Spring Down Low Down Newsletter
The newsletter of Spring Down Equestrian Center
Vol.3, Issue 2
Fall/Winter 2006
Welcome
Welcome to a classically beautiful Fall at Spring Down! The weather has been warm and wonderful, so take this opportunity to schedule some extra lessons! Even though daylight savings time has put us in the dark early, we do have our lighted, covered arena in which to ride. There are also lights outside in the dressage arena as well, so our lessons can continue even when the daylight can’t.
We have lots of interesting activities and events planned for this season, including the following: Horse shows, Safety clinics, Holiday camps, and more. Please check our flyers (outside the office) and our bulletin boards to get the most updated information on these events.
Horse Show Updates
Spring Down’s 2006 show season has been extremely successful, with lots of outside entrants from as far away as San Ramon, Lafayett, Petaluma, Livermore, Piedmont , Pleasanton, and Danville. Also, we had many local, but non-Spring Down entries from San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and San Carlos.
Our August show featured a pairs class, in which several pairs of moms and their kids competed, along with a cute pair of siblings on their ponies. Everyone did an outstanding job, and it is always fun to see families who love to ride together.
The October show included a wonderful costume class, in which entrants were judged on their creativity, scariness, humor, and their cuteness factor. The judges dellberated for a long time before they were able to choose winners, because all the costumes were so outstanding.
One of the highlights of our shows is our very special “Prime Time Equitation” class. To enter this class, you must be 29 years of age, or older...so it is geared for the mature rider. This class is sponsored by Keith Sullivan, and the prizes include beautiful, custom ribbons, as well as delicious champagne for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. The 1st place bottle is almost too big to carry...so if you are interested in showing off your equitation skills...or if you just like champagne...then enter our “Prime Time Equitation” class in the December 3rd horse show!!
Keith Sullivan also sponsors the High Point and Reserve Highpoint winners, providing the most gorgeous ribbons and prizes for these Junior and Senior divisions. Keith is a very dedicated Spring Down rider and supporter, and we greatly appreciate all that he does for us.
Our Spring Down shows would not happen without the help and support of all of our amazing and tireless volunteers. Thank you so much to each and every one of you! It is wonderful to know that there are folks out there who will take time out of their busy schedules to help promote our horse shows!
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”
- Sir Winston Churchill |
Speaking of volunteering at our shows, if anyone out there is interested in becoming a volunteer, there will be a sign up sheet on the bulliten board outside the office when it gets closer to show time. Please sign up, as there are always many jobs to do to keep the show running smoothly. Parents of our riders are always welcome, as well.
Barn Rules
Please see the bulletin board for a complete list of the new and revised barn rules. These rules apply to boarders and lesson customers alike, although some of them are primarily applicable to boarders. Here are some of the important highlights:
- No smoking anywhere on SD property.
- No jumping without instructor present in that arena for individuals under 18 years of age (boarders only).
- Speed limit on SD property is 5 MPH. Don’t spook the horses.
- Hard hats must be worn at all times whenever mounted. Closed-toed shoes are required when handling horses.
- All riders are responsible for cleaning up after their horses when outside of their stalls.
- All horses must have a stud chain in place when outside of stall unless wearing a bridle. If at any time you are found with no stud chain in place, you may be fined $10.
- Boarders need to know that lessons have priority and you may be asked to leave if the arena is too crowded or your horse is behaving in a manner that may disrupt the lesson. Please check with insturctor before entering the arena.
- All horses must be tacked and untacked in the stall, with halter on and lead rope tied or looped if horse does not tie.
- No bareback riding at any time unless inside an arena (boarders only), and no riding on asphalt.
Welcome To New Horses At Spring Down
Welcome to new horse friends and their owners!!!
- Sharon Barlow and Lexi
- Deborah Speece and Sasha
- Sophie Hulme and Cooper
- Avery Humphries and Cody
- Delaney Steele and Baby
- Natalie Feirman and Stan
Christmas is Coming!!
It is hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner! We have a tradition at Spring Down to support the grooms and stable hands during the holidays. Without these folks who work extremely hard, Spring Down would not exist. There will be a collection envelope in the office a bit closer to Christmas for contributions to this fund for the grooms. Please give whatever you can, and the monies will be distributed to all of the grooms and stable hands as a holiday gift from everyone. Cash is easiest, but if you wish to write a check, please make it out to “Diane Allison”, who is organizing this effort.
Announcements
Congratulations On Your Engagement!!
- Michelle Christian and John Santos
- Leslie Norton and Chang Kim
Congratulations to Stan and Carol Goodstein, as they have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary!!
Drill Team Updates
The Spring Down Drill Team, “Spring Down Rhythm ‘N Blues” is still going strong. These two dedicated groups of excellent riders continue to come to Spring Down at 8AM every Saturday and Sunday morning to practice with their coach, Carol Goodstein. For those of you who do not know, drill teams are, basically, horses and riders performing maneuvers, sometimes very complicated maneuvers , to music in a choreographed routine.
Carol outfitted the drill teams with new costumes for our October show. In sync with the holiday Halloween season, the riders were wearing orange T-shirts with a pumpkin logo, black britches, and orange helmet covers with black bows. The horses were decked out in bright orange saddle pads, and flashy black and orange polo wraps. Appropriate to the season as well was the music, with themes from Thriller, the Monster Mash, and Ghostbusters, to mention a few.
If you love to ride, and you like music or dancing, or even if you just want to hone your riding skills in a fun and interesting way, please inquire in the office about joining in on one of the Sunday morning drill team practices. Who knows...you might get hooked!
Tack-up Lessons
Spring Down will be continuing to offer group tack-up lessons on a monthly basis. The lessons are scheduled every Sunday, at noon, for one hour.
“Why take this lesson?,” you may ask. At Spring Down, we teach comprehensive horsemanship, not just horseback riding. A very important component of horsemanship is understanding the equipment you are using on any given horse: both how it is put on, and how and why it works. The group tack-up lessons will allow time both for demonstration of the equipment that we use, and hands on practice with someone standing by for instruction and assistance.
General grooming and equipment used for grooming will also be taught in the tack-up lesson. And, of course, as we are very safety conscious here at Spring Down, techniques for keeping both you and your horse safe will be taught so that everyone is safe and comfortable during the grooming and tacking-up procedures.
Please see the office to schedule yourself into one of these tack up lessons. If you are unable to make the group lessons, a private lesson may be arranged. The group lessons are preferable, because the hour time will allow you to become familiar with more different types of equipment and also
allows for more time to practice. A private lesson is the next best thing, however, if that is what your schedule will allow.
Congratulations
To Meg Jensen who won the camp referral gift basket for referring Maggie Goldstein to Summer Camp!!
News From the Office
As we get into fall and winter schedules, please remember that Spring Down has a 24 hour cancellation policy. If you do not cancel with 24 hours notice, you will be charged for your lesson. This policy exists because we have reserved your teacher’s time for you, your horse’s time for you, and very often the horse has been tacked up by one of our grooms.
When requesting a specific horse for a lesson, everyone needs to understand that it is just that: a request. The office will make every effort to honor that request, but sometimes we have ten requests for the same horse in a given day. Also, all the horses at Spring Down needs to get exercise each and every day, so it is our responsibility to make sure that each horse gets ridden by someone (and that one horse doesn’t get ridden too much). We try to match the horses and riders as best as possible, but please remember that each horse can teach you something different. Everyone should be here to learn more about riding and horsemanship...not just to ride the same horse over and over again. Be flexible, and you’ll be surprised at how many new horse friends you will acquire by branching out a bit...and at how much you will learn.
Attention: Anyone with a tack locker needs to have their name on it somewhere, so that SD knows who belongs to which locker.
Horse Show Dates
- December 3rd, 2006
- March 18th, 2007
- June 3rd, 2007
Holiday Camp Is Coming!!!
Immediate Openings for:
- December 18th - 22nd
- December 26th - 29th
(You may also do just one day, or several days only if that’s what your schedule will allow.)
Intermediate/Advanced Camp
Carol’s Famous Safety Clinic
Please let the office know if there is interest in another safety clinic...and Carol will schedule one!
Please Remember:
"Standing Lessons" are for long term use, not just for holding a spot in the lesson. If too many lessons in a standing spot are canceled, you may be removed from the standings so that someone else can have that spot.
Winter Riding at Spring Down
We are fortunate to have a covered arena at Spring Down in which to ride during the rainy season. We may have to ride inside to keep the riders and horses dry if it is raining, but sometimes we have to ride inside, even if the weather is dry, b/c it has recently rained and the outdoor footing is too slippery, deep, and uneven.It is not safe to ride in slippery, muddy, deep footing, b/c the horses can sustain tendon and ligament injuries. Also, the horses can slip easily, or catch a foot in a deep spot, making it unsafe for the riders as well.
We DO NOT cancel lessons at SD due to inclement weather. It is possible to ride in the covered arena. Also, there are many other aspects of horsemanship that can be taught, as well. Your instructor may choose to cover some of these other interesting topics, rather than riding, if the weather is horrible. Remember, the goal of SDEC is to teach HORSEMANSHIP, not simply riding skills.
Here are some other helpful reminders to both riders and spectators:
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Be careful at the gate.
Enter only when safe. Please be on time for your lesson so you don’t have to enter while the class is in progress.
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Watch your spacing.
When riding on the rail, try not to get closer than two horse lengths to the horse in front. When standing and waiting, do not be too close to any horse.
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Be careful of people mounting.
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Pass to the inside only.
Never pass to the outside.
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Never pass with a horse on the longe line.
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Please watch out for your instructors.
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Please drive at 5mph down the entire driveway.
Driving faster can spook horses, and then riders (sometimes your children and other peoples children) can fall off.
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Only walking.
Horses can be spooked by unpredictable, fast activity.
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Please sit on the bleachers.
Our bleacers are the best place to observe. Standing too close to the rail can spook horses. Also, sometimes horses can kick out, and if you are stading too close you may be kicked.
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No umbrellas.
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Please leave your newspapers at home.
Windy weather will serve to blow papers all over the place. Not only will it make a mess, but it may spook the horses as well.
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Please...safety first!!
Spring Down News and Notes
Horse Show Rental Clothes:
Need riding clothes for the upcoming horse show? We have an array of styles and sizes in breeches, jackets and dress shirts for adults and children. Come by the office to reserve your needed item. Rental prices range from $10 - $25. Deposit is required.
T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, & Vests:
Spring Down apparel is available for purchase any time through the office. We will be selling these items during the horse show on December 3rd. For any item sold, your name will be put into a drawing for a fun prize. Congratulations to Mia Bailey who purchased a t-shirt and won 2 tickets to see “Flicka” the movie!
Welcome To Some New Faces:
- Katie Bock - Katie is our new barn intern, and she is a blessing to the barn. Her “can do” attitude to many facets of behind the scenes barn tasks is a help to all of us. Katie helps with the horse medications and supplements, she helps out with whatever office tasks are thrown her way, and she also helps with our special group introductory lessons. Her love of horses inspired her to donate time to the barn and get credit for school in the process. She will be returning to Northeastern University in Boston in January, and we’ll all be sad to see her go.
- Dianna Lawrence - Dianna is a new instructor at Spring Down. She has been riding at Spring Down for a long time, and her enthusiastic personality is welcome at the barn!
- Pam Bradley - Pam is currently working in the office on Sundays along with Gina Foti. Besides her office work, Pam’s jobs at the barn include assisting in the web marketing of SDEC, community events, Drill Team exhibitions, executing the email data-base, and putting her creative touches into our horse shows, camps, and more.
The Office is Going Computerized!!
The office is integrating a new computer system and database. Nancy Bingham has donated her time and system knowledge to customize a program to manage all aspects of the barn procedures, scheduling, and horse management. This new system will replace the “big book” and all of the other manual systems that we currently use. Please be patient in the office as we are doubling up on booking in both the book and the computer. Thank you to Nancy for developing this amazing system!
Mommy and Me:
Our newest program was kicked off in November. It is a series of 3 horsemanship classes designed to introduce the smallest member of your family to horses while spending some quality time with Mom or Dad. As a group, you’ll be introduced to safety, horse’s ground manners, and you will get comfortable around horses. We’ll teach you all about their special equipment, grooming and tacking up, and learning to ride. Each class includes the use of a vaulting horse, grooming, a riding lesson, and a special craft to take home. The series is a scheduled class, so look for upcoming dates after the new year!
Fall Clean-up:
Our Fall Clean Up kicked off in October to tidy up the barn. We are taking any donations of horse equipment, clothing, etc. to donate to the Square Pegs Foundation: www.everyonefits.org which is a very special program working with students who have various learning challenges. Help us collect useful items for their unique riding program. As a reminder to all boarders, you are allowed 1 trunk, and 2 trashcans next to your stall. Please remove any additional items to adhere to our fire code regulations.
Animal Stories
Bandit is the lucky survivor of a gun shot wound. He is a male Pit Bull, about 3 or 4 years old. In May 2005, he was found after it was reported he was running out in traffic - that was until a police officer picked him up the next town over. Luckily, the bullet passed staight through him without causing any bone or organ damage, but it left a big hole. His biggest problem right now is that he likes to help himself to food that’s left within his reach. One time he stole a banana, peeled,it, ate the banana, and left the peel. He knows basic commands like sit, down, wait, and shake. He is usually so excited that he rarely stops wagging his tail, and he has an adorable under bite and big ears. He has made his new home with Gerry Bowen and Harriet Ashley, and he is home forever!!
Read the previous issue of the Spring Down Low Down:
Vol. 3, Issue 1 - Spring/Summer 2006
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