June 2023
Greetings Region 8!
I hope everyone is enjoying the Spring – it finally seems as if the weather will stay warm and we can soon stop agonizing over which blanket/sheet/rug needs to go on or off or horses.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, we are very excited to welcome Sabine Schut-Kery to our region for the Youth Clinic June 10 and 11, at Weatogue Stables in Salisbury CT. The following are the selected riders: Brenna Donovan, Leah Drew, Maggie Elsbernd, Gabriel Epstein, Rosa Murphy, Callie O’Connell, Isabella Thorpe, and Cameron Wyman. Thank you to all who applied, and we’re sorry that not everyone could ride. The good news is that the clinic is open to auditors – all of us, not just youth! All youth and their designated chaperone may audit for free. Adult USDF members may audit for $20/per day and adult non-members may audit for $40/per day. Auditor registration is by walk-in only, so no need to sign up for anything. You will need to bring something to sit on, and your own snacks and lunch. This is a valuable educational experience for all of us, not only youth riders.
Voting for Participating Member Delegates to the Board of Governors at the USDF Convention opens on June 1. Please keep an eye out for the notice and VOTE! PM delegates represent the interests of all USDF Participating Members within their respective region on the USDF Board of Governors (BOG). During the BOG General Assembly at the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention, PM delegates vote on various governance matters (ex: committee proposals, USDF proposed budget), elect their region’s Regional Director, and elect the Officers and At-Large Directors of the USDF Executive Board.
Speaking of the Convention, I hope everyone will consider attending this year. The Executive Committee is spending a great deal of time creating a really exciting schedule, and although it is not finalized yet, I can promise there will be many more educational opportunities and time to socialize and catch up with friends. And I can vouch for Omaha. It is a great small city with some really good restaurants. Information on the Convention can be found here: https://www.usdf.org/convention/index.asp. And in addition to all the USDF related activities, Cirque du Soleil will be in town! Here is the link for info and tickets: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/corteo.
This month’s highlight is the GMO Education Initiative (formerly known as the National Education Initiative). Its primary objective is to create and support new and affordable programs to engage members. GMOs hosting these programs can be confident they are delivering high caliber instruction and educational content consistent with classical principles of dressage and the Pyramid of Training. Events are USDF University accredited and members who attend automatically earn education credits. And best of all, grants are available. https://www.usdf.org/education/gmoei.asp.
Finally – our Regional Meeting will be held on Monday June 5th at 6:00. I will be sending out a Zoom invite and agenda shortly. Please contact me with your email if you would like to be included.
Here is the link to the show season calendar on the USDF website: https://www.usdf.org/calendar/competitions.asp.
Some other dates to look forward to include:
6/5/2023 Regional Meeting at 6:00
9/21/2023-9/24/2023 Region 8 GAIG/USDF Championships in Saugerties NY
11/9/2023-11/12/2023 USDF Dressage Finals
11/29/2023-12/2/2023 2023 Adequan/USDF Annual Convention in Omaha NE
All the best,
Helen
vandeh13@gmail.com