DONNA THAYER - Running for East Region Rep
I have been a member of ODS for twenty years, most of those years as an active member of the Central Oregon Chapter.  I have held the offices of president, secretary, and treasurer for my chapter as well as chairing several committees and re-writing the chapter bylaws.  For the past two years, I have been the Eastern Region Representative and drafted the new ODS bylaws.  I am currently serving on the committee to revise the ODS Procedures Manual.  I have worked with other non-profit organizations in my community, serving on the Board of Directors at Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center and as the current president of the Board of Trustees of Family Kitchen, a program devoted to the prevention of hunger in Deschutes County.  My husband and I care for our three horses on twenty beautiful acres.  I enjoy showing at both league and ODS/USDF shows, and we all love trail riding.KIMBERLEE BARKER - Running for Central Region Rep
–no bio submitted–

GAYE McCABE - Running for Central Region Rep
–no bio submitted–

PATTY ARMSTRONG - Running for North Region Rep
We moved to Yamhill County following my husbands retirement from the US Navy in 1996. I  began riding in 1994 while we were stationed in Fallon, Nevada. I had been involved with the Sierra Nevada Chapter of CDS. I brought my now 25 year old Anglo-Trakehner mare, Lita to Oregon when we moved and attended my first ODS meeting/CMC, in Dec.2006. I was our chapters ODS rep and was very active in the development of the Fall Festival… was it in 1998?   On the chapter level, I have competed (although not recently) and have also helped with the schooling shows we have put on. I recently went through scribe training and look forward to the opportunity to participate in shows in this new capacity! My children are now out of college and on their own, which has opened up some free time. I volunteered at the recent Jane Savoie Clinic and the ODS Championship Show, both held at Devonwood.  Skills and experiences: I have extensive volunteer experience with 4-H livestock projects: horse, dairy goats, poultry, swine. In addition to having children participate in these projects, I was also a leader and was the 4-H Dairy Goat Superintendent at the Clackamas County Fair for 4 years. I was also involved in the local FFA program when my children were members. I can handle numerous projects simultaneously and do not miss meetings or deadlines. I graduated from college with a degree in graphic design and in 2003 started a web design company, Dark Horse Solutions. I feel I am organized, intelligent, practical, a problem solver, and a people person.   Holding the position of North Region Rep would benefit both myself and ODS. It is important to volunteer and to use ones skills and resources to give to organizations one is passionate about! I can’t think of many activities that would rank higher than those involving horses.

ROSE NEWMAN - Running for Director at Large
I am the current ODS North Region Representative, ODS Show Committee Chair, show manager for USEF/USDF recognized shows as well as ODS League shows and USDF Region 6 Representative for the Competitions Management Committee.

FRANCY HAUPT - Running for Director at Large
I have been involved with ODS for a long time.  It all started back in the late 1970’s when I was part of a family membership, with my mother, in the CCTA Chapter.  High school, college and working out of state took me away from ODS but when I moved back to Oregon in 1997, I settled in Grants Pass and rejoined ODS.  I became a member of what is now State of Jefferson Chapter and was quickly put to work.  I was the show secretary of the chapters’ first recognized dressage show.   Throughout my years in the Grants Pass I competed on my SWB/TB Gelding, ‘Self Expression’ (a.k.a. ‘Sam’) from First to Fourth Level.  I was ODS State Champion in 1998 at Second Level, placed in the top 15 USDF HOY standings at both Second Level (‘98) and Third Level (’99) and have earned my USDF Bronze Medal on this wonderful horse.  In December of 2002 I moved to Newberg and became a member of Chehalem Mountain Chapter.  Within a year I was elected chapter president.  A position I held for two years.  I have managed two dressage shows for CMC and have taken on the organizational tasks of the USDF Instructors Certification Program and USDF ‘L’ Judges Program.  For the past 2 years I have been the USDF Adult Education Representative.  In June, I was appoint to the position of Education Coordinator for ODS.

GLISAN STREET SADDLERY
SPECIAL SHOPPING DAYS
FOR ODS MEMBERS
3 DAYS ONLY
October 9,10,&11
Show your ODS card and get:

30% off tack purchases
of $100 or more
*******
40% off clothing
purchases of $200 or more
********
40% off jewelry

Excludes consignment, saddles and markdown

Come have fun!

Glisan Street Saddlery
7817 NE Glisan St
Portland OR 97213
503-252-4712

**Glisan Street Saddlery is a current ODS Business Member.  In return for paying higher dues, ODS Business Members are permitted to send 1 broadcast e-mail per quarter.  Please contact the ODS Office for details.

The summer and show season is winding down quickly as I write this column for the October issue. The ODS Open Show, Championship Show and the Region VI Championships will all be over before you read this article. Thanks again to all the volunteers and show personnel who put so many hours into making these a reality.

As it was a busy summer for most board members and travel has become difficult with the price of gas so the August meeting was conducted on line. The next board meeting will be held in November along with the ODS Annual Membership Meeting.

One of the components of the ODS Mission is Education. Last year we presented the Tracy Lert Symposium on the new dressage tests. The event was not particularly well attended but we did manage to have enough auditors attending that it pretty much broke even for us in cost. This year we decided to support the USDF Adult Clinic Series with Jane Savoie. Again, the event was not well attended by auditors. I was lucky enough to be a demo rider and able to audit the lessons of several of the other riders. This was an amazing experience for me. I had no prior knowledge of Jane or her teaching methods and philosophy. I would have to say if you weren’t there I’m sorry because you really missed out on a great learning opportunity.

Jane is so positive about her teaching and her way of presenting that the riders are immediately comfortable in front of the audience. Every rider and horse improved in a very visible way during each of their two 45 minute sessions. We each came home with tools to make our horses more supple, more round and more connected. We all worked on at least one or two movements or exercises to help us with our particular level of training. Judging from the people that came to speak with me after my ride I feel the auditors had a very valuable learning experience as well and were able to go home and apply their learning to their own horses.

Each day before the actual rides began Jane worked with all the auditors and riders on methods of positive thinking to overcome fears and anxiety. Although I am usually a skeptic about such things I was totally impressed and surprised that I began using some of these techniques not only for riding but for dealing with stress and anxiety at work. Amazingly enough they work!

I wanted to list the resources, books and web sites that Jane mentioned in her talk in this column but I have not been able to get a complete list. You can subscribe to her online newsletter however. The web site with the information is: www.janesavoie.com.

You should each be receiving a ballot soon for the ODS elections. We are electing 2 Directors at Large and Regional Representatives for each of the 4 Regions. Please take the time to vote and return your ballot. Our bylaws allow the membership the chance to vote for the people who make the decisions for the organization.

I really hope to see you at the General Membership Meeting, November 8 in Springfield, Oregon. You will also receive a notice for this meeting by mail. It is requested you RSVP so we may plan for adequate seating. It would be great to see representatives of each chapter and members at large are welcome as well of course.

There will also be a USDF Region 6 meeting and mini convention November 21-22 in the Portland area. More information will be available later on the Region 6 web site which you should check out if you haven’t already.

In December Ed Miller, Rose Newman, Francy Haupt, Corinne Stonier and myself will travel to Denver to attend the USDF Annual Convention along with Region 6 Director Donna Longacre and USDF Treasurer Barb Tuohino Funk.There will be more information available in the November column about what the major topics will be for the Board of Governors. The Participating Member Delegates are making an effort to discuss issues and topics before the Convention and I hope we will be able to ask for your input on some of the issues before we leave.

-Marsha

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