IN THIS ISSUE ROSIE'S RAMBLES.............................click here CLUB ROUND-UP................................click here CHRISTMAS POEM..............................click here BUYER BEWARE!.................................click here COLOURED BROWBAND...................click here ALL ABOUT THE MODULES...............click here |
RIDERS ROUNDUP for NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 |
Rosies Rambles Avoiding the subject of C......... this is the time of year when there are plenty of proud "grannies" looking out onto the foaling paddocks and nervous "grannies to be" chewing their nails. My own darling is nearly two months old and happily helps her mother empty the feed bucket. She will be a good doer, I reckon. Hopefully she will also be a good jumper as she has strong jumping lines, reinforced by watching the Three Star this year where her "uncle" led only to be beaten into third place by time faults on the showjumping phase. Last month there were a series of Emails circulating about stolen saddlery and asking people to report offers of cheap saddles, bridles etc to the Police in the North Island. Luckily for the owners, their gear has been recovered, largely due to the diligent work of the owner and friends. What really saddens me about these incidents, is that the thieves are usually part of the horse world, but don't have any conscience when it comes to stealing gear from their friends and/or paddock mates. It's hard to make a venue secure, padlocks and chains can be easily cut, windows broken, your horse float can just be hooked up to a car and taken. I have an anti theft device for my float (which can be purchased from most car assessory shops) but tack is harder to secure. I am just pleased that this time there was a happy outcome and the thief was caught and prosecuted. Happy stuff...... NITE is well and truly on track. My plane tickets are booked and I have put in a request with the man upstairs for some pleasant weather. My camera will be travelling with me and I should have some photos ready for the next Riders Round Up. SITE is also up and running. Well done Canterbury Riding Club. They have picked up the challenge and are running SITE along with Harris Trophy (Dressage Comp) and Pegasus Derby. All participating South Island Clubs will be converging on Springston Pony Club Grounds at Easter 2005. Included in this newsletter is the proposed format for SITE. Till next time, don't indulge too much over C...... Enjoy the break, those of you who get one, and for those who don't, hopefully it will be a quiet one. Rosemary |
CLUB ROUND-UP From the newsletters that I have been getting, most of the Clubs all seem to be very aligned in their thoughts at this time of the year. Plenty of Christmas break ups and partys happening. The good old stand-by, the BarBQ is in fill swing and merrymaking is all go Canterbury Riding Club: Big news here is the hosting of SITE , Harris and Derby comps. The entry for these events should be out soon with entry closing Febmary. Proposed outline of the weekend: Fri 25/03 Teams arrive.. Riders briefing on Fri evening Sat 26/03 Harris competition... Includes SITE dressage (am) Derby comp (pm) Bar BQ and get together Saturday night Sun 27/03 Orienteering/road ride (am) Game and Riding Club Mount (pm) Mon 28/03 Trip home after breakfast and evaluation. Strathallan Riding club Lots of trekking going on. SRRC Ridden show in November, and a trek in the New Year at Barossa Station OARC Christmas Tree sales as a find raiser - thinking outside the square, it's not directly related to horses. Nelson RC Running a Derby day series over 4 evenings/3 months. Katikati Hack and Hunters: Not sure what you have been up to, but was great to hear from you. Same with Masterton Riding Club |
THE CHRISTMAS TRAIL The wind is blowin' cold down the mountain tips of snow And 'cross the ranges layin' brown and dead; It's cryin' through the valley trees that wear the mistletoe And mournin' with the gray clouds overhead. Yet it's sweet with the beat of my little hawse's feet And I whistle like the air was warm and blue, For I'm ridin' up the Christmas trail to you, Dear folks, I'm a-riding up the Christmas trail to you. |
BUYER BEWARE! By Jayne Pedigo Whether you're reading homes for sale or horses for sale ads, you quickly notice that certain phrases pop up again and again. Glowing descriptions of a horse's appearance and abilities can make every horse look like the perfect one for you. Big Trot - Can't canter within a 2 mile straightaway Nicely Started - lunges, but we don't have enough insurance to ride him yet Top Show Horse - won a reserve championship 5 years ago at a show with unusually low entries due to a hurricane Home Bred - knows nothing except being raised on the front porch Recently Vetted - someone else found something badly wrong with the horse Big Boned - good thing horse has mane & tail or he would be mistaken for a cow Doing Courses - when tranquilized to the eyeballs & lunged 6 hrs straight before hand Welt Mannered - hasn't stepped on, bitten, or kicked anyone for a week Professionally Trained - hasn't stepped on, bitten, or kicked anyone for a month Should Mature 16 hands - currently 13h, dam is 14.2h, sire is 15h, every horse in pedigree back 18 generations is under 15h but this horse will definitely defy his DNA and grow To Good Home Only - not realty for sale unless you can 1) pay twice what he is worth, 2) allow current owner to tuck in beddy - bye every night, 3) are willing to sign a 10 page legal document Bold - runaway Athletic - runaway Needs intermediate Rider - runaway Needs Experienced Rider - "dead" runaway Dead Quiet - just dead Started 0/F - started overfeeding because we can't ride No Vices - especially when he wears his muzzle Light Cribber - we can't afford to build any more barns & fences for the buzz saw Spirited - Loves to run all out all the time. Good mother - Awful at everything else. Protective mother - Don't even think about getting near that baby until weaning time. Easy breeder - A stallion that will mount anything that moves. Has beautiful babies - good, because she's plug ugly herself. Pasture horse - He'll kick a new door in your stall to get out. Spectacularly marked - Horrible conformation, pretty spots. Used to race - Still does, unless firmly tied to a tree. Owner getting out of the business - Owner is tired of dealing with this ignorant monster. Works well off his rear - Because the front is usually off the ground. "Hey cowboys, here's one for you" - only if you're into bucking stock Big circle horse - can't turn in 240 acres Great stops - slams those shoulders and launches rider every time! Easy to catch - in a 10 x 10 stall Easy to load - only takes 3 hours, 4 men and a tractor with loader Rides good - not rideable, but rides the trailer good. Gentle to other horses - he tore out 3 inches of my hair, kicked the kid and chased mother all the way cross the pasture. Smooth - mouthed that is.. his gaits are enough to make you smooth mouthed too.., rattle your teeth loose! |
1. Place one end of each piece of ribbon together, with the velvet sides outermost, and stitch them together at an angle of 60 about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) from the end. 2. with the outerside of the browband facing you, place the browband between the ribbons as shown 3. Fold the white ribbon over and down between the browband and the black ribbon. 4. Fold the black ribbon over, down, under and up, so that it covers the white ribbon at the front, and passes between it and the browband at the back. Always finish with the black ribbon pointing upwards. 5. Fold the white ribbon under, up, over and down, so that it covers the black ribbon at the front and passes between it and the browband at the back. Always finish with the white ribbon pointing downwards. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the white ribbon reaches the end of the browband. 7. Fold the black ribbon over and down. Stitch the two ends of the ribbon together and cut notches to stop them fraying. |
TO MAKE A COLOURED BROWBAND |
You could use velvet, silk or plastic ribbon to cover your browband, although the instructions are for velvet only. It can be covered in all one colour or in two colours. You will need: A browband (an old one will do, provided the stitching is sound and it is clean). 2 lengths of velvet ribbon the same width as the browband, and each three times its length. Sewing thread. |
NZRC MODULES ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW There are six Modules; NZQA 1. Care of paddocked horses. Relates to Unit Standard 1624 2. Clean and maintain saddlery Relates to Unit Standard 6579 3. Catch and prepare a horse for riding. Relates to Unit Standard 1660 4. Groom a horse. Relates to Unit Standard 1656 5. General horse care. Parts of relates to Unit Standard 1618 6. Riding on the flat. Parts of relates to Unit Standard 1651 Each Module has written, oral and practical elements which can be worked on 'at home'. Your Assessor needs to visit you (or vice versa) to thoroughly explain the requirements of each Module, you work on it, and then arrange an assessment day. if you wish to use your own horse, you either pay the Assessor's expenses to visit you (or your group) or you travel with your horse to the Assessor. Module 1 includes a paddock/grazing horse assignment, over a six week period, which would need the minimum of co-operation from the horse owner, eg questions re any hard feed given and permission to enter the paddock to study the vegetation. The practical assessment needs preferably a different paddock and horses, and is done in one day with your Assessor. You may use but do not need your own horse. Module 2 does not need a horse. For all other Modules a horse, your own or borrowed, is needed. COST; $20 per Module, ($10 to purchase the Module from the Chief Instructor, and $10 to the NZRC to cover administration, certificate etc) ASSESSORS FEES; 35c/km travel PLUS $25/hour contact time. Written work marking time is not charged for. Assessors' fees can be minimised by working as a group and sharing costs. The NZRC can advise you of the closest Assessor. Questions I have been asked and my answers follow. 1: What is in this for me? Basically what you put in, you get out. They are very suitable for first time horse owners showing proven safe methods of doing things both for your own well being and that of your horse. Completion gives a very satisfying feeling knowing 'I did that and I can help myself and my horse'. More experienced people can brush up on safety and possibly better ways of doing things, and learn a tip or two as well. 2: Why do I need to do this? I have owned horses for years. See above, plus we never finish learning, or if we think we do, perhaps we are past caring about the horse who we expect to do all sorts of things nature never intended it to do. 3: What will I learn? Safe and efficient ways of handling, caring for and riding horses. 4: Do I need a horse to do the Modules? You do not need to own a horse, but you need to have access to one for most of the Modules. You can share with a friend, hire one from a commercial establishment, borrow your child's pony or go along to a Riding Club or Pony Club - MOST of whom will be willing to help. 5: Are the Modules NZQA recognised? Not in their present fonn, but they can be used for 'recognised prior learning' towards NZQA qualifications, making it cheaper to go further. 6: No-one in my club wants to do the Modules, can I still do them on my own? Of course you can, the only trouble being you will have to bare the cost of the Assessors fees by yourself instead of sharing them with others. This could be eased by doing more than one Module at a time but that would need careful consideration so you do not make the work load too heavy. 7: I am not a Member of a Riding Club (or there is not one near me), can I still do the Modules. Yes, but you would need to become a member of NZRC. If you can not join a local club, or a far away club as a 'sleeping' member (you would have to find their subscription fees), you can join as an individual. This Individual membership direct to the National body is $15 per individual per year, 8: I have never heard of the Modules before, why? Maybe your Club Secretary does not pass around the Riders Round-Up at meetings, where they are often mentioned, either just giving details or information on a coming seminar about them. Ask to see the Riders Round-Up at each meeting or if necessary even purchase your own copy direct from the Editor. They are recognised by the RDA as well as NZRC. There have been a couple of reports in the Horse and Pony Magazine also. They are usually available to view at NITE or National Committee meetings, which are open to everyone. Write to the NZRC secretary, or the Examination secretary or visit the web site. 9: How can I become a NZRC Assessor for the Stage I Modules? Attend a Seminar about the Modules and be assessed by our Chief Instructor. Or co-assess with the National Instructor to be assessed. If you have Assessing techniques already through assessing for the NZEF or are a Pony Club examiner you will be well on the way to be eligible as a NZRC assessor. 10: Why are the Modules a better option than the NZPCA or NZQA qualifications? Pony Club qualifications (on the non teaching side) are only available to those under 25 years of age, and not everyone has had the chance to go to Pony Club. NZQA qualifications are 3 to 5 times more expensive than the Modules. You also need to find a Moderator or Assessor who is willing to tutor you. 11: What qualification does the NZEF Racing Industry offer? They do have programmes but it would be best to ask them, be it for the racing or breeding side. 12: Why do Modules? I have been through the NZPCA system to 'C' or 'C+' level. Your need may not be as high as for others, but you could be a great help to others in your club who would like to do them, either to coach them or work along side them. There are aspects in the Modules however that expand upon the Pony Club system, as we are talking about adults instead of younger riders. 13: They are much more expensive than the NZPCA certificates, how do they compare with anything the NZQA has to offer? NZPCA certificates can be free until the higher levels are reached, but it does depend on the pony club, some clubs do charge their riders quite a lot to cover the Examiners expenses. NZQA see question 10 above. NZRC Modules cost $20 per Module, plus Assessors expenses (these can be shared between candidates), but each NZQA unit can cost $100 or more. 14: Many NZRC members have a series of the old NZRC Certificates, can they be cross credited? Yes. The Chief Instructor would need to sanction this, in conjunction with the Examination Secretary confirming you have a particular certificate, unless you can produce proof, by forwarding your certificate, to the Chief Instructor, if you still have it! 15: Are further Stages being offered? I would like to start at a higher level. We would dearly love to proceed further, but unless more interest is shown in Stage I our Chief Instructor cannot afford to do the hours and hours of voluntary work to produce more. A start has been made on Stage2, but it is on hold for the above reason. 16: Should we approach more 'Riding Schools' and the like? As many of their pupils do not have access to their own horse, and often want to help with the horses as well as ride, the Modules would help all parties. A good idea, but the ideal would be for people near such establishments, especially assessors, to approach them individually and 'drum up' interest. It has been done, by our Chief lnstructor, and worked well and is one way of including 'horse crazy' older children as well as the adult who may not have had earlier opportunities. 17: Will they benefit me if I want to do a Polytechnic equestrian course? Most definitely if you are new on the equestrian scene. If you have had practical experience with horses 'all your life' maybe not. 18: I just want to work with horses in a Training Stable will the Modules be of any financial benefit or will the pay still be 'the pits'? Knowledge is never wasted. Most people would sooner employ a horse knowledgeable person than a beginner, but wages are as often tied to age as to experience so it would depend on the prospective employer and employee. If you need any further help please let me know, but my advice is get in there and do it. Evelyn Cooper NZRC Training Sub-committee |
