Dear fellow Saddlebred friends,
As many of you know, promoting Saddlebreds is a big responsibility for Saddlebred owners, trainers, and riders. Some areas of the country are better represented with ASB clubs and shows than others, and that is why I am writing to you today. Northwest Indiana and the Chicago south suburbs could benefit from a regional charter club for Saddlebreds, and I am proposing that we do just that. I have secured a domain name (nwisa.com) and have filled out the ASHA paperwork. Now, all we need to do is to have a list of interested folks to send to ASHA so we can charter officially. If you are interested, please forward your name to me via cmillsapspears@hotmail.com as soon as you can.
The goal of a charter or regional club is to promote the breed, and we can do this in a myriad ways. First, we can get classes at some of the area’s local shows, including the Porter County Expo Center shows and the Lake County Fair. With a club and members, these classes would be for points. I think initially we could have three-gaited pleasure, hunt, and western classes — it would be great to have the Shatner class and the Saddle and Bridle Hunt class to draw some riders in. I know of pleasure, hunt, and western ASBs in this area that need a place to compete.
Next, we can have booths at local events like the Lake County Fair’s Horseless Horseshow where many people come to sell tack and learn about barns and facilities in the area. We can do an event in Illinois too. I will ask the event staff where I work (in Palos Hills) to see if there is a way we can have a booth there at some point.
Finally, there is a great feeling that goes with connecting with others, and getting to meet some of you at IASPHA this May was a wonderful experience for me. I know that to those of you in Illinois, Indiana seems too far to be local, but I drive from Hobart to Palos Hills daily for work in under an hour. We can do this if we work together. Let me know if you are interested and if you are interested in leadership position. Yes, there has to be a cost for membership; I am thinking about $20 or so, but I think it is all worth it. Think of the fuel savings if you can qualify locally and then travel on to the big shows.
In Saddlebred Service,

Carey Millsap-Spears
http://www.myspace.com/simbaspears