Activities and Meetings | primetimeriders

Activities 2024

PTR Meeting 2/17/24

Sam hosted the meeting via Zoom.

Members Present:

Sam Morrison

Lori Drummond

Julie Retelle

Selma Powers

Chris Bragg

Jackie Mellor

Elaine Bell

Nancy Sirois

Roberta Manter

Invited Guest: Stephanie Rioux

Sam began the discussion with a reminder about dues. She will send out membership forms. Please return the form with your dues. The fee is $25.00. Sam will continue as Treasurer.

Laura will take on responsibilty for the website. Julie will continue to write up notes from the meetings and post them on the website. When Julie cannot attend a meeting due the distance from New Hampshire, Sam will write up notes and send them to Julie.

The group agreed to send a donation of $100 to Hope Haven, a rescue facility for horses.

Activities for the coming year:

Nancy will contact Dr. Jafferson regarding a potential meeting for March or April.

Stephanie Rioux was invited to the meeting by Roberta to share information about the obstacle course she has developed at her home in Readfield. We will attempt to have two meetings with Stephanie, one at Sams and the other at Stephanie’s home in Readfield. The first meeting is set for Saturday May 4 from 11 to 2. The meeting in Readfield will depend on the weather. The date will be set later.

Roberta will lead Fun and Games on Saturday June 1 with Sunday June 2 as a rain date. The time is yet to be determined.

Other suggestions for guest speakers include Trina LaVertu.

A date will be set for a “fix the fences” day at Sam’s Farm.

Nancy volunteered to contact inactive members.

PTR Annual Planning Meeting - Saturday January 20.2024

The meeting was held via Zoom with Sam joining via cell phone.

The seven members in attendance:

Sam Morrison

Lori Drummond

Elaine Bell

Roberta Manter

Chris Brag

Nancy Sirois

Julie Retelle

Sam sent the agenda below to the group. My notes are inserted in bold text below each item.

Greetings to all Thank you for participating

Do you want to continue with the group? In what form?

Discussion - The six members present all confirmed the best option is to keep the group going. Sam said she is only willing if more members contribute and participate. It is frustrating to plan meetings and then have only two or three people show up. We currently have 16 members.

The group has By-Laws recorded with the State of Maine. Currently there is a Pres, Vice President, Secrteary and Treasurer plus committee various chairs

Another option could be informal - PTR chairperson, financial chair, activity chair, recording chair ,website chair. All members would be expected to come up with ideas and help at meets.

Discussion - A less formal group is preferred, but there is still a need for someone to manage the planning, the treasury, and communication. A Leader, a Treasurer, and a Secretary are still necessary.

Julie offered to step down as secretary as she has moved to New Hampshire. Going forward, could this role be called communications manager or something similar? Do we really need notes recorded after each ride or presentation?

Someone needs to manage the website, it needs to be updated.

Elaine Bell volunteered to take over as Treasurer.

If you want to continue do you want to keep the $25 annual membership dues or

just pay a share at each activity to cover cost of presenter

Discussion - We agreed it is necessary to continue to pay dues. People will feel greater commitment if they are paying annual dues. We will continue with $25 dues.

Some instructors or presenters require larger fees and we may occasionally have to charge more than the usual $25 fee for each event.

OR do you want to abandon the club. It is possible to donate the treasury to another organization. Or have a big ending party. Current account $2484.39

Discussion - We agreed to make our annual donation to a local equine charity. Options will be discussed at the next meeting.

Suggested speakers/clinicians

Roberta -Riding Games

Sam -horse bodyword, groundwork ,healing

Dr Jefferson talk

Trina Lavertu TTEAM, Riding techniques

Stephanie Rioux - agility

The next meeting is set for Saturday February 17 at 1pm. The meeting will be held via ZOOM.

Activities for 2023

Saturday March 4 at 1 p.m. - Getting Ready to Ride Exercise Clinic -presented by Sam. Meet at the Packard Center, 778 Main Street Monmouth.

Saturday April 1 at 1 pm - Carla Keene will present Trager sessions for horse and rider.

Saturday May 6 at 1 pm - At the Welcome Home Farm. Sam will lead a lunging and ground work clinic. Get the horse ready to ride.

Saturday June 3 at 1 pm - Roberta will lead Fun and Games

Saturday July 1 at 1 pm - Jill Olivier - Group Lesson

Saturday August 5 at 1 pm - TBD

PTR Planning Meeting/Christmas Party

January 7, 2023

Packard Center, Monmouth ME

Members present - Sam, Lori, Julie, Selma, Laura, Anna, Roberta

The group opted to have one combined Christmas and new year planning meeting. We started with a potluck lunch, the business meeting was next, then the Yankee gift exchange.

Reports

Sam gave a brief report encouraging participation from all members. She would like to plan one event per month starting in February. She is keeping the first Saturday of every month open for events and we are hoping this schedule will help members be able to plan ahead.

Julie’s Secretary report was brief as we only had two events last year.

May 7 - Roberta led a program called Fun and Games.

June 11 - Sam led a clinic in the use of Franklin Balls.

Linda was not present to give the Treasurer’s report. She is moving from the area and will mail the documents etc. to Sam. Thank you Linda for all your years of attention to the PTR treasury. We will miss you.

Election of Officers

Lori Drummond was elected President

Sam Morrison, Treasurer

Julie Retelle will continue as Secretary

Vice president position is vacant

Discussion of events for the coming year

Julie will determine if the Packard Center is available for Saturday February 4 and Saturday March 4 for the first two sessions of the year. The space is warm and large enough for activities, much better suited than the arena for cold weather months.

Tentative Schedule for Activities:

Saturday February 4, to be determined.

Saturday March 4, Sam will lead a getting ready to ride exercise clinic.

Saturday April 1, Carla Keene will present Trager sessions for horse and rider.

Saturday May 6, Sam will lead a lunging clinic. Get the horses ready to ride.

Saturday June 3, Roberta’s Fun and Games.

Roberta will also lead a trail ride after Sam’s trails are repaired by the company that did her lumber operation last year. This event will probably be in the fall.

Activities for the remainder of the summer and fall will be determined as soon as possible. Potential Activities include mounted lessons with Jill Olivier, and Alyssia Timberlake. Also, a spring or winter session with veterinarian Karolyn Bonnie on getting horses ready for riding. Lori will determine the schedule.

Philanthropy:

We will make a donation of $50 to the Hope for Horses Equine Rescue located in Hope Maine.

Discussion of ordering more team clothing ensued. We have talked in the past of each person finding their own vest, preferably in teal, to match the PTR polo shirts. In the end we decided color doesn’t really matter, although black might be best. Elaine is the contact if you wish to have the PTR emblem sewn onto your vest.

Yankee Gift Swap - Fun as usual.

Respectfully submitted,

Julie Retelle

Secsretary

Primetime Riders Scheduled Events for 2022

Saturday May 7 - Roberta Manter

Fun and Games at 1 pm.

Notes -

The May 7th Fun and Games with Roberta was interesting and good fun.

Members riding were Elaine, Julie, Emily and Anna. Nancy and Sam were observers. Games were designed to get riders connected to their horses, mentally and physically while following group riding directions..

The games and activities got riders and horses thinking about where their feet were and how to navigate

around and through obstacles. Mother May I, Red light-green light, walking through cone obstacles, egg and spoon, turns on forehand and hindquarters. Riders gained more confidence in their riding and their horses.

Saturday June 11

Franklin Ball Clinic with Ashley

Fall - Harmony Horsemanship Clinic - date to be scheduled.

Saturday December 11 – Lori will coordinate a Christmas party.

Primetime Riders Scheduled Events for 2019

Two ride times are scheduled for each meet. The first group will ride at 11 am, the second group at 1 pm (approximately three riders in each group, please plan to watch the other group).

February 16 Speaker Dr. Caitlin Daly, DVM will speak about and demonstrate spinal manipulation of the horse, and the use of acupuncture

March 16 Speaker Amanda Rideout

April 20 or 21 Trail clean-up day (weather permitting) - canceled

Saturday May 4 Trail clean-up day rescheduled 12:30

May 11 Ratings or Drill Team Ride

(New members take D1 test - others may test to upgrade)

June 15 Drill Team and Trail Ride

(Ride of 4, 6 or 8 riders - followed by trail ride)

July 13 PTR Fun Competition

(Riders choice of tests - English, western, in-hand, agility, etc)

August Date and Event to be determined

September 7 Event to be determined

October 12 Asa Woodman - Harmony Horsemanship

December 7 Jo-Ann Wilson - Equine Massage 10 am

December 15 Christmas Gathering

Notes from the 2019 Activities and Clinics

February 16 - Clinic with Kaitlin Daly, DMV. Peter Pan was the patient recipient of a chiropractic adjustment from Kaitlin. She started with having all of us watch Pete walk looking for how his head swings side to side. She saw a slight restriction in movement on one side. She explained exactly what she was doing starting with the top of Pete's head and working down and back to make adjustments to Pete's joints. We could see Pete start to relax after each joint was treated.Members in attendance: Sam Morrison, Nancy Sirois, Roberta Manter, Selma Powers, Liinda Veblin, Julie Retelle, Kathleen Carpenter, Lori Drummond, Oralie O'Neil.

March 16 - March 16 Amanda Rideout, a Magna Wave certified practitioner from Chelsea gave an informative talk about Magna Wave therapy. She presented some examples of successful case treatments. She gave a complete scientific description and the theory of how it works. Members were treated to a short session. They used the tube on their personal injuries and painful areas. Most did not feel the actual treatment but afterwards noticed the discomfort or pain was gone. Members present: Sam Morrison, Selma Powers, Julie Retelle, Lori Drummond, Elaine Bell, Nancy Sirois

April 20, was trail clearing day at Welcome Home Farm. A series of rugged and ragged trails can be found on the 45 acres of woodland on Welcome Home Farm. PTR members came with clippers, loppers and chain saw to cut fallen trees, trim and clear bushes. There is still a lot of water in the trails so it will be awhile before horses can manage them. Members helping were Linda Veblen, Roberta Manter, Elaine Bell, Laura Juraska and Sam Morrison. Sam had previously marked the trees with paint to keep workers headed in the right direction.

May 11, was a riding meet and rating testing day.Those member not wishing to upgrade, had group lessons in the morning. Exercises ranged from walk/trot for D1 members up through challenging gymnastics for C2 members.At noon testing began with oral exams on management, veterinary knowledge and riding theory. Each member then rode through gaits, gymnastic figures and were judged on their knowledge and control of themselves and their horses. Tests are evaluated on a pass/fail basis with accurate maneuvers and complete descriptions expected. Members may choose from tracks of english, western, trail, or driving. Congratulations go to Linda Veblen for gaining D2, Selma Powers, Roberta Manter and Paula Leavitt for reaching D3. (All members must become a D1 to join mounted meets. No matter how well members ride they must begin with D1 then may move up one level each year.)

June 15. Two groups of riders met for Drill Team exercises. At the 10:30 session Laura rode The Grey Mare, Julie was on Pete. We practiced the route at a walk with Jeanette reading the instructions and Sam helping us get organized.It was the second time through that it really started to come together at the trot. Julie and Pete struggled a bit to keep up with the long legged mare.The second session had four riders, Jeanette on Shadow, Selma on Effie, Linda on Pete, and Oralie on her horse. It was a challenge and a lot of fun to get the route in our heads, continue to use our centered riding aids, and ride at the correct speed to stay abreast of our partners. Here is the route, and many thanks to Julia for filming our rides.
- Drill Team
- Begin with halt at center of arena
- Pairs down center to C
- Split left and right
- MXK and HXF
- Pass at A
- B and E 10 meter circle
- MXK and HXF thread the needle
- down middle
- X -E and X - E 10 meter circle
- Split at C
- Serpentine of 3 loops
- Pass at A
- 10 meter circles at B and E
- C Turn down center single file
- Turn left along wall single file
- Near B all turn left together
- All halt side by side on centerline.

July 13, 2019 Fun Show. Elaine brought Penny and rode two Western Dressage tests, the Walk, Jog, Lope Test 1 and Test 2.Julie rode and USDF Training Level 2 and 3 on Peter Pan.Sam Morrison was the judge, and Julie and Elaine read the tests for each other. Anita Campbell, volunteer extraordinaire, was the scribe for Sam.Both riders had excellent results and enjoyed the opportunity to test their skills. After the tests they practiced Pas de Deux. Pas de Deux is 2 riders doing mirror image dressage rides of various movements. The third event of the day was riding with a tennis ball balanced on a tennis racket. This was a great challenge, also a lot of fun. Although few members took advantage of the day, those who came had positive, fun rides.

October 12, 2019 Harmony Horsemanship Clinic at Welcome Home Farm

Members in attendance: Sam Morrison, Julie Retelle, Laura Juraska, Elaine Bell, Roberta Manter, Chris Bragg. Jill was an auditor.

Asa Woodman presented an introduction to Harmony Horsemanship. For more information about Harmony Horsemanship, see this link: http://www.harmonyhorsemanship.ca/

Asa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She uses the horses to help people overcome fear and trauma. To see more about her work follow this link:

https://www.healthaffiliatesmaine.com/counselors/asa-gustavsson-lmft/

We started the clinic inside with introductions and a brief introduction to the theory of HH.

Respect and Safety are the important aspect of horsemanship. The Harmony Horsemanship theory was developed by observing horse behavior in the herd. Horses in the herd will not cross the “drive lines” of the lead horse. In working with our horses, we need to be aware of what it means to cross these drive lines in establishing communication. For example, the horses in a herd will occasionally back-up; the lead horse will never back up. The herd is showing respect for the lead horse.

Developing a close relationship with your horse does not include “cuddling”. The horse must be taught to respect your space.

A calm connection is the second premise of Harmony Horsemanship. The rider is the leader and the reaction you get from the horse matters. Developing communication with the frontal lobe of the horses brain, along pathways that develop over time by repetition, will help prevent a panic (fight or flight) reaction.

The Harmony Horsemanship method helps the rider get to a “yes” horse, a willing horse, rather than a “no” response horse. Asa suggested we read more about horse physiology. Two good resources are: Chris Erwin’s Evolution of Horsemanship https://chrisirwin.com/horsemanship/ and Dr. Stephen Peter’s site: https://www.evidence-basedhorsemanship.com/

Ground Work: The first exercise Asa introduced was walking the square. We used a halter and lead rope to establish boundaries. Walking a square with the horse is a relaxing exercise that can help establish the boundaries. Repeated many times the square helps to bring the horse to a relaxed state. The repetition of the square helps to reinforce the idea that the rider and horse are a team and trust is in the leader (rider) is established.

The second exercise was walking the “S” shape and drawing the horse toward you on each turn. Again, this exercise repeated many times as a way of establishing a calming routine.

Asa then added the “scary object” to practice getting the horse to overcome its fear of “the noisy plastic bag” or whatever might be encountered on the trail. The rider continued to make squares and “S” shapes to calm the horse. Reverting to a familiar routine is calming as demonstrated very well by the riders on the ground.

The mounted exercises: The now familiar exercises of “square” and “S” were helpful for each of the five riders. A lot of time and patience were required. Repeating the figures encouraged calmness.

Roberta and her horse struggled a bit, but in the end he did calm down.

Elaine’s horse was very nervous at first, but after working with the Squares and S figures she was able to approach the noisy plastic bags.

Laura and Prince were almost completely unfazed

Sam and Shadow had a bit of a struggle to start out. Again, the figures helped him calm down and he was able to get a little closer to the strange object. He was much happier when Prince was between himself and the noisy bags.

Julie and Pete were jumpy to start out. Again, he was more confident when Prince was between himself and the scary bag lady. It was difficult for Julie to not focus on the objects and the really did not help the situation. She eventually learned to read Pete’s body language and got fairly close to the object.

All of the riders gained knowledge and confidence in handling scary situations.