European Conference of Arabian Horse organisations

This is the European organisation which regroups stud-books and organisations concerned by the use of arabian horses. They have a data base of performances. The members work together in order to develop some projects, there are a show commission, a sport commission and a registration and exchanges commission.

ECAHO is an organization of organizations that is to say it does not have individual people as members, like for example, a breeder's association; ECAHOs members are themselves associations.

The full voting members are all European Arab horse registries or breeder's associations. Some countries have two delegates, e.g. France and Spain, where one delegate is a Government registry and the other is a private association, but at General Meetings each member country has one vote. Each member appoints one Councillor.

General Meetings are held annually in a different host country. In 1996 Hungary hosted the meeting at Bábolna and 110 people attended.

ECAHO is a democratic organization and decisions are taken by majority vote.

The governing body is the Council which consists of 17 nationally appointed members plus an Executive Committee (EC) of three voted by the Council for three-year periods. EC members once elected do not represent their countries anymore, they are replaced by a new national appointee. The Council is the government of ECAHO. The General Meetings are the Parliament, but the work is done by the civil service, which are the Commissions. Members of Commissions are, under the terms of the Constitution, appointed by the Council, just as civil servants are employed by the government in power. Sometimes the Commission chairman is appointed by Council directly, or if Council chooses, the Commissions concerned may elect a chairman from among its members. Members of Commissions are usually put forward from membership by their own national societies but the council is entitled to refuse a national nomination if it wishes.

Whenever a Council or Commission meets at a properly convened meeting decisions are taken by majority vote and recorded in the General Secretary's minutes. It follows that most business is conducted by and through the national associations who vary greatly in their degree of contact or rapport with their own individual members. Where an individual person wishes to bring a matter up directly, a letter to either the relevant Commission chairman or to the General Secretary or to the Council Chairman will always be considered on its merits and acted upon accordingly.