BEHIND THE BARN
The official Newsletter of the Monterey Bay Equestrians
www/montereybayequestrians.org
President’s Message
Happy New Year, y’all!
Well, 2014 sure went by fast! And now, here we are in 2015 and its time to start
planning all those rides and campouts! We had a very productive meeting last month,
albeit a week late due to the Pineapple Express that came roaring thru on our usual
meeting day. Still shaking the water off from that one!
Jan., 2015
Inside this issue
1… President’s Message
2… Club Meeting info.
.... Member Birthdays
….Sunshine Report
….Poker Ride Prizes
3…Advertisements
….membership info
4…Editor’s Notes
…Dec. Meeting Minutes
5….Upcoming Events
6…Club ride/event
Schedule
7…Other dates of interest
8... List of club Officers,
Board, & Chairpersons
Lots of ideas were thrown around, along with new places to ride and camp in 2015. The
ride calendar that we have planned is not yet set in stone, but you will be able to see what
we came up with later in this newsletter. I hope that most of y’all will be able to attend
many of these events!
First and foremost, our annual President’s beach ride and potluck is scheduled for
January 17th with a rain date scheduled for January 31 st. I don’t know if I myself will be
ready to ride by then, as my horses are reverting back to a feral state due to lack of
outings. (Rain, work, holidays. Repeat. Oy). Many folks do show up however, just for
the potluck and for a chance to reconnect. I am looking forward to seeing many of you
there, either with or without ponies!
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to please, PLEASE! Send in
your membership renewals by Jan. 31st! It is a secretarial nightmare to have the
renewals trickle in and it makes it impossible to create a complete and accurate directory
for the membership. We did reinstitute a $10. late fee btw to encourage the stragglers. 
The Manzanita Park situation has taken on a life of its own. The NCYRA which
operates the sports complex there (and manages the gate) went to the Monterey County
Board of Supervisors meeting in Dec. to have their lease agreement renewed for another
10 years. Several of us attended the meeting and spoke out about equal access for all,
esp. for equestrians and the disabled. Long story short, the Board is delaying the lease
renewal for 90 days so that the NCYRA has time to come up with solutions to the access
problem which they have created. Some of us will be meeting in the near future with the
Parks Director and the NCYRA to find common ground. There has been a bit of
publicity regarding this as well. Jon Brent from KION did a story last week and the
Monterey Herald ran a story on 12/23/14. Keep your fingers and hooves crossed that we
will soon have some resolution to this ongoing problem!!
See you at the beach!
Happy trails,
Syd
Page 2
January Birthdays
Debi Santoro
Sue Briscoe
Pat Duran
Marlena Torrey
Dian Montoya
Pat McKnight
Mardi Moore
Genia Silva
Donna Patters
Gary Kornahrens
10
11
13
14
15
18
19
20
22
26
Sunshine Report
Submitted by Liz “sunshine” Gheen
Card sent to:
Jan & Justine, loss of step-mom
Jayette Wilkerson: loss of aunt
Betty Whitcomb: Back surgery
___________________________
MBE
monthly club meetings
The club meeting is on the 2nd
Thursday of each month.
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Odd months = Watsonville
Even months = Prunedale
Watsonville location: Watsonville Hosp..
75 Neilson St., Watsonville, Ca 95076
Sr. Circle Room
Prunedale location: Prunedale Library
17822 Moro Rd., Prunedale, Ca. 93907
Member’s Meeting
***Meeting coming up on the second Thursday
of the month, January 8, 2015. Meeting to be held at the
Watsonville Hosp. location. Address and time of meeting, is
shown below under Sunshine Report.
2015 – POKER RIDE
….PRIZES….
Now is the time to start collecting
prizes for the drawing and the prize
corral to be held in conjunction with
our club’s annual Poker Ride fund
raiser. The prize corral will be
headed up by Margaret Pare. Her
contact information is: 831-659-8568
Email: [email protected]
Traditionally, we gather appropriate
items via friends, relatives, businesses
and, for small items gathered, our
prize corral committee creates gift
baskets.
So, let’s start now, collecting baskets
and prizes, as April will be here
sooner than we think. (time flies by
when you’re having fun, especially
fun with your ponies).
Page 3
Advertisements
None for this issue
2015
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL INFO.
By: Debra Means
The 2015 membership packets not be sent
out this year but instead will be available
via the club website. This is reminder
that we look forward to your re-joining
the club. Please include this as one of
your first of the year priorities.
We would appreciate receiving you
membership document and dues by
January 31, 2015, so that we may include
you on the roster to receive newsletters
and other periodic club information, as
well as include you in our 2015 member
address book.
Note: If you are not using the internet for
communication, email, web site, etc. and
you are on the “snail mail” list, you will
receive your membership packet with
your newsletter, in the mail.
Page 4
Editor’s Notes
*Reminder:
The new club group
facebook page address is:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/MB
Eprivate/ This is a fun place where
we share info, photos, events, ride
updates, newsletters, etc. among
ourselves. For more info or
assistance, you can contact the
Facebook committee members.
Contact information for board and
committee members is on the last
page of this & every newsletter.
Dec. Meeting Minutes
There was no official meeting for the month of December.
HOWEVER, there was a December “Special” meeting held for
the purpose of planning a proposed ride/event schedule for the
club….for the year 2015.
Below is a report on that meeting.
1) Meeting was held at 7 pm at the Prunedale Library
location.
2) 4 club officers and 12 MBE members attending
the meeting.
3) A ‘proposed’ ride/event schedule was put together and
will be sent out to the 2014 membership list via mass
email in December, and will re-appear in the club’s
January 2015 newsletter, with an invitation to all
members to submit their comments and requests to the
club officers by January 15, so adjustments can be
considered, if requested.
Page 5
Upcoming Rides/Events
► January 17 – Salinas River State Beach Day Ride (Moss Landing)
Host: No Host ride.
Bring Food for a Pot Luck Lunch
Directions:
Highway 1 to Moss Landing, exit Potrero Road.
►RAIN DATE FOR ABOVE RIDE IS:
Parking Lot at end of road.
January 31, 2015
Page 6
PROPOSED
MBE RIDE/EVENT SCHEDULE - 2015
Date
Day
Jan. 17
Sat.
Feb. 21
Sat.
Salinas River State Beach (Moss Landing)
(includes Potluck Lunch) Rain Date is 1/31
Fort Ord – Day Ride – Creekside entrance
Time
Sun.
Host
9:00 ride time
1:00 pm Lunch
No Host
11:00 am ride time
Syd Blankenship
[email protected]
CAMPOUT – Turkey Hill/Lake Comanche
Mar. 13-15
Mar 29
Location
8:30 am gates open
9:30 clinic starts
12:00 pm potluck
1:00 pm Obstacle
Challenge
Debra Means
[email protected]
Jan Isasi
[email protected]
Apr. 26
Sun.
Obstacle Challenge, Clinic & pot luck
Isasi Ranch, San Juan Bautista, Ca.
Covered arena events. “Limited to 25”
RSVP….first come, first serve. Look for Flyer
CAMPOUT - Poker Ride – Lake San Antonio
***CLUB FUND RAISER***
Skyline Ride, Day ride (above Saragota, Ca)
May 9
Sat.
Pascadero Day Ride
11:00 am ride time
(new destination)
PJ Myatt
[email protected]
Sat.
11:00 am ride time
Mike Garcia
[email protected]
June 19-22
CAMPOUT - Napa Skyline Wilderness, Napa
Calif.
Henry Coe, Hunting Hollow – Day Ride
Gilroy, Calif.
CAMPOUT – The Indians (new destination)
July 9-14
CAMPOUT – Jack Brook, San Mateo, Ca.
Apr. 10-12
May 21-26
June 6
July 25
Liz Gheen
[email protected]
11:00 am ride time
(Tuolumne County)
Sat.
CAMPOUT – Eagle Meadows, Strawberry,
Ca (same trails used by “High Ride” event)
Chabot (East Bay) – Day Ride (new destination)
Sat.
CAMPOUT - Wrights Lake, Sierra-Nevada
Desolation Wilderness
Pebble Beach / Del Monte Forest – Day Ride
Huddard Park, Woodside, Ca. – Day ride
Lois Connell
[email protected]
TBA
11:00 am ride time
Syd Blankenship
[email protected]
Liz Gheen
[email protected]
11:00 am ride time
Syd Blankenship
[email protected]
No Host – Must make your
own reservations
11:00 am ride time
CAMPOUT – Pt. Reyes – Stewarts
Horsecamp, Olema, Calif.
Oct. 9-12
Doug Jones
[email protected]
Gina Silva
[email protected]
TBA
Henry Cowell, Felton, Ca. – Day Ride
Sept. 3-8
Sept. 26
11:00 am ride time
Sat.
Aug. 13-18
Aug. 29
Patti & Mike Garcia
[email protected]
Nov. 21
Sat.
Wilder Ranch, Santa Cruz, Ca. – Day Ride
11:00 am ride time
Dec. 5
Sat.
Christmas Party
TBD
Doug Jones
[email protected]
Patti & Mike Garcia
[email protected]
PJ & Georgia Randall
[email protected]
TBD
Dec. 10
Thurs
Special club Meeting to work on 2016 Ride
Schedule. - Prunedale Library location
7:00 pm
MBE board/officers
Oct. 24
Sat.
CAMPOUT – Lake San Antonio
Nov. 5-8
Page 7
PLEASE NOTE……..
As a courtesy to the Ride Host, please RSVP at least 48 hours in advance via Email or Phone for day rides, and at least
*
one week in advance for campouts. Please note that campouts with asterisk
represent places that have limited
space, so the longer you wait to RSVP, the higher the risk that we run out of space for you.
Day ride start times will be adhered to, so please arrive at least 1 hour in advance to check in and saddle up.
Directions to each ride will be posted in our monthly MBE newsletter on the appropriate month of the event.
OTHER DATES OF INTEREST:
Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2015 - Fairplex - Pomona Horse Expo. For more info, call 1-800-352-2411
OR www.horsexpoevents.com
April 25-26 - 2015 – 22cd annual Spring Stampede Wine ride (ride thru & visit wineries in Livermore, Ca.)
ALSO includes CSHA sponsored horse show, gymkhana events, stock horse events and
Arena trail/obstacle competition. Location: Robertson Park/Rodeo grounds, Livermore, Ca
For more info, contact: www.springstampede.info
June – 5 – 7, 2015 – Western States Horse Expo ( Cal-Expo – aka State Fairgrounds, Sacramento, Ca)
Clinicians featured this year are Chris Cox, Pat Parelli, Julie Goodnight, Eitan Beth-Halechmy &
more, including Dr. Robert Miller, famous for his book on newborn Import Training.
Other events include “Magnificent 7”, a horse sale, lots of art, all horse breeds represented,
Horse trailer sales, & food booths of all kinds, etc. For more info, go to: www.horsexpo.com
July 16-19, 2015 – California Rodeo at Salinas Sports Complex, Salinas, Calif.
July 26 – Aug. 1 – Twain Harte Horseman’s High Ride Event. This is a camp and trail ride. Location:
Eagle Meadows (Directions: 12.8 mi. east of Strawberry on Hwy 108. Right on 5N01 to Eagle
meadows. Camp is 6.9 mi. from Hwy). Ride includes: camp site, 3 meals per day, & 1 bale of
Hay for each rider. Contact info: 209-532-5858 OR www.twainhartehorsemen.com
Oct. 10, 2015 - WHOA – Woodside Day of the Horse – Downtown Woodside & Mounted Patrol Grounds
Activities include: Blessing of the horse; Horse Fair @ Woodside Town Hall; Vet demos, Horse
club informational booths; petting zoo; stagecoach rides; Puppet Show; Sponsor exhibits;
Lots of food; AND, Progressive Trail Ride.
For more info, contact WHOA (Woodside Horse Owners Assoc) at: www.whoa94062.org
Page 8
2015 MBE Officers, Board, & Chairpersons
President - Sydney Blankenship – 831-633-3810
Email: [email protected]
Vice Pres. - Doug Jones
Email: [email protected]
Secretary/Membership: Debra Means, 831-359-2503
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer – Mike Pinto; 831-659-3315
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor: Jan Isasi , 831-623-4915
Email: [email protected]
Sunshine: Liz Gheen, 831-663-6544
Email: [email protected]
Fashionista: Caroline Spicher 831-624-3297
Email: [email protected]
Social Media Committee Chair: Doug Jones 650-224-4494
Email: [email protected]
*other committee members: Deb Means, Justine Gardere, Patti Garcia,
Sydney Blankenship
Poker Ride Committee: Patti Garcia, Chair –(food & volunteer list)
2015 Nomination Committee Chair: TBA
Margaret Pare – Prize Corral. Syd Blankenship – Pres.
Deb Means – Cowboy Dressage contest.
Trail Advocate: OPEN – NEED VOLUNTEER
Email:
Trail Advocate: P J Myatt, 831-458-3132
Email: [email protected]
2015 Christmas Party Committee Chair:
TBA
2014-15 MBE Cookbook Committee Chair: Cathleen Sittig
Email: [email protected] 831-578-7745