An Invitation

Dear Members,

The Board of Directors held a special meeting last night to discuss the loss of our barn.

Despite the tragedy of the loss of this heritage structure and the loss of the horse that perished in the fire; despite the shock of the stark ruin that now stands on the property; despite all that, there is good news to report.

We have an excellent insurance agent who is confident that the financial aspect of our loss will be resolved quickly and easily.

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Don Crawford, who during his presidency changed the amount the barn was insured for from $55,000 in 2004 to $164,000, a much more valid replacement value. We are also fortunate that the president of our insurance brokerage, Robert Lewis, is a member of the Caledon Riding Club. He has an excellent team working on our behalf.  

The insurance company has sent people to try to determine the cause of the fire. It appears it was probably electrical, but this is not yet confirmed.

There is an opportunity for us despite our loss. The barn was not an ideal horse facility. Heritage, yes, but not ideal. Barn styles have changed a great deal in a hundred years. We have the opportunity, when we rebuild, to create a structure that is more suited to our present day needs.

I am writing now to invite you to send me your ideas. Send me your suggestions about what we need, what we might build, what sort of a structure you think would best serve our needs going forward. This could open up a whole new era for our club. I will take your suggestions to the Board. Every idea will be considered and discussed. We think we will have approximately $160,000 to work with (there’s a $5,000 deductible.) Please send in your ideas and suggestions within the next two weeks, that is, by Monday, July 25.

One more request: Please let me know of anything you had in the barn, anything of value that you may have stored there.

I look forward to your comments, suggestions and ideas. Let’s turn this sad occasion into an opportunity to make significant changes and improvements to our club.

Helen Notzl

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CALEDON RIDING CLUB

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TO MEMBERS, June 24, 2011

Dear Members,

I’m honoured to have been asked by Rose Fountain and approved by the Board of Directors to take on the presidency of the Riding Club for the balance of Rose’s term. We wish Rose every happiness in her new life in Rochester.

Caledon Horse Trials

Held June 18-19th, the Horse Trials were a great success. The weather was wonderful, the course was fabulous, the grounds looked beautiful, there were 229 entries with a waiting list of over 20, and we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback from everyone – competitors, volunteers, officials, sponsors and visitors. A huge Thank you to Jen Thompson, who did an outstanding job organizing the event. Our thanks also go to Trish McGeer, our Riding Director, who worked closely with Jen, and with Penny House, coordinated volunteers; to Sharon Coates, for lining up the event sponsors; to Mo for building new jumps and creating the new course; and to the crew that handled the tough job of organizing parking: Dick Tuerling, Alastair Strachan, Rob MacLachlan, Chris Boardman and Don Crawford. Many thanks to all of you members who volunteered in the many jobs that made this Event the best yet. We couldn’t have done it without you. We as the Caledon Riding Club have a great deal to be proud of.

Pub Nights

Pub Nights have taken off! We’re thrilled to have Kim Merrill and her sous-chef Steve hosting - and the word is out. The turnout has been growing exponentially. Fifty-two of us enjoyed Italian night this past Wednesday. Our limit is 60, so reserve early and don’t be disappointed. We’ll send out a notice Tuesdays if we’ve reached our limit.

At the Directors’ meeting last night, the Board made a request to the Social Committee to do its best to make Pub Nights break even financially. To accomplish this, the following changes were approved and will be effective as of next week’s Pub Night.

The price of the dinner for members who RSVP by Monday evening will be raised from $12 to $15, and from $15 to $20 for drop-ins. Soft drinks and bottled water will cost $1.

A new policy was approved, that if you reserve but don’t show up, you’ll be responsible for paying for the dinner – expect a call from our new treasurer, John Quayle!

Do come out – what could be better than warm summer evenings at the Riding Club? We look forward to seeing you there.

Helen Notzl

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Centre Stage wins both the Governor General's and the Lieutenant's Governor's Cup at the 2010 Royal Winter Horse Fair.

Congratulations to the Coulter family on their great success at this years Royal Winter Fair.

Under the capable guidance of farm manager Cheryl Coulter-Preziuso, Coventry Lane Farm's Centre Stage won both the Governor Generals Cup and the Lieutenant Governor's Cup.

Centre Stage was riden by David Ballard in the Governor General's Cup and Erynn Ballard in the Lieutenant Governor's Cup.

The Coulter family are long time members and supporters of the Caledon Riding Club. Keith and Lynn Coulter; David and Kim Kerr; Carmine and Cheryl Preziuso.

Photo from the Royal Winter Horse Fair Facebook page.

The Caledon Riding Club hosted another successful Caledon Horse Trials at the club facilities on June 19 & 20, 2010.

A special thanks to the 2010 Event Sponsors as well as to Andrew Bailini of Photography By Bailini for photos of the event.

Please click the Read More Link to see more photographs.