The ODS League Show Championships were held May 22-23 at the Jackson County Fairgrounds and EXPO in Central Point, OR.   One thing for sure, we didn’t have to worry about horses getting overheated or competitors getting sunburned.  Perfect weather for competition, yeah right.  Fortunately there was plenty of covered space for both competition and warm-up.  The Southern Oregon location provided an opportunity to ODS members in that part of the state to participate in Championships which is not always possible.

It was a reminder to all of us that small shows can be a blast and a positive experience for participants, sponsors and staff as well. Competitors were enthusiastic, did a great job presenting their mounts and were very supportive of each other.   Roy Garvin stepped up and performed his GP freestyle during the lunch break on both days much to the delight of the participants.

Congratulations to all of the new ODS League Show Champions.

Show Highpoint and Reserve Highpoint Awards went to Sarah Madison and Robin Borg with average scores of 71.714% and 69.2% respectively.

ODS is partnering with Region Six to put on a weekend overnight camp for Youth Riders on July 9th, 10th and 11th at DevonWood Equestrian Centre.  By the time this goes to print, additional campers for the riding section will not be able to be accepted.  However, Youth Riders are welcome to attend without a horse at a discounted rate. Also, the camp will be open to auditors of all ages at $10 per day. Instructors for the camp include Heather Oleson, Jeremy Steinberg, Natalie Perry, Kelly Burris, Emma Dye and at least two more instructors. All of the instructors are former Youth riders who participated in the Junior, Advanced Young Rider or Brentina Cup program. There will also be four lectures over the course of the weekend. Topics currently include an introduction to the training scale and test design, assessing your horses wellness, braiding and grooming for a show, and goal setting for Youth Riders. Volunteers are needed to help with running the camp. For more information about the program or to volunteer, email jessica.rattner@gmail.com.

July ODS events:

July offers a variety of events available to ODS members.

Clinics:

Shows:

Others:

Kathy Everman will be holding a Summer Camp at her Hidden Meadows farm in Applegate, OR July 5-8.

The North Willamette Valley Chapter of ODS is organizing a horse camping trip to Silver Falls State Park July 23-25.

For details of all these events check the calendar of events on the ODS website (www.oregondressage.com).  Others will probably be added before this column goes to press.

Insurance note:

Another insurance issue has come to our attention that event organizers should be aware of.  ODS Liability insurance does not cover any motorized vehicles at events.  Vehicles would include golf carts, Gators, ATVs and the like.  If you rent those vehicles from a vendor, the vendor probably has insurance coverage but you should check. If you must use these type of vehicles at your event, please contact the ODS Office so we can add protection with our carrier.

United States Dressage Federation Issues Protective Headgear Safety Statement

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) released an official statement regarding protective headgear use following the Spring USDF Executive Board meeting held at their headquarters in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

The statement, “USDF strongly recommends all riders wear protective headgear when mounted”, is in line with USDF’s current policy to require all photos of mounted riders in the USDF Connection magazine include protective headgear.

USDF is also requiring the statement on all videos it produces and any videos or educational materials for which it offers accreditation for its University program.

USDF Annual Convention and Symposium

The USDF Exeutive Board has listened to the concerns of the Board of Governors and has established a policy that all meetings at the Annual Convention will be open to all participants, with the exception of the Audit Committee and the Steering Committee.  Previously Committees had a members only meeting, followed by an open meeting at which results of the closed meeting were discussed.

2010 Symposium in conjunction with the Annual Convention will be in an “On the Levels” format. The symposium would include the FEI levels as well as the national levels.  The Symposium is to be conducted by Lilo Fore and Gary Rockwell.

The 2011 USDF Trainers’ Conference will be held in southern California. The last conference on the west coast was also held in 2007C, also in California.