EQUESTRIAN UPDATE FEBRUARY 2000

EQUESTRIAN UPDATE is a quarterly newsletter published by ACORD with input from members of America’s equestrian community. EQUESTRIAN UPDATE covers competition opportunities for athletes with disabilities in the United States and internationally. Our goal: more athletes at more events We welcome your items Please fax, mail or e-mail to: Judy Serie Nagy Fax 408 261 9438 5303 Felter Road, San Jose CA 95132 danivar@aol.com WHAT IS ACORD? We act as an umbrella organization in the United States to promote quality competition and education for athletes with disabilities. This involves support in many ways - shows, clinics, fundraising, promotion, consulting and sharing expertise. ACORD works together with members of many equestrian organizations and has a travelling volunteer staff to support events. ACORD is a 6-year-old non-profit 501c3 corporation, Federal Tax ID #770375896. President: Karen C. Lang ACORD warmly welcomes your input and support. Our Goal: more riders at more shows

APRIL 29-30 BENEFIT for ACORD - "VARIETY SALUTE" in CHICAGO

A lucky choice of table at the USDF Awards Banquet in Denver gave me the opportunity to meet Carrie and Jerry Schwartz from Illinois. Jerry is an FEI Dressage rider and clinician; Carrie has been organizing benefits for USET and USDF for many years. They are eager to support us and we quickly came up with a great plan! The first annual Variety Salute Benefit and Dressage Clinic will be held at Indian Hills Training Facility in Chicago the last weekend of April. Special guests of honor will be the 12 riders qualified to represent America at the Sydney Paralympics in October. The Benefit will be held on Saturday evening, with private mounted clinics on Saturday and Sunday. Jerry Schwartz is a USDF Gold, Silver and Bronze Medallist and a well-respected trainer and clinician. He trained the horse/rider combination that won both idividual and team Gold Medals at the 1990 NAYRC! We are pleased to offer such a wonderful opportunity to our twelve TeamUSA qualifiers. Carrie Schwartz has been organizing benefits and fundraisers for years for the USET and USDF, and we immediately became ‘best friends’ in Denver. Carrie is well-known across the country and we are very fortunate to have her expertise and enthusiasm for this exciting weekend. The benefit will raise funds toward this season’s activities, including the May Selection Trials at Gladstone, the Camp for Developing Young Riders at our Georgia show in July, and the North American Young Riders’ Championships at High Prairie Farm in Colorado in August. If you’re in the Chicago area the last weekend of April, be sure to contact me for ticket information - we’d love to see you there!

ACORD DEVELOPING RIDERS COMPETITION CAMP

A new opportunity in the new millenium ACORD is pleased to announce that a Competition Camp will be held for riders interested in developing and perfecting their skills during our fourth annual Southeastern Horse Show in Atlanta, July 25 through 30. Funded in part by the Variety Salute benefit coming up in April, the camp will offer guidance to riders who are ready to move up into serious competition, whether at a big regional show, qualifying for an international team or into the able-bodied world. This camp will be offered to riders of any disability, at all skill levels. Determination to be a better rider and improve your competition performance are the major criteria. Expert clinicians will deal with all aspects of competition - from attire to training schedules. Special emphasis will be placed on getting the best out of any horse you ride. Horses will be available to borrow for the week ... the ACORD Georgia weekend show will be part of the camp. We are looking for riders between the ages of 14 and 35, but can extend our guidelines if necessary - you tell us! We will seek the opinions of our campers on exactly what we’ll cover - some of the topics we plan are: What the judge looks for in the Arena: Equitation, Dressage, Obstacle Travel and Stress Management Challenge your Skill Level Safely Your "public" and the media —making a professional impression Musical Freestyle Dressage Carriage Driving Western Riding Tack and Equipment The Perfect Horse for You Tips for your Home Coach and of course plenty of time on horseback!

If you are interested in participating in this wonderful opportunity, or if you know someone who is interested, please let me know by e-mail, fax or letter for full details.

GEORGIA SHOW REGISTRATION PACKAGES will be available the first week of June. The show is July 29 and 30 in Alpharetta (Atlanta). Same great all-suite hotel with the complimentary meals at last year’s rate of $65 per suite! This is our fifth year in Georgia and we’ve had great weather every year. If you did not attend last year’s show, please let me know if you need a package—or if you know someone who would like to compete with us at Wills Park. Mary Frankel will find you a great horse if you need one and we are again offering excellent clinician

LET ME TEACH YOU from Hunter & Sport Horse, Nov/Dec 99

Last issue we printed some rules of horse life, here’s more: - When you are tense, let me teach you that there are lions in the woods, and we need to leave now. - When you are quick to react, let me teach you that herbivores kick much faster than omnivores. - When you are angry, let me teach you how well I can stand on my hind feet, cause I don’t feel like doing that today, that’s why. - When you are worried, let me entertain you with my mystery lameness, GI complaint, skin disease. - When you feel superior, let me teach you that you are the maid service. - When you are self-absorbed, let me teach you to pay attention. I told you about those lions in the woods. - When you are arrogant, let me teach you what 1200 pounds of yahoo-let’s-go horse can do when suitably inspired. - When you are lonely, let me be your companion. Let’s do lunch. And breakfast. And dinner. - When you are tired, do not forget the 600 pounds of grain that needs to be unloaded. - When you are feeling financially secure, let me teach you the meaning of "Veterinary Services additional". · When you need to learn, hang around, Bud, I’ll larn ya.

DEEP THOUGHTS forwarded by Sandy Dota -

I'm not into working out. My philosophy: No pain; no pain. - I am in shape. Round's a shape - I'm still trying to figure out why kamikaze pilots wore helmets. - Ever notice when you blow in a dog's face he gets mad at you? But when you go in a car he sticks his head out the window. - You have to stay in shape. My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we have no idea where she is. - I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three. - The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they are okay, then it's you. · Now they show you how detergents take out bloodstains, a pretty violent image there. I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.

TRAVEL RESOURCES

AAA, the American Automobile Association is the only national organization that physically inspects hotels and restaurants for accessibility. They look at fully or semi-accessible and hearing impaired rooms. Their Tour Books are worth the cost of a membership in AAA. Other resources: - INN-SEEK, a search engine for wheelchair-friendly inns and B&Bs 888 466 7335 www.1-888-inn-seek.com - ACCESS AMTRACK, a booklet filled with information. 800 872 7245 - FODOR’s Great American Vacations, a guidebook on more than 30 destinations, in bookstores. - EMERGING HORIZONS, quarterly newsletter, $12 annually 209 599 9409 - DISABLED DRIVER’S MOBILITY, from AAA Traffic Safety Department 800 637 2122 - MOBILITY INTERNATIONAL, promoting international educational exchanges 541 343 1284 www.miusa.org - OPEN WORLD, magazine offering domestic and international stories, tips, news. $18 annually 212 447 7284 - SOCIETY for the ADVANCEMENT of TRAVELERS with HANDICAPS www.sath.org 212 447 7284 - TRAVELIN’ TALK NETWORK, people who provide assistance to travelers with disabilities 303 232 2979 www.travelintalk.net

If you have good tips to share about making travel easier, or funny/awful stories to amuse us, please send them on and we’ll print them for all.

NEW OFFICE PHONE for ACORD

New private line in my office makes it easy to reach me during the day 408 261 8292

NEWS from AROUND the COUNTRY

Amy Sheets and Anthony Busacca, from the Fran Joswick TRC in southern California, have both attained Master Instructor certification from NARHA. Of the 800 NARHA instructors nationwide, only 40 hold this certification. Congratulations to my old friends Amy and Anthony!!

Liz Michaels (GA), Mary Frankel’s mom, is one of our most talented staff members. Liz celebrated her 75th birthday in November, and she can work rings around many of us! Very best wishes from your ACORD family, Liz!

NEW OPERATING CENTER Our friend Leslie Jacobs has opened Jacobs’ Ladder Recreational & Therapeutic Riding Center in Hahira, Georgia. Leslie and her wonderful family have been involved with ACORD events since the Paralympics and we all wish them the VERY BEST!

Margo O’Callaghan (WA) is doing well after a nasty fall at USCPAA’s Long Island show in October. Margo says her "horse didn’t like her freestyle music selection and left me in the dust". She is grateful to everyone who offered encouragement and support. Her Christmas letter tells me her best of ‘99: she had the tie-breaking ride and her team took first place at the 1999 Challenge of Champions at USET, and she placed second on Burning Bright at the ACORD Georgia show.

INFLUENCE TRACING

Marj Kittredge was named by Kerry Milliken as one of the big influences in her life as a horsewoman in the December Chronicle of the Horse. Marj then went on to list major influences of her life: Frederick Vietor, Hiram Tuttle, Henry Bullen, Jonathan Burton, Jonquil Solt and Neil Ayer.

Jay Johnson (CA), who’s been with us since our first Georgia show, will be married to lovely Sharon McKee in June. Together, they started the Discovery Horse Center little more than a year ago and are doing very well. Our very best wishes to Jay & Sharon!

HANDLING HORSES from the Left

Why is everything done on the left? Waaaaay back when, horses were used in wars. Soldiers carry their swords on the left so they can reach them with their right hand. So they could only mount from the left, or they would sit on their sword! Also, horses only think on one side of their brain at a time. They learn something on one side, but may not know how to do it on the other side. So we’ve standardized the left side of the horse for everything, from leading to mounting. Knowing this, you should make every effort to accustom your horse to being handled on his right side - just in case of an emergency. For example, if you’ve dismounted at a difficult place on the trail and can only safely get back on from your horse’s right, you will be glad you took the extra time to teach him to stand for being mounted from either side.

INTERNET NEWSLETTER

"DisABLED News Press", an electronic publication with tips and helpful hints, columns on travel, how-to, horoscopes, love & romance and much more: www.pioneerpublications.com

DEAR TECHNICAL SUPPORT:

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 and noticed that the new program began unexpected child processing that took up a lot of space and valuable resources. No mention of this phenomenon was included in the product brochure. In addition, Wife 1.0 installs itself into all other programs and launches during system initialization, where it monitors all other system activity. Applications such as Poker Night 10.3, Boys Night Out 2.5 and Saturday Football 5.0 no longer run, crashing the system whenever selected. I cannot seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run some of my other favorite applications. I am thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but the uninstall does not work on this program. Can you help me, please!?! Thanks, A Troubled User (Technical Support’s answer in next issue)

COMPUTER NEEDED

Our very productive Competition Operations Manager, Sandy Dota, is looking for a full-size computer, operating on Windows 95 or 98, with a CD Rom. Sandy is a member of ACORD’s Advisory Board and works very hard for all of us; supporting our events, communicating and making sure things stay on track and moving forward. She deserves a good computer! If you know of a good one that’s no longer needed, a donation to ACORD is tax-deductible. Contact Sandy: 610 588 7890 sdota@fast.net

HORSE OWNER COMMENTS from two generous ladies who lent their horses to Barb Grassmyer on her road to the Sydney Paralympics last year:

- from Gail Willumsen, CALNET show: "I’m an amateur rider, with a wonderful horse - but I’ll never compete at the international level. How exciting to see my Dutch Warmblood ‘Beamer’ carry Barb Grassmyer one step closer to her goal of competing at the 2000 Paralympics! To watch her ride him through a superb musical freestyle did more than bring tears of pride to my eyes. It made me realize, once again, that America’s Paralympic contenders are world-class athletes who deserve the very best horses the equestrian community can provide. In today’s world, it’s a luxury and a privilege to own a well-trained horse. I consider it an honor to share this blessing with such deserving riders."

from Deb Stearns, ACORD Georgia show: "I don’t know what motivates others to loan an ACORD rider their horse for a show - but I know I was motivated by gratitude. I was so grateful to God for bringing Binky into my life that I wanted to share him with others. I took some flak about letting anyone else on my show horse - but my trainer understood and agreed with me and Binky put forth a wonderful effort. I believe that some people are scared to be around disabled riders, afraid of doing the wrong thing. I can only say that a rowdier, funnier and more compassionate group of people would be hard to find. I got a tremendous sense of satisfaction seeing Binky all braided and groomed and trotting up centerline. I saw some rides that many able-bodied riders would be hard-pressed to duplicate. My tack was kept safe, the stall was always clean, the water buckets full and feeding schedule meticulously followed. The show ran like it was on ball bearings - smoothly. I treasure my memories of the time spent at the Georgia show and look forward to repeating the experience.

HOW DO YOU FIND THESE WONDERFUL OWNERS? You gotta work hard and be lucky! We met Gail during the filming of HORSES at our 1998 Georgia show. Deb met several of our riders in an Internet ChatRoom and they recruited her and Binky.

ACORD ORGANIZER GUIDELINES for shows for Riders with Disabilities are ready for the coming season - lots of foundation information for you to plan a competition for athletes with disabilities. The Guidelines cover a first-time local show all the way to a national show. We’re always ready to help you. You can obtain a copy of Organizer Guidelines compliments of ACORD from: Sandy Dota 610 588 7890 Error! Bookmark not defined.

RESOLVING CONFLICT from CHA’s "The Instructor"

If you’re caught in the middle of a conflict between two people, you may be able to help find the road to success by following these steps: 1. Talk separately and privately to each person 2. Gather facts by asking questions; avoid third-party gossip and opinions 3. Bring the parties together for a meeting, reminding them that you’re seeking a resolution, not finding fault 4. Allow each to state her view without interruption 5. Ask each person what she needs in order to be satisfied 6. Suggest solution(s) 7. Choose a solution together if possible

Don’t forget, you want to focus on fixing the future, not playing blame games

GIRLS ARE MORE CHARMING

San Francisco Examiner Researchers in Wales have discovered that charm is inherited rather than learned, and women have more charm than men. "The capacity to read and respond to social situations underpins the uniquely human skill of forging relationships." In a study of 670 pairs of twins aged 5 to 17 years, girls scored 23% higher on charm than boys. Good news is that "boys improved with age as they learned to pick up social cues." *** Note to my Male Buddies: I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist this!

Your Own Copy of "HORSES" National Geographic has retitled HORSES as "The Noble Horse" for home sales and you can order a copy for $19.95. VideoPreviews: 800 771 9232 We hope that Gail Willumsen gets another Emmy for this terrific film!

USDF FORMS COMMITTEE for DRESSAGE RIDERS with DISABILITIES At the Denver Annual Convention, the US Dressage Federation formed a new committee: Competitive Dressage Riders with Disabilities. Led by Peter Lert (CA), the new committee’s chair, more than 20 interested USDF people turned out for the first meeting in December. We formulated a Mission Statement, picked a properly-descriptive name and discussed many other projects. For example, we will request that USDF maintain and promote a database to keep track of horses to be loaned at qualifying shows, a pin or patch USDF award similar to the able-bodied program, and will organize the production of a video to aid dressage judges when a disabled rider enters at A.. This was my first USDF Convention and it was wonderful to meet so many warm and friendly dressage riders. They are very interested in us! The big fund-raiser at High Prairie Farm was "snowed out" on Friday night, but the hotel did a great job setting up right there so I was able to meet some great people, and Saturday night’s Awards Dinner gave me the chance to meet even more wonderful folks - "everyone" knew about Festival of Champions and Young Riders and our skilled riders. At this meeting, our "Variety Salute" Benefit and Clinic was born, a wonderful opportunity for our 2000 Paralympic contenders. Good things are going to be happening because of all the positive, supportive attention we are getting. The long weekend in Denver was an extremely enjoyable

AHSA’s DISABLED SPORTS COMMITTEE Headed by Marj Kittredge,

this new committee will help AHSA make changes to their able-bodied show rules so that athletes with disabilities can be more easily included. We are indeed getting known everywhere!! We all owe a big debt to Marj Kittredge and Peter Lert, who support us in so many ways through their years of experience and influence. We appreciate you, Marj and Peter!

BORROWED HORSES VIDEO READY

ACORD has produced (thank you Patrish Lawrie) a 7-minute video that should be very helpful when hosting a show that invites riders from out of the area. It runs just with music, allowing you to tailor your remarks to any audience. We think it will make the job of convincing an owner to loan her darling horse a little easier. Copies are $10, or for a refundable $25 deposit, you can borrow it.

TIM SHURTLEFF’S MAGNIFICENT MILLENIUM ADVENTURE

And you thought that computer-geeks who run websites have dull lives? Read on: Tim writes: "I spent my New Year’s Eve in downtown St Louis with a Clydesdale and a carriage, lots of celebrating Missourians and even a couple who got engaged in my carriage. The Clydesdale was afraid of all the confetti on the street because sometimes we couldn’t see the pavement with the wind swirling it all around. When he’d refuse to go forward, I’d get down and lead him along. He had been worried about the fireworks at 6pm, so I "parked him" about quarter to midnight. I didn’t think that passengers in the carriage would be a good idea when the big fireworks went off over the famous St Louis arch. We parked where he could see the arch, thinking that he would be more comfortable if he could see the fireworks as well as hear them. At 6 pm the noise bouncing around the buildings downtown had been deafening.

Little did I know that about 10,000 people would crowd in around us about 5 minutes later. The Clydesdale reeeeeally wanted to leave, but there were so many people around that all I could do was get down and hold his head. Thoughts of a ton of horse, carriage, without me, careening through the crowd made me climb back on top of the carriage for better control. Thankfully, he only danced in place for a bit at the stroke of midnight. Later, I found out that nobody from the carriage company had ever had him out with fireworks before." Wow, Tim, your NYE was much more interesting than mine in California!!

CALENDAR

Feb 12 Top Hands Show, Houston

April 1 Thorncroft’s 15th Annual Victory Gallop, Philadelphia

April 15-16 Therapeutic Horsemanship Region 7 Show, St Louis

April 28-30 ACORD Variety Salute Benefit & Clinic, Chicago May California State Championships, Los Angeles

May 15-21 Paralympic Selection Trials, Gladstone NJ

May 26-29 Dressage at Saratoga, New York

May 27 Riding/Driving Show for the Handicapped, Thorncroft, PA

May/June TRAV Northern VA State Show, Leesburg

June 24 Challenge of Champions at USET Festival of Champions, Gladstone NJ July Great Britain Internationals

July 25-30 4th Annual ACORD Georgia Show & Clinics, Developing Rider Competition Camp, Atlanta

August 12 Team Challenge at North American Young Riders’ Champs, Denver

Aug 17-20 Carriage Driving World Championships, Austria

Oct 14-15 TRAV Southern VA State Show, Lexington

October 7 3rd Annual ACORD SoCA Show, Rancho Cucamonga

Oct 18-29 Paralympics, Sydney, Australia

October 28 3rd Annual NoCA show, San Francisco

Nov/Dec 4th Annual ACORD Gulf Coast Show, Baton Rouge

Nov 8-11 NARHA Conference, Minneapolis Nov 29 USDF Annual Convention, Cincinnatti

EQUESTRIAN UPDATE is a quarterly newsletter published by ACORD with input from members of America’s equestrian community. EQUESTRIAN UPDATE covers competition opportunities for athletes with disabilities in the United States and internationally. Our goal: more athletes at more events

We welcome your items Please fax, mail or e-mail to: Judy Serie Nagy Fax 408 261 9438 5303 Felter Road, San Jose CA 95132 danivar@aol.com

WHAT IS ACORD? We act as an umbrella organization in the United States to promote quality competition and education for athletes with disabilities. This involves support in many ways - shows, clinics, fundraising, promotion, consulting and sharing expertise. ACORD works together with members of many equestrian organizations and has a travelling volunteer staff to support events. ACORD is a 6-year-old non-profit 501c3 corporation, Federal Tax ID #770375896. President: Karen C. Lang ACORD warmly welcomes your input and support. Our Goal: more riders at more shows