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CHEROKEE COUNTY SADDLE CLUB NEWS
OCTOBER 2014
Our Focus is meeting new horse people, and riding our horses on the trail. We
schedule at least two trail rides each month, including overnight camping trips, hold
special training clinics and work on trail development projects
Monthly Meetings are open to the public and are held at a restaurant (without the
horses!) where we usually host an educational speaker. Check the Calendar for time
and location.
Upcoming Events and Rides: Check the Calendar for information on our
upcoming special events, rides, and social activities such as our monthly meetings,
picnics, and parties.
Join Us! Come to a meeting (check our Calendar), Contact Us we would love to get
to know you and your horse. [email protected]
President’s Corner:
A “Bit” From Jim Gitzinger
Not a whole lot to report from the President this month. I was happy to see that word is still
spreading about the great group of people we have in this club, we had a returning member and
four new members. Look forward to riding with all of them.
Of course we hope to ride some more soon with the leaves getting ready for their big show! Just
have to get the yellow jackets to leave us alone. Be careful people, I have heard more horror
stories this year than in any years past with people getting seriously hurt this year.
We have a lot of events coming up! Clear your calendars! We have a Bonfire coming up, The
Watson Mill Camping Trip, The AHA Beach Ride, and the year end Christmas Party.
See ya on the Trails
Jim Gitzinger
President
CCSC
V- President’s Corner:
Atop the Saddle from Carol Sauers
September seemed to be the August for us here in GA! It was very hot and humid most of the
month. Of course the day we switched from summer to fall it came in very nice. I am looking
forward to the fall weather and doing some much needed riding. We had the county come to
Garland Mtn and spray for the yellow jackets, but apparently they came back due to the nice
weather. October should bring us some good riding weather so I’m looking forward to hitting
the trails once again. (ps my show season is over woo hoo I can do more rides)!
Carol Sauers
Vice-President
Cherokee County Saddle Club
CCSC Board meeting notes:
The Board meeting was held on September 10th at Carol Sauer’s home.
Attending:
Jim Gitzinger – President, Carol Sauers – Vice President, Katherine Davis – Treasurer,
Marianne Torchia – Ride Coordinator, Betty Maxwell - Newsletter
Absent was Jane Rohde - Secretary and Ellen Stara – Garland Mtn Liaison
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 7:35pm
Agenda:
Treasurer’s report given by Katherine Davis
Club balance $1269.34
Garland Mountain Funds
$1469.39
Events:
1. Upcoming ACHTA Ride, Volunteers for parking and cooking
2. Beach Ride, Jim has found a place to stay overnight so folks can take 2 days to travel
leaving on Tues and arriving on Wed
3. Watson Mill camping trip Oct 10-12
4. Bonfire need date
5. Christmas Party December 7, 2014 need start time
Garland Mountain:
1. Need an UTV as Ellen will not be able to attend
2. No response from Steve on the use of rented equipment
3. Lack of participation was discussed and creating a flyer to distribute at rides and horse
events that would contain information about Garland Mtn and CCSC
4. Email received from Cindy Young stating that Steve was not able to do any Dapple trail
work this week
Newsletter: Carol Sauers, Betty Maxwell
1. It was mentioned that we add information for making donations to the Garland
Mountain fund in lieu of manual labor
Ride Coordinator: Marianne Torchia
1. East Fork ride is set
2. Beach ride details finalized
3. Watson Mill camping trip for Oct 10-12
Old Business:
1. Elaina is progressing with the ACTHA ride, more information to follow
2. Meet with Marianne to discuss ride schedule, done
New Business:
1. A motion was made to move board meetings and member meetings to alternating
months starting January 2015 by President Jim Gitzinger, seconded by Marianne
Torchia. The motion passed unanimously by all present. Starting in January 2015 a
board meeting will be held in January and a members meeting will be held in February
and this will continue alternating through the 2015 year. A board meeting can be called
by the club President on off months if necessary. The reason for this is to reduce the
number of volunteer hours and the need for speakers at members meetings.
2. A new vendor has been located to supply club apparel. It was agreed upon that members
receiving the mileage award would receive an embroidered hat or visor noting the year
and mileage on the cap or visor.
3. A nominating committee was discussed and the possible election of new board members
for 2015. This will be discussed at later board meetings.
Action Items:
1. Carol & Bob Sauers and Katherine Davis: Investigating golf course and Northside for
Christmas party DONE
2. Jim: meet with new apparel provider to discuss new CCSC apparel and get pricing for
AHA beach ride T-shirts and sweatshirts. DONE
3. Jane: New member names do not appear in the CCSC membership roster. For example
Carol McAlister who joined at the August meeting. Also it was told to Carol that since she
joined in August her membership would be valid thru 2015. The same courtesy was also
extended to the new members who joined this week, Joyce Davis and Verleen Flaig. We
need to create a membership form, or a way to track the date membership was applied
for and a date the membership expires. It is recommended that we add this to the
membership roster.
4. Next meeting will be held at: undetermined
The meeting was adjourned at 9:57pm
Happy Birthday to:
16 – Katherine Davis
28 – Carolyn Evans
28 – Tom Gray
CCSC will be volunterring to help
with an ACTHA ride at Garland
Mtn on October 25, 2014. Please
watch for emails and on FB to sign
up!
CCSC TID BITS:
A new store called “Cabela’s” has opened in
Acworth, GA. Betty Maxwell has visited and
toured the store and it is worth the drive
out. They have a large selection of gear for
the active outdoorsman. A special feature if
you are a “customer” of theirs, you can use
their Dump Station for free. Please see the
attached website below.
Cabelas.com - Cabela's
Welcome New Members:
www.cabelas.com
Cabela's
Joyce Davis
Carole McAlister
Verleen Flaig
Deborah Eanes
Misti Muscat
Cherokee County Saddle Club
http://cherokeesaddleclub.com/
This is the website address for access into
the saddle club’s webpage.
Once you have the website pulled up, there
are 8 tabs listed. Under Rides and Events,
click the Calendar tab. Once you have the
calendar pulled up, you must click onto the
event to view all information.
CCSC Rides in September with your ride reporter Marianne Torchia
September 6, 2014 Club ride at Yellow River County Park
The ride was attended by Jim Gitzinger, Marianne Torchia, Doug Bell, Debbie Frampton, and
Paulette Nicodemus Herbert. Though the trail heads and the company was nice, it is really
nothing special. The ride along the river was nice, but the trails were entirely too confusing to
follow. There was no access to the river from the trails. There were quite a few low hanging
branches and had to dismount once. There were bikers, strollers, walkers on horse trails. I don't
think it is a ride that will be appearing again in the near future.
September 12, 2014 Club Ride at Garland Mountain
This ride had to be cancelled due to storms; we will try to reschedule this ride at a later date.
September 21, 2014 Club ride at Fausett Farms. This was a joint club ride with
BTSC and CTHA.
The ride was be led by Kathy Hardin from BTSC. It was a fun filled day with various riders from
each club.
September 25-27, 2014
East Fork Luau Camp Ride with CCSC and Bent Tree Saddle Club
Kathy Hardin, member of CCSC and Bent Tree Saddle Club got the gang together to enjoy a
great weekend at East Fork Stables. The theme of the weekend was the “Luau Ride.” Several
trailers throughout East Fork were decorated as if they were parked at the islands.
We had the best weather one could ask for. The nights were cool, the days were warm. This type
of a ride was a first for many of us, participating in a group ride with food provided for the whole
weekend, and boy did they feed us. I gained 5 pounds…..really. Oh my!!!! The chuck wagon meet
us for lunch both Friday and Saturday and, again, feed us well. After the dinners (pork loin
chops on Thursday, 1/2 chicken on Friday and prime rib on Saturday) they provided
entertainment and dancing at the pavilion. Some of us brave folks got up and danced……
As with most of our camp rides, we parted into smaller groups and rode accordingly to our
abilities. I rode with Katherine Davis and Paulette Herbert Friday and Saturday. Friday’s ride
was a bit longer than planned; we missed a sign to the stables and went a good ways in the
opposite direction, but saw some beautiful sights. The terrain is a little bit of everything. We ran
into NO yellow jackets, something we’ve been trying to dodge since midsummer this year.
Those enjoying this great fall weekend trip were CCSC members: Kathy Hardin, Paulette
Herbert, Katherine Davis, Georgianna Hunter and Marianne Torchia. A good time was had by
all, hope East Fork hosts a similar ride next year, and it’s definitely a bucket list camp ride!
Saturday, October 4 rescheduled ride from September
As the joint ride with Gordon County Saddle Club at Dry Creek was canceled due to the scorned
"Yellow Hoard", we moved the club ride to Kennesaw Mountain. Riders have not encountered
yellow jackets there. Carolyn Attaway, lead the ride for us, as this is basically her back yard. Jim
Gitzinger, Paulette Herbert and Carolyn's husband Wayne were the four who attended. The
trails were very nice. It was a nice cool, breezy day. I think even the horses enjoyed it. We did 11
miles of trails. It is so neat to think we are riding in the footsteps of so much history. They have
done a lot of work to the trails since the last time I was there. They added historic markers, and
the maintenance of the trails was quit noticeable. It was very nice. We did encounter a lot of
hikers, joggers and dogs, but everyone was courteous and usually moved aside for us. I found it
hard to believe that we were the only horseback riders there that day.
NOTES:
Remember if the weather is good and we’ve not been able to ride our regular scheduled ride, we
can put together a club ride with 48 hours notice. So please keep your eyes out for an email or
FB announcement!
We would encourage all members to go to our website and look at the calendar for more
information on the rides and events we are having. See ya’ on the trails.
Remember the American Heart Association Beach Ride will be
coming up in one month! November 5-9, 2014
Please consider making a donation to the American Heart Association. You can access the
website at www.ahabeachride.org/ on the side of the site you will see a block that says: Top
Teams, if you scroll down you will see the CCSC site and you can donate there. We have 22
members attending this ride. We made a pledge to raise $2000 and we have accomplished that
but would really like to see that grow. If you cannot attend but want to help the American Heart
Assoc, you can by donating to them. The next words are taken from the site.
Jack Monroe started what was known as the “Ride-a-Thon” in 1981. That first charity ride
attracted 20 riders who vowed to make it an annual event and appointed Jack the official
chairperson.
Upon his ‘retirement’ from that position, the event was officially renamed the Jack Monroe
Beach Ride.
Today, it is the largest trail ride on the beaches of South Carolina attracting over 1,000
participants annually. It has raised over $2 million in support of research and educational
initiatives to benefit the American Heart Association.
Jack, who incidentally has survived four heart attacks and is a passionate supporter of the
American Heart Association, remains actively involved in the event that bears his name.
MEMBERS MEETING SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
The member meeting was held at Family Traditions at 7pm. We did not have a speaker for this
meeting; however, we discussed the purchase of the T-LAER for Cherokee County Technical
Large Animal Emergency Rescue. For those in Cherokee County that have large animals (horse,
cow) you can benefit from this piece of equipment to rescue the large animal when they find
themselves in trouble. Most folks do not know that you can call 911 if your horse gets stuck and
can’t get up or caught in a ravine and can’t get out. The county does not have this piece of
equipment and needs one but cannot justify spending the taxpayers’ dollars for it. We have
decided to help in this endeavor.
We’ve started a fund for the purchase of this piece of equipment, and the donations so far are:
Larry Casey $100, Jim Gitzinger $20, Katherine Davis, $20, and Misti Muscat $50. We
appreciate these donations. If you would like to donate please make a check payable to CCSC for
the purchase of the, T-LAER or you may give cash.
The ACTHA ride scheduled for October 25, 2014 at Garland Mountain is asking for help from
our saddle club to park vehicles and serve lunch. We need a few volunteers for this event. They
have everything else lined up for the event. Of course if you are an ATCHA member, we would
love to see you there for this event.
The Bonfire that we scheduled for October will be moved into November, a date will be
announced at the member’s meeting this month.
The East Fork Camping Trip is scheduled for September 25-27, 2014.
The Watson Mill Camping Trip is scheduled for October 10-12, 2014. If you are planning on
going please get your camping site and stall request in now. Here is the link to reserve your spot.
http://www.gastateparks.org/WatsonMillBridge
The In Unison Farm Hunter Pace event is October 18, 2014 I know that several of the club
members attend this event. Please get in touch with Lee Ann Gilson at 678-873-8785 if you want
to attend so you can get registered.
Just an FYI: Deer hunting season has started. It is only bow season right
now, and firearms season opens October 18. It is still a good idea to ride in
bright colors this time of year. Also, maybe even add bells or something to
your horses during your ride.
GARLAND MOUNTAIN HORSE AND HIKE TRAILS UPDATE
The next Garland Mountain Horse & Hike Trails Workday is Saturday, October 11 starting at
9:00 AM.
In 2007, the Cherokee County Saddle Club entered into a partnership agreement with Cherokee
County to provide volunteers to design construct and maintain the trails at Garland Mountain.
The park opened in 2009 and it’s plain to see what an incredible job the CCSC Garland
Mountain Project Team and many enthusiastic volunteers have accomplished thus far. Yet,
there is still much work to be done to complete planned trails and maintain the ones being
heavily used.
If you ride your horse or hike the trails here, your help is needed at workdays! You do not have
to be a member of the Cherokee County Saddle Club or any other group to participate. All
volunteers are welcome and you do not need any special skills or abilities!
We are happy to announce that machine work has been completed by the County and volunteers
will be putting the final grooming touches on the new upper Dapple Gray Trail so that it can be
officially opened for use today. So volunteers, your participation is requested to come play in the
dirt and be on hand for the ribbon cutting before we return to the parking lot to celebrate this
historic day during lunch!
What We’ll Be Doing and What Is Needed for This Workday.
Hand tools to work the dirt will be provided by CCSC. Volunteers are asked to bring their own
loppers
to
cut
roots,
branches,
vines,
etc.
UTVs1 (not ATVs) to transport people and tools to the work site.
For Every Workday:
Wear sturdy footwear and long pants. Bring gloves, drinking water, a snack, insect repellent and
any personal medications (especially an epee pen if allergic to bees). Volunteers should arrive at
the parking lot by 8:45 AM to complete minimal paperwork and be ready to start work at the
scheduled time.
Directions to the Garland Mountain trailhead are available on the CCSC website:
www.cherokeesaddleclub.com
The Cherokee County Saddle Club hosts a complimentary after-work food and drink social
starting at 12:45 PM in the pavilion at the trailhead parking lot.
All volunteers are asked to pre-register with Cindy Young at [email protected] or (770)
846-6486. Please tell Cindy if you are bringing a UTV and/or chainsaws.
1 UTVs are 2 or 6 passenger 4x4 Utility Task Vehicles with rollover protection bars and pickup
type bed.
2 Chainsaws are not needed at every workday. When they are, volunteers will be asked to bring
their own saw, gas and oil along with safety gear to include chaps, hard hat, and eye and ear
protection and work gloves.
Please Note: Next month’s Workday will be Saturday, Nov. 1st starting at 10:00am
O-Mok-See
Sunday, October 26th
Bent Tree Saddle Club Horse Park 11AM
Cherokee County Saddle Club members are invited to join the Bent Tree Saddle Club at its next O-MokSee. We have room for 8 CCSC members. The entry fee is $10. Please register with Marianne Torchia at
770-757-2282 or [email protected] as there are only 8 members.
The O-Mok-See will be run in the following manner. The contestant/rider will take two passes at each
race with the best time counted toward the official time. Ribbons will be awarded for each event. Grand
Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons will be awarded for overall first and second places. If there is a
tie for overall first or second after all events have been run, we will draw an event from a hat and those
tied for that position will run that event.
Standard Events are:
Pole Bending – Standard AQHA pattern
Tomahawk Ball Run – A barrel, open end up, is centered in the lane with a second barrel,
closed end up, on the turning line. Three nerf balls are placed on the barrel at the turning
line. Contestant races to the turning line barrel, makes a right or left hand turn around the
barrel picking up a ball and races to barrel with open end and deposits ball into barrel,
continuing until all balls are in open barrel.
Baton Race – Three barrels are set up in the standard barrel race pattern. Each barrel has
a bucket on top. Batons are picked up out of the barrels and deposited in the next barrel.
Time permitting we’ll run one or two more events to be decided upon at the O-Mok-See. At the
conclusion of the O-Mok-See there will be a Bring Your Own Everything except Charcoal (BYOEexcC)
cook-out in the Horse Park Pavilion. Not all of us win at this, but all of us have a fun time. Come on out
and try it.
CLUB MEMBER
BUSINESSES:
Construction:
Horses for Sale:
Farrier:
You’re Horse Farm:
Gifts:
Medical:
Real Estate:
Riding Lessons:
Stables and Boarding:
Tack:
Training:
Trucks and Trailers:
October 2014
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1
2
3
Sat
4
CCSC Board
meeting 7pm
Cancelled
5
6
7
8
CCSC board
meeting
rescheduled
7pm Family
Traditions Rest.
9
10
Watson Mill
Camping Trip
thru 12th
11
Garland
Mtn
work
day
9am
Watson
Mill
Camping
Trip
12
13
14
Watson Mill
Camping
Trip
15
16
17
18
25
Members Meeting
Family Traditions
6:30pm dinner
7pm meeting
19
20
21
22
23
24
26
27
28
29
30
31
Halloween
Joint club
ride Garland
Mtn
BTCS/CTHA
11am
ACTHA
ride at
Garland
Mtn