Some Ideas for BCHBC Meetings & Events:
- Overnight horse camping with “leave no trace”, highlining, hobbling education sessions
- Host “First Aid for Horses” and “Trail Safety & First Aid” workshops
- Host a “Healthy Hooves” workshop: emergency shoeing, how to take off a shoe, using boots, natural hoof trimming
- Bring in a conservation officer to talk about “bearaware” and wildlife encounters
- Have vet and nutrition experts to speak on Cushing’s disease,pro-biotics, supplementsforhorses
- Bring in specialist to talk on noxious weeds & beneficial plants on the trail
- Have practical sessions to learn knots, roping, highlining, packing
- Show documentary equine related movies– e.g.Nature’s Giants the Racehorses
- Have a horse trailer rodeo, trailer inspections
- Indoor trail riding with obstacles,e.g.indoor trail class-extreme trail
- Have a speaker and slide show on local birds
- Invite local search and rescue teams to give a talk
- Poker rides
- Tack garage sales
- Ride in local parades
- Give away stuff at the meetings–receive a prize for first person to arrive;“attaboy” or “attagirl”
- Go to a firehall and learn how to use fire extinguishers
- Have a tackshop host a meeting and give members a discount
- Have a “Weed & Feed” (weedpull with a picnic) to remove invasive weeds on the trail
- Have a night at the races,e.g. FraserDowns
- Have a “MountainHigh” hotdogs roast on a local mountain
- Host speakers on emergency awareness, emergency response (what to do till help comes) the impact of brain injuries
- Host a photography session on how to take pictures of horses and other animals
- Invite ATV and mountain bike clubs to your meetings & look for ways to build relationships
- Winter warmers–topics about outdoor living;e.g. clothing for west coast weather, starting a fire, survival in the cold
- Host an agility clinic– horsesport international– official agilitycourse
- Host a navigation course– Use of compasses, maps, GPS
- Saddlebag demo– how to plan for a dayride and what to pack
- Presentation on the Pacific Crest trail, Oregon beach ride, and other travelslide shows
- Sell tickets on a donated item at meetings
- Stretching exercises at a meeting -exercises for riders
- Dinner meetings at a restaurant (Beer & Burger Night)
- Play Horse Bingo game at meetings
- Use roundtable icebreakers at meetings: favourite things my horse taught me, connect horse names with owners, your favourite horse joke, etc…
- Have a funday each month –rent an indoor arena and do games, gymkhana, de-spooking, etc.
- Give speakers a gift: BCHBC mugs, thank you cards, logo wear, flowers.
- Ask youth to assist with newsletters, show articles that include youth
- Help youth to attend rides by offering trailering, buddies to ride with
- Link up with local pony clubs.
- Poker rides –give prizes, not money.
- Invite Boy/Girl Scouts and other youth groups to share an event or do a workbee to help cleartrails.