The Arena. President s Corner

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1 The Arena A newsletter dedicated to keeping NWRDC members in the know about club business, news, history, events, and equine issues. Editors : Richard Bayer and Maureen Hoague Late May 2012 President s Corner someone might be interested in helping with the survey at the club, come to the next meeting for details. There is too much going behind the scene at the club to explain it all. Just know that it s all positive. Inside This Issue: President's Corner 1 Club News 2 Committee Updates 3 Equine Wellness 4 Contact Information 5 Robin & Commander Hey Everyone, Good News, first phase of the sand arena is almost done and will be done for the first Gymkhana. We realize that it s still not set up for 10 second runs. We are trying and moving forward with the project and we will not stop until it is done. So if you could please support our efforts in any way you can, this would be helpful. Thank You to the sand arena elves for the hard work to make the Calcutta a success. Thank You to the Gymkhana committee for all the hard work on the sand arena project. We are working on the electrical system at the club. We are just checking with contractors for upgrades. I have heard thru the grape vine that K-RD and Universal Trailer are working with us on a horse trailer to help support the club. If you have question s please contact Tracy Webb. I am also looking for someone to step up and be chairperson for the Trail Challenge at the club, Marta has stepped down from this position and will be missed. All the committees are working hard behind the scenes to make this another successful season. If you have any questions or suggestions for them, be sure to contact the committee chair person. Even better, come to the monthly meetings!! Have chores that need attention, see ya soon! Robin Rousseau President of NWRDC

2 Club News The Club received many applications at the booth during Everything Equine. Welcome to all returning and new members!! There was discussion of putting up some lights to hold night time gymkhanas. Robin has already gotten the lights donated from the electric company. We just have to put them up. Mike and Ursula Ovitt manning the booth at Everything Equine. As most of you may already know, Phil Pearo has resigned as Vice President. Thank you, Phil, for your service to the club. Ursula Ovitt has been appointed interim Vice President. Those interested in fulfilling the remainder of the Vice President s term please submit a brief written statement to Robin at rousseau@fairpoint.net. These statements will be published in an upcoming Arena and an election will be held in 3 months. The President will provide 2 weeks notice of this meeting. Entry information for all events to be held this year is now on the website. On opening day the posts were put up for the new trail ring! The water was hooked up and the booths were cleaned. The fence was moved from beside the driveway to across the field so it is parallel with the road. The obstacles in the pony track area were set up and are ready for people who would like to practice. We have someone interested in the hay field if it can be certified organic. He is willing to pay us plus use his own equipment. This could be a great way to raise some funds for the club. Don t forget to join us at The Knights of Columbus in St. Albans Sunday May 20 th for an evening of food and fun!! The jackpot is $1000!! The sand arena elves have been hard at work collecting raffle and silent auction items. Some of these items include massage gift certificates, oil changes, and restaurant certificates, riding lessons and much, more!! The doors open at 5 for a great pasta dinner and the Calcutta is soon to follow!! Tickets are $50 and this includes two dinners and one ball. And did I mention there s a bar!! If you haven t purchased your tickets yet please call Tracy Webb at or Barb Rousseau at There are still tickets available and you will be able to purchase them at the door as well. Please come out and show your support for the sand arena project. The committee has been working very hard to make sure the project will get done before June 2 nd. With your help they can get it done!! Next Meeting: June 12, 2012 at 7:00pm at the VFW on Lake Street in St. Albans. Robin trying to coax the Cowboy Roulette cow to his spot!! 2

3 Horse Show June 3 June 24 July 22 August 19 Our first horse show is on June 3. Please send in your neg. coggins with your entry form by the Monday before the show. We are looking for volunteers to help with the gates and announcing at the show. The horse show books are now on the club s website. If any one needs more information please jsstables@hotmail.com. Thank you ~ The Horse Show Committee Gymkhana June 2 June 23 July 21 August 5 - St. Jude August 18 September 15 September 29 The sand ring will be ready for the first event on June 2. The start time is 9 am. Please send in your pre entry forms asap. We are looking forward to a great year. Tickets for the Calcutta, May 20th at 5 pm, are still available $50.00 per couple, two dinners and one chance at winning $ We are having a silent auction that night also. Come join us for a great evening of fun, food and friends. Respectfully submitted, Tracy Webb Pee Wee Gymkhana May 19 June 16 July 14 August 11 August 25 Rain Date Sept. 16 Our fist pee wee gymkhana is on May 19 with a new start time of 9:00 am. If you have not sent in your entry forms please send them in. Pee Wee books are now on the club web page. Thank you ~ Pee Wee Committee Extreme Cowboy Race June 30 Youth Introduction to Extreme Cowboy July 29 Extreme Cowboy Race August 26 Extreme Cowboy Race September 8 Partner Game Day September 30 Rain Date October 6 Extreme Cowboy Race Date TBD Extreme Camp Out and Trail Ride The Extreme Cowboy Race committee is looking for a chairperson as Marta Merrick resigned as chairperson at the last club meeting. Thank you, Marta, for all you have done to make the extreme races and the pony track area what they are today! Aileen Pearo also resigned as a committee member. Thank you, Aileen, for all your help. If anyone is interested in being chairperson of the committee or a committee member, please contact Robin Rousseau. 3

4 Preventing Grass Founder With Dr. Phil of Vermont Large Animal Clinic Laminitis, or founder, is a painful and potentially devastating foot condition that can affect any member of the horse family (horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules). There are many different conditions or situations that can cause laminitis or increase the potential for it to occur. Probably the single most important in grazing horses is unrestricted access to lush pasture. In a recent nation-wide survey, access to lush pasture was felt to be responsible for almost 50% of all cases of laminitis. In most parts of the country, the risk for pasture-associated laminitis, or "grass founder," is highest in the spring and early summer, when plant growth is greatest. The reason lush pasture is such a Common laminitis stance laminitis risk is because it is high in soluble carbohydrates simple sugars and starches that are readily broken down by the bacteria in the horse's large intestine. One of the consequences of rapid breakdown of these carbohydrates is production of a substance that, when absorbed into the bloodstream, can damage an important structure in the hoof: the basement membrane. This structure essentially forms the "glue" that attaches the hoof wall to the pedal bone, or coffin bone (the bone at the base of the limb that is encased by the hoof). Breakdown of the bond between the hoof wall and the pedal bone is the basic process that triggers the destructive chain of events associated with laminitis. Equine Wellness Of the soluble carbohydrates found in grass, one of the most important is fructan. Studies have shown that fructan levels in the pasture are highest in the spring and summer months. On sunny days, fructan levels gradually rise during the morning, peaking around noon. They then gradually decline and are lowest just before dawn. So, the riskiest time for a laminitis-prone horse to be on pasture is between late morning and late afternoon, in the spring or early summer. It is worth mentioning that spring/early summer is not the only time when grass founder occurs. Although far less common, it can happen during a mild, wet autumn or after a drought; in other words, any time rainfall, sunlight, and daytime temperatures are sufficient to stimulate rapid plant growth. The good news is that preventing grass founder is simple: limit the horse's access to lush pasture. In overweight or cresty-necked horses and ponies, and in those that have had grass founder before, it may be best to keep the horse off lush pasture entirely until the grass is more mature. The horse can then be gradually re-introduced onto pasture. In the meantime, keep the horse in a dry lot and feed good quality grass hay. Grazing muzzles allow exercise while limiting grass intake Other options for limiting pasture intake include restricting the horse's pasture time to only a few hours per day (if possible, avoiding those high-risk hours between late morning and late afternoon), using a grazing muzzle, and fencing off part of the pasture to make a small paddock. (A grazing muzzle is a strap-on webbing or leather muzzle that allows the horse to eat some grass, but not a lot. The horse can drink with the muzzle on without any difficulty.) In summary, preventing grass founder is a simple matter of keeping an eye on your pasture throughout the year and limiting your horse's access or intake when the grass is lush. 4

5 Club Contact Information Club Officers: President: Robin Rousseau, , Vice President: Currently vacant Secretary: Barbara Rousseau, , N O R T H W E S T E R N R I D I N G & D R I V I N G C L U B Present your NWRDC membership card to receive the following: Walker s In St. Albans: 10% discount except on grain, pet & bird food, and sale items Treasurer: Sandra Hatin, , sanrayracing@yahoo.com Board of Directors: Christina Carnes, ccsvizion@yahoo.com Raymond Hatin, , sanrayracing@yahoo.com Shirley Langlois, , mariah1@wildblue.net Jim Sullivan, , jsstables@hotmail.com Tack Box: 10% discount storewide Guy s Farm and Yard: 10% discount on horse items only Oliver Seed In Milton: 10% discount except on grain, pet & bird food, and sale items Tracy Webb, whitedove_6@yahoo.com Committee Chairs: Horse Show: Sandy Hatin, sanrayracing@yahoo.com or Sue Sullivan, jsstables@hotmail.com Gymkhana: Tracy Webb, Whitedove_6@yahoo.com Pee Wee: Patricia Lafar, or Sue Sullivan, jsstables@hotmail.com Extreme Cowboy Race: Marta Merrick, martamerrick1@aol.com Webmaster: Maureen Hoague, Maureen.hoague@gmail.com Newsletter Editors: Maureen Hoague, Maureen.hoague@gmail.com Sand Ring Fundraisers!! Calcutta - Sunday, May 20th, 5:00pm Tickets are $50.00 each which includes dinner for 2 and a chance to win $1,000 among other great prizes. Beef Raffle - Tickets are $20 each for a chance to win 500 +/- pound of USDA inspected beef wrapped to your specifications. Drawing will be held at the last gymkhana of the year, September 29th. Please contact Tracy Webb for tickets or more information Whitedove_6@yahoo.com Richard Bayer, rjbayer@fairpoint.net 5

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