This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello,
Please accept my apologizes for the lateness of this message. In trying to finish up the final details of the meeting/seminars and getting my house back in order after dumping every thing at the front door last Sunday night, the time slipped away from me. I would like to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who battled the weather to get to the Midwest Fjord Horse Club Winter Meeting. You all stuck with us and were so easy to please. We had a great turnout in spite of the weather, out of the 60 people who signed up, 45-48 were able to make it. Some came on Friday night, but then had to turn around and go home on Saturday due to the possibility of not being able to get back into their driveways and care for their animals. We missed each and everyone of you. The get together on Friday night was wonderful, the food was good and everyone sat around and visited. Saturday morning we started a little late with our English Saddle fitting lecture give by LuAnne Reaumes from the Schleese Saddle Company. LuAnne covered a lot of information on the structure of the horse, the importance of having a good fitting saddle and the issues that can come up if your saddle does not fit. The feedback from everyone I spoke to or who privately e-mailed me was excellent and they appreciated the time she took to answer everyone's questions. LuAnne even saved the day when the Western Saddle Fitting lady was unable to make it due to the weather. She went off with those people who had questions and worked with them. I did not know at the time but Schleese Saddle Company also makes Western Saddles. Thank you to Sophie Fiedler, Pat Holland and Phil Odden for participating in the English portion and to Kay & Jim Barnhart for providing the horse for the Western portion of the lecture. Then after lunch Rich Hotovy and Bob Gudknecht gave a harness fitting lecture for both Breast Collar and Draft harness. First, Rich went through some of the terminology for harness, then they fit the Breast Collar harness to the horse, then the horse/harness to a cart and then provided a short driving demo. Next came fitting a team with Draft harness and demonstrating how to hitch a team to a wagon and then took the team for a short drive around the arena. Thank you to Jeff and Lisa Lovett for providing the horses used in demos. Also thank you to Mike Sadlon, Tyler Schlickman and Phil Odden for their assistance out in the arena proving help where ever needed. People then went back to the hotel to relax while some of us stayed back to get the smaller arena prepared for the Dinner/Meeting/Auction and Dance. The caterers did a fantastic job with the food, the dessert was to die for. Congratulations to all who won the Fjord center pieces, it paid to sit in the right chair :) Syl and Anne Weyker put the Auction together this year and did a wonderful job, they helped to raise $2,748 dollars for the club. THANKS for a job well done!! There were many great items to bid on and no one went home a loser. Rich Hotovy did a fine job as the Auctioneer. Our President, Chuck Kelly led the meeting, took care of business and then we got on to more fun. The band did a great job and some of us hung on and danced until 11:30 pm. Therine and Bob Gudknecht sure can "cut a rug"! By the time we left the arena the weather was a bit better and the roads were not as icy. Sunday morning started a little slow, Ben Eyster, our Clinician for the day called at 6:00 am and canceled, but by 9:00 am called back and said the roads were not as bad and did we still want him to come. We hurried around and asked people if they were still interested and the answer was YES!!! So when he arrived we got things started. Ben's clinics are for starting the young horse, working with problem horses and helping people work with their horse, first on the ground and then in the saddle. I consider what he does magic, but it is much more than that. Ben put on a great clinic and provided us with a lot of info to process. Many of the people there are interested in getting together and working with Ben at another time. It was then time to say goodbye until July when the Club will hold it's annual horse show in Blue Earth, Minnesota. Pat Holland, Show Chairperson, promises another great show!!!! I for one am looking forward to this years show as I have final worked up enough nerve to try and show. I have been a horse show mom most of my life and as a little girl have always dreamed of showing, but did not have the nerve. This show and the great people who come to this show have given me the courage to try. I have observed the last few years of coming that everyone is encouraging and supportive to anyone who is showing. I have seen people running around at the last minute to get someone else a piece of missing tack, or a article of clothing so they can compete. Everyone is the next persons fan club, in the ring they maybe competing against each other, but when the results are announced no one pouts because they didn't win, they clap and say "job well done". It is this attitude that convinced my husband and I to really get into the Fjord horse breed and show. I appreciate that this show has a "class" for everyone at every level. As you may be able to tell by my ramblings here, I LOVE this club!!! Thank you again to everyone for braving the weather and coming to the meeting and making my first year as the Winter Meeting Chairperson a success. I am still trying to gather some of the handouts and other information provided at the meeting and then I will be mailing this to the people who were unable to come to the meeting, but requested information. I am already thinking of things for next years meeting, if you have ideas, please share them with me. Sincerely, Dawn Schlickman Lazy Valley Ranch Chana, IL <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
