Rockbridge Hunt Newsletter -- August 1999

Trail Ride: Sunday, August 8. The Streakers have generously offered to host another trail ride at their farm on Sunday, August 8th. Be ready to ride at 3:00 PM and bring something for the potluck supper to follow.

Directions to Streakers: I-81 to exit 200 (Fairfield). West onto Sterret Road (that's left if you've been on 81 North). Go 5-6 miles to stop sign in Brownsburg. Left on Rt 252. Go about 200 yards and take the first right onto Rt 724 (Hays Creek Rd). Go about 3 miles to the third left onto Rt 731 (Eastfield Rd), a gravel road with narrow bridges. The Streaker's place is Eastfield Farm, the first farm on your right. Come across bridge and pull into the farm yard.

Trail Clearing: Sunday, August 22, 1:00 PM. Trials need to be cleared for both the Endurance Ride and hunting season. Meet at the Hunt Lodge at 1:00 PM to work on trails. Please bring appropriate tools, if you have them. Don't worry if you don't, there are usually plenty to go around. Also, if you're coming it would be helpful if you could call ahead (David Bolen) so a little advance planning can be done.

Endurance Ride: Sunday, September 5. Plan on getting involved in the Endurance Ride. It will take place on the Sunday, September 5, Labor Day Weekend. Carol Atwood will need some volunteers to help along the trail that day. If you can't be there for the ride but can spare some time before then, talk to David Bolen about clearing and marking trails. Jeanne Jeffer is organizing the food operations and she'll need help both ahead of time and on the day.

Please, contribute to the success -- We need more volunteers. One reason that your dues were not raised this year is because of the success of our two main fundraisers: the June Horse Show and the Labor Day Endurance Ride. The 1999 Horse Show raised three thousand dollars, a significant portion of our budget. Hopefully the approaching Endurance Ride will raise lots more money. These events attract so many participants because they're really well-run and the organizers work hard to make sure it's a pleasant experience for everyone. It takes a lot of work.

Important -- Fixture Cards

Because it takes considerable time to coordinate joint meets with other hunts and to schedule special events like Junior Hunts, it's possible that fixture cards will not be mailed out by the beginning of the cubhunting season. Please start checking the Huntline for information starting in the middle of September.

Future Foxhunters Update

Carol Atwood spoke about foxhunting at a Roanoke 4H Club meeting at Pine Spur Hunt Club on July 13 and scheduled a trail ride for the group on Saturday, July 17. Several teenage 4H members, accompanied by adults, came and rode on the trails around the Hunt Lodge. Carol and a few Rockbridge Hunt members (Judy Mundy, Marian Pitman, Rebecca Tilson, Frank Farmer) rode with the group. The group was enthusiastic and competent, jumping a variety of fences along the way. The trail ride was followed by a pot luck supper and the showing of a video on foxhunting. Lauren Keating, Laura Jarvis and Nancy Conner helped with those activities and lots of informal talk about hounds and hunting. Additional junior activities, like special hunting days, are being planned.

1999 June Horse Show Report

The Horse Show on June 12th was a big success with over three thousand dollars being raised. Many people put in a lot of work and deserve a very public vote of thanks. Joan Alberti has to get a lot of the credit. It should mean a lot to the rest of us that she's willing to take charge of such a major project. She's been managing the horse show for several years now and has assembled a great team. Amy Guthrie put together the prize list. The paid staff included Ariadne Paxton (course designer and starter/announcer), Molly Moore (starter/announcer), Tom Harrison (secretary), and Joe Surratt (EMT). We've also been lucky to be able to rent the facilities at Fancy Hill Farm. There are very few places available with two rings, ample parking, and sound systems included.

The ringside volunteers should also be thanked. Wilson (Dede) and Lola Shepherd worked all day in addition to recruiting other volunteers for gates and jump crew. These included Mary Lyn Camper, Louise Dooley, Carter Drake, Blair Jones, Cindy Morton, and Karen Zollman.

The food concession, organized by Jeanne Jeffer, raised a considerable amount of money. Helen Young and Janet Wynot donated the hot dogs, hamburgers, and fixings plus they showed up early in the morning and got the food concession started with the help of Viola Wise. Viola also brought food to stock the booth. David Bolen and Fred Burks also helped serve food. Fabulous donations of baked goods (monster cookies!) and horse treats were received from Pam Moskal, Lois Farmer, and Sandra Worthy. Everyone appreciated the loan of Bill and Susan Streaker 's canopy and use of VMI's "hot dog wagon," arranged by Laura Jarvis.

The show couldn't be a success without the generous donations of our sponsors: Nick and Joan Alberti, Jim and Susan Bailey, Diana Bunting, Frank Bierman, David Bolen, Fred and Barbara Burks, Stan and Kathy Eichelberger and Animal Medical Associates, Frank and Lois Farmer, John and Amy Guthrie, Lauren Keating and Natural Bridge Animal Hospital, George and Emily Jane Moore, Joe and Pam Moskal, Charles and Sharon Peebles, Nancy Peterson, Marian Pitman, Saddles-N-Stuff and Pam Milliron, Twin Cedars Farm and Eve Wallace, and Clark and Sandra Worthy. And special thanks to Lauren Keating and Pam Moskal for organizing and collecting the sponsors' donations.

Bits and Pieces

The last two RH trail rides have been quite agreeable although we did not have a lot of riders for either one. The Jones ride had fabulous weather and food. The (second) Broadview ride produced some lightning and showers and a lot of good conversation on techniques for making it rain. We agreed that these here-to-for infallible techniques (tacking up, cutting hay) are failing us.

RH Pony Club reports that they are sending two riders to the East Coast Championships (one in combined training, the other in show jumping) to be held at the Virginia Horse Center August 5-8. RHPC is also sending three for 'knowdown' which is the PC equivalent of 'horse bowl'. Qualifying for nationals is not an easy task and RHPC and leader Claudia Huffman should be proud to be so well represented this year.

Field Secretary

The Executive Committee has appointed Blair Jones to act as Field Secretary. Since this is a new position for the Hunt the job will undoubtedly evolve over time. For now his duties will mainly be making waivers available for all guests at each hunt and keeping a record of how many people go out. He can probably be persuaded to accept capping fees or dues payments. It would also be a good idea for each member to "check in" with the field secretary at every hunt. He may have news or announcements about hunting or other business.

One hunt that we've heard about keeps statistics and gives annual awards for who has come to hunt the most often and who has traveled the farthest and which horse has gone out the most times. These are all possibilities but anything of this sort will require your cooperation. Try to get to the meets early enough to allow for checking in and chatting. If you have any suggestions about this project, please talk to Blair or one of the Executive Committee members about it.

1999 June Horse Show Report Budget

This budget is not complete (7/25/99). Some food expenses are still outstanding.

Income
Entries	4,230.00
Food	567.60
Sponsorships	835.00
Total Income	5,632.60
Expenses
Printing (prize lists and judges cards)	191.50
Postage	30.50
Ribbons	301.40
SWVHJA membership	60.00
Facility rental (includes 3 radios, two PA systems, two rings)	450.00
Paid staff (2 judges, 2 starter/announcers, EMT, secretary, course designer)	1,120.00
Total Expenses	2,153.40
Profit	3,479.20

Unapproved Minutes July 7, 1999 Meeting of the RH Executive Committee

Members present: Frank Farmer, Viola Wise, Pete Whitlock, Cindy Morton, David Bolen, Lauren Keating, Kathy Eichelberger, Erica Jones.

Meeting called to order 7:45 pm.

Minutes accepted and approved as published.

Treasurer's report:
Memorial Fund 5/28/99 - $7563.
Huntsman Fund 6/17/99 - $91.
General Fund 6/16/99 - $10,226.
Cindy suggests we make donations to the local fire and rescue squads. Fifty dollars for each unit (Natural Bridge VFD, Natural Bridge Rescue, Glasgow Rescue, and Fairfield Rescue) was suggested. It was commented that members utilizing these services from the hunt field should make a donation, also. Natural Bridge Volunteer Fire Dept also came and watered two of the outside arenas at the June horse show which was very much appreciated by the participants and badly needed.
June horse show profit currently estimated at $2848 although Cindy had not tracked down very many sponsorship checks. [See revised horse show budget in this newsletter.]
Members voted to give David Conner an 8% raise; due partly to the recent large increase in his (health) insurance costs. The raise will be retroactive starting June 1.
Peggy Russell sent a letter to president Frank Farmer requesting permission to traverse hunt property (the pasture David Conner uses) to harvest timber off Hunt, Inc. property. A logging committee of Frank, David, Pete, and David Conner was selected and instructed to report back after a meeting with members of Hunt, Inc.
Blair Jones was elected to the new position of "Field Secretary." Suggested jobs are: keep current waivers on anyone hunting; collect capping fees and addresses of guests, and keep a count of the number of mounted riders in the field. The current waiver will be reviewed to see if it needs improving. [See additional report in this newsletter.]
New business
Erica Jones passed around a suggested change to the bylaws concerning the wording in the section on social memberships. The change was approved as written but will need to be voted on by the general membership to finalize a bylaw change. The change would remove reference about social members having no 'riding privileges' which would permit social members to cap. Pete questioned the limit of number of social members to 'not more than 15% of membership' but it was left as is. Landowners count as RH members, so ever exceeding the limit was considered unlikely. Social members can not vote under the current bylaws and can not vote under the suggested bylaw change.
David Bolen and Cindy Morton report seeing foxes frolicking about.
Hunt ball committee meeting tomorrow (July 8). Carol Atwood will attend. Hunt Ball 2000 will be on Feb 19th.
There was some discussion of how make better use of the Virginia Horse Center. Cindy commented that some hunts coordinate their hunt ball with a large horse show. Frank thinks RH exposure at the Virginia Horse Center might increase our membership.
Carol Atwood has done an unmounted hunting clinic and has the mounted part scheduled for July 17th. Frank Farmer volunteered to help by bringing a horse to ride. Carol commented that mounted adults are always a big help at her clinics. [See report on future foxhunters in this newsletter.]

Membership Categories

Hunting members (single) shall have full hunting privileges and voting privileges for the one individual named on the membership.

Hunting members (family) shall have full hunting privileges for two married adults and their immediate family, including children eighteen years of age and younger, and voting privileges for one membership (one vote).

Social members shall have riding privileges and the right to cap three times (capping fee must be paid but does not require an invitation to hunt), and all social privileges. Social members do not have voting privileges or general hunting privileges. The number of social members shall not constitute more than twenty percent of the total membership.

Student members shall have hunting privileges and riding privileges but not voting privileges.

Landowner members are any landowners not included in the 709 acres of Hunt, Inc. who grant the Hunt's request for permission to conduct organized activities on their land. They are considered full hunting members (family) with hunting and voting privileges (one vote).

Any child who is a member of the Rockbridge Hunt Pony Club may cap without fee.

Honorary members may be elected for a term of one year or for life by unanimous vote at an annual meeting and shall be exempt from fees and assessments. They shall have no interest in the Hunt's property, but may have the right to vote.

School membership is available to any college with a recognized riding program, at the discretion of the Executive Committee. This membership will be limited to one supervisor and a maximum of eight students on any designated hunt. School members do not have voting privileges.

Owners in Hunt, Incorporated are entitled to social membership without fee. If they choose to cap, they will pay capping fees, like all social members. If they elect to become riding members they will receive a discount equivalent to the fee for a social membership.

Privileges of Membership

Hunting privileges include: the right to foxhunt with Rockbridge Hunt, all riding privileges, and all social privileges.

Riding privileges include: limited use of the riding ring at the Hunt's property, the use of the riding trails on the Hunt's property, and the use of the trails on the Hunt, Inc. common property.

Voting privileges include: the right to cast one vote at the Hunt's meetings of the general membership, either in person or by designated proxy.

Social privileges include: an invitation to all of the Hunt's social functions and any events to which the general membership is invited (the annual Hunt Ball, hunt breakfasts, the biennial Hound Show & Kentucky Derby Party, the annual Horse Show, etc.), and the use of the Hunt Lodge and surrounding grounds (by reservation).