The Tri-Arabian
Horse Club is
located in
beautiful Helena
Montana
NEXT MEETING -- Sept 2nd at Ellen Taylor's - 2740 Lincoln Rd Helena 6:30pm
Attendees: Juli Muscutt, Ellen Taylor, Amy Palmer, Liz Dagnall, Sheri Heffelfinger, Kathleen Stevenson, Drin Becker
Regular Business
Juli explained there were openings for up to three regional directors to represent Montana's different geographical regions. Elizabeth Dagnall agreed to act as a regional director. Amy reported that the club has $2,100 in the bank (not counting $130 in outstanding bills). The club then discussed the need for website technical support. Amy will see if a Carroll College student may be interested in providing this support and she will follow-up with us at the next meeting. In an effort to keep club meetings predictable and consistent and in the hope that more club members could plan to attend the club meetings on a regular basis, it was decided to designate the third Thursday of each month as the club's regular meeting date.
Endurance Clinic
The group discussed the plans and preparations for the club's Endurance Clinic, which will be on April 26th, followed by a "fun day" for club members on April 27th. The clinic will be conducted at Liz Dagnell's property near Canyon Creek northwest of Helena. The general approach will be to have classes presented by experienced club members in the morning and a 2-hour "mock endurance ride" in the afternoon for those clinic participant who bring horses. The day will wrap up with a question and answer session with panelists. Drin, the primary organizer for the Endurance Clinic, reviewed a proposed outline of topics and classe times for the clinic and preliminary plans for who would present which classes. Topics will cover preparation before an endurance ride (trailering to the ride, the night before a ride, and camping with horses), how to train and present your horse for "the trot out" for the vet, what equipment and clothing a rider should take with them on the ride, horse and rider fitness, and training aids such as heart rate monitors and a GPS. Club members discussed whether or not to have a vet check of the horses or simply a demonstration of a vet check. It was agreed that Liz Dagnell will do a basic pre-ride vet check on the horses participating in the ride. Liz Dagnall will contact an area 4-H club and invite them to provide concessions at the event. A "port-a-potty" will be rented. Amy will work on posters and advertizing for the clinic. Sheri will get information from Drin to develop a registration form and Amy will provide a liability waiver form. What to charge for the clinic was discussed, but a decision was not made.
Pioneer Cabin Ride
The Pioneer Cabin Ride was also discussed. The date was to be moved to September 6th and 7th so it would not conflict with another ride. However, it was determined after the meeting that the ride will need to remain scheduled for September 13th and 14th as originally planned. The group talked about the entry fees for the ride being $100 for the 75-mile ride, $85 for the 50-mile ride, and $65 for the 25-mile ride, with dinner to be included. The group also discussed whether sandwiches would be made available to riders at the out vet check. However, that issue was tabled for now. Sheri agreed to check on whether a 4-H club would be interested in providing concessions and to develop a proposal for the Saturday evening meal. Sheri, Katrina, and Ellen will handle the entry forms and paperwork for the event.
Other Business
Discussion then turned to whether the club should purchase a trailer to be used to store club supplies and equipment so that it could be easily transported to rides and events. The decision was made to not actively pursue this for now due to the cost.
Distance Award Program
Drin discussed the club's distance award program and explained she had secured some really nice prizes. The program is for club members who sign up. Each horse and rider team that completes 100 total AERC/NATRC/CTR miles will be eligible for the prizes. The partipation fee is $10 and each mile completed will count as one point. Awards will be given to the top three horse and rider teams. Riders are responsible for submitting their mileage to the club by November 15. A rider may request approval for miles completed in non-sanctioned rides. The distance committee will determine point verification requirements. Drin is running this program and has the sign up forms. She can be reached at 834-3444 or rainbow@montana.com.
The group acknowledged that there are no plans for a club-sponsored horse show due to the amount of work involved, but were open to the idea of sponsoring a fun ride or some other club event in the summer.
The next meeting will be Thursday, February 14, 2008, at Ellen Tayor's house, 2740 E. Lincoln Rd, Helena, 458-5643.
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