Vol 5 No 8

Letter from the Editor

Dear Golden States Membership,

Karen Holcomb (see picture below) has become, in this editor’s mind, the “face” of Golden State Versatility. She personifies the joy we all feel on our wonderful horses when we’re getting those circles just right. And other times too. Thank you, Karen, for such a potent reminder.

Lots of fun, and interesting moments at the August Clifford Horse Training show. Pictures and results in this issue.

ONE REMAINS, if you’ve attended two, you can still qualify for the Western States Finals. Check out the Rolling Hills Ranch Spectacular produced by our new Golden State Secretary Jessica Lawrence and her husband Vernon. September 14-15. They have a history of very nice shows.

I remember in high school someone asking if I wanted $1,000,000 or 1 penny doubled every day for 30 days. I made the wrong choice then, but Sandy Collier tells us how to make the right choice now and how it works for our horses.

I admit to being addicted to Blue Bloods TV show and have seen many episodes numerous times. The other evening, while husband Steve and I were watching, I heard the Frank Reagan character utter this month’s quote. For whatever reason, I was completely stunned by it. The next day when riding I found myself repeating it over and over. It resonated for me; I hope it has meaning for you as well. As we begin to wrap up this Golden State show season let’s all know who we are.

Dawn Poston
Editor

Send comments, concerns, & ideas to JumperDawn@aol.com

Sara Reynier Novice Champion, Renee Jackson Intermediate Champion, Candice Terry Intermediate Reserve, Christian Scanlan Advanced Reserve, Rachel Clifford Advanced Champion, Sarah Clifford Proud Mama and show manager, Katie Moon Open Champion, Jessie Smoot Limited Champion, Angelo Greco Youth Champion, Piper Wilbur Youth Reserve, Linnea Aldrich Walk Trot Champion, Rio Wilbur Walk Trot Reserve, Sherry Coll Novice Reserve. Not pictured Jim Brumfield Open Reserve and Debby Sanguinetti Limited Reserve.

New Golden State Show

Ranch Horse Spectacular

We are thrilled to add the Ranch Horse Spectacular to our Golden State calendar. Produced by our friends and veteran show managers Jessica & Vernon Lawrence, this show at the Rolling Hills Equestrian Center is destined to be a competitor favorite. Also, if you have two Golden States shows completed in 2024, this is your opportunity to get the third qualifying competition for the Western States Championship show.

On Friday, Kathy Torres will start the fun with a cattle clinic while Vernon Lawrence provides a Ranch Trail Clinic. Also, he will be hosting a free youth clinic for GSVRHA members! Cattle and dry work schooling will be available Friday. There will be All Around awards, $$$ added, raffles, Trainers Bucks and a Saturday Exhibitor Party. All of the show information can be found on the Golden State calendar and also at lawrenceshowmanagement.com.

WSVRHA Championship Show

2024 Standings and More

The Magic of Compounding Interest!

by Sandy Collier

Here’s a question that you may have heard before: If you had to pick between receiving $1,000,000 today or the value of $0.01 doubled every day for 30 days, which would you pick?

I’ve heard this question before, but recently a mentor of mine who worked in finance challenged me to prove the benefits of compounding interest to myself.

Doing it took a few minutes, but it provided some valuable insights.

Here are the calculations (my insights below):
As of Day 10, the doubling penny is worth only $5.12.

As of Day 20, the penny is worth approximately $5,000. At this point choosing that doubling penny still seems like a poor choice.

On Day 27, which is 3 days before the 30 days ends, the penny is worth approximately $670,000. Now, that’s a lot of money for that penny to have turned into but still a lot less than $1,000,000.

But on Day 28 is the first time the doubling penny’s value exceeds $1,000,000. At that point, the penny is worth approximately $1,300,000. Until 2 days before the deadline, that penny seemed like a bad investment.

As of Day 30, that doubling penny is worth an incredible $5,368,709.12.

Approximately $4,700,000 of that growth occurred between days 28 through 30.

So, what’s my point?

My point is all of us strive every day towards pursuits that we have, and we love (our horses and our riding), and sometimes it feels like we’re not making progress, especially during the tough times when progress is slow, and success is elusive.

The reality is that the doubled efforts will eventually add up to huge gains. Sometimes, it just takes those few extra days for those gains to exponentially increase! So, rise to the challenge and persevere through the times when it seems like you’re not gaining with your horse, and you’ll be rewarded when you least expect! Remember slow and steady wins the race and as Greg Ward used to say, “If you improve your horse 1% a day, in 100 days, your horse will be 100% better!” Now that’s doable and well worth striving for!

I hope that you find some inspiration in that like I did. Be well. Be safe.

With gratitude to Sandy Collier for generously permitting the use of “The Magic of Compounding Interest.” For more information go to sandycollier.com and/or beunstoppable.us

Quote of the Month