Trekkers Tribune January 2018

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN HORSE TREKKERS CLUB INC. Website: watrekkers.info Email: wahtc@iinet.net.au ABN: 77 820 635 660

Trekkers Tribune January 2018

INSIDE THIS ISSUE (click on the article you want and you will be taken directly to the top of that page) Our Club (p1)

New Members (p4)

2 Week Trek in May (p5)

Membership Renewals Due (p1)

Important Links (p4)

Trekkers’ Treasures (p6)

From the President (p2)

Trekking in Mongolia (p4)

2018 Ride Calendar (p7)

January Ride (p3)

Member Profiles (p5)

Club Rule Changes (p3)

New Ride Attendance Register Form (p5)

2018 Club Executive

Our Club

President Tracey Hawken

Hi Trekkers, welcome to 2018! I’m looking forward to another terrific trekking year, and keeping you all informed via the Trekkers Tribune.

Vice President Irene Taaffe

The 2017 AGM went well, and the new committee can be seen to the left of this article. Thank you to you all for volunteering to run this excellent club.

Treasurer Margaret Rose Secretary Helen Rawlins Publication Secretary Robin Lonsdale Web Manager Anna Sheehan

Facebook Administrators Debbie Pollard, Anna Sheehan

Committee Members Geoff Biddle

Julie Baker

Robert Cooper

Trevor Hayes

Karen Fanderlinden Gina Looke Margot Nelson Scott

Noeline

Catherine Read

Upcoming Club Rides 26-28 January WAHTC Training Day & Equestrian Playground Serpentine/Baldivis 9 February Naval Base Horse Beach 3-5 March Herron near Lake Clifton 30 March - 2 April Peaceful Meadows,

Our first ride for the year will be a Trail Riding Training weekend held at Peaceful Meadows in Serpentine. Thank you to Anna and Alan for hosting.

This weekend will involve challenge/obstacle training, a trail ride, trekking tips and a morning at the Equestrian Playground in Baldivis. * Special Note - when registering in Nominate, WAHTC rides are now listed under “Trail Riding” rather than “Other” when choosing your interest. New Nominate instructions are attached.

We have a few vacancies in the ride calendar for this year, so have a think about hosting a ride. I hosted my first ride last year, and it was a really enjoyable experience.

Cheers, Robin

Membership Renewals Due A reminder that your membership renewal is due. Membership is made up of ATHRA membership and a club fee of $10. The ATHRA membership includes insurance while riding with any ATHRA clubs.

The membership fee has remained at: Adults - $110

Juniors - $50

Social - $30

Over 80s at $60

ATHRA membership allows members to ride at any ATHRA Club in WA and only pay the ride fee.

To rejoin as a member, go to Membership Renewal * If you are already a member, please ensure that you click on “Renewal” and do not register as a new member, or you will end up with two membership numbers.

From the President ‌ Hi, not sure where you are supposed to start here as this is my first time as a president in any club. Hopefully I will learn along the way. I have been on the committee for over 10 years and began with the club in 2003 and hopefully I will be with the club for many more.

Starting with last years AGM where I would like to thank everyone who accepted a position on the committee, this can be a huge job for these people throughout the year in organising rides. There is a lot of work behind the scenes, particularly the large amounts of paperwork and recceing and marking tracks for rides. It is wonderful having our trekkers hosting rides throughout the year as this is how our club continues year after year is through the generosity of others. Hopefully we will get many of you putting your hand up to host a club ride through the year - we still have a few 2 day weekend ride positions that need filling. If you would like to host one please contact someone on the executive committee. Any one of us would be happy to help you prepare and host a ride.

We are currently at the beginning of our trekking year, and we have a training weekend in a few weeks [the ride notes are already out for this] as well as many weekend and long weekend rides ahead of us. I hope to see you at these rides as I have finally got myself sorted out and able to attend some rides after a long absence.

I will tell you a bit about myself. I am originally from Dardanup but have lived all over the place. I am now living in Capel and hopefully there will be many club rides in Capel in the years to come. I work for a builder during the week doing builders cleans on new homes and spend my weekends and any other time I have off riding my horse. I have been in the club since 2003.

My first club ride was a 2 day weekend ride up at Mackalinden near Collie on my trekking horse Shahzala, a grey arab mare I had from a foal. She was to continue trekking for me until 2 years ago. I did pretty much every weekend club ride in that space of time as well as many wonderful 2 week annual treks on her, from the Murchison trek down as far as the Denmark trek in the south. Shahzala was an extremely tough horse that never broke down, never had a sore back or any illness or injury all these years of trekking in all sorts of country from Lewana hill country to Jarrahdale rock country.

Tracey and Shahzala

For the past 2 years I have not ridden as much as I normally would as I lost Shahzala 2 years ago to colic and had to wait until her daughter was old enough to break in and ride, and this is the horse I am now riding. Her name is Shahmieh [May], named after her mother Shahzala and another Arab ancestor. I have not ridden much due to saddle issues and lameness issues.

She just keeps bashing her legs on things in the paddock at home but we are both right to go now finally.

Hope to see many of you out trekking over the next year.

Tracey Hawken Tracey and Shahmieh

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January Ride - Trekkers’ Trail Ride Training Weekend Our January ride will be hosted by Anna and Alan Sheehan at Peaceful Meadows in Serpentine. This will be a Trail Ride Training Weekend, which will incorporate: • challenge/obstacle training on Friday afternoon, • a ride through Serpentine on Saturday morning, • “Trails Tips and Tack” time on Saturday afternoon, and • a morning at the Equestrian Playground in Baldivis on Sunday.

Where: When: Terrain: Water: Horse Feed: Yards: Ablutions: Meals: meals.

Camping: Children: Fees:

Peaceful Meadows, Lot 595 Walker Rd, Serpentine 26-28 January Gravel, roads (shoes or boots recommended) Horse and human water available Oaten, wheaten and lucerne hay OK. NO MEADOW HAY (meadow hay is available on property for $10/bale) some yards available on a first come, first served basis.

Otherwise BYO yards.

Toilet and shower available Tea, coffee, bottled water provided. BYO everything for Available at Peaceful Meadows (contact Anna to confirm)  No open fires, bring your gas stove or a BBQ is available Suitable for children 12 years and over $30 for both riding and non-riding. Use “Nominate” to register (instructions attached).

AS PEACEFUL MEADOWS IS AN AGISTMENT CENTRE, please ensure horses have been wormed recently.

For further information, contact Anna Sheehan on 9525 3994 or 0412 926 932.

Club Rule Changes from AGM 1. Refund Policy for Day and Weekend Rides Rider / non rider entry fees: If a participant wishes to withdraw at any time before or during the ride, no refunds will be made for ride entry fees, after payment is made.

Accommodation charges: Where a participant withdraws from a ride a refund for the accommodation portion may be available with committee approval if: a) The withdrawal is made in writing by the participant indicating the reason, to the ride organiser. b) The minimum numbers required by the venue is attained and there is no financial loss to the club for the accommodation booking for the period. c) The amount charged by “Nominate” (currently 5.5%) will be deducted. d) No refunds will be made if withdrawal is in the last two full days before the ride commences.

2. Payments to committee members In this rule - committee member includes a member of a subcommittee; committee meeting includes a meeting of a subcommittee.

A committee member is entitled to be paid out of the funds of the Association for any out-of-pocket expenses for travel and accommodation properly incurred at the discretion of the committee — a) in attending a committee meeting; or b) in attending a general meeting; or c) otherwise in connection with the Association’s business.

3. Non-Member Volunteers Non-member volunteers need to have approval from the Trail Boss and Ride Coordinator to act as a volunteer on a ride. They will be required to complete a Visitors Form and sign the Club Ride Register and pay appropriate club and accommodation fees as required.

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New Members A huge welcome to our new January members!

Lou Collins (Sawyers Valley) Stephanie Berichon (Stratham) Claudia Seke (Muchea) Diana McGirr (Donnybrook) Samantha Chellen (Wagin) Racheal DeSilva (Wagin) We know you will enjoy the club just as much as we do, and we look forward to getting to know you and your horse.

Important Links (click on hyperlink to go straight there) WA Horse Trekkers Club Website WAHTC Facebook ATHRA Website

ATHRA Membership Renewals Nominate Entries

Trekking in Mongolia Adventures, not tours...no hotels, no hot showers, no tourism, just fantastic riding, camping under the stars, cooking over an open campfire, and fascinating culture in an untouched corner of the world! Wouldn’t this be fantastic!

Zavkhan Trekking is a Mongolian-New Zealand partnership, offering the opportunity to get far off the beaten track and explore Mongolia and Kazakhstan by horse. Riders will love the local horses and the unparalleled riding country.

Their treks are not the typical organised group tour. Their trip-style is 'non-itinerised' – they don't follow the same route each trek, allowing them to make the most of whatever adventures come their way.

It's not just the great riding, but also the people and their fascinating culture that makes this part of the world so special. The company believes that the local people should benefit from the treks, and they are working towards a long-term relationship with local nomadic families, including establishing a community garden project in the Altai. By keeping their groups small (max 10 people), they hope to minimise their impact on the environment. Their guides and wranglers are from the area, providing local employment.

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Member Profiles I would love to continue to present member profiles in the Trekkers Tribune so that we can get to know each other a bit more.

If you would like to have your profile in print, please answer these Online Questions and send me a photo or two of you with your horse.

New Ride Attendance Register Form Anna has created a new Ride Attendance Register form, after discussion with the committee about how to easily record attendance over more than one day. ATHRA thought it was a great idea, and will be adopting it as their official form.

Although it has not been uploaded on the ATHRA website yet, Anna can email you a copy.

Well done Anna!

2 WEEK trek IN MAY Join in with Midwest Trekkers Tony Gray is organizing a two week progressive trek from 5-20 May along the Murchison River, starting and finishing at Berringarra Station. They anticipate riding 240km over 10 days, with a rest day half way.

All requirements will be carried on support vehicles, with a cooking roster to be shared by all participants. Price will be in the vicinity of $500-600, which will include support crew and vehicles, and both horse and human food.

The ride will include riding in the Murchison River, along its banks, and along farm tracks, and will encounter some beautiful scenery.

Horses will need to be hobbled in electric yards overnight, and must be shod or booted.

More information is available on a pdf document here Please send expressions of interest to Tony at tonygray@wn.com.au

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Trekkers’ Treasures If you’ve always wondered how the horse skeleton relates to the human skeleton, here it is!

FIVE THINGS I LIKE almost as much as riding my horse 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Looking at my horse Talking about my horse Watching horse movies Websites about horses Chocolate

Interesting Horse Facts  Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal.

 At one time people thought horses were colour-blind. They’re not, though they are better at seeing yellows and greens than purples and violets.  A horse's teeth take up a larger amount of space in their head than their brain.

A stockman rode into town and went into the pub for a beer. When he finished, he went outside to find his horse had been stolen.

 An adult horse’s brain weighs about half that of a human.

He went back into the pub and fired a shot into the ceiling. “Which one of you blokes stole my horse?” he yelled.

No one answered. “Alright, I’m gunna have another beer, and if my horse isn’t back by the time I finish, I’m gunna do what I done in Queensland.

And I don’t want to have to do what I done in Queensland!” The locals looked at each other, worried.

 The fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 88kph. Most gallop at around 44kph.

When the stockman had finished his beer, he went outside and his horse had been returned. The bartender came out and said, “Hey mate, before you go… what happened in Queensland?”

 Horses have 16 muscles in each ear, allowing them to rotate their ears 180 degrees.

The stockman turned to him and said, “I had to walk home!”

 You can generally tell the difference between male and female horses by their number of teeth: males have 40 while females have 36 (but honestly, most of us are going to use

the much “easier” way).

 Horses cannot burp or vomit.

 There are more than 300 different horse breeds in the world.  A horse can see better at night than a human. However, it takes a horse's eyes longer to adjust from light to dark and from dark to light than a human's.  Horses produce approximately 10 gallons of saliva a day.  It takes 9-12 months to re-grow an entire horse hoof.

 You can tell if a horse is cold by feeling behind their ears. If that area is cold, so is the horse.  Arabian horses have one fewer vertebrae, rib and tail bone than other horses. They are thought to be the oldest surviving breed of horse, dating from about 4,500 years ago.  Human's relationship with the horse began about 3500 BC, although some evidence has come to light that horses may have been domesticated even earlier.  Studies have shown that horses have excellent memories - possibly even better than that of an elephant!

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2018 Ride Calendar Date

Venue

Ride Coordinator

Host

26-28 Jan Aust Day Weekend

Serpentine/Baldivis

Anna Sheehan

Anna Sheehan

9 Feb Day Ride

Naval Base Horse Beach

Anna Sheehan

3-5 March Labour Day Weekend

Herron near Lake Clifton

Anna Sheehan

Geoff Biddle and Robert Cooper

Fri 16 March Day Ride

Darling downs

Anna Sheehan

Trevor Hayes

30 Mar - 2 Apr Easter Weekend

Jarrahdale or Serpentine

Anna Sheehan

Anna Sheehan

13-15 or 20-22 Apr 2/3 day weekend

Smith’s Farm, Wellington

Tracey Hawken and Margaret Rose

May 2 day ride

TBA

TBA

5-20 May 2 week trek

Murchison

Tony Gray

Midwest Horse Trekkers Club Inc

2-4 June WA Day Weekend

Capel or Manjimup

Tracey Hawken or Irene Taafe

Tracey Hawken or Irene Taafe

June Day Ride

Wungong Regional Park

Anna Sheehan/ Margot Nelson?

July 2 day ride

Capel or Manjimup

Tracey Hawken or Irene Taafe

July Day Ride

TBA

TBA

August Day Ride

Muchea

Tina Larcombe-Day

18-19 Aug 2 day ride

Myalup Cottages

Margaret Rose

5-15 Sept (tentative) 2 week ride

Challa Station (near Mt Magnet)

Committee

22-24 Sept Queen’s B’day

Lewana (near Balingup)

Irene Taafe and Margaret Rose

Oct 2 or 3 day ride

Bowelling

Irene Taafe and Margaret Rose

Nov 2 day ride

TBA

TBA

Nov AGM

TBA

TBA

Tracey Hawken or Irene Taafe

Day Ride Ideas – Kep Track, Railway Heritage Trail, Jandakot Regional Park, Jarrahdale, Wungong Regional Park, Pickering Brook Two Day Ride Ideas – Kep Track, Railway Heritage Trail, Fettlers Crossing, Pickering Brook, Wickepin/Corrigin?

CAN YOU HOST A RIDE OR ORGANISE ONE? PLEASE LET US KNOW!!

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