Cantrell Wins Third Saddle Club High Points Award, Saddle Club Gets New President

Rainey Cantrell was presented the 2012 Charles Sumner High Points Memorial Trophy during the Gilmer County Saddle Club Christmas Party Saturday, December 8th. While friends and members of the Saddle Club enjoyed a barbeque dinner, the Saddle Club recognized its seasonal winners with belt buckles for overall winners in each discipline, sweatshirts for winners of high points in each class, second place awards of halters and third place awards of brushes for each discipline.

However, the highpoint of the evening came when Inez Sumner presented Cantrell with this year’s Charles Sumner High Points Memorial Trophy. The Charles Sumner High Points Memorial Trophy is a trophy awarded to the Saddle Club’s top points leader for the season, named in memory of her husband Charles Sumner.

This was the senior’s third time winning the award and a meaningful experience,

“It is a real honor recieving the Charles Sumner High Point Memorial Trophy. Charles was a wonderful horsemen and I’m proud to carry on his legacy by recieving the award for the past 3 years. Mrs. Inez Sumner’s dedication to the Gilmer County Saddle Club is remarkable. With over 30 years of unblemished volunteering, Inez is an idol to me and many more,”

said Cantrell.

Along with this award, the Gilmer County Saddle Club also recognized its 2012 Saddle Club President Murray Long and Board of Directors and Junior Board members for the 2012 season. The 2012 Board of Directors recognized were Bobby Long, Eston Cantrell, Kenneth Watkins, Greg Norton, Ray Norton, and Dorsey Kitchen. Junior Board Members recognized along with the group’s advisor, were Jackie Brown, Rainey Cantrell, Colbie Chastain, Lucas Bramlett, Gunner Hagin, and Nina Stepp.

Long, the 2012 Saddle Club President said of the season,

“I think this year we had a real sucessful year. We had good turn outs at all of our shows. We were pleased with our attendance, riders and horses, and even at out meetings. We had really good meetings all year. I think it’s one of the best years we have had in a while,”

While Board Member Eston Cantrell also said of the season,

“I just thought we had a great year. We had people that said that the economy was bad and we are going to have a bad year and we had too many shows…It wasn’t that way at all. At every show we had a lot of participation and a lot of people. We raised more money than we have ever raised, and we give more money back than we have ever been able to give back. It’s been great. Everybody has got along and everbody has worked hard and just kept pushing and pushing it to make it better.”

During the party, the Gilmer County Food Pantry took an opportunity to acknowledge the Saddle Club.

Speaking on behalf of the Food Pantry, Susan Shedd said due to clubs like the Saddle Club the Food Pantry has been able to increase the amount of people it feeds each year from 4,126 families, 7,601 adults, and 4,735 children in 2008 to a projected 6,313 families, 13,873 adults, and 12,157 children in 2012.

“We really do appreciate them supporting to help us feed the hungry in Gilmer County. I just think it is an excellent organization that not only promotes equestrian activities, but teaches our children not just to be good equestrians but to be good citizens.”

Shedd said.

The Saddle Club also announced next year’s Saddle Club President will be Dewell Sanford. Sanford, though, plans to puruse existing projects for 2013.

“Our projects we are going to try to pursue are with our lights and our bleachers. We want to work on those projects and just basically do the same thing we’ve been doing. We also want to improve on our website. Other than that, we just want to keep on keeping on,” Sanford said.