News from the Southlands, August 2021
Executive Director’s Note
August has been a busy month full of activity and the sad news of the loss of our own, Nicole Marie Wiley. We persevere thanks to all of our members, supporters and volunteers. THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who help us daily to water, to move horses, to neaten up and to share the love we have for Southlands and the community! You are truly appreciated and make a daily difference around the property!
We are still looking for a part time Office Assistant and a full time barn laborer if you know of somebody looking for a job. Please contact me for referrals or further job descriptions. We are in need of both ASAP! We are also in need of landscaping help. Send referrals or if you have some big equipment let us know.
If you have been around the barn in August, you know we are in full gear.
We finished 6 weeks of Pony camp for a GREAT season of pony fun;
We completed 4 weeks of Nature’s Classroom early education on August 6th ;
We held a Dressage show on August 15th;
We ran the last Jumper show in our summer series on August 18th;
We had our first "Sleepover at Southlands" one of our 2020 Gala auction items (it can be yours this year, more information below on our auction/gala!)
In the middle of Hurricane Henri, we conducted a 2 day dressage clinic;
Friday, August 27th, we are going to an away horse show at Gardnertown;
And the New York State Farriers Association conference is coming Saturday, August 28th!
September will be more of the same with our Gala on 11th of September (see more information below) and our last HVHJA schooling Hunter/ Jumper show on Saturday, September 26th.
Most importantly, we will gather for a memorial celebration in honor of Nicole Wiley at Southlands on Sunday, September 5th, 2pm-5pm. Everyone is invited. Please bring a story or a memory to share. If you would like to make a donation in Nicole’s memory to the Nicole Marie Wiley Memorial Working Student Fund, you can do so here https://southlands.org/donate.
FROM OUR TRAINERS
How are we at the end of August already? Wow, this month flew by and maybe it’s because we packed a lot into the last few weeks! I know we couldn’t have kept up with our crazy daily schedules if it wasn’t for the diligent help from Working Students, like Emmy Nelson Madore, Sarah Regner and Anna Kalishman. This crew stepped it up to work alongside Manuel, Maddie, Jonathan and I, and really made a difference in our respective work days. These young women learned new skills and gained confidence in figuring out what it takes to run a barn efficiently, safely and also have some laughs while doing it! They will be sorely missed once they head back to school. Speaking of heading back to school, Madeline Berg will be shortening her TSF work schedule as she continues her education at SUNY New Paltz, but thankfully (for all of us!) she’s going to be on the scene a few days a week for barn help and riding duties.
We welcomed a new boarder this month at TSF, Mr. Noel Gordon, and his elegant grey Holsteiner, Clarke. Noel is looking forward to continuing his riding education through lessons, plus exploring some of the TSF trails/fields and attending some Fall Hunter Paces. We’re thrilled to have them become part of the Southlands family.
Another new partnership was formed this month with a year long lease for Emmy Nelson Madore and PS Quick Study, aka Stanley! Emmy and Stanley, a 10 year old Warmblood gelding, have great chemistry together and the plan is to head toward the jumper ring, with a sidebar of equitation on the way. Congratulations to the entire Nelson Madore family!
From The Board
To those who responded to our survey this Spring, we thank you for your time and honest and thoughtful responses, especially for those who identified areas for improvement. We presented a summary of the results at the Annual Meeting in July and wanted to make the results available to those who were not able to attend. Survey Summary Link.
The happy take-away is that 95% of the respondents were very likely to recommend Southlands to their friends. The sense of community and caring is at the core of who we are. We are so grateful to our volunteers and working students, to Susie Williams for many early morning hours of barn help and staff support; to Manuel Bautista for his dedication to Southlands, especially in these times. Allison, Jonathan and Michele are responding to your requests for the acquisition of an adult beginner horse, revitalizing our working student program, promoting the summer horse show schedule, and beginning to energize our community outreach.
The Board of Directors and the staff appreciate our friends, neighbors and members. We will communicate regularly about specific improvements and opportunities for volunteering.
And we look forward to seeing you at Sunset at Southlands on the 11th of September! Get Your Tickets TODAY. And register for Bidding for Good. Our online auction opens 9/5 and you don't want to miss all of our great items!
Don’t miss an evening to remember!
Special opportunity
We are excited to announce acclaimed New Yorker cartoonist and Southlands hero Liza Donnelly has made a special SIGNED print in honor of Southlands. She is selling them on her site with 50% of the proceeds to benefit Southlands. See link here. Thank you Liza! More of her wonderful work will be part of our Gala action. Stay tuned.