Elections were held during the month of October. The Nominating Committee was able to secure a full slate of candidates with the exception of the South Region Rep. Luckily there were write ins and a full board has been elected. I would like to thank the three members who stepped forward as the Elections Committee and counted the votes - big thank you to Joyce Stride, Anne Stevens and Kelsi Burkhardt.

Election Results as follows:

Director at Large: Rose Newman & Francy Haupt
North Region Rep: Patty Armstrong

Central Region Rep: Gaye McCabe

East Region Rep: Donna Thayer

South Region Rep: Ellen Dennis

Later in the Board Meeting the incumbent Officers were all re-elected:

Marsha Williams, President

Edwin Miller, President Elect

John Craven, Treasurer

Sally Temple, Secretary

The subject of changing the ODS Championship Qualifying Policy was reviewed and discussed. The Championship Committee recommended not changing the policy and the board voted unanimously not to change it.

Discussion occurred about how to encourage shows in neighboring states to seek ODS approval. The board voted to change the policy for these shows seeking ODS approval as follows: they will still pay the ODS recognition fee but they will only be charged the ODS Awards Fee ($1.00 per ride) for ODS members. BE SURE TO PUT YOUR ODS MEMBER NUMBER ON YOUR ENTRY FORMS FOR THESE SHOWS!!!

The subject of the ODS Championship Show date was discussed. The Championship Show Committee and the ODS Board voted unanimously not to change the date from the second weekend in September.

ODS completed our USDF Capital Campaign Pledge of $20,000 with a final payment of $7,389.00. This pledge was to be satisfied over a five year period and we were able to finish early thanks to the profits from the Championship Show and the donations of the following chapters and programs:

CCTA, COC, PCTC, MVC, State of Jefferson Chapter, ODS Youth Programs.

The ODS Committees which were created at the spring meeting are gradually getting started on their various projects. Rose Newman, Chair of the ODS League Show Committee reported the committee is working on ways to ensure the chapters and organizations putting on league shows are following the guidelines and rules published in the Omnibus. Any input or questions about league shows should be directed to Rose or the committee: Kaye Phaneuf, Siobhan or myself.

Ed Miller, Corinne Stonier and Donna Thayer are also working on the revision of the Policy Manual.

Rose Newman, Corinne Stonier, Gaye McCabe and Marsha Williams will represent ODS at the Region VI Mini Convention in Portland November 22. In early December Rose Newman, Corinne Stonier, Ed Miller, Francy Haupt and Marsha Williams will travel to the USDF Convention to represent ODS and/or Region VI. Bara Tuohino Funk will also attend as USDF Treasurer. The next column will cover the reports from these meetings which promise to be full of controversy and decision making regarding the Performance Standard Proposal, various rule changes, increases in dues and fees for USDF, among other issues.

Have a great Holiday Season!

Marsha

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The ODS Office, Show Management Committees and Volunteers on our Publications Committee are working on getting all of the scheduled 2009 show information and prize lists on the website calendar by the 10th of January, which is also the target mailing date for the 2009 ODS Omnibus (we are on schedule).

IMPORTANT:  Show prize lists may be updated multiple times between the time that they are originally posted to the website and 1/10/09; please be sure to check the website for the most current version of a show’s prize list prior to entering. After 1/10/09 we will update prizes lists following USEF regulations and we will make changes in red / provide notification of changes.

There are several shows which normally carry ODS Approval that did not make the ODS Omnibus deadline, so we suggest that members check the website often throughout the show season for late add shows.
There is currently one show open and accepting entries, however as of this date, the show forms have not been published by our committee; please use the 2008 show form, however you will have to sign a 2009 updated release / entry form when you arrive at the show grounds.

Remember to contact individual show management (not the ODS Office) if you have questions about their shows.  General questions can be directed to the ODS Office or to a local board member (see updated information on the Contact page of our website).

Thanks for your patience as we complete this huge annual project - and happy holidays!

Warmest Regards,

Corinne Stonier, ODS Office Administrator - office@oregondressage.com or 503-681-2337

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The Dressage Foundation announces the Recipients of the Carol Lavell Gifted Scholarship.

The Gifted Fund was originally seeded with Donations from Carol Lavell, which she received in special remembrance of her great Dressage horse, “Gifted.”  Friends of The Dressage Foundation and Carol Lavell have added Donations, and the Scholarship Fund has grown steadily over the years.  These scholarships enable Adult Amateurs to set aside quality time in concentrated training with a horse they own, with a trainer of choice, away from the daily pressures of job and family.

These Adult Amateur scholarship recipients and their horses will train in 2009.  The following adult amateurs have been chosen as recipients from their respective USDF Regions to receive grants of $900 for training in the 2009 calendar year.

USDF Region 1 – Laurie Bauchman (NC) and her horse William plan to train with Scott Hassler.  Laurie is a member of North Carolina Dressage & CTA.

USDF Region 2 – Barbara Cadwell (WI) and her horse Nyzeilster Boy plan to train with Patti Becker.  Barbara is a member of Wisconsin Dressage & CTA.

USDF Region 3 — Holly Spencer (SC) and her horse Festina plan to train with Gunnar Ostergaard.  Holly is a member of South Carolina Dressage & CTA.

USDF Region 4 – Maggie Stonecipher (KS) and her horse Gabel plan to train with Sue Halasz. Maggie is a member of Kansas City DS.

USDF Region 5 – Jennifer MacPhail (AZ) and her horse Amalfi plan to train with Kim Yacobucci.  Jennifer is a member of Tucson Dressage Club.

USDF Region 6 — Marsha Williams (OR) and her horse Skyview Cygnus plan to train with Rosanna Caswell.  Marsha is a member of Oregon Dressage Society. 

USDF Region 8 — Beverly Reid (CT) and her horse Nadine plan to train with Tom Noone.  Beverly is a member of Westchester-Fairfield DA.

USDF Region 9 - Jana Nelson (AR) and her horse Austin plan to train with Loma Fowler.  Jana is a member of Arkansas Dressage Society.

The Dressage Foundation is 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt, donor driven organization that is dedicated to supporting and advancing the sport of dressage.  The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants and scholarships to dressage riders of all ages and levels.  Website: www.dressagefoundation.org.

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Hello ODS and Happy Holidays!

I have a special favor to ask. In preparation for our annual ODS Planning Retreat, coming up in January of 2009, the Board would like to solicit your candid responses to the ODS Member Survey that can be found at the link below. The survey should take about five minutes of your time, and will provide us with valuable information as we plan for the coming year.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

This survey will give you an opportunity to share your thoughts, opinions and priorities with the ODS board, so please take just a few minutes to complete it ASAP. Just click on this link to get started!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=3IWoT2S220rtzDRFYcrOkA_3d_3d

Thank you so much for taking the time. Should you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact me at (541) 231-7247 or jennifer.milburn@oregonstate.edu.

I wish you and yours the very best this holiday season!

Warmest regards,
Jennifer Milburn

Now that we are almost into the 2009 horse year I need to get started on the 2008 scrapbook.

From you I need photographs from ODS events (all people/equines/canines/felines identified please).

I am particularly interested in:

• ODS Licensed Championship Show
• ODS League Championship Show
• ODS Breeders Showcase
• ODS Retreat/Board meetings
• Showbiz seminar
• Chapter events
• Adult Team Show
• JR/YR Team Show
• 2008 Awards Banquet

I would love to have a photograph of all the ODS Champions and Reserves from both the Licensed Championship Show and the League Championships. These need not be the actual championship photo.  I have some lovely pictures of champions just hanging out with their horses for 2007.

Were you the recipient of a special award this year?
A photo please (of you not the award!).

Also if you have articles concerning local ODS members please submit those also.

You can submit photographs and everything else to me at:
siobhan@haywardfarm.com

Or by snail mail to:
Siobhan Barker
53363 NW Hayward Rd
Banks, OR 97106-8830.

Thanks,
Siobhan Barker
ODS Historian

The Oregon Dressage Society has been approved as a host organization for the Open Event Incentive Program of the Arabian Horse Association.

This means that program members will be able to earn points at your open shows, earning prizes for themselves and a permanent show record for their Arabian and Half-Arabian horses.

The only thing we ask of you is to retain show records for one year so that we may verify a horse and rider’s placement if necessary. Our link may be viewed at: http://www.arabianhorses.org/activities/incentiveprograms/OEIPHostOrganizations.asp?orgType=local .

If members have any questions about this Incentive Program, please contact the Arabian Horse Association directly at 1-877-551-2722 or info@arabianhorses.org.

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Dear Fellow Equestrians,

Please read the following letter and visit the links as this is a very worthwhile cause. If you could forward it on to all others who may be interested, that would also be greatly appreciated. Thank You!

The United States Dressage Federation is inducting Robert Dover into their 2008 Hall of Fame. In addition to Dover’s legendary accomplishments in the sport of dressage, he was a co-founder and currently the Chairman Emeritus of the Equestrian Aid Foundation. The EAF provides financial assistance to those equestrians suffering from catastrophic accident injuries or life threatening illness. The USDF will be working with the EAF to raise funds in honor of Robert Dover for this event and we are asking for your help in spreading the word.  Every dollar matters and your gift will make the difference at a crucial time in the life of a fellow equestrian.
We ask you join us in the spirit of honoring Robert by making a donation at the following link - https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1000437

For more information go to: www.equestrianaidfoundation.org
Thank you,
Diane S
Carr Equestrian Aid Foundation
800-792-6068

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Please note that ODS has welcomed Claudette Fitzgerald as our new Librarian.  We wish to thank Janie Steinbock for years of service and applaud her volunteer efforts.

Please visit the Library Page to see what ODS has to offer members and for the new librarian contact information.

Thank you!

ODS President Column November 2008

It is hard to believe time has passed so quickly since the last column which was before the championship show. The show was a great success again this year; in fact, I think I enjoyed it as much as I have any of the previous years I have attended. I don’t have figures yet to report on income from the show or the silent auction at the awards banquet. The special awards winners are announced in Joyce Stride’s column in this same issue.

I would like to say another huge thanks to our Show Committee and our Banquet Committee. These people work all year long to put on this quality event for us.

Our rider awards chair persons, John Craven for licensed shows and Gene Hall for league shows are currently working on the results for the awards plates. With the help of new computer capability from USDF and the hard work of John and Gene we should have the awards out in a timely manner this year.

One thing we need is a person or group of people to prepare and mail the awards out. This is a job Corinne has been performing for several years that is really not a part of the ODS Office Administrator’s job. If you could spare some hours with a few friends and take this job on it would be a huge contribution to ODS. Please contact me directly if you are interested as I am recruiting people for this job.

The Annual ODS Membership Meeting and Quarterly Board Meeting will be held November 8 at the Springfield Mall. Everyone should have received a mailed notice of this event. Please rsvp the ODS office and plan to attend. We will be welcoming a few new board members as the election results will be final by that time. I was extremely happy to be able to fill all the openings with at least one candidate each this year.

We are preparing to attend the USDF Convention and Board of Governor’s Meeting later this month in Denver. There will be a special meeting with the USEF Dressage Committee about the performance standard proposal which should be interesting and is the topic of most of the discussion among delegates on the national level. We have heard there will be an increase in the USDF Participating Membership fee for 2010. We have also heard the changes in the representation for USDF will not be presented at this meeting.

Our ODS Librarian for the last 12 plus years, Janie Steinbock, is resigning. I would like to thank Janie for doing this important job for so many years. According to Janie there have been over 1,100 items checked out of the library in that time and every single item was returned. She wanted to commend the membership on making her job easier. I’m impressed with the number of people using the library. It seems to be fulfilling a large role in the education part of the ODS Mission. We have a new volunteer for the Librarian position, Claudette Fitzgerald. Claudette is a member of the Cascade Chapter also and comes highly recommended by Janie. I know Claudette and am happy to appoint her for the position. New information regarding the library contact information will be available as soon as we can make an official transfer of the library.

Here in Central Oregon we have been challenged with the “Pigeon Fever” outbreak. While not a life threatening disease in the vast majority of cases, it is a messy, contagious bacterial infection that seems to have hit a significant number of horses this late summer and fall. It can’t be prevented and is not transmitted by air but lives in the soil and can be transmitted by flies. COC Chapter cancelled our last league show of the year this past weekend because of the outbreak. Only one of my four horses has been infected and I am hoping we are past the danger point with the others since our freezing temperatures are taking care of the flies. Apparently it will remain in the soil for years and come back when the conditions are right.

I think I can have a report about the convention in the December issue as I will return home before the deadline. Please have a Happy Thanksgiving holiday and be safe in your travels.

Please remember it is time to renew your ODS membership!

Marsha

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