Horse Trials New Brunswick Annual Report 2003

Our year began with a successful Annual General Meeting well attended by both regulars and new people. We discussed and put into action suggestions made at the 'Town Hall" meetings we hosted in Fredericton , Hampton and Moncton in the fall of 2002. Several other good ideas were also brought to the AGM and we were able to act upon most of them during the year.

We developed a competition schedule in cooperation with Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island so there were no conflicting event dates. The three New Brunswick events were well attended, especially the second Foshay event. The entries were higher than we had seen in years -- it must have filled a big hole in everyone's calendar.

Mike Gallagher also established a series of mini-events for green horses and/or riders on his Evergreen course in Hampton . They were well attended and lots of fun. We were disappointed, however, that similar events were not held in other areas of the province.

The LDW clinic with Garry Rorque in PEI was one of the highlights of the year. Organized by Susan Dohoo and funded by all three Maritime Provinces , it enabled riders to participate essentially for travel costs. Those who couldn't make it to the clinic were especially disappointed when they heard how great it was.

Among our projects this year was the development of a new website. Thanks to Jeff Carter and those who helped him along the way, it looks great and is an easy to use site -- check it out at www.HTNB.org.

Another major project was the production of an eventing handbook for those who are new to the sport or are competing at lower levels. It proved popular here and we have also shared it with other provinces. It is available on our web site, or can be mailed out on request for a nominal fee.

We enjoy great coaching in New Brunswick . Rob Stevenson has developed some great event riders in the Maritimes, and we have several other excellent coaches available in local areas. We also benefit from annual visits by other coaches from different parts of the country.

We have two great TDs who are kept busy all summer. This fall they both participated in the David Evans Course Design Clinic in Toronto and found it to be of great benefit. A lack of officials in this province, however, continues to be a problem.

Our membership continues to increase slightly each year. This year we had eight family, 19 senior and seven junior members.

Thanks to Canadian Eventing for its continued support through grants, travel allowances, clinics and policy development. We look forward to 2004 with enthusiasm and optimism.

Vivian DeMerchant
HTNB President