July 2006

COWTOWN COLLECTION
Newsletter of the Fort Worth Dressage Club— May, June and July, 2006
We have had two very informative speakers in the last
two months—one on non-invasive therapies for horse
injuries and June’s was Triple Cross Equine Therapy
with information on their rehabilitation services, including the Aquatread machine. If anyone has a speaker they
would like to present at our meeting please let me
know.. our goal is education for all horse owners so a
variety of subjects is what we need.
President’s Message
By Barb Harty
A big success and great fun was had by all who attended the first FWDC Adult Dressage Camp at Willow Draw. Our instructor was Meg Fleming and all
who attended I’m sure would agree she provided a
learning experience we won’t forget. Lectures on the
basics, such as the training pyramid and use of rein
aids, plus a safe lounging session then practice with our
own horses, were invaluable to enable the riders to
continue to improved. The riders built on the private
and group lessons to demonstrate improvements for
the mock show that ended the Camp on Sunday afternoon. The scribing session was very helpful and then
we took turns practicing during the show.
The session by Valierie Bixler who is a vet with a special interest in equine dentistry answered a lot of questions on keeping our horses mouths healthy.
Ann Knight, a chiropractor who also rides, had us all
on the ground finding our tight body spots and showing us exercises to loosen up those areas. And we can’t
forget the fantastic gourmet meals Melissa Weiner
fixed for us—poached salmon, chocolate mousse and
on and on. We stuck fairly close to budget and will
plan to do this again next year. Maybe with two instructors so more of our members will be able to participate.
A great big thank you to Meg, Melissa, the auditors,
riders and Willow Draw for a successful camp.
Don’t forget that Dyanna Lawson’s Scribing Clinic is
August 5th—she does a great clinic with videos of different level rides that participants scribe and many helpful suggestions for scribes, what to bring, how to work
with the judge, proper etiquette—and on top of that fixes
a most scrumptious lunch for the participants. Contact
Dyanna at dyledo@aol.com...first come, first in. Space
is limited.
Anyone interested in going to the Region 9 Summer
Meeting with me let me know—so far looks like 3 of us
going. It is in Austin this year. It’s always informative
and fun. The dates are August 19 & 20th. We would be
driving down on that Friday afternoon.
All juniors and young riders need to contact Kendra
Menzies regarding the Jr/YR program. She has activities
planned for our younger members so become involved.
A reminder: If you now of any clinics going on let me
know so I can get the word out. Many of our members
are interested in auditing as well as riding.
FWDC is planning a fall schooling show to be held
sometime in October. More details will be available
soon.
Happy Riding!
The Fort Worth Dressage Club is a Group Member Organization of the United States Dressage
Federation, Inc. and this organizations’ members are automatically USDF Group Members.
2006 Fort Worth Dressage Club
Board of Directors
President
Barbara Harty—817-441-7820
bharty@worldnet.att.net
Secretary
Peggy Meeker —817-738-6207
peggymeeker@msn.com
Corresponding Secretary
Chris Juhasz—940-682-9433
cdjuhasz@plsweb.com
Treasurer
Paula Sutton—817– 477-2714
pbsutton@hotmail.com
Membership
Webmistress
Teresa Deeter—817-346-1551
membership@fortworthdressage.com
Newsletter
Dyanna Lawson—817-596-9501
dyledo@aol.com
Parliamentarian
Peggy Meeker—817-738-6207
peggymeeker@msn.com
Historian
Shannon Sutton—817-453-4043
shsutton@ix.netcom.com
Video Librarian
Diane Richey—817-439-3053
parichey@charter.net
Awards & Region 9 Liaison
Leslee Covington—817-893-0004
leslee@convingtronics.com
Members-at-Large
Vicky Ferrer—817-220-0937
HQ4100@wmconnect.com
Sandy Humphrey —817-237-6244
Jhumph095@aol.com
Sites and Sounds
Has this happened to you lately? Someone you
know, or maybe don’t, smiles and says….”Hot
enough for you?” Ok...I don’t know about you all
but that just makes me crazy. I want to just have a
screaming tantrum right on the spot. Well, yes, I’d
like to reply, “I’m sizzled to a crisp and soooo
happy about it.” Really….
I’m hot and ready to rant. After all, if Dennis
Miller can publish his rants under the guise of a
book and make money doing it...I should be able
to do it for nothing here. I know you all will tell
me if I’m being tacky.
If you live in Texas you know that summer will
be the hottest time of the year, maybe the hottest
of your entire lifetime. Well, I say, Get Over It!
It’s hot, go soak your head or better yet, all of you.
If you want to stand in your yard and let the hose
run over your head and everything else, it works
for me. Swimming pools are great but face it. Not
everybody has or wants a cement pond in their
back yard. You can buy a real nice horse for the
price of a pool and we DO have our priorities. Go
to the mall….better yet a tack store. You can get
cool….we have it in abundance here. You sure
don’t have to leave the state to get it.
But, I digress, this is a horse publication. Let’s talk
about horses and heat. Don’t be an idiot...ride
when it’s cool. Humans don’t do extreme heat any
better than our animals. Heat exhaustion can
sneak up on you and come back when you think
you have gotten past it. How would you like to be
your horse??? Wearing a fur coat in the summer,
with some person insisting that they exercise in
the heat of the day….I don’t even think so. A nice
pasture with a tree for shade and breezes is a good
way for a horse to keep his cool. Stalls need fans
for sure on days in the 90’s and more. Lots of
clean, cool water and a salt block, and some wet
feed doesn’t hurt a thing. Be summer-smart.
‘cause the emergency room is already full!
“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked
up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a
grand passion. It seizes a person whole and , once
its done so, he will have to accept that his life will be
radically changed”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
News of Our Members and Friends
Scribes Worked Hard to Learn Rules
Rene Smith, Dana Wells, Beverly Sanborn Karen
Berry and Leslee Covington were such good students.
Dyanna Lawson held a luncheon for the members and
then spent the afternoon practicing with videos on
scribing with real tests just as if they were at a show.
They learned the fine points of “judge” etiquette and
how to make sure that all goes as planned while working with a judge.
It was discovered that Beverly and Dyanna both grew
up in the same small town in Kansas and still have
relatives there….it’s truly a small world. You just
never know…..
Another Good Horse Citizen
Babies Do Grow Up!
And April is certainly proof of that. This is Kendra
Menzies on April, a four year old Oldenburg filly that is
from Tricia Scotts’ mare, Donner. Seems like just the
other day that she was a leggy little foal. Barb Harty
and Tricia are half of Four Friends Farm and have
raised several quality Oldenburg babies in the last few
years. It’s rewarding for a breeder to see their horse
children grow up and become good citizens of the
horse world. Since no one can keep all of their babies,
this filly is for sale. She will make someone a super
partner.
When Carol Chapman emailed that my Frohwind filly,
Erin had been babysitting, I wasn’t sure of what she
meant. When I saw the photo, I understood. My
goodness, that spook proofing must have done the
job since we have no children here, small or large and
to my knowledge, she has never even seen a child. I
just can’t say enough good things about the training
methods she uses. She is gentle and still gets the desired results from the horses. Way to go Carol and
Erin!
Fall Show in San Antonio Set
Just received a message about the show asking us to
run it in the newsletter. It seems that it didn’t get included in the Omnibus and the organizers are trying to
get the word out about it. This is the information:
San Antonio Fall Dressage Show I & II
September 9 & 10th
San Antonio Rose Palace
Judges: Gretchen Verbonic, “S”
Bill Woods, “R”
Beth Parrit, “R”
TD: Susan Howard
The show manager is Jan Colley at jtcollegy@aol.com
More information is available at the website:
Www.alamodressage.org
Meeting Dates for 2006
You have no excuses to miss the date
….keep this list!
August 28…September 25….
October 23….November 27
No Meeting in December
Christmas Party in Place of December
Minutes of FWDC Meeting
April 24, 2006
Szechuan Restaurant
Barbara Harty, President, presiding
Meeting called to order at 6:30 p.m.
1. Treasurers report, Paula Sutton, see below
2. Membership report, Teresa Deeter, 67 members at present
3. Old Business—Barbara Harty, show chairman, asked for names of judges to contact for 2007 show.
4. New Business—JR/YR —Kendra Menzies will have them meet at her house to get organized.
Adult Camp—Barbara is working on the scheduling of riders and will present at the next meeting. Region 9
has given us $500 for the camp and the Dressage Foundation has given us $1500 as well. They want us to charge
for auditors ($50) but it was decided to charge only $15 for this first time. Meg Flemming of Austin, will be the
instructor. Melissa Weiner will do the cooking and food preparation for riders and instructor, which will include
breakfast and lunch, but not diner, as most people will be going home for the evening. And RV will be used for
Meg and Melissa, to be kept on the grounds. It will cost $500, delivered and picked up on Sunday evening. A reminder, the owner responsible for cleaning of stall, feed and water. Stalls are $20/day and shavings are provided.
The camp dates are June 16-18. Current Coggins are required. Be sure to bring all necessaries for a “show” situation—cleaning supplies, feed and hay, buckets, first aid kit, etc. There will be floating volunteers to assist where
needed. Be sure to let the office know of those needs. Willow Draw is a great venue and all will enjoy this experience. Thanks to everyone for the help to put this together and run. Barbara is to be commended.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Peggy Meeker, Secretary
Minutes of FWDC Meeting
May 25, 2005
Szechuan Restaurant
Barbara Harty, President, presiding
Meeting was called to order at 6:45 p.m.
1. Treasurers report, Paula Sutton...club has $16,295 after camp expenses paid.
2. Membership report, Teresa Deeter...we have 67 paid members (13 members and 1 guest were present)
3. Old Business...judges for 2007 show were discussed. First choice, Tom Poulin and Debbie Rodreguiz;
Second choice Kathleen Barbosa dn Janet Brown. Barbary Harty, show chairman will contact these.
4 New Business...Kendra Menzies, Young Rider chairman, has met with the juniors last week. There are 10
YR’s. Kendra plans to take them to a Sue Blinks clinic in Austin. She plans to help them work up a free
style ride. Our club is interested in helping her get started with the program.
5. Miscellaneous….Christi Tull CIC show, needs volunteers. Greenwood, combined training show needs
volunteers. Horses of Texas, at Austin, Karen Brenner.
6. 2007 FWDC Show, Glen Rose on April 14 & 15th. Dates are approved by USDF and is in their directory.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m..
Minutes of FWDC Meeting
June 26, 2005
Szechuan Restaurant
Meeting called to order at 6:35 p.m.
President Barbara Harty presiding
1. Tresurers report….Paula Sutton reported a balance of $11,809
2. Membership report….Teresa Deeter reported a total of 66 members.
3. Old Business….Adult Camp was reported to have gone very well, positive and with no complaints.
Barbara Harty suggested that perhaps, with another Camp next year, there could be two instructors.
We made no money on this activity, but the budget did not include the rental fee of $500 for the trailer
that was used for the housing of the instructor and our “chef”, Melissa Weiner. Melissa did an outstanding
job of organization and deliciously prepared food.
4. New Business….Robin Gaines, who has been our video contact at recognized shows for us, has lost her
mom and daughter, Prairie in a car wreck. Her dad was also hospitalized. Barbara suggest that the club
send a $100 donation which would help with burial expenses. Our concern for her loss was expressed.
A motion was made and seconded and approved by voice vote. Scribing Clinic…..Dyanna is once again
cooking for and instructing this clinic. She has set the clinic for August 5th. Contact her to enroll.
Second timers will be on a waiting list.
Spring Show….Janet Brown has been contracted to judge. An invitation was sent to Tom Poulin, with
no answer as yet. We still do hot have a T.D. (Technical Delegate) who makes sure we go by the rules.
If any members have a suggestion, please contact Barbara.
5. Region 9 Summer Meeting is to be August 19 & 20th in Austin. The club needs to be represented.
Leslie Covington, Peggy Meeker and Barbara Harty have expressed a desire to attend. Any and/or all
of our members are welcome. Give Barbara a call and join the group.
6. Dues Changes….Teresa Deeter, membership chairman, explained that we need to change the dues for
Junior members from $20 to $30. The motion was made, seconded and voted approved.
7. Additional Business….Barbar astated that the USEF has changed the rules concerning insurance for our
Shows. There is much consternation and concern, because each “show” is to be insured individually.
And, also, they don’t want to use the Omnibus for the show entry forms. So far there is an uproar
concerning these two new changes. Perhaps this will be clarified at the Region 9 meeting in August.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Our speaker was Trace Moore of Triple Cross Equine Therapy
Respectfully submitted,
Peggy Meeker, Secretary
FWDC 2006 Adult Summer Camp
Willow Draw, just north of Weatherford, was the site of the first ever FWDC Adult Camp. Eight
of our members signed on for a weekend of fun and instruction with Meg Fleming. Riders had individual lessons in the morning and there were group lessons given late in the afternoon. During
the hottest part of the day speakers came to give lectures and even demonstrations. This camp was
so successful and so many members weren’t able to get in, that the plan for next year is to double
the size of the group and have two instructors. Stay tuned for further announcements.
Left: Hollie Carron with Meg Fleming,
Barb Harty and Terry Olson look on.
Meg demonstrates the proper fitting of the
drouble bridle with Melissa Weiner’s horse
Hanover.
Campers and auditors watch a demo.
Sandy Humphrey and Heika discuss their
lesson with Meg.
Lower right: Donna Claunch longes her
horse Kyle during one of the lunging lessons.
Teresa and Lladro get a
lesson from Meg during
the mock show.
Lower left: Chiropractor
Ann Knight had everyone laying on the grass
stretching to find tight
spots….they found them.
Lower Right: Meg uses a
whip and Hollie to show
how a horses back should
be like a spring
Scribes and auditors at mock show.
Meg received a nice
gift basket as a gesture of thanks for
all her hard work
on making the
camp a huge success.
“Rocks” For Your Horses
Not the usual kind of rocks though. The label on this
funny looking thing says Trophy Rock and it has a picture of a deer on it. Huh? What’s up with this?
We have all heard of natural salt licks that exist in the
wild where deer and other wild creatures would go to
lick up the earth for the salt and minerals that were
naturally in abundance there. Now, our animals can
have access to those things too without having a processed or synthetic product. The company that produces
Trophy Rocks mines these areas and the chunks that
come up are “rocks”...ready to use but not necessarily
in those neat square shapes that salt blocks come in.
Roxanne Wells has these at her shop in Azle. I’ve been
told that all kinds of animals are drawn to these rocks
for a lick or even a peck or two….goats, chicken, guineas, dogs and cats and even a llama. There must really
be something good in them to appeal to so many kinds
of animals.
If you are interested in knowing more about the rocks,
call Roxanne Wells at Roxanne’s Natural Pet Supply at
817-677-5900. Her store is located at 1839 NW Parkway in Axle, next to Ruby Red’s. She sells many ho-
meopathic and natural products for your home, yard
and your animals.
Vinegar for Shine
Nothing makes you feel better after a good ride than
to give your horse a nice cool rinse off and let them
graze on the yard grass for a bit. That is, if your yard
is free of pesticides and chemicals…
If you want to add some shine to the summer coat of
your equine buddy, simply dilute some plain old
white vinegar in a bucket of water and pour over him
as a final rinse and squeegee the water off. Vinegar is
acidic and helps to cut any oils or dirt on the hair and
leaves it with a nice shine. Most brunettes (bays?)
will attest to that! And, if that wasn’t good enough,
the flies don’t really like the smell of your horse either and will leave them to graze in peace. Be sure to
pay special attention to the tails in the summer and
be sure there is no tiny tick hiding on that tail bone.
The vinegar helps to keep that tail hair tangle free as
well...and it doesn’t cost as much as some of the
things we buy to accomplish that. And we all love
that clean feeling in the summer, even our horses.
The Clinic Corner
Please send me information as you have in the past on the who, when and where
and I will make sure it is included. Here is what I have to date.
Meg Fleming Clinics—Melissa Weiner wants us to know that Meg Fleming is now teaching full time and
will be giving clinics only as her schedule allows. If you are interested in a tentative schedule,
contact her at 817-346-8224 home or 817-929-8224 cell
I know there are a number of clinics that come to our area frequently….please forward that information so they
can be listed here.
Bench Fund for Region 9
There will be a meeting of the Bench Fund Committee during the Regional Summer Meeting in Austin in July.
During which members will be looking for fund raising ideas to accomplish the goal of providing a bench at the
new USDF headquarters in Kentucky. Contact Bess Rheineman at instride@consolidated.net for information.
New Contact Information for Meg Fleming
Meg has moved. Her new address is: Meg Fleming, 951 Longview Circle, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
Telephone: 512-633-8296 or email at: meg2flemming@yahoo.com
L Judges Training Program to Start
Bonnie Matinez recently sent a notice to the newsletter
announcing the start of another L Judges training session. She writes:
“Ever wonder how judges determine your score? How
to decipher those remarks What you can do to get a
higher score? Interested in becoming an L Judge? Or
just improving your training and riding skills?
This program is an excellent educational opportunity
for all riders, trainers, instructors, competitors, breeders, owners and equine enthusiasts. You will learn exactly wht the judge sees from C, what they like and dislike, and how they arrive at those mystical scores.
We are proud to offer 3 of the best USDF L Program
Instructors.
Session A: Introduction to Judging and Biomechanics
J. Ashton Moore, December 9-10, 2006
Session B: Judging Criteria for Gaits and Paces, Movements and Figures
Janet Brown, January 20-21, 2007
Session C: Collective Marks and Musical Freestyle
Lois Yukins, February 24-25, 2007
Locations: Tony’s Café, 109 North Hwy 183,
Leander, Texas and Silver Bit Ranch,
15051 FM 2243, Leander, Texas.
For more information contact Bonnie Martinez at
254-214-2579 or bonnie@reage.biz
Limited spaces are available for L candidates with applications taken on a first come basis with priority
given to CTDS members. Applicants must have
earned three scores of 60% or higher at 2nd level or
higher and be willing to commit to all three sessions.
Auditors and or participants are very much encouraged! This program is designed to benefit auditors and
participants as much as the candidates. You will have
many opportunities to improve knowledg4e and skills.
Fees will be announced in a follwing news release.
Discounts are offered to auditors/participants who
register early. Demo riders are needed.”
You could have an ad on this page.
Contact the newsletter editor to
see how little it costs to advertise
with FWDC….
118 Williams Street
Cleburne, Texas 76116
Ray & Barbara Torres
817-645-7646
COWTOWN CLASSIFIEDS
Full page $25
Qtr. Page $7
ADVERTISING RATES PER ISSUE
Half-page $15
Business Card $5
Horses For Sale
2003 Dark bay registered Holsteiner gelding, 16.3 HH. Well
started in harness. Just started
under saddle. Exceptionally willing disposition. Video and transportation available. $15,000 NM
Contact Pete at 505-526-2164
(2)
2001 Chestnut filly by ATA Trakahener out of overo paint
mare. 120 days under saddle.
Friendly, smart and eager to
please. Contact Livie at 817-5781851 or 254-898-3410 (2)
2001 Holsteiner/TB gelding by
Lordship. 17.2 hh, bay with stripe
and snip. Lovely mover, started U/
S, superb prospect, $20K. See pictures of him and more info at
www.quailridgehorses.com. Contact Melissa at 817-441-7749 (3)
Tack For Sale
19” Lauriche saddle, great condition. Surge panels completely
rebuilt with soft wool for ease of
saddle refitting. $2500. Contact
Pam at pmiller@uniden.com or
817-457-1208 (1)
Brand New Wintec Isabel. Ridden
in one time! 16 1/2. Includes Webbers, irons, girth. Paid $1217 on 324-06 asking $1000 firm. Contact
Livie at 817-578-1581 or 254-8983410 wk. (2)
Classified Ads: Members, first 25 word free, .25/word remaining
Non-members, first 25 words $5.00, .25 word remaining
Classifieds run 3 issues for one charge
Dover ProProtection shipping
boots, worn once, too big for new
horse. Excellent quality, size large,
navy blue color. Paid $90 priced
$75. Comes with large carrying
case. Contact Connie at 817-4416673 or jimgoad@msn.com
17” Wintec Isabel saddle, 5 years
old, with gullet insert change kit
and leathers. Good condition.
$350 OBO. Contact Sandy
Humphrey at 817-237-6244 (2)
Saddles for Sale: Horse Cents has a
number of used saddles!
Call to arrange test ride on these
saddles at Horse Cents, 817-6457646, hctack@sbcglobal.net or see
photos on our eBay store, eBridles
Miscellaneous
1999 Sundower Valuelite 3 horse
slant load gooseneck trailer. Extra
tall, extra wide, extra lage tack
room. Excellent condition’ good
tires. $13,000. Contact Tricia Scott
at 940-391-7514 (1)
Hidden Lake Farm offers full-care
boarding and training on 50 acres
in Flower Mound area. New custom show barn, daily turnout with
individual grass paddocks, show
facilities, 3 enclosed arenas for
dressage and jumping, small field
with cross country jumps, shady
bridle paths, private lake, access to
trails, training and lessons with
ARIA certified dressage/jumping
trainer or expert hunter/jumper
trainer. Perfect for pony clubbers
and dressage moms. Contact Tisa
Zell ers 97 2 -76 8 -967 3 or
mctisa@hotmail.com (1)
Spectacular 2.98 acre estate in
Gated Equestrian Community!
Beautiful luxury home with loads of
upgrades and built-ins. 3864 sq. ft. ,
4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths plus Studay,
Game room and huge Media room
2/wetbar. 3 stall barn with cross
fenced pastures. HOA offers 77
acres of riding trails, arena, fising
ponds, playground/picnic area,
soccer baseball fields. Located in
North Fort Worth/Alliance area,
easy access to highways 35W, 114,
820 and DFW airport. $399,900.
Call La Nora, 817-946-0622 (1)
Hay for Sale: Excellent quality
Colorado Timothy Grass Hay. 6065 lb bales $10.00 each.
Contact Susannah at 940-372-0326
or smokyboye@mindspring.com
(3)
Timothy hay from Colorado, 55 lb
bales at $13.00 each. Contact Janet
at 817-448-8885 (3)
Deer Creek Stables is a full-care
equestrian facility located in Burleson. We feature an indoor arena,
pasture turn-out and on-site management. DCS offers lessons and
training in Dressage, Eventing and
H/J. Call 817-568-0174 for more
information
www.deercreek.bravehost.com (3)
MARK YOUR CALENDAR—– DON’T FORGET!
FORT WORTH DRESSAGE CLUB
NEXT MEETING:
July 24, 2006
Szechuan Chinese Restaurant
4750 Bryant Irvin Road
817-346-6111
Board and General Meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m
Always the 4th Monday of the Month
Always informative, good food and good fun!
FWDC
Dyanna Lawson
8590 Bear Creek Road
Aledo, Texas 76008