Katherine demonstrating 
saddle staility
Katherine discussing common 
tree width issues
Congratulations to this month's prize winner!
June Educational Seminar!

On June 21st, a large group of FRC members and several new faces gathered at the Landrum Depot for a night jam-packed full of insightful information and helpful ideas. From 6:30 to 7:00 the group gathered to enjoy the scrumptious spread of finger foods and beverages provided by our FRC Hospitality Committee. Community and conversation abounded as people shared news, made plans, and chatted about the upcoming topic of the evening.

 

At 7:00 the reins were handed to our guest presenter for the evening, Katharine Stancliff of Stancliff Saddle Fitting, for an equestrian version of show-and-tell. Katharine broke her discussion into four main concepts: Spinal Clearance, Tree Width, Balance/Stability and Bearing Surface.

 

When it comes to spinal clearance, the biggest question is whether or not there is enough. It’s important to consider not only clearance while the horse is standing in the aisle, but also when the girth is tight and the rider is mounted. Tree width is tricky but Katharine used a variety of photos and actual saddles to demonstrate and familiarize the audience with some common misconceptions and how to fix them. Keep in mind, a wider tree is not always the answer and adding pads can be helpful but is also not always the solution.

 

 There are a variety of interrelated components that go into balance and stability, some which include not only saddle fit but also horse and rider movement. Katharine emphasized the importance of being able to see a horse and rider move in the tack in order to really ensure the proper fit of a saddle. Last but not least, we had a bit of an anatomy lesson that helped to diagram and build understanding of how the conformation and size of a horse can affect its bearing surface for tack. White hairs and sweat marks can also tell us a lot about pressure points and the general fit of the saddle as related to the bearing surface.

 

Katharine rounded out the seminar with some great additional pointers regarding cleaning and storing your saddle followed by a question and answer session.

 

Thanks to all who came out to soak up the knowledge that Katharine had to share. For more information or to get in touch with her feel free to visit standcliffsaddlefitting.com

 

FRC puts on seminars throughout the year to educate all equestrians from trail riders to dressage riders and much more. Although the topic changes month to month, there is always a social time prior to the presentation and FRC provides the refreshments. For 2017 the FRC seminars will be held at the Landrum Depot, 211 N. Trade St. in Landrum, SC beginning at 6:30pm for socializing.
Dressage Ride-A-Test Clinic....
FRC is pleased to host a Dressage Ride-A-Test Clinic with USEF "S" Judge Jennifer Roth. 

The clinic will be held Saturday May 27, 2017 at Motlow Creek Equestrian Center in Campobello, SC.

All inquiries should be directed to Kailey Beck (440)708-8316 or email kailey.parker18@gmail.com

Please CLICK HERE for a down-loadable clinic flyer which includes entry form! 

Entries close May 20th so don't procrastinate too long!
What did FRC accomplish in 2016?

The Foothills Riding Club was designed to be a resource for equestrians of all disciplines.  The members of the Board worked hard in 2016 to offer FRC members a variety of diverse opportunities.   Not only do members get a monthly newsletter but the following is a synopsis of some of the accomplishments and opportunities that FRC offered to the horse community this year.

 

FRC Membership in 2016:  

-We reached a record high for FRC membership with almost 300 members.

- This was a 25% increase over last year - and we still feel that we have barely tapped the number of horse lovers that would benefit from joining FRC.

- 34 of our members are Business Memberships - a new program in 2016.

- 43 are family memberships, the remainder are individual.

 

FRC Educational Programs offered in 2016:

FRC held 8 Educational Seminars covering the following topics: 

Blanketing 101 with EquiDress/Shauna Williams

Demystify TIEC with Molly Oakman

Natural Horsemanship with Ray Berta

Skin Issues with TEH's Dr. Emilie Setlakwe

Panel of Experts with Beth Perkins / Eventing, Jeanne Smith / Hunter-Jumper, Jennifer Roth / Dressage

Horse Photography with Erik Olsen

Horse's Hooves with Dr. Bibi Freer

The Tevis Cup Experience with Sue Mullen

 

FRC also offered three diverse Mounted Clinics in 2016: 

Natural Horsemanship - Ray Berta Clinic in conjunction with Jodi Lees.

Carriage Driving Clinic in conjunction with Carolina Carriage Club.

Stadium Jumping Clinic with Ashley Conkle.

 

FRC Horse Shows in 2016:

FRC held SEVEN horse shows in 2016 - all under the new horse show management run by Cathy Schwartz.

EVERY show had higher entries than seen in the past few years.

Two of those shows had a record high number of entries ever recorded for FRC shows with 135 rides (the limit).

The Cross Country schooling that FRC offered at FENCE in March had a record high number of riders.

 

FRC Hospitality:

Provided food and drinks for 

-  8 educational seminars

-  7 horse shows

  • Food and decorations for the Volunteer Appreciation dinner.
  • HUGE effort towards our Awards GALA held on January 14th.

 

Volunteers:

We had over 80 people volunteer at our shows and activities this year.  And, of course, most of those people volunteered multiple times!

 

Awards:

We gave out 36 Rider Awards at our Gala, plus one Appreciation Award and one Recognition Award.

We gave out 5 top volunteer awards and numerous Recognition Awards at our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.

 

Other FRC Accomplishments and Activities:

We had a new FRC logo sign installed on the show horse trailer. 

We have a new FRC Banner.

We procured new computers and software to accommodate our FRC shows.

We finalized the creation of a new FRC brochure.

We approved and provided two educational Scholarships.

We increased the number of and value of FRC Volunteer Awards this year.

We increased the number and value of the Rider Awards at the 2016 Recognition Gala. 

 

FRC’s Contribution to the Community:

FRC gifted new Stall Card Plates and supplied a team to replace them throughout the entire barn complex at FENCE.

For the first time, FRC ran an FRC Hospitality Stall at the Steeplechase. 

FRC also hosted a Hospitality Stall at the FENCE Horse Trials. 

FRC donated $100 to Equine Land Conservation Partnership.

FRC donated $500 to EAF in Carol Addison’s name.

FRC donated the proceeds from our July show to benefit FENCE - we do this every year.

At the Annual Meeting, members voted on two charities that received $500 each from FRC - one went to Paws, Prayers and Promises and the  other to Pacolet Area Conservancy.

FRC rose to the occasion and many members responded to a call for help with hurricane evacuated horses at FENCE.

 

We did all of this with a Board that was not full (two empty spots the entire year) and of which half of the Board members were brand new.   

 

JUST WAIT TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED FOR 2017!!!!!

 
Membership in FRC brings many perks...discounts for shows, earn Club Bucks to pay for camps, clinics or show entry fees, eligible for year-end awards, qualifies you to be awarded a scholarship, monthly newsletter, free admittance to educational seminars, social activities and much more!
 
We are offering an EARLY MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL... membership fees will go up!
And take advantage of the Business Membership which includes the option to have your business card printed every month in the newsletter!
Join us to achieve your goals or just have fun!  
Non-Members are welcome to join in any, or all, of FRC sponsored events... but you'll save money if you join! :)
 


Entry forms, prize lists and further information are available here on our website, or check out our Facebook Page.
And The Winners Are.....


To support our community, FRC chooses 2 local non-profits each year to receive cash donations. The selections have been made and the Foothills Riding Club (FRC) 2016 charitable donations have been awarded. FRC is organized for the purpose of promoting equestrian interests for all horse lovers, including dressage and combined training, through sponsorship of educational and recreational activities. To support their mission, FRC chooses 2 local non-profits each year to give cash donations to. 


The 2016 donation for an animal non-profit is awarded to Paws Prayers & Promises based in Landrum, South Carolina. Kelly Vinesette and Yvonnne Bebber operate the “face” of Paws, Prayers & Promises at P3 Consignments in the heart of downtown Landrum.

Foothills Riding Club board member, Carrie Knox, explains, “the entire board of FRC chooses several non-profits for our members to select from. All the non-profits are so deserving and we are glad we can help them. Paws, Prayers and Promises is a wonderful, grass-roots group.” Kelly remarks, “ This has been such a humbling and uplifting experience (creating Paws, Prayers & Promises). The need is so great and the support we are receiving is so heartwarming.”

The profits from the Consignment shop benefit local animal welfare organizations and Paws, Prayers and Promises carries out the mission to care for animals and their people in their service area. P3 serves Polk County, North Carolina and Landrum, Campobello and Gowensville, South Carolina.

“We believe in building bridges for pets and their people in our community through humane education, assistance with special-cases, adoptions, community awareness and fostering of animals for people facing the ends of the their lives until forever homes can be found”, adds Yvonne.

For more information about Paws, Prayers & Promises see their web site at www.pawsprayersand promises.org. 

The 2016 donation for a local non-profit (general) is awarded to Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC), located in Tryon, North Carolina. PAC president, Rebecca Kemp, says, “We are so grateful to FRC for this donation. We depend on community support to carry out our mission. We extend our humble thanks to all the members of FRC for their support.” PAC's mission is to protect and conserve natural resources in the Foothills of North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, with emphasis on the lands and waterways with scenic, ecologic or agricultural significance in the North Pacolet and Green River watersheds.

Foothills Riding Club board member, Carrie Knox, explains, “the entire board of FRC chooses several non-profits for our members to select from. FRC is very happy to we can help Pacolet Area Conservancy. PAC protects riding trails, hay fields, horse farms and other natural areas that are so important to the equestrian community”.

FRC is organized for the purpose of promoting equestrian interests for all horse lovers, including dressage and combined training, through sponsorship of educational and recreational activities.

For more information about Pacolet Area Conservancy see their web site at www.pacolet.org. 

FRC Rider Scholarships

 

FRC is proud to be able to award four scholarships to riders annually. In order to qualify for an FRC Rider Scholarship, you must be a current FRC member at the time of your application. Additionally, your request must be for a rare educational opportunity or clinic or a championship competition purpose directly related to your riding discipline. In exchange, scholarship recipients must give back to the club in some tangible way.

For further information on FRC Rider Scholarship eligibility, rules and application form, click here for FRC Scholarship
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special thanks to Erik Olsen for providing the fabulous images used on FRC's website.. Be sure to visit ErikOlsenPhotography.com to see pictures from all FRC's shows!