A Message from the Regional Director -
I hope 2007 has started off well for you.
I encourage your involvement in the numerous activities taking
place throughout the region and nation. We have a great group
of Council Coordinators serving the region again this year.
Please take a look at the list and become familiar with these
people and the resources/links they can provide to you.
Several Councils have already been meeting (Adult Education,
Competitions, FEI Junior/Young Riders, Technical Delegates . .
.). Thriving GMOs (we now have 13), active Participating
Members, increasing Business memberships and creation of some
Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Member organizations in Region
4 are the basis for increasing access to education and
training in dressage throughout the region. In 2006, Region 4
moved up in membership numbers and is no longer the smallest
region in the nation. GMO Council coordinators, Beth Wood
(large GMOs) and Carol Bailey (small GMOs) and I are available
to assist your GMO with membership goals and activities.
Increasing membership by 10% will move Region 4 beyond
Region 5's 2006 membership numbers and a 12% increase would
move us past Region 6. With increasing membership we have
more resources to accomplish our educational and sport goals,
as well as increased voting power at the USDF Board of
Governors.
In Region 4 the winter months are being
used well to plan for an active educational and competition
calendar. A draft Region 4 Policies and Procedure document
was developed and is posted for comment at
www.yahoogroups.com/group/USDFRegion4.
In January, we got a 'jump start' to year by hosting an FEI
Junior/Young Rider educational session/conference call to
start to bring these riders, their parents, and their trainers
together. Region 4 is the only region which has not sent a
full team to NAYRC in the past several years, so we wanted to
reverse that trend. We did have a full team compete at the
inaugural NAJC in 2006 and it looks like we will be able to do
the same in 2007, as well. We estimate that the costs to go
to the equestrian Junior Olympics is approximately $10,000 per
rider, so the youth are planning fundraisers throughout the
year to help defray these costs. Many shows will be offering
a "Let Your Mane Down for the Team" fundraiser in which you
can donate the cost you would have used to pay for a
professional braider to the Team and compete unbraided. The
horse's forelock or the rider will wear a symbolic ribbon so
the judge knows the unbraided style is a statement of support
for Region 4 youth teams. Supporting our FEI youth now is a
way to help build training capacity in Region 4 later.
On the adult scene, interest in the Region
4 Adult Clinic with Jane Savoie has been very strong, with 49
pre-registrants already and 24 rider applications. Thank you
to the Nebraska Dressage Association and Pine Ridge Equestrian
Center for hosting that event. I hope to see many of you
there. At the Region 4 mid-year meeting the evenings of April
13-14 we will be discussing the creation of an adult education
scholarship fund for the region, so please come and
participate in that meeting.
So, as you can see, there is much going on
in Region 4! Please mark your calendar for these additional
dates:
March
1: 2007 NAJC and
NAYRC Declaration of Intent due to USDF office
March 15: 2008 Regional Championship Host
applications due to Regional Director
March
17-18: KCDS
Kickoff Competition (Topeka, KS), NAJC and NAYRC qualifier
March
23-24: Region 4
Adult Clinic with Jane Savoie, organized by the Nebraska
Dressage Association and held at Pine Ridge Equestrian Center,
Ashland, NE
March
31: First quarter
Council reports due to Regional Director
March 31: Applications to host NAJC/NAYRC qualifying
classes for 2008 due to Regional Director.
April
1: Suggestions of
Youth Executive Board candidates are due to Ellie Hardesty (ncelliebear@aol.com),
April 13-14: Region 4 mid-year meeting, Palmyra, NE,
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. (wrapped around region 4 clinic with Kathy
Connelly), exact location TBA
April
14-15: USDF FEI
Junior/Young Rider Clinic with Kathy Connelly, Providence Farm
(www.providencefarm.net),
Palmyra, NE.
April
15: Participating
Member Delegate nominations due to Nomination Coordinator
April
19-22: USDF
Executive Board Meeting
May 5-6:
KCDS Dressage at Longview I & II (Kansas City, MO), NAJC/NAYRC
qualifier
May
19-20: Cornhusker
Classic I/II (Fremont, NE), NAJC and NAYRC qualifier
May
26-27: Bara Trac
I (Mason City, IA), NAJC and NAYRC qualifier
June
9-10: Dakota
HorseFest and Dakota HorseFest Too (Huron, SD), NAJC and NAYRC
qualifier
June 29: Region 4 Youth Team Championships, Mason
City, IA
June 30:
Second quarter Council reports due to Regional Director
June
29-July 1:
Dressage Lite (Mason City, IA), NAJC and NAYRC qualifier
July
31-August 5:
North American Junior Championships and North American Young
Riders Championships, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington,
Virginia.
August 3: Region 4 Adult Team Competition, Mason
City, IA
September 1: GM
memberships filed with USDF office determine the number of
votes GM delegates will carry at the BOG.
September 3: Region 4 Adult and Youth Team
Competition, Augusta, KS
September 29:
Great American Insurance Group/USDF Breeder’s Championship
West Central Series Final, South Dakota State Fairgrounds,
Huron, SD.
September 30:
Third quarter Council reports due to Regional Director
October
12-14: Great
American Insurance Group/USDF Region 4 Dressage Championship,
The National Equestrian Center, Lake St. Louis, MO.
November 29-December 2:
USDF Annual Convention,
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, Florida (BOG and
Awards Banquet will be on Saturday). Council coordinators
report at Regional meeting. Regional team competition grants
reviewed and approved at Region 4 meeting. Region 4 2008
budget approved.
Feel free
to contact me with your suggestions about how we can continue
to grow and strengthen Region 4. My email address is
slp4mag@yahoo.com and my cell phone number is (605)
321-5713.
Cheers,
Sarah
Patrick
