Next Meeting: TUESDAY January 18, 2009
7:00 PM
NEW MEETING LOCATION:
Foothills Community Foundation (FCF)Holland
Community Center34250 N. 60th Street, Bldg. B Scottsdale, AZ 85266
Located on 60th Street, south Carefree Highway. Meetings are held
the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM from September through May
(no meeting in December). All meetings will be held at the Foothills
Community Foundation – Holland Community Center in their activities
room unless otherwise noted.
FCF Holland
Community Center
http://www.azfcf.org/
PRESIDENTS LETTER
The month of our holiday season has come and as I write this
Thanksgiving has passed, as well as Black Friday. We're
filling up December with it's many religious celebrations,
culinary treats, and for many, a little more time to spend with
family and fur.. Yes, maybe a few extra minutes to mount up and see
some country as you digest all those wonderful meals.
Our fall start up brought several rides and we've enjoyed some very
special programs. The meetings so far this year have had great
attendance and we look forward to that as a continuing trend.
A special thank you to Sue Davis for her discussion of Equine
Massage at November's meeting.
December will bring our Christmas celebration at Saguaro Lake Ranch.
For those that haven't been to this wonderful location, you will
enjoy this gorgeous historic site. The sheer cliffs may even
have a few hang gliders for entertainment. We've been told
that there's been a water release from the dam so no river crossing
for the ride. However, lunching by the river can be fun too.
Please join us for this annual event - riding or not, please come
for the feast and friendship we will all enjoy. Don't forget
their is a voluntary gift game/exchange! And - there is no
regular meeting in December.
January will have a special program and we will be meeting at Horses
Help. More info with directions will be in January's
newsletter. The program will be Saddle Fitting and we will be
working with a variety of therapy horses with different unique
backs.
Please hug your loved ones, both people and animals. Take a
minute to give thanks for their lives and the joys in your own.
Wishing all a Happy Holiday Season and lots of great ideas for a New
Year.
Cindy Ramsey
President
FROM OUR TRAIL COORDNIATOR
Hey
all! Hope your Thanksgiving proved not only calorie filled but joy
filled as well. I LOVE spending time with my grand-kids but can’t
help think-- Yea!! One holiday down, two to go!
So…
at November’s club meeting we discussed a trail issue I still felt
unresolved and I continued to ponder… to that end, I considered the
dynamics of the group rides I’ve attended and I did a little horse
‘mpg’ research online. I think I came up with a couple of reasonable
statements: first, the larger the group, the less likely it CAN or
will stay together—for example, the ASHA ride separated into two
VERY distinct groups a minimum of six times (I counted four card
stops, one loose saddle, one pee break—let me emphasize clearly that
no one seemed to care); second, a horse/mule in average condition
under average trail circumstances walks four to five miles per hour
while fast paced and/or most gaited horses walk out easily at seven
to eight miles per hour. At four OR eight mpg, a horse/mule in
decent physical condition with no health or lameness issues and
preferably with some form of foot protection (due to rocky AZ
conditions) should be able to do three to four hours of reasonable
trail riding—exceeding four hours may be asking too much of your
horse/mule if any unfavorable circumstances exist, i.e. bare feet
and excessive rocks, poor saddle fit, strenuous trail, age of
animal, pre-existing conditions, etc.
So
in an effort to make all rides safe and enjoyable for all horses and
riders, on easier “strolls” (rides level 2 and under) I ask our
gaited or plain old ‘move-out’ horses and mules to try and slow up
just a tad and/or at least wait for ‘us’ once in a while, and on
more challenging rides (levels 2+ and above) most average
horses/mules should EXPECT to do an occasional section of ‘catch up’
trot (especially on hillier rides).
Anyone who rides with me on a regular basis knows safety is my
number one consideration at ALL times, so taking the above into
consideration and knowing that the larger the group the less likely
all horse/riders
can be accommodated OR will/can stay together, I’m initiating the
following on ‘my’ rides: ALL horses are ABSOLUTELY welcome, in fact
u
rged, to attend ALL rides with the understanding some rides ARE
strolls and some are not and as a group we should try to accommodate
each other as graciously as/when possible; in addition, on longer
rides, I will give a ‘heads-up’ at the 1.5 to two hour mark— you
know your horses/ mules as well as your personal limits in a way I
can’t (and if you don’t you should)-- if you need or just want to
turn back for their (or your) sake, this would be the time. Electing
NOT to turn back becomes the rider’s sole responsibility. Since most
trails are easy to follow for most long time trail riders, I will
gladly and consistently turn back with the returning group, allowing
the faster movers to keep going as long you/they like—I travel
prepared and Sis and I will happily relax and wait for you back at
our trailers! I realize I cannot please all the people all the
time—in fact, I can’t please all the people ANY time-- but I can
make an effort to make all rides safe and enjoyable and occasionally
that’s as simple as outlining expectations.
I am NOT suggesting we DO anything we are NOT
ALREADY DOING as a group and virtually on every ride, but few of us
are mind readers, so said aloud, there are the reasonable
expectations.
OFFICERS
President - Cindy Ramsey 480-488-8444
Vice President - Donna Russ
480-488-2125
Treasurer - Nancy Doerzbacher 480-575-1012
Secretary - Jean Anderson 602-390-6806
Trail Coordinator - Jeannie Forst 480-473-0378
Event Coordinator - Jan Blake 480-707-8211
Newsletter - Sandy Luedke 623-262-1623
Website - Andy
Lunk 623-582-8717
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