President's Message - Fall 2009

Hard to believe that we have turned the corner from summer to fall and are fast approaching the end of another year. What a great year it has been for SMCHA. We have added so many new members plus lots of new clinics and events.

We all had a rompin’ good time at our first Square Dance & BBQ fundraiser on September 12th in the fabulous old barn at Runnymede Farm. On behalf of all of SMCHA, I thank the Rosekrans Family for their generosity in making this location available. I couldn’t imagine having it anywhere else! There were lots of wonderful items for the silent auction: autographed 49er football, autographed SF Giants’ baseballs and memorabilia, horse training lessons, overnight stays at terrific locations and so much more. We even auctioned off a bachelor and bachelorette for a lovely dinner for two at John Bentley’s restaurant. Hats off to our willing bachelor, Gary Hanes, and bachelorette, Nancy Kouchekey, for being such great sports! For more about this wonderful evening, look for the article in the following pages. I’m sure you’ll see a square dance on our calendar in 2010.

Our President’s Ride was the best in years, in my opinion. Vice President, Nancy Kouchekey, outdid herself when she layed out the plans for this ride. We rode from the Mounted Patrol Grounds to The Shack where we dined on yet another delicious meal by the dynamic duo of Nancy and Sharon Butler. Man, can those ladies cook! We will give credit to Sharon’s husband, Clint, as well, for manning the barbeque. We had 9 past Presidents:Past Harold Zweirlein, Ron Harris, Jim Estep, MaryAnn Twisselman, Noel Moody, Kathie Goddard, Bill Ashton, Al Filice and Sarah Filice. Sharing the day with these individuals, who have contributed so much to make SMCHA the outstanding organization that it is today, is what makes this particular event extra special. Thank you to each one of our wonderful past Presidents.

Of course, no one wants to miss the popular tradition of riding through town on Day of the Horse. This is the 5th anniversary of a wonderful demonstration that Woodside is most definitely horse country. By the time you read this Day of the Horse will have marked another successful event. We have SMCHA members, Donna Poy, Fentress Hall and Jo Egenes, to thank for all their unwavering efforts over the last 5 years.

We still have more great fun coming in the weeks ahead…

October 25th will find SMCHA members enjoying an fun-filled afternoon at Golden Gate Fields for a Day at the Races. We will be departing Woodside on 2 party buses that will whisk us away to Berkeley. We will enjoy a delicious buffet luncheon and be entertained by the horse races. Who knows, you might be a big winner! See the flyer in this magazine for more information – or the mailer you recently received. Do plan to join the fun!

And we have yet another new event happening on October 31st. We’re calling it our Family Play Day and Halloween Costume Extravaganza. There’ll be lots of fun events to do with your horse. Mike Raynor is the ring master for this great day. Again, look for the flyer in the magazine for more details and how to sign up.

In November we will be having our General Meeting. At this meeting we elect our new Board members for 2010. We will also enjoy some rousing games of Bingo. That will be November 14th. So mark your calendars.

In December, we will be having our annual Holiday Barn Party again at the home of Carleen Whittelsey. The date is December 13. We will also be going caroling on horseback on Sunday, December 20th. Watch for more details on our website (www.smcha.org) and in future mailers.

Fall is also the time of year when we begin to look for new members who would like to contribute their time and energy to SMCHA by becoming a Board member. Please do let us know if you would like to be considered for a position on the 2010 Board of Directors.

Fall also brings us to the time of year when we send out the reminders to renew your SMCHA membership. We lost a couple lovely trails this year and another one is being threatened. We are fighting to keep our privilege of riding our horses on the beach in Half Moon Bay. Now more than ever, your membership in SMCHA matters. My goal is to still have 1000 members in SMCHA, to make our voices louder and stronger on behalf of equestrian needs throughout our county and beyond. It is important that each and every current member renews for 2010. You can also make a difference by inviting another horse person to join SMCHA. You might even know someone who has been a member in the past and hadn’t renewed for some reason or another. Why not invite those you know to become part of the SMCHA family. They’ll thank you for it.

Happy Trails,

Barbara Stogner
President 2009