BOD MEETING A SUCCESS

Your FoxTROT BOD (Board of Directors) held their meeting on September 26th, 2009. Our President, Sam, tried to find a central "spot", which turned out to be in Lebanon at the infamous "Shoneys". Actually, we had a very private room, great service, and more so---a very successful meeting. As you see in the picture, we had our fearless leader President, Sam; fast note taker Secretary, Sharon; our important money-man, Treasurer Bill, and then two of our Reps--Karen of the East TN(once she found out we were not at the Ponderosa--hmmm) and of course, Terry(true to form) of the Middle TN.
Yours truly and James were invited because I attempt to take care of the BLOG. And, as spouses are always welcome, Debbie with Sam, Michael with Sharon, and Jimmie with Bill.
All FoxTROT members should be proud of all the time and effort their BOD members contribute. It is, after all, for US. Support them and our organization!
Plans are in the making---stayed tuned for a great FoxTROT year of 2010!!!!
See you at Circle E in October!

Moira

PHOTO SHOOT CALL for FOX TROTTERS!!

Get your camera in action!
In this October 2009 edition of Horse and Rider, page 26, there is an article
"Calling Walkers, Trotters, & POA's!"

Take a photo of your Fox Trotter and submit to the magazine Horse and Rider for a chance to have your horse's conformation critiqued by their Conformation Clinic department. If chosen, your horse's photograph will appear in an upcoming edition of Horse and Rider. But with that given--you can have an insight view of what potential judges would see in your FT and then you, Best Of ALL, you can post your horse's picture as being in the spotlight and brag a bit on our Blog!


From what I've read and seen with past conformation articles---no horse is picked apart. Just good and bad attributes are given.
I could not find any time line on this, so I would just say, "the sooner the better".

For further info, tips on taking good pictures, etc.:

http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/anatomy/conformation_clinic_photo_120808/

MFTHBA REPORT/NEW MEMBERS/FoxTROT BOD PLAN 2010

Hello FoxTROT,

We are now at 57 members. Please welcome Lynn Thacker and Colby Ruf.

Michael and I attended the MFTHBA affiliate meeting in Ava which was held during the Celebration. I have attached that report also. I know not everyone is a member of the MFTHBA but since you all ride Foxtrotters, I thought you might have an interest in what other affiliates are doing.

I am excited about the upcoming ride at Circle E. The Board of FoxTROT is having a board meeting in Lebanon TN on September 26th. This year we just put it all together, now we are going to figure out how to keep each and everyone of you with us again in 2010. We will be updating you on our meeting and letting you know what we have planned in the future. We have some good ideas and now it is time to implement them.

Hope you all are well and if this rain stops, you get some good ride time in.

Warmly,

Sharon Lesner

Sec/ FoxTROT

--
Michael and Sharon Lesner
Serenity Farm Foxtrotters
www.serenityfarm.com

FYI

You can click on any picture and it will increase to full size!

Enjoy!

CATOOSA RIDGE STABLES

Well, James and I hit the trail again today. We met our Lea at Catoosa Ridge Stables where she was also meeting another horse friend. Turns out there was a good-size ride by the group "Women On The Edge". So, we joined right in, and yes, there were some men besides James riding along.

The Catoosa Stables turned out to be a really nice place. I'd recommend it to anybody from what we could tell with just a day ride. The place is immaculate, barns all looked very nice, restrooms with showers were nice and clean, huge meeting hall, pavilions, etc. The trails are all very well marked with a nicely color-coded map to check out where you are. We rode along the main trail, which goes down and follows the "creek", which is just beautiful and goes along forever. The trail has some up and down to it, but is very wide and not scary. The area had had a down pour the night before, so some of the trail was muddy, with only a few spots that were "mucky"--and that was just a few steps worth. So, if you go to ride there, and there has been rain and you don't want to deal with mud of any sort---just stick to the inner trails which meander through pine forests, etc.

Our MFTs, Bear and Rowdy, took the trails like champs, as usual. Lea was on one of her youngsters, a TWH mare, but we still rode next to her on some of the trail---truthfully, all of Lea's horses, TWH and MFT are terrific trail horses.
We did notice a few horses being not-so-sure-footed. Ahhh, just sit back and let your MFT do the walking!

Oh, at least along the creek trail, there are three or four places with picket lines, picnic table, etc. There are 50 miles of their own private trails, and then the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area is adjacent and offers some 90,000 acres of riding, but the trails are not marked very well (or at all), and the CWMA won't allow Catoosa Stables to mark them. So--if you want to ride in there---better have a good GPS (or a horse that can find its way back to the trailer), by the sound of it.

When driving there, make sure you use "Potato Farm Road" entrance. We've heard the other entrance is one that will destroy your brakes going down the hills, and tear-up your transmission going back up again.

It's only an hour drive from our home in Sparta, and I'm sure Lea could tell anybody how long it took her to get there from Knoxville area.

Another fun day in the saddle---I'm ready to go back and explore some more of the trails!

Moira

FoxTROT Members at KC RANCH

As submitted by our member, Bob Mathis:

FOXTROT members Terry/Robbie/Bob/Cynda were joined by Lynn, Wesley, Curt, and Penny for a great weekend of trail riding at KC Ranch in Alabama. We were blessed with terrific weather (despite a few rain showers on Sunday) which allowed us to really enjoy the scenic trails of Alabama. Terry and Bob horses "Surprise, Velvet and Illusion" showed their best to our Saddle Horse trail mates. While they were focusing on their horse we were focusing on the great scenery. KC Ranch offers trails for the both the experienced and inexperienced riders - there is something there for all. Riding down the creeks was a new and extremely enjoyable experience for me as a first time horse owner. Only my second trail ride I was able to experience another first - riding in the rain.
Seems like there is always something new to be experienced each time I saddle up. Terry demonstrated the use of a shank bit which I was hesitant to experience outside the arena. I couldn't believe the difference it made in stopping on the narrow trails or going down the hills. I had always been trained that there was no need for the big shank but I came away with the understanding that it is not the bit but the hands that make the bit a useful tool. Soft hands and balanced seat and I found the shank bit really enhanced my trail riding experience. And, I found my horses were just as pleasant during and at the end of the ride.


















Below, Terry is being taught by his horse, "Surprise" how not to jump a log. Surprise is a 5 year old MFT that is proving himself to be a real treat to ride on the trail.

As pictured above, I got my first chance to ride "Velvet" on this ride. I traded Surprise for Velvet so that my wife would have a more experience trail horse. Velvet was really dependable and I look forward to Cynda getting to ride her. Unfortunately she was laid up this week with a broken foot. Although she did try to "cowgirl up" and ride on a short ride. While she did get in the saddle and started the ride, the pain was too severe less than a 100 yards into the ride. We look forward to her joining the FoxTROT family at Circle E in Oct.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND AT "THE FOX DEN"

Hello Everyone!

James and I just returned from a really fun time with Lea at Big South Fork.
Lea is working on her new Fox Den Retreat. Wow!!! What a cool place to have to just chill and enjoy your horses with all of the local fabulous trails.
Lea has just put in a barn with tack room---and graciously gave our two boys, Bear and Rowdy, first sleep-over rights.














Lea became our expert horse guide, and so after a hard day's work on the trail---I put on my chef's hat and we ate meals that would make a true ranch-hand "purty darn" jealous.
Then after stuffing ourselves, we enjoyed the playful tactics of "Jody", Lea's 4-month old Norwich Terrier.




James worked his magic on Lea's group of wonderful horses. Shortly after, Smokey decided to have one last scratch and roll, right in the hay, of course!








Cindy, watching her "Mom", Lea. Only we horse
lovers can truly appreciate that bond!

While trail riding we encountered a bear that only Lea witnessed, but as the bear went crashing through the woods, we believed her! Plus, the paw print sizes left were quite LARGE. Actually, we saw plenty of bear evidence along the trails---always makes one a bit on the alert side.
We had some back-flashes of BB guns, Deliverance, Chatty Cathy, and more---will just have to explain those one day while sitting around the campfire.


Because of Lea, James and I had the pleasure of meeting another of our FoxTROT members, Jamie Whiteaker, a well-known MFT breeder. Jamie is currently showing a couple of her mares at AVA. It is always so nice to be able to put a face to the name! In the short time we all talked, Jamie had quite a bit of input on our MFT organization and what sounds like, some great ideas. Jamie said she just really loved to trail ride---our kind of person!

As the weekend progressed, we found out, like Sam has said, Lea seems to know an endless amount of horse friends and acquaintances. "Everybody" knows Lea!!!!

All in all, it was a great Labor Day weekend.
Great memories with FoxTROT friends!

Moira

Renee's Pictures of Liz Graves at Orchard Cove Stables

Here are some additional photos of our Heather and Lea, which Renee snapped, at the Liz Graves clinic and sent for us all to enjoy.

Orchard Cove Stables and Liz Graves Clinic

Hello Everyone!

Well, James and I spent this past weekend at Orchard Cove Stables in Townsend. Most of you know that our member, Heather Webb and family own this great facility. Orchard Cove was hosting renown gaited natural horsemanship trainer, Liz Graves. It was a great time for all who attended. Liz has a very calm, natural, way of teaching and she broke off the group into two riders at a time. So, those who brought their horses to attend were able to get a very one-on-one with Liz, with each session lasting about an hour. It was very informative, and sometimes "eye-opening", as she pointed out the differences in each horse, and how, what, etc., to do to understand the gaits, etc. You might be surprised how some horses are so multi-gaited, they can really do them all---and it is okay. You just learn to bring out which gait is desired, and more so, which is easiest for the horse. Liz helped with saddle fit/info, bits, and other informative tack information. I could go on and on. If you get a chance to audit Liz's clinics or participate, you should do so. As in most clinicians---you are given so much of their hard-earned knowledge; however, if you don't agree---that's okay. You will still learn so much.

There was a young lady who had not ridden in some years, and had recently purchased a three year old Rocky Mountain. Liz first, as I personally agree, pointed out the horse's body has not finished growing (bones, muscles, etc.), and she should limit her riding time. BUT, when Liz was showing her how to get a response from her horse by turning, ever-so-slightly, her body, her leg movement, etc., to cue her horse to bend, turn haunch out, etc.---well, the young lady, Connie, just grinned. You could see the light bulb go off over her head. She just could hardly contain herself that with the simple steps Liz had shown her (and the rest of us), that her horse would respond so correctly.

Freda Webb furnished us with great lunches---I'm sure Heather didn't mind on that one as she was busy riding her mare! At one point we ladies were discussing jeans, and Freda got up to peer at the back-end of Liz's jeans---you had to have been there! Liz good-naturedly joined us in that one!

I have to add, Liz fully believes in James' profession as an Equine Physical Therapist. There was a big black TW that obviously was showing outward physical signs of needing that type of treatment. Liz asked James ( with an okay from the owner, of course) to work on the horse, and after doing so, that beautiful TW went back into the ring and was a completely different moving horse---all for the better. The crowd's reaction was wonderful, as Liz gave James the opportunity, on her time, to show just what his Total Body Technique can do. Even more so---James helped another horse.

After James and I had just arrived on Saturday, our member Lea and daughter Megan came rolling in with Lea's brand new trailer. The pictures in this slide show James and Lea trying to figure out the awning. At last---success!!
While auditing the class, we sat along with members Renee and Irene and plenty of fine horse people (we didn't hold it against them that they rode TW horses).

Saturday evening about six of us went on a bit of a trail ride. Lea made mention that with the time we were riding, the bears were active---oh goody!

We all agreed that we had a great time and made new horse acquaintances. Seemed like we all already knew each other and everybody seemed very comfortable. Of course, with a setting like Orchard Cove Stables and the Webb family---what more could you want!

Enjoy the little film clip below. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was too busy enjoying everything.

See you guys at Circle E in October!

Moira