Quarter 1, February 10, 2025 | | |
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Outgoing message from your 2024 SBC CDS Chair:
Dear Members,
We have had quite a fulfilling year with activities monthly, including two thriving recognized shows at Earl Warren Showgrounds. Our Olympic big screen viewing event was very well received. The Happy Hour gathering and New Member meet-up gave us an opportunity to get together and connect with members. Two clinics āThe Winning Strideā with Dr. Caroline Vetter and Jessica Brownās potluck Schumacher video clinic were great opportunities to expand our education.
Four Virtual shows continued to be valued by both our members and nonmembers developing their levels by riding with an āSā judge from their own home court.
Both the Jr/YR and CDS Annual Championship shows were well attended by several of our competitive members. Congratulations to juniors Juliet Bradley, Bea Freels, Chloe Adrian-Giannetto along with Open and Adult Amateur members Micheļ»æle Morseth, Avery Klein, Katherine Sulzbach, Bridget Walker, Anne Cole, Michelle Freels, and Julie Corlett. We are so proud of each of you š
I am grateful for the year of support from our committed Board of Directors. This talented unit of nine (Christi Sulzbach, Mary Couch, Karen Christensen, Carolyn Adams, Lisa White, Kelly Thoits, Lynne Sherman, Margaret Fleming and myself) did a phenomenal job of organizing the year with diverse opportunities for our membership.
Thank you also to our 70+ volunteer community that keeps these fabulous, recognized shows afloat. We couldnāt do it without any of YOU!
Thank you all for a terrific year.
Gina von der Burg, 2024 SBC CDS Chair
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CHAIR'S CORNERļ»æ
Dear SBC-CDS members,
Welcome to the first of four 2025 newsletters for the Santa Barbara County Dressage Chapter. Weād like to start off with a sincere thank you to volunteer Nicole Walther and board Secretary Lisa White, for taking on this much needed and appreciated task of producing a newsletter for us. Our chapter has so much to share. These newsletters will keep our members and friends āin the knowā of future events, introduce new members, and share our successes and our needs.
Our 2024 year-end awards banquet was a roaring success. Once again, The Santa Barbara Inn and Convivo were the perfect setting for our event. It was gratifying to look into the crowd of nearly 60 people and see so many new faces, several from years past who chose to join us once again, and of course, those we see regularly who are the backbone of this chapter.
This month our board will meet to discuss committees which will need leadership and membership participation. We have over 100 members in our Santa Barbara County Chapter. It is our hope that we can recruit new people with new energy into our year-round working group.
Our May show will be a Level 3 show, which offers a venue closer to home for riders with young horses and Junior/Young Riders the opportunity to qualify for scores for Nationals. Our Central Regional Adult Amateur show will be in August. We will need many volunteers and sponsors to host both of these events. Important volunteer positions include a team to organize and distribute awards, coordinate catering/food trucks, and manage/generate sponsors for the year. We need YOU! If there is any way you can help or are willing to become more involved with your chapter, please contact me at marycouch1@me.com.
We look forward to another successful year and hope you choose to be a big part of it.
Mary Couch
Chapter Chair
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Meet your 2025 SBC CDS Board
From left: Kelly Thoits (Member-at-Large), Margaret Fleming (Member-at-Large), Lisa White (Secretary), Carolyn Adams (Member-at-Large), Mary Couch (Chair), Pam Allman (Treasurer), Christi Sulzbach (Member-at-Large), Karen Christensen (Member-at-Large).
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Who else works behind the scenes? | |
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Newsletter Editor: Nicole Walther
Website Editor: Tory Names
Social Media: Kelly Thoits
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Email Communication: Lisa White | |
Social Media: Avery Klein | |
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TRANSITIONS BLOG
Did you know that we now have a blog on our website? The blog is host to articles from our youth riders, our new member features, previous events such as the rated shows, educational and social events and more. You can find the blog on our website by navigating to the BLOG tab or by clicking on the direct links within this newsletter! Be sure you visit the Transitions Blog to catch up on everything you missed. The articles are short and include so many photos and additional information that we can't post in the newsletter!
We welcome topic suggestions for our blog. Our goal is to publish one article per month that shares valuable, interesting, and fun information for our horse loving community.
Did you participate or audit a Dressage clinic in the area and want to share your experience or what you learned? We invite you to be a guest blogger and contribute to your chapter that way. Are you an expert in horse nutrition or equine body work? Educate your fellow members via our blog! Want to let us know about the benefits of rider focused Pilates, stretching or yoga? Are you a trainer with valuable tips on how to build your and your horses training plan? Do you run a barn in Santa Barbara County and have tips on doing so successfully? Have you gone through the process of buying a new horse and have helpful tips for future horse owners? There are so many great topics you can share with your fellow members!
Why not write about it?
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Please submit your blog topic suggestions to nicole.silverliningpr@gmail.com with the subject title "CDS Guest Blogger" and we'll let you know more details.
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CDS announced that SBC CDS was awarded the honor of "Best Chapter Event" for the "Olympic Watch Party."
Thanks to Carolyn Adams and Lynne Sherman for putting on this award winning event!
Click HERE or on the banner to read the event article!
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2024 SBC-CDS Awards Banquet
This years banquet received an A+ and was filled with Appreciation, Awards and All-around-support. The silent auction looked incredible and offered really fun items, the 3-course menu was delicious and the conversations were lively. Award winners were recognized with beautiful ribbons and perpetual trophies. The program went smoothly and time flew by so fast that attendees flurried out when they realized it was the end of the event. Read all about the annual affair including so many photos by clicking on the button below!
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Unsold tack donated to the equestrian victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires | |
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SBC CDS donates Tack to Equestrians impacted by the LA Fires.
We've all been glued to the coverage of the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area in January. We are happy that the Palisades and Eaton fires have finally been 100% contained after weeks of fighting them. Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected.
As equestrians in the Santa Barbara area, we know how scary and devastating wildfires are. When you get that call that a fire is heading towards your barn, you often only have a chance to grab your horse and nothing else.
Longtime supporter and vendor, Nancy Louie (Nancy Louie Fine Jewelry and Horse Coin Jewelry) contacted the chapter on January 10th and asked if we'd be willing to donate the unsold merchandise from the August tack sale to benefit the equestrian fire victims in LA. Many of the boarders lost everything but their lives and their horses. The board members did not hesitate to vote affirmative to donating the items. It was a small but impactful way to lend a helping hand through these horrible events.
Nancy brought unclaimed tack to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center which had set up a hub to receive donated tack and equestrian supplies. All our donated items have been claimed by fire victims and we are so glad we were able to help!
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SBC CDS member supports LA Equestrian Fire victims with fundraiser
Our chapter member Anne Cole worked with her trainer Amanda Olsen to put together the LA Equestrian Fire Relief Auction with many incredible services and products benefitting the devastating losses caused by the 2025 Los Angeles January fires. 100% of proceeds are going directly to Equestrian Aid Foundation (EAF) and have been earmarked, per Emily of EAF, for assistance to rebuild in Los Angeles.
The auction of 170 items closed on January 17th and raised $60,959.20 in 3 days!
About the Equestrian Aid Foundation: The Equestrian Aid Foundation provides emergency financial grants to members of the equestrian community throughout the United States who are struggling to overcome catastrophic illness, injury, or other unforeseen crisis.
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Anne Cole and Amanda Olsen | | |
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SBC CDS EVENTS:
May 17-18 Spring Dressage in Santa Barbara, Earl Warren Showgrounds - Competitors> please watch for upcoming show announcements. Want to volunteer? Contact Christi@intheironsfarm.com
August 16-17 Summer Dressage/ RAAC Central in Santa Barbara Earl Warren Showgrounds - Competitors> please watch for upcoming show announcements. Want to volunteer? Contact Christi@intheironsfarm.com
ļ»æAugust 15 Jr/YR Pizza Social at Earl Warren Showgrounds
More info on our Events page soon!!
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OTHER RELATED EVENTS
Dressage Clinics & Schooling Shows
Please note that private clinics and Schooling shows are not sponsored by SBC CDS, but are shared as a courtesy and to benefit our members. If you are hosting a clinic or Schooling show in or near Santa Barbara County and would like us to include them in our next newsletter, please provide detailed information including clinician or event name, location, date, contact information and, if applicable, website to nicole.silverliningpr@gmail.com no later than April 30, 2025. This is for events happening after May 10, 2025, the publishing date of our next newsletter. Late or incomplete submissions can not be accepted.
Please contact organizers about the events.
FEBRUARY
February 23 Ride-a-Test Clinic with Gail Hoff, Canada Larga Stables, 3501 Canada Larga Rd - Contact Kristi Troyner, 805.450.0598 or kristi@canadalargaranch.com
ļ»æAPRIL
April 6 On the Bit Schooling Show, Santa Ynez Equestrian Center, 195 North Refugio Road, Santa Ynez, CA Contact: Kelly Greene, OnTheBitSYV@Gmail.com
MAY
May 3-4 Clinics in Classical Dressage with Paul Belasik in Ojai. Contact: Stephanie Gustafson, 805-798-1303 Steph9291@sbcglobal.net
May 23-25 2025 Linda OāCarrol Memorial CDS Central Coast Adult Amateur Clinic with Lilo Fore, Twin Rivers Horse Park, Paso Robles, CA, Contact: John Rees 805-328-0591 john@johnarees.com
SEPTEMBER
September 18-21 2025 Great America Insurance Group/ USDF Region 7 Dressage Championship and CDS Championship Show Center USDF / CDS State Championships Murieta Equestrian Center Elk Grove, 2025, Contact: Glenda McElroy 818-841-3554 glenda@glenroys.com
September 7 On the Bit Schooling Show, April 6, Santa Ynez Equestrian Center, 195 North Refugio Road, Santa Ynez, CA Contact: Kelly Greene, OnTheBitSYV@Gmail.comand
NOVEMBER
November 23 On the Bit Schooling Show, April 6, Santa Ynez Equestrian Center, 195 North Refugio Road, Santa Ynez, CA Contact: Kelly Greene, OnTheBitSYV@Gmail.com
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We are so excited to welcome our new members to our chapter!! Please give a very warm welcome to these members who have joined us since the last newsletter came out in October: Joan Rothman, Willa Mele, Tim Forster, and Lauren Ogden.
Each quarter, we want to highlight one of our new members.
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Please meet new SBC CDS members Lauren Ogden and Tim Forster. The husband/wife team trains in Templeton and if you've been at our Earl Warren Shows, you probably have seen them before. Learn more about Lauren and Tim on our latest New Member Feature blog written by Lisa White. Just click below! | | | |
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Sponsors are an important part of our chapter. They enable us to offer shows, educational activities, and other chapter benefits.
Please head to our sponsor page to see a list of all our absolutely amazing supporters. Also, to find the list of our 2024 Awards Banquet sponsors, don't miss our latest article abou the banquet HERE. In addition, we hope you'll consider becoming a sponsor!
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LAST BUT NOT LEAST
For current updates, photos and videos follow us on Instagram @santabarbaracds. Thanks to Avery Klein and Kelly Thoits for always bringing us the most fun content!!
We want to include your stories in our newsletter! If you have anything you would like to share, perhaps a success story, reports about a CDS show or clinic, or if you are a new member interested in sharing your or your horses story, please reach out to newsletter editor Nicole Walther at nicole.silverliningpr@gmail.com
To find all our recent blogs, visit us HERE.
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