The Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America held its 2012 Annual General Meeting over the weekend of February 24-26, 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Society members from across the United States enjoyed wonderful accommodations and excellent service at the Embassy Suites in this beautiful area. A packed-full agenda began on Thursday of that week and included such events as Society Board, business and committee meetings, informative clinics for all ages, award banquets and presentations, a field trip to a local farm for a driving clinic, great food, and plenty of discussion and camaraderie. This weekend allowed Society members to come together to celebrate the past year and to plan together to enjoy our beloved breed in the years ahead.
WPCSA Holds Successful Fund Raising Auctions.
Fundraising at this year’s annual meeting reached a new level, due to the energy of WPCSA members. The annual Live and Silent auctions were both great successes, raising well over $3,000 due to generous donors and bidders. Auction coordinator, Martha Stover, reports, “I am always amazed at the generosity of our members. Most of our members want to be part of helping the Society in some way and we are grateful that we have seen this through an increase in the number of donations over the last few years.” WPCSA member Gretchen Aiken of Family Partners Welsh Ponies in Riddle, Oregon spearheaded and managed a wildly successful on-line Stallion Auction which raised an unprecedented amount - over $12,000 - for the Society. More than 40 Welsh stallion breedings were listed and bid on through the web during the auction’s week-long duration. Gretchen stayed up well past midnight on the closing date to finalize and calculate all of the results. Once again, member generosity reigned supreme, and we thank Gretchen as well as all of the stallion owners and bidders for participating in this worthwhile effort for the Society.
Presentation of WPCSA Scholarships.
The Society is pleased to announce that Meg and Emily Gill of Loafers Lodge Welsh Ponies in Monkton, Maryland are recipients of this year's educational scholarships. Each of these college students will receive a $500 scholarship from the Molly Butler/J.D.O'Rear Memorial Scholarship Fund. Selected from a group of 17 candidates, Meg and Emily exemplify the original purpose of the scholarship initiative – to support deserving students with an equine background. As third generation Welsh pony owners, breeders and exhibitors, Emily and Meg have grown up surrounded by the Welsh community, training, producing and showing, their family’s ponies throughout the nation and meeting with great success. In presenting these scholarships, Dr. Laurence Roberts, Board member and Chair of the Scholarship Committee stated, " In all of the years I have presented this award I can think of no one more deserving than these two women." Meg is currently a freshman at Stevenson University, studying accounting. Emily is also in her freshman year and is studying elementary education at Goucher College. A heartfelt congratulations goes out to both of these outstanding young adults from the WPCSA!
Reduction in Welshpony.org Annual Subscription Rates.
WPCSA is pleased to announce a one-time reduction in the annual subscription rate to its state-of-the-art interactive website at www.welshpony.org. Previously set at $125, the rate has been reduced to $50 for the period of March 1, 2012 through March 1, 2013. Dr. Ruth Wilburn, WPCSA President, hopes that many members take advantage of this reduced rate. “We are excited to offer this special rate to encourage exploration of our new website and to see the wealth of information that can be accessed online about our beloved breed.”
Subscribers taking advantage of this special rate will have access to information about all of the Welsh ponies, cobs, half Welsh and partbred Welsh in the registry’s database. This information will include such things as pedigrees, progeny reports, awards, yearly standings (both current and past), lifetime points and show point details, all of which will be immediately at the subscriber’s fingertips. To be eligible for this special rate, a subscriber must be a current member of the WPCSA and provide credit card information. WPCSA invites anyone interested in this elevated level of access to its website to take advantage of this reduced rate by contacting the office at 540-868-7669.
2013 Annual Meeting Location Announced.
The Society encourages its members and anyone interested in Welsh ponies or cobs to make plans to attend the next annual meeting in Portland, Oregon during February, 2013.