Hello again horse friends! And Happy 2010! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year season. The beginning of the new year is a busy time for ECEA. It’s time to plan details for the upcoming horse shows, sign up committee members who can then help plan trail rides, youth activities, awards and clinics. It’s time for all club members to renew their membership. And it’s time to look for 2010 sponsors so that we can continue awarding great year-end prizes.

The planning meeting is scheduled for January 23 at 9:30 a.m. at the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce. This meeting is open to everyone. We will review the class list, show rules, and club rules at this meeting. We will also need fresh faces to help lead or assist in the various aspects of the club. Come and share your ideas!

The 2010 ECEA Buckle Series is changing venues! The shows are booked at Mystic Acres, which is located at 6558 FM 2578 in Terrell, Texas. Their website is www.bitotack.com.  The arena is covered, with bathrooms and a concessions stand. They do have a limited amount of stalls – details on how to reserve them to be announced closer to show time. Mystic Acres has agreed to lease us the arena at a much better price than the club has been receiving at other locations, so hopefully this will help the club’s budget for the new year. The arena’s joint business, Bit O Tack, has also been a sponsor for ECEA over several past years.

Don’t forget the club will also host a Warm-Up Schooling Show at the Waxahachie Rodeo Arena (un covered) on March 27.

Jennifer Alexander is a new board member and doing a wonderful job in the upkeep of the website and distribution of our email list and newsletter, which is traditionally part of the secretary’s job. ECEA does NOT HAVE a secretary for 2010. We will need volunteers to help take minutes at the individual meetings, or a volunteer to fill the position for the new year.

Remember that your work hours can start now! ECEA requires competitors who are striving to win year-end awards must also “work” hours for the club in order to qualify. Honestly this is a need-based requirement because the club is strictly run by volunteers. It is impossible for the handful of officers to do everything by themselves. “Work” can include any ECEA event such as hosting or teaching a clinic, organizing and leading a trail ride, building new trail equipment (we might have lost track of our bridge), or purchasing traffic cones for the pattern classes (most of the clubs cone’s walked away while at Corsicana). And of course, many volunteers will be needed at the future shows to pass out ribbons, serve as ring steward, etc.

All necessary forms to renew your ECEA membership are on the club’s website,  www.elliscountyequine.org so print one out and get it mailed in! That way you can insure you will remain on the club’s mailing list, and have one less thing to fill out and pay for at the first horse show. All memberships expired December 31, 2009. Sponsorship forms are also available on the website.

Keep your heels down,

Julie Hinz 

ECEA 2010 Sponsors 

2010 Sponsor

International Power

Midlothian, TX