Dear members,
As we approach the end of the year and the festive season, the board would like to thank all of you for your continued engagement — especially for your patience regarding our ongoing discussions about membership dues since the General Assembly in Aachen.
We are facing a new situation, as, after decades in which Jennifer Anstey and, before her, her mother, the late Susan Jane Anstey, have kept our paperwork in order, the IAEJ now needs a new office. We can’t thank Jen enough for her tremendous work, including hours of printing member cards, sending out mailings, maintaining the website, organizing membership applications, and one of her major tasks: checking who has paid their dues and who hasn’t.
With her business, the Horse Media Group and its highly esteemed flagship website, horse-canada.com, demanding more time in a world that runs faster day by day, Jennifer has decided to relinquish administrative work for the IAEJ. Jen, thank you so much for all the time you have spent contributing to the aims of our association!
It has become clear that the IAEJ needs to modernise its administrative foundation. While we have embraced digital tools such as Zoom for our General Assembly and board meetings, as well as online member communities, our internal administration, including membership management, renewals, and communications, has not kept pace. This became evident when we reviewed our membership records and discovered several unpaid and resigned members. Addressing this has been challenging for everyone involved, and we recognise that improvements are needed.
When the IAEJ was founded in the 1960s/70s, no one was talking about e-mails, the internet, or even social media or influencers. Even fax machines, by then, were something you would have rather expected in Star Trek than on your desk in the office. Accordingly, the IAEJ had the character of a club of journalists that would catch up on international horse shows. The times they are a-changin’…
In short, the association requires a new legal form, a new country of registration, updated statutes, and a modern administrative and treasury system. These changes are essential to ensure we can continue to serve our members effectively. To proceed, we will call an extraordinary General Assembly in the coming weeks to vote on these matters. As the decisions require a two-thirds majority, members who cannot attend online will be able to vote in advance. Your timely participation in the upcoming communications and voting process will be crucial to moving forward. To be honest, yes, it is challenging.
Note. A general rule is that only paying members can vote, and we have sent out reminders and given until the 30th of November to be on the receiving list of emails about the upcoming changes and the voting procedure.
Our next mandatory General Assembly will take place in 2026 during the World Championships in Aachen, where board elections will also be held — four years after Herning. According to our statutes:
“The members of the Board are elected for a four-year term. A Board member can succeed himself/herself in office for two terms only. However, upon nomination by the existing Board and confirmation by a majority vote, terms may be further extended.”
Most of the current board members are willing to continue their work for the IAEJ, as many important initiatives are still in progress. This is not a campaign, but a reminder: in nine months, we will vote. Whether the next board is newly elected or partly renewed, these structural updates — revised statutes, a new legal form, and an improved membership system — will help ensure stability, transparency, and a smoother experience for all members.
We will post about the upcoming meeting in our Facebook group as well. If you want to participate in the live meeting, please look out for the date and time and drop a mail or a comment with the email address you want your invite sent to.