If so, we need a few volunteers at the Holiday/Awards Dinner:

• Greeter and nametag distributor (5-6pm)

• White Elephant Organizer (5-6pm & 8-9pm)

This can be the same person or two (or three) different people.  Please contact Karen Harkin if you can help.

Grand Valley Dressage Society's (GVDS) final event of the year is our annual Holiday Celebration and Awards Dinner.  This year the event will be on Saturday, December 14, beginning at 5pm.  The location is again the Redlands Community Center in Grand Junction.  Full details will be out in the next week, but mark your calendar to not miss this event.  Fun, hospitality, making new friends and spending time with old friends and of course, celebrating the success of our winning members.  Everyone is welcome.

Back by popular demand, with be entertainment from Darby and Elijah Savoca and the popular White Elephant gift exchange.  We will NOT have the silent auction.  Instead we will have a Give & Take table.  Similar to what we did at the October show, this is a great opportunity to give away clean but useable items to make room for the "new stuff" you will buy for yourself and your horse during the Black Friday sales!
Since this is an inside event, please bring items at are clean (ie. no muddy blankets please).

Although we have eliminated our regular silent auction, we will have a mini-silent auction of a beautiful quilt, made by Quiltress Extraordinaire Pat Card.  Anyone who has seen her quilts or owns one knows that they are a work of art.  She is kind enough to donate a quilt to benefit GVDS every few years, so please be ready to bid on this fabulous and generous donation.

Congratulations to junior member Bailey Armbrecht and her KWPN mare Night'n Dale on winning the Second Level Junior/Young Rider Championship at the US Dressage Finals!  Bailey and "Cookie" and her pony Snickers Bar, also earned top awards in other classes.  Well done Bailey!  We're proud of you.

My name is Annalise Brown. 

I will be telling you how riding in dressage competitions has helped me learn and grow as a rider. The first thing I learned was that I need to do exercises to help me build muscle. For example, doing push-ups is an exercise that helps me build muscle in my upper body so that I can be able to hold the contact that I have with my horse. Squats help make my legs stronger. 

Another exercise I do is stretches to help relax my legs. It is important to be able to relax my legs because if you do not have loose legs, it can be hard to keep your heels down. Another reason I do these exercises is because they help relax and loosen parts of my body so that the horse I am riding listens to my aids better.

When your body is tight, your horse doesn't listen as well but when you do exercises to make your body

looser, then the horse you are riding responds better.

Second, riding in shows has helped me grow more confident. For example, I am no longer scared

of riding in front of crowds at dressage shows. Previously, when I rode in my first show, I was really

nervous because it had been my first time riding in a show ring. I was worried that I would forget how my

test went, I also thought that other people would not like my riding. Now I am confident, and I am not

nervous about riding in shows anymore.

The last thing I learned was how to ask the horse I am riding to pick up the correct canter lead. It is

important to have the correct canter lead because it can be too rough on the horse when they are not

balanced at the level I am riding. When my legs get tight, I become unbalanced at the canter and my horse becomes unbalanced, then my horse picks up the wrong canter lead.

These are the things I learned in English dressage this year which have helped me become a better

rider.

Year End Awards Checklist

Review Award Rules

1. Earned the required number of scores to qualify at each level including for the Dressage Team Challenge

2. Minimum of four volunteer hours (or payment to GVDS of $25/hour needed)

3. Final Score Check with Rhiannon Rowe

4. EVERYTHING COMPLETE BY OCTOBER 20

5. Changes/Additions/Deletions after that date

GVDS Secretary Arlene Rhodes was recently awarded Third Level class winner AND High Score at the inaugural Grand Valley Horse Rescue online show.  

Congratulations Arlene and Wrangler - well done!

Good morning everyone!

Our final show of the season, GVDS Schooling Show III on October 12-13
is open! We highly encourage costumes and freestyles at this show! We
have added a special class as well, Saturday only, Costume on the Rail
class. This will be judged as a group class, so show us your
creativity!

The prizelist is posted! Entries are available online at
horseshowoffice.com. If you have already entered and would like to
enter the costume class, send me an email and I will add it for you.
Costumes are welcome during regular classes as well. See you there!

Darby

GVDS Show Secretary

After a crazy weather weekend, we ended the show with a very special event.  Barbara Progess, our fearless Volunteer Coordinator, had the culmination of her equestrian career with her Century Ride with partner Savannah.  Riding First Level Test 1, Barb performed beautifully.  She was honored by the judge Michell Combs, Savannah's owner Betsy Small, Coach and friend Inka Spatafora and GVDS officers Arlene Rhodes and Susan Gregg.  Barb has a long history with dressage and eventing in Colorado and Utah. Be sure to read her story.  Congratulations Barb and Savannah.  We all love you very much and are so proud of you.

Back by popular demand, the October schooling show (NO recognitions) will feature fun events, plus some serious judging from Kathy Simard.  We will again have the popular stick horse class which will be divided into Junior/Young Rider, Adult Amateur, and Open divisions and judged.  This year we will feature a costume class!  Rumor has it the ladies from the Eagle Valley area are already working diligently on their costumes, so everyone else better start on theirs too!  Riders may compete in their costumes (if it can be done safely for the horse and rider), but riders who are not showing can also participate in only the costume class. 

This show is also a great time to try a musical freestyle.  GVDS does not have a minimum score requirement to ride a freestyle, so anyone can do it even if you ride at an Introductory Level.  Pas de Deux and Quadrilles are also welcome.  If you and your horse like to dance, get a freestyle ready to ride.  And of course, wear your costume!  More information on this as we get closer to the show.

Send us a picture with a brief explanation so we can share it with others.  This photo is from a recent Sue Martin clinic held at Donna DuBois' farm in Silt.  Beautiful weekend, excellent learning opportunities and a great setting.  Show us what you have going on?