Roll Call- PVDA Ride For Life- who's riding, spectating, volunteering?

[baylady7]

I will be there on Saturday afternoon/evening in a volunteer capacity- trying to convince my SO to come too (it's so much fun volunteering together- he has the coolest questions, being a non-horseman!!!).

Who is is going to be there and when???

[CapitolDesign]

Marketing Chair this year and smartly leaving the horses at home this time around.

Look for me on Friday/Saturday... I will be the one smiling, crying or both. :sadsmile:

Don't forget to get Gala tickets and sign up for the Debbie McDonald fireside chat on Saturday!

[TMPF]

We are coming in with 7 horses come have a cosmo with us before the gala in barn W2! Cosmo's are pink so they should be the offical drink!!:lol:

[dressagediosa]

Just got the call - I'll be riding in the Dancing Horse Challenge! Yay! Of course, it'll be on my Clairvoya who will be coming off a good few days off post-Gladstone, on a Kur I'll probably have never practiced, and that wasn't made for this horse... but whatever! We'll have fun! :)

[YankeeLawyer]

I will be there Saturday evening.

[srg]

I'll be there riding EARLY Saturday morning, fairly early Sunday morning, and scoring the rides for the Dancing Horse Challege.

I am also chairing the most awesome Silent Auction that will close after the Dancing Horse Challenge concludes on Saturday night. Lots of great stuff in the Silent Auction this year--how about your choice of a County saddle made for you and your horse, tickets to a sold out Jimmy Buffet concert, or a 24k gold and lapis beaded necklace made by the famous goldsmith, Doug Zaruba? Would you like to bid on a spot in a Betsy Steiner retreat, an array of magnificent original artwork, or a lesson with one of the many internationally competing dressage clinicians who have donated their services to our efforts?

So, far, we have almost 150 items in the Silent Auction and we hope to best the $10,000 we raised last year for the Johns Hopkins Breast Center. Check out what we have here with more things being added daily:

http://www.pvdarideforlife.org/dhc_auction.asp

[freestyle2music]

I will be there also :cool:

[Sabovee]

I'm riding one of my Cheval Canadiens on Sat and Sunday :) Suppose to be hooooot.

[webbcutey]

I'll be a ring steward on Sunday.

[TLH]

Coming in from NC, a couple of us will be there Thurs. the rest on Friday. Can't wait to see everyone! TMPF, might take you up on that cosmo. We will be in W-3 if anyone cares for a margarita...
Tanya

[ctanner]

I'll be there!Come by and see me.

[TMPF]

Well, maybe we just need to have a barn party. We were in Raliegh for the CDI a few weeks back and saw your Tee Shirts... You had me scratching my head for a few seconds. I thought some one had used the name for another show. LOL

[BigBayBoy]

I'll be there - Competing, spectating, probably helping out, and shopping!

I think it's supposed to be a fairly dry weekend too. YAY... No dodging mud puddles!

Cosmos? Margaritas? Can we have something for the early morning competitors? ;)

[NCdressage]

TLH and I are apart of the NC Caravan for the Cure (our little team name that TLH came up with last year). We've got a whole bunch of crazy NC's coming up to party and ride a little bit. So any one that was to stop by we are in W3 barn and are easy to spot with our t-shirts and pink bracelets.

Way to go Ride for Life for doing the horse event of our year!

[CapitolDesign]

You all are making me so excited for Friday!!!

[oppsie2]

riding, chairing one of the many committees and having a great time at all the parties that are happening this weekend!

this is "THE" show to be at this weekend in the Mid-Atlantic Region! :winkgrin::winkgrin::winkgrin::winkgrin::winkgrin:

[AppendixQHLover]

I forgot to register before the closing date so no riding this year for me. We will make our debut next year in Training level.

[baylady7]

Appendix-

Too bad, as there is a breed award for high scoring stock horse (QH, Appy, Paint) in Open, JR and Amateur. It is in honor of Susan Sweet who loved her QH's. Maybe next year!!!

[Sabovee]

So... how'd everybody do on day one?

Have to say, the volunteers this year have been excellent! THANKS GUYS! :)

[freestyle2music]

So... how'd everybody do on day one?

Have to say, the volunteers this year have been excellent! THANKS GUYS! :)

I can only say that I hope that my cliënts did a good job at the Ride for Life Freestyle to Music, yesterday !

[DennisM]

Very entertaining performances at the Dancing Horse Challenge last evening and the PVDA Ride for Life show. Lots of PINK was worn by the competitors. I'll be interested to hear what the total attendance was. But, for a non-international or national championship dressage event in the US, it was very well attended.

Top 3 results got cash prizes. (Please pardon my possibly-inventive spelling of horse names; they weren't listed in the program.):
1. Belinda Nairn-Wertman on Florianus II (newly-imported Westfalen, now at Iron Spring Farm)
2. Courtney King-Dye on Grandioso
3. Jennifer Sirrine on Woody Allen

Others competing:
Felicitas Von Neumann-Cosel on [Spanish horse whose announced name has defeated me]
Lauren Sprieser on Clarvoya
Jules Anderson on Melessande

There also was a great pas de deux by Rebecca Langwost-Barlow (on Monty) and Jaralyn Gibson-Finn (on Darius), and

an entertaining and touching dressage/ballet performance by Barbara Strawson (on Degas) and 4 members of the Hope Garden Ballet from Poolesville, MD

[freestyle2music]

Thanks for the update :

I heard from Belinda that she was very thrilled winning the blue ribbon.

Last wednesday we were still working on the choreography and the music, so this couple must have done a tremendous job in a very short time.

Florianus 2 is a breeding stallion which was bought from Karin Rehbein some months ago by ISF. Since Belinda trained with the Rehbeins for some years she must still have that Rehbein feeling :D

Theo

[oppsie2]

I am so tired! Got there early on Friday, set up horse, set up booth and then schooled big sissy boy.

Got up early Saturday, took care of horse, got booth opened and my volunteers ready to work, got to participate in the Fireside Chat with Debbie McDonald (she is wonderful & answered all my/our questions with such grace) and then schooled big sissy boy, final wash & braiding for my Sunday ride. Came back to the building, hoped I had time to shower & get ready for the Gala - nope, had to do a 'ho bath in the sink. Debbie McDonald walked in on me rinsing off in my dress pants & sports bra:eek::D:cool::lol::lol::lol: She said she had been doing that for years :lol: Anyway, had to do some running, taking care of stuff, made sure my volunteers knew their job(s), had to make sure they were fed and I finally got to sit with a friend and eat dinner and have a glass (or two or three) of delicious Woodhall Wine (Woodhall Wine Cellar - thanks Al Copp www.woodhallwinecellars.com). I had to find out who they were it was sooooo good. Got to sleep around 12:30am.

Woke up at 5am Sunday, fed horse, got dressed & started schooling him for his two early classes. Sigh, we didn't do as well as I hoped - BUT WE DID IT!!! I rode, managed to pull a 58+ in my first ever recognized competition!
The had to take care of big silly horse, pack up R4L stuff, pack up horse and go home to my family. My 6 yr old son made a banner for me... it is a picture of a lady pushing her horse into the trailer and says "Welcome Home Mommy, Good Job!":D Isn't that awesome?!?!?!


I won a few things at the silent auction, bought a couple of things from the spectacular vendors, the photographer got awesome pix of us(even though our rides were not soooo) and because of the $$ I brought in, got a great ribbon and some incredible rider donation gifts!!!!

PVDA did another spectacular job. Between the folks who put together the benifit side, the Dancing Horse exhibition (which brought us all to tears) - Barbara Strawson is such a lovely rider (and person) and the choreography between her and the Ballet Troupe was stunning and flawless. The show manager did a GREAT job. The food was DELICIOUS at the Gala... there are so many people to pat on the back. The JHU volunteers who have dealt with Breast Cancer were working side by side heaving boxes, talking to spectaors.... it is overwhelming and emotional and heartwarming. I feel incredibly blessed to be allowed to work with such amazing people.

Now back to the real life... but a weekend like this puts life into great perspective......


PS - TH - you looked STUNNING in your gown. Was that your daughter with you?? If so, I am sorry I didn't get to meet her and tell her what an inspirational Mommy she has. God Bless you and your entire Caravan. You all are a Hoot! Wish I could have had a few pink drinks, but that wine was calling my name :winkgrin:

[TLH]

What a FABULOUS show, I am still on a cloud! Words will never express how wonderful this experience was. Everyone works so hard to put on this show, the efforts of those involved with the Ride for Life is beyond amazing and so inspiring. Debbie McDonald was so very gracious and a lot of fun! I want to be just like her when(if) I grow up!!!
We really had such a fabulous time at the Gala and Dancing Horse Challenge.
dressagediosa, you and your horse are lovely, lovely, lovely. The pink was fantastic!
srg, my daughter won the teddy bear in the silent auction and was just thrilled.
oppsie, that is my daughter...MY greatest inspiration. She was such a trooper this weekend. Everyone I saw at the Gala looked stunning, but thank you for the complement! I was also excited about my 55+ score at 1st level. I really had no business riding that test, but am blessed with a horse that has a pretty good sense of humor most of the time.
Can't wait until next year!

[baylady7]

TLH- your daughter was such a hoot. I ended up working the auction and she was just sooooo excited she won that bear!!!

[CapitolDesign]

Support breast cancer research and the PVDA Ride for Life!

Buy tickets to:
Clinton Anderson's
Wahl Walkabout Tour stop (http://www.downunderhorsemanship.com/)
at the Prince George's Equestrian Center
on July 11-12

ALL $25 goes to the PVDA Ride for Life (http://www.pvdarideforlife.org), annual charity horse show to benefit the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center.

Charity tickets, $25/person.
Contact Hilary Moore at 703-400-9108 or marketing@pvdarideforlife.org

[EquiChord]

We are truly overwhelmed by the responses to the Dancing Horse Challenge. It has been a year of challenges; however, our fearless leader, Barb Strawson, carried us through. Not only is she a great rider, but a fabulous supporter. We had a wonderful time doing the Artistic Direction of the show as well as the Freestyle music for the Pas de Deux and the choreography and music for the Tribute. To correct an earlier thread, the dancers were from the Bowen McCauley Dance from the DC area. They are a professional troupe and worth seeing. The dancers LOVED working with the horses, and made this old, worn out dancer's vision a reality. Fran Ichijo from Hope Garden Ballet of Poolesville, worked with us on the dancer's choreography as well as providing the costumes and so much more. These riders and dancers were an absolute dream to work with. This is the second year we have worked on the Tribute, and it gets better and better every year!

Thank you to everyone! Keep up the support.