Minutes

Manitowoc 4-H Horse Committee

January 13, 2009

Manitowoc County Office Complex

Meeting Called to Order-7:00 PM by Chairperson Brenda Weyers.

Attendance: Marilyn Lentz; Tanya Joas; Lucy, Kaylyn & Kelsey Cigler; Sally, Matthew & Kathryn Herring; Kim & Joel Luedtke; Sara & Faith Lubner; Barb & Megan Pritzl; Lacey Swetlik; Sheila Cron; Anne, Brianna & Amber Siebold

Secretary's report: Passed as corrected.

Treasurer's report: Passed as read.

Old Business:

Horseless/Beginners: Shann Schwartz will again hold Horseless Horse project meeting on the 3^rd Monday at 6:00 pm. Since we have not received a list of horse project members yet, she will call her "regulars". Meetings MAY start in January, and DEFINITELY in February. Gary Barnes & Amy Olson have been certified as adult volunteers, and are ready to hold meetings, pending the enrollment numbers. Horseless/Beginners should pick a location, and then stay with that location, not go back & forth.

Winter Project Meetings: Brenda will contact Shari/Joan to see how involved they would like to be at our meetings. 1/31 meeting is on tack/conformation/hippology. Brenda will bring her tack presentation from last year; Marilyn will bring conformation info and horse bowl questions, and arrange to get hippology stations from State or Jill Rhein. Horses with 2009 Coggins are welcome at the 2/28 meeting, but will only be there to be judged. The March meeting will focus on dressage, and how to show in Dressage Suitability class. Western tack is acceptable as dressage principles apply to all disciplines. Reservations will be required for March; contact Marilyn by one week before.

Open Pleasure Show: David Pansy has been hired as our judge. Show bill changes were discussed. The two breed classes are still up for grabs, although we tentatively have a commitment for an Arab Class. If no other breed comes forward, the second will again be an Appaloosa Class. New fees this year will be an office fee of $2 per rider/horse, and $1 to sign up for high point. Volunteer families who work at least 4 hours will again be able to get one free stall. The volunteer sign-up sheet was passed around, and will also be posted on the website. Brenda is looking into extra event insurance for our shows through the Vincent Group.

Open Gymkhana Show: Lucy Cigler gave a report on the meeting held before the regular Horse Committee meeting. The show bill is nearly set, and was coordinated with the Pleasure show bill. The volunteer sign-up sheet was passed around, and will also be posted on the website.

New Business:

Horse-A-Rama: Marilyn reported that requests are beginning to come in for tack forms. The volunteer sign-up sheet was passed around, and will also be posted on the website. The committee approved running a half page ad in the Wisconsin Horsemen's News, which should ensure that any article will be printed.

Spring Mailing: There will be no spring mailing, since all the information is now available on the website. Members can contact Brenda or Marilyn for hard copies if they do not have internet access.

Website: The website has a new look, with the spring mailing info, directions to events, agendas & minutes and more. Members are emailed whenever there are updates, and encouraged to look at it frequently.

Miscellaneous: Brenda pointed out that there is a scholarship available to horse project members, as listed in the 4-H Express. There is also $2000 available over the next 20 years for State Expo attendees, as instructed in the John Stiefvater estate. The "Sweat Shop" for finishing the banners has been set for March 22^nd from noon til 3. Bring sewing machines and food. There will be no new member meeting, since there are few, if any new members as far as we know. Once we get the project member list, any new members will be mailed a welcome card, advising them to check out the website or contact committee members for guidance. The By-Laws will be reviewed at future meetings, since they have not been updated since 11/05. Members are encouraged to read the current version posted on the website before the next meeting.

Dates for 2009: Horse Bowl/Hippology May 2 in Wausau; Horse-A-Rama April 4-5; Horse Camp June 12-13 (We are still waiting for word from Dan Grunewald about rescheduling); Horse Shows: July 18-19; other State clinics TBA.

Other New Business: Since the Gymkhana team would like to practice as much as possible, Lucy will look into scheduling additional Open Arenas. Members should bring ideas for fee reimbursement to the February meeting. In the event of cancellations due to weather, members should listen to local radio stations, check the website/email or contact Horse Committee officers.

Adjourned: 8:20 PM

Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 10, 2008; 7:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted:

Marilyn Lentz, Secretary