June 2008 Paddock Paper

Northern New Mexico Horsemen's Association

President’s Message
I will share with you a call I got last week. The Washington office of the American Horse Council was calling from the National Convention being held at this time. A nomination was submitted for the annual Van Ness Award for recognition of an Equestrian person who embodies the dedication and service of the late Marjorie Van Ness. I am still reeling from it. I have been given the 2008 award! They want me to be in Washington on June 17 to receive the award. There goes the hay money for next year – oh well – and this too shall pass. See the American Horse Council Press Release at nnmha.com > In The News.

Eldon

Meeting Minutes and Announcements

The meeting began about 7:10pm, once everyone got their orders in for their delicious dinners! Eldon began with these announcements:

  • June 14th: Luke Reed, the director of the Indian School, will be doing a special program to introduce youth to horses and specifically to the history of horses in the lives of Native people. There will be a “Gift Horse Benefit”, a dance & barbeque to raise funds for this. Call the Indian School for details.
  • June 14th: The Feed Bin will hold a “Horse Packing Clinic”. Call 982-0511 for details.
  • June 24th: The Rodeo is coming to town! Yee-Haw! We need volunteers to help in the office (to check in stall rentals) and on the grounds (to help renters get their horses situated). Please contact Eldon to arrange your time to help. 466-6280.
  • We still have not found a “mule” to help us do work on the grounds. What we need is a vehicle to drive around with tools and buckets and equipment. (Sort of like a golf cart) Anyone with any leads, please contact Eldon (466-6280).
  • Eldon was delighted to bring our attention to the current Horsemen’s Voice. Kelly Younker was pictured on the cover! We are thrilled that this young woman, who has been very active with NNMHA and who was a scholarship recipient 4 years ago, has done so well and excelled in all her equine activities. Yaay Kelly!
  • At this point, Lori took the floor to introduce this year’s scholarship recipient, Ellie Powell. We were all highly impressed at the LONG list of achievements this young woman has accomplished. She is a most impressive young lady and we were all thrilled to have her be the beneficiary of our scholarship this year. To read more about Ellie, be sure to look at our Scholarship Award page.
  • Eldon re-stated our great appreciation to Nick Martinez who has been a very supportive member for many years. Most recently Nick helped us by putting a new roof on our office – at what is surely a very discounted rate. We are so lucky to have him in our group and have awarded him “Life Membership” status.
  • Then it was GIFT time! Sandy Benson was presented with a pair of personalized spurs as a “Thank You” for all the hard work and dedication she gave during her time as VP and just as a member in general. Sandy is devoted to NNMHA and we all have benefited greatly from her enthusiasm and hours of work.
  • Finally, Bob Larison reminded us of some upcoming dates and activities
    – June 7th & 8th: Los Golondrinas Mule and Donkey day
    – June 20th – 22nd: Mule & Donkey ride at the Wittington Ctr in Raton
    – June 28th & 29th: Another Mule & Donkey day at Los Golondrinas
    – Bob also has a 2-horse straight-load trailer for sale. Contact him at: 466-9616
  • Board Meetings are open to the general membership and are the second Wednesday of the month at the Plaza Southside Cafe.


May Speaker – Feedbin/Ranchway Feed
Our speaker of the evening, Greg Gillespie, the manager of the Feed Bin introduced us to Rachel Knorr, a Ranchway Feed specialist. This was a sensational presentation. Rachel was very organized, professional and clearly very comfortable speaking to a group of strangers. One thing that was truly appreciated was that she did not turn this into a sales pitch for her products. She simply gave us LOTS of really great information about feed, supplements and steps to take to keep all of our critters well maintained. It was a really educational evening. Even Karen and Eldon learned a thing or two! Some of the topics she covered were:

  • Laminitis: its symptoms, causes and things the horse owner can do to prevent/treat it.
  • Cushings: again, the symptoms & causes. She also suggested a number of feed related things that the owner can do to help a horse with this condition.
  • Minerals: blocks vs. pills vs. powders. What is likely to be the most efficient system of mineral delivery for different kinds of situations: ie: single horse turnout, multiple horse turnout, stalls, etc.
  • Supplement & feed content: how to look at the ingredients of any supplement and/or feed you are considering for your horse and how to figure a healthy balance for their diet, depending on your goals (gain weight, lose weight, gain muscle, high performance, etc.)
  • How to get your hay analyzed for content: call a company like Ranchway and send them a sample of your hay; or contact the County Extension office and have them analyze it for you.
  • Carbs & Protein & Fat: the various ways to include those essential items into your horses diet; the different kinds of carbs and how to isolate what you really need for your horse.

Thank you Rachel and Greg for a truly informative evening!


Ridge Riders
Following is the list of upcoming rides:
7/19 — Ski Basin Windsor Trail
8/16 — Tesuque Area
9/13 — Rio Grande Gorge
10/18 — Aspen Vista
We usually leave the NNMHA grounds at 9:00 a.m. and caravan to our destination. For more information, contact Matt Guenther at guenthmn@yahoo.com 424-0148


Calendar of Events
Monthly meetings are held the last Wednesday of the month (excluding September and December) at the Plaza South Side Café, 3011 Cerrillos Rd. at 7 p.m. Speaker begins at 7:30 p.m. Good idea to get there by 6:30 if having dinner. For more info contact Eldon or Betsy.

June 25 – No meeting

July 30 – Ruth Bourgeois from the Equine Spirit Sanctuary in Taos will come speak to us about the sanctuary’s programs. ESS began in 2005, but has recently moved to the facility previously used by Dr. Thal. They are working on starting a Therapeutic Riding program this summer and also offer other clinics and programs with the emphasis to be on education and promoting responsible horse ownership, with an overall goal to reduce the need for horse rescue altogether.

August 27 – Lynn Clifford (MA, EAGALA II ) is a 3rd generation equestrian professional, former therapist and a pioneer in the field of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Her holistic approach to mental and physical soundness for both horse and human supports optimal horse-human relationships. Join us for this educational talk on Emotional Centering in the Saddle™ and learn how you can improve your riding, from the inside out and the ground up!

September 24 – No meeting

October 29 – Doug Thal, DVM – Conformation basics as they relate to function – Dr. Thal will discuss the basics of conformation as it relates to lameness and performance. Many breed characteristics have deviated from what is most functional and compatible with soundness. It is important to recognize the basics of sound conformation.

November 26 – Speaker TBA

 

Other Equine Activities
Be sure to check out the Other Activities Around Town webpage for more fun events to attend.

 

Classifieds
Check out our Classifieds page for boarding opportunities, tack, horses and services.