The Southlands Foundation Annual Report 2022
20 July 2022
I often say about the horses that, “the more you take care of them, the more you love them.” That feeling extends to Southlands as my tenure as President continues to deepen my understanding and my love for this amazing place.
We have a robust line-up of accomplishments and plans for this year:
School of Horsemanship
The School of Horsemanship is the core of our Southlands program. Jonathan and Michelle lead the lessons, training, barn management and coaching with a great team of trainers, camp counselors, volunteers and working students. It is so satisfying to see Susie Williams in action with her early morning groups, and Tish Walters has been a wonderful addition to our instructor team. Allison, too, has gotten back into the ring teaching a handful of students on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Pony Camp and Nature Camp are booked, and every afternoon we see tired but glowing little ones who have had a great day riding, honing their horsemanship skills and having fun. Thanks to Georgia Plambeck for leading the Nature Camp with the able assistance of Holden Meilman and Bennet Pulver. We have been thrilled to have Jen Dagostino back at Southlands as the chief counsellor of Pony Camp, with the help of Sarah Regner, Anna Kalishman, Olivia Selby, Rio Derman, Mia Sloan, Lucia Sloan and Jen’s daughter Avery.
Our school horses and ponies earn their keep at this time of year. The ponies especially do double and triple duty for camps, lessons and horse shows. It is thrilling to see our school horses carry the next generation of show riders around a jump course. Our herd has grown, too, with 25 school horses and 20 boarders.
It is so fantastic to see trainers taking advantage of teachable moments, both in the saddle and on the ground. Our working student program provides the opportunity for our young riders to learn what it takes to keep a barn running smoothly, not just riding, but horsemanship and facilities maintenance. This season’s working students are: Anna Kalishman, Sarah Regner, Tully Walther, Emmy Nelson-Madore and Olivia Justino.
Thanks to Jonathan and Michele’s expert coaching, our young riders are learning the value of focussed hard work, team spirit and the meaning of taking care of your horse so he can take care of you. And, the team is bringing home ribbons and great memories from our at-home shows and at Old Salem and Saugerties. On to Manchester, VT next month!
The monthly Wednesday afternoon Jumper Show is gaining in popularity with more competitors at every event. Riders are so pleased to bring their young and green horses to Southlands for a low-key, but still competitive event, and they leave with compliments for how well-organized and friendly the event is.
Buildings and Grounds
Buildings and Grounds Committee has re-invigorated. We held a first meeting last month to look at some priorities for the near future: particularly roofing projects and structural building repairs. There will be more about these projects as plans develop.
Hay: Thanks to Jim and Joya Yantz of Northern Dutchess Agricultural Contracting, we had a good crop of hay from our own fields this year: over 3,000 bales. We have also been able to buy some local hay to fit our lofts above the horse stalls and in South Barn, and hope to get more while the getting is good. Thanks as always to the wonderful men at Samaritan Daytop Village, without whom we would not be able to bring the hay in. Thanks are also in order to Jacob Leach and Declan Walther who put their backs into this hard work. Manuel Bautista and Pedro Garcia are experts at strategizing and stacking, and they work so hard during hay season, in addition to all of their other responsibilities.
Paddock Improvement Project: In the past several weeks, Jim Yantz constructed swales in the west paddocks. This is a continuation of work done over the years that helps move standing water off the fields. With our clay soil, we will still have mud in rainy seasons, but the swales help with the overall health of the paddocks. We have on hand new mud mats to be placed in key areas around paddock gates. We experimented with mud mats a few years ago and found them to be very effective. In August, Jonathan and Manuel will lead the in-house team to construct smaller paddocks on higher ground. These will help slow down horses who tend to run, and will allow us to rest the wettest paddocks allowing them to dry out and for the grass to grow. Manuel and Pedro will continue to repair and replace fencing and mow and seed the paddocks. This work must be on-going to bring the paddocks into good condition. We are grateful to the many members who donated to this cause at the end of last year.
Trails: Clearing the trails is an annual, and sometimes monthly, labor of love. Nancy Strohsahl, Ron Hill, Jacob Leach, Noel Gordon and Mick Kalishman have worked to mow and clear the trails of branches and brambles. Jeremy Joyce, brought in his heavy machinery to move a tangle of huge trees out of the trail and to repair some storm damage to the culverts.
Many thanks to our barn staff Manuel Bautista and Pedro Garcia and Declan Walther. We are so grateful for all your hard work. Tilly Schneiderman is with us for the summer and has been a terrific help. Thanks to Sue Hoag in the office, who also does great craft projects with the kids for our special events and pop-ups..
Volunteers
Southlands could not thrive without the energy and assistance from our robust corps of volunteers. The list of activities is long: gardening and weed-pulling, mowing and trail work, tidying up, interior decorating, heavy lifting, helping in the barn and in the office, working the horse shows, the gala and our community events. This is a testament to the care and love you have for this place and we are so grateful and appreciative of your help. The list of volunteers is too long to mention by name, but each one of you is deeply appreciated for your every contribution large and small.
Community involvement
Southlands is a 501(c)3 established by Deborah Dows in 1983 with an educational mission that is the foundation of our School of Horsemanship. Most of the land is under easement to Scenic Hudson, to ensure that it will remain undeveloped. We are committed to having a place in the community that embraces those who may want to engage with our horses and our landscape in different ways.
Mrs. Dows’ inspiration lives through our land, our people, and our horses especially in the important work Susie Williams and Michele Tugade do with our partners at Samaritan Daytop Village. And Allison has organized a working partnership with the Anderson School which brings in small teams of students to undertake specific work projects in the barn.
Pop-Ups
Southlands is very grateful to Dutchess County for its award of a Learn Play Create grant which has supported our three Community Pop-ups themed: Sustainability, All About Horses, and Lil Farmers, Summer Harvest, which is coming up on August 7. These programs have been very successful in bringing in a new audience and in growing the Southlands community. Allison reached out to the elected officials about the last event and we were honored by the presence of County Executive Marc Molinaro and State Senator Sue Serino.
Memorial Day Parade
The Rhinebeck Memorial Day Parade was a particular highlight for me, as I had never done it before. It was a blast! We had four riders up on George, Cisco, Cassie and Alex and a host of kids and parents tossing candy and engaging with the crowd. It was fun and reinforced our community spirit.
Chamber of Commerce
Through the connections of our Board Member, Vicki Haak, Rhinebeck Chamber of Commerce enjoyed a beautiful evening at Southlands for their Business After Hours get-together. It was a great opportunity for Southlands to develop contacts with local businesses and to showcase our farm and programs.
Gala
The gala committee is led by Tatiana Serafin, Michele Tugade, Nicola Atherstone, Susie Williams and Allison King. The last two years have been the most successful yet in terms of innovative fun and fund-raising. They keep raising the bar and clearing their rounds. Thanks to every one of you who help produce this enormous event. This year’s Gala will be held here at Southlands, with the fitting theme of Community! Put it in your calendars now: Saturday the 10th of September.
Executive Director
As you know, we are looking for a new Executive Director. The requirements are posted on our website, in linked-in and various other platforms. The search is on-going, and the Board Search Committee has identified a couple of promising candidates. Word-of-mouth is the most effective connection, so if anyone knows of a good fit, please let us know. We would very much like to fill this position in the next few months.
I have a special expression of gratitude, to Allison King, who has served as the Executive Director for twelve years. Her decision to step down, did not result in a slow-down. Instead, Allison has stepped up her momentum to help organize the pop-ups and the hay harvest, the horse-shows, the gala, and grant applications, and various building projects. In addition, she is back in the ring teaching a few lessons a week and will lead the pony camp in its final week.
We thank Allison for your dedication and contributions to Southlands over the years, and we are particularly grateful for your commitment to stay on to assist us with the transition to new leadership.
Finally, a thank you to my fellow Board members who work hard and long, sharing their expertise and dedication. They have been a great inspiration for me personally, and I have learned much from each one. Most importantly, they demonstrate a strong commitment to the legacy of Southlands and its future.
We extend a warm welcome our two new Board members, Florien Bouwmeester and Mel Dean.
Going forward, if you have interest in serving Southlands in this capacity, we are developing a list of potential Board members, so please let us know.
Elise Quasebarth
Southlands Board President