July/August 2010 Newsletter

Hello everyone, summer is here in full force, accompanied by those giant horseflies that sound like B-52 bombers coming in; the horses are usually bucking and running from them by 6 am!

Our July meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Melody Crawford followed by a quiet devotional moment. Reading of the minutes was dispensed with after a motion by Tara that was seconded by Kim Matheny.

Welcome new members; Julie Emrick of Belleville, WV, Sherrie Fox of West Union, WV, Juanita Gaver family of Elizabeth, WV, Karen White of Evans, WV, Kevin and Kelly Murphy Family of Clarksburg, WV, Daniel & Karen Dunbar of Davisville, WV, Tammy Barker Family of Hundred, WV, and Penni Dorsey Family of Vienna, WV!

Lisa Dwire’s sister Kenda was thrown when her horse spooked on a ride in the mountains last week and she was life-flighted to Morgantown. She is recuperating at home now with a broken hip, some broken ribs and a punctured lung; we wish her a speedy recovery.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the “Horsey Rides” fundraiser for Mountwood Park on July 11th: Jim Gray, Dave Wells, Tammy & Joe Rivers, Carolyn & Chuck Duncan, Bill Beymer, Tara Patterson, Melody Crawford, (myself), Kim & Karen Matheny and Brian Reynolds.  The children had a great time; they enjoyed the horsey rides and loved the rides in Dave Wells’s beautiful carriage. This was a good community event for our club to be a part of.

The following was submitted by member John “Jose” Bowen regarding the 2ndAnnual Brandi Bowen Scholarship Ride:

The Brandi Bowen Scholarship Ride was held at the Stout Farm in Doddridge County on July 16, 17, and 18- 2010. It was a huge success!! Over forty riders kicked off the weekend with a ride on Friday afternoon after the rain showers passed through. Before the ride on Saturday everyone gathered together for prayer and the reading of a special poem written for Brandi by AJ Harmon. Following the poem was a balloon Memorial where everyone got to write a special message on their balloon. One hundred thirty-six riders mounted up and headed out for a 15 mile ride. There were many others who just came out to camp and socialized throughout the weekend. On Sunday sixty-eight riders braved the weather and stayed dry for another great day on the trail. The whole weekend was a great time and a beautiful memory to Brandi.

Our family continues to be in awe of the care, kindness and generosity that so many people have displayed in many different ways. It is simply impossible to name everyone who was instrumental in making the weekend such a success. We do want to send a special thank you to Sherry, Sonya and Connie for all the preparation work, not to mention the work throughout the weekend. Everyone was just amazing.

The whole weekend was just plain fun, the rides, campfires, auction and great food was just a few of the highlights. We hope to see you all again next summer.

We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of you for supporting Brandi’s Scholarship Fund. We believe the character, commitment and heart that Brandi displayed in her short life should be encouraged in our young people. This year’s scholarship was awarded in May to Erica Smith, a 2010, graduate of Doddridge County High School.

With sincere thanks and appreciation!
The Brandi Bowen Family

Please remember to record your miles, forms can be downloaded from our website http://wchrc.com on the camping page. Keep track of your mileage all year and especially the miles ridden at Mountwood.  It breaks down to claiming 1 mile for every 15 minutes of riding or 4 miles for every hour. 

Upcoming Events:

• Shiloh Poker Ride was changed from August 7th to the 21st. For more info contact Betty Adams 304-643-2043
  
• August 28th WCHRC Campout &Trail Ride THIS RIDE HAS BEEN CANCELED BUT YOU’RE WELCOME TO RIDE AT THE HORSE CAMP ANYTIME YOU WANT.
  
• September 3rd thru 6th WCHRC Labor Day Weekend Campout and Trail Ride at Mountwood Park Horse Camp. Ride leaves at 1pm Friday, 10am Sat and Sun.  We plan to do covered dish dinner Friday night, and order pizza from Backroads Sat night for more info call Tara 304-210-4894 or Dorla 304-615-4931
  
• Shiloh Lake Trail Ride October 16th For more info contact Betty Adams 304-643-2043
  
  

Old Business:

• Poker Ride Report - winners of the Poker rolls were; Nicole Currey: High winner of $20.00 and Robyn Yeager: Low winner of $10.00.

• The July 24-25 club campout & ride at Mountwood Park Horse Camp had a nice turn-out even with the heat. At night the full moon was beautiful and during the day it was great to see several different group rides going on at the same time.

• We have 6 additional miles of trails now and new maps; if you have purchased the first colored laminated map you may exchange it for the updated map. The new laminated maps will remain at the original price of $10.00 as a fund raiser for our club.

• Thanks to Brian Reynolds we now have a “Facebook” page at; http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=108350365852697&ref=ts

New Business:

• Friends of Mountwood Park are having the Woof Fest event again this year in Oct. The date is (10-10-10) and could use help, sponsors, participants, etc.  Last year was its 1st year and it was a wonderful event. They’re planning lots of doggy contests, and even a dog poker walk. Call Peggy for info: 304-588-9148

• If anyone who is receiving a hard copy of the newsletter would consider switching to an emailed copy to save the club on printing expenses please let me know, just email me at: trailgaiter41@yahoo.com

You may have noticed that this is the newsletter for July and August both, this is due to the fact that many members will be riding out of state during August, as well as the fact that school will resume in August for my entire household, those factors coupled with the cancellation of the organized ride in August, led to our decision to combine the July/August newsletters. We hope this doesn’t inconvenience anyone.

Our next club meeting is Tuesday August 3rd at Golden Corral in Parkersburg, WV at 7pm, or 6pm for dinner, see you there!

Dorla Yeager
Secretary WCHRC, Inc.

Thought for the day:   If the world was truly a rational place, men would ride sidesaddle.  ~Rita Mae Brown