MCFARLAND – Wes and I volunteered at the Midwest Distance Driving Association’s Iron Oak Clinic and Drive, always held the last weekend in April. We also participated in the 12-mile drive with our buckskin pair, Annie and Ellie. I enjoyed riding along as Wes’ groom, which he is required to have with a pair, but it does limit my opportunities to take photos of all the drivers. We also attended the Glacier Trails Distance Ride and Drive in May, and again used Annie and Ellie. Their scores were good for Iron Oak and even better for Glacier Trails.
Wes gave rides at the McFarland Historical Museum Open House on Memorial Day with our Palomino pair, Gracie and Rosali, two very pretty Morab mares. Many families paid their $1 per person for the museum and happily climbed into our wagonette for a short ride around McFarland. The children always ask to pet the horses and we let them do so with good parent supervision. Wes serves on the Historical Society board of directors and sets up the lobby display every year.
Wes and I served on the committee to plan the first-ever Midwest Young Drivers’ Camp sponsored by the American Driving Society, with members of our Dairyland Driving Club (DDC) volunteering to run the camp. Three of us from the committee, including Wes and me, wrote a driving manual for the campers. We rounded up mentors to work with the children. Most mentors brought their own good driving horses. We loaned our reliable Morab mare, Windmere Lady Omega, to one of the mentors to use with campers. Each mentor worked with two campers so everyone got lots of attention and lots of good driving time. Wes developed the schedule for the three-day camp and he was also one of the main instructors. The children had a great experience and really enjoyed the fun show on Sunday where parents were invited to be an audience and cheer them on. They even did a greatly shortened combined driving event that Wes organized and ran with the help of lots of volunteers. I was the official photographer and had great fun doing that job.
In June we loaned Lady to our friend Kristi who entered her in the Novice Whip Division of the Columbus Carriage Classic. Kristi took driving lessons from Wes and he agreed to go along to act as mentor for Kristi at her first driving show. Daughter Sara and I helped Kristi put together her appropriate driving attire, and I showed her how to clean and polish the harness. She was quite nervous in her first class, the scurry cones course, and she missed a gate. But she did well in turnout, receiving third place in a big class. And I was there to see her win first place in the Pleasure Driving class. We were all so proud of Kristi and Lady!
I have spent a good deal of time volunteering for DDC, comprised of about 125 families mainly from Wisconsin. I serve on the board of directors, as the “Coachman” editor and as webmaster. Our two biggest expenses are paying for insurance for the pleasure drives that we host and the newsletter. We have gone to a mostly digital newsletter in order to cut costs. We also offer a safety clinic for new drivers that generally pays for itself. However, this year we did the Young Drivers’ Camp instead, and next year we plan to offer a driving clinic for our DDC members.
Early in July, Wes washed Gracie and Rosali while I cleaned the wagonette to prepare for giving rides at a wedding reception in McFarland. We knew most of the folks in attendance, and everyone loved the horses and the rides. Later in July, Wes provided carriage service with our antique surrey pulled by our Palomino pair. I had grandmother duty and Sara was very ill, possibly Lyme disease or something similar, so he asked our high school “horse daughter” Holly Eppli to assist him. I gave Holly the white ribbons for the carriage and off they went to take the bride to a lovely outdoor wedding.
Sara’s doctor decided to treat her for Lyme even though the tests would not arrive from California for some time. Immediately, Sara showed improvement and now she is back training horses. Sara has been working with our horse, Ranger, and others, to improve his riding skills.
Wes usually participates in the Hickory Knoll Combined Driving Event, but this year he decided to volunteer instead. He did the safety checks of the harnesses and vehicles for all the drivers while I measured the wheel widths and gave the measurements in centimeters to the cones course judge. Wes noticed that several drivers had their breechings too loose. He took time to talk with every driver about their vehicle and horse, and they were very glad to get more good information.
This has been a banner year for riding lessons with parents and eager youngsters coming out of the woodwork. Wes has also been giving driving lessons to adults and he enjoys that as well.
After much discussion and strong recommendations from the three women in his family – his wife and two daughters, Wes has finally agreed to actually list a number of his precious Morab horses for sale. They all ride, drive, load, trailer, are well-mannered and people-oriented. Most have done distance drives, pleasure shows, combined driving events, weddings or other special events, and pulled the sleigh in winter. Of course, this is a lousy time to sell horses, but not many have all of these qualifications. We know from experience that at some point the right buyers will come along.
Wes looked forward to setting up fun driving classes for the Haflingers of Wisconsin group on Aug. 15. He did this for them last year and everyone participating or watching had loads of fun. The HOW organization has many good veteran drivers and riders, and they have worked hard to cultivate an interest in the younger generation – a smart move for any breed registry.
The fourth weekend in August is always the Region 4 International Morab Breeder’s Association Open Horse Show. We usually take three or four Morabs and participate in the halter and driving classes. Show organizers Linda and Wendy Konichek asked Wes to organize some driving obstacle classes in addition to the regular ring classes. These have been met with enthusiasm and attract quite a few drivers.
We hope you are enjoying your summer and your horses as much as we are!
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