Last Spring, Mitey Riders received a grant which allowed us the opportunity to produce a mini-documentary about our program. Click HERE to view the piece, and learn more about our riders, their experiences and the tenure of the Mitey Riders program in the therapeutic riding industry!

Wow, what an amazing day we had on Monday, May 23 — 138 golfers and over 50 riders, friends and volunteers joined us at the 2011 Mitey Golf Challenge, held at the Golf Club at Ballantyne. By the time the day was over, $72,000 had been raised to support the children and horses of the Mitey Rider program.

Harry and his staff wish to extend a MITEY BIG THANK YOU to everyone who participated in and supported us at this year’s tournament — especially Mitey Parents Carrie Nichols, Rob Sunris and Lisa Kallander — who took a leading role in the planning and coordination of the event. We also say thanks to all of our Mitey Volunteers who donated their time, and we continue to extend gratitude to Stu and Shari Goldstein, who have supported the Mitey Golf Challenge for the last eleven years.

PRESENTING SPONSOR:
SPX Corporation

ACE SPONSORS:
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, LLP
Wells Fargo
The Hartford
Smith Grounds Management – Laura & Chip Smith
Outback Steakhouse – Pineville

BIRDIE SPONSORS:
Alston & Bird, LLP
Maccabi USA — Robert Spivak
Nelson Mullins
Chubb & Son

HOLE SPONSORS:
Club Car, LLC — Gary Michel
Hamilton Stephens Steel & Martin, PLLC
Howard & Julie Levine
Swimmer Insurance Agency, Inc.
Al & Helene Levine — Daniel & Leigh Levine
Goodman Gable & Gould / Adjusters International Winstead, PC
RCS, Inc. — Brad & Joe Hudson
Moore & Van Allen, PLLC
R.S. Byrnes & Associates, Inc.
Coca-Cola
Shoe Show
Century Securities Associates — Patrick Wittekind
McAlister’s Deli
Adrienne & Harvey Gossett
Greg Ott Center for Physical Therapy
Salus Government Properties, LLC — Kathy & Jake Jacobson
Kathy & Kevin Lilly

TOURNAMENT WINNERS:
1^st Place Low Gross: Peter Levinson, Jon Goldberg, Eric Clemmens & Wilson Forrest
1^st Place Low Net: Mike Zeller, Evan Bass, Larry Gwaltney & Mark Nebrig
2^nd Place Low Net: Bob Byrnes, Dick McGregor, Steve Carley & Charlie Berger
3^rd Place Low Net: Pete Murphy, Jeff Meany, Zack Ward & Dick Hawks
Mitey Riders 50/50 Challenge: Phil Guller (donated his winnings to MR)
Men’s Closest to the Pin: Dirk Hawks
Ladies Closest to the Pin: Kathy Arthur
Men’s Longest Drive: Brandon Beane
Ladies Longest Drive: Melinda Pryor
Longest Putt on Hole #2: Steve Carley
Longest Putt on Hole #8: Larry Gwaltney

SAVE THE DATE!
The 12^th Annual Mitey Golf Challenge will take place Monday, June 4, 2012 at The Golf Club at Ballantyne
Mark your calendars! Sponsorships available!

Spring Festival is less than a week away! We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, May 7, 2011! Thank you for being a part of this day, and for volunteering at this year’s Mitey Riders Spring Festival.  You are all vital to the success of this day.

A few reminders:

• On Festival Day, please enter the farm using the Ennis Road entrance; the front gates will be closed.
• Please arrive 30 minutes before your volunteer time.
• Immediately report to Volunteer Check In to get your name tag.
• Prepare for the weather —  bring your sunscreen and hat or rain gear if necessary
• No umbrellas allowed
• Please leave your DOGS at home!

Rider Families:  Remember to pick up your pre-ordered t-shirts prior to Festival day.

Also — We still need volunteers in Parking from 11:00–1:00!  Can you help us?

Come and ENJOY this special day!

Questions?
Contact Lisa Kallander
Email: ldkallander@carolina.rr.com
Phone: 704–578-2888

A Successful Weekend as Mitey Riders Hosts the NARHA Region 3 Conference!

On March 18–20, Mitey Riders played host to 200 instructors, directors, volunteers and educators in the Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies [EAA/T} industry from NARHA Region 3 [NC, SC, VA, WV]. Educational sessions and hands-on workshops were offered to attendees at both the Marriott SouthPark Hotel and Misty Meadows Farm.

Highlights included: Rupert Isaacson, author of The Horse Boy and founder of The Horse Boy Method; Molly Sweeney and KC Henry of Horses and Humans Research Foundation; S.L. Lurz, author of Sweetwater Animal Society; a disabilities panel by Dr. Susan Sparks and Kerry Duffy of Levine’s Children Hosptial; a Rider Biomechanics session by Kris Daniel; an Equine Nutrition Seminar by Janet Elmo and Jayne Dewey of GreenField Feed NC and Progressive Nutrition; and much more! Click here to see a full conference schedule of what took place.

Attendance outnumbered past regional conferences, and the diversity of sessions offered pushed the envelope of thinking within our field. Mitey Riders is grateful to have had the opportunity to sit at the forefront of this event, and our NARHA region.

A Mitey HUGE thank you to all of our staff, families and volunteers who helped make this happen. Mitey Riders was represented in a great light during the conference weekend, and we proud to say we put our best “hoof” forward.

If you would like any additional information on the conference, please contact erica@miteyriders.org.

This year, Mitey Riders has been asked to host the 2011 Region 3 NARHA Conference! This is a huge honor for us, not only as an organization, but as a community. The event will host 150–300 professionals in the equine therapy field including instructors, directors, PTs, OTs, parents, volunteers and teachers from NC, SC, WV and VA. NARHA (www.narha.org) is the industry leader for all equine assisted activities in the world, and celebrates the power of the horse to change lives. Mitey Riders is proud to be a NARHA Premier Accredited Center, and to have offered equine assisted activities for over 17 years.

Please mark your calendars for March 18–20, 2011 when the conference will take place. Some of our riding schedules may be changed for that week, and we may host some special sessions on our farm. We will keep you up to date as we develop more details.

Also, we would like to open up participation in this conference to our volunteers, friends and families. Many of you have businesses who might want to sponsor this event, or you may think your child’s Physical Therapist would be interested in attending. You may even be interested in attending this conference yourself, to learn more about the world of equine therapy on a variety of levels, or perhaps you know a professional in our field who would make an excellent speaker. We invite you to share ideas with us on how we can make this conference both a great representation of our own program, as well as share an educational experience with others in our field so we may continue to offer the very best in equine assisted activities.

If you would like to get involved, or you know of someone who would like to Sponsor, Exhibit or Present at our event, please email Erica at: or .

Sponsorship/Exhibitor Packets will be available within the next week.

We look forward to sharing this great experience with all of you — and to encourage the growth of our industry so we may serve even more individuals with special needs!

ATTENTION all Mitey Rider families and volunteers. Due to extreme cold and impending inclement weather, the following classes have been canceled:

- Wednesday 12/15 — ALL CLASSES

- Thursday 12/16 — MORNING CLASSES ONLY

As of right now, Thursday Afternoon classes are still on. Please contact your VC or the barn with additional questions.

Misty Meadows Introduces The Mitey Market! In an effort to continue uniting our Mitey Rider community through well-branded apparel and gifts, Misty Meadows announces the development of The Mitey Market — an exclusive retail shop for our families, volunteers, riders and staff. Mitey Rider merchandise will be on display and available for sale during all lesson times. The shop is located in the Lower Barn, and will be staffed by parents and volunteers during lesson times only.

To kick-off, we are having a SALE on all IN-STOCK items!
$5 Tees (Adult & Youth)
$10 Crewneck Sweatshirts!
$20 Golf Shirts!
$10 Beach Towels!
$10 Tote Bags, and more!

New merchandise will be arriving the week of December 6^th and will include fleece vests, hoodies, scarves, long-sleeve tees, the “famous” Instructor Tee and more!

Some unique items will be arriving for special orders only including puffy vests and distressed hoodies. All items are available for special order when we run out of stock!

Mitey Market Hours are:
Wednesday Afternoon – 3:15–6:00pm
Thursday Morning – 9:30am-12:00pm
Thursday Afternoon – 3:15–5:45pm
Friday Afternoon – 3:15–5:45pm
Saturday – 9:45am-2:15pm

CASH OR CHECKS ONLY! All special orders must be paid for at the time the order is placed.

PLEASE NOTE: The Mitey Market is NOT open to the public. This shop is for Mitey Rider families, volunteers, staff and affiliates only.

Misty Meadows Mitey Riders retains NARHA Premier Accredited Center status!

On Saturday, October 9^th, Mitey Riders was visited by two representatives of NARHA — the “global authority, resource and advocate for equine assisted activities and therapies” — to be reviewed in the hopes of retaining our Premier Accredited Center status for another 5 years. Even though there are over 800 equine therapy centers across North America, only a small percentage of these centers are Premier Accredited — and Mitey Riders has been honored to be among them for the last ten years.

We are pleased to share with you — our Mitey Riders families and volunteers — that we were awarded this level of status in the equine therapy industry yet again!

The Premier Accredited Center review involved a year of online testing, preparing and organizing the farm, and reviewing our policies that we currently have in place. Every detail was considered — from the contents of our first aid kits to the submission of paperwork, the signage around the farm to the quality of our instruction and curriculum. THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the review day a huge success — and THANK YOU to our entire community for being part of Misty Meadows Mitey Riders!

Click HERE to learn more about NARHA!

Tracy Byrnes Wins NARHA Region 3 Instructor of the Year!

Every year, NARHA awards one instructor from each region the honor of being recognized as Instructor of the Year. This year we are very proud to announce that Tracy — our own Assistant Program Director and NARHA Certified Instructor — was awarded this very honor! Region 3 covers all of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, and there are hundreds of instructors in our region who are nominated for this award. A New Jersey native, Tracy grew up riding and caring for her own horses. Years after moving to Charlotte, Tracy began volunteering with Mitey Riders. She joined the staff as Assistant Program Director in 2006 and earned her certification as a NARHA Instructor the following spring. Congratulations Tracy!

Chubb Insurance Charity Golf Tournament Brings Home $50,000 for Mitey Riders!

Every year, Chubb Insurance hosts the annual Chubb Charity Challenge, an event that brings golfers from around the globe together to raise money for various charities. This year Mitey Riders was the chosen charity for the Charlotte team — who WON the tournament this week — bringing home $50,000 for our organization! THANK YOU Chubb Insurance! You have made a huge difference in the lives of many children with special needs!

For more than 125 years, the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies (Chubb Insurance) has been delivering exceptional property and casualty insurance products and services to businesses and individuals around the world. Today, they are the 11^th largest property and casualty insurer in the United States and have a worldwide network of some 120 offices in 27 countries staffed by 10,200 employees.* [Information from the Chubb Facebook page.]

Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney Fundraiser a Success!

During the week of Nov 1 — Nov 6, 2010, Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney hosted a fundraiser for Mitey Riders, donating 10% of ALL sales — which resulted in over $500! Catered specifically to children, this creative salon is the perfect place to get your child’s holiday haircuts! Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney is walk in only, so stop in anytime! Hailey and Mike Arthur, owners of Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney, are the proud parents of Shep Arthur, a Wednesday Mitey Rider.

THANK YOU to the Arthur Family and Pigtails & Crewcuts for supporting Mitey Riders!

Reminder: NO CLASSES Nov 3 — Nov 6!
A reminder for all riders, families and volunteers — there will be NO CLASSES during the week of November 3 — November 6^th. The Mitey Rider staff will be in Denver, CO attending the NARHA National Convention. We will see everyone when classes resume on Wednesday, November 10^th!

Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney to Support Mitey Riders!
During the week of Nov 1 — Nov 6, 2010, Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney will be donating 10% of ALL sales to Mitey Riders! Catered specifically to children, this creative salon is the perfect place to get your child’s holiday haircuts! Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney is walk in only, so stop in anytime and help raise funds and awareness for Mitey Riders! Hours are Monday-Friday 9–6 and Sat 9–4. Hailey and Mike Arthur, owners of Pigtails & Crewcuts Blakeney, are the proud parents of Shep Arthur, a Wednesday Mitey Rider. [704–541-3386 — pigtailsblakeney@hotmail.com — www.pigtailsandcrewcuts.com]

» CLICK HERE to read the recent article that ran in the Charlotte Observer about this partnership!

VOLUNTEER POSITION OPEN: Saturday AM Volunteer Coordinator
Looking to do just a little bit more in the Mitey Rider organization? We are looking for a Saturday AM Volunteer Coordinator to manage the 10am and 11am classes. Please email us at: if you are interested or have any questions! We need to fill this position ASAP. Please note: If you want to lead in either of these classes, we ask that you do not apply for this position — we have limited leaders and need every one of you!

Stay Up To Date — We are regularly updating our web site with important and exciting information about the Mitey Rider program. Be sure to visit the site regularly, or contact us via , Twitter and Facebook!