REGION 6
By: Holly Linz — Region 6 Director
Greetings Region 6!
2024 USAWE Elections are now complete, congratulations to all of the incoming Board members, and thank you to all who have served our organization over the past year! Being a volunteer based national organization, we could not do any of this without our great volunteer base. This year’s show season has wrapped up, but planning for 2025 is well underway. R6 and 7 members recently gathered for a strategic planning meeting to discuss event plans already in the works, with the goal of ensuring clinics and shows do not overlap too closely and there is diversity in the events, judges and clinicians in the regions, since the regions often share resources. At least 2 additional regional event coordination meetings will take place, likely in February and April. It’s amazing how well the two regions work together for their members best interests! Emails about the next meetings will go out to all AO’s in R 6 and 7, and a recording of the first meeting is available to anyone interested.
Barb of Oak Spring Equestrian, MD has graciously agreed to host a calendar on the OSE website where events in just Regions 6 and 7 can be posted and shared. This resource is tremendously helpful in preventing events from overlapping and resulting in low attendance. We have plenty of opportunity for lots of great events in the two regions, but to ensure each ones success its helpful if they do not overlap too much with each other and can offer a variety of officials.
Adding to this shared calendar is super easy, you can create an event on Facebook and share it with Barb or email your event details to her and she can add it to the calendar. Check it out here R6 and 7 calendar and be sure to send Barb any events you would like shared via FB or to oakspringequestrianllc@gmail.com
Out and About!
Looks like several R6 folks made a trek to Portugal in November for riding excursions.
Early November, Cera Olsen and Holly Linz spent 7 days in Portugal experiencing the authenticity and depth of horse culture on display at the Golega National Horse Fair. Ontop of all the food and shopping, our favorite part was watching so many amazing horses working in and around the main arena in the center of town. It was such an absolute celebration of equids, revolving around a showcase of the highest quality Lusitano horses in Portugal. Was amazing to see so many horses and mules ridden and on buggies all coexist so well in such a small space, surrounded by bustling crowds! Check out this LINK for more information on Golega.
Afterwards we continued our education riding with the Valenca Classical Equestrian Riding academy. As always, we learned so much and enjoyed their amazing hospitaity! Their wonderful school horses have a gift for pointing out rider flaws and weaknesses, of course isn’t that the mark of a good schoolmaster? Rode twice a day and brought back a long list of things to work on through the winter. Such a perfect way to kick off the winter training season and prepare for next year. We had a really awesome trip and can’t wait to go back! Please reach out if you would like to more about our experience.
From Region 6 member Stephanie Hayes on her recent trip to Portugal: Riding at the beautiful Morgado Lusitano near Lisbon was like a dream coming true. I felt like a little kid at Disney Land with all of the beautiful Lusitano’s to admire and swoon over. I rode four different Lusitano’s, each one trained for upper level movements. My dressage and Working Equitation lessons with Pedro de Costa and Martim Cunha helped me gain confidence in riding other high schooled horses. To gain the feedback and instruction on timing of tempi changes, canter pirouettes, and piaffe were some highlights of my rides. My favorite horse to ride was a five year old stallion Principe who was just becoming a part of the lesson program. Although still green by Portuguese standards (not confirmed changes or piaffe yet) he had the most soft and supple gaits of any horse I’ve ever ridden. I can’t wait to return in 2025!
Help Needed!!
USA Working Equitation is seeking a Competitions Committee Chair to oversee and manage all aspects of our Competitions Committee. As the Competitions Committee Chair, you will be responsible for ensuring the smooth and successful execution of the USAWE licensing process, and utilize effective and transparent communication with the board, committee members, committee chairs, and show managers. You will collaborate with various other committees to ensure that our competitions are fair, enjoyable, and efficient for all participants. This is a challenging and rewarding role for someone who thrives in a dynamic environment.
If you have any questions about the position please reach out to the Competitions Committee Chair @ competitionscommitteechair@usawe.org. for more information.
New England Working Equitation
The show season may be over for us New Englanders but we’re already planning our events for 2025. All of our NEWE members had a successful season and enjoyed the camaraderie of competition and clinics.
Many thanks to our show hosts Beverly and Gus Stratton of Equanimity Farm in Brookfield, NH for opening up their beautiful facility so we can all have such great experiences. Many thanks go out to Deb Quillinan, secretary of our shows, and TD who makes sure everything is organized and runs smooth. Special shout out to Linda Ritzer for not only supporting competing NEWE’s at shows outside of our locality by grooming for everyone but for being our show scorer all year. We had so many wonderful volunteers who have embraced the sport and for that we are grateful.
December 1 NEWE membership opens up for 2025. Stay tuned for more information on monthly online educational opportunities for members and non members during January, February and March. We have some great topics lined up to keep everyone inspired over the dark and cold just around the corner. Stay inspired!
Oak Spring Equestrian LLC in Woodbine, MD will have its very first OSE Schooling Show Awards Banquet on Saturday, January 4, 2025!!
More information on this event can be found on the event page
If you participated in that series this summer and have not heard the news about the banquet, please reach out to Barb at oakspringequestrianllc@gmail.com