Recap of the successful 16^th annual 2003 convention

Old Town Sacramento

By Michelle Blacconiere Howes of Honolulu Horse & Carriage Ltd.

First of all a special thank you to Tom and Connie Hodgson for all their hard work of hosting this year’s convention. The annual meeting of the membership of the Carriage Operators of North America (the land that I love), was held at the LaQuinta Inn, Downtown, Sacramento, CA.

On Thursday February 27, our tour started at the "Spirit of Lodi Farm", which specializes in breeding and training Standardbreds. It was a great thrill; everyone who attended had the opportunity to drive some of their horses that were right off the track. The sulky was a definite change for most of the carriage operators. These Standardbreds just loved racing around the quarter mile track and certain members enjoyed a little racing competition as well. After we all got our "horse fix" we headed to R&R Ranch. WOW, as we stepped off the bus and entered the gorgeous carriage house we were greeted with smiling faces and a beautiful collection of 25 museum quality carriages. We all had a chance to walk around and read the information placed on each carriage regarding the history of each vehicle. The lovely appointments on each vehicle such as appropriate hats, gloves, and whip were a beautiful touch. As the membership made their way to the second floor we encountered a wonderful view of the farm as well as a catered tri tip lunch enjoyed by all. Interesting conversations and everyone exchanging stories enhanced an excellent meal. Then as we headed back to the bus we had the pleasure of a gorgeous Road Coach outside for our viewing. Some members took advantage of the photo opportunity and climbed up on the driver seat. Boy was that a climb. The day wasn’t over yet as we headed north to the town of Lodi where Woodbridge Winery is located. Can you imagine what happened there……well no we didn’t all get completely inebriated. We did however have a tour of the premises and were educated on the process of making wine. There was an opportunity to taste the various types of wine they offered and most of us took advantage of it. The variations were quite interesting. We all unwound by gathering for drinks and hors d’oeuvres back at the main lobby, where we got a chance to socialize, network and shop in the winery's gift shop. Most picked up a small souvenir, but Tom and Connie managed to talk the bus driver into allowing them to roll a full size barrel into the luggage compartment of the bus!

Friday morning our agenda started off with opening remarks by our President Mike Miller. Then each of the carriage companies introduced themselves. After that we had a presentation by Joseph Zichichi, Attorney at Law. He explained the differences of business classifications, such as Sole proprietor, Partnership or Corporation and the pros and cons of each. He also provided information on the legal ramifications of running your business under different types of classifications, and how to avoid invalidating your corporate shield. Then a hands-on demonstration of 4-in-hand Achenbach style driving utilizing a nicely built driving stand provided by the Hodgsons. We then broke for lunch and returned around 1:00pm to listen to Robert Fox of Legislative Services who educated us on the current animal rights legislation and what we can do to help our industry. Jamie Noland, DMV and an Associate Professor Cal Poly spoke of Equine First Aid and gave us an update on West Nile Virus (Jamie’s husband, Chad is on CONA's board of directors). Last, but not least, was our Marketing Round Robin in which we took turns presenting our companies' unique marketing concepts. The rest of the night we all had a chance to go out and explore the Old Town of Sacramento at our leisure.

On Saturday we regrouped in the conference room to learn how to better deal with carriage insurance led by Larry Viegas, whose company specializes in providing different types of equine insurance on the West Coast. Nevin Dourte of Ruhl Insurance gave an update of the national picture of commercial liability insurance effecting the carriage industry. Our next speakers touched everyone’s hearts and brought a tear to most eyes. Wendy Albrecht, Vet Tech and Physical Therapist and Cindy Krout, CET and Vet Tech who are both presenters at the UC Davis "Horse Day Symposium" provided us with information on Equine Physical Therapy. In their presentation "The Road to Wellness" they showed a wonderful video with a happy ending about a horse's remarkable recovery that they personally had been involved in. The horse that had been thought not likely to recover from disastrous injuries is now competing as a jumper. Following Ms Albrecht and Ms Krout was Dr. Peter Heidmann, Internal Medicine Resident at UC Davis, who explained common draft horse ailments and gave us all a chance to ask questions. Of course we all needed a lunch break for our bodies after all the good info we had fed our brains. Lunch was great; it gave everyone a chance to talk about what we had been learning. After lunch Steve Podhajecki, CONA's webmaster updated us on current info about our CONA website and all of the benefits that it provides for our members. Our annual business meeting of the membership was called to order at 3:05pm by our president Mike Miller. Then our secretary Peggy Best and our treasurer Larry Chapman gave their reports. Mike Miller took the stand to report that CONA is a member of the American Horse Council and the Animal Welfare Council. He explained the differences between these two councils and that CONA holds a seat on both. He then updated the membership on issues the AHC and the AWC are dealing with that might effect our industry. Next the officer and board of directors elections were held. The names of our officers and board members can be found on our CONA website. A special thank you goes out to all the nominees and to the nominating committee.

Of course we can’t have a convention without a banquet. The CONA banquet was held at the Historic Firehouse Restaurant in Old Town Sacramento Saturday evening. Prior to the banquet we received free carriage ride passes from Vintage Carriage Co. and all had a chance to take a tour around Old Town Sac. There was even a replica of a true Cinderella carriage made by G & F Carriages of Riverdale, CA. We were the envy of the town that night. At the conclusion of our excellent dinner we each received a raffle prize to take home. In addition Joyce Tucker presented to each and everyone present a special handmade (by her father) horseshoe frame as a special gift. She even went around and took a Polaroid for each member. Thank You Joyce (and Dad).

All members who had an extra day to spend in California were invited Sunday to go to Martinez, CA and drive hands-on (live Haflingers) 4-in-hand Achenbach style at Tom and Connie’s place. How neat was that! They look and act just like Belgians, but they are half the size. A spectacular experience among God’s beautiful landscape. All in all a successful convention once again.

Mark your calendars……2004-----Savannah, Georgia February 26,27 and 28….looking forward to seeing new and old faces…….If you missed 2003 you should definitely make plans now for 2004…..Mistakes should only happen once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!