September 2008
Club Meetings / News and Events
Trailblazers Monthly Meetings
The Trailblazer’s Trail Club will be meeting September 18, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at the Denny’s restaurant in Warrenton, Va. It will be a dinner-social. Denny’s is located at 7323 Comfort Inn Drive, Warrenton. For more information please call Anita Barry at 540-341-4992.
Upcoming Events
September Trail Ride
The September trail ride will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 20 at Sky Meadows State Park. There is a small fee to enter the park. Please bring your lunch as there are picnic tables at the parking lot. Don’t forget your Coggins!! For more information, and to sign up for this ride contact Barbara Virgo at barbaravirgo@msn.com or 540 341 7943 after September 15
Trailblazers Yearly Benefit Ride
The Marriott Ranch yearly benefit will be held on Saturday. October 25th. We will ride out at 10 a.m. (Rain date Sun Oct 26.). The fees are Members $10/ Non-members $25. Please bring a dish and join the after-ride tailgate lunch. The club will provide sodas/water. We will ride in groups mostly at a walk—with some trotting. A faster group may be available if enough want to canter. Don’t miss this ride—especially at this time of year—it is spectacular out there.
Report from the August Ride
The August club ride was held at Betsy Parker’s lovely Hunter’s Rest Farm. The ride was very well attended not only with many club members, but with Betsy’s students and guests as well. The scenic ride lasted about 2.5 hours and took us through the woods, up and down hills, through open fields, across a river, and even down the road for a bit. It was a great morning for a ride—not too hot—and horses and riders all seemed to enjoy themselves. After everybody had a chance to hose off their horse, we had a picnic in the barn which gave us all a chance to socialize. Many thanks to Betsy for generously opening her farm to us.
Minutes from the August Meeting
The August 21, 2008 meeting of the Trailblazers was called to order by Karen Corl at 7:35 p.m. at The Bistro, with seven persons present. The report from the Treasurer indicated a show income of $1,328, expenses of $890.93, with a profit of $437.07 ($522.12 if construction of signs was not included as a show expense). Our current balance is $5,835.69.
The Pony Club and the 4-H group are to be given some of our profit for their efforts; it was decided to give $100 to the Pony Club and $200 to the 4-H. We will retain the remainder for future needs. Next year’s show date will be May 3.
Trailblazers will hold a benefit trail ride at Marriott Ranch on October 25 or 26. The $25.00 per rider fee will include lunch.
The Christmas Party will again be at Airlie the first Saturday in December.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Submitted by: Jennifer Young
Ride 2 Music Clinic
This past weekend I attended a clinic sponsored by a Morgan Horse club (but open to horses of all breeds and disciplines) where you could learn to ride to music that is appropriate for your horse. Not only was this clinic useful to dressage riders wanting to do musical freestyle, it was also helpful to riders of other disciplines wanting to improve the rhythm and fluidity of their horse’s gaits, and as a means of maintaining rhythm in their riding. The clinic was very informal, informative and entertaining not only to the riders, but to the auditors as well. Mike Matson of Equimusic gave the clinic (see his website at www.equimusic.com). Auditors are encouraged to actively participate in the selection of appropriate songs for each horse’s walk, trot, and canter. Mike would first measure the horse’s strides at each gait in beats per minute, and then apply musical selections rated for the particular tempo from his vast collection of music. Each rider took away a CD of the music best suited for her horse. It was really interesting to see how the horses responded to the music and you could clearly see what each liked and didn’t like. The horses really did seem to want to “dance” when they heard a song they liked—it was fascinating to see. Mike said it is a useful technique for gaited horses as well. I guess all horses like to dance….. If anybody is interested in having a clinic of this type for the Trailblazers, let me know. Mike usually has 5-6 riders in the clinic, and unlimited auditors—and is very reasonably priced at $60/horse and rider (no auditor charge). It is really a lot of fun.
Karen H. Kachur
He moved like a dancer,
which is not surprising;
a horse is a beautiful animal,
but it is perhaps most
remarkable because it moves
as if it always hears music.
From “Winter’s Tale” by Mark Helprin
Trailblazers’ polo shirts, sweatshirts and caps are available and can be purchased at Trailblazers meetings and events or by contacting Vickie Bowling at vbowling@comcast.net or 540-937-7744
| Polo Shirt – tan, sizes ladies S through mens XL | $20.00 |
| Sweatshirt – navy, unisex sizes S through XL | $20.00 |
| Caps – tan with green brim | $10.00 |
2008 Calendar of Events
Sep. 20 |
Trailblazer Monthly ride Sky Meadows |
| Sep. 20 | Graves Mountain Cowboy Challenge, Syria, VA. FMI: (540) 923-5130 www.gravesmountain.com/challenge |
| Sep. 20 | The Casanova/Warrenton Pony Club and Great Meadow will hold a fall trail ride at Great Meadow on September 21. First ride leaves at 9:00 a.m., the last at 2:00 p.m. $20.00 per person. Lunch will be available for purchase. Helmets must be worn, current negative Coggins required. Trailer parking on the stable pad at Gate #2. Rides last about 1 hour and will be in small groups on marked trails. Call Jackie Horn 540-364-3081 or e-mail franknjack@aol.com. Last-minute phone the day of the ride will be 215-370-6612. |
| Sep. 21 | US Trail Ride Judged Pleasure Ride, Blue Ridge Center, Hillsboro, VA. FMI: ustrnews@yahoo.com, www.ustrailride.org |
| Sep. 27 | NHS Western Schooling Show, James Long Park, Nokesville, VA. FMI: |
| Sep. 27 | Virginia Hunter & Sport Horse Fall Sale, Frying Pan Park, Herndon, VA. FMI: (540) 955-5040 www.professionalauction.com www.professionalauction.com |
| Sep. 20 | Trailblazer Monthly ride Sky Meadows For more information, and to sign up for this ride contact Barbara Virgo at barbaravirgo@msn.com or 540 341 7943 after September 15 |
| Sep. 20 | Graves Mountain Cowboy Challenge, Syria, VA. FMI: (540) 923-5130 www.gravesmountain.com/challenge |
| Sep. 21 | US Trail Ride Judged Pleasure Ride, Blue Ridge Center, Hillsboro, VA. FMI: ustrnews@yahoo.com, www.ustrailride.org |
| Sep. 27 | NHS Western Schooling Show, James Long Park, Nokesville, VA. FMI: shoefreeperform@hotmail.com |
| Sep. 27 | Virginia Hunter & Sport Horse Fall Sale, Frying Pan Park, Herndon, VA. FMI: (540) 955-5040 www.professionalauction.com |
| Sep. 28 | PWHA, Prince William Show Grounds, Manassas, VA. FMI: (703) 881-1375 www.pwha.net |
| Sep. 28 | BES Fall Judged Pleasure Ride, Manassas National Battlefield, Manassas, VA. FMI: (571)220-9234 |
| Sep. 28 | PWHA, Prince William Show Grounds, Manassas, VA. FMI: (703) 881-1375 www.pwha.net |
| Sep. 28 | BES Fall Judged Pleasure Ride, Manassas National Battlefield, Manassas, VA. FMI: (571)220-9234 |
| Oct. 4-5 | Scot Hansen "Self Defense for Trail Riders" clinic coming to Bryans Road, MD. The TROTSAR Mounted Team will be hosting the clinic. Register early! Clinic schedule Saturday 9:00-12:00 and 1:20-4:30, and Sunday 9:00-12:00 and 1:30-4:30. Each session is limited to 10 horses, unlimited auditors. T’mi Finkle, 301-412-5249, or officers@trotsar.org |
| Oct. 5 | Willow Way Riding Stables Dressage Schooling Show, Haymarket, VA. FMI: (571) 261-4928 www.willowwayridingstables.com |
| Oct. 11 | Fundraiser for rescued horses, Riverside Equestrian, 19267 Foggy Bottom Rd, Bluemont, VA. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Local speakers and vendors, admission free. FMI: (540) 554-2230 www.riversideequestrian.org |
| Oct. 13-14 | Back To Basics Show (BBHSA) Western Show, Lucky Drive Ranch, Catlett, VA. (540) 788- 3375 HorseXing@aol.com www.members.aol.com/HorseXing/bbhsa.htm |
| Oct. 14 | PWHA, Prince William Show Grounds, Manassas, VA. (703) 881-1375 www.pwha.net |
| Oct. 14 | Hunter/Western Show, Virginia Horse Center’s East Complex, Lexington, VA. www.hoofbeats.com |
| Oct. 18-19 | Back To Basics Show (BBHSA) Lucky Drive Ranch, Catlett, VA. (540) 788-3375 HorseXing@aol.com www.members.aol.com/HorseXing/bbhsa.htm |
| Oct. 18 | NHS Gaited Schooling Show, Nokesville Park, Nokesville, VA. (571) 259-8925/ (703) 929- 5379 www.NokesvilleHorseSociety.com |
| Oct. 19 | NHS Crystal Crown Series Judged Trail Ride, Nokesville, VA. www.NokesvilleHorseSociety.com |
| Oct. 19 | Kelly’s Ford Equestrian Center Open Show Series, Remington, VA. (540) 399-1800, www.innatkellysford.com |
| Oct. 21-26 | 50th Annual Washington International Horse Show, Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., www.wihs.org |
| Oct. 25 | Trailblazers Yearly Benefit Ride @ 10 a.m. Marriott Ranch (Rain date Sun Oct 26.) Members $10/ Non-members $25 |
| Oct. 25-26 | Graves Mountain Cowboy Challenge Championship Weekend, Syria, VA. FMI: (540) 923-5130 www.gravesmountain.com/challenge |
| Oct. 25 | NHS Western Schooling Show, James Long Park, Nokesville, VA. FMI: shoefreeperform@hotmail.com, www.NokesvilleHorseSociety.com |
| Oct. 26 | CHS Fall Poker Ride, Fountainhead Regional Park, Fairfax Station, VA. FMI: (703) 250-6188 |
| Nov. 9 | Bombproofing Clinic with Rick Pelicano at Frying Pan Park in Herndon. Two sessions, limited to 22 horses in each. Registration required by November 4, 2008. FMI: Call Darcy Farley at (703)-791-1054 or darcy.farley@verizon.net |
| December 6 | Trailblazers Christmas Party at Airlie Center, Warrenton. Mark your calendar now!!! |
Newsletter Notes
Newsletter Editors Bonny and Karen
Thanks to Liz Casazza, we now have a number of businesses advertising in the newsletter which brings attention to the club as well as some income to offset expenses. Please try to support our advertisers when you can.
Bonny wants to compile a list of the items that club members must have in their saddle bag when they go off on a trail ride. Send your favorite “must have” item to Bonny–and look for the results in an upcoming issue.
Are you competing this summer? Have you been riding someplace special? Let us know what you and your horse have been up to. Just send a brief synopsis to either Bonny or me and we’ll make sure it goes into the next issue. We are both grateful to the folks that are sending in helpful information and stories to add—keep it up!!
Internet Sites of Interest
The internet can provide a wealth of information about horses. If you have one that you find to be particularly good, please send it to Karen Kachur to share with the group. Here is a list of some you may find useful:
