What
does Victoria-Saanich CADORA offer its members?What
does Victoria-Saanich CADORA offer its members?Victoria-Saanich CADORA is one of forty-odd CADORA groups in the country. Every province and the Yukon have CADORA members. CADORA Inc. is the national body that unites all these local groups both directly and through their provincial CADORA Associations. This is a formidable network of dressage riders, owners and enthusiasts. CADORA Inc. is affiliated with EC (formerly CEF), and the provincial associations are affiliated with their provincial Equestrian Federations/Horse Councils.
The local groups provide a means for
individual members’ voices to be heard throughout the Canadian horse world.
By being a CADORA member you have
access to a national vote, a national newsletter (CADORA INK), a national
webpage and links to other interesting equestrian sites, an Omnibus of national
and FEI tests, an Awards program, scholarships & bursaries, international
clinicians, etc.
In addition, your local group,
Victoria-Saanich, provides opportunities for both education and fun.
Victoria-Saanich CADORA runs six
schooling shows per year, as well as one EC National competition,
usually in July. The schooling shows include not just test riding, but also
offer fun classes, such as hack, costume, trail, etc.
This group hosts international
clinicians, e.g. in 2001 renowned biomechanics expert from Australia,
Colleen Kelly, and in 2002 Chief Training Administrator from the International
Academy for Equestrian Studies in Warendorf, Germany, Stephan Kiesewetter.
Individual members invite international instructors to give clinics, which are
predominantly attended by Victoria-Saanich CADORA members. The group also hosts
local clinicians.
The Victoria-Saanich group offers its
own Awards Programme to which all members competing in the PaRc schooling
shows are entitled to belong. PaRc show competitors also qualify for the
Provincial Awards programme run by CADORA BC. Competitors in the EC National
competition qualify for the CADORA Inc. National Awards Programme.
A bi-monthly Newsletter is sent
by e-mail to those who are on the Net and by surface mail to others.
Victoria-Saanich CADORA has its own webpage. Here dressage news is
covered and members can download membership forms, application forms and entry
forms to shows.
Victoria-Saanich CADORA is run by a
Board of Directors, who plan the activities during the year. They are the
volunteers who run the shows, both schooling and national. They administer the
assets and finances of the group, making sure that members get the best value
for their money, while keeping the group financially healthy. They are also the
people who represent the group provincially on the CADORA BC Board and
nationally on the CADORA Inc. board.
The Directors meet every second Monday
of the month. Meetings are held at a Director’s home, directors taking it
in turn to host. Twice a year, General Meetings are held: the Annual General
Meeting in October and a General Meeting in the spring, frequently combining it
with a speaker followed by a free reception for members. In October of 2002,
Victoria-Saanich will be the host for the CADORA Inc. AGM. In accordance with a
long-held CADORA tradition, all meetings are open to all members. However, as
the local meetings are at an individual’s home, any interested member, who would
like to attend, is requested to contact the host before hand.
Victoria-Saanich hosts an annual
Christmas party, where awards are presented and gifts given to deserving
volunteers.
Victoria-Saanich CADORA, the first CADORA group to be formed in BC, was founded in 1976. The opening meeting was held at the Western Horseman’s clubhouse on January 19. Island representative for the local group was Mrs Daphne Barnes, then of Crofton, now a long-time Victoria resident and the Area Rep. was Harriet Gordon. Laurel Dack was secretary and Gwen Greenwood treasurer. The advisory counsellor was Margot Parker. Junior reps. were Dree Thomson for Victoria and Debbie Futter for Saanich.
The following year, the Annual General Meeting of the group was held at the home of
Rose Thompson. Harriet Gordon was elected Area Rep. Other officers were Ann Widdowson, V-P and Secretary; Jill Yates (now Livesey) was Treasurer and Margot
Parker was again asked to be Advisor. Social Convenors were Jeanette Simpson and
Joan Cringan. Alison Robb was Show Chairman, Marg Velestuk was Membership Chair,
and Valerie Litster was in charge of Public Relations.
From twenty-one members in its first
year, the group had by the AGM grown to sixty-seven. Meetings would be held
every second Tuesday of the month.
Free informal clinics would be held
throughout the winter months, weather permitting. Dietrich von Hopffgarten gave
an informative clinic, useful for both riders and spectators.
Margot
Parker had around 1953 joined a
group that was involved in the introduction of dressage at Southlands Riding
Club in Vancouver. Instructors there were Inez Propfe-Credo and Col. Alois
Podhajsky, brought out from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Margot Parker,
who started riding when she was nearly forty years old, was very talented and
quickly advanced to the Grand Prix level. In 1962 she moved to Victoria with her
family, where she began teaching dressage free of charge. She introduced
dressage to such familiar Victoria persons as Kathy Jawl, Bo Mearns, Dawn
Ruthven, Audrey Fox, Sheila Skene, Jill Livesey, Harold Getson, Trudy Madson,
Alison Robb, Pat Holmes and others. She was instrumental in the formation of
Victoria-Saanich CADORA and continued riding and helping others until the age of
79 when she suffered a stroke.
Berit Turner (I am indebted to a column
by Marilyn McCall in the local newspaper and to Jill Yonge, the daughter of
Margot Parker, for shedding light on the early days of Victoria-Saanich CADORA.)