CVHA Newsletter Official Publication of Central Valley Harness Association December 2013 Fresno County Horse Park Playday The CVHA Play Day at the Fresno County Horse Park was held on November 23-24, 2013. What a great weekend had by all. With 20 turnouts and so much room everyone was able to drive and drive. John Marshall, the new owner of FCHP, was so welcoming to the driving community we are sure put it on our drive calendar. Now that we are all members we can schedule some other days of driving at the park. We had a scurry course set up by Bernice Strange, lessons with Trish Demers, a cones course, a 2.5km marathon course if driven twice you had a 5km with 6 hazards. The three hazards were gated A to E, two hazards were the large pond known as Nessie and the twin ponds up top. I saw a lot of wet horses and quite a few wet pant legs. Murphy, my Corgi, even had mud all over her face from the splash up as Ty ran through the water. The weather was the best and with a recent rain we had terrific footing. Brian Gwartz one of CVHA southern California members was the first to arrive each day beating the organizer on Sunday morning. Brian said he and his wife Cheryl had a great time and the Above photo courtesy of Diana Cooley
Central Valley Harness Association P.O Box 1192 Clovis, CA 93613 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Sharon Booth (559) 875-0125 sbooth174@yahoo.com VICE PRESIDENT Kristi Knight (559) 592-1635 krknight1@aol.com SECRETARY Kim Johnson (559) 432-6582 kar40@cvip.net TREASURER Claire Lemire (714) 292-9772 claire@ucdavis- alumni.com BOARD MEMBER Kathy Sidman (559) 322-1476 kowgirl_kathy@yahoo.com MEMBERSHIP Membership, Roster Corrections Claire Lemire (714) 292-9772 claire@ucdavis- alumni.com NEW MEMBER PACKETS & INFORMATION Kim Johnson (559) 432-6582 kar40@cvip.net NEWSLETTER EDITOR Kristi Knight (559) 592-1635 114 S. Anderson Rd. Exeter, CA 93221 krknight1@aol.com CALENDAR OF EVENTS Celine Rickards (209) 966-4499 celine@sti.net Calendar of Events Website: http://www.carriagedrivingessentials.com/calendar.php Central Valley Harness Association Website: http://www.centralvalleyharnessassociation.com experience was very valuable for his newest driving horse Cartier. I heard from Lisa Zito, Larry Weaver and Sharon Booth that their lessons were very inspiring and that Trish did an outstanding job. They felt that as a club we need to continue with driving clinics in the future. Overall we had minis, ponies, horses and drafts. Drivers from Southern California, Brian and Cheryl Gwartz with a Dutch Harness Horse and a Fjord pony, the infamous Sunflower, and Ronda and John McPherson with their American Sport horses, Alex and Casey. Each had a 5 hour drive but felt it was worth all that freeway driving. Then from up north we had Jenni Haas who drove down from Wilton and drove her pair of Hackneys and grabbed lunch and got back in her truck with a great big smile and drove home leaving the only sets of horse hoof prints on that back hill. Also with their New Forest Pony just purchased at the Tulare sale, Diane and Jerry Cooley from Hollister stayed 2 days with 2 horses and drove and walked all over FCHP. They too seem very happy to be back at the former Ram Tap. Deenie and Stephen Sardo from Sun Valley arrived late on Sunday after a long traffic stop on 99. But when I saw them out on course they were smiling and I think their cute Fjord was smiling too. Locally we had Barbara Dotta driving a pair of her lovely Percherons, Pete and Fabiano. Jackie Mills with her Halfinger Tony, Lisa Zito with her Morgan, and Lois Patton with her welsh pony Star. Sallie Phillips with 2 Morgans, Kathy Sidman with her Morgan gelding, Cheryl Thompson with her lovely Georgian Grande, Kim Johnson with her Halfinger, Kathleen Rose and Larry Weaver with their minis, club president Sharon Booth with her Fjord Buttercup, and myself with my Welsh Cob, Ty. Hope you can tell from the pictures that everyone was having a good time and the pot luck was great not even a cookie left over, I know I was looking. Thank you John Marshall for a great weekend and we are happy the FCHP is back. Phyllis Rumley Photos courtesy of Kelley Jo Locke
CVHA December 2013 Meeting Minutes The December 2013 CVHA general/board meeting was held Sunday Dec. 8 at Patten's ranch in Prather. Present board members: Sharon Booth, Kathy Sidman. 13 Members total were present. The annual election of board members took place. There were two positions to be filled, Kristi Knight's and Claire Lemire's. There were 3 candidates: Brent Patten who received 11 votes, Bernice Strange who received 11 votes and Sallie Phillips, who had her arm twisted into "volunteering" to give us an actual slate of candidates, received 2 votes. At the post election board meeting, Brent offered to be treasurer, Kathy will be vice president and in charge of the roster, Kim Johnson will continue as secretary, Sharon will continue as president, and Bernice will be a member-at-large. We are grateful for Kristi and Claires' contributions to the club. OLD BUSINESS: Website - there was a very strong opinion among the members present that the newsletter should again be open to the public on the website, so that there is a reliable flow of information to those interested in the club activities. Rather than requiring drivers to join the club to get the newsletter, as our main source of revenue to pay the club expenses, we will instead be asking non-members to pay a more significant fee for event/activities entries. Roster - Kathy Sidman has worked hard to update the 2013 roster, just in time for the 2014 member dues renewal! We are sorry if there were errors in the roster that led to some individuals not receiving information in a timely way. We are committed to rectifying that. PLEASE BE SURE TO SEND IN YOUR 2014 RENEWAL APPLICATION, WITH YOUR CHECK, ASAP! Fresno County Horse Park Playday report - Sharon Booth reported that the event was well attended with 21 horses and 17 drivers plus numerous grooms and volunteers. All entry fees went to FCHP Membership and user fees. We handed over a check for $1500 to John Marshall, who has been very open to our participation at the Horse Park. We received 5 new memberships. Now that so many are members out there, we plan to hold regular events/playdays. Phyllis Rumley will be working on this. The end of year W&KRP McAfee High Point Award went to Bernice Strange. Congratulations Bernice! activities. In addition we are grateful for the gift from her family of Janet's remaining driving equipment to the club. Bernice received a beautiful handmade ceramic pot made and donated by Val Tyrrell. Kathy Sidman will be giving a report next time on the plans for the remaining McAfee equipment. Members are encouraged to send written blurbs and photos to Kristi Knight who will include them in the newsletter. Thank you, Kristi, for continuing to do such a wonderful newsletter! Respectfully submitted by Sharon Booth, President Welcome New Members: Lore Dobusch Kelley Jo Locke Kathy Rose Diane Kastama driving Rupert in Advanced Single Horse at the Grass Ridge CDE in Sonoita, Arizona in October. Phyllis Rumley is riding on the back of the carriage as her groom. Photo by Pat Kastama Linda VanGundy Vickey Vaughn
Bernice driving Cookie, photo by Belinda Guzman W&KRP Verde View 2013 Award Winner Bernice Strange By Phyllis Rumley On December 8 th CVHA awarded Bernice Strange as the W&KRP Verde View 2013 Year End Award winner. Bernice has been coming to Verde View shows for 2 years and her skills and her horse have been steadily getting better and better. She really became the competitor to beat this year. Bernice took to driving as she does everything with that attitude what do I know what do I need to know and then she goes out and gets it done. It has been fun watching her learn the ropes and then teach others. She seems to love to pass along her knowledge and our club has benefited from that love. We have several new members that now have the bug to drive. We have had to have to separate classes at Verde View because Bernice has brought so many new mini drivers to our event we now have mini and horse & pony classes. She has also become a new board member of CVHA and we even had to vote instead of appointing board members. Bernice has been involved with horses her whole life. She grew up in Clovis started riding Shetland ponies as a kid and first horse as a teenager. Her sister had a dappled grey pony that pulled a cart and that is where Bernice started her career in driving. When that pony passed she got a mini and trained it to drive. Bernice has been in horses her whole life from trail riding in the Sierras to barrel racing and she has enjoyed training all sizes. One of her proudest moments was this month when 4 of the minis she trained were driven in the Clovis lighted Christmas parade. All 4 did a great the flow. Bernice drove her 3 year old mini Cookie who is the guy that won the Verde View Award and took the parade in his awesome stride. Bernice says she is excited to have won this new award. CVHA is proud to congratulate her on outstanding year of driving.
Clovis Christmas Parade Oh, what fun it is at the Clovis Lighted Christmas Parade! Here are Holly driving Moon, Myra driving Sparky, Linda driving Jinx and Bernice driving Cookie. These cleverly decorated carts are adorable! Photos by Bilay Kuha
W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes: Phyllis Rumley will be continuing to organize the driving classes at the W&KRP Horse Show at in Sanger. The first one is scheduled for March 1 st, but the calendar dates for these shows are tentative, so stay tuned for more complete information as it becomes available. Fresno County Horse Park: CVHA is planning on having events at the Fresno County Horse Park in the coming year. As soon as we have firm dates and more details, we will put them on the calendar and keep you posted on when and what. Sargent Equestrian Center: driving clinics as well as a Series on Carriage Driving for people interested in learning about driving, all starting in January. They will also be hosting the fun casual California Scurry Series which starts in May. They also have the Draft Fest Pleasure Show scheduled in May which conflicts with the Vineyard Classic CDE at Woodland Stallion Station, so look for a change in dates there. CVHA Newsletter Advertising Rates: Classified Ads: Members: $3 with a maximum of 25 words. $5 with a photo and maximum of 25 words. Non- Members: $5 with a maximum of 25 words. $8 with a photo and maximum of 25 words. Per Issue Rates: Quarter Page$10 Half Page $20 Annual Rates: Business card ad: $35 per year (12 issues) Quarter Page: $60 per year (12 issues) Half Page: $75 per year (12 issues) Full Page: $150 per year (12 issues) Articles & Photos: This is your newsletter, please send any driving event news & photos for publication to krknight1@aol.com or snail mail to: Kristi Knight 114 S. Anderson Rd. Exeter, CA 93221 The CVHA Newsletter is published monthly and is e- mailed to members and posted on the website on or about the 15 th of the month. Deadline for articles, photos & ads is the 12 th of the month (or sooner, preferably). Claystation Horse Park: Claystation Horse Park in Wilton has four weekends of HDTs scheduled from April through October. These are two separate events each weekend, you may compete at one or both. They also have the Summer Festival CDE in June and the Fall Festival Pleasure Show in October.
DATE EVENT LOCATION CONTACT INFORMATION January 4 Central Coast Training Center Driving Seminar/Workshop Templeton, CA Frank & Marlies Luetz H (805) 434-9443 Cell (805) 625-0804 fourdriver@gmail.com or www.art- of- driving.com Jan 11-12 Jan 17-19 Jan 25-26 February 1 Sargent Equestrian Center Navigator Clinic w/thomas Smith Sargent Equestrian Center Rein Dance Clay Maier Longlining Clinic Sargent Equestrian Center Driving Series #1 Central Coast Training Center Driving Seminar/Workshop Lodi, CA Lodi, CA Lodi, CA Templeton, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or Frank & Marlies Luetz H (805) 434-9443 Cell (805) 625-0804 fourdriver@gmail.com or www.art- of- driving.com February 15 Sweetheart ADT Hesperia, CA Diane Kern (818) 881-0581 or flashkern@gmail.com Feb 15-16 Sargent Equestrian Center Driving Series #2 Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or Phyllis Rumley (559) 515-6129 or March 1 W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes @ Sanger, CA March 7-9 Arizona CDE Coolidge, AZ Peter Atonna (929) 636-4228 or mjatonna@gmail.com March 15-16 Sargent Equestrian Center Driving Series Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or #3 April 5 W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes @ April 5 Combined Test Lakeview Terrace, CA Veronica Campbell (562) 431-7264 or t.v.campbell@verizon.net April 11-13 Red Top Draft Horse Days Chowchilla, CA www.clarksredtopshires.com April 6-7 Clinic w/kail Palmer- Miller Lakeview Terrace, CA Veronica Campbell (562) 431-7264 or t.v.campbell@verizon.net April 26-27 Claystation HorsePark HDTs Wilton, CA Debbi Packard (916) 687-7948 or May 3 W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes @ May 9-11 Sargent Equestrian Center Draft Fest & Friends All Breeds Pleasure Driving Show Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or Shelley Chavoor (530) 848-0019 or smchavoor@sncglobal.net May 9-11 Vineyard Classic CDE @ Woodland Stallion Station Woodland, CA May 18 Sargent Equestrian Center CA Scurry#1 Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or May 17-18 Pleasure Days Carriage Driving Show Temecula, CA Diane Kern (818) 881-0581 or flashkern@gmail.com @Galway Downs May 24-25 Claystation HorsePark HDTs Wilton, CA Debbi Packard (916) 687-7948 or June 7 W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes @ June 8 Sargent Equestrian Center CA Scurry #2 Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or
DATE EVENT LOCATION CONTACT INFORMATION June 13-15 Summer Festival CDE @ Claystation HorsePark Wilton, CA Debbi Packard (916) 687-7948 or June 13-15 Horse Expo Sacramento,CA July 5 W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes @ July 12-13 Pacific Region Driven Dressage Festival Santa Paula, CA July 13 Sargent Equestrian Center CA Scurry#3 Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or July 26-27 Knoll Rest CDE Oregon August 2 W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes @ August 2-3 Sargent Equestrian Center Dressage Fest Lodi Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or August 10 Sargent Equestrian Center CA Scurry#4 Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or August 16-17 Claystation HorsePark HDTs Wilton. CA Debbi Packard (916) 687-7948 or Aug 29-31 Sargent Equestrian CDE Lodi, CA Jeanne Williams (209) 727-0200 or September 6 W&KRP Horse Show Driving Classes @ Sept 18-21 Draft Horse Classic Grass Valley,CA Oct 11-12 Fall Festival Carriage Driving Pleasure Show @ Claystation HorsePark Wilton Debbi Packard (916) 687-7948 or Oct 25-26 Claystation HorsePark HDTs Wilton, CA Debbi Packard (916) 687-7948 or Nov 1-2 Halloween Hustle Pleasure Show Get Well Wishes to Diana Cooley who had a driving accident with her new pony. Best Wishes for a speedy recovery!
Central Valley Harness Association P.O. Box 1192 Clovis, CA 93613 Postage The purposes for which this organization is formed are to promote the education and training of the public in the safe use of the equine in harness for pleasure, recreation, and sport, and for the advancement of the collecting and restoration of equine drawn vehicles. Please visit our website at www.centralvalleyharnessassociation.com CVHA Membership Application Date: Name: Address: City, State, Zip Phone: Cell Phone: E- mail: Individual Membership $35 Family Membership $45 New member Renewal I wish to receive the CVHA Newsletter via e- mail or US Postal Service ($5 Extra Charge) Please make checks payable to CVHA Mail to: CVHA P.O. Box 1192 Clovis, CA 93613 Are you a member of Carriage Association of America? Yes CVHA Membership runs from January 1 thru December 31. Exception: For those joining on or after October 1 of the current year, the membership will be valid to December 31of the following year. Thank you for joining and welcome to our club. No