the member is given not less than 15 days prior written notice of the proposed termination and the reason therefore by first class or certified mail, and the member is accorded an opportunity to be heard orally or in writing not less than 5 days before the effective date of the termination.

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ARTICLE IV, OFFICERS & ELECTIONS

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1. There will be a Board of Directors, voted by the Voting Membership in the manner prescribed below, consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Registrar and initially three other Directors, with provisions for
increasing the number of Directors as given below. The five named Officers together with the three or more Directorships will collectively be called the Board of Directors. To these Offices and Directorships any Voting Members of the Association will be eligible provided the Voting Member has no overriding conflict of interest. But in addition, since this is a Breeders’ Association, no Voting Member of the Association may run for or be elected to any of the Offices of Directorships elected by the Voting Membership unless he or she has participated in the production of two or more Lippitt foals, by means of breeding mares, standing a stallion to outside mares, or a combination thereof at the time of his or her running. Foals produced must be registered with American Morgan Horse Association or one of it’s affiliate registries. While a prefix is encouraged for registration, it is not a requirement. (In the case of co-ownership and for the purpose of this provision, a foal will be credited to whomsoever is/are co-owners of record as of the date when the foal was born). All but one of these Offices and Directorships have limitations to the number of years they may be held in order to preclude the fact of hegemony so often witnessed in organizations of this kind. The purpose of such limitations is to provide for a greater participation of the membership in the execution of responsibilities.

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2. President: The integrity of the Association depends to the greatest extent upon the commitment and probity of the President and the Registrar. The term of President shall be for two years. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Association, shall coordinate the activities of the Board, and shall preside at all meetings of the Association and all meetings of the Association’s Board of Directors. All meetings of the Board of Directors shall follow generally accepted rules of parliamentary procedure, and the Association Meetings as well when debate or voting is involved. It will be the Presidents’ function particularly to oversee and insure the proper functioning of all offices in the Association. The president may, by vote of the membership, serve 3 consecutive terms of 2 years each, but no more than that. After terms of presidency, the individual may serve in a different capacity on the board.

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3. Vice President: The term shall be for two years. The Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of the duties of the presidency and shall, in the absence of the President, perform the duties of the President. The Vice President also may serve 3 consecutive terms of 2 years each, after which they may serve in another capacity on the board.

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4. Secretary and Treasurer: There shall normally be two offices filled by two voting members. However, by a majority
vote of the total membership of the Board of Directors, may determine, two months before there is an election to both of these offices, the two offices will be filled by one person. Each such exception must be determined by such a vote. If no nominees for office of Secretary are received, the current Secretary, may, if willing, continue to serve as Secretary until a new Secretary is elected. The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all Association meetings, general or Board of Directors, shall carry on all Association correspondence, authenticate records of the Association as may be necessary, and shall promulgate all notices to the Voting and Associate membership, either by mailing or notice in the Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Guide and Bulletin. The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer of the Association and as such shall receive all funds, pay all bills, and keep full particulars of all receipts and disbursements of the Association. The Treasurer shall deposit all monies and valuables in the name of the Association in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

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5. The Registrar is the only position on the Board of Directors that will not be filled by Vote of the Membership. The Registrar will be selected by a majority of the vote of the other seven (or more) members of the Board of Directors. The Registrar must not only be a Voting Member of the Association, but one especially knowledgeable concerning the history of the Lippitt Morgan and the Morgan Horse generally, with the capacity for the most accurate record-keeping, and with the adaptability to work with computers, for hired or substitute help may not be used for entering records. The integrity of the Association is in great measure dependent on the integrity of the Register. The Office of Registrar alone will be without limitations of time. The person holding this office, if found to violate the purpose or rules of this Association, or to compromise the integrity of the Register, shall be removed from this office by a vote of the majority of the Board of Directors.

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6. The Registrar, with, the Board of Director’s help and approval, will select an Assistant Registrar from among the Voting Membership, who will not be a member of the Board of Directors, and who will be trained by the Registrar to the functions of that office. When sufficiently trained, the Registrar may name him or her to perform temporarily the duties of Registrar when the Registrar is unable. The position of Assistant Registrar is designed to prepare a new Registrar for the time when the present Registrar will relinquish the position. The procedure for appointing the Assistant Registrar, or any other person, will be that outlined in paragraph 5 above.

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7. Directors: There will be initially 3 Directors, each for a term of 3 years. However to provide for a yearly election of a Director, in the first election 1 Director will be elected to 3 years, 1 Director to 2 years and 1 Director to 1 year. Each Director may, by vote serve no more than 2 consecutive terms of 3 years.

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8. All members of the board may serve for the duration of service as outlined in the above paragraphs.

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9.In the case of the permanent incapacity of any of the members of the Board of Directors, the remaining Members of the Board of Directors are empowered to select a Voting Member to fill out the term of such Director until the next election. At that time the person elected shall serve the full term of the office, no matter the stage of the term previously vacated.

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10. No Voting Member shall hold more than one of the Offices or Directorships at a time, except for Secretary and Treasurer as determined in paragraph #4. Any Officer or Director may be a member of any committee presenting a measure to be voted upon by the Board of Directors, or regularly attending that committee’s deliberations, shall, by virtue of the principle of conflict of interests, exclude himself or herself from the Board of Directors’ vote on that measure. No more than three members of the Board of Directors may serve at the same time as voting members of any one committee. This is to encourage wider participation of the Membership in Association affairs and to preclude the possibility of hegemony.

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11. Except for matters reserved to Voting Members by law or by these By-Laws, the activities and affairs of the Association shall be directed and controlled by the Board of Directors. The powers and duties of the Board shall include, but not be limited to, overseeing the operations of the Association, establishing budgets and fiscal controls, and assuring that the purpose of the Association is properly carried out.

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12. Directors shall be responsible for discharging their duties in good faith, in a manner that they reasonably believe to be in the best interest of the Association and with the care than an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances.

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13. The term of office of a director may be terminated prior to its expiration in any of the following ways; 

(a) voluntarily by a director upon notice to the Association; 

(b) automatically upon termination of membership in the Association; 

(c) as a director elected by the membership, by action at a membership meeting or at a District meeting pursuant to Article V of these By-laws whenever in their judgment the best interests of the Association would thereby be served; and 

(d) for cause by the Board after a fair hearing at which the director is given the opportunity to speak and present evidence, provided that such person is accorded a right of appeal to the next scheduled membership meeting.

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14. The Board may designate one or more other committees to have such powers and to perform such duties as is determined by the Board.

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15. Directors and officers shall not be compensated for their services rendered in such capacities. Directors and officers may, as determined by the Board, be reimbursed for expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by them on behalf of the Association or in connection with the performance of their duties.

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16. Subject to limitations in its articles of association, the Association shall indemnify its directors and officers as required under Vermont law. Indemnification payments shall be made on a priority basis but only in such increments and at such times as will not jeopardize the ability of the Association to pay its other obligations as they become due. Any indemnification payments or advances shall be reported to members not later than the next-scheduled meeting of members.

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ARTICLE IV-A, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

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1. Description of conflict: A conflict of interest shall include any situation where a person’s pecuniary or other significant personal interest, whether direct or indirect, in a matter before the Board conflicts with, or may tend to
conflict with, such person’s fiduciary duties to the Association. Such interest would normally include any ownership or financial interest through business, investment, or family ties, and a compensation arrangement. A matter before the Board shall include a matter before a committee exercising any authority of the Board.

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2. Duty of disclosure and nonparticipation: Directors shall have an affirmative obligation to disclose their actual or potential conflicts of interest, whether direct or indirect, in any matter before the Board. A director having an actual or potential conflict of interest shall be accorded the opportunity to disclose to the Board any material facts concerning such interest, and shall then absent himself or herself from.

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3. Addressing a conflict: Whenever a potential conflict of interest is disclosed or is otherwise raised, the Board shall first determine whether the matter constitutes a conflict of interest. If the matter is determined to constitute a conflict of interest, the Board shall then consider any reasonable alternatives that would not involve a conflict of interest, and may refer the issue to a committee for investigation and recommendation. If no reasonable alternatives are identified, the transaction may be approved by the Board, provided that the transaction is determined to be fair and reasonable and in the best interests of the Association.

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4. Documentation: A record of all disclosures, decisions, and reasons for such decisions with respect to an actual or potential conflict of interest shall be included in the minutes of any meeting at which the matter is disclosed, discussed or decided.

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ARTICLE V. DISTRICTS

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1. When any contiguous states of the United States contains 25 Members while the total Membership is less than 150, or one fifth of the total Membership when that Membership is 150 or over, then that Area, by a majority vote of its members, may define its own geographic limits, set that area up as a District of the Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association and exercise the right to elect a Director to the Board representing that District only. The Board of Directors will by such an act be increased by one. The remaining members of the Board will serve as candidates at large for and be elected by the un-districted portion of the membership. If several Districts are thus established, and the un-districted Membership with its 3 Directors becomes either over or under represented per Director in comparison to the average of the Districts, or if the number of Directors thus established exceeds six (6), the Board of Directors will call a Referendum of the Membership. Every possible solution having the signed support of 15 Members will be offered in the Referendum. Equal opportunity to explain each solution will be given in The Lippitt Breeders’ Guide and Bulletin. The solutions given the lowest 1/3 membership support will be eliminated and the Referendum continued or repeated until one solution receives majority support. For the purpose of this Article, Alaska will be considered contiguous to the State of Washington and Hawaii contiguous to California. Foreign countries will be considered in whatever contiguous geographical units they wish, ignoring bodies of water for purposes of contiguity.

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2. The same procedures will apply should a majority of any district decide to abolish the district.

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ARTICLE VI, NOMINATING COMMITTEE

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1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three Voting Members in good standing. Each member will be expected to gain a general knowledge of the qualifications required for each position for the Board of Directors, as within the Bylaws. When the Voting Membership of the Association is large enough, those running for the Nominating Committee shall not be holding or running for any position on the Board of Directors. In case any are unable to serve, the Board of Directors by majority vote will name a replacement who does not at the time hold any Association Office. It is of primary importance that this committee be independent of any existing power structures in this Association. Anyone seeking office may send written communication only of this fact to the committee. The committee is not empowered to honor any oral notice or special pleading, and will report such plea to the Board of Directors. Anyone attempting to persuade this committee in any direction will resign any office he may have and have his membership changed to Associate member for a period of 6 years. The Nominating committee may ask advice from any source, but will make its decisions on the basis of the purpose of the Association and by ultimately consulting only itself, all members in voice communications in the final decision.

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2. The Nominating Committee will nominate, in accordance with the relevant provisions of these By-Laws, at least one member to each office needed to be filled, but shall strive to nominate at least two members for each office. The Nominating Committee will select as candidates for each position those members with the required experience in breeding Lippitts who in their judgment will best enable the Association to fulfill its stated purpose. Personal relationships and previous office holding or the lack of are to have no place in their decision. For each position the Nominating Committee shall have alternates in case the named candidates are unable or unwilling to run for office. Only after deciding upon the slate of candidates without external influence will the Nominating Committee contact the candidates to seek their approval of the candidacy.

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3. In addition to the candidates selected by the Nominating Committee, any Voting Member of the Association meeting the requirements of the By-Laws may secure his or her place on the slate by submitting a list of signatures to the Nominating Committee endorsing his or her candidacy of Members. This shall consist of 30 Voting Members or 10% of the current Voting Membership, whichever is less. Voting Members may sign any number of such lists. The Nominating Committee, adding such endorsed names, will announce the slate by the secretary mailing the ballots to every Voting Member in accordance with Article VII, paragraph 1. The final slate of candidates shall make no distinction between candidates as to the method by which they appear on the slate. The names, under each office, will be alphabetically listed on odd years, reverse alphabetical order on even years.

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ARTICLE VII, MEETINGS & VOTING

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1. There will be scheduled by the Board of Directors two yearly meetings of the Membership of which the Voting Members and  Associate Members shall be notified not less than 30 no more than 60 days before the meeting. One shall be held in the Autumn and shall also function as the time of elections to all offices including the Nominating Committee for the following year’s election. The other shall be in the Spring. There will be an attempt to move these meetings to different population groups. Meetings may be held at any place, either within or outside the State of Vermont.

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2. All petitioned nominations to offices shall have been completed by mail 80 days prior to the Autumn meeting and completed ballots shall have been mailed to all Voting Members by the Secretary in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article. Absentee ballots should be received by the secretary before the date of the Autumn meeting and opened and counted in public at the meeting. Additions to these ballots shall be made at the actual Meeting only if a majority of the Voting Members present decide so, for any changes at this date would disenfranchise those voting by absentee ballot.

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3. presence in person or by absentee ballot of one-third of all Voting Members at the opening of the meeting shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of members. All voting for elections and for revisions of the By-Laws will be made by written secret ballot or by absentee secret ballot. No proxy votes for any Office or on any issue will be recognized or counted.

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4. If at either yearly meeting there is to be consideration of By-Law changes, the Secretary shall notify the entire Membership in accordance with paragraph 1 of these articles and provide Voting Members with absentee ballots for the issue.

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5. A special meeting of members may be called by the Board or by the President and shall be called by the secretary upon demand of 20% of the directors then in office or upon receipt of petitions stating any proper business to be brought before the meeting and signed by one-twentieth of voting members. Notice requirements for a special meeting shall be the same as for a yearly meeting.

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6. Meetings of the Board of Directors called by resolution of the Board shall require no notice other than such resolution, it being the responsibility of absent directors to make enquiry about meetings that may have been scheduled in their absence. All other meetings of the Board shall require written or oral notice of the time and place of the meeting to be delivered to each director. Written notice shall be mailed not less than seven days before the date of the meeting, and oral notice shall be provided not less than three days before the date of the meeting. 

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7. The presence in person at the opening of the meeting a majority of the directors then in office shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board. Decisions of the Board shall be made by majority voting unless a higher percentage is required by law or by these by-laws. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with generally accepted rules of parliamentary procedure.

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8. Meetings of the Board may be conducted by means of a telephone conference or other communication system whereby all  persons participating can hear each other at the same time. Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person. 

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9. Action by consent: Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board may be taken without a meeting if one or more written consents, setting forth the action to be taken, are signed by all Directors and included with the records of minutes.

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ARTICLE VIII, THE LIPPITT REGISTER

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1. The Board of Directors shall name a Voting Member to be the Registrar. This person much have the same qualifications as required of an office holder, have detailed knowledge of the history of the Lippitt, be adept at working with a computer, and be scrupulously accurate in the maintenance of records. This person must be willing to be trained by the current Registrar and may not deviate from the established rules and procedures. The Registrar will be responsible to the Board of Directors for the certification of pedigrees and conformance to the registry standards.

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2. The Board of Directors will name a Registration Committee of about 5% of the total number of Lippitt Breeders, whether or not these breeders are all members of this Association. The total number of Lippitt breeders will be divided among these Registration Committee members so that each has about 20 breeders to oversee. Within the time restrictions set by the Registrar it will be the function of these Registration Committee members to obtain all the necessary information concerning foalings and changes of ownership as required by the Register.

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ARTICLE IX, THE LIPPITT MORGAN BREEDERS’ GUIDE AND BULLETIN

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1. The Board of Directors shall name a Member to be the Editor of the Association’s official publication, The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Guide and Bulletin. This person will have the responsibility of insuring that the publication is totally dedicated to the purpose of the Association only. The whole emphasis must be on articles that educate the reader to the history and characteristics of the Lippitt Morgan and help in breeding and use of the horse. Any material irrelevant to this purpose is to be excluded. While the articles seek readability, there should be no hesitancy to use the medium in order to improve the readers’ knowledge of technical matters and vocabulary relevant to the owning, breeding, training and use of the horse. The periodical will make as one of its most important functions education of the membership to an objective and honest assessment of the individual merits and weaknesses of our horses for the betterment of the breed. It is the aim of this Association to promote cooperation, not rivalry, between its members.

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2. If there are issues raised by Members on matters relevant to the purpose of the Association, the editor is to make space available for the clarification of all reasonable views in ample time for yearly meetings, etc. Such articles on Association issues may be edited for verbosity and good taste.

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3. The periodicity of the Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Guide and Bulletin will be determined by the Board of Directors in the light of the financial status of Association. It will be hoped, however, that it may be published at least bi-annually. The editor is responsible for the good taste and reasonableness of all contents, and will not refuse to publish views simply because they are not held by those holding office. The editor is required, however, to publish nothing that contravenes the purposes of the Association, or crosses the bounds of good taste. Evidence to the Board of Directors that these guidelines are not followed will automatically secure his replacement.

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ARTICLE X, LIPPITT MORGAN BREEDERS’ DIRECTORY

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1. The Board of Directors will publish every two years, depending upon its financial situation, The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Directory listing all the Voting Members of the Association along with their Lippitts, as well as a separate list of all Associate Members. This Directory will be a part of the duties of the Registrar, since it will be updated by the Registrar’s records with the assistance of the Registration Committee. The Directory will list all current officers and committees of the Association as well as all since the last edition. The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Directory may have advertisements subject to the same guidelines as the Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Guide and Bulletin.

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ARTICLE XI, LIPPITT BREEDERS’ SPECIAL EVENTS

1. The Board of Directors will name a Voting Member when necessary to be Chairman of the Special Events Committee. Through the years as many people as possible will be named and trained to this position, to involve the greatest number of Members. This Committee will be formed of any interested Voting Member, but there should be an effort on the part of the Board of the Special Events Committee Chairman to involve as many as possible, especially those who have not otherwise been active in the Association. It will be the function of this committee to devise and produce events to exhibit, display and celebrate the Lippitt Morgan and its capacities within its true genetic potential.

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2. For each event so formed the Special Events Committee shall name a Sub-Committee Chairman for that event from the Voting Members, and the members of that Committee will be determined in the same manner as those of the Special Events Committee. Each such Sub-Committee shall report to and be under the direction of the Special Events Committee, just as the latter will report to and be under the control of the Board of Directors and the Board of Directors may intervene at any stage to insure the fulfillment of the purpose of the Association.

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3.It will be the responsibility of any Committee Chairman to ensure that whatever applicable the Standard of Excellence stated in Article XIII will be strictly implemented and followed and no other. This is especially important in any event that involves judging the relative merits of different horses. In performance events the judging must literally count conformation of the Standard of Excellence as 50% of the final judgment.

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ARTICLE XII, AID TO BREEDING PROGRAM

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1. Whatever profits are made by any of the activities of this association, dues, fees, sales, exhibits or shows, etc., will be used by the Association to help breeders in their effort to perpetuate and perfect the breed but will not be distributed to breeders per se. One concern is breeding. The Association will make available information about breeding stallions, their location, fees, and if they are offered by cooled or frozen semen. Also, the information of where to find the availability of leasing good brood mares that are temporarily idle. The Officers of the Association will use their offices to optimize the contribution of every member to the purpose of the Association. They will do everything in their power to minimize the factions that may develop between members in the promotion of their several endeavors. 

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2. The second concern is purchase, sales and lease. This Association will maintain and disseminate a current list of all horses offered for sale or lease by members. The Association understands that financially functioning stables are vital to the perpetuation of the horse.

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ARTICLE XIII, LIPPITT STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE

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1. Our Standard of Excellence is an effort to depict the type which the original Morgan horse fixed as America’s first continuing breed and the only breed in which descent from a single animal is the actual criterion. But it is the Lippitt Morgan alone that actually insists on this sole source to the extent that history allows. Ideally, the conformation and way of going of Justin Morgan is our Standard of Excellence. But this is only known by inference from his descendants and testimony from the 19th century.

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2. The Standard does  not recognize any improvement of type from the original, especially by the introduction of alien blood, but does recognize the goal of perfecting or improving the members of a breed within their type.

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3. Our statements are mainly from old documents such as Linsley’s monograph of 1857 Morgan Horses, letters to the New England Journal, the American Stock Journal and later on to the Middlebury Register. 

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4. The general impression of the horse is his blocky, muscular build and great bone, an upright and well crested neck and high head set with full mane and tail, an alert and lively readiness to move, along with an eager willingness to please. When taken in hand his movements are instantaneous and vigorous, but tractable and willing. In performance his is ever alert to guidance and instantly responds. His body is compact and close coupled, not rangy or strung out. With familiarity his muscularity and nervousness are found to be the source of great endurance and his responsiveness to be founded on great intelligence. The ideal height of the horse, either stallion, mare or gelding, is 14:3 hands, with deviation of a few inches in either direction permissible as long as type does not suffer.

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5. The head is neither long nor large, but finely chiseled, the distance between the ears and eyes being greater in proportion to that between the eyes and nostrils than in other breeds. The head is broad and deep at the eyes and jaw, tapering quickly to a fine mouth and widening again at the nostrils. The face is straight or slightly dished. The jowl and jaw are deep and muscular and wide apart at the larynx. The ears are small and fine, often curved at the top, set wide apart on a wide pole, upright, not leaning to the sides. The eyes are prominent, ‘set well out at the corners,’ large and alert but calm, with very little sclera showing, and round rather than angular. The whole bearing is spirited, yet sensitive, eager and intelligent, showing fire and kindness, resolve and grace, courage and gentleness, as the occasion demands.

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6. The neck springs upward, not forward, from a well laid back shoulder, with great breadth and a substantial crest, arching forward not upward at the poll, with a clean and open latch at the jaw. The neck must be of medium, not great length, long enough to allow flexibility, but not so much as to lose substance or debilitate against breath. The crest should be high and full, obviously present but less marked in the mare, and the whole assembly sensed as resting upon the body rather than hung in front, the line from the point of the chest to the latch being vertical. There should be no abrupt angles in the top line, either at the poll as the neck enters the head, or at the withers as the neck enters the body, but a smooth transition from part to part. Especially, there should be no hollow before the wither. The front of the neck may be gently curved because of mass, but not so convex as to make a protrusion, much less a ewe neck.

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7. The shoulder must be long and well laid back to provide for a good neck. The shoulder must be heavily muscled with its point low and forward. As the shoulder is angled back, so the humerus is more vertical than in most breeds, short and more muscled. The chest is broad and thrust forward with the breast bone protruding with deep pectoral muscles, allowing a good space between the legs and room for internal organs.

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8. The back should be short, broad and heavily muscled, with no more than a slight hollow. The loin should be wide and strong, rising to a long croup and curving to the tail in a smooth continuous line starting at the poll. The barrel must be well sprung, i.e. the ribs must start horizontally at the column in a full wide curve to the belly, not flattened at the side. The area in front and above the stifles should be filed out, not sunken. There should be a close coupling, i.e. little space between the point of the stifle and the floating ribs. The great sloping of the shoulder puts the front legs well in front and makes the underline long while making the back short.

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9.The front legs should be well muscled above the knees, sinewy and free of flesh below, with the cannons flat and wide from the side. The leg from the elbow to the knee should be far longer than the cannon, to obtain the typical Morgan trappy gait. The joints at the knee and fetlock should be wide and strong. The pastern should be medium length, not long and easily depressed, resting at the same angle as the shoulder. The foot in the breed is well shaped, symmetrical, and medium sized, open at the heel, with a well formed frog. The texture is hard and dense, not quickly worn or inclined to chip or crack.

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10. The hip must be long and sloping to allow for wide thick muscling. The muscling of the buttock should roundly extend as far back as the standing hock. The gaskin is widely muscled from front to back. The hock must be wide and strong and straight. The cannon, fetlock, pastern and foot should be as in the front.

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11. The mane and tail may be straight or wavy, and should be full, not thinned, shortened or sparse, the bridle path only a few inches long for utility. The tail should be carried well out from the dock, not off-centered or flat. The hair should be full well up towards the dock. The tail set should be medium with a rounded croup.

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12. The coat may be bay, brown, black, chestnut or black chestnut no other colors being Morgan but appearing only with outcrossing as pedigrees will show. The coat should be soft, fine and glossy, usually with strong dapples whatever color.

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13. In action, because of his long forearms and short cannons, the Morgan has a quick short stride which his 19th century admirers called ‘trappy.’ The trot is springing and elastic, with little effort, and combined with his muscling his is capable of continuing far beyond the limits of long-legged, strident horse. Morgans were always noted for surefootedness, and contrary to some trotting horses had medium knee action. At any gait the step is bold and forceful, energetic and balanced, with legs well under the body at any gait, even when extended.

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14. The true Morgan, i.e. not excessively crossed to other breeds so as to lose Morgan type, has a superb nervous system with instantaneous reactions and high order of activity, always fired up and animated. The nervous force is a large part of his endurance, for his will is of great moment and a function of his nervous disposition. But contrary to so many other breeds and species, the true Morgan has the fire in conjunction with great amiability and grace, so that a true example of the breed is as easily handled by a maiden as a roustabout cavalryman. It is a trait the old timers called ‘kindness at the bit.’

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ARTICLE XIV, CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE LIPPITT MORGAN BREEDERS’ ASSOCIATION

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1. Founding Members listed by date of 1st Lippitt Foaling:

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Marshall Winkler, Rockport, MA, 05/01/65
Bruce Orser, Bethpage,TN, 04/27/79
Kenneth A. Telford, Randolph, VT, 04/30/79
Grace Yaglou, Princeton, MA, 03/04/80
Carol Dzindzio, San Marcos, CA, 04/26/85
John Edwards, Randolph, VT, 03/19/87
Linda Eiben, Barre, MA, 05/04/89
Paul Juhasz, Adell, WI, 06/03/89
Crescent Peirce, Northfield, MA, 03/18/90
Jane Muraro, Torrington, CT, 05/23/93
Brenda LaRoche, Derry, NH, 04/02/94
Barry Caisse, Leominster, MA, 04/11/95

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The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association was formed on 4/2/94, incorporated 6/16/95.

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ARTICLE XV, REVISION OF THE BY-LAWS

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1. These by-laws may be amended by a majority of all votes cast by Voting Members. The Lippitt Morgan Breeders’
Guide and Bulletin shall be made equally accessible, and sufficiently in advance of the voting, to any position supported by the signatures of 15 Voting Members. Members may endorse any number of positions. Ballots on such a referendum shall be mailed 30 days before either yearly meeting and the meeting will be used to discuss issues.

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2. The Board of Directors shall not itself have the power to amend, suspend or alter any part of the By-Laws. By a majority approval of its own body, the Board of Directors may present to the Voting Membership a measure to suspend some single provision of Articles V through XIII only of these By-Laws, for a period of one year only. If a majority of the Voting Membership approves of this temporary measure, and only then, the measure will be adopted for one year, after which the original By-Laws will automatically be reinstated.

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3. In the event that any provision of these by-laws is determined to be invalid or unenforceable under any statute or rule of law, then such provision shall be deemed in operative to such extent and shall be deemed modified to conform with such statute or rule of law, without affecting the validity or enforceability of any other provision of these by-laws.

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ARTICLE XVI, DISSOLUTION OF THIS ASSOCIATION

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1. Dissolution of the Lippitt Morgan Breeders’ Association may be effected only by a vote two-thirds of the Voting Members in accordance with the Articles of Association and the Vermont Nonprofit Corporation Act only after all Association debts are paid and the Treasurer’s accounts have been balanced. Any remaining funds shall by vote of the Membership, be donated to an organization having a similar purpose as this Association.

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ARTICLE XVII, FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES

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1. Any of the following corporate actions shall require vote of two-thirds of the Voting Members; sale or mortgage of any significant part of the assets of the Association; merger or consolidation with another organization; and any other action that would effect a fundamental change to the character or operations of the Association.