Party in the park!

The Chehalem Mt. Chapter held it’s annual summer picnic on September 17. This year’s location was Willamette Mission State Park, so some of our members opted to come with their horses and camp (thanks, Karina, for reserving the campsites!); others hauled in for a day ride; the rest came for the food and socializing. We had excellent representation from spousal units and canine friends as well. A total of seven riders got a little wet, but the bit of drizzle wasn’t too bad and kept the dust down.

The meal was held at a picnic shelter with the main menu provided by Wetmore Quality Dogs, a gourmet hot dog stand with something tasty for everyone – even the vegetarians! Members brought lots of side dishes to round out the meal. It was nice to catch up with everyone on their summer activities – even if we did need jackets and blankets!

Sadly, one of our long-time members, Suzi Ronning, is moving with her family to Aiken, South Carolina. Suzi has been a huge part of our dressage/horse community for decades. Aside from competing herself, Suzi has judged, trained, coached, and mentored many of us on our journey with our horses. She’s served in various capacities in ODS, has worked with 4H and OHSET, and has volunteered whenever she wasn’t busy judging or showing. Her bright smile and kindness will be greatly missed, but never forgotten, and hopefully she’ll come back to visit us often. Our chapter is hosting an open house for Suzi on October 8th at Clover Valley Equestrian Center, 14275 NE Tangen Rd, Newberg, OR 97132. Please mark your calendars and plan to stop by any time between 2 and 4 p.m. for some snacks, and to wish Suzi well on her new adventure.

Our chapter Christmas party, a highlight of our year, will be at Jorine Rietman’s house this year (since Suzi is moving), at 14715 SW 133rd Avenue, Tigard OR 97224-8235, on Sunday, December 3, at 4 p.m. We hope to have a big crowd for this fun event!

Check our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Oregon-Dressage-Society-CMC-144815775560523/) for the latest updates to all activities.

Catching up on chapter news

Time to catch up on a couple months' activities!

Our November meeting was an educational one. Patty Cameron from Gallops Saddlery in Tigard joined us for a presentation on bits and bitting. She brought a wide variety of bits to pass around as she talked about their structure and uses. The bits in the photo, although quite varied, are all legal for USEF events.

Our December meeting is always our popular Christmas party, one of the highlights of our "social calendar." On December 11 we gathered in Suzi Ronning’s beautifully decorated home for a festive potluck meal, and followed that with a cutthroat gift exchange and drawings for our “Powerball prizes.” For those who don’t know; CMC members put a ticket in a box for every chapter event they attend, and tickets are drawn at our Christmas for cash prizes; it’s a nice incentive for being an involved member!

Our January 11 meeting had to be postponed until January 18 because of the winter weather. We will be working on everything needed to ensure another successful edition of our annual Bears Above the Ground League Show. This year's show is scheduled for February 25 and 26 at the Yamhill Co. Fairgrounds in McMinnville. Our show is a great warm-up for the show season and we hope you’ll join us. If you aren’t interested in competing, we welcome volunteers!

It's that most wonderful time of the year!

It’s time again for our annual chapter Christmas party! Based on attendance, this has to be everyone's favorite event – I know it's one of mine. I always look forward to the chance to visit with members and catch up on the goings-on with their horses. It doesn’t hurt that the rooms are filled with beautiful decorations, good food, pretty presents, smiles and laughter as well.

Suzi Ronning is so gracious to host us again this year at her home just outside Newberg (29895 NE Wilsonville Road, Newberg OR 97132). The party will be held on Sunday, December 11, beginning at 4:00 p.m.  The chapter provides ham; please bring your favorite sides, salads and desserts to go along with that. We will also have our usual cutthroat gift exchange, so bring a wrapped gift costing no more than $20.  

If you are new to our area and/or our chapter, I hope you are able to come and get acquainted. If you have come before, then I look forward to seeing you there! 

Mary Ann Trout, President

Chehalem Mt. Chapter of ODS

That's a wrap

Our annual chapter Christmas party at Suzi Ronning's on December 13 was a rousing success. We always have a great turnout for this event, and no wonder. First, there is the Ronnings' beautifully decorated home to welcome us,

then there is the vast spread of delicious food,

and finally the fun of door prizes, the cutthroat gift exchange, and the "powerball" drawings for cash awards.

Of course, it's always nice to be able to catch up with old friends and get better acquainted with new friends.

Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year!

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!

Merry Christmas!

We had a good turnout, great food, many awards, and a lively gift exchange (as usual) for our annual chapter Christmas party on the afternoon/evening of December 4. If you were not able to attend, here's a glimpse of the fun you missed!

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I hope your evening is just as festive, and you have a very merry Christmas tomorrow.