  | Volume XII, Issue 1 January 2003 | Last Update Jan 21, 2020 |
A New Year's Message from the President
Guys and Gals,
Despite the vacancies, the Board has been very busy since elections. The budget proposal for 2003 was approved for submission to the members and was presented at the December General Membership meeting. Because the Board values an informed and involved membership, a special mailing was produced to keep everyone abreast of the 2003 budget proposal. Please take a few moments during your Holiday The Board is fully engaged in the Association's work and remains committed to producing the best Hoedown and Stampede celebrations possible. Make one of your New Year's resolutions to help ASGRA though a personal commitment to share more of your talent and energy with us in the coming months. Again, my very best wishes in the New Year! Gaither Pennington, President "Have old memories but young hopes."
Greetings all!Another year is underway and there is much to be done. We have several events scheduled for this year and you can be part of the fun and planning. Ever wanted to be in the parade, not just watching and cheering from the sidewalk? Consider being part of the ASGRA contingent in one of the many Pride Parades this year. Also coming in June…Hoedown! is scheduled for June 14th at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Tickets will be on sale soon. But long before the party can happen, we need help in setting up, advertising, etc. (Contact J.R. Key for more information on all of these events.) The January General Membership and Budget Meeting will be held on Sunday January 26th. We are meeting in the upstairs of Mr. Henry's. Meeting time 4:00pm. We have the room reserved beginning at 3:30pm, so come and get a seat and a beverage so we can start on time.
Have you been to the web page lately? Cowboy Frank has been working hard at keeping it updated with all the goings-on within ASGRA and IGRA. One of the newest additions is in the membership section. Not only can you renew your membership online, but now your friends can join online as well (with a credit card). A reminder of your current ASGRA member benefits:
As your Membership Chair, I serve as your liaison to the board. If you have issues, concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to bring them to my attention. I can be reached by email at or by phone at the number listed in the sidebar of the newsletter. Remember to keep check on the web page for all the upcoming events and announcements. Mike Sanders, Membership Chair
A Membership Fun Fact: Keeping Country Dance Alive In Baltimore! Two-step and Country Waltz Dance Lessons with Instructor Mary Anne Waxter Center Cathedral and Eager St.
Jan. 9: Two-Step Classes on Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:30 $5 per lesson, $50 for all twelve classes
DID YOU KNOW….. ASGRA Board of Directors 2003 & Committee Chairs
President: Gaither Pennington 133 Tull Place Alexandria, VA 22304 ASGRA Royalty 2003 & Committee Chairs Web Master: Frank Harrell
IGRA Trustee: Michael Lentz 4602 Coachway Drive North Bethesda, MD 20852 News 'Round the Corral"Happy Trails To You!"
Remember, ASGRA trail rides are the first Sunday of the month at 11:00am!Weather permitting, we will be holding a trail ride at Piscataway Ranch in Clinton, MD at 11:00 am on the following days: January 5th: Start the New Year in the company of your ASGRA friends, both human and equine! February 2nd: Warm things up for Valentine's Day with a romantic ride in the wintery Maryland woodlands! For further information and to RSVP, contact Glenn at (703) 538-2225.
2003 IGRA Rodeos
A Reminder to IGRA CONTESTANTS:
ASGRA 2003 Budget Mike Sanders, Membership Chair 
The Social & Entertainment Committee is seeking creative, energetic people to help plan an exciting social calendar for ASGRA in 2003. Our goal is to provide a variety of social events for the ASGRA membership throughout the year. We are limited only by having willing volunteers to help suggest, plan, and host events. Whether you can commit a few hours each month or only have time to help out with one or two events that interest you, your participation is welcome.
If you've got a skill or talent that you can offer, the Social & Entertainment Committee wants you! If your main talent is a willingness to pitch in, we want you, too! The S&E goal for 2003 is to involve as much of the ASGRA membership and the country western community as possible, whether you volunteer to help or just come out and enjoy socializing at the events. S&E is about having some fun and building a sense of community among our members. Join us for the fun! Some of the events planned or suggested for 2003 include:
JR Key, S&E Chair Followup from the Defenders and Ed Moore on the Toy and Food Drive held December 6-8, 2002: On behalf of all the organizations involved in "A Child's Heart" toy drive, Thank you! Because of your help we were able to raise $7,074 for Joseph's and Miriam's House as well as another $1,600 that was earmarked to buy specific toys for Pediatric AIDS. We collected enough toys for almost 70 kids at Pediatric AIDS and gave the Mayor over 500 toys for his toy drive. Also we collected 10 cases of food for the Whitman-Walker Food Bank and 17 bags of clothing for the area missions.
For more information on Joseph's House and :Miriam's House ASGRA Calendar of Events January 2003
5 11:00am Trail Ride at Piscataway stables, Clinton, MD
Board Meetings February 2003 issue: Submissions due: 1/20/03, Mail out date: 1/27/03 |
Tips for "Multi-User" Trail RidersBy ASGRA member Ken Withers
There are good reasons to ride on multi-user trails. Public equestrian-only trails are few and far between, and using private trails can become an expensive (or unlawful) habit. Public multi-user trails, on the other hand, are all around us. They are usually longer, more scenic, and offer a wider variety of outdoor experiences. As more railroad, canal, utility and riparian rights-of-way come into the public domain, more multi-user trails are being constructed. It's not a practical use of limited public resources to build exclusive bridal paths or even double-wide trails with separate lanes for separate uses. And for many of us, the simple fact that the trail is multi-user is a plus in and of itself--that may be the very reason we're on a pubic trail. But everyone has a horror story, or a friend of a friend with a horror story, of an unfortunate confrontation with a mountain biker or backpacker resulting in multiple injuries, permanently spooked horses, and large insurance settlements.
Of course, trail user conflict management is a two-way proposition, even (or especially) if the trail is single track. Equestrians, cyclists, backpackers and other users all have rights and responsibilities, and the chief responsibility is to have the skills and common sense to avoid conflicts whenever possible. So here are some trail riding tips for equestrians, followed by some reasonable expectations we should have of cyclists and backpackers.
Equestrians should understand their horses.Some essential facts to always keep in mind are:
 We love the beauty of the outdoors and the joy of life we breathe as we travel through wild lands. We revel in sports which require exquisite balance and self-control, and which inherently involve a certain amount of risk and exposure to injury should we loose our balance or control of what's under the saddle. We get saddle sores and sore backs. The more time we devote to our respective sports, the more likely we are to put every spare dollar into it. We grow attached to our mounts, give them names, groom and maintain them. We relish the wind whistling in our ears from a swift run along an open trail…. So take a cyclist to lunch."
For more information: Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, Blue Ridge Trail Riders, Inc., and Harvey Broome Group of the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, "Meeting a Horse on the Trail: What to Do," http://www.serversolutions.com/ambc/brochure.htm
Michael Kelley, "Bikes and Horses: A Case for Sharing,"
Roger L. Moore, "Conflicts on Multiple-Use Trails: Synthesis of the Literature and State of the Practice,"
About the author:
Photo Credit Cowboy_biker - Photo courtesy International Mountain Bicycling Association http://www.imba.com |
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"down-time" to review and respond. Our Treasurer Scott Smiley has done a superb job, both in revising our chart of accounts to make it more readable and user-friendly, and by carefully crafting a budget proposal that supports growth while remaining fiscally responsible. JR Key, our Social and Entertainment Chair, has been busy establishing his committee and, in addition to ramping up for Hoedown 2003, is working on a comprehensive hotel contract proposal for Stampede 2003 and beyond. The contract for the Fairgrounds arrived on December 23rd and will be reviewed at the January 9th Board of Directors meeting. As a reminder, the Board adopted the second Thursday of the month for its 2003 meetings. Check the website for the exact location. As usual, the meeting starts at 7:30 PM and members are always welcome!
March 27: Waltz
Membership: Michael Sanders 7401 Eastmoreland Rd. #228 Annandale, VA 22003
Cowtown Rodeo 2003: TGRA Fort Worth, TX March 28-30, 2003
Currently, there are several items pending such as deposits to reserve our dates for Stampede 2003 that cannot be acted upon until a quorum of the membership has voted. Please make sure your voice is heard. Please contact Treasurer Scott Smiley at with any questions related to the proposed budget.
The "Children's Heart Award" was brought into being in the year 1999 as a way of recognizing those who care not only during the holidays but throughout the year. The first recipient was Black Rose; the second, the DC Boys of Leather. This year's winner was the Crucible, and the award was given in honor of their support for the entire leather community. It was very richly deserved!
Not all of us in ASGRA are accomplished rodeo athletes, believe it or not. While we all love the sport and may even find ourselves in the arena occasionally, I would venture to say that most of us are more comfortable participating in the trail rides or stomping around the horse farm. We're certainly more comfortable afterwards. But trail riding is not a no-brainer. It is a skill, different from the skills needed in the arena. Any of us who ride horseback on public multi-user trails, where we can encounter cyclists, backpackers, roller-bladers, joggers, and even whiteface-painted mimes, knows how valuable multi-user trail riding skills can be.
Professional park managers can cite statistics showing that such incidents are rare, and nearly all that do occur could have been avoided if the participants, human and equine, had some better training. Dr. Roger L. Moore, Associate Professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State and a leading expert in trail management, doesn't believe that there are fundamental trail use conflicts at all, and no reason to ban or segregate any reasonable trail use. Based on his exhaustive studies, Dr. Moore believes that trail conflicts should be viewed as user behaviors that interfere with other users' reasonable goals and expectations.
