December 22, 2019
Greetings from the Area VII Chair
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
We are very excited about our upcoming annual meeting and awards celebration, which is in just a fa month away, on January 25,
2020, at the Shilo Inn, Portland Airport. This is our opportunity to gather once a year in a warm indoor setting to join in educational seminars, socialize and get all dressed up to celebrate our achievements and successes of the prior competition year.
In the evening we will enjoy a nice dinner and celebrate and recognize those among us who had the most successful competitive results in
2019. But even for those of us who won’t be on the winner’s podium this year, we need to take this opportunity to congratulate ourselves and our peers for all of the good experiences we had last year – or maybe just surviving it.
We’re planning on some type of social gathering following the awards celebration that will be fun for youth and adults alike. Details TBD.
Winning isn’t everything – although it sure is nice to be in the ribbons! Competing with horses is not always easy as they too have good
days and bad days. Sometimes just showing up or merely completing is winning. One of the best things about our competitive season is the time we get to spend with our friends. Our fun pot-lucks and parties, camping together, walking courses together, cheering each other on and even grooming for each other. We are fortunate to have such a supportive community in our area.
As you’ve noticed, the theme for this year’s meeting is “horsemanship” – from veterinary and nutritional perspectives to our relationships
and partnerships with our horses. his year we are fortunate to have three highly qualified professionals join us to share their knowledge and experience from these perspectives:
Dr. Rachel Gottlieb specializes in equine lameness and musculoskeletal problems in horses and will be talking to us from the veterinarian’s point of view, https://www.equinepi.com/
Dr. Tania Cubitt, of Performance Horse Nutrition, will be with us all day and talk to us about the nutritional needs of event horses. Bring your
questions as she will be available all day. http://performancehorsenutrition.com/
Tik Maynard, our keynote speaker this year, is an upper level eventer who is known for his clinics on horsemanship and recently wrote the book, “In the Middle are the Horsemen”. www.copperlineequestrian.com/tikmaynard
Tik will also be presenting an unmounted one-day seminar on Sunday. Registration for the seminar is separate from the meeting. And –
attending this classroom seminar will be an excellent way to prepare for the mounted seminar with Tik at Bauernhof Equestrian Center, February 1-2, 2020.. https://www.facebook.com/Bauernhof-Equestrian-Center-643502785751503/posts/
Please join us for what is sure to be a very fun and educational weekend in Portland, January 25-26, 2020. Registration information for Saturday’s meeting and Sunday’s seminar is on this website in the “Resources” tab under “Annual Meeting”. If you call the hotel to make a room reservation be sure to tell them you’re with USEA Area VII for the rate of $125, which includes breakfast in the restaurant.
Be sure and check the Leaderboard for 2019. There were a couple of placings that were corrected after the first release. Note the Horse of the Year and the Rider of the Year are a surprise and will be announced during our awards ceremony.
Don’t forget about our always wonderful silent auction. Please let us know in advance what you will be donating so we can prepare the
bid sheets and prepare accordingly. Thank you to everyone who supports this important fundraiser that supports various Area VII educational programs and our annual awards celebration.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in January!
Best Regards,
Cynthia Bayles, Area VII Chair