2010 Annual Meeting for Midwest Distance Driving Association
By Jac Deweese

Members began gathering at 12 pm on November 14 for the MDDA Annual Meeting and Awards Party.

After renewing acquaintances, enjoying informal visits, looking over pictures from the early days of the organization and sharing recent activities, the 30 attendees began gathering the food for lunch.  As usual the food was plentiful, varied and delicious!

President Gary Jackson started the meeting at 2 pm by asking everyone to introduce themselves, their horses and where they were from.  Following the introductions Gary moved quickly to the primary business of seeking nominations/volunteers for the board of directors.  Existing members volunteered to continue, but there was a need for at least one new member to replace Wes Licht, who elected to retire form the board after serving 10 years (5 as president).  Ruth Casserly agreed to serve on the board   and was accepted by the members.

Webmaster Jac explained that the MDDA web site now offered the ability to fill out the membership form and pay dues on-line.  The printed form will continue to be available to those who don’t wish to do it on-line.  A few of the members have used the new system and think that the early bugs have been resolved.

MDDA members Ray and Alice Hubert had been asked to bring their racing harness and bitless bridle to explain exactly how it worked.  The harness does not have a breeching.  Instead the harness includes a very secure attachment of the shaft directly to the saddle.  It is clear that this arrangement does not represent a safety issue.  However, with a heavy cart the horse might suffer from holding the weight entirely on the saddle.

Alice explained how her bridle works.  The bitless and blinkerless bridle is certainly different, but if the horse is used to working in a bitless and/or blinkerless bridle, it should not be a safety issue.  It was agreed that the board would develop suitable language in the rules to allow use of the racing harness with an appropriate vehicle.  (Current rules require a breeching or brakes.)

After the meeting guest speaker Bonnie Mielke, an experienced  rider with over 43,000 miles and 1^st place competitive rider for 2010, gave an excellent presentation on conditioning.  She explained that a horse needs time to build up for competition.  She recognized that our driving horses typically do fewer miles and thus can be conditioned over shorter distances but she does recommend an extended conditioning period before the season starts.  Her own plan includes 10 weeks to prepare before the season begins.  Bonnie recommends maintaining a calendar and writing down each workout including distance, time and any notes that help evaluate the horse and its progress.

Bonnie then talked briefly about some ideas on nutrition and supplements.  She is a strong believer in using electrolytes.  She also uses oils as an energy source, but this is for horses doing a minimum of 25 miles in competition. She subsequently added to her presentation by noting that she hadn’t mentioned the importance of days off.  This is when the horse recovers from those minor aches, pains, and pulls and is just as important as the work days.

After Bonnie’s presentation it was time for AWARDS!

The awards presentation started off with Jac recognizing Wes Licht for his 10 years of leadership and service to MDDA.  Jac noted that Wes was a part of the small group who actually organized MDDA in 2000 and he has been active in distance driving since 1996.  Jac also noted that Wes was instrumental in getting members like him involved in MDDA.   When Jac directed the question to the audience, there were a great many hands in the membership who had had a similar experience.

Wes then introduced Jack Shea as the MDDA Volunteer of the Year and presented him with a nice fleece vest.  He explained how Jack’s efforts as treasurer and co-ride manager for the Iron Oak event were invaluable to the organization.  Jack finally understood why the bill for the year end prizes didn’t look right!

Gary presented Tim and Ruth Casserly with an Outstanding Participation award in recognition of their competing in all 10 scheduled events and driving on 21 of the 22 days offered at these events.  They received personalized coffee mugs for this truly outstanding effort!

Topping off this achievement, Tim and Ruth Casserly won the Pairs Champion award with Auran Bachlava and Auran Harley Davidson.

MDDA’s rookie drivers blew away the competition with:

Rick Nelson and Buddy winning both Champion Single and Rookie of the Year

Tammy Sunderlage with Diamond Dust winning both Reserve Champion Single and Rookie

Terri Delke and Georgette placing both 3^rd Single and Rookie

Alice Hubert and Mini Hapi Times placing both 4^th Single and Rookie

Jack Shea and Kim won Champion Single Limited Distance

Katz Jackson and Talon were the Reserve Champion Single Limited Distance

Glenn Garbisch and Akhea place 3^rd Single Limited Distance

Ray Hubert and Penquin Beware earned a Rookie award

Ray Hubert and Pistol Pete also earned a Rookie award

Congratulations to all the winners and a special congratulations to our outstanding crop of rookies!  We look forward to hearing more from you all in future years!