News about Lakeville Pony Club

Hope all our LPC family and all they hold dear are in good health for this Thanksgiving holiday week.

Recommended for all - especially all camp over kids. - must know the location of all required equipment at camp!

End of meeting - Caroline will be trailering out to Rally at Connecticut Valley Pony Cub/Lord Creek Farm in Lyme CT. She is on a scramble team with our friends from Mad River Pony Club. Melissa will be a C advisor for this rally.

Thursday, July 23, 2009 3:30 am.

LPC is back at Champs! Caroline made the New York Upper Connecticut Region Sr. D Quiz Rally team so off we go! Excited? Yes. We've not been to champs yet, so a little nervous about the schedule, and.... what job the National Office has in store for this volunteer.....

We were packed and on the road 3:30am heading to I84 West destination Virginia. Why 3:30am? Well, the drive.. time for breaks, food, hotel check in, and freshen up to be at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington in time to meet with the team, pick up competitor packets, get the pinnies on (Medical Arm Bands and Pinnies must be worn by competitors at all times while at the horse center), and be at the Quiz Briefing at 2:00 PM. Was good timing, the route we chose from Lakeville:

22 South to I-84 West, in PA picked up I-81 taking it straight down to Lexington VA. Not a bad drive at all. - Saw quite a few cars, trucks, trailers with "VA or Bust", "Quiz Queens Rule", or something of a similar nature written on the windows of a vehicles piloted by a dedicated parent all headed in the same direction as we were. At the Horse Park we picked up Caroline's regional champs shirt, purchased more regional pins, dropped off the region banner, and collected our Quiz Champs Pin. Volunteer briefing was the same time as competitor briefing so Caroline was in the most capable hands of Quiz Rally experienced Chaperones - Nora's mom and Bridget's parents. Bridget's parents, being seasoned Quiz Rally participants chose the Hotel with a nice pool, and had a suite for the girls to study in...naturally, while.... I met organizers for Quiz Rally (Dick Adams) and got to know Stacey Douglas Quiz Secretary and Head Scorer. Yes, right off the bat the laptops were open and put to work debugging the scoring program. Caroline went shopping, to dinner, studied (a little) and went swimming, and started trading NYUC Pins with all the other Pony Clubbers there! What a great way to meet and make new friends from all over the Country. At 7:00pm opening ceremonies began with a parade of all teams from all disciplines. Sponsors were introduced - Dover, Smart Pack, Farnham, Specialty Insurors, Henri De Rivel, Perri's, Intervet/Schering-Plough. We learned then that there would be a random drawing to award a saddle to some lucky person from each discipline! - Yes Even Quiz!

For the next three days - Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Caroline and her team competed in the different phases - Mega Room, Class Room, Barn, Stations, and a Written Test. Points were deducted for inappropriate footwear, or missing pin (not our kids) I am proud to say, that NYUC Region are the masters of the Inquiry Process. Respectful inquiries kept the TD quite busy. There were very few denied to our team! Chaperones had to be with teams at all times and the girls made good use of the many opportunities to go across the street to Dover Saddlery, check out Games (cute ponies, wild outfits), Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage, Tetrathlon, and Polocrosse. What an experience!

Details: Jr. D - 24 teams (94 competitors), Sr. D - 18 teams (71 competitors), Jr. C and up - 4 teams (14 competitors), Sr. C and up 3 teams (10 competitors). Top Score for Sr. D team: 747 points, low score 598, Our Region's Sr D Team = 709! = 9th place! Imagine that, only 38 points between 1st and 9th place. This was great competition, Nice work girls! After closing ceremonies we went back to the hotel and had a chance to relax and watch Caroline with the great pony clubber from Alaska play in the pool. Can't wait to go back next year!!

(You can check out the photo gallery for 2009 rallies to see some from Nationals!)

The week before: Lakeville PC - Thank you for the assistance with Xcty Prep! Caroline, Emily O., Emily S., Maggie, Mrs. Lehn - all got out there and trimmed around the fences, Sabrina - your help made a huge difference! We made minor repairs between rain storms, sprayed for bees, cut back overgrowth. Thank you Rory O'Connor for hauling hay bales up to the hill from Riga for stuffing the jumps. Linda and Riga Meadow - thank you for the "mulch" hay.

Thank you to additional volunteers that made it to the hill on Sunday - Sarah & Emily O did a great job as jump crew and runners, Mrs. Lafer experienced Horse Management Officiating first hand, Andi and Molly O'Connor filled in where ever needed. Thank you so much!

Cody and Smudge spend the night in the temporary stalls at Kent School, Lilly S. and Cody having done Dressage Rally the day before and Smudge being dropped off in exchange for Jerry. Lilly S. arranges for Cindy (Eventing Stable Manager) to bunk at her home, saving much time and driving.

Caroline has been coordinating with team mates from Ridge Riders - Chelsea Efantes (HB) and Amy Cristallo (HB). All four competitors have at least a weeks worth of equipment, Amy and Lilly having participated in Dressage Rally and in addition all the riding members are registered for the two days of Upper Level Prep Camp that follows Eventing. It is a tight squeeze in that tack room, and two of the team horses are stabled in the other barn, but the team did great they made it work. See the photos - it is truly amazing- hats off to Cindy!

Sunday June 28th, Monday June 29th - 2009 NYUC Region Qualifying Eventing Rally,

LPC Caroline Sullivan, C1 Competitor #12 on Caitlin Heller's Starry Night AKA "Smudge"

-Very photogenic team - all grey horses! There may be a few photos of them in the early AM fog. Our girls did well with jog outs and formal inspections. Amazing because once again these were all grey horses that spent the night in temporary stalls...nothing is hidden..

The Competitors pulled out some great dressage tests! Lilly and Cody a fabulous 30.5 penalty points, Caroline and Smudge 33.7 penalty points (Down an amazing 11 from her last Novice B test - good work!), Chelsea and Tucker 41.1 penalty points, and Amy and Angel 37.7 penalty points. Worst score dropped, leaving the team with 101.9 penalty points, almost 6 points ahead. Stadium rounds went very well, with worst score dropped the team incurred no more penalty points boosting their lead, now ahead by 18 points. Horse Management - we were caught by team daily's, incurring 7 penalty points. Was a great day, horses were tucked in for the night and all headed to the South Kent School Dorms to clean up and have dinner.

Dorms at South Kent School - Very Nice! Lovely common area, air conditioned comfort, clean and safe. Plenty of hot water for all the showers. Good food in the dining hall - fresh fruit, salad bar, chicken, pasta, veggies, fresh spinach, and ice cream! Written test followed dinner and once again, Ev Brown outdid herself. Congratulations to our Lilly! She tied for second best score for her rating out of 7, Caroline and Cindy also brought their scores up significantly as well. Written test scores pulled the team ahead by 3 points. Corrections and Inquiries followed test, then all passed out - with good reason.. Breakfast was at 6:00, stables opened at 6:30. With all those grey horses, they needed to get there as soon as the doors were open!

The girls were packed, bags loaded into the Suburban, and seated for breakfast at 6:00. Sarah Adams was impressed. Even more impressed when she walked into the barn at 6:30 with the team already in action! All were on time for briefing and learned how the vet box, equipment, and cool out were handled. This was the first Eventing rally for all members on this team, and they did so well! - please check with Lilly, Caroline, or Cindy on how it was done. All were on time and smiling for the soundness Jog.

Lilly was the first to go in the Novice division. She and Cody had no time penalties with one jumping fault on the Xcty. Novice proved no problem for these two!! Third to go was Caroline on Smudge - but... Smudge had other ideas.. breakfast with his new pals perhaps? Was a frustrating but very valuable learning experience for Caroline - they finished the course just barely making it under the time limit and with two stops, the first at fence one and the second at the bank. Chelsea Efantes and Tucker had a perfect Xcty round and Amy incurred only minor time penalties. Lakeville/Ridge Riders take home the Blue for Novice Eventing Team and Red for Horse Management .Team did much better with the Daily's on this day with only 3 penalties incurred. Horse management total 15, second to team 4 with a score of 14 - just one point difference.

After the parade and awards ceremony the horses were tucked in for the night. Participants for the Upper Level Prep Camp convened at Club Getaway for the briefing, went for a swim, took showers, ate pizza brought by the moms and passed out cold.

This year our region re-instituted the NYUC Upper Level Prep Camp, open to members rated C1 or higher and our Lilly S. and Caroline participated. Competitors for Eventing Rally had the option of layover at Kent and spending the night in a cabin at Club Getaway( www.clubgetaway.com ) The cabins had a mix of bunks and single beds, air conditioning, and bathroom with a shower. Breakfast was ready and waiting bright and early for our campers allowing all to get to Kent School to take care of the horses. Club Getaway provided Bag lunches, and beverages as well as dinner. A bit about Club Getaway - they have climbing walls - several in fact, they even had one in the lake, a trapeze..... basketball and volley ball courts, ping pong tables, badminton, tent with yoga mats, and... a disco....

There was a great line up of clinicians available for all to utilize for their ratings and tune up for Champs in VA - Nancy Grout, Sarah Adams, Maureen Pach, Abby Bloxsom, Vicki Hammers-O'Neil, Michael Page, and our Ev Brown were all on hand. Tuesday evening evening was game show night. After dinner many of our campers, clinicians, and yours truly went down the hill to the disco to check out the fun, and fun it was! We cheered on the Club contingent as they Hula Hooped, danced, ate apples to get the most seeds and yes, the adults did the pudding eating contest - Brumbies won, hands down... or should I say face and stomach down, hands behind the back, face in a plate of chocolate pudding... From UL camp we were invited to Millbrook's UL Camp with Sarah Adams. Thank you Barbara!

What a marathon we had for the month of June! One thing at a time and first things first -

We left off on Sunday May 24th with the rating up of 5 LPC members, ready to ride the Region Qualifying Rallies in Kent. In just two weeks we had ready a full team for Show Jumping Rally on Sunday June 7th, 2009.

Captain Brianna Belter,C2 rider #1 on Lilly Ford's horse This End Up, AKA "Minnie"

Caroline Sullivan, C1 rider #3 on MBPC Caitlin Heller's horse Starry Night, AKA "Smudge"

All four riders rode the new "QD" Qualifying division - Developing Horse/Rider, fences set for 3 rounds 2'9" - 3', jump off set at 3'. Rounds were judged as normal knockdown competition, with the first round also scored for equitation, Competitors clear in the third round had the option to ride the jump off for bonus points. There were a few mishaps in round 1, two of the riders with time penalties and one with jump faults, one elimination, one going clean and clear. Equitation over fences was scored, Brianna and Caroline leading the division. Round two in the grass went better with no eliminations, two riders having jump faults and time penalties, one with only time penalties and one clean and clear. Round 3 with the jump off went well with Captain Brianna Belter and Caroline Sullivan clean and clear, earning .09 and 1.0 bonus points on the jump off. For all rounds, low score was dropped and of 10 teams, Lakeville placed 6th.

The team did very well with horse management - total penalties were 3 on an individual, easily understandable circumstances that could have been rectified upon inquiry as not horse management but horse health issue, 2 team equipment penalties, one of which that would have been rectified upon inquiry. Lakeville team placed 4th in horse management, but would have been first were the inquiry process followed!

Ev Brown provided the pony clubbers with a challenging written test - based on the Rally Information Sheet, Horse Management Rule Book, and Show Jumping Rally Rule Book. There were no perfect written test scores, however for the C2 test our Brianna Belter had the highest written test score - a 16 out of 20, and for the C1 test our Caroline Sullivan tied for first with RFPC Cassy Worthington with 12 correct answers.

High Score Competitor belonged to Caroline Sullivan at 1.63, the next closest score being 1.45 and the perpetual trophy within reach until HM scores were factored in, being bested by only 0.07 points. Valuable lessons learned - respectfully inquire with any matters within reason, and .. read the Rally Info Sheets and discipline rule books! Last but not least,

A HUGE thank you to LPC alum - Amanda for her coaching and use of trailer for transporting our team, and thank you to all that leased or lent horses! Could not have done it without you.

* helpful hint for rally kits - dollar type stores carry triple antibiotic ointment, 2" in roll gauze, 4" sterile wound dressing, Epsom salts, latex or vinyl gloves, and 1"adhesive tape!

.....Where we left off.. 2009 NYUC Region Qualifying Show Jumping Rally on Sunday June 7th, 2009 - unloading, unpacking, cleaning trailers, end of year exams, end of year field trips, graduations. Speaking of graduations - Our own Brianna Belter (C2)is on her way to College in August. Congratulations Brianna! We will miss you. We may have a rally team in your honor - was spied over LPC camp this past week, the Sr. D's all decked out in pink - Lena, Cindy, and Camellia.

Team had excellent scores for their rides - please see forms for copies of the score sheets! The team placed 3rd over all, and 4th for horse management. All inquiries were made and over 10 points saved with the process. Ahem - as Geoff said - - Philadelphia Lawyers in training? There was even one additional point saved by a last min inquiry - rider late because care of mount comes first! Once again Ev outdid herself - our girls held their own! LPC - our Jerry was such a good boy - check out the pictures of Cindy and Jerry - so cute! And a special honor:

Grace Jennings T2 score 73.57, F4 score 70.53, written test, HM factored in winning

Dressage Rally ended on a great note, and for a change.....Dry. Dave and Melissa dropped off Smudge for Eventing Rally and Jerry went home to Riga. (Thank you Mr. Caligari for use of your trailer) Grace and Aastrakahn went on their way with two more qualifying dressage scores from Louisa Cox(L), to compete at Weatogue the next day. Next stop Devon and D4K.

Next Day - Sunday June 28th - 2009 Region Qualifying Eventing Rally, Stadium and Dressage Rounds!

(NOTE: scoresheets for the regional rallies are available on the forms page)

May 24 - WE HAVE SOME New C'S and D-3 Rated Members! Thank you NE Maureen Pach, LPC Lilly & Taylor for assisting, and Millbrook B candidate & USPC National Youth Congress rep. Mark Greene for the unmounted portions. We enjoyed a perfect day and naturally the candidates were amazing.

May 23 - Riga Meadow Combined Test - Thank you Nannie for organizing and manning the bake sale, it was wonderful. Thank you Karen for being on hand and helping where ever needed. LPC Moms can BAKE! Rory made a wonderful announcer, our riders did a great job, and there were plenty of club members running the tests to scoring. Thank you Jackie, Linda, and Haylee for putting together such a wonderful USEA recognized event. Rumor has it that NASA is examining a fuel efficient, and far less costly than the space shuttle - means of launching items into orbit. This having been tested by one of our own members for not one, but two Saturdays in a row... apparently without harm! This propulsion system is organic and runs on ordinary hay and grain....

May 16 - Congratulations to all on their success (many, many ribbons!) at the Millbrook Hunt Puppy Show at the Millbrook Hunt Kennels. Daisy's mom has prepared a wonderful write up, to be posted soon. If our members could please email Karen or I the hound puppy names, that would be great! Word is that many of our group had an absolutely fabulous time at Juniper's Jamboree - held at the Goshen Fairgrounds and organized by the Housatonic Regional Valley H.S. FFA. Games! Games! and more Games! Thank you Linda for escorting that group, what a great outing!

Dressage 4-Kids Weekend Education Program (1/31) Nonnewaug High School - amazing as ever! Lilly and Lauren can attest that there was something for everyone - From trainer to arts and crafts for tots. My personal favorites were the massage for your horse, and the balanced seat presentation.

Mystic Fun Quiz Rally (2/7), Ledyard High School VoAg- A wonderful experience for all ages - they had a barn phase! We even made it home in time to feed at the barn and make out own dinner!

Trailer Safety Clinic (2/22) Thank you Dave, Haylee, and Riga for use of the indoor. You would think that most of us would stay home in a snow storm... BUT NOT LPC!! (were we tired of skiing?) Haylee brought her truck and trailer into the indoor, showed all how to do the items on the trailer safety check list, demonstrated how to hook and unhook her gooseneck properly... Dave did the honors of showing all what and where to check under the truck hood. We did tire pressure, safe loading and unloading of our equine friends. We are looking forward to trailer safety part II. (please check out the scan of the card for Haylee and Dave!)

Ridge Riders Barn Fair (2/28) Wonderful presentations - great ideas for unmounted meetings and activities for our group! Thank you Ridge Riders - looking forward to doing this again next year!

Qualifying Quiz Rally at Metro Region (3/7) Joel Barlow High School, Redding CT. Next year all should go - this was a wonderful quiz complete with galloping pony clubbers in the halls! Fun and Friendly! We have a competitor qualified for National Champs at Quiz - Congratulations Caroline!!

Puppy Walking (9) Millbrook Hunt Kennels - Puppy walking begins - every Monday afternoon @ 4:00 - Participants included: Melissa, Caroline, Cindy, Maggie, Emily S., Emily O. Daisy, Sarah V., Eva, Phoebe, Haylee M., and Sabrina.

Running Fox Pony Club Quiz Rally (3/14) South Kent School - What a day! Caroline, Cindy, Camellia, Emily S., Emily O., Daisy, Sarah M. did a great job! Nannie, thank you for chaperoning! The stations segment was truly amazing - what a great set up Mrs. Whitelock had with her Breyers! There were examples all in Breyer for: Riding out Safely, Barn Safety, Dressage arena, Xcty fences, and more all in amazing detail. Three classrooms full!!

Disease Prevention and Parasites (3/20) Post University - Presentation by Claudia Sandoval, DVM - Fairfield Equine. Excellent information for any horse owner or future owner! Covered: Vaccination schedules for preventable diseases and Intestinal Parasite control through pasture management and medications. Did you know that there is resistance/immunity to some of our commercial wormers and that fecal egg counts should be included as part of your parasite control program? Was a great presentation for C level and up.

Instructors Clinic (3/21) Post University - Mandatory prep for all upper level candidates in our region, recommended for instructors, club officers. Volunteers from LPC were used for the unmounted teaching plan evaluations. Yes!! We have a candidate actively in pursuit of UL ratings! Yes! Please offer your support and encouragement to Lilly S. - working for her H-B, C-3 Traditional, and possibly her C-3 Dressage specialty!

C-3 Prep w/Liz Doering (3/29) Riga Meadow, We were able to audit and learn while Liz Doering worked with our Lilly S and Brianna along with a host of other C-2s from our area. We were able to examine properly applied Stable and Shipping Bandages. Listened as riders gave feed back on their warm up routines - for horse and rider, Watched as riders worked their way through the training scale with their warm-up to develop connection, impulsion, straightness, and collection. The candidates also worked without stirrups on the flat and over the C-3 grid as well as do some great switch rides. If you would like a copy of the "Glossary of Riding, Training, and Testing Terms - national Examiners Seminar '08, please contact me.

Games Day & Rating Review (5/2) Riga - Thank you Diana, Paul, and Geoff! Club members young and old, stall and small had a wonderful time. Rating Review: Unmounted portions of the D2 rating test with Caroline, Cindy, & Camellia (excellent Demo btw for the different types of Snaffles & bits) D2's review of D3 test with Mrs. Lehn.

Liz Doering Rating Prep (5/3) Riga - Lakeville Pony Club Members rated D2 and Up were given the opportunity to prep with Liz. D-2 members Cindy, Camellia, Lena, Lilly F., and Faith, C-1 candidates Melissa, Grace, and Caroline; our C-3 Candidate Lilly S. all had a workout! Thank you Liz and Riga!

Hound (Puppy) Show (5/16) Millbrook Hunt Kennels - Great day, excellent food, wonderful people, and exceptional Hounds made for a perfect wrap up of our puppy activity. Daisy, Emily O., Emily S., Eva, Caroline, Maggie, Sabrina, Great Job! Thank you to our Chaperones, Rory, Nannie, Karen, and helpers Phoebe and Molly for making it possible. Special recognition for: Eva!! Wow! Jr. Handler out of a field of approx. 20 with Millbrook "Method" !! - We have an invitation to "Walk Out" with the hounds this summer, and have been asked to call Huntsman Betsy Park, Sandanona Hare Hounds (a beautiful Bassett pack). We were also reminded of the invitation of OCPC to join in for any dates on their fixture card, as well as Millbrook's UL camp and D camp!

This past Saturday I drove down to Ledyard for Mystic PC Quiz Rally - It was great! Mad River, Shetucket, Mystic, CVPC, Oakendale, Glastonbury, Granby all say Hi! Running Fox PC would like you all to know that their Quiz Rally is right around the corner - on 3/14 at South Kent School. All LPC should go! Quick reminder - no cell phones during quiz and you must wear your pony club pin! Can't find it? Go online to the USPC book store an purchase a few to have on hand for Rallies, Outings, and.... Your Next Rating!!

A Note from Nationals Regarding new Requirement for Regional and National Rallies:

Starting with Championships 2008, Arm Bands which include a current copy of the individual’s medical release form, must be worn at all times while on the competition grounds. Starting in 2009, this procedure will be enforced for all regional rallies as well. Quiz will carry their medical releases in their Name Tag holders or in an armband. Tet will not be required to wear them while actually shooting or swimming, but must have them visible and next to them for these activities and must be wearing them at all other times. The armbands must be worn on the upper arm. If the competitor has small arms, they may need to safety-pin the armband to their sleeve in the area of the upper arm. Armbands are available for purchase from the USPC Bookstore. All officials are encouraged to work with the competitors to remind them of this requirement. Competitors repeatedly found not wearing their armbands could result in a penalty at the discretion of the GJ.

LPC's Regional Obligation this year is : Scoring - Eventing Rally. I will need 4 volunteers to assist in the tower this year, to work 6/28 or 6/29. Specifically we need a person to read the scores off of the sheets and one person to run the adding machine. As each sheet is processed they are filed by competitor number. This year extra bodies will also be needed to fence judge at the Eventing Rally as Berkshire Pony Club has officially folded - if you have any time on 6/28 or 29 please pencil in Kent.

LPC - Fence Judging for Kent School Horse Trials. Each year Kent School lets our region have use of their entire facility as well as assist with set up for the qualifying mounted Rallies, In exchange each club is to provide 4 fence judges for their horse trials on one of two dates. Sunday August 16th or Sunday October 5th. The past two years we have been paid $50 per fence judge to cover for other clubs. - Lunch and water is provided. This year we have been contacted by no fewer than 3 clubs asking if we can cover their fences. Please sign up for one of the two days ASAP!

Metro Region Qualifying Quiz Rally at Joel Barlow HS Redding CT: Saturday 3/7/09

New York Upper CT Region Qualifying Quiz Rally, Post University: Sunday 4/5/09

Those wishing to qualify for champs in VA this year please submit the following form:

HB - Instructors' Clinic, Post U.: 3/21/09 with Maureen Pach - For Trainers and C2's. Mandatory for HB candidates, excellent for parents, PC officers, and Instructors. Classroom volunteers needed - no min age or rating, I hear that they will have cookies, cake, and candy this year....

1/18 Well, now that we are recovered from the Shetucket Sleepover Quiz/HB prep we are moving right along, but not before sharing my favorite sleepover memory: Waking up at 4:00am to do a quick bed check and found that our youngest members where they should have been!! Rising up ready to search I turn my head to the left where Emily O, Emily S were to see... A Pile Of Pony Club Members, and some of them NOT LPC!! They were snuggled up just like a pile of puppies all snuggled in keeping warm.

Julie made her maiden voyage with our Sr. D's in her car. Without her assistance all that wanted to go, would not have been able. Thank you so much for the treat at Dunkin Donuts and all the help!

1/24 Had a very productive joint unmounted meeting with Abby Bloxsom DC MRPC at her Farrier Supply Shop in Winsted. Most certainly was the best way to gain exposure to tools of the trade, shoes, pads, medications,studs and.... be warm! The whole session lasted over 2 hours, and there is still more to learn. Anyone comfortable with what was presented yesterday will be able to pass the shoe, tool, pad component of the HB. Separate prep to be scheduled for use of tools etc.
Thank You MRPC for your hospitality, Abby for your wealth of knowledge, and Mr. William H. Clark of Northeast Farrier Supply for allowing our pony access to every item in the shop. The hands on experience was invaluable.
Thank You!

1/31 & 2/1 Lendon's D4K WEP - some have made their own arrangements, I have made mine and will attempt to make the Regional Meeting in Woodbridge Saturday morning and will not be able to chaperone youngsters that day. If your child needs adult supervision, please send along a sitter.

2/7 We have one pony club member interested in participating in Mystic's quiz. If there is one more that would like to go, I would be willing to make the drive to Ledyard. I must know by this Wednesday 1/28 to make the closing date for paperwork.

This Saturday 1/3: Running Fox Pony Club has invited us to visit Margaret Beeman for the first of three natural horsemanship sessions. Cost is $5 and a snack to share. This session is the unmounted introduction & demonstration from 1:00 - 3:00. Sign up for the mounted sessions to follow. Margaret's farm is in Millerton - I plan on leaving the barn at 12 and will return at 4:00. contact me if you would like to car pool by tonight so I can plan on which vehicle to take...

This Sunday 1/4: Schooling Dressage with Katie Rocco at Riga - Please get your entry forms to Haylee today! This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone, walk trot to FEI levels courtesy of Riga Meadow, organized by Haylee Fisher.

Sleepover Quiz Rally Prep! 1/16 -17: Email me or call 435-1475 before Tuesday 1/6 if you would like to go!

Riga Meadow's Holiday Party, 1/23 (and our silent auction) has been rescheduled for Friday, January 23rd. Items for auction are needed. We have an over abundance of "tag sale" type goods, and are lacking in large ticket items such as vacations, wine, dinners, show tickets, and services our club members can provide. - Parents, we need your help!

1/31 & 2/1 there will be a field trip to Nonnewaug High School for Lendon Grey's Dressage for Kids Weekend Educational Program. (Info Below)

Car Pool anyone? I am driving and will plan on a stop at Woodbury Ski and Racket for snow tubing afterwards on one of the days.

You're receiving this email because of your relationship with Dressage4Kids. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us.

Dear ,

Announcing: Seventh Weekend Educational Program for Riders of all Ages and Levels, Instructors, and Parents.

Dressage4kids, Inc is pleased to invite everyone interested in horses and riding to their Seventh Annual Weekend Educational Program. The program will take place Saturday and Sunday, January 31/February 1 at the Nonnewaug Regional School in Woodbury, CT.

(Printable Version)

There will be lectures on subjects of interest to everyone involved in horses such as Skeleton and Aging by Teeth, Evaluating Hay and Feed, How We Learn, Going to the Olympics as a Groom, Improving your Competition Scores, Marketing Your Business, etc. There will be peer roundtable discussions for Parents and one for professionals.

There are also four unique multi sessions: How to teach (not what to teach) for instructors; Preparing for FEI Level competition for advanced youth riders; Supporting (not smothering) your athlete for parents and trainer/instructors; and Judging conformation for anyone.

The series of six lectures that will cover "How to Teach" -- teaching theory, how students learn, learning styles", etc. are a must for teachers of any discipline. Most people became riding instructors because they were successful riders. Where in all their years of preparing to be instructors did they learn HOW to teach? Most knowledge of how to teach has come from trial and error. This program will take place on Sunday. Equestrians who are trained in teaching philosophy and theory will conduct the sessions.

On Saturday there will be a daylong session for youth who are planning to enter the high performance arena by competing in the FEI Pony, FEI Junior, and FEI Young Riders classes. These will be especially important sessions for riders planning to try out for the North American Junior/Young Rider Championships. This will include a meeting for the Region 8 potential team members for planning fundraising, coaching, and transportation to NAJYRC. These sessions are sponsored by the Connecticut Dressage Association Vista Vintage Award Program.

Also on Saturday there will be a three-session program of special interest to instructors and parents, How to support (not smother) your competitor: What your child/competitor would like you to know about helping them to succeed. The lecturers will be Psychologist Leslie Weiss, mother of a youth rider and USDF Certified Instructor Faculty member Vicki O'Neil, and USEF S judge Margaret Freeman.

On Sunday there will be a double session on Judging Conformation. The instructor will be Liz Webb whose conformation judging team is number 1 in the state, number 1 in the region, and 15th in the nation. She will speak about how to determine if a horse is balanced, structural correctness, definition and volume of muscling, breed/type character, form and function, and evaluating way of going. She will use power points and videos and involve the audience in the judging process.

Dr. Brendan Furlong, one of the most highly respected vets in the US will speak on Saturday morning on "Keeping the Dressage Horse Sound". Dr. Furlong's special interest is Sport Horse performance. He has been the official team vet for the Jumping, Eventing, and Driving teams at Olympic and other international competitions since 1996. Wendy Drumm and Advanced Equine Research LLC are sponsoring his appearance.

On Sunday Dr. Michael Stewart will speak on "Laminitis: New Ideas, Approaches and Hope" as well as "A physical and mental approach to preventing burnout and the ability to move forward in an intensive training program."

To see a list of the other speakers, a complete schedule of events, and application form go to www.dressage4kids.com or call Lendon Gray at 914 234-4158.

Thanks to very generous sponsorship from The Kuehner Foundation, the fee for each day will be $20 for adults and $10 for youth (if application is received by January 23). The day fee includes lunch. The program takes place at the Nonnewaug Regional School in Woodbury, CT. There are hotels nearby in Woodbury, Southbury, and Waterbury, CT.

This will also be a lovely opportunity to meet and network with riders, parents, and instructors from other disciplines as well as different areas of the country.

C U @ X,

Lendon

Our annual meeting was conducted on Saturday November 1st 2008, our officers for 2009 are

No budget was presented for approval at that time as the current financial environment necessitates extensive planning and scrutiny. For copies of the Annual Meeting Handouts please contact Mrs. Lehn.

This past weekend (11/15) a few of our more senior club members had an outing to Crosswinds Farm in Lagrangeville NY to watch an IHSA show, then side made a trip to Lightning G and Horse Leap Tack for a review of bitting - their fit, action, application, and correct usage. At the 11/15 meeting Lakeville Pony Club members compiled quite a list of activities for 2009 to assist with the budget process. First and foremost: The Club Members have begun a food drive for Owl's Kitchen, there will be collection boxes at the barn. Pony Club members agree that if they each bring a canned good, or dry goods on each visit, it will add up quickly! Another idea was to issue a challenge - throw down the gauntlet if you will to other barns in our area, perhaps offer a trophy for the barn with the most items collected.... More to come on that!

To share with the group: Please bring in small samples of feed in a labeled paper lunch bag, and clip the label showing the nutritional content and ingredients. Different samples of roughages are needed too.

News, September 17:

News, September 4:

**notice** Jr. D pony club lessons to resume, Tuesday September 9. Becky has offered to continue the weekly Tuesday 4:00 D1/D2 pony club riding lessons providing volunteers assist her with the barn chores, freeing her up to teach the lesson. This is the only way the the free lessons can continue with Marine back at school. Parents of Jr. PC - learn to do the simple tasks of feeding and filling water buckets - It's worth the one hour lesson!! Our Sr. PC can show you what needs to be done. Contact me if you would like your child to continue the weekly D1 & D2 lesson.

We had a lot of birthdays come an go over the summer. Happy Birthday to: Danielle, Zachary, Laura, Nathaniel, Jenny, Camellia, Anya, and Eva. This month we have Martina, Sarah, Taylor, Faith, and Daisy! Happy Birthday!

Other news: LPC has a group on facebook. Check it out! Help us by joining, then invite every horse person you know to the Lakeville Open - our primary fundraiser on Sunday September 21st.

We must discuss logistics - Franklin CT is a long haul when bringing horses. To manage the trip it would be best to trailer on Saturday the 27th and spend the night. Last year Ev said she could find us host homes.

Warning.. this is not a slumber party. Participants must clearly understand that they must sleep to be at their best for safety's sake. Excited young Rally participants should be driven in the AM and not spend the night.

News, August 21:

What a summer - thank you to all of our members and dedicated volunteers for making all of this possible!!

Team A captained by Martina - Emily S., Sarah M., Maria (MPC), and Grace as Stable Manager. Team placed 3rd, 8th in HM, Emily - 3rd over all in dressage on Shadow and 5th over all.

Team B captained by Melissa - Lena, Cindy, Marin (MPC), and Caroline as Stable Manager. Team Placed 4th, 1st for HM, Caroline - perfect written test score, Cindy - recipient of the perpetual trophy for best D1 rider

Great Job Girls - Way to pack & load in a hurry. Thankfully a short although loud storm, xcty resumed after short break. Thank you to our parent volunteers - Katherine, Robin, Paul, Helen, and Diana. We Love You!

August 10 - 15 - Millbrook D Camp at Finality Farm. Wonderful camp experience, horses stayed at the farm for the week. Instruction given by Martha Varney, stable management by Caitlin & Raimie. Flat, jumping, Xcty, swim in the pond, independently caring for their horses all day long. Great job and lots of fun! Homer - we love you as much as you love ham sandwiches. Daily there were momentary adjustments for weather, thankfully only minor surprises. The one afternoon that outside activities were not possible were spent in the barn with a friendly competition of "Identify that horse anatomy". This group is now "pro" at taking cover in short order! Participants: Melissa, Martina, Caroline, Cindy, Maggie, Emily, Sarah, Shadow, Jerry, Tango, & Togo. Maria - thank you for the wonderful party in celebration of your 6th birthday. The cake was WONDERFUL!

August 7 - 9 - National Rating - C3 Traditional and C3 Dressage at Riga Meadow - Once again thank you to all for the help that made this possible. Now we know how to set up that dressage arena!

August 2 - National Rating - HB at Riga Meadow - Club members very actively involved by volunteering the use of their horses, horse holding for the conformation evaluation & snaffle bridle fit, and unmounted instruction students. Thank you to all of you who helped with the preparations including cleaning up the party barn. We will be in great shape for this rating when our time comes!

July 20 - Riga Horse Trials - USEA Recognized three phase event. Pony club parents - thank you for volunteering. Excellent Job done by our first time Eventing Competitors and congratulations to:

Marine deMarcken & Amy Wilson's Quinn The Eskimo, Novice C - 1st (First Place Over All)

July 13 - 19 - Pony Club assisted with preparations for Riga's Horse Trials - Flagging, Painting, Planting, Stuffing, Numbering, Cleaning - Thank you, all who helped.

July 13 - Outing with Linda to Weatogue Stable's Schooling Hunter Jumper Show - Martina, Lena, Sarah, Leah, Cindy, Lilly S., Caroline, Lilly F., Camellia - Great Job!

July 7-12 Pony Club Camp at Riga Meadow! All members enjoyed daily mounted instruction provided by Linda Bushnell. Unmounted instruction included a Stall card activity reviewing breed, conformation, markings, colors, vices, and TPR. Two days were spent at Oakendale, our Region's Pony Club Riding Center. We had a wonderful time. Alison Kost's instruction, the wonderful ponies and friendly atmosphere made for a most enjoyable as well as educational experience. Napoleon, George, Chica, Whinny, Claudia, all the cats, dogs, goats and the piece de la resistance - AN ICE CREAM TRUCK!! Thank you, we had a blast!

July - August weekly pony club lessons - Thank you Marine deMarcken for the wonderful instruction every Tuesday afternoon given to our unrated, D1 & D2 club members. We will be in great shape for our fall rating!

June 29th & 30th - Regional Qualifying Eventing Rally at Kent School - This year we did not have competitors, but expect a strong showing with a new crop of C's by next spring! Thank you volunteer fence judges!

June 28th - Regional Qualifying Dressage Rally at Kent School - This year we did not have competitors but showed our support by volunteering for Scoring & breakdown. Thank You!

NEWS!!!

Welcome to our NEWS!! page, where you'll find the latest information about what Lakeville Pony Club and our members have been doing and will be doing soon. Check back often for updates!

Thursday, July 23, 2009 3:30 am.

News, September 17:

News, September 4:

News, August 21:

News, June 18

News, June 15

News, June 8,