Dear Friends,

As the pandemic staggers on with no end in sight, I hope you all are faring as well as can be expected. First world problems, I’m bored and a little lonely, I actually miss going to my office and seeing my coworkers and friends, but I know how lucky I am to be able to work from home (finally, after 4 months of furlough), to have my horse on my own property (with access to trails), and my horse friends to meet and trail ride.

Membership renewals—wow—back in March I said “this will be your last newsletter if you have not renewed.” And then the world came to a screeching halt. So. . .we did not drop anyone from the list and you have continued to get emails, but now it’s almost 2021, if you renew now we will count it toward next year. Our awesome membership secretary, Alyce is trying to keep this all straight—please write clearly. A 2021 membership form is included in this newsletter and always available on our website. Thank you to everyone who has renewed. And welcome new members!

Hunter Pace and Other Activities
Most of the fall was spent cleaning trails and preparing for the LCRVHC Annual Fall Festival Hunter Pace. I need to thank all my cohorts and the landowners for their help and support in making this one of our most successful hunter paces in years, despite (or maybe because of) the pandemic. A HUGE thank you to our landowners: Dave Beaudette and Julie Berman, Tom and Gloria Elliott, Kristin Elliott Leas, and Mark Leas. Without your generosity in letting us use your land (and all the hard work that goes into maintaining it year-round and sprucing it up for the event) we could not do it. Deep gratitude to all the members and friends who gave their time weekend after weekend to clean up after Storm Isaias and the unnamed wind storms that seemed to come along almost weekly from then until the week of the pace; and all who helped mark the course and take markers down, pickup food and help with parking, timing, scoring and check-in the day of the pace: Alyce Mallek, Liz Kennedy, Lynn Burns, Nancy Palermo Lee, Dave Beaudette, Julie Berman, Tom and Gloria Elliott, Kristin Elliott Leas, Mark Leas, Beverly Torell, Bob Bandzes, Peggy Lupone, Rebecca Rus-sell, Mary Wozniak, Emily Berman (and her boyfriend Tomas and brother Nat—called in last minute to mow and weed whack when Dave cracked two ribs the week before the pace). I also want to thank the many members who supported the club by riding in the pace: especially my Golden Girls: Christel  Maturo, Ruth Strontzer, and Cathy Clouse (Cathy is a tireless recruiter for LCRVHC). And thanks to Lynda Perry for taking care of the all important behind the scenes details (food, portapotty, ribbons). Please forgive me if I missed anyone--it’s not for lack of appreciation.  I love all you guys and we couldn’t do it without you. See pictures and reports else-where in the newsletter.

On the same day the pace was taking place the BPC was working with Eagle Scout candidate Brendan Daly to construct a multi-use bridge on Westbrook town property on the Quinimay Trail south of Chittenden Hill Road. Tom Elliott had been working with Brendan for nearly a year making the plan and assisting him with the permitting process and getting materials in time of Covid. (Who knew there would be nationwide shortage of pressure treated wood?) Tom helped cut the wood to spec and supervised the actual construction. BPC president Beverly Torell was able to get some photos. See pictures and her report in the BPC section of this newsletter.

On September 21 several LCRVHC and BPC members met with forester Emory Gluck regarding the upcoming logging at Weber Woods. He told us they are expected to start soon and have one year to complete the project. The area they will be working is to the left of the main trail and parking area. The landing will be on route 145. They will also be working off Tower Hill in Clinton. You can see the blue dots on the trees to be harvested. As we get news I will pass it along.

On October 25, Lynda Perry and I attended the Clinton Land Trust’s annual meeting combined with the official dedication of the Weiss–Loveday property between River Road and Spencer Hill Road in Clinton. The short meeting and ceremony was followed by a one hour hike. Of course, I never thought to take pictures.

Please see the Upcoming Events box on the first page and the Calendar on the last page for more activities. We always need ideas for the calendar!

I hope to see you soon!

Melissa

PS LCRVHC membership is really a bargain at only $15 annually for individual, $25 for family. If you have friends you ride with or know people who are interested in trail riding with small groups or working on local trails, spread the word. And please, I can’t say it often enough, tell us what you want to do as a club!

Dear Friends,
I can’t believe it’s already November. We have had a busy and fun fall season so far. We got a few membership renewals at the hunter pace. If you want to renew for 2020 now and beat the rush (LOL) I have included a membership form in this newsletter (download here).

Some Recent Programs and Activities
The Labor Day Brunch Ride from Julie and Dave’s was a success. Gina McManus led a faster group and went down to Messerschmidtts Pond for a horse swim. The slower group did part of the hunter pace route. Unfortunately Dave’s horse, Calvin, twisted his knee when we were about as far from the farm as possible, putting Dave afoot. We still had a really good time, visiting and chatting, followed by a delicious brunch back at the farm. During much of September and October LCRVHC mem-bers were working on the trails in Weber Woods preparing for the fall hunter pace. The hunter pace is LCRVHC’s only fundraiser and pays for boring but important stuff like insurance. Our turnout was down this year, probably partly due to getting rained out the last two years but I think also because there are so many more hunter paces around these days. We ended up with 27 riders and netted $527 which will pay for most of our insurance. We received many compliments on the condition of the trails and the course marking and jumps. I would like to thank my co-manager, Lynda Perry, for everything she does: answering bizarre Facebook questions, ordering ribbons, arranging the porta-potty, dealing with the caterer (lunches are always a moving target), etc.; all the amazing and generous landowners: The Elliott and Leas families and Dave Beaudette and Julie Ber-man (without you letting us use your property adjacent to the state forest there would be no hunter pace); Liz Kennedy for organizing the silent auction (which raised over $250 for the BPC) and helping with the trail work and course marking; all the other trail workers and markers: Alyce Mallek, Lynn Burns, Dave Beaudette, Peggy Lupone, Bob Bandzes, Rebecca Russell, Kristin Elliott Leas, and Hannah Gossett. Special thanks to Hannah for getting out with me the Friday before the pace for last minute cleanup after the storm on Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you to all who helped the day of the pace: Sigrun Morano for timing; Genie Dethloff for answering my desperate plea and coming out of retirement to do the scoring; everyone who helped with set-up and clean-up and registration and organization and parking and safety check and on and on: Alyce, Lynn, Dave, Julie, Liz, Beverly Torell, Barbara White, Bob Bandzes, Kathy Schuyler for getting the lunches. And thank you to Dave and Bob and Rebecca and anyone else helped take down the markers. This was actually the least stressful hunter pace I have worked on due to all the support. I would also like to thank Lakeside Feed for donating prizes for costumes and special awards.

On Sunday November 3 LCRVHC held our annual Chili Ride at Chatfield Hollow, hosted this year by Emmy Pavelka, we decided to name the ride in memory of our late friend and member Sue Davenport, who organized and hosted this ride (as well as summer picnics and Christmas parties) for so many years. I think there were about 14 riders. We broke into 3 groups—medium pace (walk, trot, small canters); slow (walk, some trot); and pokey (walk only)—for a nice two hour loop. Our friendly equine photographer and stalker, Judy Bosco, showed up at the bridge and some posed for her camera. We finished with delicious chili, sides, and desserts.
All our officers and board members had previously agreed to another term with no new volunteers so we held our annual election to confirm the slate.

Please see the Upcoming Events box on the first page and the Calendar on the last page for more activities. We always need ideas for the calendar!

I hope to see you soon!
Melissa

PS 2019 membership was down a bit. It’s really a bargain at only $15 annually for  individual, $25 for family. If you have friends you ride with or know people who are interested in trail riding with small groups or working on local trails, spread the word. And please, I can’t say it often enough, tell us what you want to do as a club!

Dear Friends,
Spring! Daylight savings time! So happy to gain that hour of daylight after work. It makes all the difference being able to get a ride in after work during the week.

Your membership renewals are now overdue. Help Alyce out and get them in now. You will stop getting email the end of April if you haven’t renewed. Don’t miss any of the fun. A membership form is included in this newsletter and is avail-able on our web site. Download the full Newsletter HERE>

Some Recent Programs and Activities
The annual Winter Holiday party was held on Saturday, February 2 at Kristin and Mark’s. I would say there were at least 25–30 in attendance. The food was terrific, of great variety, and plenty of it. The house looked beautiful and very festive. The raffle was a big success raising $345 toward the replacement of the Alligator Crossing bridge which was washed away by the September 2018 flood. Thank you to Kristin and Mark for hosting the gathering and Kristin for creating the Farm Basket for the raffle. A huge thank you to Liz and Jim Kennedy for their generous donation of lobsters for the raffle and to Judy Bosco for her donation of a photo enlargement. Congratulations to all the raffle winners!

On February 15 the Pizza and Planning Party was bril-liant! I was so happy to have so much participation! See Marlisa’s minutes on pages 5–6. We got a lot done on the calendar. If you look at the calendar on the last page you will see that we have listed events from other local horse organizations as well, in order to try and avoid conflicts and let you all know about options! Gina McManus kindly offered to become a board member at large for LCRVHC replacing Emma Saunders. And Beverly Torell let us know that her plans to relocate to Colorado are off so she is still willing and able to be president of the BPC! I am so grateful to all the board members and officers who help keep these two great sister organizations going! We are always looking for board members for the LCRVHC and the BPC. If you are interested and able to serve the horse community in this way please let us know!

On Sunday, February 17, LCRVHC held a member only ride at Hammonassett. We’ve been riding a lot at Hammonassett this winter. It seems like the only place we can avoid the mud and ice. See pictures on
Please see the Upcoming Events box on the first page and the Calendar on the last page for more activities. We always need ideas for the calendar!
I hope to see you soon!

Melissa

PS In 2018 membership was down a bit. It’s really a bargain. Only $15 annually for individual, $25 for family. If you have friends you ride with or know people who are interested in trail riding with small groups or working on local trails, spread the word. And please, I can’t say it often enough, tell us what you want to do as a club!

Dear Friends,
Almost Thanksgiving already! Sorry I am so late with this newsletter (download here)—time got away from me. The incessant rain has dragged me down. I was so discouraged about having to cancel the hunter pace after doing so much work to get the trails ready. And the trails are in terrible shape —muddy and eroded —I wish we could send some rain to California.

Some Recent Programs and Activities
The September member-only ride scheduled for Bluff Point was moved to Machimoodus when we learned that another group was holding a ride at Bluff Point the same day. The footing at Machimoodus was very good. As usual, I didn’t think to take pictures, being a photographer is not in my blood. Liz took a few pictures at the end.

The September 20 general meeting was held at the fire museum. We had a lovely meet and greet with veterinarian Erin Trawick-Smith. She talked about her background and interests and we shared stories about our equines.

October felt like it rained every weekend. We were forced to cancel our Hunter Pace for the second year in a row due to the wet conditions. Dave’s field where we park the trailers was just saturated. So bummed. Thankfully we have savings to pay for insurance and stuff like that. Hoping for better weather next year. If anyone has any ideas for a fundraising ride or something, please let us know.
The Annual Chili Ride on November 11 was relocated from Chatfield Hollow to Pattaconk due to large piles of stone in the cul de sac at North Chestnut Hill. Five of us enjoyed a 2+ hour ride followed by hot chili, cornbread, and delicious desserts. See pictures by Lisa Reneson, Liz Kennedy, and me[!] on page 3.
In lieu of a Christmas Progressive Ride this year I will be hosting a ride from my farm on Saturday, December 8. We will be doing a loop in Kenilworth Forest fol-lowed by brunch at my house. Non-riders are welcome to join us for the brunch. I will need a head count for shopping and if anyone wants to bring food, if you can let me know I can plan the menu.

For many years LCRVHC has held a ride on New Years Day at Hamonassett Beach, but when CTRA started doing their ride the same day I was concerned that other park users might be overhelmed by the large groups of horses and complain. What would you think about possibly doing our ride on December 29 or 30 instead? Let me know what works for you!

We are looking for a host for the Winter Holiday Party. If you have room for a small crowd and would be willing to host this potluck party the club will provide punch and a spiral ham as well as papergoods. OR—how do you folks feel about maybe having it at a restaurant instead? If you think this is the way to go, we are open to suggestions for restaurants that could accomodate us.

Please see the Upcoming Events box on the first page and the Calendar on the last page for more activities. We still really need ideas for the calendar!
I hope to see you soon.

Melissa

PS In 2018 membership was down a bit. It’s really a bargain. Only $15 annually for individual, $25 for family. If you have friends you ride with or know people who are interested in trail riding with small groups or working on local trails, spread the word. And please, tell us what you want to do as a club!

Dear Friends,
I can’t believe it’s May already! What seemed like a long, cold spring still flew by. Sometimes it took more effort than it should have to get out and ride but I forced myself! LOL
   Don’t forget to look for the May/June issue of Connecticut Horse magazine with an article on Connecticut’s oldest riding clubs. LCRVHC/BPC is featured along with several other clubs. It reminds me what a responsibility we have to this club which has been around since before I was born. It makes me think about the future. If you have young friends who ride with you, bring them along to a ride or work party. The future of LCRVHC depends on it.
    We are always looking for insight from you, our members, as to what you are looking for from your club. Please share your thoughts and ideas. Email lcrvhc.org@gmail.com or come to any meeting or event.

Some Recent Programs and Activities
LCRVHC members Lynda Perry, Howard Tunic k, Cathy Clouse, Ed Levin, and I attended the CHC Volunteer Horse Patrol annual meeting on March 10. Cathy and Ed were doing double duty representing the Cheshire Horse Council. The speaker was animal communicator, Cathy Languerand. She reminded us that we are all, in our way, communicating with our horses and to be open to it. Several of our club members received certificates for service. A delicious pot luck lunch followed. Yum
    On March 17 we had a St. Patrick’s Day ride at Chatfield Hollow. The trails were in rough shape after the winter storms, there was still snow in many areas and lots of branches and trees down, especially in the pine forest. (Read more in the newsletter here...)

Spring! My wooly beasts are starting to shed. I can’t wait for some of the mud to dry up so we can get out on the trails. We have been going to Hammonassett a lot because we can ride on the roads in the campground and on the beach and not deal with the mud. If you take advantage of this, remem-ber to clean up after your horse.
Last Friday night I was interviewed by Sally Feuerberg of Connecticut Horse magazine for an article on the oldest rid-ing clubs in Connecticut to appear in their May/June issue. LCRVHC will be featured along with several other clubs. Thank you to Peg Lupone for supplying images from our archives to share. It reminds me what a responsiblity I feel to this club which has been around since before I was born. It makes me think about the future. If you have young friends who ride with you, bring them along to a ride or work party. The future of LCRVHC depends on it.
We are always looking for insight from you, our members, as to what you are looking for from your club. Please share your thoughts and ideas. Email lcrvhc.org@gmail.com or come to any meeting or event.
Read more. . .

Download January/February Newsletter Here.
What a crazy start we are having. I actually had to put a blanket on my wooly mammoth for the first time ever. Homes just seemed tense and cold. On New Year’s Day we went to Hammonasset, it looked like Antartica! I have never seen Long Island Sound so frozen. It makes me just want to hibernate. And the ice jams in the Connecticut River—I just dread what may be happening to the trails at Machimoodus, Hurd Park and the Meadows, maybe even Lord Creek.

As you know the Bridle Path Conservancy has been operating without a president for over a year now. No longer! Beverly Torell has stepped up and offered to serve in this capacity now that she is retired and has more time. A HUGE thank you to Bev! Please support her and the entire BPC board, they are our trails committee!

With the new year we are, as always, looking for insight from you, our members, as to what you are looking for from your club. It seems like, although our membership numbers are pretty steady, attendance is down at meetings and activities. Is this because the programs we have been having are not of interest? Or because it is easy and quick to get information on line? Or just because our lives have become so busy? We have been trying to have less meetings, more outdoor activities, social events, riding, and eating. We have been more flexible, changing dates and times to perhaps  allow different folks to participate. Please share your thoughts and ideas. Email lcrvhc.org@gmail.com or come to our 2018 planning meeting on February 8 or 9 (TBA) at Alyce Malleks’ house, 44 Jannas Lane, Madison. You will notice that this newsletter is pretty loose. We are waiting for your input!

On November 12, LCRVHC held our annual Chili ride at Chatfield Hollow hosted by Emmy Pavelka. 9 riders enjoyed about a 2 hour loop followed by chili and desserts and visiting. Andrea and Kayden Vanderweide were kind enough to bring Sue Davenport who has been having some health issues. It was so good to see her.

Our annual winter holiday (Christmas, New Years) was held on Saturday, January 13 at Kristin and Mark’s house. There was an awesome variety of food. We held a free raffle for some horse treats that were donated by Lakeside Feed as prizes for the hunter pace that was cancelled. It was fun to see some of our previous (returning) members like Bev Torell and Doro Fuller as well as our friend/photographer, Judy Bosco. About 25 people were in attendance.

Please see the Upcoming Events box on the first page and the Calendar on the last page for more activities. We really need your ideas for the 2018 calendar!

I hope to see you soon.
Melissa

PS 2018 membership renewals are now due. If you joined for the hunter pace or renewed at the Chili ride (or in November and December, you are good for 2018). Everyone else, there is a renewal form in this newsletter. It’s a bargain. Only $15 year for individual, $25 for family. Don’t make Alyce chase you. Send it today!

President’s Letter

Dear Friends,
Summer is in full swing. I hope everyone is getting lots of riding time. I just got back from vacation and am enjoying the beautiful weather. Able got a new (used) wagonette and enjoyed lots of attention in the Madison 4th of July parade! Download the newsletter here.

We are desperately seeking a president for the Bridle Path Conservancy, and the BPC could use other help as well—maybe someone to do web site and Facebook updates, get involved with planning, etc. If you are interested in helping out with trail preservation and maintenance please consider joining the board. Contact BPC Vice President (acting president) Kristin Elliott Leas (equineinsight@gmail.com).

Some Recent Programs and Activities
On Sunday, May 21, 2 groups with chainsaws and 4-5 riders held a Clip & Ride and Spring clean-up in Weber Woods and the Quinimay Trail. Kristin and Mark tackled a huge tree that had fallen in the trail on canter hill, while Rob Butterworth, Dave Beaudette and I worked on several others that were across the trail. Lynda Perry led the riders and found more work for us!

The May 25 Yoga for Riders meeting/program was a lot of fun for a very small group. Four members got a lot of personal attention from instructor Wendy Cartier. Wendy left some extra handouts so if anyone was not able to attend but is interested in some stretches for riders, let me know, I will try and remember to bring them to the picnic.

On June 3, members of the LCRVHC, BPC, CFPA, and CT-NEMBA joined forces for our 11th annual combined arms work party. We worked on the approaches to a bridge that was previously built by an eagle scout. The turnout was smaller than previous years but we still finished our project and squeezed in a quick picnic lunch before the rain came. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

The Games Day on June 25 was a lot of fun. It made me wonder why we hadn’t done it for like 10 years! We kept it very casual with riders switching teams for different relay races. When Lynda posted pictures on Facebook some members expressed disappointment that they had missed it. If enough people want us to do another one, I’d be up for it. Please e-mail lcrvhc.org@gmail.com.

The Fall Festival Hunter Pace is right around the corner. I have included a Poster and Entry form in this newsletter. Please print and post or share! Thank you!

Please see the UPCOMING EVENTS box on the first page and the CALENDAR on the last page for more activities. We REALLY need your ideas for rest of 2017!
I hope to see you soon.
Melissa