FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

HI KIDS! Would you believe -- it’s newsletter time again! I hope you all have gotten off to a good start with your new year -- it certainly will prove to be a banner year for UCSC. We have a VERY busy schedule facing us in 2012 – lots of fun and games!

Our February B usiness Meeting was fairly well attended and a number of news-ie items came up. First off, we’re all relieved to see Gerald looking healthy again – hopefully the guys in the white coats have found the problem and fixed it. We are all still very concerned about our Gary Jones. He is suffering a very serious illness. We all need to keep both Gary and Gerald (and all of our suffering members) in our prayers -- asking that they continue to improve. Paul Saunders from the Back Country Horsemen of North Georgia organization reviewed their history and shared a list of coming events. He also left application blanks. For more information visit their web site www.bchng.org.

Our Drill Team showed-off their new equipment and tack and introduced their new “small-sized” member. It was announced that April Hughes will be conducting a Paso Fino Clinic here at our arena on March 31 st from 10:30AM until 12:30PM. You will enjoy watching some of finest examples of the Paso Fino breed.

One item of interest: I reviewed the proposed changes to our Constitution and By-laws – intended to clarify and simplify our voting process (the attachment that I sent to you all a month ago.) After a brief discussion, a vote was taken – all yeas – no neas . I’ll get the new words in place ASAP and they will be available on the web site. We will have another up-date coming soon – that is to correct the distances between poles and barrels – to agree with the new numbers decided upon when the new Laser System was installed.

I have been contacted by some folks who have recently started an English Riding Club . I will be working with them to make the necessary arrangements for them to use the arena for their events. Hopefully, some of them will put together an English class for our regular monthly Shows (like we used to have).

One small reminder: PLEASE do not walk your horses across the new concrete to use the small gate next to the sign-up booth for entry to or exit from the arena! If you are too lazy to walk your horses to the other end of the arena – ride them there! There is no excuse for marking the concrete or making a mess there!

Your schedule of events for the next few weeks :
Saturday, February. 25 th Wayne Dutton Show
Saturday, March 10 th G-Bone Sorting & Roping
Saturday, March 24 th Wayne Dutton Show
Saturday, March 31 st Paso Fino Clinic w/ April Hughes

Remember, your 2012 dues are due – the sooner the better! Please don't wait until the first show and be sure to fill-out a new application form , so I can make certain that my records are up-to-snuff!

As usual, I invite you all to send comments, suggestions, complaints, criticisms and anything else you need to get off your chest to:

Union County Saddle Club, Inc.

c/o Jim Holzinger

42 Brumby Run, Blairsville, GA 30512

Phone: (706) 781-6449 / Cell: (706) 897-0980 / Fax: (706) 781-1507

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E-mail me @ keyholz@aol.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

HI KIDS! Here we go again – another new year! We have every reason to expect a bigger and better year than we have ever had. We've come a long way but, we still have a long way to go. I hope you all will do everything you can to help our Saddle Club continue to grow and prosper.

I think we all owe a lot to our 2011 UCSC Staff – they managed (with your help) to get a whole lot accomplished last year and I assure you that your new 2012 Staff is quickly gearing-up to make this still another banner year for our Club. Look for a bunch of bigger and better shows and activities than we've ever had before. The Union County Saddle Club and the Union County Arena are fast becoming names to remember!

Our first business meeting of the year was very well attended – standing-room only! We managed to cover quite a bit of ground in a relatively short time (that's the way meetings are supposed to go). Our President gave a word of thanks to everyone who has been using the arena – no more (at least very, very little) junk is being left behind , no unnecessary “piles”, etc. – it's obvious that we all are taking proper care of our beautiful new arena. As long as we keep this up, we'll continue to see it grow!

The Show Schedule for 2012 is pretty well firmed-up (for now at least) – be sure to keep a eye on the Arena Schedule posted on the bulletin board and on our UCSC website – our calendar is getting full. We have a 4-H Wellness Clinic coming in March; we will again host the National Racking Horse Association (NRHA) in May; we will have a new Rodeo Company (Circle N) put on their 2-day show in April; we will host the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) in June and September; we will have a 2-day Bluegrass Festival coming in May; a Car Show in August – along with all of our regular monthly UCSC Shows, Wayne Dutton Shows, Trail Rides, etc., etc. Get yourselves ready for a busy year!

I had the opportunity to review and summarize the proposed Constitution & By-Law revision at our January meeting. This revision is intended to clarify and simplify our annual voting process. The proposal seemed to be well-received. The only real change being proposed is to have our Nomination Committee submit their list of nominees to the membership at the October meeting (in lieu of the November meeting), calling for additional nominations from the floor and then closing the nominations at this same meeting. This will allow our Nomination Committee to immediately prepare the official ballot – that will be used for the formal elections held at the November meeting and for anyone who wishes to use their Absentee Voting privilege. One ballot (no more little slips of paper) with no confusion! The ballots will be formally distributed and the recipient names will be checked-off of the official membership/voting list. I have attached a copy of these proposed words to this newsletter for your individual perusal. Please read and digest them and let me know if you have any sort of a problem with them BEFORE the February meeting. I hope to have these changes voted upon at the February meeting so I can get the By-laws updated.

Remember, your 2012 dues are due – the sooner the better! Please don't wait until the first show and be sure to fill-out a new application form, so I can make certain that my records are up-to-snuff!