Summer Shows

This summer has been cram packed with shows for us to show off our donkeys and show them we did. The most recent shows were the Bedford County fair, Williamson County fair, Wilson County fair and a combo miniature horse and donkey show at the Maury County Fair. The Bedford County fair had 101 entries, the hot weather didn't slow us down. Williamson County had 117 entries on a what started off to be a rainy day. Wilson County had a whopping 163 entries. Maury County had 105 donkeys which was way more than the miniature horses that showed up. Check out all the results on the TDA web site: http://www.tennessee-donkeys.com/ShowResults2012.html

 

Bedford County Fair 

Williamson County Fair

Wilson County Fair

Hello, Ladies

In April Crooked Creek Ranch played host to the first ladies driving day. It was a beautiful day and our guests arrived around 11 AM.  After visiting for a few minutes a couple of guests felt it might be a good idea to introduce their donkeys to the covered bridge before hooking to cart. So once harnessed we headed out for our 4 mile drive.  Surprisingly no one had any major issues with crossing the bridge or so we thought.

Our route took us alongside the picturesque Deshea Creek where our guests were able to see beautiful wild life. The route is mostly shady, making it cool for us and our donkeys. At the 1 mile mark we stopped for a couple minutes for everyone to get a drink from the cooler Brian had packed for us. Then off again til we reached the 2 mile mark making that our turn around spot. The ladies seemed to enjoy the 1929 cabin we passed along our way.

Once home Brian was waiting to take a picture of each lady as we came across the covered bridge to the house. Everyone made it through with no problems except Dena, Lightfoot was going to have nothing to do with the bridge this time. After a bit of coaxing he finally crossed (I’ll let him tell you all about that). We all unharnessed our donkeys and they were turned out in a pen where they found plenty of hay and fresh water.

With the donkeys taken care of it was time to feed our lady friends.  Brian had been cooking since we left for our drive so everything was ready for us to dive right in.  After we finished eating we had some time to do some visiting. Brian fixed frozen drinks for everyone to top off a great day. I think we would like to do this again sometime, we had a wonderful time.

2011 Awards Program

It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by and it is time to tally your points. There are several different awards programs and not all are related to showing. So let’s talk a little about the awards programs.

MIKE PALLOTA MEMORIAL AMBASSADOR OF THE BREED AWARD:

This is an annual award for any event, in any state, that promotes the breed (outside of the show ring). This award is open to all members and there is no sign up fee. Parades, exhibitions, social events, plays, pet days, etc count. Only one event per day will count unless the second event is totally different than the first. Exp: Parade counts 1 point but later that day you do a driving or jumping exhibition that would count separately, but a breed parade two or three times the same day is only 1 point. Group visits, such as schools or other groups to educate or promote the breed also count. This award will run from Jan 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2011. Deadline for turning in these points is Jan 10, 2012.

SHOW AWARDS PROGRAM:

There is a $10 fee per donkey. Fee must be paid prior to a show for that show’s points to count for the 2011 show season. At the end of show season, you may only count four (4) Tennessee shows for points. Exhibitor will choose which four (4) shows he/she wishes to count. There is a champion and reserve in all categories. There are 8 awards in halter, In-hand and in harness which are broken down by sex and one for Standard/Mammoth in each category. There are two color awards, one for solid and one for spots, a best matched pair (must be the same two donkeys) and a Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion. In addition to these awards there are two youth awards (the donkey being shown by youth must be signed up). This program runs from Jan 1, 2011 thru Oct 31, 2011. Each member is responsible for turning in their own points! The cutoff date for turning in your points is Dec. 1st 2011. The rules for these awards can be found at http://www.tennessee-donkeys.com/HighPointAwardRules.html

KERRI LITTLE MEMORIAL ROOKIE AWARD:

This award is open to a “novice” person or farm. The winner would be the farm or person that has just started participating in our clinics, exhibitions, parades, shows, or any event that promotes our club/breed and each event is worth 1 point. A person/farm is considered a rookie for two years, unless they win the Rookie Award their first year, which will then make them ineligible for this award the next year. There is no sign up fee for this award. The award will run from Jan 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2011. Deadline for turning in these points is Jan 10, 2012.

The TDA awards committee is responsible for the above awards. If you have any questions or need copies of any of the point tally sheets, please contact one of us. Dayle Haworth minidonks@united.net 931-364-3715, Theresa Puckett ccrdonkeys@comcast.net 615-230-7260 or Kay Allen kayy@united.net .

MARTHA WILHOIT MEMORIAL DRIVING AWARD :

This award was named after Martha because she loved to drive, so this award is for the members who have her passion for driving. There is a $5 sign up fee per donkey which must be paid prior to counting any driving time. This award is tailored with an emphasis on driving. A member that signs up for this award, is expected to keep a driving log of the time spent at the reins, which includes ground driving. The only driving time that a member can’t claim is time in the show ring. This award runs from Jan 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2011. Deadline for turning in your driving log is Jan 10, 2012. If you have any questions about this award please contact Lydia Spears, Ph #931-796-4920 or email: miniacre@bellsouth.net .

CARSON CARROLL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD:

This is a $250 scholarship based on merit awarded to our youth members as they prepare for college or technical school. This award must be asked for and be accompanied by the member’s high school transcript through the third semester prior to graduation. Any member that wants to contribute to this award fund is welcome to do so. If you have any questions or have a youth member that wants to apply for this award, please contact Lydia Spears, Ph # 931-796-4920 or email miniacre@bellsouth.net .

Westmoreland Miniature Show

Can you say perfect? That’s what the Westmoreland show was! Last spring the organizers of the Westmoreland Mule Day Celebration contacted us to ask for our help putting together a miniature mule and donkey show. Westmoreland is trying to establish a fall version of Columbia’s Mule Day and I think they have gotten off to a good start. Last year they started with just a parade and moved forward this year to a 3 day event. 

The plan was to have the shows on the baseball fields close to the expo center but as the time grew closer they decided that this wasn’t going to work as well as they thought. So 1 month before the event they went forward with the plan to build a show arena. Needing to have a face to face meeting with the show chairman of the miniature show to get her the information she needed for the show I thought this was a good time to go take a look at the facilities. Once we arrived we went to take a look at where they were building the arena and what we saw was a large field with 2 tractors starting to move the grass out of the way. I can tell you we weren’t sure if they would be able to complete this task in time, but complete it they did.

As we pulled in on show day we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the arena, it was perfect. It was large enough to safely accommodate a good size pleasure driving class and the consistency of the dirt couldn’t have been better. The parking was perfect, everyone was able to park in close proximity to the ring and didn’t have to compete with another show for space. The weather was perfect, upon arrival that morning it was a bit brisk but within an hour the sun was out and the temperature was not too hot or too cold the rest of the day. The show was perfect, the competition was great and the camaraderie was wonderful and best of all everyone had fun. So again I ask, can you say perfect?

 To see show results go to:   http://www.tennessee-donkeys.com/WestmorelandShowResults2011.html 

 

Westmoreland Mule Day Celebration

Another New Show

Westmoreland Tennessee is putting on a Mule Day Celebration. Last year Westmoreland decided to have a mule day parade to see if there would be enough interest in putting together a fall version of Columbia’s spring mule day event. The parade was a huge success so this year they are taking it a step further by making it a 3 day event and adding a wagon train. There will be vendors, a parade and shows throughout the weekend.

The organizers contacted me several months ago to see if I could help them put together a miniature donkey and mule show like the one Columbia has. We (the TDA officers) put together a class list and submitted it to them, which they loved. Next we were offered a couple time slots of which we chose Saturday October 1^st at 10 AM with registration at 9 AM. This is a great opportunity for us to get another Tennessee show where someone else is willing to do the work. At this point they have hired Dawn Ware as the judge, they have someone to do the registering along with an announcer and a ringmaster. The show chairman is Deloris Garrison if you need to contact her here it her info: 615-644-3174, 615-670-0738 her email address is dgarr53@hotmail.com or you can contact me at ccrdonkeys@comcast.net I am her liaison to the club.

On Friday September 30^th at 10AM they kick off their event with the mule shows. At 10AM you have the Halter Mule show and at 2PM the Driving show. Later at 6PM is the Gaited and Western Pleasure mule show. Then on Saturday October 1^st The Miniature Mule and Donkey show starts at 10AM with registration at 9AM. The parade kicks off at 11AM and Mule pulling starts at 2 PM.  At 6PM if you like to dance there is a barn dance where they will be giving away a fiddle signed by Charlie Daniels. Sunday starts off with Cowboy Church and then there will be several western fun events.

Help support this show! Come and show or just come and cheer the rest of us on. This should be a good time. They are working on a new show arena for this event.

Some things to know: This is a non clip show due to the time of year it is being held. The address for the trailer entrance is 4049 Bentle Dr. Westmoreland, TN 37186. The show sheet and pre-registration forms can be downloaded from the TDA web site http://www.tennessee-donkeys.com/Events.html pre-registration forms are not required they are for your convenience only. Email your pre-registration form to me and I will get them to the right place ccrdonkeys@comcact.net .

A Great Time Was Had By All At The Novice Day & Mock Show!

 WOW, what an event!  There were close to 40 members in attendance with a couple coming all the way from Indiana.  We arrived early to see if there was anything we could help with before the day started and found that everything was perfect. It was obvious that Joe and Dayle had been hard at work for weeks, the ring was in fantastic shape, there were tents set up for extra shade, it was wonderful.  As the members started to arrive we were so excited to see the number of youth that we had in attendance, and there were plenty of novice adults also. There were a few that had never worked with a donkey before. For the day to work the way we had planned, we also needed a large number of veteran show people and donkeys to aid in making this teaching event a success, and they didn’t let us down.

 Each class in the mock show was demonstrated by a veteran, then that veteran would judge that class. Each novice person or donkey in that class was then paired with a veteran show person to help them with that class.  We would like to thank each and every one of the veterans that braved the heat to come out and help

these novices learn how to show and play with their donkeys.  Joe designed a challenging trail class which left even some of the veterans scratching their heads in disbelief. Lunch came and it was a welcome break, giving everyone a chance to duck in the house, grab a piece of pizza and suck in a little air conditioning.  After lunch everyone was excited to get back to the fun because driving was next on the docket. Many could hardly wait to get their hands on a set of reins. We started the driving portion with again a very tough obstacle course! We were so impressed that one of our youth members (Shyanne) stepped up

to play her part as a veteran, helping a very green youth snake her way through the course.  Next on deck was pleasure driving, where each novice learned proper seat position along with rein and whip placement.  It maybe a while before some of the novice get comfortable with reins and a whip at the same time. The only way to finish off this wonderful day was of course every ones favorite, the panty race. If you would like to see the results from the mock show check out our web site at  http://www.tennessee-donkeys.com/TDAFunShow2011.html .

This day is what many of our founding members had in mind for this organization when it was conceived back in 2002. Helping others learn about these wonderful long eared creatures that we all love so much. I would like to share with you a quote from Travis Henderson about this event “That was one of the greatest days that I have had as a member of the TDA. I just loved seeing all those kids who had never worked with donkeys having a time of their lives.” Again I need to thank everyone involved in making this a wonderful event. Also a great big thank you to Joe and Dayle for opening up their home to us and working so hard to make everything perfect!  Everyone seemed to have had a blast, well maybe not all the donkeys.

Calendar and Photo Contest Winners

by Theresa Puckett, Reporter

The calendar has been sent to the printer and it looks great. Thanks to all who have participated in this fund raiser thus far. I would like to congratulate the winners of the photo contest. We had so many wonderful photos to choose from.

Monthly winners were:   

Blessed Assurance Farm – Kay Allen, 

Crooked Creek Ranch – Brian, Theresa and Zach Puckett, 

Half Ass Acres – Joe and Dayle Haworth, 

J and M Farm – Jacqueline and Martha Brown, 

JKV Designs – Julia Vaughn, 

Legendary Farms – Richard and Katrina Fleener, 

Little Miracles Farm – Jeff, Maria and Katie Randall, 

Mini Acres – Lydia Spears, 

Red Pines Mountain –  Sara Kellogg, 

Rocking 615 Ranch – Dena Wilson, 

ThomAS’S JACKstock – Joe Thomas and, 

Wit’s End Farm – Bob and Sandy Dorris.   

The winner of the cover and our “Ahh” photo is Half Ass Acres with HHAA Smalls.

With the calendar at the printers it is time to turn our attention to the sales of the calendars. We are hoping that you, our members will support your club by purchasing a calendar. The officers have looked around at other donkey calendars, in an attempt to price our calendar competitively and we have decided to price the calendar at $12.00. We have also found two feed stores that are willing to help us sell our calendar, one Vet and a couple other places that are considering. This is turning out to be a wonderful project, one that I hope each member will be proud of. 

Novice Day @ Half Ass Acres - June 11th

by Theresa Puckett, Reporter

We would like to invite all our members to a day of fun, thrills and excitement. Mark your calendars for our first annual mock show and novice day on June 11^th. Our start time will be 9 AM but you are welcome to show up at anytime. This event will be at Dayle and Joe Haworth’s Half Ass Acres in Chapel Hill, TN. Bring your donkeys and play with them or come and use one of the many that will be available. You also have the option of just coming to visit. Lunch will be provided along with drinks but you might want to bring a chair. This event is designed around helping people do things like trail, jumping and driving along with how to put panties on your donkey. You don’t have to show to get something out of this day. We would very much like to meet your favorite long eared friend. Each newbie (which can be the person or the donkey) will be paired with a seasoned donkey handler to help them with the task at hand. As we all know, donkeys are full of surprises so we expect this day to be full of laughter. More details will be emailed out soon.

The Path to the Awards Banquet

by Theresa Puckett

Wow, we actually made it! This year’s award ceremony read something like an “action thriller”. It began in early November… I started trying to contact the lady that we had been using the last several years for our plaques, only to find out that she no longer worked there and the new owner had no idea how to do them. So, I am now standing there with my pants down trying to figure out what we were going to do. Franticly, we started looking for an alternative for the plaques, but was finding it difficult to stay within our budget. Then we found a lady that could do sublimation (a type of printing for the plaques) but had never done one with photos before… but said she would like to give it a try.  So we sent her a design, she printed it, and it looked great.   To help keep the price of the plaques in budget, the awards committee designed the plaques.

Things were looking up.  The points were tallied, photos were sent in, the date was set and a place was booked. All seemed to being going well then BAM! We found out that the place had double booked and we got bumped. So we were then faced with the question of a different date or place. After talking to several members to see what would work best it was decided to try to find a different place and keep the date. We started calling around trying to find another place and most were booked already. Finally after talking to about a dozen places we located a meeting room and booked it. You would think at this point all was good but, NO.  I got a phone call Friday night about 6 PM, the awards are the next day, and the storm the night before had damaged the roof and the room we had booked had gotten flooded. They wanted to know if we wanted to go ahead or cancel.  After banging my head against the wall for a few minutes I called them back.  They had been working on the room all day and assured me that they felt that it would be fine in time for our meeting but it was our call. So we went with it and everything turned out great.

Front Row (L to R) Zach Puckett, Kay Allen, Shyanne Lopp, Laura George, Lydia Spears, Theresa Puckett
Back Row (L to R) Kandi Wilhoit, Katrina Fleener, Dennis Vonderfecht, Dena Wilson & Travis Henderson

Congratulations winners! 

Show Awards:

Grand Champion: Crooked Creek’s Bosco

Res. Grand Champion: Crooked Creek’s Beaujolais

Champion Youth:  Katie Randall

Res. Champion Youth: Shyanne Lopp

Champion Halter Jack: Country Music's Rusty Weir

Res. Champion Halter Jack: KKR Stroke of Midnight and Farmstead's William Blount

Champion Halter Jennet: Hill Co Mini's Lexus

Res. Champion Halter jennet: Farmstead's Chessie

Champion Halter Gelding: Wit's End Tumbleweed

Res. Champion Halter Gelding: Farmstead's James Otis Watson

Champion Halter Mammoth: J. B. Royal Alexandria

Champion In-Hand Performance Jack: Crooked Creek’s Bosco

Champion In-Hand Performance Jennet: Crooked Creek’s Beaujolais

Res. Champion In-Hand Performance Jennet: Legendary's Heart's Wide Open

Champion In-Hand Performance Gelding: God's Little Acre Farm Dan

Res. Champion In-Hand Performance Gelding: HHAA Valiant Diego

Champion Harness Jack: Crooked Creek’s Bosco

Champion Harness jennet: Crooked Creek's Beaujolais  

Champion Harness Gelding: HHAA Valiant Diego

Res. Champion Harness Gelding: CCC Love Bug

Champion Spotted Color: KKR Merlin

Res. Champion Spotted Color: Ma & Pa's Antonia

Champion Solid Color: God's Little Acre Farm Stormy

Res. Champion Solid Color: Country Music's Rusty Weir

Champion Best Matched Pair: Crooked Creek Bosco & Beaujolais

Res. Champion Best Matched Pair: HHAA Valiant Diego/Circle C Radar

Non-show Awards:

Kerri Little Memorial Rookie of the year: Dena Wilson

Mike Pallota Memorial Ambassador of the breed: Champion: Heavenly Snickers

                                                                                          Res. Champion: J&E Ezra

Martha Wilhoit Memorial Driving Award: Champion: Heavenly Snickers

                                                                            Res. Champion: Assphalt Acres Good Tipper

2012 TDA Calendar - fundraiser

TDA 2012 Calendar Fund Raiser
by Theresa Puckett, Club Reporter

TDA is embarking on their first ever fundraiser and we are very excited about this project. We are going to publish a calendar for 2012. What does this mean to you our members?  Well, this means several things. First off, you can buy the calendars when they are published to help support your club and second, is that you are invited to help us showcase our longear friends. We, the fundraising committee want you, our members, to send in your favorite photos of your donkeys for a chance to be in the calendar. The photos will be submitted to the committee anonymously for the voting process. If your photo is chosen there is a $100 publishing fee. This fee gets you, the winner, a month in the calendar which consists of the full page photo of your donkey, a place on that month to advertise your farm or add a message and one copy of the calendar. You will also receive any additional calendars you may want to purchase at a discounted rate (discount to be decided at a later date).

Calendar Layout:

Rules:

·         The photo must be at least 300 dpi to be considered.  Anything less will be discarded. If you need help with this or do not understand what we are asking please contact us. Your photo can be submitted via email or regular mail but if you email make sure that the photo does not get compressed in the emailing process.

·         The photos can be whatever you like, a donkey at liberty, a person with a donkey, even a show photo may be submitted.  A copyrighted photo cannot be used unless it is accompanied with written permission from the photographer!

·         The dead line for submitting photos is March 1st 2011.

·         Please keep in mind before submitting a photo that you must be willing to pay the publishing fee if your photo is selected.

• A person or farm can submit as many photos as they wish but can only win once unless there is lessthan 12 people or farms represented. 

• All photos must be emailed to Dayle Haworth at minidonks@united.net or mailed to her at 2356 Feed Mill Road  Chapel Hill, TN 37034

Any questions about the calendar can be directed to Theresa Puckett, at ccrdonkeys@comcast.net  or by phone 615-230-7260, Kay Allen at kayy@united.net or by phone 931-364-5057 or Dayle.

The committee reserves the right to veto any photo or message that they deem to be inappropriate.

A copy of the calendar contest contract needs to accompany your photo (contract found below).

Contest Contrast:  

I understand that by submitting a photo or photos to the TDA fund raising committee that I am willing to pay the $100 publishing fee if my photo is selected. I own all rights to these photos or I have written permission from the photographer to use these photos. I am not infringing on any copyrights with the photos I am submitting.

Signature:____________________________________

.

Specialty Awards Log due now

This is a reminder that the deadline for turning in your points for the special awards (non showing awards) is January 15^th.  So to help you with these I am republishing my article about the awards and how they work. There are several different awards program, so let’s talk a little about the awards programs.

MIKE PALLOTA MEMORIAL AMBASSADOR OF THE BREED AWARD:

Annual award for any event, in any state, that promotes the breed (outside of the show ring). This award is open to all members and there is no sign up fee. Parades, exhibitions, social events, plays, pet days, etc count. Only one event per day will count unless the second event is totally different than the first. Exp: Parade counts 1 point but later that day you do a driving or jumping exhibition that would count separately, but a breed parade two or three times the same day is only 1 point. Group visits, such as schools or other groups to educate or promote the breed also count. Due to a change in our by-laws, this year only, the award will run from Oct 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2010. Deadline for turning in these points is Jan 15, 2011.

KERRI LITTLE MEMORIAL ROOKIE AWARD:

This award is open to a “novice” person or farm. The winner would be the farm or person that has just started participating in our clinics, exhibitions, parades, shows, or any event that promotes our club/breed and each event is worth 1 point. A person/farm is considered a rookie for two years, unless they win the Rookie Award their first year, which will then make them ineligible for this award the next year. There is no sign up fee for this award.  Due to a change in our by-laws, this year only, the award will run from Oct 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2010. Deadline for turning in these points is Jan 15, 2011.  

The TDA awards committee is responsible for the above awards. If you have any questions or need copies of any of the point tally sheets, please contact one of us. Dayle Haworth minidonks@united.net  931-364-3715, Theresa Puckett ccrdonkeys@comcast.net  615-230-7260 or Kay Allen kayy@united.net .

Next year all the awards will be from January 1 to December 31.

MARTHA WILHOIT MEMORIAL DRIVING AWARD :

This award was named after Martha because she loved to drive, so this award is for the members who have her passion for driving. There is a $5 sign up fee per donkey which must be paid prior to any driving time to be counted.  This award is tailored with an emphasis on driving. A member that signs up for this award is expected to keep a driving log of the time spent at the reins, which includes ground driving. The only driving time that a member can’t claim is time in the show ring.  Due to a change in our by-laws, this year only, the award will run from Oct 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2010.  Deadline for turning in your driving log is Jan 15, 2011. If you have any questions about this award please contact Lydia Spears, Ph #931-796-4920 or email:  miniacre@bellsouth.net .

REPORTERS CORNER: 2010 Awards Programs

REPORTERS CORNER: 2010 Award Programs
by Theresa Puckett


It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by and it is time to tally your points. There are several different awards programs and not all are related to showing. So let’s talk a little about the awards programs.

MIKE PALLOTA MEMORIAL AMBASSADOR OF THE BREED AWARD:

Annual award for any event, in any state, that promotes the breed (outside of the show ring). This award is open to all members and there is no sign up fee. Parades, exhibitions, social events, plays, pet days, etc count. Only one event per day will count unless the second event is totally different than the first. Exp: Parade counts 1 point but later that day you do a driving or jumping exhibition that would count separately, but a breed parade two or three times the same day is only 1 point. Group visits, such as schools or other groups to educate or promote the breed also count. Due to a change in our by-laws, this year only, the award will run from Oct 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2010. Deadline for turning in these points is Jan 15, 2011.

SHOW AWARDS PROGRAM:

There is a $10 fee per donkey. Fee must be paid prior to a show for that show’s points to count for the 2010 show season. At the end of show season, you may only count four (4) Tennessee shows for points. Exhibitor will choose which four (4) shows he/she wishes to count. There is a champion and reserve in all categories. There are 8 awards in halter, In-hand and in harness which are broken down by sex and one for Standard/Mammoth in each category. There are two color awards, one for solid and one for spots, a best matched pair (must be the same two donkeys) and a Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion. In addition to these awards there are two youth awards (the donkey being shown by youth must be signed up). This program runs from October 1st, 2009 thru September 30th, 2010. Each member is responsible for turning in their own points! The cutoff date for turning in your points is Dec. 1st 2010. The rules for these awards can be found at http://www.tennessee-donkeys.com/HighPointAwardRules.html

KERRI LITTLE MEMORIAL ROOKIE AWARD:

This award is open to a “novice” person or farm. The winner would be the farm or person that has just started participating in our clinics, exhibitions, parades, shows, or any event that promotes our club/breed and each event is worth 1 point. A person/farm is considered a rookie for two years, unless they win the Rookie Award their first year, which will then make them ineligible for this award the next year. There is no sign up fee for this award. Due to a change in our by-laws, this year only, the award will run from Oct 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2010. Deadline for turning in these points is Jan 15, 2011.

The TDA awards committee is responsible for the above awards. If you have any questions or need copies of any of the point tally sheets, please contact one of us. Dayle Haworth minidonks@united.net 931-364-3715, Theresa Puckett ccrdonkeys@comcast.net 615-230-7260 or Kay Allen kayy@united.net .

Next year all the awards will be from January 1 to December 31.

MARTHA WILHOIT MEMORIAL DRIVING AWARD :

This award was named after Martha because she loved to drive, so this award is for the members who have her passion for driving. There is a $5 sign up fee per donkey which must be paid prior to any driving time to be counted. This award is tailored with an emphasis on driving. A member that signs up for this award, is expected to keep a driving log of the time spent at the reins, which includes ground driving. The only driving time that a member can’t claim is time in the show ring. Due to a change in our by-laws, this year only, the award will run from Oct 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2010. Deadline for turning in your driving log is Jan 15, 2011. If you have any questions about this award please contact Lydia Spears, Ph #931-796-4920 or email: miniacre@bellsouth.net .



CARSON CARROLL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD:

This is a $250 scholarship based on merit awarded to our youth members as they prepare for college or technical school. This award must be asked for and be accompanied by the member’s high school transcript through the third semester prior to graduation. Any member that wants to contribute to this award fund is welcome to do so. If you have any questions or have a youth member that wants to apply for this award, please contact Diana Poole, Ph #615-807-3848 or email tda.president@gmail.com.

REPORTERS CORNER - TN State Fair

by Theresa Puckett

Katrina Fleener

In 2003, the TN Donkey ASSociation put together the first miniature and small standard donkey show at the TN State Fair. Although I took miniature donkeys to the fair in 2000 and showed them in the draft show to try to introduce the miniatures to the fair and in 2001 the Mix’s took some of their donkeys, it wasn’t till the newly formed TN Donkey ASSociation approached the fair that they entertained the idea of a show. The agreement with the state fair was if TDA could put on a show and if the show was a success (and oh what a success it was) the fair would then take the show over. The club came together and through donations and hard work came up with the funds for prize money and to cover the other expenses also. Sandy and Carson Carroll volunteered to be the department head of the show for the fair. Sandy also worked to get the show sanctioned with NMDA. This September 18th the fair hosted the 8th annual show.





 Laura George

The day started out with temperatures in the low 70’s and ended with a high of 88, so not unbearable but warm. The show got off at 9:30 with a parade of donkeys and the presentation of the flag with Dennis Vonderfecht singing the National Anthem followed by our prayer. With 59 donkeys representing 19 different farms and 135 entries it was promising to be a full day and some good competition. Another positive factor at this show was the judge; he allowed the jackets to come off during the performance classes which was nice and also no lap robes in the driving classes. This judge went out of his way to talk to the spectators and let them know what he is looking for in the donkeys, which keeps the crowd interested, especially in the halter classes. Speaking from experience it is rare to find a NMDA judge that acts like they really enjoy what they are doing as much as this one and that makes all the difference in the world. The volunteers helping to run this show were also outstanding, thank you. One more thing I personally want to thank the show staff for being so understanding about, was tack changes!! All in all this was a great show.

Dennis Vonderfecht

The future of the Tennessee State Fair has been a little shaky over this last year and there were times that it looked like there wouldn’t be one at all. With the public’s outcry to not give up on a state fair they managed to push through the 2010 fair. They have outgrown the current location and something has to be done. It is my understanding that the fair is being taken over by a nonprofit organization and the hunt is on for a new location for a fairground and exhibition center. This still leaves the location of the 2011 state fair in question as they would be hard pressed to have the new location ready in a year. I have been assured though that there will be a Tennessee Donkey Show in 2011 just not sure where.

Zachary Puckett

Web site to view State fair photos: http://www.lindasphoto.com/  

REPORTERS CORNER: Bottle-feeding baby

Kahlua and Cream  by Theresa Puckett, Reporter


We were outside playing with our new donkey baby when I got the call. It was Dayle Haworth and in her very concerned voice she said, “Theresa, a baby needs our help.” Dayle went on the explain to me that she had just gotten a phone call from a man whose donkey had rejected it’s foal and as luck would have it, he lived very close to me. I called the man and he told me that it had been 36 hours and the mom had just again thrown the baby to the back of the stall. He said that the other lady (Dayle) had told him that he would have to bottle feed this baby. He went on to tell me that they were packed and ready to leave for Florida. I asked him if I could come over to see the baby and he said please. Dayle had told me that the baby was going to need someone to bottle feed it. If the man would let me, could I do it? Dayle had already done 3 this year and said she just didn’t think she could do another. As I was telling her that I would have no idea where to even start she said she would teach me. As I hung up the phone I looked over as my husband Brian and his head was shaking a very adamant NO!! He said that he would not be able to help me with this and that he felt it was a bad idea because I get too attached to things and if the baby didn’t make it I would be devastated. I then turned to the other man in my life, Zach, who had just graduated from high school the day before, and I said “Will you help me son?” and he smiled and said yes. So off we went to see the baby.

We arrived at the man’s house and as he had said the motor home was loaded and pointed out of the driveway. He greeted us as we got out of the car and said “I just don’t know what to do”. As I looked over the door of the stall, I saw the sweetest little girl huddled tight in the back corner. The man said he had been reading and that in some instances a mom could still accept a baby after up to 48 hours. He asked me if I thought that if he just left them together she might still take the baby. I said that after 36 hours she was not going to change her mind, and if he left them alone he would come back to a dead baby. The baby, to our surprise, looked in much better shape than we figured she would. The man had held the mom down a few times so the baby could get some milk but the mom had hurt his back and he didn’t think he could even do that any longer. I then told him that if he wanted I would take the baby and bottle feed it, but that if I did this the baby would be mine. He agreed without hesitation, he said he wanted to give her the best chance of surviving. So the 3 of us held the mom tight and gave the baby one last chance to nurse. I then scooped the little girl up in my arms and headed home.

Once home I called Dayle and told her to get over here and tell me what to do. I sent Zach to Tractor Supply to pick up the list of supplies that Dayle said I needed. I then sat with the baby in my arms waiting for my first bottle feeding lesson hoping that I hadn’t bitten off more than I could chew. Dayle arrived and I was schooled in the art of bottle making which didn’t seem too hard. Once the bottle was ready Dayle and I went to feed the baby but every time we tried to put the bottle in the baby’s month she would jerk her head away. It was going on 3 hours since she had nursed from her mom so we knew she was hungry. Dayle said that she had never had one that wouldn’t take the bottle and we were starting to get panicked. Then I noticed how she was sticking her head between our legs or under our arms every chance she got. We were sitting on the front steps, Dayle in front of me and when the baby stuck her nose under Dayles arm I quickly stuck the nipple in her mouth and she started nursing like there was no tomorrow. I can’t tell you how excited we were! She had jumped the first big hurdle.

Then I had to break the 2 hour feeding schedule to Zach, that was fun, but we worked that out without any trouble. To make things a little easier we built a pen in the garage so that in the middle of the night all we had to do was step out the back door. Brian had just done a major clean out of the garage so we could get 2 cars in it for a change and he said he knew that wouldn’t last long. We got the pen built and the bedding down, everything was nice and cozy for the baby. Then I put her in and oh my god she started squealing like a little pig when we walked away, spoiled after only one day! So with a little maneuvering a second pen went in right beside her and Beaujolais got to keep the baby company.

The next day we took the baby on a little trip. Zach and she got in the back of his Tracker and off we went to the equine vet. When we arrived instead of pulling around back to the trailer area we parked out front and she followed me in the front door and the girls in the office went nuts. They had never had a patient come through the front door before and she was such a little lady she started flipping her little tail to say “I need to go potty” so I took her out to the grass and she took care of business. Once she stopped showing out for everyone the vet pulled blood and checked to see if she had gotten enough colostrum from her mom and she got a big thumbs up on that. The part of the visit that Zach liked was the vet said with her colostrum levels that he felt that feeding every 3 hours through the night and 2 hours through the day would be good. She had managed to make it over our second big hurdle.

Kahlua and Cream sleeping between my legs after her first full belly







.



Dayle had also told me that the baby needed a donkey buddy, someone to teach her to be a donkey. After the forced addition of Beaujolais to the garage this became perfectly clear. Dayle had said a young donkey that wasn’t bonded to someone else in the herd already, but I didn’t have any one like that. The first thought was to see if I could borrow a young donkey from someone, through this idea I found a young donkey that I purchased to buddy with the baby. They bonded immediately which was good because with show season coming up Beaujolais needed to be free to show. We named the new donkey Amicus which is Latin for friend.

As we were preparing to go to Shelbyville we had to figure out what to do with the baby while we were gone. The couple that keeps the house and farm while we are gone were both working, so the only alternative was to take her with us. Once we figured out how to get everyone safely in the trailer without having to make two trips we were off. Brian came up with a good way to heat the bottle by using solar heated bottles of water to mix her milk with. I can tell you one, thing we had the most popular barn at the show. I believe she was out of the stall more than she was in. We had at least 2 little girls that came by 2 or 3 times a day. Other people would say the people at the office said to come by or someone else had sent them. My favorite one was a car full of teenage girls pulled up and they wanted to know where the baby was. She didn’t even need to go into the show ring to be the most talked about animal on the grounds and after that the most spoiled.

Once home again she has settled into her daily routine which consists of days in the back yard with Amicus and the other babies and their moms. Learning all the fun things like how dirty can I get if I get wet then go roll in the dust bowl and who can run the most circles around the backyard without getting dizzy. But when night rolls around she is at the gate ready to go in the garage for the night. At 3 months old, the feedings are getting less frequent but that doesn’t stop her from running from the farthest reaches of the back yard at the slightest noise that may mean it is bottle time. In about a month or so the baby will be faced with her third and final hurdle, weaning we will have to wait and see how that goes, but I have faith. This has been a richly rewarding task for me, Zach and yes Brian. I also need to thank Zach because he more than pulled his weight during those late night feedings. This is a task I hope none of you ever have to do, but if you do, know that there are people out there ready and willing to help you get started.

REPORTERS CORNER: July Shows

REPORTERS CORNER
by Theresa Puckett, Reporter

July started off with the 19th annual Celebration Mule and Donkey Show. If you haven’t been to this show, I urge you to come next year. Even if you are not a show person, witnessing the diversity of these long -ear equine is truly amazing.


My first Celebration was in 1999 and I can tell you I left in awe, and in search of a gaited riding mule. This show brings in people from all over the United States. While looking at the results, I saw people from New York, Oklahoma, Florida, Wyoming and Texas just to name a few. This show also hosts the ACOSA Nationals, the NASMA Nationals, the AGMA World Show, and is a NMDA sanctioned show. They are also on a rotation for the NMDA Nationals.


There were several TDA farms in attendance and I believe everyone left with ribbons. I’ll start with the TDA mammoths which did very well. J.B. Royal Alexandria, owned by Dennis Vonderfecht of Appalachian Farmstead took 2nd in mammoth jennets 3 yrs +. Then went on to take NASMA National Champion Jennet 3 yrs +. Another very impressive showing came from Joe Thomas, Thom-Ass-Acres’s High Noon won the ACOSA mammoth jack class and went on to win ACOSA Reserve Grand National Champion Jack, I know for sure that this makes at least 2 in a row for him. Joe’s jack Nonami took 3rd in the NASMA mammoth jacks 3 yrs +. Way to go guys!!!!


On the miniature front it is hard to know where to start. So I think I’ll start with our youth. Katie Randall and her donkey KKR High Roller took 3rd in youth costume, 4th in NMDA halter geldings 3yrs +, 1st in youth showmanship, 1st in youth lead race and 1st in youth in-hand trail. Katie also got 2nd in the youth lead race with Little Miracles Katie’s Prayer. Yea, Katie!!!


In the NMDA performance classes there were several TDA farms that stood out. Crooked Creek Ranch showed two performance donkeys. As many of you know this is Zach Puckett’s first year to show as an adult and with his donkey Beaujolais’s driving experience they had to step right into open, skipping the green level. I can tell you that he was a little nervous about this but without reason. He put many of us to shame including his mom (yea!!) and showed against at least 2 professional trainers. Performance driving is Zach’s first love but he decided not to drive in pleasure driving but did all the other driving classes. Zach and Beaujolais took 3rd in open pole bending, 5th in open obstacle driving, 5th in open reinsmanship (this was a wicked class), 4th in open snigging and in the open single stake race they took 2nd , less than half a second off the leader and beating the two professional trainers. I am so proud of you son! Crooked Creeks Bosco took 2nd in open lead race, 5th in open pole bending, 4th in open obstacle driving, 2nd in open in-hand jumping, 6th in open snigging, 4th in open single stake race and last but not least 1st in open coon jumping. Wee Ones Titan owners Deb and L.J. Mix took 5th in the green lead race. HHAA Valiant Diego owned by Lydia Spears and shown by Tiffany Pierce took 6th in open pleasure driving. CCC Triple C’s Love Bug owned by Laura George took 3rd in green pole bending, 3rd in green pleasure driving, 3rd in green obstacle driving, 3rd in green reinsmanship. CCC Triple C’s Hermes owned by Sandy Carroll took 5th in open snigging and 6th in open single stake race. Stock Market’s Cash Bonus owned by Susan Poole and shown by Sandi Costa took 6th in open pole bending, 5th in open pleasure driving, 1st in open obstacle driving, 4th in open reinsmanship, 5th in open in-hand trail, 5th in open in-hand jumping, 1st in open snigging and 5th in open coon jumping. That’s a pretty impressive list!


NMDA halter classes are always very competitive and this show was no exception. The show started off with foals to halter and again TDA members showed what we are made of. Wee Ones Farm dominated this class taking 1st with Wee Ones Ragin Cajun and 3rd with Wee Ones Apache Brave and followed that up with Wee Ones Titan taking 4th in the yearling jack class. East Tennessee member Dennis Vonderfecht showed quite an impressive group of donkeys starting with a 3rd in the yearling jack class with Farmstead’s William Blout. In the yearling jennet class he grabbed 3rd with Farmstead’s Chessie and 6th with Ma & Pa’s Antonia. Farmstead’s James Otis Watson took 1st in the yearling gelding class, Ma & Pa’s Red Dynamo took 2nd in the jacks 2 yrs+, Ma & Pa’s Willa Cather took 3rd in the jennet 2yrs+, Country Music’s Rusty Weir took 2nd in the jacks 3yrs+, Country Music’s Jean Shepherd took 6th in the jennets 3yrs+ and in the geldings 3yrs+ Wits End Tumbleweed took 2nd. Katrina Fleener showed her donkeys with great success placing 5th in the yearling jack class with KKR Stroke of Midnight and 1st in the jennet 2yrs + with Hills Co Mini’s Lexus. Lexus topped her 1st by taking NMDA Champion jennet, very nice Katrina! Alabama member Susan Poole had a good show taking 5th in the yearling jennet class with Magnolia’s Royal Star Gazer, Magnolia’s Royal Court Jester took 1st in the geldings 2 yrs+ and champion gelding, Stock Market’s Cash Bonus was 1st in the jacks 3yrs+ class and went on to win champion jack. Jester came back to win best of breed, congratulations Susan. Kay Allen and Lydia Spears showing Radar and Diego in best matched pair and took 2nd. Way to go members, this is an amazing list of wins!!!!


Last, but definitely not least, would be the color classes. ACOSA in case you are not sure stands for American Council of Spotted Asses and is a registry for spotted donkeys and mules. As I stated earlier, the Celebration hosts the ACOSA national every year, so let’s see how we did. Starting with the mini jennets under 2 yrs, you have 4th and 5th going to Dennis Vonderfecht and Ma & Pa’s Antonia and Ma & Pa’s Willa Cather. Sandy Carroll took 6th with CCC Triple C’s Hello Darlin’. Taking the 1st spot in mini jacks under 2 yrs and was KKR Merlin owned Theresa Puckett, the 2nd spot went to Wee Ones Titan owned by Deb and L.J. Mix, in 4th was KKR Stroke of Midnight owned by Katrina Fleener and 5th to Fisher’s Untouchable owned by Steve Hazlewood. Mini jacks over 3rd went to Crooked Creeks Bosco owned by Theresa Puckett. In the mini geldings class, Laura George and CCC Triple C’s Love Bug took 2nd . The Celebration also has a straight up color class, which is always a crowd pleaser. This is usually a large class of all size donkeys and colors ranging from solid, to donkeys with a vast array of spot patterns. KKR Merlin took 1st, owned by Theresa Puckett, 4th went to Ma & Pa’s Antonia owned by Dennis Vonderfecht, 5th went to Wee Ones Titan owned by Deb & L.J. Mix. All in all I think this was a great show and again congratulations to all the TDA members. I hope that I didn’t leave anyone out, but if I did, please let me know and we will correct it accordingly.


The Bedford County Fair show on July 24th had a good turnout for it to have been sooo hot. We started at 10am in an open arena and the temperatures hung around 100 degrees all day, which was hard on humans and donkeys alike. TDA was able to rent a misting fan which the members could use and we were asked to make a small donation to help offset the price to the club. I would like to suggest that next year, instead of rushing through the show as fast as possible, so we can get out of the heat, maybe we should take small breaks here and there, allowing the contestants and show staff to take a minute to sit down and cool off a little. This might be a better way to go. Kudos goes out to everyone who braved the heat and made this a successful show. Congratulations to the winners and a great big “way to go” to our youth exhibitors Shyanne Lopp and Katie Randall.

  

 

Results:

BEDFORD CO. FAIR DONKEY SHOW  7/24/10

ADULT DRIVING - DONKEYS
1ST CROOKED CREEK'S BEAUJOLAIS ZACH PUCKETT

2ND TRIPLE C'S HERMES SANDY CARROLL

3RD CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO THERESA PUCKETT
4TH VALIANT DIEGO LYDIA SPEARS
5TH CIRCLE C RADAR TIFFANY PIERCE

YOUTH PLEASURE DRIVING - DONKEYS
1ST GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN SHYANNE LOPP

ONE BARREL SPEED - MINI DONKEYS
1ST CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO THERESA PUCKETT
 2ND ENGMAN'S ROCKY ROCCOCO BILL POOLE
3RD TRIPLE C'S HERMES SANDY CARROLL
4TH CROOKED CREEK'S BEAUJOLAIS ZACH PUCKETT
5TH GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN TRAVIS HENDERSON

POLE BENDING - MINI DONKEYS
1ST CROOKED CREEK'S BEAUJOLAIS ZACH PUCKETT
2ND CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO THERESA PUCKETT
3RD VALIANT DIEGO LYDIA SPEARS
4TH GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN TRAVIS HENDERSON

SNIGGING - MINI DONKEYS
1ST CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO THERESA PUCKETT
2ND TRIPLE C'S HERMES SANDY CARROLL
3RD CROOKED CREEK'S BEAUJOLAIS ZACH PUCKETT
4TH VALIANT DIEGO LYDIA SPEARS
5TH GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN TRAVIS HENDERSON

HALTER WEANLING/YEARLING
1ST HILL'S HAVEN TORRI KAYLA HAZLEWOOD
2ND WEE ONES RAGIN CAJUN L. J. MIX
3RD MJB DIP N DOTS SALLY DUNN
4TH HELLO DARLIN SANDY CARROLL
5TH WEE ONES TITAN DEB MIX

YOUTH IN HAND JUMPING - MINI DONKEYS
1ST GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN SHAYANNE LOPP
2ND KKR HIGH ROLLER KATIE RANDALL

ADULT IN HAND JUMPING - MINI DONKEYS1ST WEE ONES WHITE FEATHER DEB MIX
 2ND CIRCLE C RADAR TIFFANY PIERCE
3RD GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN TRAVIS HENDERSON
4TH CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO BRIAN PUCKETT
5TH WEE ONES MIDNIGHT DEB MIX

COON JUMPING - MINI DONKEYS
1ST CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO BRIAN PUCKETT
 2ND WEE ONES WHITE FEATHER L. J. MIX
3RD GOD'S LITTLE ACRES FARM DAN TRAVIS HENDERSON
4TH CIRCLE C RADAR TIFFANY PIERCE
5TH TRIPLE C'S HERMES SANDY CARROLL

YOUTH IN HAND TRAIL - DONKEYS
1ST KKR HIGH ROLLER KATIE RANDALL
 2ND GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN SHYANNE LOPP
3RD GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S STORMY SHYANNE LOPP

ADULT IN HAND TRAIL - DONKEYS 8 ENTRIES  1ST VALIANT DIEGO LYDIA SPEARS
 2ND GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN TRAVIS HENDERSON
3RD WEE ONES WHITE FEATHER L. J. MIX
4TH GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S STORMY TRAVIS HENDERSON
5TH CIRCLE C RADAR TIFFANY PIERCE

BEST MATCHED PAIR 3 PAIR ENTERED
1ST VALIANT DIEGO & CIRCLE C RADAR KAY ALLEN & LYDIA SPEARS
2ND ROCKY & DAN MELISSA ATYEO & TRAVIS HENDERSON
3RD CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO & BEAUJOLAIS THERESA & ZACH PUCKETT


HALTER 2 YRS & OVER MINI DONKEYS JENNETS - 3 ENTRIES
1ST HILL COUNTRY'S LEXUS KATRINA FLEENER
 2ND BIG RIVER VENUS 08 STEVE HAZLEWOOD
3RD TURNPIKE CREEK KATIE SKY O'BRIEN

HALTER 2 YRS & OVER MINI DONKEYS - Geldings
1ST GOOD TIPPER DIANA POOLE
 2ND WEE ONES MIDNIGHT DEB MIX
3RD KKR HIGH ROLLER KATIE RANDALL
4TH GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S STORMY SHYANNE LOPP
5TH GOD'S LITTLE FARM'S DAN TRAVIS HENDERSON


HALTER 2 YRS & OVER MINI DONKEYS JACKS
1ST MJB FIDALGO SALLY DUNN
 2ND FISHER'S UNTOUCHABLE STEVE HAZLEWOOD
3RD CROOKED CREEK'S BOSCO THERESA PUCKETT


TOTAL NUMBER OF ENTRIES: 75