Greetings and happy "spring" everyone!
Hopefully some of you are riding at this point. We are still wading through mud just to get the horses into and out of the turn out. What should take 2 minutes can take up to 15 just getting from here to there. We haven't lost anyone in it yet, so that's something to be thankful for! Pretty soon, we'll be giving up riding for mud wrestling…it seems we have the perfect setup. So, enough of our whining - spring is almost here, isn't it? And there's a lot of news to be aware of. The February meeting was very productive and we expect the March meeting to be equally informative.
The March meeting will be held Friday March 11th at Susan's house at 6:30pm. We will be covering many important issues including:
Please try to attend if you can!
Attention everyone…the date for the awards dinner has been changed! The new date will be Sunday May 22nd at Carolyn Graebener's house. We will be having the party catered and are in the process of ironing out the details. There will be a silent auction with the dinner again this year. If you have an item or items you would like to donate to the club, please contact Susan Ward at 853-4175 or by email at sw4horses@sbcglobal.net. We apologize for the date change but the recent (and not so recent) storms have made it impossible for Carolyn to host the party at her house in March. CDS awards will be distributed at the awards dinner as well.
The 2005 Amateur clinic deadline is upon us. The Northern region clinician is Rachel Saavedra. The clinic will be held May 26-29 at Yarra Yarra in Pleasanton. It will be hosted by Carolyn and Pat Adams and coordinated by Bobby Keville (707-795-1426).
SNC members may submit their name or nominate another SNC member to go. The board will choose the participant based upon chapter participation and volunteer time. In addition, the participant must be able to attend the Thursday prior to the clinic. CDS has requested we submit our participant as soon as possible. If you, or someone you know, meets the above criteria and is interested in participating please let us know BEFORE March 11th! The amateur can be a Junior. To submit your name or nominate someone for consideration, please contact Susan Ward (Chapter Chair) at sw4horses@sbcglobal.net. (775) 853-4175.
The first clinic of the series filled up fast. Below is the list of riders signed up for the clinic.
REMINDER: Auditors are very welcome! The plan is to have Claes "wired for sound" and making a special effort so that each lesson is a valuable experience not only for the rider but also for the auditors. Refreshments will be provided.
Don't worry if the weather hasn't permitted you to ride, and you're not ready for a clinic. There will be other clinics with different clinicians, and you will have other opportunities to participate in a chapter-sponsored clinic.
Suggestions for educational clinics and other activities are always welcome and encouraged -- the more ideas, the better! Please contact Jennifer at jsmith@lionelsawyer.com or 788-8624. We hope to have a number of varied educational chapter activities this year.
Lou and Mary Anne Christensen and Cindy Hoonhout will be co-managing the April show. Volunteers are needed now more than ever with our schedule changing to two day shows. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lou!
Show manager or managers are still needed for the July and September shows! If you are interested, please contact Lou Christensen at lchrist@unr.nevada.edu or 972-5408. Members, please consider helping out with these positions. There is plenty of help and support and your participation is invaluable!
Show Clinic with Angela Littlefield "S"
As everyone knows by now, all of our 2005 shows will be 2-day shows. The club has planned that if the second day of the show does not fill, riders will be given the opportunity to clinic with the judge. We are asking people interested to sign up on a waiting list. We will have more information on cost and times as we get closer to the show. If you are interested in being on the waiting list, please contact Jennifer Smith at jsmith@lionelsawyer.com or 788-8624.
As the show season draws near, please remember that show entry forms must be filled out completely and entry forms must be accompanied by complete payment to be accepted. Show managers will no longer accept incomplete entry forms or entries without payment, no exceptions. Incomplete forms will need to be corrected and re submitted.
In order to avoid delays, please be sure all areas of the form are signed and filled out. Remember that "trainer" is the person responsible for the horse at the show which in the majority of cases, is the rider. Be sure to include copies of your CDS card (and USDF card when appropriate) as well as your payment.
At the next meeting, we will be going over the entry form trying to streamline the form as much as possible, but the rider is ultimately responsible for sending in a complete form. If anyone needs help filling out the form, or has questions about the form, please feel free to contact any of the board members and we will be happy to help you!
If you haven't updated your horses vaccines, now is the time to get your horse boostered/vaccinated for West Nile and the other yearly vaccines. It is very important to get your horse protected before the mosquito season. You may also want to have your vet draw blood for a Coggins test so you will have all your papers in order if you are planning on traveling out of state for the show season.
Many veterinarians are recommending twice or possibly three times yearly boosters for West Nile. Ask your vet which schedule will be best for your horse.
The monthly E-Newsletters are sent out to any Dressage Enthusiast that would like to subscribe. If you know of someone that would like to receive this E-news please have them contact us at snc-cds@charter.net. If you have a news item or announcement that you would like added to the monthly E-news or to the website please send it to snc-cds@charter.net.