I think my horses are beginning to develop water wings and floats on their feet. Will the rain ever stop long enough to dry our fields and outdoor arenas? Hopefully we will be blessed with dry and warm weather for our first recognized show of the year. The Indy Classic is only a couple of weeks away and I am looking forward to seeing many of you after this challenging Winter and Spring. If you are not planning to show at the Classic, please consider volunteering for one of the many jobs that are required to run a successful show.

Speaking of show, don’t forget our IDS Schooling shows. They are a great place to hone your skills and bring young horse and riders out to experience the thrill and companionship of competition. As you know, the cost of going to a schooling show is much less then that of a recognized show but the fun for horse and rider is no less. We also need volunteers for our schooling shows. You will be receiving regular requests to volunteer for the various shows and clinics that IDS sponsors. As a member of IDS, being a volunteer should be considered part and parcel of membership responsibility.

In an attempt to help drive interest and recognition for our terrific volunteers, Denise Driscoll and her volunteer committee has come up with a fantastic new recognition program. I won’t steal Denise’s thunder on the program and you will be receiving information shortly.

The board has also been discussing methods to expand interest in Dressage amongst other horse disciplines. One suggestion was to offer “Western Dressage” classes at our schooling shows. Everyone thought this idea might be a good one and I have agreed to look into the opportunity and report on the requirements. More to come on this idea, but I would greatly appreciate any of your ideas. If any of you have had experience with Western Dressage and would like to help, please contact me directly.

We all know that nothing stays the same and as time goes on things change. Change can be either good or bad depending on your perspective. After much debate and evaluation, your board has decided that the changes that have occurred at the Hoosier Horse Fair are not in alignment with Dressage or English style riding. The event continues to struggle and the size of the HHF gets smaller and smaller each year. After discussing this year’s event with other vendors and clubs, we have come to the conclusion that after many, many years it is time for IDS to bid the Hoosier Horse Fair farewell. In 2012, we will not have a booth at the HHF. What we have decided to do in order to continue promoting Dressage in the Mid-West is to partner with MODA and share a booth at the Equine Affair. This year, as a trial event, we shared a 10 foot booth with MODA and Ann Boehning attended the event and worked the booth. Feedback about the event and the interest about IDS were very good. As we work on the plans for next year, we will provide you with more information.

Get your farm or your business recognized. The IDS marketing and Promotions committee charred by Vicki Bye and Lauren Griffin have developed a Banner promotion concept. We will be offering advertising banners that will be displayed at all IDS events, to individuals or businesses that would like to promote themselves to the Dressage community. If you know a business that might be interested, please let Vicki or Lauren know. We will be preparing more information on this exciting program. We anticipate that the initial cost of the banner will be in the $200.00 range with annual renewals substantially less.

Just a quick reminder, as a IDS member you are also a USDF GMO member. Your USDF membership provides you with access to the USDF Connection magazine both on-line and via the printed document. Also, are you aware that USDF offers FREE on-line training and education videos for its members? This is a great way to view some of the top clinicians and lectures without paying a single additional cent. This is just another example of the value that your IDS membership delivers.