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Gipsy Horses Ranch: de ranch waar iedereen welkom is !

General terms and conditions of GHRCA asbl

  1. Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association vzw is a Belgian non-profit organization, incorporated under company number (KBO number) 0781.685.584 and conducted under the Belgian laws for non-profit organizations (vzw – asbl). Its constitution, bylaws and board of directors can be accessed below via item 7.  
  2. Membership 85 euros. The current annual membership fee is 85 euros and ends at midnight on December 31. 
  3. After completing the membership application and paying the membership fee in full, your application will be reviewed. Upon approval, the applicant will be granted a passive membership (joined member) for the specified period of time.  
  4. This membership fee includes an Arena insurance policy made available by Paardensport Vlaanderen. Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association vzw will share your data with Paardensport Vlaanderen and Paardensport Vlaanderen will coordinate to issue the Arena insurance policy for equestrian activities as described in the documentation of Paardensport Vlaanderen / NV Arena issued by NV Arena – FSMA 10.365. Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association vzw cannot be considered an insurer or an organization issuing policies – we recommend the Arena policy issued by Paardensport Vlaanderen and are authorized by the member to share his data and personal information (obtained through the member’s completion of the application) with Paardensport Vlaanderen vzw and NV Arena. Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association vzw cannot be held liable for incomplete or incorrect personal information or other data when shared with Paardensport Vlaanderen and Arena. Optionally -at the additional payment of 30 Euro and checking the option- the possibility is offered to take the R-extension. R-expansion. What does the R-extension entail? Repatriation of the sportsman from abroad. You can only take the R insurance if you are also a member (and therefore have C and the I insurance). What it does not include. Repatriation of horses. For all additional information, please refer to Paardensport Vlaanderen. GHRCA vzw can in no way be held liable for any changes made by the insurer, the insurance producer and/or Paardensport Vlaanderen.
  5. Membership dues are non-refundable. 
  6. Clinic fees, costs for training activities, entry fees (competition) and event tickets. These fees will be refunded only in case of cancellation of the event by Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association asbl. Exceptions in extremis: if the person(s) who have paid the entry fee/admission fee (members enjoying a rate reduction / non-members paying the full price) and are prevented from participating or attending (for entry) due to reasons of serious force majeure beyond their control (force majeure due to demonstrable health problems, circumstances of a serious nature, etc.), in which case an omission may be made.), in that case a circumstantial dossier can be addressed to Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association vzw, Mollemansstraat 14, 2260 Westerlo and the board can then decide on a full or partial refund.
  7. Third Party Vendors. In the exceptional event that third party vendors sell Services and goods with a written concession license issued by Gipsy Horses Ranch BV, they are responsible to operate and conduct business according to the laws and regulations issued by the government and-if applicable-by official regulatory agencies related to the type of industry in which the vendor is categorized. Gipsy Horses Ranch BV holds each seller liable and responsible to comply with all laws and regulations. In the event of a dispute or complaint from a customer of these third party vendors, Gipsy Horses Ranch BV’s responsibility is limited to providing the details of the vendor in question and waives all responsibility, as any transaction between third party vendor and its customer is considered a third party transaction.
  8. Release of Liability – Indemnification Statement. All participants, visitors and those accompanying them participate and attend at their own risk and agree to indemnify and hold Gipsy Horses Ranch BV and its staff harmless from any and all liability in the event of damages, personal injury, injury to horses, any type of physical or mental harm resulting from participation or attendance at training events, competition events, clinics, classes, and other events, meetings and/or activities. The release of liability also covers the use  of parking lots, internal roads, occasional incidental camping facilities,  restrooms, and all other areas and structures. Each visitor is  responsible for his/her guests, minors under his/her  supervision, pets, property, vehicles, appliances and other items.
  9. Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association asbl. The organization per se found its actual start in 1984 and has been formalized into a legal non-profit organization structure since spring 2022
Download the GHRCA founding act here

Integrity policy GHRCA vzw

Introduction

Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association asbl is a non-profit organization.

Our position as youth workers brings with it responsibilities, including with respect to our behavior. This includes behavior to and from camp-goers, volunteers, staff, and behavior to and from each other as colleagues and in the employee-employer relationship.

The purpose of this Code of Integrity is to establish and communicate the standards we use when assessing our own behavior and the behavior of others. In doing so, we strive for integrity, honesty, respect, collegiality and customer friendliness. Integrity is an aspect of professionalism. Integrity is inseparable from personal responsibility, our commitment to youth work and the trust of camp-goers, parents, volunteers and colleagues.

Reason

Integrity is increasingly becoming a topic of public discussion. For Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association vzw it is important to pursue a good integrity policy so that employees, parents and camp guests always know where to turn. This is pursued so that integrity – what can and cannot be done – can be discussed and kept in focus.

Keys and keeping alive

Integrity relies primarily on culture, exemplary behavior and openness. This involves clearly putting integrity on the agenda and communicating about it, both internally and externally, and taking firm and clear action in case of integrity violations. Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association strives for an ever up-to-date integrity policy based on a healthy basic attitude and always with room for communication. This is pursued through an initial discussion on integrity at the animators’ weekend with clear agreements that are also communicated in writing in the welcome brochure. Furthermore, a presentation of the responsible person and the contact person regarding the integrity policy, Ms. Maxine Michiels, is foreseen during the training session. Maxine Michiels, during training days. For children and parents there is a board with contact details of this person and throughout the activities the person in charge will always make contact at least once with the parents and be present at the pick-up time.

We realize that establishing agreements and rules regarding desired behavior does not mean that they will be followed in full. Preventively, we always try to tackle ‘becoming aware’, ‘being aware’ and ‘remaining aware’. We do this by testing (using fictitious situations to prepare our employees for difficult situations), monitoring and keeping the agreements and corresponding rules of conduct alive. Especially the implementation of the policy and making and keeping dilemmas open for discussion are important here.

Evaluation

Values and norms evolve. Shaping integrity sustainably is therefore an ongoing process. With integrity development, we are never done there. Integrity is therefore constantly discussed and working points in the policy are actively sought.

1. Integrity Policy

1.1. What is integrity?

A person of integrity is a person who is honest, sincere and always trustworthy. Integrity is mainly about being honest and ethical. It is about not bribing, not cheating and not lying. Integrity is about more than following the rules. It is about reliability, collegiality, customer focus and decency. It is a basic attitude of people and a quality and value of Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association asbl. Where rules are missing or unclear, judgments will have to be made from this attitude.

In other words, integrity is an attribute of individuals and organizations. Our work in youth work requires a professional and reliable way of working, based on acting with integrity. Acting with integrity is about things that are not prohibited by law or rule, but which can lead to undesirable results and behavior. Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association asbl works with children who come to camp. This, among other things, brings with it great responsibility. After all, a quality operation requires a reliable relationship between animators and child as well as a relationship of trust between animators and child. Integrity is a great necessity in this respect. Another aspect of integrity in our operation is taking care of each other and ensuring a safe working environment.

1.2. Principles

Within our operation, integrity is about our basic attitude, behavior and culture. No distinction is made here between members of the Board of Directors, employees and volunteers. The same rules apply to everyone. Integrity is first and foremost a matter of personal responsibility. Our four pillars ‘safety’, ‘quality’, ‘respect for nature and each other’ and ‘sustainability’ are also closely aligned with this. We start our policy from a motion of trust. We believe in a good basic attitude from all employees. The policy is established to make the right choice in case of doubt. The policy repeats guidelines stating what we expect from our employees and what our visitors can expect. An important principle in our integrity policy is open communication. With open communication we strive for a good relationship of trust between employees and parents, employees and children and employees among themselves. We pursue the agreements made and always act in accordance with our own values and norms. When there is a deviation from the rules of conduct, a substantiated explanation is given to the integrity officer, Mw. Maxine Michiels.

The Code of Integrity is a guide in which we state what we expect; it does not provide a system of detailed regulations. Nor do we aspire to one. We rely on a good basic attitude and a reliable way of working with open communication. This means that the code is not without obligation. The code is a guide where it is not about the letter, but about the spirit. It is not always fixed what is “right” or what is “wrong. Everyone has a personal responsibility in this consideration. Because of this, it is important that we discuss with each other the meaning of the integrity policy and code of integrity for acting in daily practice. There is a large gray zone between the white and black areas. For this zone, making it discussable is key. In conversation, we can determine together what GHRCA vzw stands for and strives for in the situation at hand.

Integrity is part of the culture of the organization. The director and educator have an important part in this culture. Therefore, exemplary behavior is essential. Practice what you preach! Acting openly and transparently plays a role in this. Those who desire integrity must themselves act with integrity, propagate integrity and be accountable for it. Within the Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association, separation of functions is an important organizing principle in the establishment of control mechanisms. We try to strike the right balance between the interests and influences of the various employees.

On sensitive issues, we have a conversation in private where the situations are handled by an employee and the integrity officer, Ms. Maxine Michiels.

1.3. Ensuring integrity

Knowing that we cannot (and do not want to) dichotomize acting with integrity, we have structurally safeguarded it as much as possible within Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association vzw. The framework and correlation of things is outlined below.

Government laws and regulations

We face laws and regulations with which we must comply and/or be accountable.

Codes of Conduct

We subscribe to and adhere to three codes:

These codes will be gone over on paper when hired and the employee will receive these codes on paper. These codes apply specifically to the employees of Gipsy Horses Rodeo Cowboys Association asbl.

Reporting misunderstandings

There are multiple ways for employees and stakeholders to report potential misunderstandings:

  • Through the confidential advisor (Ms. Maxine Michiels +32 493 98 55 56);

Control plans

As indicated, several initiatives are underway to continue to encourage acting with integrity. However, more is needed than recording acting with integrity in processes and procedures. Checking that processes are followed correctly, procedures are carried out and agreements made are kept is essential. Each year, the Board of Directors establishes an approach for checking the systems. The fact that there is structural testing also has a preventive effect.