Vermont Horse Council

COMMITTEES

Membership Trails NEKET (Northeast Kingdom Equestrian Trails) Scholarship Ride & Drive Program

Large Animal Technical Rescue American Horse Council

Membership

Click to view/print: 2010 Membership Form (PDF)

VERMONT HORSE COUNCIL MEMBER BENEFITS

All Memberships:

•Receive quarterly newsletter with calendar of events, free classified ads, and area news.
•Discount on VHC sponsored events.
•VHC voting privileges.
•Enrollment in the Riding & Driving Program when additional one-time fee is paid.

Club, Business, and Farm Memberships:

•Free listing in the newsletter
•Opportunity to list upcoming events & news in the quarterly newsletter
•Opportunity to distribute business cards and/or flyers at trade show booth set-ups.

After we receive your membership application, you will receive a Welcome Packet from our membership committee, which includes:
· Welcome Letter from President
· Membership Card
· Riding & Driving Program Information
· VHC Scholarships information
· Recent Newsletter or Newsflash
· Chart of Contacts

Contact:
Membership Chairman
Terry Rose,
146 Bent Hill Road
Braintree, VT 05060

The Vermont Horse Council is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax deductible.

Scholarship

Cliff Murray and Floyd Fuller Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Vermont Horse Council is dedicated to the support of our youth in the equine world. One method of reaching that goal is to provide financial support to young people wishing to obtain advanced training in equine studies or in occupations which are in direct support of the horse industry.

The VHC has the Cliff Murray & Floyd Fuller Memorial Scholarship for college bound young people pursuing a degree in any animal science field. This scholarship is administered by VSAC and selected and awarded by the Vermont Horse Council scholarship committee. Cliff and Floyd were founding members of the council and they were both dedicated to helping interested young people experience horses.

Basis of Program

1. A scholarship minimum of $250 will be awarded annually.
2. The chosen school must provide a quality education in equine studies or related program and must meet with the approval of the VHC Scholarship Committee.
3. The scholarship will be paid directly to the recipient. If the recipient is unable to use the scholarship immediately, it will be held for two years in the recipient s name.
4. Applicants must be Vermont residents. Previous recipients of this scholarship are ineligible to compete again.
5. The application for a scholarship will include:

a. Resume with your name, address, phone number, parent(s) name, address, phone number, schools attended and grades, and work experience, if any.

b. Letter giving your history of involvement with horses, community service and other activities, and your future plans.

c. Two letters of reference. One must be from an experienced horse person who can attest to your interest in equine studies and your talents with horses; and one may be from your guidance counselor or an instructor from an academic or equine related environment.

1. A scholarship committee of three impartial persons shall make the selection of those to receive the funds.
2. Selection will be based on the student s ability and aptitude for serious study, community service, leadership, financial need and achievement with horses. The scholarship committee can decide to award multiple scholarships if they have several deserving applicants.
3. Applications must be postmarked by August 15.
4. Send your complete application material to:

Lynn Beebe
VHC Scholarship Chair
6495 Rte 12A
West Braintree, VT 05669

Youth and 4-H Scholarships

This scholarship can be used for any equine activities for youth or 4-H’ers in Vermont. The amount is appropriated by the scholarship committee and can be up to half of the event total. Applications are accepted at any time. For more information and an application click here.

American Horse Council / Legislative Committee

The American Horse Council (AHC) actively promotes equine interests and monitors federal legislative issues effecting the horse industry. The mission of the American Horse Council is as follows:

To promote and protect the equine industry by representing its interests in Congress and in federal regulatory agencies on national issues of importance.

To unify the equine industry by informing industry members of regulations and pending legislation.

To serve as a forum for all member organizations and individuals on national issues.

To advise and inform government and the industry itself of the equine industry’s important role in the United States economy.

For more information on the American Horse Council, go to it’s website at www.horsecouncil.org

January 4, 2010

Unwanted Horse Coalition Releases Best Practices Handbook

Washington, DC – January 4, 2010. The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) has published a handbook entitled Best Practices: How Your Organization Can Help Unwanted Horses. The handbook is part of the UHC’s continuing effort to get the horse community more involved in solving the problem of unwanted horses. If the horse community is to succeed in lessening the problem of unwanted horses, more organizations and more events, large and small, regardless of their breed or discipline, must institute activities and programs to deal with their horses after their active lives are over or when their owners are no longer able to care for them.

Many equine organizations, events and service providers have already instituted programs to help ensure that no horse becomes unwanted. The Best Practices Handbook lists many of these activities and other initiatives that those in the horse industry can undertake. The handbook includes sections on administration, continuing education, fundraising, support of equine care facilities, matchmaking, direct assistance, breeding control, and euthanasia.

The Best Practices Handbook outlines various examples of successful programs and activities already in place with other organizations. There are thousands of associations, events, activities, service providers, commercial suppliers, meetings, trail rides, etc. in the horse community. Regardless of whether you are involved with a large organization, a small show, a racetrack, or a veterinary clinic, there are ideas in this booklet that can be adopted and put into place. If each gets involved in some fashion, the industry can go a long way toward solving the problem of excess horses.

“The more educated our industry becomes in regard to unwanted horses and the more effort that we put into it, the more we can do to help our horses,” said UHC Chairman, Dr. Tom Lenz. “We hope the Best Practices Handbook will give everyone some ideas to pursue. If each organization gets involved, even with a single activity, the industry can go a long way toward solving this problem.”

The UHC is distributing its Best Practices Handbook to organizations and facilities around the country. The handbook is also available for download on the UHC’s website: www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org.

For more information about the UHC or the Best Practices Handbook please contact Ericka Caslin, UHC Director, at ecaslin@horsecouncil.org or by calling 202-296-4031.