|
||||||||||
 President's Message -
Winter '08I love SMCHA! We have a wonderful organization dedicated to furthering the interest in and activities for horses and horse people. It doesn’t seem that long ago I would come to the General Meetings not knowing a soul. I would hope there would be a friendly face so I would have someone to talk to. Longtime member, Nancy Crowley (may she rest in peace) was that friendly face for me. She would always make me feel welcome and would make a point of introducing me to a few new faces at each event. I remember driving into Jack Brook that first year - not knowing who else would be there. I may have arrived alone but I left with many new friends. I made a promise to myself – that as I got more involved I would be like Nancy Crowley and always do what I could to make even the newest member feel welcome And that is how my experience with SMCHA has gone… gathering a new friend or two at each event until I now have a whole corral full of wonderful horse people I am proud to call my friends! Am I starting off a bit too mushy? OK, I’ll tone it down a bit for now. First, I want to thank Sarah Filice for her unwavering dedication to this organization that began long before she stepped into the boots as President in 2007. She put her heart into everything she took on last year. She surrounded herself with an excellent team who led us through a wonderful year of equestrian activities. Thanks, Sarah, for a job well done. We wouldn’t be where we are today in our organization if it wasn’t for those who invested themselves in the equestrian cause… Sarah Filice, Al Filice, Bill Ashton, Virginia Magliano-Darrow, Kathie Goddard and the list goes on and on. I can and will fill the boots of President - I intend to make them all proud. For those of you that I haven’t met yet, I first joined SMCHA in 2000. I began my journey with horses spending summers with my aunt and uncle on their urban farm complete with horses, dogs, cats, chickens and ducks. This was paradise to me. All my babysitting money went to renting horses for the Sunday morning breakfast ride. I eventually wore my parents down and got a horse of my own. Well, not exactly. My younger sister, Susie, and I had to share – alternating days so we wouldn’t fight over her. Banana Split was her name – a remarkably patient Palomino – and she never got a day off! I relished in riding the local trails in Long Beach and witnessed first-hand as dirt trails gave way to asphalt and concrete. That’s why it’s so important for organizations like SMCHA to exist to protect the wonderful trail system we all enjoy so much. I participated in the local horse shows and was mighty proud of whatever ribbon I won – even had a reign as a horse show queen one year. I still get a kick out of participating in the shows sponsored by SMCHA each year - the Western Schooling Show, the English Schooling Show, the Nor-Cal Open English/Western Show. Why not put yourself in one of these shows and relive some of your childhood memories? It’ll be as much fun as you remember it was… Wait, weren’t we talking about me? Oh yes… After taking time off from horses to raise my two children, it seemed like the right time. I traded in my husband for a horse and have been a happy cowgirl ever since. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely ready to meet the cowboy who will ride the trails of life together with me. Until that happens, I’m only sharing my saddle with Slick, my Quarter Horse Paint who is always ready to go for a ride. My vision for SMCHA in 2008 is to increase participation and community. Some of the ways we will make that happen is by putting on fun social events that you won’t want to miss. And if there’s one thing I know how to do – it’s putting on a party! We kick off our fun this year with a Spaghetti Feed & Bunco Tournament on March 15th at the Mounted Patrol Grounds. That’s a Saturday night so kids and parents alike can stay up to enjoy the fun. Members and their friends of all ages can join us. You don’t have to know how to play Bunco – it’s a simple game of rolling dice. And if you’ve ever played Bunco then you already know how much fun it is. Lots of action and winners will take home cash and prizes! So mark your calendars for March 15 and keep a lookout for more details in the mail. That’s just the beginning… we are looking at an overnight ride somewhere, a group ride in Golden Gate Park (I’ve always wanted to do that!) and lots more. This is the year you want to make sure you are part of the rides and activities. Next on my list, we will have 100 new members join SMCHA in 2008. That will put us over the 500 member mark. There is a lot of significance to this. Not the least of which is that with new growth comes new ideas. New faces and new ideas keep an organization fresh and moving forward. Tradition is a wonderful and necessary aspect but progress is reliant on change. Change can be a good thing. I hope to bring about some changes this year that will be looked back on as both positive and beneficial to us all. Also, an organization with a membership of 500 strong will, as importantly, have a louder voice when it comes to speaking out on issues facing the equestrian community today. Over the last year or so I went to numerous San Mateo County Park & Recreation Department meetings where the future of both Huddart and Wunderlich Parks was decided. As SMCHA grows in numbers, our voice will not be ignored. The equestrian community will be heard. You can ensure this growth by having the horse friends you know who are not yet members of SMCHA (or may have dropped out for one reason or another) make 2008 the year they join and take a positive stand for the future of horses in our county. We are just getting a Membership Drive underway. We have broken it into two divisions – Senior Members and Junior Members. The senior member and the junior member who generate the most new members will get their picture in the San Mateo Horseman magazine and win a shiny new buckle that they can sport around town. I promise it will be a buckle worthy of your efforts. So start gathering up those completed membership envelopes and put your name on the outside so you get credit. Again, more details will be coming in the mail and in future issues of our San Mateo Horseman magazine. I want to hear what you have to say. This is your organization. Over the next couple of months you can expect to get a phone call from one of the SMCHA Board Members. I want to make sure you are getting what you want out of San Mateo County Horsemen’s Association. We will be calling each and every member of SMCHA to hear what you have to say about your organization. Ever want to ride in a parade? We are committed to re-inventing the Senior Color Guard. At this time it is virtually non-existent. With your support, that will change. If you have an interest in finding out about the Color Guard and how you and your horse might be a part of it, let me know. We will be setting up day and time when all those interested can get together to find out about what’s involved and plan the future. We are committed to expanding our Junior Program. Without young riders moving up the ranks there is no future. When us older horse folk take that last trail ride in the sky we need the younger generation to be ready to saddle up and carry on where we left off. I am very excited about what we can make happen in 2008. I look forward to working side by side with this great Board of Directors: Adeline Forrest (1st Vice President/General Meeting Chair), Nancy Kouchekey (2nd Vice President/Ride Chair), Maria Fonseca (Secretary), Dan Johndrow (Treasurer), Larry Pelzner (Sergeant at Arms), Sarah Filice (Historian), Bill Ashton, Cheryl Basin, Gene Ericksen, Ann Farris, Sara Esquivel, Al Filice, Kathie Goddard, Michelle Goodspeed, Jim Keeton, Gretchen King, Libby Kurtz, Amnon Levy, Melanie Likins, Cindy Machado, BJ MacLellan, Rosemarie Menager, Noel Moody, Janice Olson, Stan Ramirez, Tanya Rebarchik, Karen Shawback, Elizabeth Sullivan. I especially want to welcome our newest Board Members: Kristen Archibald, Ginger Bushue, Jane Fletcher, David Moreau, Anne Whitten and returning member, Ann Kirby. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I express heartfelt appreciation to our outgoing Board members: Art Lesser, Terri Pacheco and Sue Sheehan. The horse community lost one of its soldiers with the passing of longtime Board Member and past President, Rick Payne. He was definitely one of the good guys. We are in for a fabulous year. This organization gets its strength from the support and participation of the members. So come on out to the events and meet up with old friends and make some new ones. Be sure to stop and say hello at the events throughout the year, I always have a hug ready. And I thought I wouldn’t have anything to write about! Happy
Trails, |
||||||||||
|
