News from the Southlands November 2021
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE
November was a busy month at Southlands and now December has begun - how quickly time flies! We'd like to update you on our goings on.
First order of business: the fun and excitement of the Holiday Season is upon us! Southlands will be hosting a Holiday Decorating Party from 12 to 4pm Sunday December 5th at the farm. We will supply crafts, stockings, and decorations and community members are bringing Christmas cookies, coffee and hot cocoa. Please join us for a fun and festive afternoon! You can email the farm at info@southlands.org or sign up in the barn aisle to let us know you will be joining us. This activity is being underwritten by a community member; however, donations are always welcome and appreciated! And remember there is still time to participate in our "Adopt a Family" fundraiser where we help an area family in need with their holiday wish list (more information here). This is a great chance for us to give back. Contact the office for more information.
Southlands volunteers Susie Williams, Michele Tugade, and Mary Whelan spent the morning of November 11th supporting our friends at Samaritan Daytop Village in their Gaudenzia celebration by surprising them with a visit from two of their equine friends! Slushie and Rosie and the ladies really enjoyed spending time with our community partners!
Once again our TSF community proved to be incredibly generous. We sent an email out looking for volunteer helpers and the response was overwhelming! We had more help than we ended up needing and the days were completed with extreme efficiency. We cannot thank you enough for the continued support when we need help for any number of reasons. The horses and staff THANK YOU!
FROM OUR TRAINERS
This past month we decided to do some major renovations to the Lesson Tack Room. It was time for a face lift and to also fix up the areas outside of the Main Office and the entry to Pony Aisle. De-cluttering and purging was fun!!! We had many lovely elves involved in the process of cleaning, throwing out, priming, painting, and redesigning the layout of the tack room. Many, many thanks to Madeline Berg, Mollie Berg, Caro Marr, Noel Gordon, Declan Walther, Jacob Leach and Katarina Batina for their hard work and dedication to making our Lesson Tack Room more efficient and beautiful! It’s still a work in progress, but the lion share of work has been completed. Our next step is to create a space in the far end of the tack room with a place to take a seat, chat with a friend, or two and just relax. It’s all coming together and it looks great!!
Another fun thing that we did at TSF this past month was attend a Hunter Pace at Locust Hill Farm with a few of our riders. Jonathan Edel rode our school horse, May, along with Noel Gordon on his own horse, Clarke, Emily Gerstle took her youngster, Lieveling, and Emmy Nelson-Madore rode her horse Stanley. They had a fabulous outing going cross country, galloping, jumping and having a blast! Besides showing and taking lessons, it is important to remember that we do this sport for the pure enjoyment of riding!!
Lastly, we all were so sad to say goodbye to Big Ben, owned by Lys Kursch. He passed away unexpectedly after a serious bout of colic in early November. Lys is a core member of our TSF family and our hearts grieve for her. Ben was a big presence in our barn and we will miss him forever. These horses hold our hearts and caring for them is a big part of what we do at the barn, beyond riding lessons and daily chores. Godspeed, Ben.
FROM THE BOARD
We are lifted up by the community spirit we have at Southlands! Sunday afternoons bustle with ponies and kids, while staff, volunteers and working students, care for the horses and keep the barn tidy. Riders are meeting goals, encouraging each other and enjoying the good company. We are grateful for the cheerful vibe at Southlands, and for the stunning sunsets. Thank you for being here!
While winter has just begun and we close the barn doors and make decisions about medium or heavy blankets for the night, we also contemplate plans for the Spring.
Our first big project in 2022 will begin to address the quality of our turn-out paddocks. In the plans are improved fencing in select areas, swales to drain water, and smaller paddocks to rest the soil, helping to mitigate the mud and promote grass growth. Your Community Survey responses this year told us that paddock improvement is a priority, and we appreciate your input. Managing the land in an economic and sensitive manner is important both for the health of our horses and for protecting the open agricultural landscape that is part of Mrs. Dows’ legacy.
This week we launched a fund-raiser to make this project a reality. We need to raise $35,000 and we have a generous matching grant for up to $15,000, to get us off to a great start. The Board is fully behind this effort and we urge you to help us meet the match!
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. Link here.
Beautiful gala photographs from the 2021 Gala were taken by Mary Elliott-O’Haire. You can order your prints with this link: https://mohaire.smugmug.com/Southlands-Gala-2021/
Save the Date! 2022 Sunset at Southlands will be Saturday, September 10. We look to seeing everyone there!
The Nicole Marie Wiley Memorial Working Student Fund is continuing to accept donations in her honor. Nicole was a cherished member of TSF and we will remember her always. To donate: https://southlands.org/donate.
Read our October 2021 newsletter