Mahatma Gandhi once said, "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." And someone once described Eventers as a group of individuals who, despite all that can go wrong and all that seems insurmountable, come together for the love of a great (if not extreme) sport and GET IT DONE!
Remember those calls for help that came over the past several years, like the havoc and destruction of GMHA and Huntington after Hurricane Irene? And who can forget how we all came together after the fire to help rebuild True Prospect Farm? When there is a call to arms, Eventers rise up and take charge much like attacking a difficult cross- country course... "I see it, I know it needs to be conquered and I sit up and kick until I cross the finish line".
Folks... UNH still need us even more now than ever before! "But", you say,"I thought it was all ok now! It is, isn't it?" (And some of you might even be saying... "Huh? What's up with UNH? Didn't they have a Horse Trial a couple of weeks ago?")
Let me see if I can simplify a somewhat complicated situation...
So, the Master Plan Steering Committee feel that by moving the facilities, all will be well and that we will be silent. Where is an already cash-strapped university going to find the money to replace what is being moved?
It's kind of like a shell game... they are not canceling the plans for development they are just shuffling it around. And, for how long will the shuffling last? Will the Equine Program be able to survive if it continues to be squeezed slowly and consistently like an anaconda eating its prey?
Some of you are all fired up, right?
We're Eventers and we love a good challenge! And maybe some of you are thinking... "Well, it's kind of out of my hands and really, I don't live in NH and haven't ever competed at UNH." (I actually hope that's just my mom and not an Area 1 Eventer.)
Here is why it’s important to all of us... even those Eventers outside of New England:
If you love a good gallop or a great cross-country run, and if you want to continue to see Horse Trials throughout New England... WE ALL NEED YOU NOW!
Take a few moments and email the following key individuals:
·UNH President, Mark Huddleston - [email protected]
·UNH Board of Trustees Chair, Ed Dupont - [email protected]
·UNH Director of Advancement, Peter Weiler - [email protected]
·UNH Chairof the Steering Committee of the CMP, Paul Chamberlin - [email protected]
·University Architect and Director of Campus Planning, Doug [email protected]
Express your concern over the proposed development and kindly demand:
1. That the Campus Master Plan be revisited and redirected
2. That they must discontinue the plans for any large scale retail development on UNH land,
3. That Agriculture, Dairy, Equine, Organics and Sustainability are very important and should be invested in rather than squeezed out.
4. That the President meet directly with the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture to hear their input
Change happens when we make it happen!
You can follow Suzanne’s Blog at: http://confessionsofanaaer.blogspot.com/
FYI Did You Know:
For some riders, it’s easy to miss the moments in between the big goals like a championship or a long format event, but Jennie Brannigan is savoring her moment today at the Setters' Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S, where she took home the win on Tim and Nina Gardner’s FE Lifestyle.
Riders in the CCI4*-S at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S were in for a change this afternoon as Brody Robertson made his show jumping course design debut in the class and built a challenging track that shuffled the top 10.
When Monbeg Zebedee came to Allison Springer’s barn nearly three years ago, she wasn’t sure where he might end up or how far his talent would take him. The Irish Sport Horse gelding (Dignifed van’t Zorgvliet x Bolacreane Dolly) had been purchased out of the Monart sale in Ireland by British five-star rider Kitty King as a sales prospect when he was 3, and King had started him but never competed him.
In their first trip down centerline at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S, Monica Spencer and Artist slipped into the top spot this afternoon with a score of 28.6. The New Zealand native, who’s now based in The Plains, Virginia, has been partnered with “Max,” a 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Guillotine x Maxamore) she owns, since he was 4.