Moniteau County Saddle Club disbands due to membership

Democrat photo/Kaden Quinn 
Moniteau County Saddle Club secretary Carolyn Twardowski presented a $4,100 check to the Moniteau County Fair Board in honor of Saddle Club member Wayne Bueker, alongside his wife Mary Bueker and daughter Roberta Jacobson, last Wednesday. The Saddle Club recently made the decision to disband due to low membership, but members still aim to help the community however possible.
Democrat photo/Kaden Quinn Moniteau County Saddle Club secretary Carolyn Twardowski presented a $4,100 check to the Moniteau County Fair Board in honor of Saddle Club member Wayne Bueker, alongside his wife Mary Bueker and daughter Roberta Jacobson, last Wednesday. The Saddle Club recently made the decision to disband due to low membership, but members still aim to help the community however possible.

After 18 years of dedicated service to the community, the Moniteau County Saddle Club has decided to disband.

Due to low membership numbers and low attendance at events, remaining members made the decision it was finally time to close the club. However, for those that still have some interest in horse riding, members are planning to keep certain elements around in some way.

Beginning as a way to bring the community together, the Moniteau County Saddle Club slowly grew their numbers during their first couple years as a group. The club saw a dramatic increase in membership after hosting events and activities like trail rides, obstacle courses, community horse shows, educational seminars and fundraisers.

Moniteau County Saddle Club Secretary Carolyn Twardowski said, at one time, the club had about 150 individuals in their ranks. However, as time went by, Twardowski said their numbers unfortunately seemed to diminish.

Twardowski said the Saddle Club was mainly a family-oriented organization and as children began to grow and join after-school sports, they started to see their membership dwindle. Others became busy with work or other labor occupying their time. She said fun games were often planned for members and their families, but low attendance would prove to be an issue.

Now totaling about 25 members, Twardowski said it was finally time to disband the club. While she said she is sad to see it go, she hopes she and other members can give back to the community in some way.

For the past couple years, the Saddle Club has been parking cars for the Moniteau County Fair and while she might have a hard time getting everyone involved, Twardowski said she hopes they can continue doing that as a unit to show their appreciation to the county.

She also said that former member Melinda Burgoon, after purchasing Panther Creek Trail Rides, had bought some materials for obstacle courses from the club. As close friends, Twardowski said she would like to set something up with Burgoon as a way of keeping interest in horse riding alive. However, she said they would have a lot to discuss before doing so.

Although the Saddle Club may be disbanding, supporting Moniteau County is still their top priority. On Dec. 1, Twardowski gave a $4,100 check to the Moniteau County Fair Board in honor of late Saddle Club member Wayne Bueker. With her was Wayne's wife, Mary Bueker and daughter, Roberta Jacobson. Together, the group wanted to honor Wayne's memory, as well as update the board regarding the state of the Saddle Club.

The Moniteau County Fair Board said they were happy to work with the Saddle Club and would be eager to assist members in any capacity. Twardowski and the group discussed establishing something in Wayne Bueker's name to keep his memory alive.

Although the Moniteau County Saddle Club will no longer be hosting any more activities or events, Twardowski said she wanted to let the community know that their time working with the county was a "good ride" and that members always enjoyed what they were doing. She said helping people was their main goal while the club was active, and they will always be happy to have achieved that.