Model Club News - February 2005

Salmon Model Horse 4-H Club

Leader - Susan Dudasik

February 2005 Newsletter

Our February meeting will be the 16^th at the Commissioners Office from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. We need to plan our up-coming model horse show set for April 2^nd and teach the new members what to do and expect. I�ll have a list of items they need to bring to the show. I�m not sure as of now who will be coming from the other clubs, but we need to get the class list set so it can be sent out. The girls don�t need to bring any model stuff, just some paper and pen or pencil and record book. We will be doing the goals section. We have a lot to discuss and plan. We�ll also be doing some skill-a-thon activities. Also, the County is switching to new 4-H registration forms. They are enclosed. Can you please fill them out, sign them and have your daughter bring them to the meeting so I can turn them in all at once.

Our English day camp went fantastic, but we ran out of time to make the English bridles. So, I know some of the members don�t have any type of bridle for the show. Therefore, I�d like to have another mini-camp during spring break to make tack and do photos. I�m going to try and set it up for Monday, March 28^th at the library. It will probably run from 10:00 a.m. till about 1:00 p.m. and everyone can just bring their own sack lunch. That way we can get ready for the show that Saturday.

Camp was fun. The girls did a nice job on their saddles and everyone worked well together. I was really proud of how they conducted themselves with our guests. They learned a lot about the different types of English saddles and how they are made as well as the various types of English events. We watched a few rounds of an international grand prix jumping event, tried to do a parts of the saddle hand-out, (we decided it wasn�t a very good hand-out sheet), the older girls helped the younger ones do some of their check off list requirements, we made the saddles and a jump, then took photos of the models.

During the camp, the girls went with Diane over to A-Z to take photos for a video Diane is doing on �How to Start a Model Horse 4-H Club.� The video is being done by some students from the Challis High School and Custer County 4-H members. It will include our club and our Abaco Barb project as well as some still photos of various activities. By the time you get this letter, the major part of the video should be done. When it�s finished, we can use it to promote the model horse project throughout Idaho. There has been quite an interest in the project and the video will be a great asset.

Later this month, I will be going with Nancy Chaffin to the Western Regional Leader�s Forum in California. I hope to have a club display at the Share Faire and will be teaching my �Horseless Trail Class,� class in which I also use model horses.

In March, we�ll combine our club meeting with the Leader�s Training meeting on Saturday, March 12^th and the 4-H Expo Night on Wednesday, March 16^th at the High School. The Leader�s Training topic will be about judging. There will be several classes on how to judge various things as well as how 4-H projects are judged. Our members will be helping with this event so they can learn more about the how and why of judging. Parents are encouraged to attend also.

For the Expo Night, which is the general 4-H sign-up night, we will have a club display with the member�s models and they should be on hand to answer questions about the club. It�s a fun event and helps encourage members to talk to others about what they do in the club and 4-H in general.

In April we will have our model club horse show and have a booth to sell candy at the horse sale. This will just be for a few hours in the morning. I�ll also have a scavenger hunt list for the girls to work on. I�ll be taking photos of the sale so I need to be done by noon. I�ll have more details on this as the time gets near.

At the April meeting on the 20^th, I�d like to work on record books and hopefully have some demonstrations done. I�d like to get the Model Horse stuff pretty much finished before the other clubs get busy. Please encourage your daughter to do her demonstration and book and video reports. When I send out the April newsletter, I�ll also include a list of everything your daughter has done and what we did as a club. For the younger members, I�m enclosing an info flyer that might help them with their demonstration.

As for the Abaco Barb project, WOW!!! Jess, Mary and Hannah have been interviewed for an article in Young Rider®, a national publication and I�ve done articles for Farm & Ranch®, and Breyer's Just Horses®, as well as one for the National 4-H website and the State 4-H newsletter. Mimi and I have received some e-mails from 4-H youth asking how they can help. So, at the next meeting, the girls will have a short brain-storming session on fund-raising and awareness ideas and then I�ll compile them into an article which hopefully we can put on the Abaco Barb website.

In November, we sent a card to Josh Dumas, he�s serving as a medic in Baghdad. We received a card back from him. He thanked the girls for the card and wrote, �Thank you for the card and letter, it�s really nice to hear from people back home. Please tell your girls in the 4-H club I said Thank You, too. I keep busy, but if any of you would like to write, please feel free. Pictures are nice too.� We also received a Christmas card from the Abaco Scouts. So, we need to do some postcard writing at the next meeting, also. I�ll collect them and send everything together. If anyone wants to write a letter before-hand, that would be great.

If any of our excellent bakers would like to do an extra community service project, the new board of directors at White Water are going to host a bake sale just before Easter and are in need of expert bakers to make and donate cookies and other goodies. If you�re interested, please let me know.

Salmon Model Horse 4-H Club

***************2005**************

February 16^th, Wednesday � Club meeting at Country Commissioners Office.

March 12^th, Saturday � 4-H Judge�s & Leader�s Training program.

March 14-16 4-H Promotion Week at the schools.

March 16^th, Wednesday � 4-H Expo Night with Club display.

March 28^th Monday - tentative meeting to prepare for model show

April 2^nd, Saturday � Open 4-H Model Horse Show for all clubs. MUST ATTEND.

April 15^th, Friday- Salmon Mule Sale- come enjoy and learn new things!!!!

April 16^th, Saturday- Salmon Horse Sale booth to sell candy, promote club, etc.

April 20^th, Wednesday - Club meeting at Country Commissioners Office.