Mailing address:
Cover Photo by: Jim Hinderman Tarrant Ranch Trail Ride on July 4, 2015
1388 CR 3235 Quitman, TX 75783
Trail Gaiter Board President: Joe Petronella 903-316-0250 avalonfarm@peoplescom.net Vice President: Tracy Stephens 903-571-4621 tls628@embarqmail.com
Secretary: Lori Choate 469-500-0875 texasrockies@yahoo.com
Stay Connected by visiting the Trail Gaiter & Friends Website at www.trailgaitersandfriends.com
Or follow us on our Facebook Page
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Tracy Stephens
903-903-571-4621 tls628@embarqmail.com
Treasurer / Membership
Lori Choate
Newsletter & Website
469-500-0875 texasrockies@yahoo.com
Phyllis Petronella 903-967-3728 avalonfarm@peoplescom.net
Charlie Davis (903)498-4546 charlietdavis@gmail.com
4.
About Trail Gaiters & Friends Riding Club
5.
Calendar of Events
6.
July Ride at Tarrant Ranch
8.
Member’s Ads
9.
Maintenance Package Special
10. Summer Party 11. Tuttle Ranch
12. Meeting Topics 13. From the Editor & Sponsors 14. An Open Letter to Drivers 15. Sponsors 16. Fall Ride at Half Ass Mule Camp 17. Bar Fifty Week Long Ride 18. Classified Ad Rates 19. The Double S Ranch
Are you looking for someone to trail ride with in the East Texas area? Trail Gaiters & Friends may be what you are looking for. Our riding club embodies all breeds of horses, both gaited and non-gaited. Our membership encompasses equal numbers of gaited and non-gaited riders. The club was established in 2008 for horse owners and their friends to trail ride, camp with their horses, enjoy family fun and camaraderie. We have monthly trail rides somewhere in East Texas, and/or several private ranches. For the comfort of riders attending our monthly rides, we have a fast and a slow group. During the spring and fall months we camp with our horses at the many horse camps in Texas. When it is too hot or too cold to ride, we have get-togethers and/or parties. We are a unique club, because we are governed by our members. There are many benefits of being a Trail Gaiter member. Our members receive many discounts that actual pay for your membership dues. Trail Gaiter & Friends Membership dues are annual, and your membership becomes active as soon as your payment is received. Our family membership is $25, and our single membership is $15.
Member Benefits:
Monthly e-newsletter, Emails to keep you informed of trail rides and other equine events happening in East Texas.
One free ad on our classified page on our website and newsletter, and you may advertise on our Facebook page. The free Ad consist of 35 words or less and one picture, or a business card. You can use this ad to advertise your farm, business, a horse, trailer, or a saddle.
A discount when purchasing, repairing, or purchasing parts for their horse trailers at Triple M Trailers in Canton.
Twice a year, we have parties for all of our members. Non-members are welcome but must pay for their meal.
Here are some of the breeds represented in the our riding club: Appaloosas, Arabians, Friesian, Missouri Fox Trotters, Spotted Saddle horses, Spotted Mountain, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, Paints, Rocky Mountain, Quarter horses, and Tennessee Walkers. No matter if we are riding, camping or working cleaning trails at the Mineola Nature Preserve, we have a lot of fun. If you would like to join us, please visit our website at www.trailgaitersandfriends.com for the membership application. Hope to see you on the trails!
We have members that trail ride during the week, and on most weekends. If you are interested in riding at Tarrant Ranch contact Tracy Stephens. If you want to ride at Mineola Nature Preserve contact Phyllis Petronella. If you want to ride at Trace Trails contact Charlie Davis or Val Delana. August 8, 2015 our Summer Party will be held at the Tuttle Ranch. Make
plans to join us for a day of fun. Here are some of the activities planned for the party: trail riding, boating, fishing, swimming, shooting skeet, and a couple of contests to win a few prizes, plus lunch and a short meeting. See page 10 for more details. A RSVP is needed and the lunch menu and gate code will be given at that time. September 5 - Our monthly trail ride will be at Tarrant Ranch. Ride out time to be determined. Check your email or Facebook for more information.
October 1-4, 2015 Trail Gaiter Fall Trail Ride at Half Ass Mule Camp This is the alternative ride for those members that are not going to Bar Fifty for the week long ride. Call Jackie at (903) 796-3092 to make your reservations. See page 16 for details. October 3-7, 2015 Trail Gaiter Fall Trail Ride at Bar Fifty If you are planning to attend the Bar Fifty week long ride. Contact Bar Fifty to make your reservations. See page 17 for details October 24 - Nature Fest Benefit Trail Ride and Silent Auction at the Mineola Nature Preserve. We will be partnering with TETRA for this event. Everyone is invited. Negative Coggins Required. More details as the date approaches. May 24 & 25, 2016, ACTHA Competitive Trail Ride at the Mineola Nature Preserve. We will be partnering with TETRA for this event. More details as the date approaches.
July 4, 2015 By Starla and Tracy I can't think of a better way to celebrate the birth of a great nation, which was founded FOR the freedom TO BE ABLE TO worship God freely, than to do so by horseback and get to enjoy the beauty that God has created!
We had a wonderful time, PERFECT weather, great friends! We had 15 riders that went out on the ride. Seemed everyone had a great time!
Faux Paws Pet Portraits Olivia Dirk Tackett 214-683-8368 Em a il he r at :
fauxpawsart@gmail.com
Jack Brown Jerry Choate Joe Petronella
444 CR Quitman, TX Cell: 903-316-0250
Horse for Sale Bay MF Trotter mare. 7 yrs. old, 15.1 hands. Safe and sound. She has lots of miles on the trails and has been on a lot of camp outs. $3000 firm
Call Theresa 903-920-4866
2 Horses for Sale Must sell due to husband's health. Double reg. Tenn. Walker/Kentucky Mountain Saddle horse mare, black, 15.1 hands, 15 yrs. old, trail experience, great ground manners. $2,500. Blue papered Missouri Foxtrotter gelding, 14 yrs. old, bay, 14.1 hands. $2,700. Both horses purchased at much greater prices, but only concern is for a good home. Photos available.
Carol Muckleroy cmcarriagedriver@aol.com H: 903-759-8104 C: 903-918-0171
Maintenance Package & 9 Point Inspection *Pack Bearings
*Check Batteries
*Replace Grease Seals
*Check Exterior Lights
*Adjust Brakes
*Check Breakaway Kit
*Check Tire Pressure
*Service/Adjust Coupler
*Adjust Latches, Doors, etc.
$149.00 The inspection for the above features starts at $149.00. All worn, broken or miscellaneous repairs that might arise will be the cost of the parts with no labor charges in most cases. (Regularly 199.00). Scheduled appointment necessary. You must be on the current Trail Gaiter & Friends membership list to receive this special. Trail Gaiters members will also receive a 5% discount on all parts (excluding batteries and tires). Do mention that you are a Trail Gaiter and you receive your this discount upon checkout at our store and on their website. Our club will also receive seasonal specials such as spring maintenance packages and winterization packages. Free estimates on all repair work.
Call 903-865-1516 I-20 at Exit 523 Hwy 64Canton, Texas 75103
Tuttle’s Lindale Ranch - 18718 CR 445 - Email for Gate Code Are you ready to have some fun? The Tuttle ranch has a boat house with plenty of seating for everyone, a full kitchen, and lots of fun lake toys. Activities will include trail riding, Jet Skiing, canoeing, swimming, fishing, or you can just chill out in the boat house. A bath house with restrooms is close by. The water in the lake is clear! Does swinging on a trapeze, jumping in the lake or sliding down a water slide sound fun too you? Once you are in the lake there is a trampoline for more jumping. You also can walk along the shoreline, or watch TV in the boat house. Trail Riding: If you wish to bring your horse be ready to ride out by 8:30. Park your trailers by the horse barn. The ranch has shaded places to tie your horse during the other activities. Water Activities start when you arrive.
Lunch will be at 12:30 at the boat house. The club will supply the main dish and all the paper & plastic products. Please bring a side dish to share and your drinks. (No Alcohol please.) Bring sun screen lotion, your hat, sunglasses, towels, or any other water toys and a life vest. Children under 18 must wear a life vest. The Tuttle’s do have a few life vests to borrow. Cost: Free for members with currently paid memberships. $10.00 per person for Non-Members Please
by August 6 at avalonfarm@peoplescom.net for a food count.
We will have a short meeting after lunch, and then you may stay and enjoy the ranch.
Notice: All persons using the lake do so at their own risk. The Tuttle family and Trail Gaiters & Friends Riding Club are not responsible for any accidents or injuries. There will not be a lifeguard on duty, swim at your own risk.
The Tuttle Ranch
Trail Riding
Meeting
Relaxing
Fun
Cooking
Meeting Topics At our Summer Party, we will have a short meeting after lunch. Here are a few topics that we will be discussing.
Treasury, the Membership Report, and changes to our newsletter.
Quarterly magazine, what are the benefits?
What about a Photo Contest for the front page of the New Trail Gaiter quarterly magazine?
Something New! Members can write an article about themselves, or their farm, their horse, or an experience on the trail for the New Feature Article for our quarterly magazine? Space 2 pages, and can include pictures.
Do you want to release the club’s full member list for solicitation? Do you want to have the ability to Pay membership dues on line? The Parade Committee would like to have a Custom Trail Gaiter Parade flag made. The cost would be $300 plus shipping. We could find a sponsor or sell ads to recoup the cost.
From the Editor I hope you enjoy this new format for the Trail Gaiter & Friends Newsletter. We are planning to produce these magazines on a quarterly bases, and create 8 private newsletters for the members with paid members for the other months. I found this new FREE software that turns our regular newsletter into a magazine, however the free version does have ads from the software company. What is great about this is that our magazine can be shared on Facebook, and we can use this publication as a way to increase membership and sponsors. I intend to talk more about this at the Summer Party Meeting. As Trail Gaiters enter our eighth year, I hope to find more incentives to become and stay a Trail Gaiter member. Our new website should be up and running shortly, Enjoy, Phyllis & Joe
An Open Letter to Drivers Who Aren't Horse People By Michelle Dear Drivers, My most valued possession is inside the trailer behind my pickup. He stepped into that rolling steel box because I asked him to and he trusts me. He’s a living, breathing creature, and all 1,200 pounds of him are precariously balanced on four tiny hooves as my truck and trailer wind down the road. My horse is not a boat or camp trailer, and I cannot stop quickly or turn sharply without risking his safely and even his life. Know that I will do just about anything to avoid hitting the breaks with a horse in my trailer. However, if your Suburban is hidden in the blind spot behind my twohorse trailer and I do have to stop suddenly, you’re too close to stop without ending up in the trailer with my horse. When I make those wide turns, I need them to prevent my horse from scrambling. Please give me room and time to turn. And that large distance between my rig and the car in front of me? It might look like enough room to fit three sedans bumper to bumper, but it’s actually the distance I need to stop softly and safely without my horse falling. Those times when we’re headed up a mountain pass, my speed is as fast as I can go. My foot has the accelerator pressed to the floor, and no matter how hard you try, your Honda can’t push us up this hill. I promise I’ll move to the right lane when it becomes available or pull over if I find a safe spot on the shoulder, but until then I ask for your patience and some space. You should know I started driving a truck and horse trailer while still on a learner’s permit. Years of experience means I can back a rig around a tight corner uphill or down a U.S. Forest Service road for miles in a pinch. And, if you need someone to hook up your flatbed in one try or drive the U- Haul when you move, I’m your gal. But if you park me in with only feet to spare at a breakfast restaurant during summer I’m stuck until you move, and my horse is really hot inside his metal box. Lastly, my rig weighs 3 tons, and that much weight prevents me from swerving. When you pass me going 65 mph uphill on a blind corner, you don’t just put my horse at risk: Your driving threatens the lives of the oncoming driver, my passenger, me, you, and everyone in the cars behind us. So next time you see a horse trailer, assume an animal in there. Please give the rig some space and offer some patience. By driving safely, we’ll all get where we’re going. Thank you, Michelle, Marathon, and Jack
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This is the alternative ride for those members that can not go to Bar Fifty’s week long ride. Some of us will arrive on Thursday and others on Friday, and/or Saturday. We plan on having a fun filled weekend at the Mule Camp with trail riding and cook outs on both Friday and Saturday nights. The Camp is located at 562 County Road 3559, in Queen City. The trails surrounds Lake Wright Patman and the Atlanta State Park. There is about 250 miles of trails. Everyone is welcome to attend this ride. Your horse will needs a current negative Coggins. The terrain is sandy, no shoes or boots needed. There are 14 RV Sites and lots of horse pens. Be sure to bring an RV extension cord, and an extra water hose. There are many trees for high-lines and lots of open space for electric fences. The Camp has a covered Pavilion with a restroom plus a shower, a large room to relax and tables available to setup for meals. We can use their kitchen which has a butane cook stove (no oven), frig, sink, microwave, and an icemaker for our cook outs on Friday and Saturday night. Bring something to cook on the grill and a dish to share. Cost: Jackie only asks for donations to camp for usage of the RV site and pens. Common donations for RV sites and pens are $25 a night. Call Jackie at (903) 796-3092 to make your reservations.
Bar Fifty Ranch is located in Bismarck, Arkansas. This is a week long ride and all the meals are provided. They are only taking reservations for riders who plan to attend all 5 days. Each day you will have a guided trail ride. If you are interested in attending this ride, you will need to contact Bar Fifty to make your reservations. Your horse will needs a current negative Coggins plus a Health Certificate which is necessary any time you cross state lines. The terrain is rocky and your horse will need shoes or boots. The cost of the Week Long (5 day) Ride is $225 Per person with private horse, includes 4 nights, 13 meals, one horse pen and RV site. Additional nights are $25 each. Reservation and $25 per person deposit required. Deposit refunds are available a minimum of one month prior to ride start date. No refund is available after this date. No Roll-Overs. Entertainment includes: Karaoke, Dancing, Bingo, Gatherings around the bonfire pit. Horse Rentals Available, $50 per day per horse. Call for rates in the cabins, lodge, bunkhouse or cowboy rooms. Click here for link to Bar Fifty Ranch
Do you have a business to promote or an item for sale? All Ads will appear in our monthly newsletter and on our website. FREE with payment of annual dues. This includes 35 words or less and one picture. Additional ads is $10
Members
Non-Members Business card size Medium banner
Ads can be paid for in cash or merchandise of the same value $25 12 months 12 months
$50
12 months
$100
12 months
$200
(1/4 of a page)
Large banner (1/2 of a page)
Extra Large banner (1 full a page)
To place an Ad, or if you have any questions, please contact Phyllis Petronella at avalonfarm@peoplescom.net
From the Herd
Rocky Mountain Horses Jerry & Lori Choate Fruitvale, TX 469-500-0875 Email: info@echohavenranch.com Website:
www.echohavenranch.com
Call or visit our website for additional info.
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