Welcome to the Georgia Draft Horse Association

PRESIDENT : JOHN AYERS
VICE-PRESIDENT: JULIE LANNING
SECRETARY/TREASURER : ROXANNE JANES

Please contact any officer or Board member
if you have questions, comments or suggestions.
Remember, the GDHA is YOUR club!

Our Purpose and Goal

The Georgia Draft Horse Association is a non-profit organization with the primary objective of
promoting the use of draft horses throughout the State of Georgia.

Our goal is to bring individuals with a love for these magnificent animals together at a variety of events and
venues where they can exhibit and enjoy their horses in the company of like-minded people.
We offer a number of events throughout the year including shows, field days, riding days,
harnessing & driving clinics, seminars and demonstrations.
Membership is open to any person interested in the breeding, showing,
use or promotion of draft horses and is unrestricted as to residence.

History
The Association was originally formed in the mid-1980's by a group of people
interested promoting and using draft horses and mules in Georgia.
Then known as the Georgia Draft Horse & Mule Association, many programs were set up
involving shoeing, grooming, harnessing and training the horse and mule for work and pleasure.
There were field days, wagon trains and draft horse and mule shows where the public was invited to
observe, with the main objective being social and promotional.

In 1995 the name of the association was changed to the Georgia Draft Horse Association with the purpose
being much the same as the original founders - supporting and promoting the draft horse, establishing friendly
relationships between members and promoting the exchange of knowledge and ideas pertaining to draft horses.

In the past the association has introduced thousands of people to draft horses via the
Gwinnett County Fair through exhibits and shows.
In 1994 the association was invited to the National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, Georgia ,
where our draft horses were exhibited to the public. Since that time, we have held a
Class C Draft Horse Show each year in mid-October at the Georgia National Fair.

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2008 Georgia National Fair Draft Horse Show Results

Click here for the class placings of the 2008 Spring Show

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GEORGIA DRAFT HORSE ASSOCIATION

NEWSLETTER
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No. 3 June 2009

SPRING FUN SHOW:

This year the annual Spring Show was fantastic! The weather was nice, the turnout was high and people had a great time. The pizza party the night before was a great success and the venue at Chicopee Woods was perfect. If you didn’t make it out to the show, you missed a great time. I don’t think I heard a single complaint!

The show line-up this year expanded to include more riding classes. This meant that we had a full line-up of halter, under saddle, pleasure cart, draft cart and team hitch classes. There were a lot of people who commented on how wonderful all the different riding classes were.

Putting on a show and keeping costs down required sponsors and we had a number of people step-up to help. Southern View Farms of Shelbyville, TN (Lamar & Crystal Mitchell) donated the Halter Champion ribbons. Royal Ribbons and Awards, also of Shelbyville, TN donated the Versatility Award Ribbon, which is a beauty! The Half Draft Owners and Breeders Association sponsored a class. Local farms, such as FairWinds Farms (Rebecca & Johnny Cannon), No 8 Farms (Candy Morris), Claudia Oliver and Cielo Azure Percherons (Jill and Robert Malone) sponsored classes and provided funds for the reception and miscellaneous items. Thank you everyone who donated.

There is another group of people that need recognition and thanks and that would be our wonderful group of volunteers. Patty Ferrell, Tracy Batstone, Rebecca Cannon, Paul and Lora Cushard, Julie Lanning, Barbara Branch, Spencer Malone, and Debbie Martin as well as many others who worked hard to make this show happen.

The Versatility Champion Award for 2009 went to Mario, a Clydesdale gelding owned by Rebecca and Johnny Cannon! There will be a presentation of the award at the Perry National Draft Horse Show in the fall. Congratulations on a wonderful horse, and the Cannon’s hard work that made Mario what he is!

The Show results are attached! Thank you and we hope to see everyone again next year!

Submitted by: Jill Malone, Show Chairman

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TRAIL RIDE:

Well, can you believe it? It stormed on our May trail ride so we are in the process of rescheduling. Due to scheduling conflicts and summer heat, I have received requests to have it in September. Date to be announced in the August newsletter. Hope to see you there!

New Date: Saturday, September ?, at 10:00 a.m. –
Location: Chicamauga Battlefield, Ft. Oglethorpe, GA.

Contact Rebecca Cannon @ 423-339-0694 for any comments, questions, criticisms or jokes.

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THANK YOU…THANK YOU…THANK YOU:

I just wanted to give a few big thank you’s to Jill Malone for doing such a terrific job with the show! We had such a great time and were most pleased with the facilities! Everything went perfectly for a great day for all! Everywhere I looked I saw everyone having a great time! That’s what it’s all about! Thank you Jill for all your time and for putting up with all of us exhibitors! We’re already looking forward to next years Spring show!

Submitted by: Rebecca Cannon

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A SAD NOTE:

Our deepest condolences to Robert, Jill, and Spencer Malone on the recent loss of their most special lady, Mountain View’s Katie Sue. She was a bright and shining light at all events she attended & will be truly missed by all. This perfect lady was more than just a horse, she was family. Our thoughts & prayers are with you!

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UPCOMING DRAFT SHOWS/EVENTS:

June 7, 2009 Upperville Horse Show, Upperville, VA
July 17-19, 2009 BreyerFest, Lexington, KY
Aug. 6-7, 2009 OH State Fair, Columbus, OH
Aug. 13, 2009 Howard County Fair, West Friendship, MD
Aug. 27-31, 2009 MN State Fair, Shire Nationals, St. Paul, MN
Sept. ?, 2009 – GDHA Trail Ride, Chickamauga Battlefield, Ft. Oglethorpe, GA
Sept. 6, 2009 Warrenton Horse Show, Warrenton, VA
Sept. 17-19, 2009 OK State Fair, Oklahoma City, OK
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2009 Keystone Intl. Livestock Expo, Harrisburg, PA
Oct. 16-17, 2009 GDHA GA National Fair, Perry, GA
Oct. 19-20, 2009 NC State Fair, Raleigh, NC

(Call/E-mail Rebecca Cannon to add other shows or events. We would like to get any Draft Horse Events listed that you think our members might be interested in, or, may possibly be attending)

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THE IMPOSSIBLE WISH:

A man was riding his Harley along a California beach when suddenly the sky cleared above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said,
'Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.'
The biker pulled over and said, 'Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want.'
The Lord said, 'Your request is materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required reaching the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind.'
The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said, 'Lord, I wish that I, and all men could understand women; I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, why she snaps and complains when I try to help, and how I can make a woman truly happy?'
The Lord replied, 'You want two lanes or four lanes on that bridge?'

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WHEN I AM OLD!

“When I am old I shall spend my social security checks on white wine and carrots and sit in the alley of my barn and listen to my horses breathe. And, I will wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel.”

Author Unknown

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VOLUNTEER’S NEEDED!

If you have any suggestions, ideas, or would like to volunteer to host a meeting, please get in touch with an officer or Board Member.

2009 Officers:
President: John Ayers (678) 753-0737
Vice President: Julie Lanning (770) 513-4760
Sec./Treasurer: Roxanne Janes (770) 479-7110
Board Members:
Carla Beckom: (770) 358-2678
Jack Beckom: (770) 358-2678
Barbara Branch: (706) 677-2712
S.R. Stocker: (229) 777-7741
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& for future reference:
How to Tell the Sex of a Fly

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her
husband stalking around with a fly swatter.
'What are you doing?' She asked.
'Hunting Flies'. He responded.
'Oh. ! Killing any?' She asked.
'Yep, 3 males, 2 Females,' he replied.
Intrigued, she asked.
'How can you tell them apart?'
He responded,
"3 were on a beer can,
2 were on the phone.”

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THE NEWSLETTER STAFF:

Roxanne Janes (770) 479-7110 (rjanes@alltel.net)
Lawana Smith (770) 422-5142 (DoubleSFarm@aol.com)
Rebecca Cannon (423) 339-0694 (fairwindsclydes@gmail.com)

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