NEECA News July 2026

The

NEECA News

July, 2026

Ride With NEECA In The Petersham Fourth of July Parade!

-For those who are planning to ride in the Petersham July 4th Parade with NEECA:

-Parking and preparation: Nichwaug grounds (off Main Street)

-Parade starts at 10:00AM. Be prepared to line up approximately 10 minutes before start.

-The parade route is 1 mile.

-There is always a great deal of siren noise, so make sure your horse is OK with this.

-Dress as patriotically as you want.

-There will be a 60 gallon water tank on hand if you need water for your horses. Bring your own buckets.

Contact Margo at westwindfm@aol.com with questions.

July is traditionally a quieter month for events up at NEECA because of the anticipated warmer weather. However we do have a couple of fun things planned for this month. As mentioned above, NEECA will be riding in the Petersham Fourth of July Parade. SNECDA (The Southern New England Carriage Driving Association) will be hosting an event at the driving arena on Saturday, July 18th. We will be offering a Cash Gymkhana on Sunday, July 19th. This gymkhana is a separate event from our 5 show buckle series, and will be organized by Melissa Hippler. For more information, and to preview patterns, go to https://www.neeca.org/cash-gymkhana-july-19th

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT KEEPING YOUR HORSE SAFE & HEALTHY DURING THIS HOT WEATHER.

ANOTHER Special Project Happening!

As most of our members know, every penny we raise goes towards the support and continued development of NEECA. To date, we've invested over $400,000 in the park. Last year we added the beautiful new PVC fencing around our warm-up arena, the year before we replaced the footing in there.

We have a very ANOTHER special project planned for this year, hopefully happening in August, and we can't wait to show it to you when it's done! So keep your eyes peeled for updates!!

June 28th Gymkhana Pics Available

Dawn Laughlin from Millstone Memories was at this past weekend's gymkhana. She got some great pics of many of the competitors. If you'd like to see the pictures, please go to: https://millstonememories.shootproof.com/gallery/NEECA2026

You can order pictures from that site if you find any that you really love of you and your horse.

Rock Tossin'

We know it's hard for a horse person NOT to pick up a rock and throw it out of the ring when they see one, and we sure appreciate the help. But....if you do have the urge to move some rocks at NEECA, could you make sure you throw them into the woods and not on the grass next to the rings, or the grandstand. It makes it a lot harder to mow those areas when we have to keep getting off the tractor to move rocks that were thrown there. Don't stop tossin', just toss a little further! ;)

NEECA's Calendar of Events for 2026 Is Available Now!

We've already added some more events to our 2026 Calendar over the past month, plus there's been a few date changes. Be sure to check out the updated calendar at: https://www.neeca.org/calendar

New to NEECA? Follow link below for answers to some commonly asked questions about your NEECA membership, and use of the park.

https://www.neeca.org/faqs

HOW CAN YOU HELP NEECA GROW?

In 2025 NEECA has been the grateful recipient of nearly $6000 in donations from supporters. All of this money is used to help NEECA grow and improve. These recent donations made the purchase of the jumps mentioned above possible this year.

If you would like to show your support of NEECA, we have added a donation button to the home page of our website, www.neeca.org, where you can make a one-time or recurring donation to NEECA in the amount of your choosing. As always, we are so very appreciative of all the support shown to NEECA from our very generous supporters!

NEECA is a 501(c)3 so your donations may be tax deductible.

SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT NEECA WHENEVER YOU CAN!

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING BUSINESSES WHO SUPPORT NEECA BY LISTING THEIR BUSINESS/SERVICE IN NEECA'S 2026 ONLINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

https://www.neeca.org/online-business-directory-listings or click on direct links below!

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B & D Mansfield - Field and Pasture Mowing

Nikki's Nook - Horse Camping

Family Pet Veterinary Services - Small Animal

Lundgren Insurance Agency - Insurance

Mallet Roll Off Dumpster Service

Mt. Tully Pet & Hotel Store - Ani. Supplies

Petersham Pump - Well Service/Installation

Primp My Ride - Saddle Fitting

Ken Wildman - Farrier Services

Interested in listing your business? Sign up and payment can conveniently be done online at neeca.org, follow link from home page.

About NEECA Membership Benefits.......

The following businesses and professionals support NEECA by offering special discounts to our members (current NEECA membership card most be shown to receive discounts):

C & J's Custom Creations (10% off first order, and/or waive $35 set-up fee for sweatshirts)

Community Horse Magazine (FREE spring/summer and fall/winter online issues)

Hardwick Farmers Co-op (3% Off All Purchases)

Horseback & Body Massage ($10 off, 413-320-7690 )

Family Pet Vet Service ($15 off annual exam, 978-249-4626)

Mending Fences Animal Wellness (Discount off Massage + MagnaWave Treatment for your horse. $180 value, only $155 for NEECA members, 508-864-9840 )

White Pickets Studio (10% off, Petersham, MA)

Plus NEECA members receive special rates on certain NEECA sponsored events.

"The mission of NEECA is to preserve and protect land for equine interests while promoting good horsemanship and educating equestrians for the betterment of the horse now, and for the generations to follow."