The Official Newsletter of the Texas Endurance Riders Association
Volume 15, Issue 1 Winter/Spring 2015
www.texasenduranceriders.org
Trail Markers is published Quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
In This Issue:
It is distributed solely to members of the Texas Endurance Riders Association, and is comprised of both their input and the opinion of the editor, neither of which represent the organization’s views or official stance. Of course, if there is no input from members, then you’re pretty much stuck with the editor’s opinions. Which don’t amount to much, really, but they can sometimes make interesting reading. Other times … well, the term “bird cage liner” comes to mind.
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We are also offering a classified section free to TERA members. Non-TERA members -.50¢ a word.
Editor’s Musings - p3
TERA 2014 Year End Awards- p5
Reminiscing Through the Rides- p6-7 Did You Know - p9
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Advertising rates are as follows (these are for black and white. Call or email for color rates): Full page - $80 Half page - $55 1/4 page - $32 Business Card - $22 These are one time rates. Contact Todd for yearly rates.
Note from the President - p3
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Ride Calendar - p2
Your Horses - Your Estate- p10, p11
Deadline for the next issue is June 14th, 2015.
Tribute to Bobby - p11
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Wanna be published? Get it in!
Trot Out - p12
2015 TERA Sponsored Rides Racing Stripes
Apr 11-12 2015 Priefert Ranch, Mt Pleasant, TX Khristin Seymore 903-563-6639 HorizonAggie@aol.com
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Spirit of Texas
Apr 25 2015 LBJ National Grasslands Selena Copeland 214-793-0311 spirittxarabians@aol.com
Old Glory
May 23-24 2015 Parrie Haynes Ranch, Kileen, TX John Nowell 972-672-8250 jcnowell@msn.com 2
Llano Estacado
June 5-7 2015 Lake Meredith, TX Doug Blashill 806-358-3834 hblash12@yahoo.com
S O C I AT I Heart of the Hills
Nov. 28-29, 2015 Hill Country State Natural Area, Bandera, TX Eron Howell 830-537-4604 eronh@gvtc.com
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2015 Board of Directors President Vickie Roden 373 Langston Ln. McKinney, TX 75069 972-978-0072 Vickier_is@yahoo.com
Education Director Valerie Bixler 3598 CR 406 McKinney, TX 75071 214-514-3618 bixlerdvm@gmail.com
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Secretary John Nowell 3651 White River Dr. Dallas, TX 75287 972-672-8250 jcnowell@msn.com
Membership Director Hope Finan 1560 Rogers Hill Rd. Waco, TX 76705 254-339-0012 HopeUrban@hotmail.com
Treasurer Russell Betts 6101 FM 1374 New Waverly, TX 77358 832-331-3164 rzbetts@aol.com
Ride Manager Director Caryne Edwards 311 Hunters Creek Dr. New Braunfels,TX 78132 830-660-5552 cedwards23@satx.rr.com
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Publicity & Awards Director Khristin Seymore PO Box 559 Daingerfield, TX 75638 903-563-6639 HorizonAggie@aol.com
Editor, Todd Hezeau 7259 CR 3223 Lone Oak, TX 75453 469.261.8733 maccwall@yahoo.com
See you on the trail... Safe Riding, Todd
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Vice-President Caryne Edwards 311 Hunters Creek Dr. New Braunfels,TX 78132 830-660-5552 cedwards23@satx.rr.com
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Howdy folks, I know we have had a very slow start to this years ride season and hopefully things will pick up. That being said I would like to offer my sincere apologies on the expediting of the newsletter or lack there of. We missed a quarter due to many personal things going on so I have been slow in getting this out. I would also like to announce that I will be sharing duties with Kerry Lowery when it comes to newsletter business so she will be your new go to person and we all know the enthusiasm and dedication she can put forth.
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The Editor’s Musings...
A Note from the President….
A very belated “Happy New Year!” to all. Many of us were able to see each other at the Central Region Convention in January. It was a wonderful weekend together, with great speakers, a very fun award ceremony, and the best part - just getting to sit and talk with good friends and turning acquaintances into new friends. When will we ever get to ride?! Hopefully, by the time this edition is in your hands, we have been able to have the “Heart of the Hills” ride. Our wonderful Ride Managers have really been through the ringer early this year, spending MANY hours preparing for rides, and then not being sure if they can host them. THANK YOU, Ride Managers, for all your work! Please check out the calendar of rides in this edition. All our TERA rides are wonderful, but I am pleased to remind you of a few things. The old “Blue Bonnet” ride, which was hosted by TADRA for many years, is now hosted by TERA, and will be called “The Spirit of Texas” ride, managed by Selena Copeland. You won’t want to miss it. And, if you haven’t already heard, John Nowell has stepped up to the plate to manage the “Old Glory” ride for a second year in a row. I don’t know how it could be better than last year, but he says it will. Also, if you haven’t made it to a Pioneer ride before, you really should schedule the “Llano Estacado Challenge” ride in June. It’s one of the best places to ride for three days in a row! And, finally, Caryne Edwards will be trying to fit in her new “Lake Sommerville Shuffle” ride later in the year, following its cancellation in February. Be listening for announcements to that effect. There are also some great learning opportunities for everyone this year. There are several “Endurance Clinics” being organized by various folks, plus, TERA will soon be announcing the annual “Ride Manager Clinic”. This is a must for those toying with the idea of managing a ride, but also wonderful information to better understand rides themselves. I’ve had a number of people ask for information already, but, I promise we’ll have a sign-up sheet soon! If you haven’t already joined the Yahoo or Facebook chat groups, this is a good time to do it, so you won’t miss announcements. Looking forward to seeing everyone on trail or in camp soon! Vickie Roden
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2014 TERA Year End Awards Mileage Awards: Endurance:
Endurance Featherweight 1- Tammy Lessig-PWF Paladyn 405 miles 2- Windsor Mundy Kharismas Grace 280 miles 3- Alanna Frank BF Imperial Fyre 250 miles
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Endurance Middleweight 1- Valerie Bixler VB Scats Pyjamas 260 miles 2- Jim Matthess Beacons Nite Lite 250 miles 3- Kelley Brough-Gray Dog 150 miles Endurance Heavyweight 1- Al Prescott-MA Marauder 205 miles 2- Gunnar Frank Mi Clever Ansata 200 miles 2- Gunnar Frank-Trinity 200 miles 3- Lisa Skalski-Korbel TA 175 miles
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Endurance Junior 1- Kaityln Timmons Syrena 205 miles
Limited Distance:
LD Featherweight 1- Kerry Lowrey-Takoda 355 miles 2- Robin Howze-April’s Truest 160 miles 3- Donna Thompson Thee Jameel 135 miles
Rookie Rider of the Year Windsor Mundy (J. Lemon)
A R N U CE D LD Middleweight 1- John P. West KEB Desperados Fiera 235 miles 2- Vicky Rogers Coin’s Diamond Nugget 170 miles 3- Thomas Robichaux-Scarlet 130 miles
LD Heavyweight 1- Lee Bateman-Morning’s Glory 280 miles 2- Belinda Ralston Special Edition MD 185 miles 3- Gail Conway-Flashes 160 miles
Volunteer of the Year Mary Ellen Seymore (K. Reeves) Veterinarian(s) of the Year 2014 Plaques to all Veterinarians: Jim Baldwin * Valerie Bixler Scooter Brown Gail Conway Denise Easterling Carter Hounsel Liz Lamont Matt Randall Bob Rogers * Dennis Seymore Shana Thoms *
Ride Manager of the Year Khristin Seymore-Norsworthy
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Endurance Lightweight 1- Vickie Roden-Jolly Juice 530 miles 2- Sue Phillips-Jaffe Sussie Prize 200 miles 2- Khristin Seymore HRZ Raq Stetti Eddie 200 miles 2- Caryne Edwards WMA The Rock 200 miles 2- Tracy Cann Kozys Saphiro Davinci 200 miles 3- Sylvia Sazama-Nordik Star 175 miles
Nomination Awards:
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LD Lightweight 1- Mary Fields Avalon Yasminah Asiil 250 miles 2- Vickie Roden -JollyWinn MHF 110 miles 2- Todd Hezeau OvationsfortuneSA 110 miles 3- Hope Finan Annie 105 miles
Horse & Rider of the Year Vickie Roden & “Jolly Juice” (C. Edwards)
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LD Junior 1- Ragan Kelly-Dazzel EM 75 miles 1- Windsor Mundy-Kharismas Grace 75 miles
Overall High Mileage Rider Vickie Roden 580 miles
Overall High Mileage Horse “Jolly Juice” 530 miles
Limited Distance High Mileage Horse “Takoda” 355 miles
Husband & Wife Award
April Mortl Sportsmanship Award James (“Saz”) Sazama (S. Sazama) Master Rider Award LD Lee Bateman (280 miles) Endurance Darolyn Butler (525 miles) Best Condition LD KEB Desperados Fiera 9 Best Conditions! Owned by: John P.West High Vet Score LD Hatch’s Lonesome Venture 1395 points Owned by: Bob Rogers, DVM
S O C I AT I Gunnar & Alanna Frank 800 combined miles
Family Award
Gunnar & Alanna Frank 800 combined miles
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Best Condition Endurance Sheraz MHF” – 3 Best Conditions! Owned by: Mandolynn Hill Farm Ridden by: Chris Lewis HVS Endurance Sheraz MHF – 1340 points Owned by: Mandolynn Hill Farm Ridden by: Chris Lewis
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Reminiscing Thr
Amradillo Oct 18th 2014 Kennard, TX
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Armadillo photos courtesy: Kristie Puckett http://www.moonfyrephotography.com
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rough the Rides
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Off Road Warrior Nov 15th-16th 2014 Athens, TX
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ORW Photos courtesy: John Nowell http://www.remuda.smugmug.com
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Did You Know?
Facts behind the Texas Endurance Riders Association Benefit Ride
By David Fant
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simply could not take the financial leap of faith to start from scratch and hope for the best? Enter the secondary role of the T.E.R.A. Benefit Ride. It was decided, after the ride itself got off the ground, that prospective ride managers who were qualified by attendance at the Ride Manager’s Clinic be identified and either approached or encouraged to manage the Benefit Ride. The intent was for T.E.R.A. to offer its core of trained ride managers as advisory resources for the manager(s) in training and for T.E.R.A. to fund the ride. This was in recognition that a very good candidate might need financial and planning assistance to put on a ride that would meet T.E.R.A. standards. Ideally these candidates had already figured out that they could go to rides and work in a number of the staff positions to better understand what actually happens during a ride. Being a timer is far more instructive than discussing being a timer. The first Benefit Ride was held in 1989. We were gifted a sum of money by a different riding group with the stipulation that the money be used for ride benefits. Their event was called “Hoofprints” and that was the agreed upon name until 1995 when the “Old Glory” ride was retired as an “owned” ride and the name was donated to T.E.R.A. to be used for the Benefit Ride. Since then it has been called the “Old Glory Benefit Ride”. Over the years the venue has moved from Davy Crockett National Forest and has been on public land and private land, but the things that have never changed are that the ride is to be used as a benefit showing appreciation to the individual member, and as a vehicle for development of ride managers who can later fund their own rides meeting the goals and standards of T.E.R.A. Many of the Benefit Ride managers have their own rides now, and all of them have helped T.E.R.A. improve the overall program for our members.
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that has to be recovered are actual costs. Some years Benefit Ride managers have included many amenities which changes the financial possibilities. All Benefit Ride budgets are to be overseen by the T.E.R.A. Board and Officers. At the time the Benefit Ride was established it was not intended that the ride entry fee be a fixed amount – just that the discount to the member be substantial. Most of you know that the current structure of T.E.R.A. rides – no matter the funding source – involves a modest discount for members already and the discount for Benefit Ride entries for members is in addition to that discount. It was never an intent or a goal to make money for TERA, but on a good ride T.E.R.A. did cover expenses, gain a few members, and create some goodwill. After the objectives concerning funding were agreed upon, it was observed that a Benefit Ride could have another role that would address what was becoming significant problem. In the 80’s and 90’s ride management was drastically different than it is today. Total entries at a well-run ride with a good reputation might be 20 or fewer entries. Actual costs of the ride were lower, but not in terms of fixed costs. Land use fees have not changed much, vets still have to be paid, and PortaPotties are still essential and not much higher in price. Bottom line is that many rides – almost all of them – lost money. Sometimes big money. The losses might be a couple of hundred or a couple of thousand dollars dependent on location and complexity of costs, but there were few break-even rides. We realized that as the sport grew in size and popularity, and as T.E.R.A. increased the management level of club rides, we needed more good rides and more good ride managers. We had individuals who decided to step up and suffer the losses to start a good ride, and this was crucial in our development. But what of people who thought they could be a good ride manager but
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Many years ago there were discussions of how to increase the advantages of membership in T.E.R.A. There were many suggestions and some of the better ideas were implemented. One of them was the initiation of the Benefit Ride. At the time, there was a great deal of input from a large representation of the membership about what exactly a Benefit Ride should be, and what it would mean to the club, T.E.R.A. members and to non-T.E.R.A. members. At the time the conversation was live and focused and, discounting the normal turns human discussions take, at the end of it all there was a consensus of what it meant – for Texas Endurance Riders Association – to hold a Benefit Ride. Although T.E.R.A. was not exactly rolling in cash at the time, it was decided – after discussion – that the Benefit Ride was not and would not be intended as a fund-raiser for the club. The “Benefit” part of the “Benefit Ride” was to the dues paying member – not to the Association itself. The first agreed upon benefit was to make available a substantial discount in ride fees to any participant who was a T.E.R.A. member on the day of the ride. There was a conscious decision to phrase it this way (on the day of the ride) so that folks who were coming to rides but were not yet T.E.R.A. members could decide that the discount was attractive enough to get over the inertia concerning actually filling out the form and joining T.E.R.A. and becoming a full member. Usually we retain members, so any reasonable opportunity to get new ones would be good for the group. Over the years the club has grown and in some cases the history has not been accurately handed down, so the efforts involved on making the Ride a benefit – to the individual members – has become somewhat diluted. Some of the Benefit Ride budgets have been pared down to minimize actual costs – no meals, donated prizes, no T-shirts, etc. and these budgets are amenable to offer bigger discounts to T.E.R.A. members since all
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YOUR HORSES – YOUR ESTATE
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especially if the horse has special needs. For example, we have a horse that will colic when fed coastal hay or if he eats dead Bermuda grass all winter. We feed him alfalfa and plant rye grass for him. He could die if his new owner didn’t know that. We also have a horse that fractured his axis vertebrae all the way to his spinal cord. The vertebrae healed over an 8-month period and all of his paralysis went away, but he now has a head tilt. He is really fun to ride and loves to gallop everywhere he goes. But, our vet said to make sure that a chiropractor never tried to “fix him”, because it might sever the spinal cord. Any permanent medications or supplements that you feel are important should be included too. Above all, the most important thing you can do for your horse is to make sure they are trained. Another friend, who is a breeder, has decided to put all of her brood mares under saddle. The opportunities for your horse to find a good home greatly increase if they can be ridden. Even if you have a brood mare that can no longer raise foals, but can carry a child around the yard, they may find a good home as a baby sitter grand kid horse. If you have a retired endurance horse that is not sound for 50-miles, but can be trail ridden, make sure they are safe to be trail ridden, preferably by a beginning rider that just wants to walk quietly down the trail. Instead of describing them as being a lame endurance horse they are now a seasoned, been there, done that, quiet trail horse. Keep in mind that the best way to get the best home possible for a horse is to show the horse in their best light, but also as honestly as possible, including the flaws. No horse is perfect, so if you honestly describe the flaws, people
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times. We finally decided to have the executor, who is designated in our will, know where to find the information in our house to advertise our horses, how to take care of the horses and more importantly who he could contact to help him market, show & sell the horses. Now we have another suggestion that everyone could follow. Make a DVD or video clips on you-tube of all of your horses, the same way you would do if you were to try and sell your horse today. You may want to update it every few years or so, but even if someone buying your horse knows the history of him or her from a few years back it is very helpful. Giving the executor a realistic idea on pricing or the name of an expert horse person to help them price the horses is also a good idea. I have also known people that don’t register their horse in their own name because they plan to keep them forever. Please transfer those papers to your name. Otherwise your horse is liable to be sold without his registration papers. Unregistered horses (if it seems too complicated after death or disability to transfer papers) bring less money for your heirs and also make the new owner think the horse is less valuable. He could then be sold for less and less as time goes on. Make sure that you have a list of all your horse’s accomplishments – including what they did before you owned them. Not everyone knows to look up a horse record on AERC or Arab Data source. Also, a horse that has competed at small local shows and done well or competed in NATRC or ACTHA won’t have an official on-line record. So, it is important for you to keep it, preferably in a file on him, with his papers. The other thing you need to keep in that file is any medical history,
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I apologize if this article comes across as morbid to some, but I feel it is an important topic. In the past few months, we have seen 2 Arabian horse breeder’s families being left unexpectedly with the task of finding homes for a large number of horses. One was Dan’s family, owner of Wind Crystal Arabians. Dan was killed January 11th when a round bale fell on him, leaving a very large number of horses. In no time, the stallions and his best straight Egyptian brood mares were sold to other breeders, leaving a large number of untrained, hard to place horses looking for new homes. The other breeder is a good friend of ours, owner of Wind Dream Arabians, who in a short period of time went from some memory loss to full Alzheimer’s disease. He had raised and shown National Champion level halter horses, but was not good at marketing them. His wife, a non-horse person in her 70s, was left with 12 horses (only 1 was broke to ride) and a horse ranch to manage. You can see their horses on our web site if you are interested. We had to take the registration papers with the markings on them to the pasture to tell who was who. The horses looked alike to his wife, because most of them were the same color. In the case of your unexpected death or incapacitation who will be left with the task of caring for your horses and finding them new homes? Is that person a knowledgeable horse person and do they know everything about your horses that they need to know? What if both you and your spouse died in an accident together? Horses are an asset and a joy to you. To a non-horse person, they are a liability and a lot of work and trouble. In the past we have tried designating that in our will, but have found that requires your will to be edited too many
by Selena Copland
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Safir Al Badia
(Laheeb Al Nasser x Amal Al Badia) Safir Al Badia Straight Egyptian endurance & breeding prospect for sale. Exceptionally well bred yearling colt. Older maternal brother Soufian Al Badia was exported to a competition endurance & Arabian breeding farm in South Africa. Two geldings of our breeding have gone on to be top Tevis finishers. Feel free to call (785) 336-6833 with any questions. Pictures, video, and more information available at http://www.albadia.com/ arabianhorses/safir-al-badia.html
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become difficult with enough “time off”. It is not an easy thing to think about, but it is important to consider for your horse’s sake and for the sake of the person left with your estate or left to help you during your disability and manage a farm at the same time. All you need is a good camera person and a good rider and one of those is probably you. If you happen to know someone who would love to own your horse and would be a perfect fit, ask them first and then let your executor know the name and contact information for that person. But, I would still prepare the “sale info” for your executor. Life could change for the person that may inherit your horse and put them in a position to not be able to accept the extra responsibility. Good luck with planning for this problem. I promise my next article will be more upbeat!
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personality will resurface. Most buyers also want to know how they get along with other horses in the pasture, but that can change with new pasture mates. The easier you can make it for the people left with the important task of finding good homes for your horses, the better. So, you might do a write-up for your horse’s “ad” and a separate one for someone to reference if a caller has questions and a 3rd one to give to the new owner. Also, the sooner the horses find good homes, the better for the horse. It is amazing how quickly horses can go downhill when their owner is not watching out for them. Remember they are being fed by someone that may not know to adjust their feed with the onset of spring grass or the onset of winter. They are also usually not being ridden or groomed while they wait for new homes. Even a very fancy very high-dollar show horse can start to look like a rescue horse given enough time and some horses can
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are more likely to trust they are getting what they expect to get. A horse that bucks occasionally on a cold morning is a deal-breaker for one person and a funny character trait to someone else. One that pulls on you for 50 miles will not work for someone wanting a relaxing trail ride, but will be a lot of fun for someone wanting a front-running endurance horse or a “spirited” older horse to trail ride. Some people will buy a horse that comes running to you, regardless of lots of other flaws. Another person, because of their home set-up, may not mind a hard-to-catch horse. What you don’t want is to have your horse sold to someone that discovers the horse is “too much for them” then turns around and sells that horse to anyone that will take the horse off their hands. Or worse, thinks that if they just reduce their feed they will be easier to handle. A malnourished horse is gentler, but as soon as they are fed again their true
Tribute to Bobbie
The Central Region and Texas Endurance Riders mourn the loss of one of the pioneers of endurance. Bobbie Love Barber, 85, AERC #6, passed away on February 23, 2015. Bobbie loved endurance and had 9005 miles to her credit. She could have been counted on to ride all over the state and in other states with her daughters, Jan Wright and Lynn Zeigler and granddaughter Hillary Zeigler. Since 1988 she competed her horse Kash (BAB Morkash) for 7330 miles winning many 1st places and Top Tens. She and Kash also received 25 Best Condition awards. Bobbie was a fierce competitor and a good friend and she will be sorely missed.
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Winter/Spring 2015 Texas Endurance Riders Association
Trot Out
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