May/June Newsletter

Dear Friends,
We have had a busy spring. As I sat down to put this news-letter together and gathered images I realized, once again, how lucky I am to be part of this group. I always say my horse friends are my best friends and I hate to think how empty my life would be without all of you!

Alyce and Lisa have updated the membership list and any-one who has not renewed has been removed from the email. If you think you were removed in error, please contact Alyce.

Recent Activities
On March 13 seven riders gathered for a member-only ride at Bluff Point. It was very windy so we headed over to Haley Farm after coffee and donuts. See pictures page 4.

On April 2 eight riders met at North Chestnut Hill for a 2-hour loop ride on dirt roads through state forest and Chatfield Hollow. Our favorite stalker, Judy Bosco, equine photographer, showed up and got some great shots near the lake. We enjoyed a nice visit and BYO lunch back at the trailers. Photos pages 5 and 6.

On April 10 we had our first (official) Clip & Ride of the season. Six of us met at Pattaconk and worked our way south on the Quinimay, trimming and replacing markers (except when we got lost for a while—proving we need more markers). Photos page 7.

Games Day on April 24 was a blast! I think it was our best one yet. Ten riders played at relay races including flag race, egg and spoon, rubber ducky rescue and a team noodle challenge. Judy Bosco got some great pictures. See pages 8 and 9. Following the Games we had a potluck lunch on the farm porch and a short business meeting. The first agenda item was the BPC’s need for a new secretary. Beverly Torell announced that she is resigning as president, now that she no longer has a horse, so we will need a new president as well. Liz Kennedy has been pulling double duty as secretary of the BPC and VP of the riding club since November. New member Loretta Spencer expressed interest and will meet with Liz to discuss the position. If anyone is inter-ested in serving the trails community in this way we would be very appreciative. On the up-side, plans are in place for National Trails Day on Sunday, June 5. We will be resuming our combined arms work party, joining with Rob B utterworth and CFPA to build over the first/main bridge in Weber Woods. The materials are all at Tom Elliott’s and he will get them precut. Meet at the  Weber Woods parking lot on Route 145 at 9 am. Rob will bring his grill and the BPC will provide picnic food for after the work is done. This is funded by the remainder of the grant from the Westbrook Foundation. If someone would like to be in charge of the picnic please contact Liz. Otherwise show up to help. Work gloves recommended.

On the LCRVHC side, we discussed CHC-VHP CPR recertification which has been postponed since February due to Covid. Eight of us need recert. Melissa will reach out to Meg Sautter to try and schedule it. (I’m still waiting to hear back from Meg.)

As far as a summer picnic, Liz Kennedy offered to host it at Machimoodus/Sunrise following the July 10 ride. 2022 is roughly the 60th anniversary of the organization of LCRVHC, so we are hoping many of our past and present members will join us. Spread the word if you are in contact with former members. Club will provide main dish, drinks, and cake. Bring a chair (and something to share, if you wish).

We also discussed the fall hunter pace. The local FFA (Future Farmers of America) and alumni has reached out looking for a location and someone to help them do a pace. While we don’t really want to run a second pace (it’s so much work), we do want to support the FFA, we think it might be a good way to get some younger folks involved in our club, so it was suggested that we team up with their group, share the work, teach them how to manage a pace, and see how it goes. We have enough money to pay for our insurance even if the pace doesn’t cover it. Maybe we will get more riders and/or members. It was unanimusly voted to go for it. Julie and Dave are on board. Melissa and Liz will get back to Taylor Scussell and her daughter (they did our pace last year and loved it—which is why they reached out to us). At the November meeting we had talked about increasing the fee for the hunter pace as ours is one of the least expensive ones around and the costs have risen considerably. After seeing several comments such as this on Facebook, Liz and I were thinking that instead of raising the price of the hunter pace, we could offer lunches for an extra fee for those who want them. Sometimes riders come with extra people and we have never really had a good option for feeding them. This way we can support Saldamarco’s, who have been so good to us over the years, and maybe get some riders who would rather pack a PBJ and put gas in their truck!

We were happy to see that the state has finally replaced the sign at the Weber Woods entrance in time for Trail Day! It’s been down for several years making the parking area hard to find.

And another big thanks to BPC board member Bob Bandzes for taking care of the down trees at Weber Woods. Photos below. BTW, the bridge on the right is the one we will be rebuilding on NTD!

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—this year more than ever! Any ride ideas are extremely welcome. And if you want to share the calendars from other local horse groups we will try not to schedule on conflicting dates. So glad we can have our social events again! I really missed hugging my friends!

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!