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Bordering the Big South Fork National Park
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MEMORIAL WEEKEND ACTIVITIES May 24-7 P.M. Music at Pavilion sponsored by South Fork Properties (Ricky Rains) May 31-6:30 P.M. Potluck at Pavilion ADDITION TO PAVILION Our Spruce Creek family keeps growing and growing, so Barb and Tom Jancek took the lead in adding to the present facility.
Others helping with this project were Ken Pasternack, Brian Matchette and Tom Pickard.
HIGHLIGHTS OF BOARD MEETING Work Day on June 28, 9 A.M. Pavilion. Bring your own lunch, gloves, tools, etc.
The Pavilion is available for special events at no charge. The event must be sponsored by a SCTA member. SCTA furnishes the trash bags, but event sponsor must remove trash bags after the event. Bathrooms can be open. A scheduling calendar will be posted in the Pavilion for sign up.
The Board voted to continue enclosing the Pavilion as time and money permit.
At the May potluck, members will vote on the approval of the new Board of Directors and Officers that have agreed to serve. If others want to be nominated, a ballot vote will be held.
The night light at the Pavilion will be kept on with Ricky Rains paying the monthly fee.
HORSE VIDEO CLIPS ONLINE State Line Tack has great video clips and an online video subscription to many horse training videos.
Visit www.statelinetack.com and click on Video Clips near the top on the left to view free clips.
View the subscription plan at: http://www.horsetraininglibrary.com/library/site_pages/subscriptions-3.php. Introductory rates are: $25 per month, $55 per quarter, or $199 per year. This site also has sample videos.
COMING LOCAL EVENTS Timber Ridge Horse Campground,/www.horse-camping.com, has several events:
April 13, Lindsey Payette, www.freedomgaits.com
August 1, Justin Case Horsemanship, Training Horse & Rider as one, www. justncase@charter.net
August 22, Jennifer Bauer, Gaited Horsemanship, Classical Training for the Gaited Horse, www.gaitedhorsemanship.com
True West ,www.truewestcampground.com has several events coming up:
May 24 Fourth Annual Bluegrass Festival and BBQ July 3-6 Fourth Annual National Walking Horse Assn. Ride July 5 Fourth Annual July Bluegrass Jam and BBQ on Saturday July 25-26 Lonnie Kuehn Trail Riding Clinic
CHARIT CREEK FACILITIES The website for Charit Creek Lodge is: www.charitcreek.com. Rates for 2008 are: Full service guests: Adults $64.50, Children under 10 $53.00, Taxes not included. Hostel guests: Overnight $20.00 + tax per person, Horses: Stable facilities for 11 horses plus a corral. Stall rental, including hay $7.00 Picket or "Tie-Out"
SADDLE BAG FIRST AID IDEAS Wonder Dust in a puffer bottle is an excellent idea in case a horse has an injury with a lot of bleeding. Just puff it onto the injured area and the bleeding will stop.
Respond Systems (818-838-7000) has great compressed hand towels. They start out as the diameter of a lifesaver and twice as thick. When you put them in water they expand to about 3” high. Just unfold it and it is a 9 ˝: x 10” towel. Thirty in a bag for $4.95. They also sell an ice pack that you can just crinkle and it becomes cold, as well as butterfly bandages and heavy duty bandaids. ‘GOD JUMPS’ by Lauren Davis Baker God gives us horses and compels some of us to love them. Yet why does the horse, an animal with such a big heart, live such a short life? Perhaps it's because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn't be able to bear losing them. Or, perhaps it's because God wants to jump. Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when it's His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and learn from them, but when the time is right, it's up to us to see them off gracefully. O.K., perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a Kleenex is rarely graceful. But we can be grateful. To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one's toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful. Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle-or a computer-a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily, we know we've made the right choice. Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you-you'll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you'll swear they're intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves. If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know that they have unique personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it. I found one of ours on the front porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I'd carefully arranged as Halloween decorations. Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many 'types' of horses as there are people-which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting. If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday-but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car in 'drive.' In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences...if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it's all about. If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard you're willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn. And, while some people think the horse 'does all the work', you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven. You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work. If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our oversaturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures. If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders. When you step back, it's not just about horses-it's about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow. We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are
of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor
our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.
HOOFix EMERGENCY TRAIL BOOT
Simply clean the bottom of your horse's hoof, place the stretch band around the pastern, secure the boot, and you're ready to go. Best price ($29.99) www.drsfostersmith.com
HORSE TIPS
These tips came from www.myhorse.com 1. Set aside a few moments to label equipment, so it doesn't "walk away." 2. Take snapshots of your saddle, tack room, trailer, and any other equipment that you might need to identify later on, should it get stolen. 3. Set up a file or at least a plastic sleeve for each of your horses - Coggins papers, photos, shot record, and other important papers. 4. Take pictures of your horse from the front, back, and each side, including any scars or identifying marks, and put them in his file. 5. Make photo copies of your horse's file, your truck registration, and copies of the other snapshots, and put them in a safe place.
Misc. items
Horse for Sale: Reg. / Certified Rocky Mtn Gelding-7yr old, 15.2 hands. $3,000. Good gait, sensible on trails, easy to handle. Kameron Price, Milton, FL. 931-752-7534 or 850-426-8933
60 sheets of 1/8” x 4” x 8” plastic coated trailer/bath liner for sale by SCTA. Best offer. Tom Pickard 879-6784 or Tom Jancek 879-8660.
Portable DVD Player with Carrying Case & Headphones, Used twice. $60. Mary Warren (931) 752-7264.
Notary Public: Connie Ross, 434 Spruce Creek Drive, 752-8920.
Mowing, Weedeating, Critter Sitter, Emergency Shoeing. Professional equipment / references / free estimates. Rita, (931) 879-6835.
Mobile Home for Rent 2BR mobile home available for month to month rental. Horses welcome. Doreen Mendola. (931) 752 8201.
Bush hogging, post holes dug and light grading. Tom Jancek. (931) 879-8660.
For Sale: Tappan gas range-like new-white-$200. Rita. (931) 879-6835.
For Sale: 120 gal. propane tank like new---$175 Rita. 931-879-6835 Cabin for Rent - Sleeps 6-10, fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, fireplace, Jacuzzi, etc. www.kickingbackcabin.
Barns, buildings and garages built. Bobcat work. Brian Matchette. (931) 879-5312.
Tennesseean Saddle. Black western cordura and leather. Light weight. $350. Rita (931) 879-6835
Pet Adoption – Donna Drochak is a volunteer for Best Friends Sanctuary and fosters dogs. If you are looking for a new pet, call Donna at (931) 752-8388.
Sewing by Joan. Embroidery, slipcovers, curtains, trailer accessories. (931) 752-7643.
Officers and Board Members Officers >President - Mike Smith, 441 Gibbs Lane, Gallatin, TN 37066. (615) 230-8429. mike.d.smith@elpaso.com >Vice President – Ken Pasternack, 20 Gasline Road. Jamestown, TN 38556. (931) 752-7096. kpast@twlakes.net >Secretary/Treasurer – Roy Sillman, 749 Deer Haven, rsillman@twlakes.net >Trail Crew – Tom Pickard, 365 Spruce Creek Dr. Jamestown, TN38556. (931) 879-6784.
>Other Board Members Sharon Vaughn 879-7537 Ricky Rains 879-5003 Michelle Fleenor (276) 669-1716 Tom Jancek 879-8660 Brenda Lawson
Newsletter >Joyce Pickard 879-6784 tjpicard2001@msn.com >Donna Smith (615) 230-8429 smit1297@bellsouth.net
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Spruce
Creek Trail Association