Hello everyone!

Well we are back into classes, we have new horses and new Volunteers!  Come see us, we serve snacks!

As always,

Yvonne Anderson

403-254-4184

Welcome back to Hoofbeats and Heartbeats.

I would like to introduce you to another instructor. Chris Speck is a semi-retired instructor who started with Opening Gaits in 2001. She became NARHA certified in June 2004. Chris lives part of the year in the U.S. but when she is around she helps Donna Davey with the Wednesday morning classes. Her expertise is always welcome as she was a R.N and has traveled the world. She stays in touch with Donna all year and she guides, suggests or confirms methods that benefit both the students and the horses.

In Memoriam Natasha Joy Sabo

There are tears of sadness as we also say goodbye to one of our riders, Natasha Joy Sabo. Natasha was very special and she was Mom and Dad’s world from October 1995 to April 2007. Now she is in Heaven, taking care of her family and the rest of the world. To us she will always be sitting on top of Smokey, with a big smile on her face and that is how she will be remembered by everyone at Opening Gaits. She came to earth to teach us about unconditional love, kindness and what giving was all about.

Smokey knew exactly what Natasha was all about and he made her his world on the days that she rode. He gently took care of her and he always knew when she needed a rest. Smokey is going home to spend his remaining time on earth in a green pasture with the sun shining on his face. Two old friends are going home. All of us at Opening Gaits have Natasha and her family in our hearts and prayers.

Remembering Jazz

Sometimes the world will bring something special into our lives and cause us to smile. Jazz, one of the program horses, passed away last November. Jazz, donated by Marilyn, loved life to the fullest and he did it with pride and gentleness. He was adored by volunteers, riders and anyone else who came into his world. Marilyn and Jazz grew up together and they spent many hours together like old friends do. All of us at Opening Gaits will be thinking of Marilyn and Jazz as he will be missed.

Edmonton Sherriff’s Posse rides along with Opening Gaits!!!

Once again the plucky men of the North were brave enough to arrive in Calgary in time for the 2007 Stampede. As usual they are being very generous to Opening Gaits. We are a regular on their travels and their donation every year is greatly appreciated and put to good use.

Thanks to the Edmonton Sheriffs Posse.

Representing Opening Gaits are Howard Nelson, Rohit and his father Digant.

New Lift

We have great news about our custom lift that we were able to purchase thanks to the Kinsmen Club of Calgary. They were very generous and this allowed us to buy a first class lift that is required as some of our students who are growing up fast and getting too big to be lifted. Rick Maidman installed the lift this summer and students are getting used to using it. As soon as possible pictures will be available.

Many organizations have been generous this past year with donations to Opening Gaits.

Igallop

This summer Opening Gaits became the proud owners of an IGallop, thanks to the AEF. What’s an IGallop? My question exactly. So, I googled IGallop and found out it’s a wonderful exercise machine that the riders can borrow to work on their core balance.

Your body responds to multi-directional movement to maintain balance. In other-words the seat moves which engages muscle groups in the abs, back, hips, seat and legs. It helps improve balance, posture and coordination. It changes speeds at random intervals.
Sounds like something we all should try.

The Masters

Early in September Spruce Meadows, a world class riding facility in Calgary, held “The Masters” which included the $40,000.00 Cana Cup. BMO donated the use of their skybox at Spruce Meadows on September 6 for an event that was planned by Carol Buckwold. This is the second year that Carol has organized this event to benefit Opening Gaits. Ticket holders were treated with meeting Anky van Grunsven, the world’s #1 dressage rider, who did a demonstration. Also, Mika took those interested for a “course walk”. Seeing the jumps up close gives one a whole new appreciation for the sport of jumping. At 3:00pm the Cana Cup began with 30 riders competing for their share of $40,000.00.

Many thanks to BMO and Carol.

Owen and Tiffany were in attendance representing Opening Gaits riders at the Spruce Meadows BMO skybox.

Carol Buckwold, Don Chalmers, Rick Maidman, Donna Davey, Howard Nelson and of course our kids Owen and Tiffany.

We also received a very wonderful donation from the Calgary Regional Trail Riders Club which is a non-profit group. The group provides members with day rides, campouts, clinics and they ride in parades during the year. The Club holds casino’s to benefit programs like ours.

On October 20, 2007 GreenBriar Stables hosted a silent/live auction to benefit Opening Gaits. The auction was combined with a bake sale, and wine and cheese. Great fun was had by all and over $15,000.00 was raised. Thanks very much to Ron & Better Francis who own GreenBriar and their manager Brandii. Also thanks to Yvonne and Marina who worked hard setting up the auction. I understand that they had a trick rider to entertain everyone who attended the auction.

Summer 2006

Welcome back and we hope everyone had a great summer.

Our fund raising adventures began with the Millarville Rodeo the end of May. Unfortunately, the weather did not co-operate much. Along with a booth at some Brookfield Properties buildings, other rodeos were attended and then it was on to the Stampede Bash at the Ranchmans. Everyone who attended enjoyed themselves and next year the party will be held on June 22, 2007. We did very well with the silent auction, the boot raffle and the dinner tickets. We made approximately $4,700.00. I would like to thank everyone who helped make this a success. Special thanks to Rosemary and Allen Canuel who braved the crowds selling cards on the cowboy boots. Thanks to the Alberta Boot Company who donated the boots valued at $265.00. We raised $520.00 on the boots.

OUT OF THE NORTH THEY CAME, the brave men and women of the Edmonton Sheriffs Posse to nab their man. And get him they did, in time to show him off at the Calgary Stampede Parade. For the third year in a row, they have donated $1,000.00 to Opening Gaits. Marina Irwin, Darren Matwe and I went down to Ft. Calgary before the parade and received the check from their fearless leader, Lloyd Monk. Thanks again to the Posse for their donation.

During Stampede Week, Opening Gaits volunteers did stints of selling tickets for the Kinsmen’s at the Stampede Grounds. The Kinsmen raise money for charities with their car raffles. This wonderful organization benefits many charities and Opening Gaits is one of them. They are donating up to $5,000.00 for us to purchase a lift to use at the arena. We have some students that this lift will really help and it will save some father’s backs. They also plan to provide volunteers for the Charity Rodeo. Big thanks to the Kinsmen.

The Saddle-Up raffle tickets are selling well.

Once again the prizes are:

1st prize – Wade Ranch saddle and tack sponsored by Peak Energy of Calgary
Supplied by West World in Carstairs

2nd prize – His and Her Ping Golf Clubs and round of golf sponsored by Rockford
Developments of Calgary and Heritage Pointe Golf Club

3rd prize – Chain Saw package sponsored by Calmont Truck Rental, Leasing and
Service of Calgary. Supplied by Millarville Power Products.

We sold raffle tickets at the High River, Airdrie, Okotoks and Strathmore Rodeos along with the Millarville Farmer’s Market and the Farmer’s Market at Currie Barracks. Hopefully, the parents will do well with the book of tickets they were sent in the mail. Kudu’s to all the parents who have taken the time to volunteer.

This delightful young lady is Shallaine Daley who volunteered to model at the Opening Gaits Raffle ticket booth at the Strathmore Rodeo.

These two handsome young gentlemen are Hugh and Evan Thomson from Perthshire UK. They were attending the Strathmore Rodeo with their parents and visited the Opening Gaits raffle ticket booth.

All this hard work will come to a peak at the Cowboy Trail Ranch Rodeo for Charities to be held at the Millarville Racetrack September 16, 2007. Thanks to our Chairman, Don Chalmers, the rodeo is well organized and teams are lining up to participate. Another board member Marina Irwin is organizing the beer garden and the dance. All in all it should be a really fun day. The raffle draws will be made at the end of the rodeo around 6:00pm.

NEW NEWS

Look for the new shopping portion on our website coming soon. T-shirts, hoodies, hats and pins will be available.

While at the Strathmore Rodeo I met a very nice woman who owns Rich Safety Restraints and we will be linking to her website. They custom build every type of harness imaginable and are made of high quality nylon. They even make harnesses for race car drivers and seat harnesses for buses just to name a few. Hopefully, this will be helpful information.
Jane Thorburn 9/5/06

May 15, 2006

WELCOME TO HOOFBEATS AND HEARTBEATS

Hoofbeats and Heartbeats is the new name of our newsletter. Berni Carter wins an Opening Gaits t-shirt for submitting the name. The Board voted at the last meeting and this name won the contest.

At the April Annual General Meeting the previous Board members were re-elected and we now have two new members. The Opening Gaits Board now has seven members and here they are:

Don Chalmers – Chairman for the second year. Don was born and raised in Millarville to a ranching family. He started riding at the age of five. His first horse was called Socks and they grew up together teaching each other about life. Don joined the rodeo circuit at a young age and it earned him a scholarship to the University of Wyoming where he graduated with a degree in education. He is now on many rodeo and cattle committees. Don is pleased to be associated with Opening Gaits as Chairman and Fund Raising Coordinator for the annual Cowboy Trail Rodeo for Charities.

Linda Gossen –is a new member although she has been on the Board in the past. She has the new position of Assistant Chairwoman. She also is going to be in charge of Special Events which will include the Volunteer Appreciation Night, etc. Linda has a Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation and is involved with many associations. She works with the Autism Association and the North Haven Sports Council. She has three children riding in the program.

Darrin Matwe – is continuing as Treasurer. Darren is a lawyer in general practice and real estate. He has been involved with Opening Gaits for the last five years and has a daughter who rides. He has two other children and is active with his son in Cubs and coaches softball.

Our Secretary is now Marin Irwin who is a new Board member. Marina is a Land Management Planning Forester with Sustainable Resources Development with Alberta Forestry. She was born and raised in Ontario and had the opportunity of working in the Czech Republic and Ireland. Her grandparents raised pintos and paint horses. She has been a camp councilor, Sunday school teacher and Brownie leader. She moved to Calgary in 2003 and in 2004 became part of Opening Gaits and is looking forward to helping on the Board.

Howard Nelson – has a daughter in the program and has been on the Board since last fall. He is taking over as Director of Marketing. He is working on the Adopt-A-Horse program and will be looking after the Shopping portion of our website when it is ready.

He is a Professional Engineer who works in the oil and gas industry. Howard’s hobbies include biking, hiking, woodworking and skiing.

Warren Wilson - is our Volunteer Coordinator and has been on the Board since last fall. He is busy learning the ropes from Yvonne. He has volunteered with the kids now for four years. He was born in Calgary and has a passion for the outdoors, horses and loves kids although he has none of his own yet. Warren has worked in the tropical plant industry for 18 years and his enjoys working in his yard and it shows.

Jane Thorburn – is our outgoing Secretary and has become very involved with fund raising events and is now Fund Raising Coordinator for events other than the Charity Rodeo. She has been a volunteer with the program for four years now. Her family came to Calgary when she was young and she learned to ride and ski right away. Her family has been involved in many facets of the horse world going back to her grandmother, who taught riding at the University of Oklahoma. Her family is still involved with horses and her grandsons are continuing the tradition. Jane has worked for many years in the oil and gas business in the accounting field. She enjoys photography and has taken many pictures of the Opening Gaits crew.

Now our instructors without whom the program could not function:

Donna Davey – wears many hats. She is the Wednesday instructor/planner/safety inspector/coach/team leader and treat lady for the horses. She joined Opening Gaits five years ago where she was made to feel very welcome. She was amazed at the interaction between the students and horses. She successfully became a NARHA instructor in June 2004. To quote Donna, “my experience with Opening Gaits has been eventful, fulfilling, stressful, educational and fun. I would not trade it for anything as I enjoy it very much.”

Tori Kaiser – is our Thursday instructor and we would like to congratulate her and her husband Matt on the birth of their daughter Vanessa Jane Kaiser who was born May 5, 2006. She was 8 pounds, 11 oz and 20 ¾ inches long. This brave lady will be coming back to teach in September with babe in hand. Tori learned to ride when she was young and was involved with Pony Club and fell in love with three phase event riding. She did her Honors Thesis on therapeutic riding and has lots of experience in the field.

Rick Maidman – is our Saturday instructor but he also pitch-hits when someone can’t make class. He has been involved with Opening Gaits for five years and he is our resident character. Rick believes that horses have their own magic and the kids love him. He is always coming up with ways to make things more interesting. He now has his class barrel racing and pole bending. Rick’s goal as an instructor is to see each rider be as independent as possible in a fun but safe environment. Rick is really into trail riding and he even met his wife while trail riding with friends. He is now involved in endurance trail riding. This is his most current horse, Princess Starbeam. Rick’s commitment to Opening Gaits is wonderful, as like everyone else he is very busy working, learning to improve his riding, attending clinics for his certification and teaching Opening Gaits classes.

And last but not least our wonderful Yvonne Anderson who is the glue that binds us together and keeps us going. Yvonne started with Opening Gaits in 2001 with her son who rides. The horse he rides is his treasure and he has become a very independent rider. Yvonne is now our administrator and she enjoys the friendships of the parents, riders and volunteers. Her greatest joy is seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of the riders and volunteers as they move around the arena. We also can’t forget her love of the snacks that the parents so kindly supply for the classes.

NEW CLASS

We are running a trial spring session for the Wednesday morning class. The riders requested an extension and it seems to be working well. We hope to expand the evening classes in the following year.

STAMPEDE BASH

There has been a change in the date of the Stampede Bash. It will be June 24, 2006 which is a Saturday.

OPENING GAITS NEWSLETTER March 21, 2006

Notice has gone out to everyone that we are having a name the Opening Gaits newsletter contest. The prize is a new Opening Gaits t-shirt.

The Annual General Meeting is being held at the Douglasdale Golf Club on April 7, 2006. We are hoping to see everyone there.

FUND RAISING

As everyone knows fund raising is a major activity of the Board of Directors.

Currently, we have the following events in place:

• We recently started the Adopt-A-Horse program that is being sent to corporations. We are hoping the program will see that the expenses for the 11 horses are covered on a yearly basis.
• June 23rd Stampede Bash at the Ranchman’s on MacLeod Trail S. This includes dinner, dance lesson and silent auction. Dancing will continue until closing time. We are looking for silent auction items. Please e-mail Jane Thorburn at bunbag@telusplanet.net to deliver auction items.
• The “Saddle Up” lottery will begin in May and we have some great prizes this year. Thanks to one of our Board members, Don Chalmers, we have a western saddle complete with bridle and saddle pad. There is also a golfing package with his and her clubs and a tee time at Heritage Pointe Golf Club along with a complete chain saw package. The lottery last year was very successful.
• Volunteers and Board members will be selling the tickets at many rodeos and other venues during the summer.
• September 16th is the day of the 2nd Annual Cowboy Trail Ranch Rodeo for Charities to be held at the Millarville Racetrack. It is not going to rain this year. There will be a barbeque and dance following the rodeo.
• Green Briar Stables is having a silent auction in October and the proceeds will go to Opening Gaits.

VOLUNTEERS

The volunteers this year have just been wonderful as usual and to show our appreciation, they are all invited to the Appreciation night at the Douglasdale Golf Course April 7, 2006. Warren Wilson, who is a new Board member, is now our volunteer coordinator.

MEDICAL INFORMATION

Submissions from the parents for this section will be gladly welcome. We would like to share resources for the benefit of the riders.

We are currently requesting permission to link our website to a company that makes braces. They are very interested in the Opening Gaits program.

PHOTO GALLERY

Pictures will be taken at events during the year and any photos will be welcome.

ART GALLERY