Autumn update

One of Suzi's cats decided to be a door prize

Our annual chapter picnic was held at Suzi Ronning's Thornhill Farm on September 30. Along with perfect weather, good food, fun and useful door prizes (thanks, Sharon!), and visiting with friends we elected officers. Even though everyone pleaded with Sharon to continue her reign as president-extraordinaire, she could not be swayed from her decision to step down. When Eric McKown agreed to serve as president for the coming year, he was enthusiastically voted in.  Eric will take over his new responsibilities starting tomorrow, November 1.

Our other officers agreed to continue serving for another year: Kris Brown as vice-president, Suzi Ronning as secretary, Jane Baer as treasurer, and Sylvia Kantas as our long-suffering show secretary. Patty Armstrong also agreed to stay on as our volunteer coordinator. Don't forget to thank these members for all they do.  They are giving up their personal time to work for all of us, and keep things running, so we need to let them know we appreciate what they're doing, and support them as much as possible.

Jennifer Stoffer was our speaker for the October 8 meeting at Clover Valley Equestrian Center.  Jennifer talked about traditional Chinese medicine and its equine medical applications. She covered the five types of horses defined by the five basic elements in Chinese theory (fire, earth, metal, water, wood), food therapy, herbal therapy, and acupuncture.

Pamela Smith will be our speaker at the November 12 meeting, 7 p.m. at Clover Valley Equestrian Center. Pamela will be talking about thrush and other foot ailments we deal with during our wet northwest winters.

The tentative date for our annual Christmas Party is December 2. More information will be coming soon, but save the date. And don't forget to send in your high scores for the year if you haven't already done so! Email them to Michelle at mmcmillen@macnet.com.

On a sad note, chapter member Debbie Cummings had to give her mare Sadie (Black Satin Aboo) the ultimate gift in October, and had her put down to end her suffering. Sadie was Debbie's first dressage horse and produced three stunning foals by Ideal. Sadie also introduced Debbie to Rick and Michelle McMillen, and I (Michelle) will be forever grateful to her for that.

Summery summary

Sorry for dropping the ball blog there for awhile; it's been a busy summer!

"Sometimes it just pays to show up!" says Suzi

Congrats to Suzi and Felino for winning their Fourth Level class and the Fourth Level High Point Award at the Letter Perfect show in June! They were the only one in their class, but Suzi reports that Felino was a very good boy and they received a very respectable score of 60.4% from Donna Longacre who's a tough judge.

Larry, the Danish x Arabian gelding that Michelle was leasing, sold at the end of June. The new owner kept Larry in training with Michelle and came down for lessons twice a week until the end of July, when he moved home to Tenino, WA. The stall didn't stay vacant for long; within days, Sylvia's horse Cohort moved in. Interestingly enough, Larry's former owner has been able to fill in some blanks on Cohort's lineage, since she is primarily a breeder of Holsteiners.

On July 3, chapter member Jo Ann Cooke fell and broke her left kneecap. Thankfully she has been cleared to ride again, as long as she mounts on the off-side.

Thanks to a lot of hard work, preparation and planning by Jane Baer, our Ride-A-Test fundraiser in July was very successful. The hot, sunny day was filled with rides from 8:15 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Judges Suzi Ronning and Estelle Keating worked with every rider to improve their tests and resolve any issues, and there was much positive feedback. Of course, we couldn't have had an event without a facility. Clover Valley Equestrian Center's Amanda and Chris James were so helpful from beginning to end, and of course they open up their facility for our monthly meetings and nearly any other time we need a place for events. Make sure you let them know how much you appreciate them!

The Wildflower Trace Stable Benefit Dressage Show was held last Sunday. The proceeds from this show – around $800! – go to chapter member Karina Molatore and her husband Paul, who were in a devastating car accident last November. A big thanks to Elyse Evans, her mom, and Bill Burke, who organized this benefit. Chapter members Sharon Knowlton and Marilyn Rodriguez supported it with their entries.

Also last Sunday, Brian McMillen (with four other youth ages 13 and under) competed at the State Fair in the Draft Horse Division after just three short evenings of practice – and won the class! If those big, black Shires look the least bit familiar, you might be remembering another of owner Duane's horses who competed in regional dressage shows – One Mile Joey.

Be sure to mark your calendar for our annual chapter picnic and election of officers on Sunday, September 30. We'll meet Suzi and Jim Ronning's Thornhill Farm outside of Newberg at 3:00 p.m.; CMC will provide burgers and brats, veggieburgers, soft drinks and water. Please bring yummy side dishes, salads and desserts to go with them, and any other drinks you prefer. Also, please RSVP ASAP to Sharon (wred.rider@frontier.com) so we know how much food to have on hand.

For our October 8 meeting, Dr. Jennifer Stoffer will be speaking on Chinese medicine and acupuncture and how she uses them for various treatments. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Clover Valley Equestrian Center.

CMC will once again be putting together a basket for the ODS Annual Awards and Silent Auction.  The theme is "Spa Day For Your Horse," so we need items (or a monetary donation) for pampering your horse. Please bring your donations to the picnic, or the October meeting!

Finally, remember to keep track of your scores from any League or recognized show you attend between January 1 and November 15 of this year. We present high-point awards for each level at the Christmas party, and we don't want you to miss out! We'll need your highest score per level, identified with level, name and date of show, your name and horse's name along with the score for consideration. (Collective marks will be used as tie-breakers if necessary, so hang on to those test sheets.)

Do you have any news or photos to share with the chapter? Send them to Michelle (mmcmillen@macnet). See you at the picnic!

No hoof, no horse....

That would have been a fitting title for our last chapter meeting, held Monday evening at Clover Valley Equestrian Center. Pamela Smith, certified barefoot trimmer, gave an educational presentation, complete with slides and bones, on the structure of the hoof, the importance of balanced feet, and what to look for in a healthy, balanced foot. We all came away with a greater awareness of what to watch for in our horses, to assure they stay balanced and sound.


Other chapter business discussed Monday follows.

1. It was suggested to the chapter that we schedule a clinic with Kelly Cecil. Kelly is a trainer that works with natural horsemanship methods for groundwork and riding, teaching people how to build a stronger bond with their horse, gain a better understanding of how to 'speak' to our horses, and how to get the most out of our time with them. Kelly works in a group setting with up to six horses (and unlimited auditing). We don’t have an exact price or time yet (sometime in July is what we're shooting for), but Sharon does need to know how many people would be interested in such a clinic. If you’re interested, send her an email at wred.rider@frontier.com. She will let everyone know as soon as we get the time and cost worked out.
2. Clover Valley is hosting a Tack Sale on Saturday, June 23 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost for a table is $5. Please contact Myla Natvig at 503-260-9425 to reserve a spot. The sale will be advertised via local media. Their previous sale was a huge success for everyone that participated, so this is a good opportunity to sell things you no longer need, or to pick up things you may need.
3. We discussed having a trail clinic at Clover Valley Equestrian Center this summer. More information to follow.
4. Clover Valley is considering bringing in Debbie Spence for a dressage clinic. Because Debbie travels from Washington there needs to be a commitment for 18 rides over a Saturday and Sunday.  If you are interested in riding with Debbie, please send Sharon an email (wred.rider@frontier.com) so she can get a headcount of those interested.
5. Our next meeting is Monday, June 11, at Clover Valley Equestrian Center starting at 7:00 p.m. This will be a business meeting to finalize plans for the Ride-a-Test, and to complete the events calendar for the year. Please bring your ideas for clinics, speakers, or events that you would like to see happen.
6. Don't Forget. The Ride-a-Test is scheduled for July 7. If you have time to volunteer, please contact Jane Baer at englishrose@embarqmail.com.

Hope to see you at the June meeting!

A new partner for our president

In case you haven't heard, our president has a new pony!

Sharon went to Wisconsin to look at a Haflinger mare, but the mare just didn’t work out; they didn’t connect. The owner had this little guy hidden away. She thought he would be a good match for Sharon, and decided to make him available.

His name is Stepke; Sharon says she'll probably call him Steppy for short. He was imported as a weanling from Germany, hence the German name. Sharon was told Stepke means little guy, which is what she used to call Wred. He's five years old now but was just gelded in October; still, he’s very sweet and Sharon thinks he's going to be a lot of fun. He’s been trained to drive and ride, and Sharon had a chance to both ride and drive him while she was there.

Sharon says Stepke should arrive around May 10; she can hardly wait. It’s bittersweet, but she thinks Wred would approve. Both Wred and Stepke were both born on March 31; Wred in '97 and Steppy in '07. Do you believe in magic?

Sharon says, "How could I not have loved this face?"

"He will definitely need some cleaning up."

Memorial

On March 3, 2012, our member Shannon Salyer had to say good-bye to her dressage partner Waylon at our annual Bears Show.

Shannon wrote: "Waylon was born Tiz a Roani on January 17, 2001. He was a successful racehorse at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Los Alamitos. He was a gift from my best friend Jessica, who drove him 1,000 miles to be with me. He was a kind, gentle soul that taught me so much. He showed incredible potential in the dressage court."

Shannon's brother wrote the following:
"The pain that I felt upon hearing about this is indescribable. My sister lost her best friend yesterday. I'm glad that I had the chance to meet Waylon before he left. Having witnessed Shannon's growth as an equestrian through the years, Waylon was the apogee of my sister's life-long dream. I'm nothing short of proud of her for working so hard over the past 18 years to earn having Waylon in her life. He will never be forgotten."

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We will be meeting for a potluck wrap-up of the Bears show on Monday, March 12, 7:00 p.m. at Clover Valley Equestrian Center. Bring something tasty and join us!

Meeting report

We had a well-attended meeting at Suzi Ronning's home on February 13. Although billed as a "movie night," we ended up taking care of a lot of business before watching a Jane Savoie video on "Rhythm and Relaxation." Fortunately, we had plenty of fabulous munchies brought by members to sustain us while taking care of said business!

The first order of business was welcoming new member Vicki Smith, who came with Maryann. Vicki rides her son’s Quarter horse and will be showing at our Bears show. Eric McKown returned to the fold, announcing that he just sold his young horse, Harvey. Also in attendance were Sharon, Carolyn, Janis, Andrea, Michelle, Patti, Sylvia, Jane, Kris, Joann and, of course, Suzi. Michelle announced that she again has a horse to ride, a Danish WB/Arabian gelding she is leasing. Sharon shared that she is starting to look for another Haflinger, and had photos of a beautiful mare in Wisconsin she is considering.

Sylvia announced that our Bears show is close to full. There may be an issue with haul-ins who have not purchased stalls. We will make sure that riders understand that no horses are allowed in the barn aisles unless they have a stall.

Suzi moved that we continue to use the ODS Bylaws as our chapter guidelines. The motion was seconded by Sylvia and approved unanimously.

We discussed the fact that ODS does not charge a non-member fee at ODS-approved shows. We feel that this should be considered by our parent organization as a way to increase income and more importantly, encourage riders to join ODS.

Jane discussed details of a basic business bank account with Key Bank which would only allow 50 transactions per month. We may run over that around Bears; however, the savings feature is still favorable. The chapter voted and approved it. Jane is also working on a budget for the chapter. We would like to generate some additional income beyond the Bears show, and talked about a ride-a-test event or a Pilates clinic. We decided on a ride-a-test at Clover Valley on July 29, at a fee of $30.00 for 30 minutes. Suzi will judge a half-day, and we will find a 2nd judge/instructor.

Our next event is the Bears show March 3 and 4, followed by a regular meeting on Monday, March 12. This is scheduled to be another “food event,” a potluck at Clover Valley to celebrate Bears and make plans for the summer.

Parting shot; Suzi's cat – shown here with JoAnn - was very much in attendance, too!

Hugs for our president

Wred

March 1997 to January 2012

Sharon Knowlton let Wred go to greener pastures last Friday after the veterinarians at OSU found a cancerous mass in his stomach. Truly, she gave him the best gift, at the cost of her heart.

CMC News Flash: Meetings Change to 2nd Monday!

Yes, our first meeting of the year, on January 9 at Clover Valley Equestrian Center, was full of important business. After years of scheduling our chapter meetings on the first Monday of each month, and then making changes because of holidays, a motion was made and passed to move them to the second Monday of each month.

Therefore, our next meeting will be on Monday, February 13. For this meeting we will meet at Suzi Ronning's home (29895 NE Wilsonville Road) at 7:00 p.m. for a video night (bring snacks!). We will also be finalizing any last details for our upcoming Bears Above the Ground Show (March 3 & 4 at the Yamhill Co. Fairgrounds).

We will move back to Clover Valley Equestrian Center for our March meeting on the 12th. Instead of spending a chunk of our hard-earned show profits on a pizza feed, we agreed that we'd have a quieter atmosphere for visiting and better food for eating by combining our specialties at a potluck dinner. Come join us, and help us plan our activities for the rest of 2012!