From the Chair

Well, the 2022 season has come to a close and it has been a tough but satisfying year for Area 1. We've seen some of our legacy events retire (Groton House Farm and Mystic Valley Hunt Club) after many years hosting Area 1 events. We also felt that moment of fear when Millbrook Horse Trials had to cancel due to time constraints and contracts. And then there was the rising cost of gas and diesel that really put a dent in our pocketbooks. It was hard but Area 1 is still strong and represents us on all levels nationally.

Did you know that at least 5 Area 1 members represent us on the National Level either on the Board of Governors (John Bougoin, Sharyn Antico), or on National Committees (Carol Kozlowski, Amy Winnen and Hiliary Miskoe). And at the risk of leaving some folks out, Area 1 riders have represented us on the International level, at the Kentucky Three Day Event and at the Maryland Five Star. Our commitment to the growth and education of our members is outstanding and much is being done to continue that tradition.

So, Area 1 has much to be proud of and so much to look forward to in 2023. Keep on kicking on, do your winter work and for those of you heading south... well, ok... have fun .

And 2023 is the last year that I will be the Area 1 Chair and we are looking for nominations. Feel free to reach out to me regarding the criteria for the position and any information that will help you nominate someone or yourself.

See you at the Annual meeting on January 8th!

Suzanne Adams

chairman@area1usea.org

Suzanne Adams is an Insurance Consultant by day, a crazy horse girl most of her waking moments and believes strongly in volunteerism. She was the Area 1 Adult Rider Coordinator from 2014 - 2019 before assuming the Area 1 Chair in 2020.

Area 1 Annual Meeting Preview

Join us Sunday January 8th at the Willits-Hallowell Conference Center & Hotel, located at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, for a wonderful day celebrating eventing in Area 1!

Registration (with coffee!) begins at 9:30am. There are three morning meetings running from 10am until noon:

• Organizers Meeting
• Adult Rider Program (ARP) Meeting
• Young Rider Program (YRP) Meeting

Buffet Tex-Mex luncheon will be available at 12:15, during which Year End Awards will be given out. Congratulations to all the award winners!

• Check the year end awards status on the Area 1 page here. Want more information on the competition points system? Check out these two links about the USEA leaderboard point system and the Amateur Upgrade system!
• Please plan to pick up your ribbons and awards in person or arrange to have them picked up - in order to defray costs, there will be a nominal shipping charge to ship ribbons and awards to winners.

The Area 1 Business Meeting will begin at 1pm, followed by our Keynote Speaker, Heather Gillette, a 5-star rider, eventing official, riding instructor, and owner of Heron's Landing Eventing in Lebanon, NJ.

Don't forget to check out the silent auction, always a hit with amazing prizes to be won by the crafty and quick. Who will be the highest bid before it closes at 1pm? There will be gift baskets, riding lessons, and event entries up for bid! Winners will be announced after the keynote speaker, and auction items should be paid for and picked up before leaving.

On-line pre-registration is available for $30.00. Day-of-event registration is $40.00 and there may be limited availability. Please check the USEA Area 1 website for the on-line registration form. Rooms are available at the Conference Center Hotel for overnight accommodations. Click here for more information. The Willits Hallowell Center is located at 50 College Street, South Hadley, MA. Hope to see you there!

Millbrook Is Back!

After a year’s hiatus in 2022, the Millbrook Horse Trials Board was thrilled to reach an agreement with Riga Meadows at Coole Park Farm that will enable them to run the horse trials in 2023. As always, the Millbrook School continues to support the horse trials by allowing the use of much of the property that the event takes place on. In addition, another abutting landowner has agreed to let Millbrook use some new fields, located towards the bottom of the hill the course traditionally runs over, so there will be a new track for all levels. Millbrook is now placed on the USEF Strategic Calendar, moving to a slot a week earlier (July 27-30) in order to reduce conflict both with Area 2 and with the GMHA Festival of Eventing.

In addition to the new tracks, Millbrook hopes to expand the trade fair this year. They are well known for their exceptional competitor hospitality; at the moment, the plan is for several social events for competitors and supporters over the three days of competition.

Area 1 Championships Head West

In 2023, the Area 1 Championships are heading west to GVRDC and the event promises to be one to remember. Course designer John Williams is rerouting the courses for summer 2023, in part to take advantage of a new water complex constructed in summer 2022, and promises big, open, galloping courses. Genesee Valley has big, wide and flat fields that are unlike the twisty, up and down courses of many Area 1 events, so it will be a nice change of pace. In addition to the open fields of the cross-country, show jumping and warm ups will also be held on their lovingly maintained, fifty year old established turf. Dressage and Future Event Horse(in-hand) classes will be held in three sand rings on the property.

Horses and riders will be equally catered to. GVRDC has 40 permanent stalls onsite and this year will be bringing in additional stabling with FEI tent stabling, top of the line accommodations. In addition to their storied competitors’ party on Saturday night(free for competitors, $15 for guests), there will be a Club Tent for sponsors and patrons in an ideal location for viewing; riders may access the tent’s amenities for a small day fee. The Championships will be run in the traditional order of dressage, cross-country, then show jumping. This will allow for mounted awards ceremonies and the all-important victory gallop for each division(start practicing now!).

GVRDC is located about 20 miles south of Rochester in Geneseo, NY. It’s a beautiful area, home to SUNY Geneseo. If you are looking for something non-horsey to do, Letchworth State Park, the “Grand Canyon of the East” is about 30 minutes away and well worth a visit. Geneseo is a quaint historic town with many options for hotels and dining; however, since the event weekend coincides with SUNY Geneseo’s orientation weekend, it is recommended that hotel reservations be made early. Camping is allowed and encouraged onsite; in years past, the pond near the stabling has provided a beautiful setting for camping. While there is no charge for camping, there are also no hook-ups/services.

It’s shaping up to be another wonderful Area 1 Championships, so get qualified and get ready to head west!

Young Rider News

Here we are at year's end! Time to reflect back on the past year and then to look ahead at what is to come. As I do this exercise in the role of the Area 1 Young Rider Coordinator, I start by reviewing the Mission Statement of the Young Rider Program. Here is the leading statement:

It is the mission of the Young Rider Program (“the Program”) to impact the lives of young people by providing encouragement, support, training opportunities, and educational programs that promote character development and life enhancing values through the sport of Eventing.

Here is the work we did toward that mission in 2022:

• At the 2022 Area 1 Annual meeting, we presented a panel discussion with former Young Rider members who have gone on in a variety of roles in the horse world.
• We established an online store where Area 1 Young Rider gear can be ordered to promote a common identity and to raise some funds through profits.
• We ran a YR Virtual Team Challenge with points given for competition success and volunteer hours worked.
• We hosted 41 participants in a 3 1/2 day Young Rider Camp at GMHA. 
• We gave out 11 educational grants to attend GMHA Camp - based on financial need and volunteer engagement in the horse community.
• We had 15 Young Rider applications to the USEA Emerging Athletes 21 program (EA21) - 5 Area 1 Riders were selected to train at the regional clinics in July. Two Area 1 Young Riders were selected to attend the national EA21 camp to be held in Florida in January.
• At the USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships held at The Tryon International 3-Day Event in November, we were represented by one Area 1 Young Rider in the 3-Star Championship division.

What do we imagine for 2023? That is a question that I definitely ask of myself, but right now, I am asking you. What do you imagine for the Young Rider Program for 2023. This is a critical USEA program if we take that mission seriously. We are helping to build the riders, trainers, volunteers, managers, owners, organizers, land stewards and US Team members of the future.

I have had lengthy conversations over the past 2 years as Young Rider Coordinator with people in all areas of this sport. What I hear over and over again is that the Young Rider Program has a reputation for focusing on programs (Championships) that only rich kids on wildly expensive horses can participate in. I get it. I hear you. And I don't disagree. I've been working with that in mind for the past 2 years. But how do we bust out of that mold and recreate a program that, in fact, succeeds in the mission we are charged with - and succeeds in that mission for all members at all levels? I need the help of my fellow Area 1 members to answer that question. Aaaaand, just as importantly, I need the help of my fellow Area 1 members to implement the program that we, together, imagine. 

So here is your call to action. 

1. Please contact me with your thoughts and ideas. I want to hear from you! 
2. I would like to organize a financial advisory group of sorts. A group of savvy individuals who can develop fund-raising strategies to underwrite our programs so they can be available to all and/or to make grants available for Young Riders who need financial support to participate in our programs. Do you have expertise and interest? Please contact me.
3. We are already envisioning a broader variety of clinics and camps for the coming year. Do you or your farm have interest in running a Young Rider mounted or unmounted clinic? Please contact me.
4. Do you like to work with spreadsheets and scores?? We are looking for someone to be the manager of our 2023 YR Virtual Team Challenge. Maybe its you! Please contact me.

And before I close, I want to remind all Area 1 members that the Young Rider program is open to all members up to the age of 25. But you must join by filling out your membership information with the USEA and pay the program fee of $50/year if you are at the Modified Level or below, or $75 if you are at the Preliminary Level or above. Make sure you join, and if you have been a member, make sure you renew for the 2023 year! See you soon!

Melanie Loschiavo, Area 1 Young Rider Coordinator

802-279-6228

melanie.loschiavo@gmail.com. 

Melanie Loschiavo has been eventing in Area 1 since 1975 - as a rider through the Preliminary level, and as a mom of a 4* rider. A Pony Club B graduate, she has worked for many years with youth equestrians in various roles in US Pony Club and the USEA. She is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and owns her own virtual nutrition consulting business. 

Photo Credit Melanie Loschiavo

Craft Corner: Making a Ribbon Wreath

by Jen Clapp

Too cold and dark to ride? Why not take some time to take all those pretty ribbons you won this year and make yourself a beautiful ribbon wreath? It’s a great way to preserve your achievements and celebrate the season at the same time.

What you’ll need:

• A styrofoam wreath form(available at any craft store/online)
• Around 14+/- ribbons
• A box of straight/dressmaker pins, 1 ¼” or 1 ½”
• A thimble
• Scissors
• Possibly an iron

Process:

• Take a look at the ribbons you are planning to use to develop a design. I’ve done mixed colors, seasonal colors(red and green, anyone? Purple, pink, and green for spring?), and solid colors. If you want to have some full ribbons, either on the top or bottom, choose two or three ribbons to use in this way, iron the streamers if necessary, and set them aside.
• Once you’ve figured out your design, cut the streamers off the rosettes. Use the streamers to wrap the wreath form, overlapping the ends and using the straight pins to attach the ribbons. This gives a colored background to the wreath so the form doesn’t show through.
• If you are using complete ribbons at the top or bottom, start by attaching them. Bend the ribbon hooks over the wreath form and use two or three pins on each side to secure each rosette. I like to pin them in the ruffles just over the edge of the cardboard backing - the pins are almost invisible.
• Then, attach the rest of the rosettes in your desired pattern, shifting which direction you hook the ribbons as you work around the circle. The nice thing about using pins is that it’s easy to start over if something looks wonky!

Give it a try and share your work with other Area 1 riders on our Facebook page! Feel free to email me with any questions at jclapp@hotmail.com

Adult Rider News

As the weather cools and snow is on the horizon, the Adult Rider Virtual Team Challenge Championship has been decided after a fierce battle throughout the competition season. The 16 teams competing have put in thousands of hours of volunteering along with countless hours of cheering on and supporting their fellow Area 1 Adult Riders as they competed at events throughout Area 1.

Without further ado, your top three teams in the Virtual Team Challenge:

First place team with 2,993.25 points is Braided Bombshells! Congratulations Alyssa Birt, Melissa S. Drye, Kate Fegan-Organ, Stephanie Jackson, Liz Kast, Audrey Perri McBride, and Emily van Gemeren

The second place team with 2858.25 points is #nailedit! Congratulations Jennifer Bagley, Gwendolyn Braglia, Corrinne Lauzé, Kim McIntyre, Ellyn Montgomery, Kate Vacca, and Lourie Yelton

Third place team with 2,803.25 points is the Pegasus Pack. Congratulations Andrea Bull Brainard, Alison Eastman-Lawler, Sharla Englerth, Andrea Flannery, Jocelyn VanBokkelen, Frankie Weeks, and Carrie Wehle.

Many of us wish the VTC fun would never end, but it will be back, along with the warm weather and the green grass, in the Spring of 2023!

Area 1 hosted two Adult Team Championship competitions this year, one at Coursebrook Farm in July and one at the Genesee Valley Riding and Driving Club in August. Here are your top three teams at each competition!

Coursebrook Farm Horse Trials - July

1 - Team Gwen's Friends AKA Hot Ladies: Corrine Lauze, Gwen Braglia, Lisa Miracle, and Rachel Laliberte

2 -Team Granite State of Mind: Donna Lapierre, James Foley, Kate Fletcher, and Mychal Beebe

3 - Waredaca Warriors - Debbie MacConnel, Julie Howard, Katy Raynor, and Melissa Alaimo

Genesee Valley Riding and Driving Club - August

1 - Team NY&PA Friends: Holly Shine, Carol Kozlowski, Gayanna Gilbraith, and Troy Wing

2 - Team Virtual Reality: Kim Crane, Catherine Fegan-Organ, Christine Brown, and Megan Bond

3 - NY&MA Friends: Carol Kozlowski, Corrinne Lauze, Kathleen Hart, Julianne Pangal

Area 1's last show of the season, Hitching Post in October, hosted The Young and The Rest Of Us team event, which consists of two Junior or Young Riders, one Adult Rider, and one optional additional competitor. Congratulations to the top three teams!

1 - Team SEAM: Melissa Alaimo, Sarah Murawski, Evelyn Murawski, and Annabelle Sprague.

2 - Team Galloping Gals: Lucy Hill, Laurie Seely, Annabelle Sprauge, and Jocelyn Van Bokkelen.

3 - Team Last Hurrah of the Season: Barbara Fitch, Anna Meretel, Gabrielle Monroe, and Nancy Read.

All ribbons and prizes will be available to pick up at the Area 1 Annual Meeting! Please phone a friend to pick up your ribbon for you if you cannot attend, as there will be a nominal charge to mail ribbons and prizes this year due to postage costs.

New for 2023 - Modified will be a new AEC Team Championship division! We have some wonderful Modified courses in Area 1, and now a fantastic chance to compete as a team at the National Championships in KY!

Please send in Living Courageously Award Nominees by December 20th. To honor the lives of Devyn Merritt Anderson and Jessica Halliday who both lost their courageous battles with cancer in 2021, we established the annual “Living Courageously” sportsmanship award.

Both ladies were active Adult Rider Program (ARP) members. They continued to support their riding friends and family no matter what life threw at them and could often be found cheering others on with a smile.

The award will be presented at the Area 1 Annual Meeting each year to an active ARP member and rider who exemplifies their spirit. The recipient will have demonstrated support of their eventing community with fairness, integrity, humility, and kindness regardless of competition results and/or what life might be throwing their way. The recipient, when not competing, can be seen giving back to the sport through volunteering, cheering on friends and generally supporting the success of others.

The winner will receive $200 towards a future USEA Area 1 sanctioned event or USEA sponsored clinic and a commemorative prize. Nominations for recipients can be sent to adultriders@area1usea.org Please include in your nomination email, who you are nominating and why you believe they should receive the award.

The selection committee will be composed of Suzanne Adams, (Area 1 Chair, Adult Rider Program Member, and adult amateur competitor), Alison Eastman-Lawler (Adult Rider Program member, Area 1 instructor, eventer, and dressage rider), Erin Keehan (Area 1 supporter, event secretary at several Area events), Jennifer Bagley (Adult Rider Program Member, Area 1 Newsletter co-creator and eventer) and Amy Winnen (Area 1 Adult Rider Program Coordinator, adult amateur competitor.)

The 2021 award winner was Katy Raynor.

If you have questions on how to become an ARP member, any comments, program ideas, or good peanut butter cookie recipes feel free to contact me at adultriders@area1usea.org 

Amy Winnen is a biotech professional residing primarily in Rochester, NY. She owns two horses: Eddie, an upper-level horse with bigger ambitions than she has, and Gia her eventing and dressage competition partner.

Waredaca Three Day Event - Two Perspectives

by Kim McIntyre and Liz Kast

Kim McIntyre:

What an incredible experience I had participating in the Waredaca Classic 3-Day Event on October 20-23 in Laytonsville, MD.

If I had to pick one word to describe what is most special to me about the experience it would be “relationships.”

Over 10 years ago I did my first C3D at GMHA, and I’ve wanted to do another one ever since! The event is run in a clinic/competition format over 4 days and includes 2 formal jog inspections, dressage in the large arena, steeplechase practice, roads and tracks and stadium.

Roads and tracks is my absolute favorite day! There are 4 parts to it. At this event Part A was a 15 minute walk, trot and canter phase, Part B was a 2 1/2 minute gallop with 5 steeplechase fences spread out along a track. Part C was a 17 minute walk, trot and canter phase and after 10 minutes in the vet box to recover, Part D was a 6 1/2 minute XC course.

Many relationships are required to complete this event and it is the relationships that make it so memorable.

First and foremost is the intimate relationship with your horse. Together you have to build a partnership to complete 4 qualifying events. Next you do routine fitness rides on top of regular practice for many months leading into the event for good preparation and recovery for you and your horse. After traveling many hours to Maryland, you rise to the challenges of the authentic classic 3-day format. When you and your horse have completed all these challenges together, there is a feeling of gratitude and accomplishment that brings you even closer than you were before. Your horse really gives you their heart.

There are also deepened relationships with your coach and the team of friends who join the quest to qualify and make the trip with you. Another key player is the friend who supports you as your groom and manages the vet box. You cannot do it without them and the relationship with your Team makes this event so very special.

Through the years I have gotten to know many riders in New England. Area 1 was so well represented that we filled a whole barn! The camaraderie among Area 1 riders was a welcome addition to the week-long adventure

and I look forward to getting to know them even better back home in Area 1 next season.

Thanks to everyone who made this dream possible and shared in the adventure!

Special thanks to Waredaca Farm, for keeping the Classic 3 Day format alive as one of the 10 remaining locations in the country that hosts such an event. I hope to return one day.

Liz Kast:

I had been leasing “So Much to Offer” (Maeve) since 2020, and this year was my final year with her. After attending the normal horse trial at Waredaca in 2021, and watching endurance day, I was intrigued and set it as my goal for the end of my time with Maeve. With neither of us being naturally fit types, I knew it would be a lot of work even to have a good run at novice level, and we really started laying the groundwork early in 2022. We achieved our MERs early in the season, and were able to spend most the summer focusing on what we needed – fitness in the form of trot and canter sets and lots of two-point for me. The time spent building that fitness was valuable, not just to make us physically tougher, but mentally as well, and learn to push safely past our comfort zones.

With horses being horses, we had ups and downs all season, but finally found ourselves pulling into Waredaca. Two things from that weekend stand out: the people and endurance day. First, everyone involved in the event really wants you to succeed, from the organizers, to the officials, to the clinicians. They know most of us have never done a proper classic long format, and wants us to be comfortable with what’s coming. They balanced education with making the whole event feel special for us. Also, eventers in general are a pretty friendly bunch, but the camaraderie from my fellow competitors blew me away, especially in our Area 1 tent. It was awesome to spend time with people I usually see in passing at events, and cheer everyone on. 

As far as riding, endurance day was by far one of the coolest things I’ve done on horseback to far. I had an amazing pit crew in Maeve’s owner Sorcha, and my coach Stephie Baer. I had a plan for my minute markers the entire day, and learned to use my watch so much more than I ever have in a typical horse trial. I noticed I was more aware of pace and how she felt, knowing there was still more ahead of us the next day. Especially because Maeve and I had to work so hard at the fitness, going up the last hill with lots in the tank to the last three fences on Phase D was an incredible feeling. We finished show jump the next day with one rail, my fault, and I didn’t stop smiling for about a week. I am so happy I set this goal, and I walked away learning so much about fitness and preparation that I look forward to applying to my young horse. 

Photo Credits Kim McIntyre and Sorcha Martin

Area I Winners at the USEA Annual National Meeting!

by Suzanne Adams



Area 1 has much to be proud of and we are an incredible group of dedicated, passionate and energetic eventers who make an impact on the Area and National level. As the USEA Annual Meeting concludes, please congratulate those members recognized for various achievements this year!

Susan Anderson Berrill winner of the Cornerstone Instructor's Award - The Cornerstone Instructor’s Award recognizes instructors for their dedication to the fundamentals of educating well-rounded eventers.

John Bourgoin was the recipient of the Mike Huber Award for his work with the Young Rider Program.

Alison Eastman-Lawler was awarded the USEA Eventing Coaches Program Certification Grant to continue pursuing her education as an instructor and official.

Mikki Kuchta won the Preliminary Three Day Sweepstakes.

Cassie Sanger was the USEA Young Rider of the Year.

What a great group of Area 1 Eventers. Please raise a glass in their honor or congratulate them for a year well done.

Photo Credit Suzanne Adams