Cathy Mueller and daughter, Mardy, Maple Plain, Minnesota, were late to the welcoming Friday night pizza party thrown by the Best of Iowa in Traces Society (BITS), sponsors of the Skunk River Driving Trial. A Omigosh,@ Cathy exclaimed, AMerlin was just a mess! We couldn=t do anything with him!@ We should all have so much trouble; Cathy and Merlin drove a 38.15 dressage test the next morning in front of judge Muffy Seaton, Williston, South Carolina. The turnout went on to win the chair awarded for overall Training Level Champion.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

        Other notable dressage scores at the event, held June 25-26, 2011, at Three G Farms, Ames, Iowa, were BITS member Paul Degen=s 37.19 in Prelim Single Horse with HH Moonshadow and BITS member Gene Rhinehart=s 43.84 with Celtic in the first-ever Intermediate Division offered at the Skunk River. Offering Intermediate meant having a second judge; we were pleased that John Greenall, West Windsor, Vermont, agreed to do the honors. He judged the Training and Prelim cones before moving over to the dressage arena for the Intermediate dressage tests.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

        On their way to the Training Division championship, Cathy Mueller won Training Single Pony. They were followed closely by BITS member Anita Schlosser driving her new Morgan, Bambi.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

        Winning first in Training Single Horse was James Thomas, Oskaloosa, Kansas, driving his Morgan, Diamond.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

BITS member Dale Watson, Ames, Iowa, placed second with his Morgan, Royal. (When handing out the ribbons on Sunday, Jada Neubauer noted that Dale and Royal cut their 2010 SRDT score in half!)

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Winning the blue ribbon in Training VSE was Miranda Schoenecke, Lake Mills, Wisconsin.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Chad Rhinehart, Reedsberg, Wisconsin, drove his pair of VSEs to the blue ribbon in Training Multiples. Placing second was Douwe Plantinga from Mt. Vernon, Texas, driving a Friesian pair.

        Dressage tests on Saturday were driven in everything from a light mist to a downpour. But the rainy weather did not stop 10-year-old Luke Dahlberg from driving his first-ever dressage test in competition and earning a respectable 57.93. Luke and his pony, Jesse James, from Solon Springs, Wisconsin, went on to win third place in the competitive Training Single Pony class.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Demi Anderson, Salem, Wisconsin, in her first-ever three-phase event, drove the best cones run in the Training Division.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Winning cones ribbons in their divisions were Paul Degen, Mason City, Iowa in Prelim and Pam Johnson, Pleasant Hill, Missouri, in Intermediate.

        The three tandem competitors, (Candis Hankins, Superior, Wisconsin, and BITS member Jim Block, Minong Wisconsin, driving Preliminary, and Mark Dahlberg, Solon Springs, Wisconsin, driving Intermediate), along with the Single and Pairs Intermediate drivers, performed their tests in a 100 meter arena. Changing the dressage arena from an arena that is 40 x 80 meters to one that is 40 x 100 meters is done quickly and easily. The edge of the arena is a fringe of grass; to change from 80 to 100, the fringe of grass on either end of the 80-meter arena is mowed, both A and C are moved back 10 meters to a second fringe of grass, the M, F, H, and K markers are moved, and the S, R, V, and P markers are brought into place. The change from 80 to 100 meters takes about 20 minutes and is inexpensive . . . but only can occur once a year!

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

        The weather on Sunday for the marathon was much better then that on Saturday. . . sunny, cool, with a slight breeze. Just right for driving the 7-kilometer course and the 7 hazards laid out by BITS members Randy Farwell and Earl W. Morris and their crew, and approved by Technical Delegate Wayne Kramer, Slaughter, Louisiana. Randy single-handedly built the new, permanent hazard, Hansen=s Hill, dedicated to the memory of long-time BITS member, Bob Hansen. Using free utility poles (Utility crew member: AYou have any use for these 10 poles?@ APut them in the hay field; we=ll think of something!@ ) cut into 8-to-9 foot lengths, Randy set 13 of them in a pattern that offers many different options for flagging.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Lots of rain on part of the first cutting of hay at Three G Farms yielded nine round bales that will feed the neighbor= s cows this winter, after being used to make the gates for the Hickory Corners hazard.

        To no one= s surprise, BITS member Jada Neubauer had the lowest score in the preliminary marathon, turning in a stunning 40.77 driving her Connemara, Century Hills Kieron. (Jada and GS Thunderboy Henry burned up the marathon courses in the Advanced division at the three CDEs in Florida in 2011.)

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

BITS member Gene Rhinehart=s 43.84 in the Intermediate marathon with his Friesian cross, Celtic, was also no surprise . . . that turnout knows it way around a hazard or two. Both Jada, from Ames, Iowa, and Gene, from Ferguson, Iowa, went on to win their division championships.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

BITS member Barbara Simmons, Bellevue, Nebraska, won the blue ribbon in Intermediate Pairs, driving her Morgans, Dexter and Ace.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

BITS member Jim Block won the Preliminary Tandem blue ribbon with his Morgans Nikki, Jodee, and July, and BITS member Mickey Hansen, driving her VSE, Cody, won first place in Preliminary Combined Test. Winning a second blue ribbon was Gene Rhinehart driving wife Katy= s Haflinger, Buck Naked! in Prelim Single Pony.

Photo by D&G Photography.  Used with permission.

        With 34 competitors from 10 different states, the 9^th Annual Skunk River was judged a resounding success by officials, competitors, and the organizing committee. Plans are already underway for the 2012 Skunk River Driving Trial, when we will be celebrating its 10^th year as one of the premier driving events in the Midwest.

SRHDT Sponsors

The members of the Best of Iowa in Traces Society (BITS) are grateful to the sponsors of the 2011 Skunk River Horse Driving Trial, who offered almost $2500 in cash plus good and services in support of the event.  In alphabetical order, the sponsors are:

LuAnn Arney, Dorchester, Iowa

Tom and Deborah Bridges, Gibbons, Nebraska

Canterwood Farm, Leanne and Gerald Schwickerath, Newton, Iowa

Paul Degen and Sally Overturf, Mason City, Iowa

Dragon's Lair, Katy and Gene Rhinehart, Ferguson, Iowa

Electronic Engineering, Ames, Iowa

Gilbert Fire Department EMT, Gilbert, Iowa

Richard and Sheri Haviza, Whitewater, Wisconsin

H&R Friesians, Sharon and Rod Rucksdashel, Aplington, Iowa

Paula Hagen-Peterson, Elizabeth, Colorado

Mickey Hansen, West Liberty, Iowa

Helmuth Equine, Raymond Helmuth, Zearing, Iowa

Mike Hendricks, Farrier Service, Hubbard Iowa

Iowa Morgan Horse Association

Iowa Valley Carriage, Sandee McKee, Toledo, Iowa

Shirley Jensen, Audubon, Iowa

Key Cooperative, Gilbert, Iowa

Debra Knoll, Dallas Center, Iowa

Christina M. Loiacono, DVM, Boone, Iowa

Midwest Driving Company, Jada Neubauer, Ames, Iowa

Cathy Mueller, Maple Plain, Minnesota

Dennis Neubauer, Garden City, Iowa

Edna and Fred Oakley, Ashland, Missouri

Odden's Norwegian Fjord Horses, Phil Odden and Patti DeVault, Barronett, Wisconsin

Team Possum, Donna Crossman, Margot Ashley, Miranda Schoenecke, Lake Mills, Wisconsin

Ryerson's Implement, Nevada, Iowa

Anita Schlosser, Ames, Iowa

Steve and Valerie Siegel, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Barbara Simmons, Bellevue, Nebraska

Three G Farms Equine Center, Ames, Iowa

Donna Treiber, Danbury, Iowa

Woodpecker Woods, Kathy Johnson, Montrose, Minnesota

Wrightway Trailers, Sheryl Stillions, Hiawatha, Iowa

A huge THANK YOU to the people and the businesses for supporting us!!

    Members of the Best of Iowa in Traces Society BITS) love obstacle classes, so it is no surprise that the BITS Summer Carriage Classic, held August 27-28, 2011, at the Hamilton County Fairground in Webster City, Iowa, featured lots of different ways to drive cones. Of course, we had the traditional ring classes: Working Pleasure, Turnout, and Reinsmanship. And the somewhat-traditional obstacle classes for the division championships: Pick Your Route, Timed Obstacles, and Pleasure Drive Pace. To this list, we added Double Jeopardy, Reverse Psychology, Gambler= s Choice, and Cone Weaving.  We thought (and we were right!) that many of the competitors would be BITS members, so we may as well do what we like to do!

    Cone Weaving? What is Cone Weaving, I hear you cry. Think pole bending in western pleasure shows. Six cones in a straight line, with 24 feet between every two cones. The competitor enters through an in-gate, drives to the far end of the line of cones, weaves back through the six cones, turns around the last cone, weaves back, and then heads for the finish line. Fastest time (with no knockdowns) wins. Fun to watch a small pony in a two-wheeled vehicle (SL Rey, driven by BITS member Earl W. Morris, Ames, Iowa) run the pattern, as well as a draft cross put to a 4-wheeled vehicle (Miss Ruby, driven by Debra Sauer, Friendship, Wisconsin) both of whom were edged out by BITS member Jim Block, Minong, Wisconsin, driving his Morgan, July.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

    Deb Sauer and Miss Ruby were first in Gambler= s Choice, racking up a whopping 205 points in their two minutes, 10 points ahead of their nearest competitors. Double Jeopardy is a favorite among the BITS members with the competitor, sitting on the right, driving pairs 1-10, then handing the reins to the person on the left, who drives pairs 10-1. The person on the left is a driver, of course, but often is not a competitor. So anything can happen.

Photo by Nancy Eich Kayser.  Used with permission.

This year, however, Double Jeopardy was won by two seasoned competitors, Jim Block and Jada Neubauer, Ames, IA driving Jim=s horse, July.

    Jada was a busy woman at the BSCC, competing with her own Connemara, Kieron, and riding with her 6-year-old daughter, Molly, driving a 28" VSE, Prince. 

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

    Molly and Abigail Simmons, Omaha, Nebraska, were the two competitors in the Junior Driver division. Abigail, 12, was twice as old a Molly, and her horse, Dexter, a Morgan owned by her grandmother, BITS member Barbara Simmons, was at least four times as big as Prince! Abigail also drove in Gamblers= Choice (6^th), Pick Your Route (4th), Double Jeopardy (2nd), and the Pleasure Drive Pace (2nd). These two juniors will be heard from in the years to come!

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Her first place finish in the Pleasure Drive Pace, along with blue ribbons in Working Pleasure and Reinsmanship propelled BITS member Anita Schlosser, Ames, Iowa, and her Morgan, Bambi, to the Novice Driver Championship and the High Point Morgan Award, provided by the Iowa Morgan Horse Association.

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

Anita was joined in the championship circle by pleasure show veterans Deb Sauer (Open Horse) and Dr. Joan Kepros, Cresco, Iowa (Open Pony). Others taking home championship ribbons were BITS member Leanne Schwickerath, Newton, Iowa,  (Multiples) and Abigail Simmons (Junior Driver). 

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

Reserve Championship ribbons were won by BITS member  Dale Watson, Ames, IA (Novice Driver), BITS member Jada Neubauer, Ames, Iowa (Open Horse), BITS member Earl W. Morris, Ames, Iowa (Open Pony), BITS member Molly Neubauer, Ames, Iowa (Junior Driver), and BITS member Randy Farwell, Boone, Iowa (Multiples).

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

Photo by Nancy Eich Kayser.  Used with permission.

Photo by Nancy Eich Kayser.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Also participating in the Novice Driver classes were Robin Mathison, Canton, South Dakota, BITS member Edna Oakley, Ashland, Missouri, Jeff Hughes, Davenport, Iowa, and Terry Hooten, Waterville, Iowa. 

Photo by Doug Martin. Used with permission.

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Nancy Eich Kayser.  Used with permission.

Other drivers in Open Horse were Jim Thomas, Oskaloosa, Kansas, Dave Dunn, Shell Lake, Wisconsin, won won Turnout with his elegant new vehicle and was only two seconds off in the Pleasure Marathon Pace! 

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Doug Martin.  Used with permission.

And BITS member Mickey Hansen, West Liberty, Iowa, competed in Open Pony with her VSE, Gem's Hot Commodity. 

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

BITS member Katy Rhinehart, Ferguson, Iowa, designed all of the courses and even found time to drive her pony, Buck Naked! in a couple of the games. 

Photo by Nancy Eich Kayser.  Used with permission.

And BSCC organizer Mary Winter even participated, driving Double Jeopardy with her husband, Earl W. Morris, and BITS member Christie Loiacono's pony, SL Rey.

Photo by Nancy Eich Kayser.  Used with permission.

    The Second Annual BSCC has come and gone. The weather was almost perfect. Even the storm that threatened on Saturday spit rain over the lunch hour and then quit. The competitors were fun and flexible. And the BITS members were everywhere that they were needed: setting up and taking down stuff, timing events, and just generally keeping things on track. Officials Judge Susan Koso and Technical Delegate Deborah Bevan offered assistance in managing the show, and made terrific suggestions for the 2012 BITS Summer Carriage Classic. With the assistance of Holly Myers and her terrific crew at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, we will be back next year!

BSCC Sponsors

The members of the Best of Iowa in Traces Society (BITS) are grateful to the sponsors of the 2011 BITS Summer Carriage Classic, who offered more than $500 in cash,  plus good and services,  in support of the event.  In alphabetical order, the sponsors are:

Dick and Mary Loy Brown, Liberty, Missouri

Theresa Burns, Perry, Iowa

Casad Brothers Implement, Webster City, Iowa

Dragon's Lair Hats, Katy and Gene Rhinehart, Ferguson, Iowa

Dave Dunn, Shell Lake, Wisconsin

Electronic Engineering, Ames, Iowa

Valerie Herber, Wood River, Nebraska

Iowa Morgan Horse Association

Iowa Valley Carriage, Sandee McKee, Toledo, Iowa

Mike Hendricks, Farrier Service, Hubbard Iowa

Dr. Joan Kepros, Cresco, Iowa

Anita Schlosser, Ames, Iowa

Three G Farms Equine Center, Ames, Iowa

Woolstock Implement, Woolstock, Iowa

A huge THANK YOU to the people and the businesses for supporting us!!

The 8^th SRDT will long be remembered by officials, the organizing committee, and the competitors as having more entries than any of the previous seven, along with worse weather and more crises than the previous seven events put together. It also will be remembered for a group of competitors who remained flexible and rolled with whatever the officials and organizers threw at them with smiles, compliments, and thanks, without whining or complaining (at least not to us!). The best picture of the 2010 SRDT, sponsored by the Best of Iowa in Traces Society (BITS) at Three G Farms, Ames, Iowa, June 26-27, is provided by my recollection of the events in diary form.

April: The trails committee, headed by Randy Farwell and Earl Morris, lay out the marathon course. BITS members assemble April 24^th to mow the marathon route, use limb loppers and chain saws to clear the course and the hazards, plan the hazard gates, and locate and wash cones and signs.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Saturday, May 1: Entries open; Secretary Anita Schlosser reports receiving two today.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Saturday, May 15: 17 entries already, almost as many as the number of total entries at the 2009 event. Still have more than three weeks to go until the June 10 deadline.

Thursday, June 10: 45 entries, the maximum one dressage judge can score in a day. Every stall or pen on the farm that can hold a horse will have an occupant. Considering slings from the ceiling; decide to close the event instead. Receive the first call asking whether we still have space. There will be three more late entries, along with four cancellations, that free up the horse storage spaces. Ultimately, all entries are accepted, with the last entry opting for a stall at Canterbrooke Equestrian Center, about three miles away.

Monday, June 21: Arrive home from Metamora CDE to find the marathon trails in great shape. Wild flowers blooming everywhere and great mowing by Randy and The Morris Men, Earl, Tad, Earl’s son, and Ron, Earl’s brother. Dressage arena also looks terrific, and the cones course is ready.

Wednesday, June 23: Jim and Nancy Block, the first out-of-towners, pull in with their camper and horse trailer with their Morgan tandem.

Thursday, June 24: TD Linda Viani arrives, reviews the courses, makes some changes and pronounces things ready for inspection by the judge, Muffy Seaton. More competitors arrive.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Friday, June 25

7:00 AM: Muffy calls from Windsor, South Carolina. Her flight from Augusta, Georgia, to Dallas, where she would connect to Des Moines, has been cancelled. Instead of arriving at 11:35 AM today, she will arrive at 11:10 PM. More competitors arrive.

5:00 PM: Gene Rhinehart, BITS president, welcomes the competitors and introduces Linda, Earl, Anita, and me, along with the BITS officers and SRDT committee chairs: Katy Rhinehart, Katie Lund, Marcia Petersen, Sheryl and Steve Stillions, Jada Neubauer, Jo Schumacher, Sandee McKee, Christie Loiacono, and Randy Farwell. A few questions, a few comments. Emphasis on "Check the message board." Little did we know how important that would be.

6:30 PM: The beer is cold, as is the white wine. The pizza is here, The Guys, a local combo, are playing. Earl begins his favorite part of the whole weekend: dancing with everybody who wants to dance, beginning with me. Life is good.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

7:30 PM: Muffy calls; her second flight is cancelled. She will arrive Saturday at 11:40 AM. Earl is dancing with the Linda, the TD. I cut in and we head for the barn office to figure out what to do. Doing the marathon first is rejected: it will be impossible to assemble the volunteers a day early. Plan B is developed: drive cones in the morning, when cones setters, timers and scorers will be in place, start dressage at 1:30 after Muffy arrives. Go until dark, around 9:00 PM, driving any leftover dressage tests Sunday before the marathon. Contact the dressage scribes about the change in schedule.

June 25, 8:00 PM: Put in a call to Mary Ruth Marks, the only licensed CDE judge within driving distance (5 hours) of the farm. Hoping, of course, that she could just pick up and come. Also leave a message for Camie Stockhausen, an eventer from Ames, who has worked with and judged many of us in CDE camps and ADTs. Mary Ruth says that Jamie O’Rourke, also a licensed CDE judge, is currently at the Iron Horse CDE facility, also a 5-hour drive from Ames. Another possibility.

9:00 PM: A second competitors’ meeting, to explain what is going on. Matt Neubauer, the scorer, has an order of go developed for Saturday morning cones, and it is posted. Take attendance using an order of go and call those who are not at the meeting. Judy Gutoski, who, along with her husband, Fred, has made the trek from Manitoba to the event, reminds everyone that the object is to have fun, and, if we all remain flexible and tolerant, we will! Thanks, Judy!

Saturday, June 26

1:00 AM: Violent thunderstorm. Chad and Myrna Rhinehart, in living quarters in their trailer, with Spider in a pen next to the trailer, grab Kyle, age 7, and Spider and head for the indoor arena. At least two EZ-UP canopies are destroyed. And 3.5 inches of rain is dumped on everything.

5:00 AM: The phone rings. Maybe if I don’t pick it up . . . It is Muffy, announcing the third cancelled flight. She can get to Kansas City, 4 hours from Ames, by 7:00 PM Saturday night. Which seems pointless. Call Linda. Call Jamie O’Rourke (who, I am sure loved being called at 5:00 A.M.) on the off chance that he would be available. Not possible.

5:30 AM: Consultation with Linda, who then consults with Muffy. The dressage judge is going to have to be drawn from the people currently on the grounds. We go through the list of competitors and their navigators, and make a list of the most experienced drivers in attendance. Jada Neubauer, an advanced driver who teaches dressage and has judged the participants at the annual Three G Farms CDE camp, is the obvious choice.

6:00 AM: Call Jada, entered in the event driving a prelim pony owned by Eleanor Eagly. "Congratulations, you have just been appointed judge for the 8^th Annual Skunk River Driving Trial." And we will go with the original plan, dressage beginning at 8:30, followed by cones. Now to get the word out one more time. Call the scribes again. Suggest to Sara Licht, coming 5 hours from Wisconsin to scribe for Muffy, that, although we would love to have her volunteer, we can cover the scribe duties if she chooses not to come. I am scheduled to drive my 4-year-old German Riding Pony, Marek, in a combined test (HC) beginning at 8:30. Scratch.

7:30 AM: Jim Block and Mark Dahlberg are enlisted to get the judge’s canopy, borrowed from Nebraska’s Pioneer CDE, set up and ready. Jada finishes feeding her horses, figures out what to do with Xavier, 7, and Molly, 5, for the day (her husband, Matt, is the scorer) and reviews dressage tests. Volunteers arrive on time; Linda trains them in cones.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

8:39 AM: Donna Treiber drives her VSE, Z’s Tuesday, in the first dressage test of the day.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Go around to trailers and stalls, making sure everybody knows about the change. Miss one . . . who shows up at her designated cones time under plan B, only to find that we are back to the original schedule, with her drive time 3 hours later. Accommodate the information screwup by putting her in Jada’s original slot. That works.

4:00 PM: 95 degrees with high humidity, but all of the dressage tests have been driven. Jada has the energy to harness and hitch her advanced pony, GS Thunderboy Henry, and drive FEI 9, the advanced dressage test that Muffy had agreed to judge after the rest of the dressage tests were over. Loud applause and cheering from the assembled competitors for a lovely test.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

On to cones, where she makes the advanced time but has two balls down.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

5:00 PM: Linda, Earl and Randy look at the marathon course and decide that it is too muddy to go to the north gate. Randy measures the distance omitted and resets the K markers. Linda lowers the speeds by 1 kph and posts the new distances and times on the bulletin board.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

6:30 PM: The caterers arrive with dinner, which is followed by a general announcement about the new times. Christie Loiacono, chair of the Silent Auction, announces that bids will be closing right after the awards for dressage and cones: Best Training Dressage: Gail Thomas, Oskaloosa, KS, driving her mini pair Lil Bit of Country and DM Rajas to a stunning 39.33, Best Training Cones: a tie between Sheryl Stillions, Marion, IA, driving her Friesian cross, Megan, and Susan Ahonen, Makinen, MN, with her VSE, Turbo; Best Prelim Dressage: Julie Dahlberg, Solon Springs, WI, driving Jesse James, and Best Prelim Cones: Christie Lioacono, Boone, IA, driving SL Rey.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Sunday, June 27

2:00 AM: 2 inches of rain. And Linda is awake worried about the fact that there might be somebody who did not get the message about the slower times. She has visions of a prelim horse driving the course at 14 kph overtaking a prelim horse at 13 kph. Her solution is easy . . . have the new information on a sheet for each competitor with Brian Morris at the safety check.

7:30 AM: Jada hitches Hank once again and, with her husband, Matt, navigating, drives the marathon course. She reports that it is surprisingly solid, considering that there has been more than 5 inches of rain in the previous 36 hours. The forecast is for another hot, humid day. Hoses are hooked to each of the 10 hydrants scattered around the farm, so critters can be cooled quickly and efficiently after the marathon.

9:05 AM: The first competitor, Miranda Schoenecke, Lake Mills, WI, is on course with her VSE, Lilly.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

~11:00 AM: The dreaded news comes over the radio in the office: there has been a rollover just outside of Walt’s Woods. The driver, Julie Dahlberg, is okay; her navigator, Sandee McKee (of Iowa Valley Carriage) is taken by ambulance to Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames. She has a dislocated shoulder; under anesthetic, her shoulder is realigned and she is sent home, with a sling and a lot pain. All drivers are held by Linda until the accident is cleared. After Sandee is safely in the ambulance, Julie and husband Mark rehitch Jesse and Julie finishes the marathon with Mark navigating, even though the change in navigators means she is eliminated.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Two drivers later, there is another turnover, this time inside the same hazard, but Peggy Peregrine-Spear and her navigator right the carriage, climb back on and finish the marathon.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

1:45 PM: All the scores are entered, ready for the final check before calculating the placings and getting the official signatures. Matt says, "Okay, now don’t panic, but my computer just froze." He reboots the computer, and, thanks to automatic backups, discovers that maybe 10 minutes of work is lost. Those scores are reentered, and, just to be safe, Anita and I read the prelim marathon scores to him again.

2:45 PM: The awards are presented: Miranda Schoenecke and Lilly win the Training Level Single VSE blue ribbon, Gail Thomas wins the Training Level Multiple VSE blue ribbon (okay, she is the only one) and the overall Training Level Championship.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Kate Rhinehart, Ferguson, IA, goes home with the blue in Training Single Pony, and Chad Rhinehart (no relation!) and HM Dancing Spider, Reedsburg, WI, win first in Training Single Horse.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Prelim Single Pony is won by Christie Loiacono, Boone, IA, driving SL Rey, Prelim Single Horse by Fred Gutoski, Oakbank, MB, driving Murphy, who also won the Best Prelim Marathon ribbon and the Overall Prelim Championship. Phil Odden, Barronett, WI, and his pair of Fjords, Marcy and Herger, win the Prelim Pony Pair first-place ribbon; Steve Siegel, Cheyenne, WY, with Pete and Duke, take home the Prelim Horse Pair blue. 

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

Mark Dahlberg, Solon Springs, WI, wins first place in Prelim Tandem with Bess and Rowdy. It is noted that Mark has the fastest time of any competitor in Hazard 6, and he finished 6^th among all prelim competitors in the marathon driving a tandem.

Photo by Derith Vogt.  Used with permission.

6:00 PM: I pick up Sandee at Mary Greeley and get her settled in our living room for the night. Pain killers help her get some sleep!

Monday, June 28, 9:00 AM: Under Sandee’s direction, Jim and Nancy Block and Jada Neubauer load the Iowa Valley Carriage merchandise into her trailer and then drive her home to Toledo, IA. The folks staying over Sunday evening (Team Possum: Donna Crossman, Melinda Schoenecke, Margot Ashley, and Nancy Brandtjen), Shari Haviza, Chet Thomas, and a few others are on their way. The trailer parking area is empty. The day is cool and dry. Where was this weather when we needed it? The 2010 Skunk River Driving Trial is history; long to be remembered by the competitors and the band of BITS members (including the Guest Judge and the TD) who can handle anything!

1st BITS Summer Carriage Classic

February 19, 2010. Central Iowa was buried in with what seemed like 20 feet of snow. Members of BITS were on a road trip looking for a place to hold a pleasure show. We had several requirements: a place near 4-lane highway with an enclosed outdoor arena (so we could offer a Junior Division), permanent horse stalls (to avoid renting a tent and/or setting up temporary stalls), grassy areas for cones, space for a cross country, and a local staff willing to work with us. Although it was a little tough to envision the grounds under all the snow (and the staff had to chip away the ice so we could check out the horse barn), we found what we were looking for on our first stop, at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Webster City, Iowa.

We were interested in the weekend of August 28-29, 2010. Which, according to Holly Myers, the fair manager, was the weekend of the championship for the 2010 stock car racing season. Uh . . . not compatible with a carriage driving pleasure show. No problem . . . we’ll ask the organizer to move the championship races to the weekend before. That response from Holly and her staff was typical . . . what do you need and how can we help you! And so the BITS Summer Carriage Classic had a home. When the snow finally melted and we could actually see what was under the white cover, we knew we had made the right choice.

Two telephone calls, one to Kathy Kuehl, who, along with her daughter, Jenny Potter, has 10 years of experience as a pleasure show secretary, and one to Dick Brown, absolutely the best announcer ever, and we had those two slots filled.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Judges Audrey Bostwick and Dana Bright, and Technical Delegate Kail Palmer-Miller agreed to serve as our officials (and to fly into the tiny Fort Dodge, Iowa, airport) and we were set. Now it was just to pull it off.

Which we did, with excellent cooperation from the weather . . . sunny (for a change this rain-filled summer) and not too hot . . . definitely ideal conditions for a pleasure show! The arena classes, along with timed obstacles, were held in the outdoor arena in front of bleachers shaded by huge oak trees and the cones courses were set up on the grassy area between the outdoor arena and the horse barn. The cross country wound down past the grandstand, around the race track, along the Boone River, and back up to end in the shade next to the outdoor arena. Thanks to local publicity, we had many spectators in the bleachers, which was fun for the competitors.

Some images from the event remain: Paul Degen’s timed obstacle run with HH Moonshadow that looked absolutely effortless . . . and was 7 seconds faster than all other competitors.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Julie Dahlberg holding on for dear life as son, Luke, drove Jesse James to the second fastest time in timed obstacles.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

The amazing junior drivers: Luke Dahlberg, Sarah Farwell, winning the division championship driving SL Rey, her mother’s intermediate-level single pony; and Beth Dahlberg, grinning from ear to ear after winning first place in Working Pleasure with Little Joe, the wheeler in the tandem driven by her father, Mark, in the Multiples Division.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Jeff Hughes, driving Mickey Hansen’s VSE in his first ever event, and loving every minute of it.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Katy Rhinehart, chair of the awards committee, handing herself the division championship ribbon for Novice Whip.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

The elegant turnouts in Ladies to Drive (won by Dr. Joan Kepros and her Morgan, Jingo) and Gentlemen to Drive, in which Michael Scott placed first, driving Vickie Nelson Bodoh’s sport pony, Bailiwick Foxfire.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

 Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Mark Dahlberg driving a tandem (as usual!) with his usual leader, Bess, and a new wheeler, daughter Beth's competition pony, Little Joe.  Watching the tandem, TD Kail Palmer-Miller remarked, "That leader is really terrific."  But we knew that . . .

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Gene Rhinehart's granddaughter, Easton, grinning from ear to ear riding with Gene behind Leanne Schwickerath driving their pair, Celtic and Beauty.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

The elegance of Vickie Nelson Bodoh's turnout . . . always gorgeous!

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

The grin on Mickey Hansen's face as she was handed the blue ribbon in Novice Whip Reinsmanship.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Sheryl Stillions winning Turnout in the Novice Whip division.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

The fun everybody had in the games:  Pick Your Route, Double Jeopardy, Cone Weaving, Gambler's Choice, and Reverse Psychology.

    Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

Photo by Randy Farwell.  Used with permission.

And the hardworking BITS members who planned and mapped the courses the week before, set everything up efficiently during the show, and, of course, dismantled everything and stowed the stuff into the horse trailer for the ride back home: Gene and Katy Rhinehart, Randy Farwell and Christie Loiacono, Jada and Matt Neubauer, Anita Schlosser, Eleanor Eagly, Earl W. Morris, and Marcia Petersen. A great event!