RIDER’s DIGEST
November 2004
2004 Officers:
President: Lou Corbo
Vice-President: Tom Aversa
Treasurer: Judy Tucker
Secretary: Scott Whitaker
Membership/newsletter: Sherri
Dolan
Trustee Pete Tucker
Trustee Bill
Daniels
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THE NEXT GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING OF THE AEA WILL BE:
Thursday, December 9th,
7:30pm at the Alexandria Twsp Park. ***************************************
FROM THE PRESIDENT
I’d like to take this
opportunity to thank all for their volunteer efforts in 2004. Your efforts were sorely needed and your
response greatly appreciated.
Starting 1/1/05, the AEA will
start a ‘Volunteer Incentive Program”.
All members will be required to pay $50.00, in addition to your
membership fee. This $50.00 will be
returned to you when you achieve 5 hours of volunteer service (i.e. Team
Penning, trail clearing, indoor arena maintenance, etc…). Susan Rocca has agreed to be Director of
Volunteers and as such will maintain all records and recommend
reimbursements. This will be discussed
further at the meeting on Dec 9th.
Membership in the AEA expires on Jan 1st
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TEAM PENNING IS BACK!
Upcoming dates: Dec 11th, Jan 8th, Jan
22nd,Feb 12th, Mar 5th, Mar 26th,
April 16th, May 7th.
Starts: 1:00 p.m.
Where: The Alexandria Township Park
Cost: $35/rider
FMI contact Phil Rochelle @ 908
391-1633
Trail Alert!
By Pete Tucker
A front page photo appeared
recently in the Democrat taken while a group of riders paused on the Columbia
Trail. Two of the riders were Hunterdon
County Freeholders. The caption
indicated that the Hunterdon County Park System was seeking assistance from
local riding associations to create and maintain trails for riding/hiking in
various Park properties.
Voila! A week or so later there was a rather
productive meeting at our house. Two
officials from the Park System had coffee with some AEA members to discuss the
Schick Preserve. We talked about
mapping out a trail along the perimeter of this 271 acre property.
The planning of this will
take some time as there are wetlands, streams and crop fields to consider, but
much of the property is quite ridable now, as is. The crops are off right now.
The land is hunted so Sunday rides are best during hunting season.
The Schick Preserve is a
gorgeous piece of property and its right here in Alexandria Township. It can be accessed from Hickory Corner Road,
Schick Road or County Road 519/631.
It’s an exciting project for our association and would certainly be a
big addition to available trails. From
it you could about “throw a stone” to our Alexandria Park, so the possibilities
become even more inviting.
In the meantime, if you’re
unfamiliar but would wish to ride here right away, you might want to call an
AEA member who knows the property. To
that end Judy or I would take a stab at any questions. The Aversa Boys or Lou and Sherri could help
too. Scott Whitaker hunts the property
so he is another resource to tap.
The primary result of our
meeting with the county folds was that AEA would suggest a course for the
overall trail to take. The county folk
would then consider and make whatever modifications. Details as to the actual work still have to be worked out, but it
looks as though plenty of volunteers will eventually be needed. Stand by for details!
It should be noted that the
gentlemen from the park system were very enthusiastic about meeting with us and
pursuing this trail project. They
brought along some aerial maps that are quite helpful. They are also enthused about joining various
trails within the county park system wherever possible.
Maybe this has the cart
before the horse a bit, but pardon me while I dream for a second. Some of you have recently enjoyed one or
another trail pace. A few AEA members
recently rode the Tewksbury Trail Pace.
I think Julie Farneski would smile if she was referred to as a trail
pace junkie! East Amwell, Covered
Bridge, Tewksbury…her list goes on.
Wouldn’t the Schick Preserve and Alexandria Park be nice components of
an annual Alexandria Trail Pace? Fancy
the notion! And talk about needing
volunteers!
SUPPORT THE BILL PROTECTING HORSE AND RIDERS
FROM PASSING MOTORISTS
Please contact
Acting Governor Codey to request that he sign S. 1247, a bill to protect horses
and their riders from passing motorists.
Current New Jersey law requires only that a motorist stop at the request
of a horseback rider. S. 1247 would
amend this law to require a motorist passing a horse and rider to also reduce
the vehicle's rate of speed to 25
miles an
hour. Violation of either provision
would be subject to a $150 fine. To
ask Governor Codey to sign S. 1247, please follow the instructions for
electronic
correspondence at http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html or
call the
Governor's office at 609-292-6000.
Thank you for
taking action for animals.
Sincerely,
Debora M.
Bresch, Esq.
Legislative
Liaison, Eastern Region
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TRAGIC BARN FIRE
Last
month, the barn where Barbara & Tricia Haertlein kept their horses and
equipment burned down. The cause of the
fire is still unknown but suspected to have started in an adjacent barn filled
with equipment. They lost one horse, 2
carriages, saddles and other tack. One
horse survived by jumping out of a double dutch door. He has suffered major burns to his face, neck and back, but is
expected to make a complete recovery.
A fund has been set up to help them, “Hearts for Haertlein”. The AEA has agreed to contribute $100.00 to
the fund. If you would like to donate
privately, send your contribution to:
Hearts for Haertlein
c/o
Skylands Bank
PO
Box 17
Baptistown,
NJ 08803
DECEMBER 11TH: DAY OF THE HORSE
To: AHC Member Organizations
From: American Horse Council
Date: November 19, 2004
Re: National Day of the Horse
Yesterday
the Senate passed a Resolution (S. Res. 452), introduced by Senator Ben
Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), designating December 13, 2004 as the National Day
of the Horse and asking the President to issue a proclamation to that
effect. Since this is a Senate
resolution only, it does not go to the House of Representatives for any
action. The Resolution will now be
published for the President’s action.
The
Resolution provides that the horse “is a living link to the history of the
United States,” that horses “continue to permeate the society of the United
States, as witnessed on movie screens, on open land, and in our own backyards,”
that “wild and domestic horses rely on humans for adequate food, water, and
shelter,” and that “horses are a vital part of the collective experience of the
United States and deserve protection and compassion.”
Resolutions do not have the same force as bills when
they are passed. They are not law. They are used to express principles,
opinions and purposes and often call on the President to do something, as this
Resolution does.
FOR ADOPTION:
Dude
Dog
Jack Russell Terrier (Parson Russell Terrier)
Notes: This is a very handsome JRT-boy, about 3 years old, confident and yet
very loving. He gets along with everyone in the compound, puppies and adult
dogs alike. He likes people, but like most JRT's thinks HE is in charge. We
think he's a real HOT DOG. He'll be neutered shortly and is already up-to-date
on inoculations. Small in stature, at about 11 - 12 pounds, he's a great,
compact companion that loves going for walks and seeing the sights.
To adopt Dude, fill out our on-line application Online
Application at http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=3654546
or download our Microsoft Word dog
application and return it to rawhiderescue@hotmail.com. It will help
expedite the process.
Rawhide Rescue is located in Green Brook, NJ
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