WPCS Council Meeting 03/06/13
Summary Report
This report summarises the main points that were discussed during a meeting of the Welsh Pony and
Cob Society Council that took place on Monday 3rd June 2013 at the Society’s offices in Bronaeron,
Lampeter.
Mr Martin Waters, Chair, welcomed everyone to the meeting, with no apologies received.
A minutes silence was held in respect of Life Members recently departed, Mr Edward Buckett of the
Moorfields stud, Mr Powell of the Blackhill stud and Past Council member and Past President Mrs
Gladys Dale of the Scole stud in Scotland.
It was confirmed that delegates appointed to Working Groups and committees should be amended
to show Mrs A. Kember as a member of the International Committee and Mrs K. Davies not
appointed to the Estates group.
The President reported that himself, the Chair, Principal Officer and the artist Jane Dunn had visited
the Royal Mews and presented a painting of Welsh Mountain Ponies to Her Majesty the Queen on
1st May 2013. The gift was presented to Her Majesty the Queen as Patron of the Society to mark the
occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Lord Vestey had accepted the painting on behalf of Her
Majesty and a letter had subsequently been received from Colonel Toby Browne, the Crown Equerry
thanking the Society for the kind gift. The visit had been extremely interesting and they had been
provided with a private tour of the mews. A full write up and photographs will appear in the Society
magazine. Council agreed to write to Jane Dunn, the artist of the painting, to thank her for donating
the painting for this purpose, on behalf of the Society.
It was confirmed that the Society is considering a fire-proof external storage facility at Bronaeron to
house valuable items, with various option being discussed. Further costs are being sought for new
and second hand steel containers.
The minutes of the Area Association meeting held on the morning of 6th April 2013 were confirmed
as correct and will be distributed to all Area Associations shortly.
The minutes of the AGM meeting held on 6th April 2013 were confirmed as correct by Council and
will be sent to the members in the Autumn mailing, to be confirmed as correct and ratified by the
members at the AGM to be held on 5th April 2014.
The Principal Officer reported that she had attended a meeting with the new Society solicitors,
Geldards, in Cardiff on 10th May, whereby outstanding issues were presented for legal advice. One
issue included the on-going revision of the Society’s Complaints and Disciplinary Policies and
Procedures. Clarification had also been sought on Society “by-laws” and advice requested on
offensive postings on internet forums. The Principal Officer had also attended the WCVA Charity Law
Conference on 21st May, with copies of all presentations to be supplied to trustees. Notice was
drawn to the new Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme which would be an agenda item for the next
Finance & HR meeting. The new scheme allowed for Gift Aid to be claimed on small donations
received (up to £20) when the identity of individual donors was not known.
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The Principal Officer updated trustees on Registration, Memberships and Transfer figures from 1st
January 2013 up to the end of April 2013, with 1619 registrations received over the period
(compared to 2155 in 2012 and 2084 in 2011); 1974 memberships (compared to 2038 in 2012 and
1942 in 2011) and 1872 transfers (compared to 2955 in 2012 and 2798 in 2011). The decline in
registration numbers and transfers continues, with a less significant proportional drop in
memberships.
A brief report was provided on the Business Plan, to confirm that plans for the new Pavilion were
progressing and the new interactive forum for the website was being constructed. A new
eNewsletter is to be launched in June 2013 and this will thereafter be issued to subscribers
(subscription is via the Society website) every two months at least. The Society’s Twitter account was
set up in May 2013 (@welshponycobsoc).
Two Open Days will be held at Bronaeron this year, to encourage members and non-members to
visit, see the museum and displays, and get information on Welsh Ponies and Cobs and the Society.
These will be held on Monday 30th September (after the Fayre Oaks Sale) and Saturday 30th
November (prior to the RWAS Winter Fair), from 10am to 4pm. Further details will be posted on the
website and in the next magazine, with a warm welcome extended to everyone to visit.
Discussion took place regarding official Society representation at funerals and memorials and it was
decided that this would be a matter for further consideration at the Governance Review Day that
has been scheduled for Monday 10th June 2013.
Mr Roland Michell, Honorary Veterinary Surgeon to the Society, attended the meeting at 2pm and
provided a summary report on welfare and veterinary issues on behalf of himself, as Honorary
Veterinary Surgeon, and Mr Alan Pearce, Welfare Officer. No official written welfare complaints had
been received by the Society within the last two years that required investigation. Welfare was
primarily addressed through education and the provision of guidance and advice. Mr Michell notified
Council of how he and the Welfare Officer worked with the office on relevant matters, and gave
examples of instances whereby he had provided direct advice to members on veterinary matters
when requested. Mr Michell spoke of recent updates to PIOs and the drive from Europe to have just
the one PIO or Central Database in the UK. This had largely been influenced by the recent horse
meat scandal. Ms Prytherch thanked Mr Michell and Mr Pearce for the support they provided to the
office with veterinary and welfare matters.
A paper was produced that summarised the main topics raised at the Open Forums held around the
UK in 2012/2013, along with a breakdown of attendance figures and cost. The issues raised will
considered by the relevant committees and feedback provided to members on common issues of
relevance. When all the points have been considered, a full report will be published for the members
on the website and in the magazine. It was decided that an additional 9 forums will be held between
now and 31st December 2014 across the UK.
A new Overseas Association was accepted from Hungary, with details to be included on the Society’s
website shortly.
Correspondence had been received from DEFRA / Welsh Government relating to recent
developments in Europe in relation to the horse meat issues and horse passports, with a 5 point
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action plan received from the EC. It was confirmed that the Chair, past Chair (previously involved
with the single PIO debate) and Principal Officer would respond on behalf of the Society.
The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society provided notification to the Society of the judges that had been
selected for the 2014 Royal Welsh Show. Members should be reminded that the Society no longer
nominates for judging appointments at the Show and the selection is undertaken solely by the
RWAS.
A draft booklet on Society Policies and Procedures was circulated to trustees, broken down into four
sections – general policies, those specifically relevant to members, those specifically relevant to
trustees and those specifically relevant to staff. Two new policies required adoption - a
Communications Policy and Risk Management Policy. It was agreed that this agenda item would be
considered by the Finance an HR committee on 7th July before being an agenda item for the next
Council meeting on 8th July 2013.
It was decided that the Services, Education and Welfare committee would consider a welcome pack
for new members.
Chair of Finance Report:
Trustees had been supplied with Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet reports for the financial period
1st January to 30th April 2013. Gross Profit for the period stood at £201, 717.19, with Net Profit being
£54, 876.69 (compared to £40,744.12 in 2012). The Balance Sheet value as at 30th April 2013 was
£1,660,526.49 (£1,604,312.92 in 2012), with the value of the Society’s investment portfolio being
£1,163,743. Budget reports were also provided for the period.
It was decided that the advertisement costs for the 2014 Journal would remain unchanged and that
the competition for the best advert would be re-run. It was decided that advertisements would be
actively sought from associated businesses to support the production costs of the Journal and that
non-members would pay the same rates as members henceforth.
Judging and Showing
Plans for the forthcoming Judges Conference, to be held on Saturday 12th October 2012 at Hartpury,
were discussed and it was noted that although the Society very much regrets the clash of date with
HOYS, the date was selected over a year ago in good faith, as HOYS would normally have been held
the week prior. The Society is very supportive of the Horse of the Year Show and understands that
some judges may have commitments on this date, therefore special dispensation will be given to
judges that are required to attend the Conference but have proven commitments at HOYS.
Furthermore, the Society will liaise with HOYS to ensure that the date for the next Conference does
not clash and that this situation does not arise again in the future.
The draft programme for the Conference was confirmed, as follows:
10.00am – 11.00am
Breed Conformation (A, B, C, D and Part-bred)
11.00am – 11.30am
Stewards
11.30am – 12.30am
Working Hunter Ponies
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12.30pm – 1.30pm
Lunch
13.30pm – 14.30pm
Ridden with Q&A
14.30pm – 15.30pm
Role Play
The cost of attending the Conference will be £20 for members and £25 for non-members. This will
not include lunch, however a canteen is available on site for people to purchase their own
meals/refreshments.
New marking cards are to be produced for Assessors that will differentiate between those applying
for a Panel for the first time and those applying for second and subsequent Panels. A training day
for Assessors is going to be held in Builth Wells on Saturday 16th November 2013 and it will be a
requirement henceforth for Assessors to attend at least one training session every four years, with
these being held every other year.
It was decided that in future, when the submission of incorrect results require amendments to
medals due to an error by the Show, any additional cost incurred will be borne by the Show in
question. This is to be added to the Terms and Conditions of award.
New Society medals have been produced and were shown to trustees. These will be awarded to inhand medal winners from 2013 on.
Discussion took place regarding Drug Testing and the possibility of trialling this at a silver medal
show in the first instance.
An adjustment was agreed to the J&S budget to include the cost of purchase of new medals and
that of staging the Assessors Training Day.
Services, Education and Welfare
Mrs Reed, Chair of SEW, reported that a meeting of the Young People’s Committee was going to be
held at Bronaeron on Monday 17th June at 7pm, preceded by a light buffet / informal social at 6pm.
This was to follow the next Services, Education and Welfare meeting that had been rescheduled for
Monday 17th June at 3pm.
It was decided that the availability of purchasing a list of animals recorded under the ownership of a
member for a fee of £10.50 should be promoted so that members can verify the records held.
The SEW committee put forward a proposal for criteria to cover the selection of content for the
Society Journal, which was ratified by Council, to include the following:
1.
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List of officers
Patron
President
President Elect
Chair of Council
Vice-Chair of Council
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Chair of Finance & HR
Chair of Judging & Showing
Chair of Services, Education & Welfare
Principal Officer/Company Secretary
Publicity Officer
Honorary Welfare Officer
Honorary Veterinary Officer
Young Ambassador
Young Ambassador Elect
Journal Editor or Journal Collating Team
2. President’s message – President’s Message and Picture
3. Prizewinners
 Remove “future champions”.
 Royal Welsh Overall Section Champions – Sections A, B, C, D, WPBR, Welsh Driven, Ridden C & D,
Gelding Champion, Welsh Mini Ridden Champion and Mountain & Moorland Champion (+WHP
possible).
 Submitted photographs should be of prizewinners for the current year only, with the “year”
running from 1st October to 30th September i.e. qualifying information for the 2014 Journal will
start from 1st October 2012 to 30th September 2013.
 Minimum criteria of at least one Society Medal to have been won during the “year”
 Formal application form to be completed that will include the following:
o Name and Registration numbers of prizewinner, its sire and dam
o List of shows and results
o Photograph owner’s name & address for return
o Selection Committee’s decision is final
 Ridden, Driven, Performance (dressage, jumping, WHP), Geldings, In-hand A, B, C, D, WPBR,
Youngstock – maximum of 10 photographs per section.
4. Articles / Editorial
 AGM Report
 Editor’s Choice
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Young People’s Section
Young Ambassador Report
Young Peoples Committee Report
Young Judges Competition
Other articles* submitted by young people
Young People’s Gallery
*Substantial articles should be included in the Journal with the remainder being submitted for the
magazine.
6. Looking Back in Time
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Old Articles of historic value*
*Members to be encouraged to submit more recent articles i.e. relating to the 1970s/80s, as these
would be of interest to members and could now be considered “old”.
7. Members Obituaries
Criteria for inclusion of member obituaries should be similar to honorary awards and they should
demonstrate a level of excellence within the breed.
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People that have had a major influence on the breed
One photograph
No word limit
8. Pony & Cob Obituaries
SEW Committee to decide which obituaries should go in the Journal depending on their level of
excellence; those not meeting the criteria could be placed on the Society’s website.
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Maximum 300 words
One photograph
Animals to have had a major influence on the breed
No form to complete
9. Association News
 All to be offered up to one page
 Maximum 500 words
 Up to three photographs
 A year’s worth of news, but no show reports.
Remaining articles can be considered for the magazine.
10.
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Overseas News
All to be offered up to one page
Maximum 500 words
Up to three photographs
A year’s worth of news, but no show reports
Unused articles can be considered for the magazine.
11. Performance
 WPCS Performance Awards results
 Priority given to Welsh Ponies and Cobs that have excelled against other breeds in various
disciplines
 Geldings: National High Point Gelding of the Year
12. Sire Ratings
 RWAS Sire Ratings
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In-Hand Sire Ratings, with pedigree and photograph
Performance Sire Ratings with pedigree and photograph
13.
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Medal Awards
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Previous year’s results submitted after closing date for printing Journal
List of Gold, Silver & Association medal shows to be held in Journal year
14. Sales
Report, photographs and prices:
 Spring Sale
 Fayre Oaks
 Cob Sales
All other sales reports, such as Hay on Wye, to be submitted for inclusion in the Society’s magazine
and/or on the website.
15. Shows – It was agreed that the following show reports would be included:
 RWAS (Judges reports and results only; Sections A, B, C, D, WPBR, Driven, conformation judges
reports for Ridden C&D, Mini, M&M: Dr Wynne report for magazine & website only)
 Lampeter
 Glanusk
 WPCS Performance Show
 National Welsh Championship Show
 Any other Silver medal show that wishes to submit report for consideration
 BDS
 HOYS
 Olympia
16.
Advertisements
It was decided that the Society will allow commercial and non-member advertisements for equine
related goods and services in order to increase income.
17.
Stallions at Stud
If a full page advert is placed in the Journal, individuals can have one free Stallions at Stud entry.
18.
Index to Advertisers
It was agreed that the index remains at the back of the Journal, and that the format of the 2013
edition be retained, i.e. stud name first, then person name
The Horse Race Betting Levy Board has offered to provide CEM testing to Premium hill stallions and
it was agreed that the Hill Pony Improvement Societies would be notified accordingly.
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The Wales Young Farmers Clubs are holding a stock judging competition at the Royal Welsh this year
on the Thursday 25th July) and have approached the Society to ask for 8 Welsh Cobs with handlers to
be supplied. The event will take place in the cattle ring and passes provided. Council has agreed to
support the initiative in principle and is currently sourcing suitable animals that would be available.
Any member who has a Welsh Cob that they could bring is asked to contact the Society.
It was confirmed that the Society’s Welfare Officer and Veterinary Surgeon would be co-opted onto
the SEW committee for 2013/14.
Advisory Group
A report of the meeting of the Advisory Group held on 29th April 2013 was presented to Council by
the President, Mr Edwin Prosser, who Chairs the Group’s meetings. Several action points were
raised, which will be referred to the relevant committees for further deliberation.
Representative reports
Minutes of the meeting of the British Horse Society and Pony Breeds Committee held on 21st March
2013 were circulated, as was an agenda for the EHWS / Sector Council meeting to be held on 20th
June 2013 at Kenilworth, correspondence agendas and minutes from the National Stallion
Association relating to its AGM held on 23rd April 2013 and the survey results of passports conducted
by the National Equine Welfare Council.
80 new members were accepted to the Society.
Anna L. Prytherch
Principal Officer
5th June 2013
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