Virginia Appaloosa Horse Club

We will be attending the Kelly’s Ford Equestrian Center’s Community and Tack Swap on Saturday February 27th. If you are able to donate items or help at our table, or just want to shop, come on down! We will have membership registration forms, flyers for our upcoming events and Tack. The equestrian Center’s indoor ring is heated and there will be carriage rides, refreshments and face painting. We look forward to seeing you there. More information by following the link: http://www.innatkellysford.com/pdfs/TACK%20SWAP%20FEB%2027.pdf

It was a very successful and fun banquet! The Lodge was very cozy, the food was great and all the appetizers and desserts had us grazing until we were stuffed! We got to meet some new members and visit with familiar faces. The election results will be updated on the Board page soon. Most officers stayed in their positions with the addition of Deb and Kathy replacing end of term board positions. For our Awards: For Regional Awards: High point Speed Events went to John Gillies, Reserve was Brenda Gillies. High Point in Pleasure Events went to Sharon Fiel. Open Show Award High Point went to Sharon Fiel and “Tripn to Paradise”. In our Saddle Log Program: Kathy Coviello and Sharon Fiel went over 100 hours for Top Hours Awards.
See the pictures under the Photo tab. Our FACEBOOK page also has photos.

We are now on facebook! For those of you that do facebook, become a Fan. Find us at “Virginia Appaloosa Horse Club” and join in.

The VaApHC Awards Banquet will be held on January 16th at Charity Hill Hunting Preserve in Ruther Glen Virginia. Just a hop off of I95-S. The upcoming newsletter will have the details and directions. Also in your newsletter will be the voting ballots for next years officers and Board of Directors. You can bring your ballots with you to the banquet or mail them back along with your 2010 membership form. It will be an exciting year for us, we’ve been approved to received a grant for our new Va Bred Program and will have alot of money to be awarded to promote the Virginia Born Appaloosa! Unlike a futurity, these cash awards will go to any age Appaloosa, as long it has been born in Virginia and signed up to participate in our program. So watch for your newsletter, get your membership’s in and we’ll see you at the Banquet!

Its that time of year again. No, not just the Holidays, but the VaApHC
elections! We’d love to hear from all you eager volunteers that would like to be part of the success of 2010 at the Virginia App club. If you’d like to nominate someone to go on the ballot, or would like to volunteer for a position, you may send your request to Sharon at dobermom11@msn.com who will forward your information to the elections committee. Elections will be decided at the Jan 16th Banquet.

The last board meeting of 2009 will be held this saturday, Nov 7th, at Cheesburger in Paradise in Central Park, Fredericksburg, at 7pm. Some will be there early to visit and wait for a table if you’d like to join them. The board will be reviewing the final draft for the VA Bred Awards Program; making some plans for the awards and awards banquet; and choosing the election committee. Members are welcome to come out and join us for dinner and listen in on the meeting. Any agenda items or to RSVP, please contact Sharon at dobermom11@msn.com.

Just a reminder that the Trail Ride at Morven Park Equestrian Center is this Saturday October 31 at 11am. In case of inclement weather the ride co-ordinator will be making a decision thursday evening if a rain delay is warranted. (The ride will be moved to Sunday Nov 1 if needed.) Please contact Kathy at baylady7@aol.com to RSVP so she can contact you in case of any changes. A Tailgate party is planned for after the ride so pack your goodies!

Congratulations to member Martha Mitchell of Ashland who’s yearling appaloosa gelding, Waps Heracles, won the Appaloosa Sport Horse Class at Dressage at Devon! The class should be posted on the Appaloosa Sport Horse Association website in the near future (www.ApSHA.com)
We hope Martha will share pictures with us soon so we can post them in our web album!

Mark your calendars for the Barefoot Clinic being held October 10 at The Gillies’ “Winning Colors” farm in stafford. The clinic will be given by Paige Poss. Paige Poss is a professional hoof care provider that enjoys teaching about horses’ hooves. Her practical, easy approach to hoof care will give you a greater understanding of balance and the simple mechanics of hoof form. Cost is $20 per member, $40 for non-member. Paige states ” I like taking the mystery out of hoof care and helping the owners become more comfortable and interactive in the care of their horses.” Space will be limited, so please contact Sharon ASAP to reserve your spot.

Also in October will be the member Trail Ride at Morven Park in Leesburg. We will have a tailgate lunch following the ride. This internationally known equestrian facility has a new trail system and we will be treated to a guided tour of some of the trails. The Date will be October 31. If you always wanted to say you’ve riden at Morven Park, here’s your chance! Thank you to Kathy Coviello for arranging our ride. You can RSVP Kathy or Sharon.

Congratulations to VaApHC member Brenda Gillies who had another GREAT year at the National Appaloosa Horse Show last month. Her super fast black gelding Potential Dream ran away with Championships in Open Figure 8 Stakes Race (which is what appaloosa folks call Barrel Racing) Non-pro Figure 8 Stake Race, and Open Keyhole Race – making Brenda and “Mitch” the National Non-Pro Champion Games Horse! On the Kelly’s Ford Trail ride, we discovered Mitch enjoys going slower than the pleasure horses, preferring to save his speed for more important events…