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July 14, 2008 It looks like the 3rd times a charm!! The arena was ready and the Johnson County show in Gardner went really well, in addition to it being a gorgeous day out! Next up is the Lucky Spur Saddle Club show in Oskaloosa. They are really excited to host a show again and are offering camping the night before! I hope to see everyone up there on Saturday. I still need some helpers and I'd love to see everyone at the Dash For Cash as well, July 26th in Tongie too! Next, I know I've pushed it hard this year, but the attitude of the KSHSC shows seems to be improving!! I see a lot more smiling this year and am looking forward to every show! The majority of the 16 shows we've had so far have been absolutely fantastic, and I've heard only one other report of poor sportsmanship/attitude for the season thus far. That is VERY impressive taking into consideration how many places we've been, groups we've worked with, and people we've interacted with!! I do want to bring it to the memberships attention though, that we apparently aren't out of the 'bad-karma' woods just yet, and will need to continue our efforts to make the KSHSC a fun, learning, and competitive experience for all who participate. I received an email this morning reporting some snide comments made in the stands at the Gardner show about horses being schooled during classes and how those riders 'must think they're too good for circuit'. I'm here to say openly that while I wasn't the target of the snide comments (that I know of), that I too took part in the schooling and I certainly don't think I'm too good for our circuit!! My big red horse was a real punk in pleasure, and like quite a few competitors Saturday, I had to make sure he remembered his manners and that happened to be while I was still being judged. As a statement of my personal opinion, I do not have any issue with people who school during KSHSC classes, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do when you gotta do it. That being said, we must always be cognoscente of the rules, but while abiding them, everyone pays the same entry fee to participate and has the right to ride as they see fit. I do have a problem if a rider is disrupting other competitors with their schooling or is doing anything that could be considered 'cruel' or along those lines. From everything I saw yesterday, however, I was probably the most guilty of schooling before watching out for others, so I don't think that was an issue at all for the Johnson County Show. What I do think was an issue was the snide comments in the stands. I can't make everyone behave and I'm not going to yell at everyone to straighten up. I've learned over my 15 seasons showing KSHSC that negative attitudes only breed more negative attitudes and more rules rarely seem to solve anything to do with sportsmanship. So here's my continued challenge to ALL KSHSC MEMBERS: 1. Be the bigger horseman! Be the person who ends the negative chain. If you find yourself muttering something you wouldn't say to that persons face, STOP, THINK how they may feel, and say something POSITIVE instead! Call out anyone who's exhibiting poor sportsmanship at our shows, but do so in a positive way. Nice them to death if you have to, I'm counting on you to spread our good attitude! 2. Remember why we're at the KSHSC shows. Everyone has a different reason, but I can guarantee you that NO ONE is there to be ridiculed, put down, or otherwise belittled, nor to spend a fortune or win a million dollar trophy purse. (Except maybe my mom, my tab was the BIGGEST tab of the whole day, she wasn't as excited as I was...) You can't know why riders join us, or what things may be happening outside their horse show life, so don't judge and focus on what a great time you are having!!! We need to encourage everyone to enjoy our events, regardless of why they were drawn to our circuit. It doesn't matter if our shows are someone's practice pen, the biggest show they've ever been to, or if they are just there to witness that beautiful president I've heard so much about, we want everyone to feel welcome! 3. Keep having fun! Attitudes are contagious, good or bad, so keep KSHSC the happiest, friendliest show circuit there is! I want to close by saying THANK YOU! When I volunteered to take over the president's position, I knew it would be really challenging to change the perceived 'bad-karma' we've seemed to accumulate in the last few years. Honestly though, you have all stepped up and made the positive difference! I say it every email, but I'm so excited to go to every show and interact with the people that I probably see more than my husband! Lets keep this season reaching for new heights, I'll see you on the trail! ~ Kristin Goin KSHSC President
June 5, 2008 Again! We're going to give it another shot, the Johnson County 4H KSHSC show is rescheduled for Sunday, July 13th. The show bill will remain the same, it will still be double judged, and it will remain in Gardner. (3rd time's a charm, maybe it won't rain!!) We've got several shows coming up this weekend though and I'm sure you all are chomping at the bit since it's been 3 weeks now! We've got a show at the Topeka Expo center hosted by Shawnee County 4H Horse club. It will be held rain or shine since they've got the nice indoor and paved parking. So we'll get at least one show in no matter what the weather throws at us! On Sunday, we've got the Douglas County Trailriders double judged show just outside of Lawrence. Hopefully the weather holds out and we can get that double judged show in as well. Should the weather strike again (PLEASE sunshine, no rain!) and we have to cancel, the rain date is already tentatively set for Sunday, July 20th. Hopefully we won't have to use it! Keep those calendars marked for the KSHSC Youth Open Horse Show!! Not only is this one of the 2 sponsored KSHSC shows of the year, offering the youth a chance to earn money for scholarships, but it hosts the first round of the 4th Annual KSHSC Classic Performance Series!! Plan on attending and tell all your horse friends to join us! Again, the CPS has been restructured this year, offering more participants a shot at the prize $$! The entry fee looks big, but really you get a lot for your money. If you sign up for the whole series at the first show, it is $100 which includes 4 judges over 4 classes at 2 shows. That's 16 judgings... which breaks down to $6.25 per class. That's the cheapest jackpot I've ever been in! Another date to save is Saturday July 26th, the Da$h for Ca$h held at Leavenworth County Fair Grounds in Tonganoxie. The times are TBA, but it will be an afternoon/evening event. Even if you don't barrel race, tell your friends that do! It's held in conjunction with the NBHA and is a 4D event. Even if you're just getting started, come out an play! (My mom, Erika Tanney, even won a prize money check last year on REBEL, my pleasure palomino, so anything's possible!) Thanks for keeping KSHSC your calendars full of KSHSC. There is no excuses this weekend, we've got two shows, one indoor and one double judged and you've had the last 3 weeks to get all that 'other work' done around the house! ;-) See you at the shows!
January 2008 Hello all!! A little background is in order, so here’s my story… As a Varsity, Division I sport, we had to live up to the weight training, running, academic, and practice responsibilities that all collegiate athletes are expected to. I learned a whole new way to ride and with the help of my coaches, I earned an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championship riding Horsemanship for K-State. The next summer, I put those same multitude of training hours to work and won (on my own time) the 2004 PHBA (Palomino) World Championship Nov. Am. Western Horsemanship and Hunt Seat Equitation titles on Rebel, the same flashy palomino I’d broken out some years before. Now, it would be great if that title changed Rebel’s outlook on life, but no luck. He always has and still does suffer from what we call EPS (Excessive Personality Syndrome) that compels him to exhibit excessively social behavior most people would consider “nosey” or “attention soliciting.” He is 10 this year and we are still showing with Circuit. During my stay at K-State I also served as the Equestrian Team Captain for two years. If you ask some of those who witnessed it, it can only be described with words like passionate, enthusiastic, and perhaps fanatical… I was the one who painted my face purple and white (and my dog’s for that matter) to support my team on show day. I lead them in cheers, chants, and other energy building activities at the shows in an environment usually reserved, quiet, and less than “enthusiastic.” Some people turned up their noses, some people cheered with us, but no one will forget us! That is the type of enthusiasm I hope to bring back to KSHSC. I have FUN at horse shows! I think everyone else should as well! Yes, we are all competitive, but there is nothing in the rule book that says we have to be so with a vengeance. We can focus, compete, win, and still laugh and have a good time with our fellow class entrants when the judge’s card heads to the announcers stand. My motto: Believe me, if I can convince a Varsity collegiate Head Coach that I NEED to take my purple painted dog on the team bus all the way to the Nationals in Tennessee to keep up morale, we should have no problem pumping some fun into our weekends together! I look enthusiastically forward to our season ahead. This year, let’s put the sportsmanship back in our Circuit. Let’s put the fun back in our weekends. And most of all lets enjoy the time we have with our horses, friends, family, and all those people we have the potential of impacting in a positive way! See you on the trail! Kristin Goin
November 5, 2007 To All KSHSC Members, The year 2007 is coming to an end and that means it is time for our annual “Business Meeting and Awards Banquet.” This year the meeting and banquet will be held at the Spring Hill Community Center, located at 613 South Race, Springhill, KS 66083, on December 2nd. This is the same facility where we held the Spring Kickoff Potluck. Take 169 Hwy to 215th St and go east. Cross Webster and turn right on Race St which dead-ends at the Spring Hill Community Center. The Business meeting will begin promptly at 12 noon followed by the Awards Banquet which will begin at the conclusion of the business meeting or about 2:00 pm. KSHSC will pay for half of the meal for members making the cost to members $5, and $10 for guests. This is a great deal, and the food is wonderful. The same caterer we had last year will be catering for us again this year. The menu includes Brisket, Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Alfredo, Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Green Beans, Assorted Pies, Rolls and Drinks. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so complete the reservation form at the end of this newsletter and return it, prepaid, ASAP, but no later than November 24. The Business Meeting is VERY IMPORTANT. The purpose of the business meeting is to elect new officers for the coming year, and to vote on proposed rule changes. Without officers and rules there will be no Circuit. I was very disappointed in the low number of people who showed up for the rules proposal meeting. There is an old saying that goes something like this, “if you complain”. don’t vote, don’t So, if you didn’t come to the rules proposal meeting, don’t complain about the rules. If you want them changed come to the next meeting, NEXT YEAR. There will be several offices up for election this year. The two-year positions include: President, Secretary/Treasurer, Youth Director-two, Awards Committee, and Member at Large. All rules committee position are up, and they are one-year commitments, as well as rule book committee and chair. We must fill positions at this meeting. Please, please think about a position and become involved. The Circuit doesn’t run by itself and without people to take over these positions, it won’t continue to be solvent. Following is a quote from JFK from January 20, 1961, and is a part of his inaugural address that will live in infamy -- “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” You might wonder why I would include this and think what relevance is it to Circuit. Well, think about it, change Americans to Circuit Members. I know that there are people who come to almost all of the shows, members in good standing, but they don’t volunteer, and they don’t help out. They come and show, which is what they want to do. That’s not so bad, I guess. But, what happens when the people who always volunteer get tired and say “no more”. There won’t be any Circuit, there won’t be any Year End Awards without YOU stepping forward and taking responsibility. The business meeting can be long and boring, so I urge you to come prepared to volunteer for an office. I don’t want to hear “DECLINE”. I really think the KSHSC is a great organization, but it has problems, like any organization. One person cannot fix them, it takes the organization as a whole to jump in and say “how can I make this better, what can I do to resolve this issue”. I would like to personally thank all of those who volunteered and held offices during my presidency. I know it is not easy, and that you do have real lives beyond circuit. I know how much time it took, time that you could have spent doing things for yourself or your family. Thank You In closing, “Any fool can criticize, condemn, & complain and most fools do.” Benjamin Franklin Nancy Richardson
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