>> Richard Lamb clinic at Valinor (Plymouth, MA) July 5 and 6 still has openings. Richard is ICP level III certified. See the Clinics page for details.

>> Genesee Valley Hunt HT entry status.

>> Beth Perkins XC clinic at Groton House, July 4-5 and 11-12, still has openings. See the Clinics page for details.

>> Just a reminder: Riga Meadow is holding the Area I BN Championships on July 19th and is still accepting entries in all divisions. Closing date is June 30th.

>> From the organizer at UNH: We are overwhelmed by the positive response to our inaugural summer horse trials. Our one day event was completely filled (just over one hundred entries) by opening day postmark and a draw off of day two. We currently have over sixty-five entries on wait list, and additional entries keep arriving daily.
With this response, we will consider running two days in 2010. However, if you are on the wait-list, we ask that you consider VOLUNTEERING for this year's event; volunteers receive VIP Parking, free lunch, and $20 UNH Bucks to be used towards shows, schoolings or clinics held at UNH. Please contact Chris Keim at ckeim@unh.edu for more info.

>> The Young Riders Program needs your help in sending our Area I CCI* team to the Kentucky Horse Park for the North American Junior and Young Riders Championships July 22-26. Donate now! Every small amount helps! It’s easy.

>> The application deadline for the Young Riders Camp at GMHA August 10-12 has been extended to July 6. Help us get the word out! There are still plenty of spots for participants.

>> Coggins correction for UNH HT (July 19): Coggins bled prior to JANUARY 19 are invalid, not February as listed online.

>> ICP workshops at Greenwood Farm in Sherborn, MA, still have room for participants and auditors. These places must be filled in order to run the clinics, so please call or email right away. See the Clinics for details.

>> GMHA Junior Horsemanship Clinic, June 28 - July 8, still has openings for campers and instructors. Thanks to a generous donation there is also scholarship money available. It’s a great camp in South Woodstock, VT. Check it out at www.gmhainc.org or feel free to contact Emily Kil with any questions at mlekil@hotmail.com.

>> Course Brook Farm HT has cancelled. Due to the economic challenges this year, the organizers have decided to spend a bit more time adding to their course. They will run schooling shows this summer and hope to run the sanctioned event in 2010.

>> FOUND: Keys at UNH. "I have a set of keys that were turned in to me at the UNH Horse Trials. They seem to have two sets of mailbox keys on them as well as a few house keys. If anyone seems to have lost keys, get in touch with me at ckeim@unh.edu and I will return them." Christina Keim, Organizer, UNH HT

>> Novice Championship Qualification Dates have been revised: August 16, 2008 to July 4, 2009. Any horse and/or rider who competed in the 2008 Novice Championship at Ethel Walker must obtain a qualifying placement between October 13, 2008 and July 4, 2009 in order to compete in the 2009 Novice Championship.

>> Thanks for contributing to the Jersey Fresh HT! Here's the Area I-sponsored XC fence:

>> Ledyard Farm is offering scholarship opportunities to any rider 17 or older who may be interested in exchanging clinic fees for help preparing for running the the Clinics. Contact Betsy Holdsworth 505-660-1750 or Betsy36@cybermesa.com

>> Reasoning behind why Groton House Farm will be holding only one sanctioned event.

>> GMHA is now accepting applications for our Competition and Working Student Scholarships. These new programs are made possible by a 30,000 grant from the Chichester DuPont Foundation toward the continuation and expansion of our youth programs, aimed at assisting junior equestrians facing financial hardships. The Competition Scholarship Program will be awarded to hard-working juniors in all disciplines who would like to compete or attend a clinic at GMHA, but do not have the means. The Working Student Scholarship Program will offers juniors the opportunity to work at GMHA during the busy summer season, learning valuable skills applicable to future equestrian pursuits as well as educational and professional endeavors. For more info or to download applications, please go to GMHA's web site.

>> From Adrienne Iorio, owner of Apple Knoll Farm: "In these tough economic times, Apple Knoll Farm has made the difficult decision to not run our sanctioned horse trials for 2009. Instead, we will be running a series of 3 unsanctioned horse trials (starter trials). These will be run over the sanctioned x-country course. We will offer levels from pre-elementary thru to training. The hope is that we can offer more sport at less of a cost in order to help the eventers in area 1 continue to thrive. We enjoy all the competitors, volunteers, and spectators who visit us at AKF. We thank you for a great 2008 show season and hope for another great season in 2009. The plan is to be back on line with our sanctioned event in 2010. For more information, please check out our web site www.appleknoll.com. As always thank you for your support."

>> Tough economy compels eventers to be mindful of organizers' needs: "At this time, we believe it is critical that all members of the USEA understand that the economic viability of competitions is put at risk if competitors react to economic uncertainty by withholding entries until the closing date. Organizers must commit themselves to stabling, officials, housing, rental cars, staffing—a myriad of personnel and infrastructure details—well in advance of the closing date, and when early entries drop precipitately off of prior years’ levels they have no way of predicting how many horses and riders will actually show up ... we are asking all riders and owners who plan on entering a competition to consider what the impact of delaying sending in that entry might be. Please, if you are able, get your entry in early. Likewise, please contact the organizers of events you have attended in the past, let them know what your plans are for 2009, and—most important of all—volunteer to help them in any way you can as we work together to keep our sport strong in 2009. Now is the time to pull together!" USEA Administrators

>> The Area I Council has approved new criteria for Championship qualifications in Area I. The adjustments were made to more closely mirror the criteria used for AECs and to allow a broader window for qualification. Any questions, please contact Area Chairman Katherine Cooper at chairman@area1usea.org.

>> Spring Omnibus INCORRECTLY lists the GMHA Training Level Three-Day Event happening before the August Horse Trials. Training Level Three-Day Event will be held on August 28-30, 2009.

>> 2009 Area I summary.

>> Area I Email Blasts: The Area will continue to send out emails to all members when new Optimum Minutes articles are published and for other time-sensitive news items. If you have not received these email blasts over the past two weeks, it is most likely because you have not yet renewed your dues for 2009 and are not yet on the current mailing list. If you have renewed already for 2009, have not received the emails but would like to, please make sure that USEA has your correct email address. Do this by going to useventing.com, click on USEA Services Login (found at the upper right hand corner) and checking your profile to view and change your email address.

>> News from NH: Sadly, Kingsbury Hill Horse Trials organizer Lisa Campbell has announced they they will no longer run their horse trials. For more information, see Lisa's letter to the Kingsbury Hill community. These events will be greatly missed. On a happier note, UNH will now run a third event at BN - T on July 19. Thanks to UNH for taking on that gap in the calendar!

>> Winter Homework/Brainteasers: The scoring system imposed by the USEF has changed - here is an example which demonstrates new scoring possibilities. Also, the difference between Coach and Trainer, for use on your entry form, is defined. Finally, medals are now being offered to the lower levels.

>> Photographers at events: Only official photographers are listed on the Area I site - these are professionals who have secured permission from the hosting organizer to shoot at the event. For liability and safety reasons, and other concerns, those who do not have permission from the event to photograph are not listed. If you want to know who unofficially photographed at an event, you need to contact the organizer directly.

>> If you're seeking temporary boarding for/at an event, check out the Classifieds section, where people are advertising nearby boarding.

>> If you know an Area I location which offers XC jumps/courses on which to practice, please email and we'll create a section on the site which lists them.