Thank you to everyone who took the time to cast their vote on the proposed rule changes, Special Award nominees and your incoming Board of Directors. All were approved.
Recapping the approved rule changes (all pertaining to Competitive Trail Ride Competitions)
- Temperature taking will not be required at the initial veterinary inspection unless requested by the vet as a safety precaution. This includes all competitors, any distance. Not complying with the veterinarian’s request will result in elimination from the ride.
- Care & Handling of Mounts, adding the following: b. Having obtained permission from the ride manager and ride steward prior to vet in of a ride, a rider with special needs may obtain assistance throughout the ride with trot-outs, mounting/dismounting and girth tightening.
- Entry and completion exams for mileage only and introductory divisions, circles are optional but may be requested by the vet judge.
- Reducing required personnel to 6 (as described in proposal) when total entries for all distances offered is under 20.
Your 2020-2021 BOD:
I will continue as your President for another year!!
The job as President is much tougher job than I anticipated but watching our club grow over the past 3 years has been the reward. Having a wonderful group of members who volunteer their time to serve on the board with a wealth of knowledge and a true desire to make this club the best it can be makes my job much easier.
The membership support is over the top as well. Thank you everyone!
This year we welcome Brenda O’Donnell and Cindy Bell to the BOD. Both come with years of experience also and a desire to continue to make this club the best it can be.
Thank you to both Kim Minarich and Ed Casillas for your dedication and support while serving as BOD members.
If you ever need to voice your opinion, discuss rules or have a question, please contact me anytime at: sedraprez@gmail.com. I try to respond within 24 hours.
And the winners are…
My favorite part of the annual meeting is the award ceremony. This year is the first that I know of that there was no meeting or ceremony. Don’t fret! We have a plan!
Please come by Doug & Michelle Shearer’s Seabrook Farm in Ocala, FL AUGUST 29 from Noon – 2 PM. I will be there to congratulate you, celebrate your accomplishment(s) and take your picture if you want, along with a few other BOD members.
We will be contacting award winners soon!
Want to squeeze in a ride while picking up your awards?
Doug has also offered his pasture the weekend of the awards pick-up for camping to anyone who would like to overnight camp or day camp with direct access to the Greenway trails.
Location Address: 2301 SE 85th St., Ocala FL 34480. Please contact Doug directly regarding camping at 352-816-2353 or email him at: dcshearer29@gmail.com
Did you forget to renew your membership?
Membership form is here: https://www.distanceriding.org/sedra-forms/sedra-membership-application/
Go West!
With all the ride cancellations our members are travelling west to compete, and The Big Horn ride was calling!
A BIG shout out to Sedra member Nancy Sluys and her mule Danny for completing the Big Horn 100 too. His 1st 100! You picked a tough one Nancy but Danny never failed! You 2 rock! A little mountain humor there…
Sedra member Heather Reynolds, came in 9th place on her horse Sudden in the 100. Looking at the video she posted, he looked fantastic!
Better luck next year to Jeremy Reynolds and Yvette Vinton.
Don’t forget! When you compete and complete a sanctioned AERC ride that is not sanctioned with SEDRA, we will recognize your miles for year end mileage awards. For a small fee of $5 ($20 total annually if you do more than 4) and a copy of the ride results posting from the AERC website; we will include those miles to your SEDRA sanctioned miles.
Mail your payment and info to: Carol Thompson, PO Box 302, Mims, FL 32754
I wonder if I can do that…
Do you find yourself wondering if it’s time to try a longer distance? We often over think what we can do or what our horses can do. Or we start practicing A LOT with the assumption that if you are increasing your competition miles, you need to increase your training miles. That isn’t necessarily the case.
When you are ready to move up, we have a mentors list on our website with experienced riders who would love to help you. We have many articles on both our website and Facebook pages. SERA & AERC have been generous in sharing their educational & training videos with members too.
Our SEDRA Chat page on Facebook is also a good place to ask how riders prepare, how to pack for your crew area, what to eat, electrolyte recipes, etc…
Having a mentor or knowledge beforehand will help eliminate training mistakes.
Is every distance new to you? Join us at the distance clinic at the end of October in Ocala, FL. There will be an endurance ride that you can see how competitors prepare their crew areas, their horses and themselves. There will be several guest speakers providing knowledge you can use to go the distance. There will also be a CTR where you can practice tips you learned. This really is a great opportunity and is hands on education at its best!
Some advice I was given that I remember when I moved up to 50’s and further:
If your equipment (saddle, bit, tights, under garments, etc…) doesn’t fit well on a 25 you can get through it, on a 50, 75, 100 you won’t.
You can get away with not eating/drinking enough on a 25, you won’t on longer distances. Neither will your horse.
SAVE THE DATES!
Keep checking our calendar for updates on rides as they are approved by AERC and sanctioned with SEDRA.
August 29 Award pick up from 12-2 (or so) Ocala, FL
October 2 & 3 Skymont Endurance Ride Altamont,TN APPROVED!
October 10 Scenic Spruce Creek New Smyrna Beach, Florida
October 17 Hunting for Bigfoot Wiggins, Mississippi
October 24 Seabrook Farm Endurance Ocala, FL
October 24/25 FHA Memorial Distance Clinic and CTR Ocala, FL
Happy Trails! Chris Littlefield, SEDRA President
