Bulletin Board: 12/00

Domino Sugar Dots Are Back
The case of the disappearing Dots has been solved. Horsemen from Maine to Chicago have been without a reliable source of their favorite Domino Dots — tiny sugar cubes — for a year, but they are now nearly back in full production.

Domino Sugar makes the Dots only in its Brooklyn, N.Y., refinery. Refinery workers there have been on strike for a year. The Dots have been produced and distributed in a spotty manner since the strike began. Grocery stores that still carry them may have been steadily depleting an old supply. If a store ran out, it may not have been able to restock, especially if it was in an area where horsemen have been hoarding them.

Even though the strike continues, Domino said that it is now able to again produce a full supply of Dots. While Domino Sugar is primarily sold in the Northeast, the Dots are sold all over the United States since many consumers prefer their small size. Dots equal a half-teaspoon of sugar, unlike the usual hostess-size cube that equals a full teaspoon or more.

Because of their small size, Domino Dots are especially useful as pocket-sized horse treats. Sugar has an indefinite shelf life if kept in a dry, tightly closed container — even in your tack room.

If your local store has not yet restocked Dots, you may be able to find some at another area supermarket. You can also check with the store manager to see if they will get a special order now that the supply of Dots should match demand.

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AHSA/USET Joint Plan
The AHSA and USET announced they are forming a task force, under the auspices of the U.S. Olympic Committee, to resolve how international equestrian sport in the United States is to be governed. The task force has 10 members from each group, with a professional facilitator and observers from the USOC.

The task force is to make its recommendations to the USOC by mid-February. It is to propose how U.S. equestrian sports should be governed in order to achieve success in the Olympics, World Championships and Pan Am Games, under compliance with federal laws and the USOC’s rules, and in the sport’s best interest.

The roles of the two organizations often bring them in conflict. The AHSA is the national equestrian federation and thus is the U.S. regulatory body for international equestrian sports — dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show jumping, vaulting — plus 19 other disciplines. The USET selects, trains, equips and finances the competitors who represent the country in internationally.

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Souvenir Extremes
If you collect horse-type souvenirs on your travels, you might treasure a bumper sticker from Hasagawa’s General Store in Hana, Maui. It says: “Fight Smog, Ride A Horse,” plus the name and location of the store. However, you’ll have to hug an ocean-cliff road for four hours to get there by car. While Hana does have horses, it obviously doesn’t have smog.

At the other extreme, you can buy a tee-shirt from Dark Horse Leather Goods in Fairbanks, Alaska, a place where you’re as unlikely to see tee-shirts at this time of year as you would smog. Dark Horse bills itself as “Interior Alaska’s largest tack store.” If you can’t mush there yourself, however, you can get a tee-shirt by going online at www.mosquitonet.com.

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Riding Room
The Equestrian Land Conservation Resource has started a program called “Clippers” to develop a national perspective on diverse local issues and conditions that affect equestrian access to trails, open space and land use. It’s asking individuals to send local articles on this subject to: ELCR, PO Box 335, Galena, IL 61036. 815/776-0150 or www.elcr.org.

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Olympics 2008
If you couldn’t make the trip to Sydney, Australia, and Athens also sounds like a long way to travel for the 2004 Games, well start lobbying for Toronto as the site in 2008. The Canadian city is on the short list with Istanbul, Turkey; Osaka, Japan; Paris, France; and Beijing, China. FEI officials are now assessing each city’s potential for equestrian sports.

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