MAY 2001 NEWSLETTER

FROM THE SADDLE OF THE PRESIDENT

Well, we left April and are into May already. April was a good month for club events - on the 19th we had an interesting speaker, Dr. Ella Bittel (Chiropractor for Horses). We all enjoyed the demonstration on Bingo, Kim Gahan's horse, and learned a lot of information for our own horses. Thank you Marilyn Simandle for inviting Dr. Ella Bittel.

April 22nd, the club had a beautiful ride on the Chamberlin Ranch. Thank you Kim for a great ride! I'm concerned about general membership attendance - it is low and I would like some ideas and input from you on how to increase the attendance. Let me know. It takes a lot of work to get speakers and prepare for meetings and we need your support. Our next general membership meeting is June 15th and will be at the former Westerly Training Center - now Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, owned by Tom and Debi Stull.

We will have wine and cheese to start, then tour the grounds and they will inform us about their racing and breeding program. The evening will end with dessert. More details in the June newsletter - so mark your calendars. . Mike

THE CHAMBERLIN RANCH RIDE

Thanks Helen Heyden for the beautiful April ride on the Chamberlin Ranch. The weather was perfect and about 20 riders enjoyed a gorgeous day. Wildflowers were abundant and the roads and green hills were enjoyed by all! We are so privileged to have the opportunity to ride these various ranches, thanks to so many of our membership. Everyone should take advantage to ride whenever possible and don't forget to personally thank those who make it possible. Thanks, Kim for putting the ride together.

NOTE: Our next ride(s) will take place at the Memorial Day Campout May 25-28th. This campout will take place at the San Lucas Ranch (we all know what great riding this affords!). Mark your calendars and call Kim Gahan for further information and sign-ups. Her number is 688-4770.

"MULE TRIVIA"

By Joe Scales It is springtime and weed eating becomes a full time job for me. But Mike just called me to tell me to leave the weeds go and start typing this month's Mule Trivia. And this month's question is a follow up on something that I mentioned last month. Why are mules so well known for their hard an accurate kicking ability?

The fact that they can kick hard is the easy part to explain. They simply have very strong muscles in their rear legs. This not only allows them to kick hard but also makes them very good pack animals because they can carry much more weight than a horse. And they can carry it for a longer distance. They can also jump much better than a horse due to their leg muscles. In fact, from a dead stop they can jump higher than their withers.

This is displayed at Bishop in a contest called "Coon Jumping" in which the mule jumps flat footed over a bar which is raised higher and higher until the last one wins. But why do mules kick so accurate?

This talent has to do with the mule's eyes. Mule's eyes are set in their skull differently than a horse. Not enough to be detected by the normal human eye, but enough to make a very big difference to the mules. The offset is said to be about one eighth of an inch. The result is that a mule can see both to the rear as well as downward. This eliminates most of the blind spots normally associated with a horse. As a result the mule will almost always hit what he intends to kick. If he kicks at you and misses you can be assured that it was just a warning.

This also means that you cannot sneak up on a mule from behind and startle him like you can a horse. The mule will see you coming. And it also means that a mule can see his or her own feet. This makes them excellent pack and trail animals because they know where they are placing their feet al all times. That is one reason they are so surefooted. Sure, you've seen a mule stumble before. But that's because they just were not paying attention. Just like you and me, we stumble even though we can see pretty well.

Next month when this article is due, I hope to be camping at Bishop so you will most likely not hear from me. When I come back, remind me that my next article will be about "The Games Mules Play." Until then, let me hear from you. -JOE

Parade Season is Here

June 9th Santa Ynez Days

July 4th Solvang 4th of July

August Santa Barbara Fiesta

September 24th Los Alamos Days

October 20th Los Olivos Day in the Country

December 1st Solvang - Christmas

QUESTIONS: CALL DONNA JOYCE 686-4291

NOTE that the next parade is June 9th - "OLD SANTA YNEZ DAYS."

Donna, our capable Parade Chairperson, tells us, "we will be wearing cowboy wear - I'm thinking maybe of using the blue Calvary shirts that were given to the club." For more info and if interested in joining the parade group, please call Donna Joyce at 686-4291 or Tom Eyestone at 688-7402.

For those of you that missed the last general membership meeting, the evening with Ella Bittel, Veterinarian and Chiropractor, was extremely interesting and educational. Did you know a bad back can cause diarrhea? How do you know if your horse has a headache? Many lame horses have been cured by a back adjustment. She demonstrated on Kim's pet, "Bingo," (and he was on very good behavior!). We all had a wonderful evening. Thank you, Ella!!

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND…..

Marilyn is again arranging for DEAN VOIGHT to hold his Pat Parelli Partnership Clinic. This was such a successful event - those that attended learned so much - it is believed that doing it again would be a GREAT idea!! Mr. Voight teaches us how to get our horses to do what we want using their needs for safety, comfort and play, and teach our horses to respect us through seven games they play. On June 23rd and 24th, a Reviewing of Level I will be given at Mike and Vicki Kappmeyers beginning at 9:00 a.m. each morning. The cost is $200.00 if paid by June 1st - $250.00 after June 1st. Observers charge is $25.00 per day or $40.00 for both days. There is a limit of 20 horses and owners with each rider allowed 1 free guest to observe. Don't miss this opportunity. Call Marilyn Simandle at 686-1000 to reserve your space or if you have any questions.

Message from Tom Eyestone - Treasurer

04/26/01 BALANCE IN CHECKING ACCOUNT: $1,104.32

BALANCE IN SAVINGS ACCOUNT: 521.51

CD SAVINGS: 1,917.20

TOTAL DOLLARS IN OUR WAR CHEST: $3,343.03

Thanks to the generosity of Marilyn Simandle and Pam Stableford, our group was able to contribute $450.00 towards the fence supplies we used at Anker Johnson's "Ballard Fields Farm." At tip of the hat to you both!

OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR YEAR 2001 President Mike Kappmeyer 688-0524 Vice President Marilyn Simandle 686-1000 Secretary Vicki Kappmeyer 688-0524 Treasurer Tom Eyestone 688-7402 Cell Phone 680-0809 Past President Irene Cunningham 688-2741 Work 688-9947 Board Ted Deck 683-4832 Kim Gahan 688-4770 Donna Joyce 686-4291 Pam Stableford 688-2306 David Rosenthal Cell Phone 714-8444 2001 COMMITTEE

CHAIRPERSONS Historian Marsha Griggs 688-3935 Hospitality Tori Griggs 688-3935 Insurance Tom Eyestone 688-7402 Membership Irene Cunningham 688-2741 Newsletter Leslie Gillies 688-2885 Parades Donna Joyce 686-4291 Publicity Mike Mellon 688-7989 Trail Rides Leon Reginatto 686-1126 Kim Gahan 688-4770 Cindy D'Alfonso 686-1332 Ed Rodriquez 688-0679

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Date Event Time Location 05/10/01 Board Meeting 6:30 p.m. Mike Kappmeyer's *Members always welcomed 05/25-28/01 Memorial Day Campout Call Kim for information & sign-up. San Lucas Ranch 05/25/01 Newsletter Deadline* *Stuff to Leslie for following month's newsletter. 06/10/01 2nd Annual Trail Trials See attached information and entry 06/15/01 General Membership Meeting Tommy Town Thoroughbreds 06/23-24/01 Pat Parelli Clinic by Dean Voight See information in newsletter

07/21/01 Beach Ride Details in later newsletter August 2001 Ride at Live Oak Details in later newsletter 09/02/01 Moonlight Ride Anker Johnson's (details later) 09/07-09/01 Rancho Oso Campout Details in later newsletter October 2001 To be announced 11/17 or 18/01 Shannon Ranch Details in later newsletter QUESTIONS: CALL KIM GAHAN 688-4770

The Annual Cuyama Valley Poker Ride will be held Sat May 19th at 9 am, in scenic Cottonwood Canyon this year (HWY 166 to Cottonwood Canyon Road, 43 miles east of Santa Maria, 12 miles west of New Cuyama; follow the signs up Cottonwood Canyon Road). The S-mile route across privately-owned lands features creek crossings*, wildflowers, Chumash Indian village sites, historical gravesites, original homesteads and spectacular views of the Sierra Madre and Caliente Ranges. The Poker Ride is sponsored by the Exchange Club of Cuyama Valley for Youth Recreation. $200/$100/$50 Cash Prizes to the 3 top 5-Card Stud poker hands. $25/rider includes Chicken BBQ Lunch. Overnight Camping, horseshoes, volleyball, BBQ and live entertainment follow the ride, $20 adults, $15 kid under 12. All proceeds are contributed to New Cuyama's Elks Rodeo Queen Candidate.

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