The Horsemen’s Corral is the official publication for the following clubs: Ashland Paint & Plain Saddle Club Avon Lake Saddle Club Black Swamp Driving Club Buckeye Equestrian Association Central Ohio Saddle Club Association Central Ohio Wagoneers Classical Attraction Dressage Society Colorado Ranger Horse Association Creek Side Mounted Archery District One National Show Horse Dusty Boots Riding Club Flatlanders Dressage & Combined Training Association, Inc. Geauga Horse & Pony Association Great Lakes Appaloosa Horse Club Hoosier Quarter Pony Association Knox County Horse Park Lake Erie Mounted Vaqueros Massillon Saddle Club Miami Valley Horse Show Association Michigan Trail Riders Association, Inc. Mid-Eastern Farriers Association Mid Ohio Dressage Association Mid-Ohio Marauders National Pole Bending Association Northern Ohio Dressage Association
Northern Kentucky Horse Network Northern Ohio Miniature Horse Club Northern Ohio Outlaws Ohio Appaloosa Association O.H.I.O. EXCA Ohio Foundation Quarter Horse Assoc. Ohio Haflinger Association Ohio High School Rodeo Association Ohio Horseman’s Council Ohio Gaited Horse Trailriders Ohio Morgan Horse Association Ohio Paint Horse Club Ohio Quarter Horse Association Ohio Ranch Horse Association Ohio State Buckskin Association Ohio Western Horse Association, Inc. Ottawa County Horse Foundation Ohio Valley Team Penning Association Pinto Horse Association of Ohio Premier Mount N Trail Pure Gold Stables Tri-County Trail Association Tri-State Rodeo Association Wayne County Saddle Club Western Reserve Carriage Association
The Corral Staff Editor .............................................................................................Bobbie Coalter Advertising Sales & General Manager .....................................Joe Coalter email ............................................................... joe@thehorsemenscorral.com Club Sales & Circulation Manager Art & Composition Director .....................................................Michelle Ross email ......................................................michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com
Inside This Issue Bulletin Board ......................................................................... 50 Corral Calendar ...................................................................... 22 The Cowboy Perseverance Ranch ......................................... 44 Horse Treats ........................................................................... 29 Insulin and ACTH - Double Trouble in the Fall ....................... 36 The Last Ride ........................................................................... 6 My Chips are Hott at Riverside Ranch ................................... 20 Ride In Sync ............................................................................. 8 Top 10 Essential Horse Equipment Products to Put on Your Christmas List This Year ...................................................... 14 TrailMeister ............................................................................. 48 View From the Cheap Seats................................................... 34 Western Dressage .................................................................. 38
Club News Black Swamp Driving Club ..................................................... 18 Buckeye Equestrian Association ............................................ 30 Classical Attraction Dressage Society .................................... 30 Colorado Ranger Horse Association ...................................... 42 Dusty Boots Riding Club......................................................... 42
WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Flatlanders Dressage & Combined Training Association, Inc.... 28
Features: ......................................Kelley Bitter, Rob and Tanya Corzatt ............................Robert Eversole, Lisa Kiley, Terry Myers, Sarah Vas
Geauga Horse and Pony Association ..................................... 46
Guests:..............................................................................Juliet M. Getty
Knox County Horse Park ........................................................ 49
NEXT ISSUE
Lake Erie Mounted Vaqueros ................................................. 16
NUMBER 1 .................................................................................. JANUARY 2024 JANUARY 2024 DEADLINE ........................................ DECEMBER 10, 2023
Mid-Eastern Farriers Association............................................ 42 Mid-Ohio Marauders ............................................................... 50 Northern Kentucky Horse Network ......................................... 24
DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO HORSE AND HORSEMEN since 1969 THE HORSEMEN’S CORRAL is published monthly by Horsemen’s Corral, 8283 Richman Road, Lodi, Ohio 44254. (ISSN 0164-6591). Published as Periodicals at the Lodi Post Office USPS 889-180 with additional entry points of Cleveland, OH 44101 and New Philadelphia, OH 44663. Periodicals postage paid at Lodi, Ohio, and additional entry offices. Subscriptions may only be purchased through Horsemen’s Corral member clubs. Single copies, $3.00 at select distributors. For subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, write to: Horsemen’s Corral, P.O. Box 32, Lodi, Ohio 44254. Manuscripts, drawings, and other material submitted must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. POSTMASTER: All subscription addresses are properly screened through CASS per USPS requirements. The Horsemen’s Corral will not accept returns of magazines deemed undeliverable for any reason. Please discard copy of any issue deemed as undeliverable. The Horsemen’s Corral cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material. MAILING ADDRESS & PHONE: P.O. Box 32, Lodi, Ohio 44254 OFFICE: 330/635-4145
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Ohio High School Rodeo Association ..................................... 10 Ohio Horseman’s Council, Inc. ............................................... 52 Ohio Western Horse Association ............................................ 21 Pinto Horse Association of Ohio ............................................. 35 Premier Mount N Trail............................................................. 26 Tri-County Trail Association .................................................... 40 Wayne County Saddle Club ................................................... 12 Western Reserve Carriage Association .................................. 16
ABOUT THE COVER: 2013 AQHA stallion, My Chips are Hott, aka Zumer. For more information about Zumer, see page 20. Photo courtesy of Cindy McCraw at Riverside Ranch.
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
The Last Ride “So when we do make that last ride that is inevitable for us all to make, to that place up there, where the grass is green and lush and stirrup high, and the water runs cool, clear, and deep—You’ll tell us as we ride in that our entry fees have been paid. These things we ask.—Amen.” ~Excerpt from ‘A Rodeo Cowboy’s Prayer’ by Clem McSpadden
JEAN ALLISON Jean Allison, 94 years young, quietly crossed the rainbow bridge with her family by her side this past Oct. 21, 2023. A true horsewoman she surely is in heaven riding with the rest of the great cowgirls and cowboys enjoying the best of all the riding events that are happening. Taking pleasure in seeing her long lost equines, family and friends that have passed before her. Jean was a great horsewoman and avid supporter of many young people who were interested or involved in the 4-H clubs or FFA organizations. She encouraged all young people and urged them on to continue working with horses or dogs or any animals actually, being heard many times encouraging anyone to do their best with their fourlegged companions and trusted mounts. She was also a huge supporter of the Preble County OHC especially during our horse shows and our yearly State Ride. She was always one of the best cake makers known in our parts. Jean was always at all the horse shows and fairs for many years. Jean will truly be missed by many and we will miss that bright smiling face that we have seen at so many of our events in the past.
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JACK Jack, he was kind hearted, majestic when ridden, holding his head high and proud. I giggled and smiled the whole time we rode together. I bought him from a trainer that “couldn’t slow him down”! But we clicked and my heart swelled with shear joy. Our OHC family is both the Perry County and Hocking County chapters. The support we received from them truly reflects the ‘Horsemen Helping Horsemen’ vision, we are grateful to those who gave support. Jack traveled all over the Midwest and eastern states with me over the last six years, collectively riding over 2000 miles on him alone. One of my favorite places with him was riding for a cause at the American Heart Association beach ride. This was our last ride together on the beach of Horry Count Myrtle Beach, SC. I will see you again someday my dear sweet Jack! God bless you! Run all you want now! ~Laura Owings
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Email submissions for The Last Ride to michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com
December 2023
Ride In Sync
A Breath of Fresh Air by Terry Myers
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n my opinion, there is nothing much better than watching a good western pleasure horse go around the pen. But if you think about our western pleasure competition today, you have a lot of horses who don’t have a natural western pleasure gait. These horses are forced to put their heads down and go slow in a way that creates a contorted, forehand heavy, head bobbing, unnatural stride. Because of the modern western pleasure lope, the term ‘trope’ was born (lope in front and trot in back). Here is the good news…AQHA and several ranch horse associations such as American Ranch Horse Associate (ARHA) are trying to offer the horse public an alternative; the ranch pleasure and ranch riding classes. These classes showcase horses that have natural forward motion while being light in their feet and responsive to the bridle. The response to these classes
has been overwhelmingly positive. It was the first year for ranch pleasure at the Quarter Horse Congress and it was the talk of the show. This year was the second year for the class at the AQHA World show and it had over 100 entries, which was the largest class at the show. I read in an article that the American Paint Horse Association will begin offering these classes as well. The ranch pleasure horse can also be seen at ARHA and versatility ranch shows around the tri-state area. Ranch pleasure has come about for a variety of reasons. Most importantly; people want to see a western pleasure horse that has some semblance of natural movement. It is a class that doesn’t require keeping a horse in training for 10 months of the year. In fact, people can be competitive without the constant attention of a trainer (as a trainer, I can’t believe I am saying this!).
No fake tails and mane extensions allowed! Silver on tack must be kept to a minimum, so you can sell your show saddle that these days looks like a parade saddle. No hoof black or mane banding either. Bet I have your attention now! The ranch pleasure class, to me, is about a western horse that moves with confidence and purpose. It moves with forward motion, yet comfortable gaits, and it looks as if it has a job to do outside of the confines of the arena. Reins are not to be draped, light contact is allowed. Importance are consistency, control and smoothness of transitions. If you think about the aspects of western dressage and ranch horse pleasure, there are many similarities. Western dressage is about forward movement with light contact, consistency of gaits, perfect transitions and extended gaits. Ditto for the ranch pleasure horse. If you talk about dressage, the ultimate dressage horse brings the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria to mind. This famed school began with Spanish horses and Spanish riding instructors. This same style of riding was brought to the American southwest by the Spanish conquistadors. Changes evolved in the style of riding on the working cattle ranches of the West, giving us the buckaroos and vaqueros. So, when done properly, you see that a good ranch pleasure horse is only a few hundred years removed from the dressage discipline. Like a dressage horse, a good western ranch horse takes time to be developed. And like a dressage horse, the ranch horse needs to be ridden with your legs, your seat and your hands. A good ranch pleasure horse is not about being a cow chaser. It is much more about a horse that
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is well trained and a rider who has invested the time to learn how to ride all gaits, including extended gaits for a variety of tasks and purposes (aka the working ranch horse). Ranch pleasure is a great opportunity for the horses that have been deemed too fast for western pleasure. Or the reiner who doesn’t spin fast enough or slide far enough to be a money winner. It is also refreshing for former western pleasure junkies like me who are looking for that new outlet. So check out AQHA, ARHA, APHA or the local ranch horse shows and see what you think of ranch pleasure. Maybe like me, you will see it as a breath of fresh air! We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Questions about this or any of our articles can be emailed to us at myers5000@aol.com. Terry Myers is a national clinician and champion horse trainer with a depth of knowledge developed from over 50 years in the horse industry. Myers has been a popular clinician at multiple expos in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more about Myers’ Ride-InSync methods as well as clinic and training services available, visit www.tmtrainingcenter.com or on Facebook.
December 2023
Ohio High School Rodeo Association
OHSRA Wraps Up 2023 Fall Season NATIONAL DIRECTOR, Nikki McCarty PRESIDENT, Ryan Corzatt VICE PRESIDENT, Brian Corsi SECRETARY, Craig Houin PHONE, 419/552-1646 WEBSITE, www.ohiohighschoolrodeo.org
by Kahlen Burns Ohio High School Rodeo Association wrapped up the 2023 fall season at the Buckeye Invitational Rodeo which took place at Henderson’s Arena in Jackson, Ohio. We hosted contestants from Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Michigan. On Friday night before the rodeo, we held a glow in the dark barrel race that was a lot of fun and
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Photo credit: Morgan Demeter open to the public! We had slack on Saturday morning and a perf in the evening, Sunday we had one long round with every event. Our current High School event leaders half way through the season go as follows: Josie Stiner in the Barrel Racing, Brooklyn Mills in the Pole Bending, Madi Corsi in the Goat
Photo credit: Schulz Photography. Tying, Autumn Laymon in the Breakaway, Hadassah Mullet and Gus Joseph in the Team Roping, Kaleb Gottschick in the Bareback Bronc Riding, Spur Montag in the Saddle Bronc Riding, Bo Williams in the Bull Riding, Evan Corzatt in the TieDown Roping, Owen Gardner in the Steer Wrestling, Mya Dimmerling in the Light Rifle, Hunter McLaughlin in the Trap Shooting, and Hadassah Mullet
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in the Reined Cow Horse and Girls Cutting. Our spring season will begin in March, which gives our members time over the winter to hit the practice pen and come back faster. It is never too late to become a member, and a membership would be the perfect last-minute Christmas gift for any cowboy or cowgirl in your life! For more information, head over to www. ohiohighschoolrodeo.org.
December 2023
December 2023
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Wayne County Saddle Club
Annual Awards Banquet Scheduled for January 2024 PRESIDENT, Keith Holcombe VICE PRESIDENT, Angie Didinger & Jaimie Horsky; SECRETARY, Tricia Crilow; TREASURER, Beth Eikleberry WEBSITE, www.waynecountysaddleclub.com
Here I am again, writing the newsletter hours before the Corral deadline (Nov. 10). I enjoy writing it, as evidenced by the fact I’ve been doing it since the 1980’s with only minor breaks. Today, I’m really glad to be sitting here writing these words. My daughter, Vicki, grandson Gabe and I rode some of the open trails at the Hollow. It was a beautiful day. The leaves are pretty much off the trees and visibility is farther than in summer months. Every season at the ‘Hollow’ offers different beautiful things to see and do. I’m really glad we had this time there today. If you want, most trails here are marked with blue ‘blazes’ that show up better
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regardless of the foliage, etc. Members are always welcome. Be sure to close the gate as you leave if you’re the last one out. Wow! Christmas will be ‘just around the corner’ when you read this. All I can say is I pray for each of us to be blessed with the true spirit of the season—the birth of Jesus Christ! May the rush of the holidays yet allow you time to be thankful for the season and this (still) great nation we are so fortunate to live in. Looking back we can reflect on another very good year. For the most part shows were wellattended; the weather, well, the shows are outdoors and weather always plays a role in who shows up and how much fun they have. I gotta say, however, I’ve had a lot of fun during rainy shows (enduring fowl weather leaves some of us with a sense of satisfaction from having ‘stuck it out.’). But 2023 is history as far as scheduled events are concerned. Of course, some of us will ride at the ‘Hollow’ whenever we think we’re up to the challenges of the season.
Photo credit: Vicki Bosler/ Kilmer. The big news is the annual banquet, election, awards and entertainment with prizes and dancing caps off this year and ushers in 2024. The date is Jan. 13. The place is the Lighted Lantern near Fredericksburg, Ohio, (2323 Dunham Lane, Fredericksburg, 44627). Arrive for the carry-in dinner after 5:30 and eat at 6 p.m. Bring one hot and one cold dish. The club will provide meat, buns, plastic utensils, coffee and juice. Following dinner, we’ll move into election of 2024 officers and directors. Nominations are taken from the floor and we typically begin handing out awards while the vote for each office is counted. I should note that officers serve one year terms so we elect them each year. The youth director is also a one year term. Directors serve three year terms and two are elected each year. If you have questions please contact your favorite officer or director for more details. Tickets are sold and prizes are bagged for us to put
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tickets into the ones we want. The plan is to top off the evening with dance music for those who want. I wish to say thank you to our leaders and everyone who brought something to this really cool season at the saddle club. We volunteer our time and receive joy through that accomplishment. We definitely welcome all who wish to add their services to this great organization. Thanks for 2023; and thanks for 2024! The worship group meets first and second Sundays at 11 a.m., but if there’s a lot of snow you might call 330/607-5106. For whatever reason—you come to the Hollow, you are welcome! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks and God bless! ~Stan P.S. At the banquet we will vote on a proposed By-Law change. A two week advance written notice is required. If you have questions, feel free to call any officer or director.
December 2023
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Top 10 Essential Horse Equipment Products to Put on Your Christmas List This Year by Lisa Kiley
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hile there are people who want jewelry, clothes, or the latest gadgets for Christmas, the true way to a horseperson’s heart is to get something that they need for around the farm. While a new saddle or blanket is nice, there are some equipment essentials that will fill your horse loving loved one with cheer. While some items might be an investment, barn equipment needs are what keep us thankful every day of the year. There are also items without big price tags that can make time spent in the barn even more fun. Here are our top 10 suggestions for the horse lover in your life: 10. New Buckets — This one isn’t even going to break the budget, how about giving your farm a quick facelift with new buckets? Consider getting buckets in your barn colors or a different color for each horse. Buckets filled with horse treats (or other small items) make a great upgrade from a standard Christmas stocking.
9. Pitch Forks and Manure Buckets — While you might get in big trouble for getting your significant other a vacuum for the house, new pitch forks and manure buckets are a different story. Pick fun colors and add a manure cart to make the gift complete.
5. Stall Mats — While not the sexiest gift on the list, this one may be the agreed upon ‘barn gift’ for the holiday. Well placed stall mats are great for your horses and will make stall cleaning easier every day. Want to make the job easier? Throw in a few Mat Movers that will make them much easier to move and adjust. 4. Mud Grids — Mud is miserable, mud grids provide an easy solution and will help keep your horses legs and your new boots clean this winter into the spring. Put them around your gate areas, feeders, and loafing sheds. They are easy to install and can be moved where you need them most.
8. Stall Gates — The addition of stall gates to a barn provides several benefits. Increasing ventilation and sunlight, some gates will also allow the horse to put their head out for socialization and enrichment. There are many styles to choose from and they will take less time to install than it takes to put your kids toys together. 7. Stable Organization — Most horse people have plenty of tack, so what better gift than something to hang and organize all their prized possessions? Saddle racks, bridle hooks, blanket bars are all great suggestions. Rolling carts and baskets will be the hit of the holidays! 6. Load Dumper — If you haven’t heard of this handy wheelbarrow (that is so much more than a wheelbarrow) you need to check it out. It comes in a couple different sizes and allows you to dump the load of manure or whatever you put in it with the ease of one hand. There is even a hitch option so it can be pulled with a lawn tractor or ATV.
3. Hay Elevator — It may be winter now, but we will be putting up hay before you know it. Make that job as easy as can be with a new hay elevator. There are lots of options in length and if you already have one, think about adding a transport kit or a bale chute. 2. Round Pen — There are few gifts that can top this one! A round pen is one of the best training tools for horses and has many different uses from groundwork to riding. Getting a versatile round pen that is made of horse safe panels can be moved and expanded as needed. A 60’ round pen is a great size for most uses. 1. Manure Spreader — We saved the best for last! Manure spreaders are often top on the list for horse lovers of all backgrounds and disciplines. It’s something that you can use daily to make chores and manure management a breeze at your barn.
If you are interested in getting more information about any of these holiday gift suggestions, visit us at www.cashmans.com Lisa Kiley is a lifelong horse enthusiast who has worked in the equine industry and shown horses for many years. She is a proud member of the Cashmans Horse Equipment Team. Cashmans Horse Equipment, located in Delaware, Ohio, has been providing top quality products to the equine and agricultural community for 40 years. They have a commitment to sourcing environmentally conscious merchandise and items made in the U.S.A. Cashmans strives to educate customers and provide products that put safety first so you can enjoy more time with the horses you love. www.cashmans.com 14
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
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Western Reserve Carriage Association
End of the Year Events for 2023 PRESIDENT, Jo Ann Murr VICE PRESIDENT, Janet Yosay TREASURER, Ann Petersen SECRETARY, Cathy Rhoades MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY, Henry Rish. FACEBOOK, WRCarriage/
by Cathy Rhoades On Oct. 22, a large group of drivers braved the blustery weather to enjoy gathering at Observatory Park in Geauga County. Ann Petersen hosted the drive after returning late Saturday from Martin’s Auction in Lebanon, Pa. Coffee pot perking kept the members warm along with peaks of sunshine. Horse blankets and down coats protected many from the lake winds. Ten turnouts drove through the still beautiful wooded trail. There was an unexpected downed tree that meant a detour through the planetary gardens. It was still quite a lovely day with friends! The End of the Year Event was
held on Nov. 12. We met in the Brushwood Lodge in Summit County Metroparks. It was a beautiful venue on a sunny fall day. Over 50 people came from south, east and west to attend our final event for the year. There was a lot of catching up and chatting with old and new friends. The club supplied pulled pork and turkey and members brought a myriad of sides and desserts. As always this club knows how to put on a potluck! During the afternoon, we had a door prize drawing with items from Big Dees bought with Big Dees Bucks. Almost everyone received a gift. After our lunch, Chrissy Aitken spoke on her journey to the World Para Driving Championships. She brought videos and pictures of her experiences throughout her driving journey. It was a very interesting presentation. Thanks for everyone for making this a wonderful afternoon! December is election month. Watch your email for information on voting for the open board position. Please consider being
on a committee or hosting a drive if you are not interested in being on the board. Events in the works for next year: FEB. 4: John Stallard will be speaking on carriages at Fieldstone Therapeutic Driving Center Chagrin Falls. This is a non horse event and potluck MARCH/APRIL: Connecting with your horse with Michelle Lackey. This is a nonhorse. Clinic/potluck at Spencer Lake Farms, Spencer. MAY 10-11: CAA Proficiency Tests with Jerry Trapani, Sunday 5/12 Sporting Day of Traditional Driving at Lake Farm Park. SUMMER: Driving clinic with Terry Pickett in combination with Central Ohio Driving Club.
16th Annual Awards Banquet to be Held in January
by Karen (Chilipepper) Davis
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We will be scheduling picnic drives and welcome new venues. Carlisle dates for 2024 are in the works and will be published as soon as we have them. Happy holidays everyone!
Lake Erie Mounted Vaqueros
PRESIDENT, R. David Davis VICE PRESIDENT, Mike Sheets SECRETARY/TREASURER, Karen Davis; PHONE, 330-719-3290 EMAIL, karenld0819@gmail.com WEBSITE, www.lakeerievaqueros.net
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Cathy Rhoades, Chrissy Aitken, and Jo Ann Murr.
Shooting season is now over and now the fun begins with selecting awards for everyone! Our banquet will be held on Jan. 20, 2024 at the Lenox Community Center. Tim Gage and his lovely wife will be catering the event. This will be our 16th annual awards banquet! We had our club picnic on Oct. 28. It was hosted by Charlie and Rhonda Brown at their camp ground, trailer sales and repair and tack shop in East Liverpool, Ohio. Ten members showed up all together and everyone had a nice time. There was plenty of
great tasting food and a fire after everyone ate. Our meetings are always the first Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. Anyone interested in attending our meetings are more than welcome to come see what we are all about. Visit our web page, lakeeriemountedvaqueros.net, and you will see where the meetings are going to be held, or feel free to call me at 330/719-3290 for any information regarding our club or about cowboy mounted shooting. I want to thank Nancy and Carmen Virzi for hosting our November meeting. Thank you to our sponsors: Big Dee’s Vet and Tack Supply, CMSA, Lonesome Pine Ammo and Curly’s Ammo; Uncle Jimmy’s Brand Products, The Corral, Stagecoach West, Park Side Trailer Sales and Service, Siracki Realty, Altmeyer’s Trailer Sales, Rockin C Leather, Ben and Tammy Clark, Wendy Shaffer, Rocks Farm and Garden, Junction Buick GMC and Kiko Meats.
RANDY TROUTNER Principal Agent 6345 Constituion Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804 260.450.1160 randy@troutner.com HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
December 2023
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Black Swamp Driving Club
Annual Banquet Last Function of 2023 PRESIDENT, Sharon Hayhurst VICE PRESIDENT, Angela Hohenbrink TREASURER, Ann Bell FACEBOOK, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/121257701223196
by Roger Higgins Jr. Greetings everyone, happy holidays! We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. When you read
this article, we have already celebrated Thanksgiving. We all have many blessings to be thankful for. This starts a very meaningful and special time of year. With that being said, the Black Swamp Driving Club (BSDC) is thankful for another successful driving season. Thanks to everyone who attended the events and supported the club. Our annual banquet was held on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Good Hope Lutheran Church in Arlington, Ohio. The annual banquet will be the last function of the year. We
MOVING? TAKE THE CORRAL WITH YOU! Place Mailing Label Here (from last issue) New Address ________________________________________________ City _______________________________ State ____ Zip ___________ Mail to: Horsemen’s Corral, PO Box 32, Lodi, OH 44254 or email address change to: michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com
Doris Owen dressed for the Halloween event. will resume in January 2024. The dates for the meeting are pending, I have not received any confirmation yet. The pending January date is Sunday, Jan. 14 with a start time of 2 p.m.. I will list the confirmed dates in the next article. Please check our Facebook page or contact me if you have any questions. This is a great time to prepare for events in 2024. You can submit your events to the club starting in January, we need some new officers too. Please consider becoming part of the board, your help will be greatly appreciated. We would like to wish each of
Johnny Owen, Natalie Owen, Melanie Owen, and Becky Steingass. The costumes were great, thanks for your costumes! you a very happy and meaningful holiday season at Christmas. Please remember the true meaning of this holiday and cherish the time with family and friends. It’s the most special time of the year. This will wrap things up for this article. Please send any news, information, or updates to me at higgy122@gmail.com or call 740/251-7193. We always extend on open invitation to join our club and become a member. Best wishes to all!
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(419) 678-4198 December 2023
December 2023
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My Chips are Hott at Riverside Ranch
R
iverside Ranch is thrilled to announce the finalization of My Chips are Hott’s show record, solidifying his place as a highly decorated western pleasure, trail, and western riding stallion in the equine industry. Affectionately known as Zumer around the barn, My Chips are Hott has achieved an impressive list of accolades, including: an AQHA World Champion, Reserve Congress Champion, NSBA Reserve World Champion and AQHA National leader in western pleasure with 100 trail points over achieving his Superior in the Trail. A Superior Western Pleasure Stallion. Topping it off with an NSBA world bronze, top ten AQHA world showing in the western riding. A true western all around stallion! Zumer has sired just a handful of foals who all have inherited his exceptional conformation, athleticism, and gentle temperament, making them highly sought-after prospects for both amateur and professional riders that are now starting into the show pen with high hopes. You can visit Zumer’s Facebook page to see how strong built and beautiful they truly are. We are incredibly proud of Zumer’s accomplishments and look forward to now following the success with this exceptional stallion through his offspring. We are now offering a half price fee of $750 to only the first 20 mares booked, after these spots are reserved with a booking fee his fee for the 2024 breeding season will be $1500. Riverside Ranch is committed to providing world-class breeding stallions for performance horses. We are passionate and strive to produce horses that are not only talented but also have the soundness and heart it takes to make champions. My Chips Are Hott himself is a true testament to holding up in mind and soundness as a 10-year-old stallion both breeding and still showing, this being a rare quality. A quality that should be valued extremely high by mare owners that want to hold true to producing an animal with a happy future. Visit www.riversideranch.com or call Cindy McCraw at Riverside Ranch, 817/304-0800 for more information.
Ohio Western Horse Association
Extremely Challenging Year, Looking Forward to 2024 PRESIDENT, Marc Beck VICE PRESIDENTS, Loretta Rudasill, Renee Liedel SECRETARY, Jonda Cole TREASURER, Eric Haudenschield WEBSITE, www.owha.org
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all our Corral readers! December is finally here bringing with it all the festivities of the busy holiday season. Ohio Western Horse Association (OWHA) would like to send each and every one of you a very special blessing this holiday season. Our board members are working hard preparing for the 2024 show season. OWHA continues to strive to be a fun, friendly and family-oriented organization for all levels of riders. OWHA held the November meeting on Nov. 3, at Ada Park in Ada, Ohio. The board members continue to discuss the
December 2023
2024 show season and work to finalize show dates. Tentative show dates will be posted by January 2024. Please feel free to contact a board member if you or your organization would be interested in having an OWHA approved show. Unfortunately, this has been an extremely challenging year for OWHA due to weather forcing us to cancel multiple shows then not being able to get them rescheduled. OWHA has made the tough decision to cancel our annual awards banquet and only hold the annual meeting. The meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2024 at 4 p.m. at the Kenton Moose Lodge in Kenton, Ohio. Although this is not a formal banquet, pizza is available for purchase. Coffee and water will be provided. Also, a big thank you for the generosity of several club members, awards will be presented on a scaled down format. OWHA board members would like to stress the importance of member involvement to make the OWHA 2024 show season the best yet.
The annual youth club meeting will be held at a later date and not with the annual meeting. Please make sure to watch the OWHA Youth Facebook page and website for meeting details. We would like to say congratulations to all the OWHA youth members that had a successful fall sports season. And good luck to those participating in winter sports. Unfortunately, a few of our youth members have had some challenging times. OWHA would like to give some get well wishes to Kaden Quinn after experiencing a sports injury playing football. Also, OWHA would like to give our condolences to Michaela Haundenschield for the unexpected passing of her beloved pony Miss Jazzy Belle. We know she will be missed dearly. Again, Ohio Western Horse
Association would like to wish all of our readers, members, family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! And remember that if you still need a gift for that hard to buy equine loving showman, OWHA memberships are a great way to go!
DEADLINE EEE EEE EEEEEEE EEEEE
EEEEEEEE EEEE
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Corral Calendar DISCLAIMER: The Horsemen’s Corral has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided on this calendar of events. However, the information is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. The Corral does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained herein. Where possible, event contact information is provided. Please “Call before you haul”. DECEMBER 2023 DEC. 2 — Carhartt Classic, Copper Mare Ranch, 6090 N. St. Rt. 53, Tiffin, OH. FMI: 567-207-6339 DEC. 2 — Free Horsemen Helping Horsemen Educational Clinic, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Wanderlust Acres, 1920 Stephenson Mill Rd., Verona, KY. FMI: 859572-2600, www.nkhn.info DEC. 2 — Rockin Around Barrels & Poles, 12 p.m., Circle C Bar C Ranch, 1424 Bluegrass Pkwy., Lagrange, KY. FMI: 502-322-4861, www.circlebarcranch.com DEC. 2 — Kentucky Cowtown Arena Winter Buckle Series, 1:15 p.m., 210 Wainscott Rd., Williamstown, KY. FMI: 859-307-9276 DEC. 2-3 — Champions Classic Series, 4122 Laybourne Rd., Springfield, OH. FMI: Kayla Ison, 937-207-1621, championscenterarena.com DEC. 3 — Fulton County OHC 8th Annual Cowboy Christmas Tack Swap 9 a.m., Live Auction 2 p.m., WB Ranch and Arena, 1640 Co. Rd. B, Swanton, OH. FMI: Kathy Brown, 419-283-5383, www.fcohc.com DEC. 8-10 — Half Baked Series, The Champion Center, Springfield, OH. FMI: On The Road With Dawn & Clea, 330-7713205, ontheroadwithdawnandclea.com DEC. 9 — Foster Equine Boarding Rescue Winter Series Showdown, 10 a.m., Stonegate Equine Facility, 26236 Smith Rd., Coolville, OH. FMI: 740-291-3556
DEC. 9 — Gymkhana Freeze Out Series, Cooper Mare Ranch, 6090 N. St. Rt. 53, Tiffin, OH. FMI: 567-207-6339 DEC. 9 — “No Stress” Horse Show, 9 a.m., Kentucky Cowtown Arena, 210 Wainscott Rd., Williamstown, KY. FMI: Amy Bailey, 859-801-6606 DEC. 9 — Blue Grass Lexington Christmas Pony Sale, 2 p.m., Blue Grass Stockyards, 4561 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY. FMI: Joe Brogli, 859-588-1160, https://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100075732176433 DEC. 10 — Blue Lakes Farm Winter Series Pleasure Show, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/website DEC. 13 — Winter Wednesday Barrel Jackpot Series, Treharne’s Training Center, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dtttrainingcenter@gmail.com DEC. 15-17 — AQHA/KYQHA Special Event Poles & Barrels, Briken Hill Arena, 1509 Red House Road, Richmond, KY. FMI: Kay Kass, 859-229-2416, kyhorseshowsec@gmail.com DEC. 16 — Blue Lakes Farm Winter Series Contest Show, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, bluelakesfarm. wixsite.com/website DEC. 16 — Tots and Trots, 12-2 p.m., Sapphire Sky Stables, 6810 Barrett Rd., Geneva, OH. FMI: Leanne, 440-813-9478
DEC. 16 — Kentucky ILHA Liberty Horse Club Liberty Clinic, Kentucky Cowtown Arena, 210 Wainscott Rd., Williamstown, KY. FMI: kentuckylibertyhorseclub@gmail.com DEC. 17 — 1st Ohio CMSA New Shooter/ Horse Clinic, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Preble County Fairgrounds, Eaton, OH. FMI: Clayton Lightfield, 513-678-5402 DEC. 27 — Winter Wednesday Barrel Jackpot Series, Treharne’s Training Center, Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dtttrainingcenter@gmail.com DEC. 30 — Henderon 500 Buckle Series, Henderson’s Arena, 739 Van Fosson West Rd., Jackson, OH. FMI: Kelsie, 937-728-9422 DEC. 31 — Casino Classic New Year’s Eve All Breed Horse Sale, Oak Grove RacingGaming Hotel, 777 Winners Way, Oak Grove, KY. FMI: Scotty Nicks, 502-6646561, casinoclassichorse@gmail.com JANUARY 2024 JAN. 1 — New Years Day Tack Auction/ Consignment, 10 a.m., Ashland County Fairgrounds, Ashland, OH. FMI: 567-5604457, www.customconchosandtack.com JAN. 6 — Blue Lakes Farm Winter Series Contest Show, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, bluelakesfarm. wixsite.com/website JAN. 6 — Rodeo, Garwood Arena, 2538 Middleton Rd., Columbiana, OH. FMI: garwoodarena.com
JAN. 6 — Kentucky Cowtown Arena Winter Buckle Series, 1:15 p.m., 210 Wainscott Rd., Williamstown, KY. FMI: 859-307-9276 JAN. 10 — Winter Wednesday Barrel Jackpot Series, Treharne’s Training Center, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dtttrainingcenter@gmail.com JAN. 11-12 — 14th Annual Hoover’s Mule (11th) and Horse Sale (12th), Christian County Ag Expo Center, 2850 Pembroke Rd., Hopkinsville, KY. FMI: Jonathan Hoover, 270-305-2807, www. hooversauction.com JAN. 13 — Foster Equine Boarding Rescue Winter Series Showdown, 10 a.m., Stonegate Equine Facility, 26236 Smith Rd., Coolville, OH. FMI: 740-291-3556, facebook.com/fosterequine JAN. 13 — Gymkhana Freeze Out Series, Cooper Mare Ranch, 6090 N. St. Rt. 53, Tiffin, OH. FMI: 567-207-6339, coppermareranch@gmail.com JAN. 14 — Blue Lakes Farm Winter Series Pleasure Show, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/website JAN. 20 — Henderon 500 Buckle Series, Henderson’s Arena, 739 Van Fosson West Rd., Jackson, OH. FMI: Kelsie, 937-728-9422 JAN. 20 — Carhartt Classic, Copper Mare Ranch, 6090 N. St. Rt. 53, Tiffin, OH. FMI: 567-207-6339
Please turn to page 24
NEW LOCATION FOR 2024!
Ashland Paint and Plain Saddle Club
13TH ANNUAL SWAP MEET JANUARY 27, 2024 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
RICHLAND COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
ADMISSION FEE: Canned Goods or $2.00 suggested donation
Fairhaven Hall • 750 N. Home Road, Mansfield, OH
• OVER 100 booths to shop from! • New and Used Tack will be available • Food Booth on grounds
10X10 Booth Spots: $25
For more information or to reserve a booth contact: Taylor Rebman (419) 606-5164 call/text or email: taylor9377@gmail.com
www.ashlandpaintandplain.com
22
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
December 2023
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Northern Kentucky Horse Network
You Don’t Have to Live in Kentucky to Join NKHN PRESIDENT, Trisha Kremer VICE PRESIDENT, Jackie Holland SECRETARY, Susan Dickinson TREASURER, Mindy Burke WEBSITE, www.nkhn.info EMAIL, nkhn@nkhn.info
by Nancy Kissinger Happy Holidays! I hope you all have had a safe riding year and enjoy the holidays as you
celebrate with family and friends. Northern Kentucky Horse Network (NKHN) had another successful show season this year and our show committee is already preparing for the 2024 show season. We ended the year with our Horsemen Helping Horsemen Clinic in December. It was an informative, hands-on, educational event. We kick off the new year with our annual membership drive and dinner. It will be held on January 20, 2024 at the Boone County
Enrichment Center, Burlington, Ky. Our Board of Directors election will be held at this time. We welcome everyone to join us as we strive to enrich the equine industry and community. The Northern Kentucky Horse Network has grown to include members from Kentucky, Southern Ohio and Southeastern Indiana. We are an ‘allvolunteer’ group and hope you will consider joining with us. Individual membership is $20/ year and family memberships are $30/year. Business memberships
are also available for $35/year. If you’re interested in attending our annual dinner you can call the Boone County Enrichment Center at 859/586-6101 to make your reservation. For additional information for membership or about any NKHN events, please visit our website at nkhn.info, follow us on Facebook or email us at nkhn@ nkhn.info. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
JAN. 27 — Ashland Paint and Plain Saddle Club 13th Annual Swap Meet, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Richland County Fairgrounds Fairhaven Hall, 750 N. Home Rd., Mansfield, OH. FMI: Taylor Rebman, 419-606-5164, www.ashlandpaintandplain.com JAN. 27 — Foster Equine Boarding Rescue Winter Series Showdown, 10 a.m., Stonegate Equine Facility, 26236 Smith Rd., Coolville, OH. FMI: 740-291-3556 JAN. 27 — Winter Series, Win-Seek Fallen Pines Equestrian Center (Indoor), 5022 Everette Hull Rd., Cortland, OH. FMI: 330638-2255, win-seek.com
JAN. 28 — Monroe County 4-H Tack Sale, Crafts & Flea Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., First Merchant Expo Center Monroe County Fairgrounds, 3775 S. Custer Rd., Monroe, MI. FMI: Carla, 419-304-9217, monroecountytacksale4h@outllook.com
Corral Calendar Continued from page 22 JAN. 21 — 2nd Annual Wilmington College Tack Swap, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Indoor Arena, 1535 Fife Ave., Wilmington, OH. FMI: Allie Pitt, 614-832-6342 (text) JAN. 24 — Winter Wednesday Barrel Jackpot Series, Treharne’s Training Center, Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dtttrainingcenter@gmail.com
JAN. 26-27 — Great Lakes Championship Bull Riding Association Finals, Marion County Fairgrounds Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Marion, OH. FMI: (330) 6354145, www.greatlakescbra.com JAN. 26-28 — AQHA/KYQHA Special Event Poles & Barrels, Briken Hill Arena, 1509 Red House Road, Richmond, KY. FMI: Kay, 859229-2416, kyhorseshowsec@gmail.com
To be included in the Corral Calendar email your event to: michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com
More equine events can be found on our website www.thehorsemenscorral.com
BEN’S HAPPY TRAILS Riding Stable & Horse Camp
Minutes from the beautiful Shawnee State Forest in southern Ohio
60 miles of bridle trails in Ohio’s “Little Smokies” Electric & primitive camp sites Stalls, corrals & hitching posts for your horses Water, restrooms & showers available DELUXE CABINS AVAILABLE Open 24/7 365 days/year
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740-372-2702 email: oldben.43@icloud.com
W 24
www.benshappytrails.org HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
2023 FINALS
JANUARY 26-27, 2024
Marion County Fairgrounds Veterans Memorial Coliseum Marion, Ohio
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! https://2023greatlakescbra.eventbrite.com
Premier Mount N Trail
Compete with PMT this Winter
It is FREE to add your Equine Event to the Corral Calendar.
PRESIDENT, Kelly Chapman VICE PRESIDENT, Stephanie Tarr SECRETARY, Heidi Daugherty TREASURER, Kerry Elliott EMAIL, premiermountntrail@gmail.com WEBSITE, www.premiermountntrail.com
Events will be added to the calendar in the magazine and added to our website.
Email your event(s) to michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com with the following information: Name of Equine Event Date/Time of Equine Event Venue Name of where event will be held Address of venue Contact name and phone number You may include an email and website address also.
www.thehorsemenscorral.com
26
by Amanda Fowler We are thrilled to announce an opportunity to compete with Premier Mount N Trail (PMT) this winter. Shenanigans Stables in Carrollton, Ohio, will be hosting a PMT sanctioned Winter Series. Shenanigans Stables is located at 7310 Abbey Road, NE Carrollton, Ohio 44615. Shenanigans Stables boasts a gorgeous, well-lit, huge indoor arena. They have obstacles for every level of competitor. The Winter Series will offer class placings for first through sixth place. Pre-registration is required. To register visit https:// shenanigansstables.com. This is the perfect way to keep
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
your skills sharp all throughout the winter, all while enjoying an amazing equine community. We hope to see you there!
December 2023
rprise
Give your horse a treat this holiday season....
rise Fruit Surpcup molasses-
Sticky Tre
Peppermint Su
• 1 cup molas ses • 1 cup dry oa • 1 diced ap ple tmeal or oats • ½ cup chop • 4 Tlb sugar ped carrots • 4 pepperm ints - crushe d Mix and serv e.
•1 ermints ed • 4 pephped horse fe s • 2 cupsana - chopped ru c • 1 ban le - diced • 1 app wberries - sliceedd • 6 stra y carrots - slic e. and serv • 4 bab togetheor u for it. ts n ie d gre ey Mix all in e will lov Your hors
ats
r carrot • Apple o p yru • Corn s syrup oats k ic u Q oll in corn • R t. u o ake core t. Horses in half. T the carro nds to Cut apple o the same for co .D es 30 se then oats at and it only tak tre love this make.
Pumpkin Surp
Apple Banana Snacks
rise
Take a smal l pu all insides. B mpkin, cut off top and rem e it with grain, sure and get all the seed ove s. Fill ca rr ot s, appl strawberries or whatever es, peppermints, hand. Repla ce top and se fruit you have on rve to your horse.
• Apples • Honey
Cut apple and bana na into slices. Drizzle honey over fruit and sprinkle wi th powdered sugar. Re frigerate until hard.
okies o C e s r o H at Carrot . sugar
O
tsp il ats • 1 tsp. vegatable o cooked o 2 s n • e u s s p u la c o m •1 our • 1/4 cup • 1 cup fl hredded carrots s p • 1 cu oon salt and • 1 teasp mall balls l. Make s 50 w 3 o t b a in e k dients eet. Ba h s n. ie k Mix ingre o ro o c lden b w greased r until go o s place on te u in for 15 m degrees
Oatmeal C
ses Horsies 3K/4 is t butter cup peanu
• olasses • tin foil • 3/4 cup mrse feed • 1 cup ho ts or dry oatmeal • 1 cup oa p balls. Wra . Roll into ts . n s ie is d k re ’s g rshey Mix all in e like a He p t. a h h ig s d rn n e v a o eezer in tin foil Place in fr
Easy No Cook
ookies
• 2 cups • 1/2 cup dry oatmeal grated c arrots •• 3 Tbs. Molasse s 1/2 cup brown s u g a r Combine all ingred ients. Ad make do d enoug ugh soft. h Form co a lightly okies an water to greased d place o cookie s degrees n hee until gold en brown t. Bake at 350 .
28
• Bananas • Powdered Sugar
• 4 cup bran • 4 cup appl esauce
Bran Snaps
Mix ingredie nts together . Batter shou doughy. Rol ld be l out with rolli ng pin, cut sh with cookie apes cutter. Let do ugh dry and serve.
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
Things Horses Love... “I Didn’t Buck Today”
Treats
• 2 sticks butter • 1/4 cup brown su gar • 2 eggs
• 1 cup raisins • 2 cup dry oatmea l • 1 cup alfalfa cubes (crushed) Mix butter with suga r and eggs until sm ooth. Add dry ingredients slowly. Drop by spoo nfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.
rs Whinny B•a1/4 cup grain
olasses al • 1 cup m ry oatme • 2 cup d ran bucket. • 3 cup b gether in to n ra b nd ith your , grain a mixing w thinner e il h w Mix oats s molasse be a little okie Drizzle in sistence should co n o ops on a minutes. hands (c ough) Place doll 1 r d es fo 0 than play ake at 350 degre b d sheet an
Birthday C
• Ginger Snaps
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Frosted Cheerios
• Watermelon
• Apples
• Carrots
• Peppermints
• Bananas
• Sugar Cubes
Easy Horse Treats
• Apples • Honey
• Bananas • Powdered Sugar
Cut apple and bana na into slices. Drizzle honey over fruit and sprinkle wi th powdered sugar. Re frigerate until hard.
ake
• 4 cups of • 1 cup o sweet feed or oa f molass ts • 2 C es o arrots c • 1 Apple cut into s r honey carrot sti ut into lices cks Mix the h on big bowl. ey and sweet fe ed or oa W ts te plate and hen fully mixed, place the gether in a shape in to the fo Use the rm a of a mixture on a carrots a s candle birthday decoratio s and th cake. ns. e apple slices as
s Honey Co•o1kcuie p cheerios
bes y oatmeal • 4 sugar cu n sugar • 1/4 cup dr feed of brow t h ee nc pi sw • p cu •1 ater lesauce • 1/2 cup w • 2 tbs. App r molasses) (o ey on H • 1 tbs. sweet feed water. Add ith w l maining ea tm Mix oa ell. Stir in re auce. Mix w and serve. and apples pe Sha ingredients.
Horsie Cake
• Plain rice cakes • Molasses • Any topping your heart desir
es
Spread molasses on one side of the rice cake. Top with things like gra ted carrots, grated apples, sweet feed, crushed pepp ermints, watermelon , or whatever your horse loves!
kies Horse Co•o1 tsp saltlled oats
rrot • 1 cup ro ur rated ca o • 1 cup g rated • 1 cup fl g le • 1 app rn oil o • 2 tbs. c olasses grease m . Lightly • 1/4 cup degrees , corn oil and 0 5 3 to r ll. ove pple Preheat et. Mix carrot, a and flour. Mix we h a it he cookie s Fold in salt, oats heet and score w s r s. molasse ugh onto cookie break apart afte o to Spread d ke them easier until brown. a m to e utes or in knif m 0 2 ake erve! baking. B reak apart and s b l, Let coo December 2023
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Buckeye Equestrian Association
Supporting Non-Profit Horse Groups PRESIDENT, Susan Smith-Gordon VICE PRESIDENT, Patricia Andio SECRETARY, Jennifer Milliner TREASURER, Sally Kish FACEBOOK, Buckeye Equestrian Association
Happy Holidays. Every year Buckeye selects non-profit horse
groups to support. This year we are proud to continue to support the Camelot Center in Southington, Ohio, that helps challenged riders and veterans. They have been in existence for over 25 years. Buckeye Board members had the opportunity to visit Camelot this fall and were very impressed. They have 11 horses and have over 60 participants every week at their facility. Another favorite charity is Canter
of Ohio. They exist on donations and volunteers. All donations go to help retired race horses with medical care, housing, food and assistance to transition from the track to new careers. Storm Harbor Equestrian Center in Western Pennsylvania has been brought to our attention by one of our Board members. They provide weekly equine assisted activities for people of all ages with all kinds of disabilities. The Slippery
Rock University Foundation is the non-profit organization. They also serve the Special Olympic Equestrian Team, disabled veterans, community summer camps, individuals on the Austism spectrum as well as day programs for schools, youth and adults with disabilities. For the love of horses and riders. ~Sally Kish
Classical Attraction Dressage Society
Three Obstacle Course Challenges Added to 2024 Calendar PRESIDENT, Cathy Suffecool VICE PRESIDENT, Amanda Bacon SECRETARY, Jenna Hete TREASURER, David Crawford EMAIL, cadsrider@gmail.com WEBSITE, www.cadsdressage.org
by Cathy Suffecool Well, by the time you read this, 2023 will be almost over. I hope it’s been a good year for all of
you. Classical Attraction Dressage Society (CADS) has finished up our year with another fun and delicious banquet. This year including an ice cream sundae
bar! Thank you, Dave! The kids of all ages really ate that up. Now we get to look ahead to 2024 to see what that brings. For those of us in CADS, it’s going to be a busy year. We’ve added more events to our calendar. We have three obstacle course challenge competitions that we’ve never done before. Some of the obstacles could be very interesting! I don’t know, I’m just hearing rumors. We are also planning an obstacle learning day. How do you get a 1200 lb horse around something that might eat it?! Watch for the date for that coming up. We’re also working up a Freestyle Palooza. I’ll put out more details as soon as they are finalized. This won’t be like any other freestyle competition
you’ve done. The prize is more than a ribbon! We are working on setting up a freestyle clinic for those who have never done one or those who want some extra tips on setting theirs up. We want to focus on how you can make your own freestyle without spending lots of money and still have a fun routine. Watch for upcoming dates for that. Our membership for 2024 is now open. Remember, membership has its privileges. Like early sign-up for shows and clinics, and the ability to reserve the arena! That’s all for now. Here’s Classical Attraction Dressage Society wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season full of peace, joy, love, and horses.
Would you like the Horsemen’s Corral to be the official publicaaon for your horse club? Share your club news, photos, and events in our pages every month. For more informaaon contact Joe or Michelle joe@thehorsemenscorral.com michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com 30
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
December 2023
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View From the Cheap Seats
Old Horse Trainers Don’t Retire by Sarah Vas
T
hey just...get tired. At least that’s what happened to me. I’ve come to finally understand something about myself and the boldest statement I can make is this. I never really wanted to own and operate a professional horse facility. Could I train the horse? You betcha. Could I teach like no other? That’s what I’ve been told. Could I run a successful and highly regarded professional facility known for exceptional service? Hold my beer. Could I be the hub of a multi-faceted training facility and incomparable educational program? Like no other. But I probably shouldn’t have. I did it for my parents, mostly. Resurrecting the family farm name from the ashes became a bittersweet redemption that haunted my parents in very different ways. And I had myself convinced that this was how I had to ‘do’ horses. So, for decades, I’d tried to live up to an identity
I thought was expected of me. Steadfast allegiance to my own high standards became the part of the farm business that fueled a habit of putting myself, my family, and my own horses last. And so, I’m officially announcing it here in the space where I’ve felt most consistently safe and accepted by my equine peers. Winfield Farm and Forge is officially closing its actual, real life barn doors. Our 21-acre property was listed for sale a few weeks back. We’re hoping not just that it can prove its value but that someone out there is willing, able, and excited to make it their own. When that qualified buyer wanders up the driveway and the whole legal shaking of hands happens, our life here on this farm will be finished. Carriages will be sold. Tack will be consolidated and dispersed. The barn sundries and farm equipment I no longer need will be priced to sell and deals
Top Shelf Equestrian Facility
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Rose Baker (216) 956-8109 34
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will be wheeled. Everything we’ve poured our blood, sweat, and tears into will be someone else’s to enjoy. I’m pretty darn proud of what I’m passing on to the next equestrian with a dream and endless ambition. What? No! I’m not crying, yer crying… My husband and I have often said to each other, it wasn’t all bad, as we’ve slogged through these last several years here. It’s our way of reminding each other that this isn’t so much a huge failure but a closing of a chapter. Leaving behind what doesn’t serve us anymore, bundling up what lessons we’ve learned and fond memories we’ve been granted. And moving on to our family’s next big adventure. I’m ready to free up my life and my time to pursue more of what makes me, me. And I want to WRITE! I’m a writer, you guys! You’ve made me into that, for real! I want to tell more Cheap Seats stories here. I want to produce educational content available to the whole industry. I even have the scratch-notes to a book hiding in my desk drawer, a training theory I’ve dubbed The 7 Variables. I want to create and craft and be a student again and film videos and experience the horse world through travel and tell more stories. I want to ride and drive JUST my own horses and be the amateur equestrian owner. I want to be a member of a farm family, not the head of one. And so… I bequeath to the world (for the appropriate monetary sum, of course) my greatest and proudest of collective efforts; 21.1 acres of land, carefully and consciously mapped out as best as knowledge and money allowed over these last two decades. I’m letting go of our charming little 1927 farmhouse with my quirky interior touches and sentimental history. The stoic Craftsman style home where we became parents, built a business, and found our true selves. I’m letting go of that Mylanta-green, slate roofed bank barn with the two swaying trees in the back that weren’t even a squirrel’s stashed nuts the day we moved in. I’m letting go of the wide-open acreage patiently waiting for more fence posts,
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the wooded acres with winding trails longing for the sounds of hoof beats and laughter again. The hidden lake lying over the rise behind the pastures with its frog population just daring to be captured. I’m letting go of our beautiful arena barn with its hundreds of tiny efficient details that never failed to impress any visitor. My thoughtfully designed, masterfully planned out, manically efficient, obsessively maintained, perfect professional heaven of a barn. Its giant wash rack and breezy, bright indoor, and very civilized flush toilet, city water, and separate utility bills from the house. I’m passing on something great. Something unique, dare I say impressive here to another very special equestrian. I’m sure it will serve the next owner just as well as it served me. Oh...and while I’m leaving behind more than a dozen beautiful souls here ‘up on the hill’ to continue watching over the place, I’m not done with horses yet. One or two of these feral mongrels are coming with me and now, I need to find a boarding situation nearby! We’re staying in Northeast Ohio, just moving a little north of here while our son completes his college degree at Cleveland State School of Film. I can swallow a few more years of Ohio weather for that, I guess. Anyone know where I can find a couple of open stalls in a civilized joint with knowledgeable, reliable caretakers who ‘get it’? Perhaps a usable indoor arena, a little bit of turnout, and maybe a corner to tuck a training cart? I’ll even take a couple of spare slots in a S horse owner’s backyard December 2023
Pinto Horse Association of Ohio
A Recap of 2023 PRESIDENT, Kaylee Clagett VICE PRESIDENT, Angie Wolfe SECRETARY, Leslie Watson TREASURER, Amy Leibold EMAIL, diamondkfarm20@gmail.com WEBSITE, www.ohiopinto.net
by Jodie Ricks Ohio Pinto had a wonderful 2023 season full of great horses,
friendly competition, and lots of laughs. All season, we had a record number of competitors in attendance. We began the season in Columbiana at the beautiful Garwood Arena in March. Youth and adults alike were able to participate in an egg hunt, crafts, and an Easter-themed raffle at the Spring Fling show. Next, in May, we held our Summer Warm Up at The University of Findlay. Our next show, the Lots O’ Spots show, was also held at The University of Findlay. Here we celebrated Christmas in July,
and our competitors took part in a stall decorating contest, and a Christmas ornament craft. This was also a favorite show of our leadline competitors, as they received giant stuffed animals as awards for their beautiful rides. For the Summer Sizzler, held at The Champion’s Center in Springfield, we tried a new weekend event. Riders in attendance were able to participate in the brand-new Team Tournament and compete together for fabulous prizes. Competitors selected a few
classes ahead of the show that they wished to use for the tournament and were then randomly paired with other competitors to form a team. The Summer Sizzler also held the crowd-favorite trainer leadline. For our final show of the season, we found ourselves back at Garwood Arena for the Fall Wind Up. This show held trick or treating, an ice cream social, and a Halloween stall decorating contest. We look forward to continuing all of these events in the 2024 season and look forward to seeing you there!
they are quietly beginning to explore the Farm’s newest chapters, both in and out of the horse world. They are returning to Sarah’s family roots, this time as breeders of Arabian/Welsh
Sport Ponies for dressage and carriage while husband and wife indulge their pent up creativity producing a variety of rustic décor and iron work.
Old Horse Trainers (continued) if anyone’s willing to have us! I’m ready to be the most perfect, polite, pleasant, paying boarder in the history of boarding boarders. As the millennials say these days; Hit Me Up. Slide into my DMs. Spill the Tea, Spread the Word, friends. Intellectual Equestrian seeks Same. Sarah Vas, a second-generation horsewoman, writes about her decades of adventure and
December 2023
mayhem among several breeds and disciplines, and countless equine educational endeavors both as student and teacher. Sarah owns and operates a continuation of her parents’ original business, Winfield Farm & Forge, Ltd., that which couldn’t currently exist without constant gratitude for Kevin, her very forgiving, ridiculously supportive husband. Together,
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Flatlanders Dressage & Combined Training Association, Inc.
Learning to Care for our Equine Friends PRESIDENT, Alison Schmidbauer TREASURER, Lisa Gross SECRETARY, Jill Christopher EMAIL, fdcta@aol.com FACEBOOK, www.facebook.com/ groups/FDCTA
by Heather Bonifas Happy Fall, y’all! I am not really from the south, but I just like the sound of the seasonal greeting. The trees are ablaze with color and the air is crisp and fresh. Many of us, including the horses, enjoy riding the most this time of year. With that said, learning to care for our precious equine friends is essential to keep them in top shape for trail rides, late in the season shows and just hacking around the farm. One of the ways to prevent and treat injuries to horses is to understand the art of properly wrapping legs. I say ‘art’ because knowing how to wrap legs must be learned, as it does not come intuitively to most of us. At this
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month’s Flatlander’s meeting we were instructed on such art. Our meeting was hosted by Conny L. and her talented and generous daughter, Anika, at their beautiful, covered arena facility, just outside Lima, Ohio. Thank you so much both for opening your facility and sharing this information with our members. Two of their beautiful horses, one a flea-bitten grey Arabian and the other a monster sized bay Thoroughbred mare, were used for the demonstration. Both horses were chosen for their quiet and patient characters and the distinct differences in size. Anika’s instructions began
with the bay mare. Her long cannon bones were the perfect place to demonstrate the technique of polo wrapping, standing wraps and using leg quilts. Anika gave us, the dozen members that comprised her audience, some clever tricks to help us remember. She started with how to prepare the wraps themselves by rolling them properly, followed by the visual clues to which way the wraps (any kind) should travel around the leg. Ankia began her demonstration of standard polo, standing wraps, and quilts on the amazing Thoroughbred by speaking to us why people choose to take the time and energy to wrap legs. Some think that it will protect the ligaments and other lower-leg structures, others just hold to the belief that the practice is mostly for superficial scrapes and cuts caused by overreaching and brushing accidents. Additionally, most horse owners use some sort of leg protection when they put their horses in a trailer to travel.
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Finally, Anika demonstrated the indispensable skill of wrapping for injuries and postsurgery care. She did this on her lovely little grey Arabian. Since her family has dealt with both lower leg injuries and surgical procedures on their livestock, Anika was well versed in therapeutic bandaging. The key to this form of bandaging is placing the correct layers of protection in the proper order. The mare seemed a bit confused, as she has no injuries now, but it was a good sport about standing for the demonstration. To end the evening, we all moved indoors for the business meeting and shared a meal. New officers were elected, and old officers were gladly retained for the upcoming year during the business portion of the evening. If you are interested in becoming one of our members, please contact us via email. We are also on Facebook. Learning, sharing and riding, fellowship and fun; are you in?
December 2023
Make Your Equestrian Dreams a Reality!
4268 State Route 167, Jefferson, OH 44047 Welcome to this working farm! The 80 acres include: 40 acres of hay fields tillable and drain tiled, 2 horse barns, several fenced and tiled pastures, indoor and outdoor riding rings, gardens, fruit trees and woodlands. The farmhouse offers a fusion of rustic charm and modern amenities. Two barns contain 20 stalls, with foaling stall options. Meticulously maintained, the indoor arena provides premium footing for optimal performance. The outdoor riding arena offers a space for training, jumping, and dressage. Several fenced pastures provide ample turnout options for the horses. Whether you aspire to run a successful equestrian business, seek a private sanctuary to indulge your passion for horses, or simply desire a remarkable retreat in nature, this horse farm presents an unparalleled opportunity. Feature sheet and home info available upon request. $850,000 DO NOT enter the property unless accompanied by your realtor! More pictures and information available at https://neohrex.mlsmatrix.com/ matrix/shared/D8nBydrqGPc/4268StateRoute167
CALL MARY TO SCHEDU LE A SHOWING TODAY!
Western Dressage
The Unspoken Language of Leg Aids: A Tale of Connection and Communication in Horseback Riding by Kelley Bitter
O
nce upon a time, in a world where horses and humans converse without words, exists a language so subtle yet profound that it can turn the most ordinary ride into an extraordinary dance. This language, my dear equestrian aficionados, is nothing but the art of leg aids—the unsung heroes of horseback riding. The Magical Symphony of Effective Leg Aids: A harmonious ballet between horse and rider, leg aids are indeed the secret language. They are clandestine whispers between horse and rider. They’re like the ancient hieroglyphics or the cryptic Morse code for your equine friend—a series of taps, pressures, and squeezes that essentially say “move over”, “speed up”, or “slow down”. It’s a beautiful language, really, if you think about it. It’s a language of love, of respect, of mutual understanding. It’s a language that transcends the spoken word, delving into the realm of feelings and emotions. Now, you might be thinking, “Why all this fuss about subtlety? Why not just pull on the reins or give a hearty kick?” Well, let me paint you a picture. Do you remember when you were a child, and your parents would shout instructions at you from across the room? Or worse, in public? How did that make you feel? Confused, frustrated, embarrassed? Exactly. That’s how your horse feels when you shout commands at them with harsh pulls or kicks. Effective leg aids, on the other hand, are like a gentle whisper in your horse’s ear, a secret language that builds trust and understanding. It’s a silent conversation that speaks volumes.
The benefits, oh, they’re as plentiful as the stars in the night sky. An effective leg aid keeps you in sync with your horse, making your ride smoother than a hot knife through butter. It helps maintain balance and rhythm, crucial elements in equestrian sports, akin to keeping time in a symphony. Plus, it fosters a deep bond between horse and rider, a bond built on trust, respect, and mutual understanding. It’s like finding a new best friend, one who understands you without uttering a single word. Stirrup Position: The unsuspecting culprit in our equestrian tale. Now, let’s talk about those pesky stirrups. They’re like the unsung heroes of a Broadway show—often overlooked, yet oh-so-important. They might not have the star power of leg aids, but they play a critical role in our equestrian tale. You see, your stirrup position is the foundation for your leg aids. It’s like the first step in building a house—you need a solid foundation before you can start putting up walls. If your stirrups are too long or too short, your leg aids will be off, no matter how hard you try. It’s like trying to play a beautiful melody on an out-of-tune piano—it just won’t work. So, how do you find the perfect stirrup length? It’s simple. When seated, your stirrups should be just long enough so that your ankle is directly below your hip. This position provides a stable base and allows you to use your leg aids effectively. Remember, small adjustments can make a huge difference. It’s like finding the perfect shoe size—it might take a few tries, but once you find it, you’ll feel like Cinderella at the ball.
THE EAGLE’S NEST EQUESTRIAN CENTER
Keeping the Conversation Going: The Art of Consistency in Our Equestrian Dialogue
Now located in Shalersville, Ohio
Communication with your horse is not a one-time deal. It’s an ongoing conversation, a dialogue that needs consistency and patience. Just like you wouldn’t appreciate someone changing the rules of a game halfway through, your horse doesn’t appreciate inconsistent signals. So, keep your leg pressure consistent. Use the same amount of pressure for the same command every time. It’s like learning a new dance—you need to repeat the steps over and over until they become second nature. And remember, patience is your best friend here. Your horse might not get it right away, but with consistent cues and a little bit of time, they’ll catch on.
The Winning Edge: Mental Performance and Confidence in Our Equestrian Journey
Western Dressage...It’s about the journey. Lessons • Mental Performance Coaching STAY TUNED FOR 2024 SHOW AND CLINIC SCHEDULE! Eaglesnestequestrian@gmail.com www.horsehappyhour.com www.theconfi fid denthorseman.com 38
If all this talk about leg aids and stirrup positions is making your head spin faster than a carousel, don’t worry. We’ve all been there. That’s where the winning edge mental performance comes in. They offer resources designed to help improve communication between horse and rider and give you that much-needed confidence boost. Because let’s face it, confidence is half the battle in horseback riding. It’s the difference between a timid trot and a powerful gallop, a hesitant jump and a soaring leap. It’s like going from being a wallflower at a party to being the life of the party. And with The Winning Edge, you can unlock your full potential and become the confident rider you were meant to be. In the end, remember that horseback riding is not just about winning races or jumping the highest hurdles. It’s about building a connection with your horse, understanding each other, and working together to create something beautiful. So, keep practicing, keep learning, and most importantly, keep enjoying the ride. Because as any seasoned equestrian will tell you, the journey is just as important as the destination. It’s like going on a road trip—it’s not just about reaching
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Leg Aids (continued from page 38) your destination, but also about enjoying the scenery along the way. Check out www.theconfidenthorseman.com
Unleash Your Winning Edge: A Three-Month Mini-Series on Mental Performance for Equestrians Attention all equestrians! Are you looking to elevate your game and conquer the competition? The secret to success lies not only in physical prowess but also in mental fortitude. We are thrilled to introduce our upcoming mini-series, ‘Unleash Your Winning Edge,’ presented by the renowned mental performance coach, Kelley Bitter. In this enlightening three-month series, Kelley will guide you through the intricacies of mental performance coaching specifically tailored for equestrians. This immersive journey is designed to help you overcome common mental hurdles when showing, build unshakeable confidence, and foster a deeper connection with your horse. The series promises to cover a wide array of topics that are crucial for every equestrian’s mental toolkit: 1. Common Mental Hurdles in Showing: Unpack the psychological
challenges that often arise during competitions and learn how to navigate them effectively. 2. Techniques for Overcoming Anxiety: Discover proven strategies to keep competition nerves at bay and maintain a calm and focused mind. 3. Boosting Confidence: Learn how to cultivate a winning mindset that fuels confidence and drives performance. 4. Connecting with Your Horse: Understand the power of synergy between rider and horse, and how to strengthen this bond for optimum results. By participating in the entire series, you’ll have the unique opportunity to develop and maintain peak performance, enhance your skills, and gain valuable insights from a trusted expert in the industry. This isn’t just about winning competitions; it’s about becoming the best equestrian you can be. The mini-series will be accessible here at The Horsemen’s Corral over the next three months. Don’t miss out on this golden opportunity to elevate your equestrian journey. Let’s gallop towards success together with Kelley Bitter’s ‘Unleash Your Winning Edge’ mini-series!
Tri-County Trail Association
Something For Everyone to Enjoy in 2024 PRESIDENT, Adam Brewer VICE PRESIDENT, Harley Miller SECRETARY, Cindy Krumm TREASURER, Beverly Mills WEBSITE, www.tri-cotrails.com
by Kelly Jo Heffner Tri-County Trail would like
to take a moment to say happy holidays this Christmas season. It seems that December has arrived
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very quickly this year. The trees are going up, Christmas lights are going up, and the gifts are getting prepared and placed under the tree for our loved ones. Everyone is looking forward to seeing those faces light up when they wake up Christmas morning to the gifts that Santa Claus brought them while they slept. It’s in moments like these that we celebrate the wonderful memories we make with our children and grandchildren. The event schedule for TriCounty Trail Association has been completed and is included in this month’s issue. Hopefully we will see new faces this year along with some of our regular visitors. There will be many opportunities for new and existing members to enjoy an event or two. We are all looking forward to seeing you! There is everything from an annual tack swap to weekend events with live entertainment! There will be something for everyone to enjoy. Our weekend events have meal plans so that you can just enjoy your time in the camp instead of worrying
about who’s cooking and what’s for dinner. Our one-day events (like the Vaughn’s ride) have a game night the night prior to the ride where you bring snacks and side dishes and the club will fry up a burger or hot dog for you to enjoy. There will be euchre tournaments and poker when there are enough players. Have another game you enjoy? Bring it with you for gamenight Fridays before one of our one day events. There are two event weekends that will include a live band for entertainment. The Summer Bash and Obstacle Course weekend and the Ox and Pig Roast and Raffle weekend. Bring your dancing shoes! The other weekend events (like the Halloween event), have a DJ for entertainment directly after dinner on Saturdays. The DJ’s are great with getting your requests heard! Have a wonderful holiday season. We are looking forward to seeing you this coming season at Tri-County Trails! Happy Holidays!
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December 2023
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Colorado Ranger Horse Association
‘Lost Rangers’ Take Honors at ApHC World PRESIDENT, Toni Lukavich; 1ST VICE PRESIDENT, Charmaine Wulff; SECRETARY, Barbara Summerson; TREASURER, Jane Montgomery. WEBSITE, www.coloradoranger.com EMAIL, riderangerhorse@yahoo.com
by Monica Doddato The term ‘lost ranger’ was coined for horses who could be registered with Colorado Ranger Horse Association (CRHA) but have not been. CRHA’s
Pedigree Researcher Sherry Byrd has been sharing in the association’s Facebook group, Coloraod Ranger Horse Assn., the many lost rangers who have been racking up ribbons at the ApHC World Show. Maybe your Appaloosa is related to one and could be registered CRHA? To help find these horses, CRHA offers a free service to review a horse’s pedigree for eligibility. It is a great opportunity to learn more about your horse’s pedigree and add a second registry to your horse’s accreditations. CRHA members pay just $20 or $30 for registration of horses older
than weanlings. Membership is only $20 a year with a $5 initial fee and opens you to the opportunities of joining and participating in our logging, distance, and open show programs as well as the National Show. To see if your Appaloosa is eligible, visit our website www. coloradoranger.com and click on the Treasure Hunt link. There you can download the form, submit it and receive a free determination. Then maybe we will see you at the 51st Colorado Ranger Horse Association National Show which will be Sept. 21-22, 2024.
2023 CRHA National Show Champion Junior Halter Stallion Lookin Pretty Awesome owned by Rachael Barszczowsk of McVeytown, Pa.
Dusty Boots Riding Club
Office Election Results Are In PRESIDENT, Billy Jo Brown VICE PRESIDENT, Bree Kibler, Holly Carr; TREASURER, Donna Rohrer SECRETARY, Tonya Stenger EMAIL, dustyboots@dustybootsridingclub.com WEBSITE, dustybootsridingclub.com
by Dana Johnson As 2023 is coming to a close, things at NEOHA and Dusty Boots Riding Club is already well underway for the 2024 season. At
November’s monthly membership meeting voting for elections took place. We had a wonderful turnout and are so excited for what’s to come. Congratulations to our new officers and a huge thank you to all office holders who are passing the torch. We had a greatly successful show season thanks to all your hard work and dedication to the club! Officers: President Jason Brown, 1st Vice President Jacki Davis, Treasurer Tonya Stenger, Secretary Dana Johnson. Directors: Carrie Morrison, Dana Johnson, Sarah Fabian,
Caitlyn Mosier, Harley Buckley, Billie Jo Brown, Tonya Stenger, Jacki Davis, Kim Brewster, Ruth Somnitz. Trustees: Billie Jo Brown, Ruth Somnitz, Kim Brewster, Holly Carr, Thomas Ashcraft. General meetings will resume January 2024. They are held the first Tuesday of each month at Pizza Joe’s in Jefferson, Ohio. Meetings are called to order at 7 p.m., but arrive a little earlier if you’d like to order something to snack on. Everyone is welcome, so bring along your ideas and meet us there!
2024 show dates are currently being finalized and more information for our year end awards banquet will be released soon! If you don’t already, be sure to follow our Facebook page for the most up to date news. (Facebook: NEOHA) NEOHA would like to thank everyone who supported our 2023 show season and a big special thank you to Big Dee’s and Schneiders Saddlery for helping make it all possible. We can’t wait to see everyone back in the show pen next year.
Mid-Eastern Farriers Association
What to Give Your Farrier for Christmas PRESIDENT, Levi Runnion VICE PRESIDENT, Lori McDade SECRETARY, Kaylee Watson TREASURER, Tim Dodd PHONE, 740/502-7055 FACEBOOK, www.facebook.com/ Mid-Eastern Farrier’s Association
by Kaylee Watson How can you train your young horse to behave for your farrier? Always start working with your horses at a young age. Starting 42
from day one whether day one is a brand new foal born on your farm or a wild weanling that just stepped off the trailer. Anytime you handle your young horse always rub up and down their leg; a few times a day is great if possible! When you have a young horse who likes to kick or even just a really jumpy nervous horse, one trick that can help is to loop a loose lead rope around it’s leg and slide it up and down. This helps keep you from getting kicked while also getting the horse comfortable with something touching their legs.
Eventually you will get to the point where you can pick up their back hoof with the lead rope. Training your horse to stand tied for extended periods of time is also a huge help to your farrier. Picking up their feet is great, but you have to make sure you don’t allow them to take their foot back whenever they want. These tips can be used for old horses that need a refresher as well. While farriers love gifts of coffee mugs and gift cards, a farrier’s favorite gift will always be a well behaved horse!
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
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The Cowboy Perseverance Ranch
Happy Holidays from the CP Ranch by Rob and Tanya Corzatt
D
espite the colder weather, despite the shorter amount of daylight, despite dealing with almost frozen ground in the lots we keep the horses and cows, I truly do like the end of fall and the beginning of winter. It’s not because snow is on the way. I am not really a big fan of snow and we never get to play in it. For T and I it usually means a couple hours on the tractor pushing snow out of the way to make room for students to park cars and horse trailers. It’s because my two favorite holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the way. The Halloween decorations will be going down in the big box stores and Halloween candy will be deeply discounted! I am not anti-Halloween, but it just seems to steal Thanksgiving’s thunder. About the only thing Halloween and Thanksgiving might have in common is the giant inflatable pumpkins! I wish those big
box stores would display some inflatable pilgrims and turkeys for a week or so before all the Christmas decorations go up. Thanksgiving is just not the big commercial holiday that Halloween and Christmas are. Thanksgiving in the United States has been observed on the fourth Thursday of November every year since 1941. Many of you also get the day after Thanksgiving off as a floating holiday (livestock owners don’t!). In that time frame we will likely sit down to one, maybe two feasts, watch the Dallas Cowboys and/or Detroit Lions football games and look at all the print and online adds for the ‘can’t pass up’ deals on Black Friday! If you count the weekend after, the Thanksgiving holiday is all of four days! That is not how the holiday got its origins. Native Americans were already celebrating the harvest centuries before the first colonists arrived in North America. The origins of our
The Corzatt’s
CP erseverance R owboy
anch
“CPR for the soul”
Camdon
Tanya Corzatt
(614) 519-1042 Marengo, OH
cwbypranch@gmail.com
44
Tanya and Rob
current holiday traditionally go back to the early 1600s when our ancestors celebrated ‘Thanksgiving’ with some of the members of the friendlier Native Americans. The celebrations were far more religious in nature for our ancestors ‘the Pilgrims’. They were thanking God for allowing them to survive and to begin to thrive in the wilderness of the future New England and coastal states. They were giving thanks for a harvest of crops, wild game and livestock that would get them through the upcoming winter and praying that they would not succumb to potential starvation, disease, harsh winters and potential conflicts with other Native Americans. Four hundred years later we still have every reason to be thankful. We are truly blessed in this nation that we do not have the same general concerns for our well-being that our ancestors did. Here at the CP Ranch, we are constantly reminded of the many things we are thankful for. God has provided us with a beautiful piece of property and a beautiful barn and home. We have been blessed with an abundance of solid lesson and training horses and the students to ride them. We have also been blessed to find all the hay we need to feed them! With 20-plus horses and several cows, we go through a lot of hay every year! And then in a few short weeks we get to celebrate Christmas. It provides another opportunity for us to give thanks to God for providing us with His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Scholars will tell you that Dec. 25 is not the exact date on which Christ was born. That date was set by one of the earliest Popes. Google the history of Christmas, it is far more complicated than the history of Thanksgiving! The exact date really doesn’t matter to me. Kids would probably prefer that it was in the middle of summer so they could instantly play with all the cool new toys they got! I just care that we get an opportunity to celebrate even more with family and friends. I love the lights, I love the music, I love the Christmas cookies and I love that overall feeling of the ‘most wonderful time of the year’! As a Christian, we are able to enjoy a close relationship
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Tanya and Rob Corzatt with Christ all year long. For me, it just seems to be an even closer relationship at Christmas. The music and the programs can’t help but demonstrate the recognition and reverence all had for Christ at his birth. We have turned Christmas into a heavily commercialized holiday with an emphasis on gifts for everyone including your third cousin’s son’s stepchildren. Don’t get me wrong, I like gifts as much as the next guy. I got a gift two years ago from my wife that I am never going to be able to top. She bought a young blue roan colt, that we have since named Dash, for me and our granddaughter who was only a month old at the time! But that is not the greatest gift I have received. That would be the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to wash away my sins and provided me with the gift of salvation and eternal life in his Kingdom. That gift wasn’t just for me. He gave it to my wife, my kids, many of my friends and our families. He has been giving that gift from the days He walked this Earth and ever since His resurrection. He is ready to give you that gift as you read this. If you haven’t already accepted His gift, it is so easy to do. Romans 10:9 in the New International Version (NIV) reads “if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It’s that simple. Matthew 11:2830 of the NIV reads “28Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Please turn to page 46 S December 2023
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Geauga Horse and Pony Association
2023 Final Audited Placings Posted on Website PRESIDENT, George Baker 1st VICE PRESIDENT, Lisa Formica 2nd VICE PRESIDENT, Scott Burroughs TREASURER, Shauna Gingrich SECRETARY, Kelli Burns WEBSITE, www.ghpa.us
by Nancy Burroughs Congratulations to all our members who showed with us this year. The year-end awards are being ordered and we’re excited to celebrate your achievements with you. Visit www.gpha.us to view final placings. Congratulations to our 2023 year-end high point champions.
WALK-TROT: Mylie Burns and Ruby Tuesday of Thistleridge NOVICE (18 AND UNDER): McKenzie Thompson and Sorensen’s Olaf OPEN: Rachel Formica and Potential to Flatline RANCH: Marley Grandini and Big Red of Thistleridge CONTESTING WALK TROT (18 AND UNDER): Joselyn Olson and Jojo YOUTH (18 AND UNDER): Stella Montague and Rockin Reebok ADULT: Char Maholovic and CiCi
Congratulations also to our reserve champions:
WALK-TROT: Charlette Saal and Sassy NOVICE (18 AND UNDER): Sydney Toivonen and Jaffar OPEN: Morgan Csontos and Shepherds Grace Millenium Force RANCH: Josselyn Mumm and Chex My Rooster; Daytona Hale and Finch (tie) CONTESTING WALK TROT (18 AND UNDER): Hayden Bortz and Major YOUTH (18 AND UNDER): Samuel Montague and Ollie’s Money Talks ADULT: Jaimie Olson and Beau
Save the date! GHPA’s 36th Annual Banquet will be held March 16, 2024. The banquet committee is gearing up to put on the best banquet yet! Save the date, this is an event that you don’t want to miss! We’ve selected our 2024 show dates for the open and contesting shows. They will be shared shortly! Congratulations to our newly elected officers and Board of Directors members: President Lisa Formica, 1st Vice President Rachel Formica, 2nd Vice President Dustin Sutter,
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George Baker, outgoing President, former Show Chairperson. Treasurer Shauna Gingrich, and Secretary Kelli Burns. The Board of Directors elected are: George Baker, Scott and Nancy Burroughs, Jaimie Olson, Frank Muellner and Kathy Blair. Thank you to outgoing officers: George Baker (president, show chairperson) and Scott Burroughs (former president, 2nd VP, treasurer). They’ve both contributed so much to the club along with donating endless hours throughout the years. We are thrilled that they have agreed to stay on as members of the Board of Directors. We have two wonderful youth groups: Tails and Trails and Saddles and Spurs. If you’re interested in finding out further details, please send an email to: www.ghpa08@yahoo.com Our deepest thanks go out to those who generously donated countless volunteer hours to help our 2023 season run smoothly. What makes GHPA show days so successful isn’t just our fabulous array of exhibitors, breeds, and
Scott Burroughs, outgoing 2nd VP, former President, former Treasurer. classes, but the contributions from our volunteers behind the scenes. It’s a good feeling to give back to our great organization and that feeling is displayed proudly at each and every show through the efforts of our volunteers. Stay up to date on the current news and events happening within our organization by visiting www.ghpa.us. Our club meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Geauga County Fairgrounds inside the lounge in the school building (except December which will be at Hamden’s Town Hall). GHPA thanks Big Dee’s Tack for their generous support of our organization through their Bonus Buck’s program. Likewise; thank you to Schneider’s Saddlery for their support. We really appreciate all of the support these wonderful companies give to us.
CP Ranch (continued from page 44) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I pray you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and that you all will enjoy a wonderful Christmas and New Year as well. But my greatest prayer will be that you, or a loved one or friend that you may have been witnessing to, will accept the gift that Christ so gladly gives. Santa can bring you that new headstall or pair of boots! 30
The and
Corzatt operates
family owns the Cowboy
Perseverance Ranch (CPR) in Marengo, Ohio. CPR is a faith based operation and our mission is to build a strong foundation and relationship with our training horses and students. We are blessed to be able to provide western horsemanship lessons infused with biblical scripture to students of all ages. One student has described her time here as “CPR for the soul!” Visit our website at www.cpranch. wixsite.com/home or follow us on Facebook.
DEADLINE EEE EEE EEEEEEE EEEEE
EEEEEEEE EEEE HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
TrailMeister Trail Meister
Winter Riding Goals by Robert Eversole
D
on’t let snow and cold temperatures deter you from pursuing your winter riding goals. When the wind is howling, the snow is knee-deep, and you can no longer feel your face while gathering your horses from the other side of the pasture, it’s easy to think about moving to Arizona. Maintaining motivation for riding during the harsh winter months can be a challenge. If you struggle to stay motivated as the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, check out these tips from someone who deals with frigid weather every winter. Set Realistic Winter Riding Goals Whether you’re aiming for a bucket list ride or special events, having a goal in mind for where you’d like to be with your horse for the coming spring and summer is helpful. Take stock of your horse’s current training level to determine the steps needed to achieve your goal. The high country, where I spend my summers, is blanketed under many feet of snow from November through June. So, winter is the perfect time to focus on fundamentals when not on the trail. I consider both short- and long-term goals for each of my animals. Since I don’t need to worry about longer pack trips, I use the winter season to refocus on the basics after a busy summer. In the short term, I set smaller objectives that lead to long-term success, such as ensuring mental and physical readiness for lengthy trail rides.
Be Flexible No goal is achieved without challenges along the way. Horses don’t realize the grand plans that we have in mind. As riders, we must work and adapt to their needs, which constantly change no matter the time of year. My go-to pack mule, Ellie, comes with her fair share of baggage. While she’s taught me more about packing than most of my human mentors, she’s a bundle of stress and tension whenever she’s away from her herd. My primary winter goals for Ellie involves achieving relaxation and confidence away from her equine family. I continually assess her mental state to prevent stress and tension during our rides. With less pressure to accomplish specific tasks, I find it easier to reward even the most minor improvements. Not every ride will be perfect, and I’m content taking my time.
Mix Things Up
Ellie 48
The off-season lets you alter your horse’s routine while working towards your riding goals. Constantly working on a single aspect of riding can
wear out both horses and riders. Introducing new exercises to your horse’s routine keeps their mind engaged and works different muscles. For mules like Ellie, engaging in activities on the lighter side keeps her from growing bored or sour. Although we try to saddle up every day, there are days when we don’t ride. Instead, we might focus on leading and pivoting on the hinds, an exercise that Ellie loves. To prevent boredom, we incorporate various forms of groundwork, which transfers directly to riding.
Understanding and Overcoming External Obstacles Winter introduces factors beyond our control that make riding a challenge, such as fewer daylight hours, harsh weather, and extreme temperatures. Instead of giving in to defeat, consider ways to work around winter weather frustrations. With darkness lingering longer through the day, this is an excellent time to watch training videos and consider fresh ideas for use later in the year. Meanwhile, when the weather accommodates, we’ll work in the barn earlier in the day to take advantage of the light. If there’s one good thing about winter, it’s that there are no bugs and no sweltering heat. When the weather doesn’t cooperate, battling the cold is as simple as dressing in layers. We swear by our heated gloves. Other options for layering include thermals, winter gloves designed for riding, lined trousers, and lap robes. Some riders won’t leave home without toe or hand warmers stuffed into their boots and gloves. Remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices.
You are the Company You Keep It can be a struggle to hold yourself accountable during the winter. Riding with motivated friends is a fun way to stay on track. With the company of other riders who share similar goals or experiences, it’s easier to maintain energy and avoid falling into a slump. Having a friend by your side can offer a fresh perspective and help troubleshoot issues. Surrounding yourself with driven peers is a valuable step toward reaching your goals.
Enjoy the Journey As you work toward your winter goals, remember to enjoy the journey. The warmth of summer may be gone for a while, but learning to adapt and appreciate your time with horses away from the trail will benefit you in the long run. Visiting the barn is always a good idea. While every rider longs for the warm sunshine of summer, there’s no reason winter should dampen your spirits or hinder you from setting riding goals S
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
December 2023
Knox County Horse Park
Results of the Buckle Series PRESIDENT, Donny Cline VICE PRESIDENTS, Travis Ross and John Weekley TREASURER, Pam Niner SECRETARY, Madisyn Weekley CONTACT, dcline458@gmail.com FACEBOOK, Knox County Horse Park Inc
Hello Horse Park Family, November had the final Halloween Show with our awards. The Halloween vontestants were very creative with their costumes making it very hard to judge. With that being a problem we didn’t leave anyone out, everyone was awarded a Halloween trophy. Our November Trail Challenge was rained out and we didn’t want to miss out working with the Knox County Horsemen’s Council. We decided to combine that show with our awards show. It turned out very good even with a brief dizzle. Not sure on the number of contestants but
both clubs were happy with the turnout on a less desirable day. I don’t have the results for the trail challenge. As for the results for the buckle series. The grand champion of the 8 and under was Row Looney. Reserve grand champion was Riley Strack and first runner up was Reed Leach and to round out the final Jolee Walls. In the 9-13 age bracket the winner of the buckle and grand champion is Maycee Samples and reserve grand champion go to Matti Wolford and first runner up goes to Sophia Wolford.
In the 14-19 age bracket it was a battle between two very competitive friends. It came down to Taya Shultz winning the buckle and being our grand champion. Reserve grand champion went to Madi Ruhl and our first runner up goes to Briauna Bisbee, the final award goes to Elizabeth Enix. In the 19-59 age bracket it was also close friends, a battle to to the end! Grand Champion goes to Anna Maglott, reserve goes to Shelby Kerr, and first runner up goes to Reese Newland and final award goes to Chantelle Looney. In the 60 and over age bracket
Winter Riding Goals (continued) for you and your horse. Making the most of the resources available will help you overcome the challenges that are out of your control. Remember to enjoy the ride along the way, no matter the season.
the award goes to the one and only Durke Todd is the grand champion. Durke thanks Lisa Lyons for the horse she supplied for the award. Our reserve champion goes to Debbie Cole. First runner up goes to Lisa Lyons and to round out Claude our amazing announcers. Here it is, the end of the year and I can’t wait for May 24 to start it all over again! Merry Christmas and God bless this holiday season. ~Donny
Field-tested Tips to Improve Your Outdoor Adventures
Summary Maintaining motivation for winter horse riding despite snow and cold is a challenge. Set realistic goals, considering your horse’s training level and focusing on short and long-term objectives. Be flexible, adapting to your horse’s changing needs. Mix up your horse’s routine to keep them engaged. Overcome external obstacles with winter riding tips, like watching training videos. Surround yourself with motivated friends for accountability. Enjoy the journey, adapting to the season, and remember to make the most of available resources. For more thoughts on training for the trail as well as the world’s largest and most accurate guide to horse trails and camps, visit us at www.TrailMeister.com Check out the new shop on www. TrailMeister.com, where The ABCs of Trail Riding and Horse Camping book can be found.
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For more information on trail riding and horse camping, please visit us at www.TrailMeister. com. TrailMeister is the world’s most extensive guide to horse trails and camps and a resource for information to keep your rides enjoyable and safe. The best-selling book “The ABCs of Trail Riding and Horse Camping” features 180 more topics for the active or aspiring trail rider. From how to train your horse for the trail to how to use that GPS. Get your copy on Amazon.
December 2023
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
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Mid-Ohio Marauders
Mid-Ohio Marauders AAQH Congress Shoot PRESIDENT, Tim Calvin VICE PRESIDENT, Missy DeForest SECRETARY, Judy Foster TREASURER, Laurie Maris PHONE, 740/206-7214 EMAIL, midohiomarauders@gmail.com WEBSITE, www.midohiomarauders.com
Hope Killey and Nathanial Hewitt.
by Steve Keech The Marauders hosted the AAQH Congress Shoot in October. With a lot of volunteer support, it was a tremendous success. Congratulations to all the competitors, especially the class winners, and top cowgirls and cowboys.
AAQH CONGRESS SHOOT RESULTS LIMITED WRANGLER, Nathaniel Hewitt; OPEN WRANGLER, Hope Killey; LIMITED RIFLE, Amanda Hudson; OPEN RIFLE, JD Hughes; LIMITED SHOTGUN, Eric Hudson; OPEN SHOTGUN, David Mitchell; LIMITED CAVALRY, Amanda Hudson; OPEN CAVALRY, Drew Wallace; RESERVE SENIOR COWGIRL, Therese Johnson; SENIOR COWGIRL, Sabrina Lewallen; RESERVE SENIOR COWBOY, David Mitchell; SENIOR COWBOY, Clayton Lightfield; RESERVE COWBOY, John Roach; RESERVE COWGIRL, Amanda Hudson; OVERALL COWGIRL, Cara Penley; OVERALL OVERALL, Bill Adams.
John Roach, Amanda Hudson, Cara Penley and Bill Adams.
AQHA RESULTS YOUTH LIMITED, Keona Knight; YOUTH, Garrett Cooper; SELECT AMATEUR, Matt Miller; AMATEUR, Trevor Lewallen; OPEN, Ezra Yoder.
We also celebrated Noah Modglin’s move up from M2 to M3, congratulations! Look for the move-up dance on social media. Check out the CMSA website for complete results, https://www. cmsaevents.com/events/event.php ?id=12174&show=points&grou p=Revolver&type=National 2024 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE APRIL 19-21: Club Shoot MAY 11-12: New Shooter Clinic MAY 17-19: Club Shoot JUNE 14-16: Club Shoot JULY 26-28: Ohio State Fair at Expo Center
Sabrina Lewallen, Therese Johnson, David Mitchell and Clayton Lightfield. AUG. 23-25: Club Shoot Sept. 20-22: Club Shoot All club shoots and the new shooter clinic are held at the Madison County Fairgrounds. As always, if you are interested
in joining the Mid-Ohio Marauders, the central Ohio club for CMSA, please visit us at Midohiomarauders.com or on Facebook at Mid-Ohio Marauders. See you soon!
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December 2023
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HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
51
Ohio Horseman’s Council, Inc. Member of American Horse Council ohconline.com SECRETARY Ranee Vititoe 740/505-2713 secretary@ohconline.com
TREASURER Jo Ellen Reikowski 330/806-3146 treasurer@ohconline.com
PRESIDENT Eric Estill 513/266-9823 president@ohconline.com
VICE PRESIDENT Nancy Strayer 740/694-1007 vicepresident@ohconline.com
MEMBERSHIP Catherine Estill 513/319-2517 membership@ohconline.com
OHC COUNTY LINES EDITOR Martie Ackerman 713/553-9644 countylineeditor@ohconline.com
Greetings From Your President We held the fall state OHC General Membership meeting in November. We elected new State officers: Mary Alice Kuhn – President; Nancy Strayer –
Vice President; Catherine Estill – Secretary; Margaret Hite – Treasurer. The term of the new officers will begin on Jan. 1, 2024. All these officers are
well qualified to carry out the responsibilities of their office and will do a great job. I look forward to working with the new leadership team in 2024. Please
join me in congratulating them on their new roles. ~Eric Estill
County Lines ASHTABULA Boy did we have a lot happen in the span of a month! Everyone was eager to get in some saddle time before the weather here in Northeast Ohio changes yet again. Members enjoyed a beautiful weekend at Salt Fork State Park. It was near perfect weather for spending plenty of time out on the trails. The scenery is hard to match. We made plans to do a club ride and attended the TriCounty Association’s Halloween event again this year. We had 15 ACOHC members attend the event. The weather was far from ideal but in the end it could have been worse. The food was warm and always on time, so definitely no complaints there. We had off and on showers that seemed to start anytime someone tried to saddle a horse or start a campfire. We tried to take a trip out Friday but by the time we got all tacked up the rain had won out. No one
The McIntyres enjoying a ride with their girls. 52
Some of the group enjoying the Tri Co trails. went out Friday but we all hit the trail Saturday. That ride was about 13 miles. A few of us went out again for a much shorter ride Sunday before loading up to trek back home. Other members spent the same weekend riding the trails at Benezette. Some of our crew skipped out on camping all together and just enjoyed some nice day rides. An adventurous posse of four took to the road and went 14 miles round trip to a local apple orchard. It was reported later that the owners thought it was fantastic. They now have plans to put in a hitching post for future trips. The Cleveland Metro Park hosts a fundraiser for the mounted police unit each year called The Beach Ride. We had three members participate in one of the scheduled rides. It was windy, wet, and the waves looked like the lake was an ocean. However, the photos still show them all with smiles on their faces. Having the chance to race officers down the beach and ride ponies in the waves is always bound to be a good time.
Mallissa on Spirit Kat on Finnigan and Racheal on Vegas at the beach ride event. Plenty more winter adventures are sure to take place. If you are in our area and ever want to learn more about who we are and what we do please reach out to us. Our Facebook page is a fantastic way to contact us. Just search Ohio Horseman’s Council Ashtabula Chapter. Another option is to attend a meeting. We have our meeting the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Stay warm and keep riding. ~Kat Ring CLERMONT Greetings from Clermont County! Our gravel project has been completed. The gravel work could only have been finished with the many riders that contributed to the gravel fund by your donations. Thank you to everyone. At our Camp and Ride, $520 was donated to fund the gravel needed to repair over 20 mud holes at East Fork State Park. The 1300-foot-long large loose stone on the yellow trail has been covered with fine gravel making the trail a wonderful ride
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from Loop A at the campground to access the Red Fox Trail, the most popular trail in the park. Despite the rainy weather, several campers braved the elements and camped at the special events field, and enjoyed a hearty meal and a damp campfire at our Camp and Ride. Tim Sheperd brought a few of his obstacle course items, a teeter-totter, bridge, and S maze for riders to navigate. If you refer back to a previous article, Clermont County sponsored a jr. trail class at our county fair. Gracie Reed received our ribbon and nice trophy. Gracie received an invitation and tried out for the polo team at Cornell University. She was accepted and has begun her collage days on first string of the Cornell University polo team! Congratulations to Gracie, we wish her the best as she continues her education in chemical engineering. Twenty-one riders made the 33mile trip around East Fork State Park Lake on Nov. 4. The 33mile trip took about 10 hours. The trails have never been in better shape due to the efforts of our park and Tim Shepherd. Trail miles needs to be submitted no later than our first meeting in January 2024. Also, don’t forget to renew your memberships for 2024. As we approach the Christmas holiday season, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Ride safe, and remember to wear your fluorescent vests when riding in the hunting zones. ~LaWana Bogard December 2023
County Lines CLINTON Hello fellow horseman. As we are now into fall weather, riding has been amazing here in south west Ohio. The color of the trees have been the most beautiful I have seen in years! We got a couple of personal camp-outs in while working a new horse with other calm amazing horses. A personal note on that; when getting a new trail horse—it isn’t over night they sync with you. It takes time, love, communication, wet saddle pads, trust, and riding with horses you want your horse to be like. Please never be offended if someone says, “I can’t ride in big groups”, or “I’m working on switching in the lineup, I need to ride with Jane Doe.” Every ride is a training ride; you are always working on your manners, seat, leading or not leading. I learned I had never put my duster coat on from in the saddle. As I untied it from my saddle, I unrolled slowly due to it being canvas, it wasn’t noisy. I put it to my left side so Nakota could flex over to smell it. Then I slowly put it on. To my delight she did amazing! This is an example of training on the ‘fly’. It’s all about being safe, and keeping the ones you are with safe. We have so many beautiful
Diana Spencer and Ryan Blanton getting ready to hit the ravine on Solidago Trail.
Susan Lamb with her Horsemen Helping Horseman hoodie on. December 2023
Nakota at CCSP, not one person the lake that day. trails in Ohio! Make sure to get your trail miles turned in. This helps the State know just how much these horse trails are used, and if we want to keep them this is important to do! Winter is upon us, keep warm! Take a kid riding and see the future. ~Susan (Sue) Lamb COLUMBIANA Hello everyone, this past month of October has been a soggy one, I personally didn’t get a whole lot of riding in because of the wet weekends. Which brings us to the Halloween event we had on Oct. 14 and 15. As I mentioned, bad weather and rain did not help us that weekend, but we still had a fairly large turn out and lots of great food. Casey Moore along with Daniell worked hard to put this event together. Also, Tom Moore was the master cook behind the meats for the covered dish dinner. I would like to thank Ted Todd for taking care of the money collection and Sally Stamp for helping behind the scenes. We had a Chinese auction and 50/50 raffle, and the kids had a cute costume contest. Everyone had a great time, and we got to see some folks we haven’t seen in a while. At our OHC meeting in November we talked about a Christmas party at Guilford Lake on Dec. 9, unfortunately by the time this article is published we will have had the party. It was announced that after all of the money was collected and the expenses paid from the Halloween party, we had a profit of $713 to put towards improvements at Beaver Creek and the equine trails. We were informed by the park ranger that the park entrance will be closed after deer gun season is over, which is sometime around mid-December. We did
not however receive information when the park will be re-opened in the spring. When I heard this information, I was a little disappointed because if it was anything like last year people were riding periodically threw the mild winter. The reasoning behind the closure is so the state does not have to maintain the park throughout the winter. Just to let everyone know, if the opportunity arises and we have some nice days in the winter to ride at Beaver Creek the small gravel parking lots along the roadway are open but it might be a little tight to bring a large trailer, you may want to consider a day trailer instead. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season! ~Doug Johnson DELAWARE Happy Holidays from your friends from Delaware Chapter! As this year draws to a close, it is an opportunity to reminisce on all the fun events, the many accomplishments, and the blessing of having so many hardworking volunteers that together make our chapter so welcoming, vibrant, and successful. First, I would like to say how grateful I am for the outstanding support and dedication shown by my fellow chapter officers: Vice President Kim Vorbau, Secretary Bobbi Arters, and Treasurer Alex Sydney. As president, I would not have been able to conduct our chapter without their hard work and assistance. Our chapter is blessed to have some of the most dedicated and hardworking trail maintenance volunteers. Our ‘adopted’ park, Alum Creek State Park, boasts of having some of the most wellmaintained, picturesque, and diverse bridle trail systems in our central region. Our volunteer crew, led by Bobbi Arters, who assumed the leadership role following Mary Chmielewski’s retirement earlier this year, met weekly throughout this past year, weather permitting, to tackle various improvement projects, including some major works such as the renovation of Paul’s Path and the re-decking of major platforms along Maple Glen known as Seven-Dog Crossing and Gas-line Crossing just to name a few. Delaware members enjoyed numerous opportunities for
HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
fun and fellowship this year, beginning with a group outing to Equine Affaire’s Fantasia performance, a visit to Corzatt’s Cowboy Perseverance Ranch, a summertime pizza party at Henmick’s Brewery, and several in-formal rides at Alum Creek State Park. Members also had the opportunity to attend monthly chapter meetings, many of which featured a guest speaker presentation on a variety of horserelated topics. Our chapter’s principal fundraiser, Autumn at Alum, was a huge success this year thanks to our members who generously volunteered their time and efforts. The weekend event featuring trail riding, camping, potluck, musical entertainment, and a live auction was enjoyed by all. A sincere thank you to our generous sponsors who donated their services for our live auction and/or made a monetary contribution to our trail fundraising efforts. Congratulations and thank you to our newly elected 2024-chapter officers. President Theresa Burke, Vice President Kim Vorbau, Secretary Bobbi Arters, and Treasurer Alex Sydney. Celebrate the Christmas season by attending Delaware Chapter’s Christmas party, Friday, Dec. 1 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Kilbourne United Methodist Church on SR 521. Come wearing your favorite ‘ugly’ Christmas sweater for a chance to win a prize! Enjoy a delicious and plentiful potluck while visiting with friends. Bring a wrapped gift (valued $20) meant for either gender to participate in our fun ‘Secret Santa gift exchange or steal’! A formal invitation flyer and potluck sign-up will be forthcoming to members via email. Family and guests are welcome to attend! Wishing everyone a healthy and blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! ~Theresa Burke ERIE Greetings from Erie County! What a great fall we have had. We missed a few campouts because of the weather, but we just rode another day or two. Time is sure flying by. Our campout at Pleasant Hill was attended by six hardy souls. It was Bigfoot weekend at the lake. Lots of activities to keep everyone busy on those blustery moments at the campground. My 53
County Lines the Coupling. It is always a great evening with friends, good food and fellowship. See you there! Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year! May your new year be filled with happiness, good health, family, and your two and four-legged friends. Life is better on the trail! ~Shelley Hayes
Joyce and Glory at Pleasant Hill.
Thunder meets Big Foot.
Erie County OHC husband’s horse, Magic, wasn’t too fond of the waves and wind coming off the lake but we got some riding in and even met Bigfoot! Campfires in the fall are always welcome. Especially with good friends. It’s that time of year where our trail miles need to be tallied up and our memberships renewals are due. I understand Eric will be collecting the trail miles again this year. He did such a great job last year. Membership renewals can be done online. If you get them in before the end of December, you will not interrupt your Corral magazine subscription. We met at Jim’s Pizza Box in Milan for our November meeting. We also planned on elections for 2024 officers and a ride planning meeting. Good thing we were eating dinner there. I will let you know the results next month. We will be having a New Year’s Day ride. The location and time will be announced. Our Christmas party is planned for the second Thursday of December. Location will be at 54
FAIRFIELD Our October Hocking Halloween ride turned out very nice. June Streitenberger planned some fun activities for us to do including: a trailer decorating contest, a steer roping contest and a scavenger hunt. Not only did June plan some fun activities, but she gave out some awesome gifts to the winners, one of which she handmade. June is definitely one of the more creative members of our group. So far this year, our members have seen the Starlink Satellites in the night sky twice while camping. It happened at our Scioto ride back in September and then it happened again at our Hocking Halloween ride. It is a pretty cool sight, I suggest you keep an eye out for them. Some say there is a website that you can search to see when the satellites will be in your area, but we didn’t plan the sightings, we just got lucky. After the Halloween ride, our club was able to squeeze in an unscheduled spur of the moment ride at East Fork State Park. Some of our members were able to reserve the group camp
One of the prizes given out at the Halloween event.
The winner of the Halloween trailer decorating contest.
The sky was a beautiful deep blue at the East Fork State Park ride. and we were all glad they did because the riding and leaves were spectacular. For some of us, it was our first time there and we all enjoyed it so much that there is discussion about adding East Fork to our ride schedule next year. We will finish out the year with our Christmas party on Dec. 3. We have a great time exchanging gifts and eating all the great food our club provides. Just a reminder to renew your membership for the new year or become a member if you’re not already. To wrap up, all of us at Fairfield OHC are wishing all of you Happy Holidays! ~Tanna Rhoads
Carolyn at Salt Fork.
Deb at Hocking.
FULTON For most of our members, camping season 2023 has drawn to a close, especially since the October cold snap prompted many to winterize their campers! And wasn’t it grand to see snow on Halloween? In October, several members and friends made a trip to Salt Fork State Park and had a wonderful time camping and riding in spite of rain. It definitely goes on the list of places to return to. November was a slow month. We did manage to secure a location for our November and December chapter meetings. We returned to Bunkers Bar and Grill in Holland where they provided us with a limited buffet and use of the banquet room. We had to change our meeting night from Monday to Tuesday but hopefully it doesn’t negatively impact attendance. We typically had a Fat Saturday Memorial Ride on the Saturday following Thanksgiving where we ride, eat leftovers and watch football. This year, we rebranded it the Souper Ride (soup is the menu) and we also had to relocate this event as we have outgrown our previous location. Plans called for basing
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Pam and Ken at Hocking. the ride at the Rider Center in Oak Openings on Jeffers Road. Our New Years Day ride will also be based there. The Cowboy Christmas Tack Swap and Live Auction on Dec. 3 at WB Ranch in Swanton was our primary activity planned for the month of December. This is the eighth year for this event and we look forward to it every year. This year the main attraction in our raffle drawing was a manure bucket full of adult beverages. In January, we will have our rebranded holiday party. It will be at Otsego Park, Saturday, Jan. 6 starting at 5 p.m. It will be a potluck with the chapter providing the meat. If you’d like to know what we’re up to in real time or want more information about our activities, check our website, www.fcohc. com, our Facebook page Fulton County Ohio Horseman’s Council or join our Facebook group Fulton County OHC. From all of us to all of you: we hope you have wonderful holidays! ~Kathy Brown December 2023
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Thank you to Cindy and Rob Orben for hosting the annual Halloween ride and social. Good ride and great friends at the beautiful Holbrook Hollows. Loved the pictures of all the costumes. General elections will be completed and we welcome all those we served this past year, everyone who will continue and anyone who will join in to make the coming year more exciting and adventurous. Cannot believe we are winding down another great year of riding the trails in northeast Ohio. Geauga OHC will soon be planning 2024 with more educational clinics, riding and social events for all our members. Speaking of members, please do not forget to renew your membership or join OHC. You will meet many new companions and enjoy this wonderful group. Please watch for details on the December meeting coming by email or in the newsletter. Have a very merry December. “The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.”—Amber Senti Cecilia Hanish
The Greene County chapter has welcomed several new members over the past couple of months. It’s been tremendous to see the growth of the chapter and to see all the new faces! Our growth has even led us to select a new venue for our monthly meetings. We now meet at the Greene County Parks and Trails building in Xenia on the third Friday of every month. All members of the Greene County Mounted Search Team are also members of our chapter. The team attended the 38th Annual Mounted Police Colloquium in central Kentucky on Sept. 12-15. The team won first place in the Western Equitation class during the event. Congratulations to the team! A third tie rail and a trailer parking sign was installed at Caesar Ford Park by two members of our chapter, president Jerry Smith and trail boss Dave Goodbar, with help from members of the Jeremiah Tree group. Several members of our chapter rode in the Jamestown Fall Festival on Sept. 16. Seven women members of our
Cindy Gould and Gia Williams a staff member at the Mounted Police Colloquium in Kentucky. Halloween ride 2023, Cindy Wynne and Hemi.
Halloween ride 2023, Brandy Arotin. December 2023
Greene County Mounted Search Team won first place in the Kentucky Western Equitation class.
Greene County chapter president Jerry Smith, trail boss Dave Goodbar, Jeremiah Tree group. chapter had a ‘Ladies Day Out’ at the Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus in October. Finally, a very cool OHC pumpkin was submitted for the Pumpkin Glow at Caesar Ford Park in October. ~Cindy Bieghler GUERNSEY Some awesome rides have gone on this year! Club members; Paula, Judy and Joan with Bonnie from Michigan rode at Hocking Hills staying at Three Reasons. Their pictures would have been in last month’s edition, but I had to submit my article to the Corral a few days early. Why? Twelve of us, five rigs and nine horses were leaving for Garden of the Gods, in Illinois. I had no ability to submit from there, I have a flip phone and write the stories on a desktop computer! Once at Garden of the Gods; Erin, Jerry and I unloaded our horses and rode a short threemile loop to limber up the horses after the seven-hour drive. Talk about a drive! Erin and Jerry woke up stone-sober, at 4 a.m. and decided to head out. Darla and I pulled out at 5:45 a.m. We had just got on I-77, when Erin called and said that her and Jerry were sitting in a parking lot on I-70 at Zanesville. They sat in one spot for an hour. Then for the next half hour they creeped along. A wreck caused it all. The problem was, our whole group would be on I-70 in just a few minutes. I got on the phone and got all of them diverted to US 40. We regrouped at the Loves Truck Stop, west of Zanesville, and headed out from there. The first three days all nine of us rode together. In those three days we encountered bees several times. Sandy and her horse were the first to be stung. Dee Dee and I were the second ones just seconds after Sandy. I was last in line and looked up as I heard Sandy screaming. By
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this time her horse was in full rodeo style bronco bucking. Sandy’s left hand was waving in the air, while her horse was bucking stiff legged straight up! With each buck going in circles. Somehow, she managed to stay on. Sandy was stung twice and her horse on the chest and the legs. As I watched Sandy, a bee got between my glasses and my right eye stinging me just below the eye. Dee Dee was stung all over. She just stood there! Yippy Ki-yay! It doesn’t get any better than that! The next day, Phyllis was stung 20 times and her horse about as many. As all this unfolded both Don, Marcy and their horses were stung. Don was yelling, “Go! Go! Go!” Dee Dee and I were in front of him, not being stung, while the rest of the group was under full attack. Somehow, no one was bucked off! We decided to split into two groups for everyone’s safety. The first day separated Jerry, Erin, Lynn and I rode the 164 Trail. Wow, what a trail! If you ever ride Garden of the Gods, the 164 has got to be on your bucket list. It’s beautiful! Merry Christmas and I hope to see you on the trail. ~Lee Randolph and Dee Dee HOLMES Welcome to December, the last month of 2023. Overall, our area has had a very good riding season and hay making year. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! By now our club has met and elected 2024 officers and will begin planning our spring banquet and future rides and camps. The joint Hocking camp with Wayne County at Pine Creek was held in early October. While we had some cool mornings, the riding was great and the food amazing. Thank you Wayne County President Marline Smalley, for all the planning that went into this camp. The trails were mostly dry and the new rework of the Purple was appreciated. Bruce and I had to pull out a little early to watch our son and his colt at Quarter Horse Congress. They had a great show but I would have liked to have been in two places at once. Bob Picklesimer’s camp on Oct. 27 did not have the best weather but Friday and Saturday riding was great. Saturday morning the camp closing chores were done, 55
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Well fed work crew at Bobs camp closing weekend. Some of the volunteers at the Obstacle Challenge.
Merry Christmas from Lake County OHC.
Lisa Jamison and husband at Elkins Creek.
Reuben Miller and Tonto at Elkins Creek. some alcove clean-up was done, and a small tree taken off one of the trails. Many thanks to Bob for his Indian Stew and cornbread. Several members attended the Horseman’s Mission seminar, demos, and sale. President Vickie Zook had a very busy October. Her son was married on the farm. Now both of her children have been married on their home farm. Her daughter was married there several years ago. With plenty of hard work and planning, the day went off beautifully. Several members including Reuben Miller had a very nice week at Elkins last month. I believe they hit the peak of fall color perfectly. Elkins is a great ride any time but the fall is spectacular. Vickie received a very nice email report from Lisa Jamison on her and her husband’s ride, also at Elkins. Both of their groups ride well and cover some ground. Bruce and I have been riding at Mohican. Mohican is closed on Nov. 27 and will open April 1, 2024. We had several good rides during Bob’s camp with Wayne Yoder and his young horse. We got out there with members Tom Ames and Lee Duncan on one of the last warm days with good color. We rode to the waterfall and back. We just got back from a nice ride at Camp Tuscazoar outside of New Philadelphia. Many thanks to those who have done so much work on the trails, trail markers, and the planned horse camping area. While it is hard for me to think about Christmas before 56
Thanksgiving, Bruce and I, and all of Holmes County Ohio Horseman’s Council wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year. ~Bev Hanna KNOX
Wooden horse in New Mexico.
Barb and Hope on the trail.
Happy trails and greetings from Knox County! I hope everyone has been able to get out and enjoy this great autumn weather. Our club members certainly have with many day rides and campouts at Beaver Creek and West Branch State Park. Although we have no further planned campouts for the rest of the year, it doesn’t mean we aren’t staying busy. Upcoming is the election of officers for 2024, meeting to schedule future campouts and events and a Christmas parade in Bladensburg. To be reported on in future articles. Mixed in this really great weather we have had, have been a few cold and rainy days and unfortunately our scheduled event of an Arena/Trail Obstacle Challenge was on one of those days and we were forced to cancel. But we were able to reschedule and in spite of the threat of rain once again, we had a good turnout and a successful event. We congratulate the winners and truly appreciate all those who attended. This event could not have happened without the combined efforts of the great volunteers from our club and the Knox County Horse Park. Maybe we can try it again next year! We meet the third Monday of every month at Donato’s Pizza in Mt. Vernon (now that the weather has changed) at 7 p.m. Come join us at a meeting, an event or riding down Ohio’s beautiful trails! ~Cindy Cossin
Barbara from the Possee.
Kim and Anna enjoying fall riding. LAKE The holidays are here. Our chapter members are celebrating with families and friends, as well as our four-legged buddies. Two of our members, Michelle S. and Rosemary Morgan volunteered for the Edgewater Beach Ride in Cleveland, sponsored by the Cleveland Metroparks Rangers. They showed riders where to park their trailers; gave out welcoming information, and helped where needed. We love this event put on by the Rangers, and try to support them in various ways. Barbara M. from our chapter attended a Lake Farm Parks Posse reunion held in Geneva/Harpersfield. She enjoyed seeing old friends and remembering old times. Many horse tales were told and retold. Michelle S. and myself attended the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in
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New Mexico. It was amazing! Woodcarving with saws was also featured at the festival. We particularly liked the wooden horse gracing the woodcarvers’ display. Several riders, myself included, from Free Spirit Farm joined Dottie Drockton on her afternoon ride at Headwaters Park. Two more riders from Free Spirit Farm joined her for the Moonlight Ride. The moon seemed as delighted by its reflection on the water as the riders were. As it is holiday time, our Lake members will definitely be visiting Big D’s and Schneider’s for horsey items. We can count on them to have awesome merchandise for gifting. Stay warm, stay safe and enjoy the holidays. ~Rayneen Tisovic LICKING Hello and Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope everyone is doing well and has got their Christmas shopping well under way. Our chapter had a great December 2023
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Halloween costumes at the October meeting. year, especially in the fall months we were finally able to have some good club rides! If you haven’t renewed your membership or joined us as a new member yet, the time is now. Get that done before you miss out on any new, exciting activities we are planning for the new year. As for the current members, don’t forget to get your trail miles in to Deb Sheka so she can tally up and report to the state for us. I’m sure you have done a lot of riding this year, but you have to report them so we have documentation to show that the equestrian community in Ohio is well, is important and a force to be reckoned with and not forgotten. We need to keep our trails! We had a great October meeting with a lot of awesome costumes and delicious snacks. Thank you everybody who dressed up! We also voted at the meeting that all our officers will remain in their positions for the new year and that makes us very happy! We’ve really become a great group of members who work well together. We can’t ask for more, except for more new members and friends to join us. Come and ride with us! ~Sigrid Batten LOGAN On Oct. 29 our meeting was held at Marmon Valley Farm, Logan County OHC bought pizza for our meeting and we had a tack swap to boot. The tack swap turned out to be a big success with 15 members present, we swapped away! At this meeting we voted our officers in for the year as well, President Becky Porter, Vice President Lynette Rostorfer, Treasurer Deb Hubbard and sorry about your luck I’m still secretary/reporter. We had six of our members represent Logan County OHC at the chili cook-off Sept. 15-17. John Porter volunteered to do our chili this year, he had some good chili! December 2023
Hiking at Hocking Hills on a rainy day.
Logan County OHC We had two local rides: Barb Corwin’s ride was Sept. 24, they had 10 riders at her ride with three of them being LCOHC members. The ride was followed by a potluck. Cynthia Orr had her ride on Oct. 22 at her farm, we had eight members, two guests and one secondary member show up. There was an unexpected rodeo before the ride started, thankfully no one was hurt. The trails were in good shape, and I have to say, the trees were at their peak color and it was magnificent. Four members representing the Logan County OHC attended the State meeting on Nov. 5. We are not having a Christmas party this year but we’ll have an awards meeting on Sunday, Jan. 14 instead. It will be held at the East Liberty Community Room at 5:30 p.m. Come join us for a great time with lots of prizes to be passed out! Please have mileage sheets filled out and given to Cynthia Orr by Dec. 15. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season! ~Cynthia Orr LORAIN I went trick-or-treating this Halloween with my 3-year-old
granddaughter and it started snowing. She was ecstatic and dropped to the ground to make a snow angel in her princess dress; oh, to be young again! Hopefully, we will make a point to get out some this winter with our equine friends when it’s safe and not slippery. Dundee Automotive Inc. is our calendar sponsor this month. We held our 2024 calendar of events planning meeting in October and had a great turn out of individuals to help provide suggestions. We came up with a new place to try in addition to good old-time favorites. We thank all who came to help plan our activities for next year. Additionally, we thank Sandy Shudy who brought homemade lasagna and all who brought delicious side dishes and desserts and helped with set up and tear down. At our October membership meeting, our current officers agreed to stay at their current positions for 2024. We are very thankful for all they have done for the benefit of our council this year and for their willingness to continue next year. They include Jim Wallace as president, Karen Norton as vice president, Wendy Pugh as secretary and Monica Haschak as treasurer. Hocking Hills was a bit on the rainy side although we did not let the rain stop us from having fun. One especially rainy day a few rode anyway, some hiked popular tourist attractions in the area and others checked out a nearby antique mall. Of course, we had a great potluck to wrap up the camping season and held our evening bon-fires under a pavilion complete with rocking chairs. In addition, there happened to be a penning event at the camp that we were able to enjoy. A good number of riders dressed up for our Halloween ride held at Carlisle Reservation and enjoyed some donuts and
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Brenda dressed up as Cruella de Vil for Halloween ride.
Billy at Hocking Hills ride. other goodies afterward. In November we had a day ride at Bedford Reservation and seven riders came. Sue M. shared that it was picturesque but remarked that one water crossing was a bit of a challenge, although all made it across safely. The only event scheduled for December was our annual Christmas party. It’s the one event where we all make a concerted effort to wash off the dust and wear clean clothes, although it makes it a little tricky to recognize each other. We thank you Sue Mollica for organizing this event. We wish you all a most joyful holiday season with family and friends, including your furry ones. ~Kathy Duncan MADISON It’s colder, it’s darker, but it’s still great to ride! No bugs, no worry about heat stroke, no sweaty clothes—it’s perfect to enjoy our now-hairy horses before the inevitable snow flies. I hope all of you get out and have a great time. Madison County OHC has had a great year! A highlight was at our October meeting, when we awarded a very-surprised Bob Kruse, Service Manager at Deer Creek State Park, with one of the first Meritorious Awards for his outstanding cooperation with our chapter in trail work at the park. Don Wagner, OHC State Trails chair, presented the award to 57
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Janet Nelson at Shawnee National Forest.
Susan Day at National Forest.
Shawnee
Bob and to Zach Woodrow, Deer Creek Park Manager, who could not be present. These wonderful men facilitate our trail work in any way that they can. We are indebted to them for their trust and assistance. Also, they are lots of fun! We celebrated with a potluck dinner and delicious cake. Our Gymkhana series ended in October, with about 70 participants at each event. This is more than in any previous year, and the youth numbers are increasing each year. We see this as a great sign of continued interest in horse activities and the future of equine endeavors in Ohio. Three of our members enjoyed four days at Shawnee National Forest in Illinois at High Knob Campground. They are glad that they had an excellent guide, Susan, saying that it was the best decision they made. There are over 1000 miles of trail, and the guide helped them find the best rides for them and their horses. They enjoyed the Garden of the Gods’ spectacular views and rock formations, as well as Rice Hollow and Hermit Cave. They experienced rugged canyons, water crossings, ravines, sheer cliffs, caves, and a climb up a boulder to a breathtaking overlook. This area is a lot of rock climbing and definitely challenging for horses and riders. They certainly appreciated their steady mounts and the fabulous scenery and are discussing a return trip. We look forward to our annual Christmas party and the New 58
Bob Kruse, Meritorious Award winner. Year to bring us more days of riding and excellent time with our horses. It is good simply to spend time with them when we cannot ride just to let them know that life is not all about work when we head out to get them. They may even meet you at the gate! All the best to each of you as our year wraps up, and we all hope for happiness, wisdom, increasing knowledge, and fun with our friends and horses. Ride on! ~Lisa Reynolds MEDINA Elections took place at our November membership meeting. Our incumbent officers were reelected: Maureen Mizerak is our president, Raydeen Ryden is our vice president, Amy O’Neil is our secretary, and Rosemary Young is treasurer-for-life. Trail news! For those of you who are frequent visitors to our Cuyahoga Valley National Park trails there are significant changes to the Perkins trail. I am going to steal some content from Raydeen Ryden’s very good article in our last newsletter. “The changes can be seen on the new maps that have been issued by the park. First off there is no longer a trail named ‘Perkins’. When you exit the covered bridge and ride along the river you can cross over and go up the trail that was Perkins until you come to what I refer to as the short cut, at this point you go right and cross over and rejoin the trail. The longer loop that went along the ridge then at the end turned and dropped down to the river crossing and continued until it met up with the spot the shortcut connected to is the closed portion. The Park no longer has roads and good access points to get equipment and materials in to maintain that portion of the trail, so they want it closed. That is a done deal and non-negotiable at this point. At this time, we can still ride along the river and get to Riding Run.
When the huge culvert that runs under the old road into the river is removed, it will cut off that trail entrance. What happens then is you will ride the old Perkins trail to get to Riding Run Loop and come back that same way. This is the official trail now.” The new map of Everett Area trails is available at the visitors’ center or by contacting one of our officers at Medina@ohconline.com. Beat those winter blues and come to our annual winter banquet! Celebrate with Summit chapter (our sister horse-lovers) on Jan. 27 at Richfield Masonic Hall at 3750 Grant Street, Richfield, Ohio 44286. There will be good food, prizes and of course, cake! Join old friends and make a few new ones. If you are a new member, come join us! It’s a great way to get to know both chapters. The link to the invitation will be available with email blasts and in our newsletter. Our Dec. 6 meeting was our annual chili potluck. More on that next month. Before I sign off, I want to extend some special wishes to some of our valued members who could use some love this season: Carol Himelright, Linda and Jack Weese, Patricia Vance, and Reuss Griffiths. You are always in our thoughts and we wish you all a warm holiday season. Happy Holidays, marshmallow memories and quiet winter rides from your valley girl. ~Rosemary Young MEIGS By the time you are reading this, Meigs has held its last fun show and organized ride for 2023 on Nov.12. Amazing how quickly the year has passed. We did have to cancel our Halloween special fun show due to the rainy weather so that was a disappointment but hopefully we can hold one next year. The fun show competitors rankings will be announced by the time this is published, those names will be included in the January 2024 edition of the Corral. The AEP Southeast Recreational Area will be closed for equine trails riding during the deer hunting gun season and then again on Dec. 1 through March 31. The only scheduled exception is the New Years Day trail ride and it is for members of OHC only. The area will reopen on April 1, 2024, for members and for the public.
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Pony ride owners and horses.
Annalyn and Raider at Lake Snowden.
Wylie Coyote and Stoney with riders at AEP. Thanks to the hard work of our members, the trails have been cleared of brush and fallen timber but depending on the severity of the winter weather, we may have to start from scratch again in the spring. Mother Nature does not seem to grant us immunity from her winds and storms that wreck our trails. We are hoping to have a GPS scan of the trails and a new map drawn by the time the trails are reopened in April. New signs are in progress and we hope to have those up soon, also. A pony/horse ride was held by the chapter on Nov. 4, in the parking lot of Powell’s FoodFair in Pomeroy, Ohio. Sixty-two area children participated in the free rides. Many of them had never been that close to a horse before, let alone ridden one. Members bringing their horses/ ponies were: Susan and Kevin provided Cowboy, Jocelyn and Matt brought Whiskey and Rhett, Emmalee had her Haflinger Doc, Beka brought her mini Nacho, and Jennifer provided Paco. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Powell family for allowing us the use of their parking lot for this fun event. Not only were we able to introduce horses and horsemanship to area kids but it gave us an opportunity to promote our chapter and our activities in December 2023
County Lines the community. Several of the parents and other adult spectators completed memberships while others asked questions about our organization. ~Marlene Swartz PERRY Our annual soup ride at Burr Oak was quite a success (and delicious). The warm soup was welcome on a rather chilly day. Gray skies didn’t dampen our spirits; the trails were in decent shape thanks to the Wagners and park personnel. Henry Doyle walked away as winner of both the People’s Choice and the judge’s number one favorite with his queso soup. It was so good that I had to get the recipe and try it for myself. Yum! We had a great variety of soups, I believe eight in total, with no two of the same kind. I can say there wasn’t much in the way of leftovers. The weather took a toll on attendance and club members were the only ones who ventured out. But no worries, we had a great time and fared very well for our annual fundraiser. Thanks to everyone who participated, brought soup, and donated and purchased auction items. Our after holiday event, or as we now call it, Winter Fest, will be held in February. We’re kicking around some new ideas for this year, one of which is a baking contest, so get your recipes ready for the challenge! Mark Westlake, our regional rep, has dibs on being a judge for that contest. We’ll iron out the details at the next meeting. Rounding out the year we have members participating in the American Heart Association Beach Ride in South Carolina, namely Jeff and Jayme Coakley, Laura Owings and Brenda Lehman. They are joined by some fellow Hocking OHC members as well for this noteworthy event. Another group made their way to Elkins Creek in mid-October for the HTCA ride. The place was at full capacity despite the rainy weather. The trails were in fantastic shape and the music delightful. Always a good time. Both Sheri Humphrey and Teresa Smith have some new horsepower in their barns. Don Wagner purchased a team of beautiful black horses, Toby and Trixie, to use for pulling wagons. Our sympathy goes to Laura Owings for the loss of her horse, December 2023
Wagon train.
area projects and hope for a completion by Dec. 1. We have been blessed with lots of out of county riders. There is nothing more fun than meeting other enthusiastic horsemen on the trail. We hope everyone enjoys this holiday season and a Happy New Year! ~Debby Sears PREBLE
Laura and Brenda at AHA ride.
The State Ride was the first full weekend in October, Oct. 6-8, three glorious days of fun, food, fun show, trail riding and of course our raffles; one for the $750 gift card from Rural King, which was won by Don Ballinger from Coldwater, Ohio, along with our great Chinese auction. We had Ashley Martin for entertainment, along with some really great prizes that were won by many of the participants. We decided on pulled pork, potato salad, cole slaw and desserts for our meal this year. We will be having our elections after the Corral deadline so I will
Toby and Trixie. Jack, who succumbed to Lyme disease. Don’t forget the most important year-end task: report your trail miles and work hours! I can’t stress enough the importance of doing this. Plus, in our club you are included in a drawing for a gift card while the person turning in the most miles receives a gift card as well. How’s that for incentive? And if you haven’t done so already, please renew your OHC membership. There will not be a December meeting but we will reconvene in January on the second Tuesday at The Pizza Place in New Lex. Until then, be thankful for your health, your friends and family, both furry and not, and live each day like you stole it. Happy holidays! ~Marianne Patton
post those results in the January 2024 issue. A brand-new year and lots of interesting things to plan for the chapter for 2024. Here’s wishing everyone happy trails for this riding season. We will have our Christmas party/ meeting sometime in December. I will let you all know about that in January also. Not much else going at this time of year so stay safe and get those trail rides in when you can. If you see a tree down on the trails or a problem that needs attended to give Donn, Terry or Gene a shout or post it on Facebook. ~Becky Clifton SANDUSKY Leaving the eight tiny reindeer for Santa, Mrs. Claus updated to a Thoroughbred for a more powerful ride! Merry Christmas! Miranda Currie said it best, “We will move enough stone that is equivalent to a year’s waste from a 1,000-pound horse!” She was talking about the stone which about 20 people moved during the work day at White Star bridle trail on Nov. 4 (see this month’s photos). If you’ve never been to White Star bridle trails or it has been a while, be sure to ride the trails this fall and winter! The trails are ‘barefoot friendly,’ with long stretches of the trails able to accommodate three or four riders abreast and wooded areas for those windy fall and winter rides. Did you know that there are also more trails across the road from the trail head? There are! After you safely cross CR66, you will be able to step onto several openings that lead to various trails which meander their way through the open prairie areas. If you’re looking to stay in the warm sunshine on those winter days when the winds are light, the prairie lands are the
PIKE Pike County has been beautiful. Several of us have taken advantage and have logged a 100 miles in October. Fantastic! We are still working on rest HORSEMEN’S CORRAL
State ride fun.
White Star work day. 59
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White Star work day. place to ride! We group ride on the first Sunday of the month at 1 p.m. and usually have about eight to ten riders. Please check our Facebook page for updates due to inclement weather. Come ride with us! Want to learn more about our club? Join us at Fricker’s in Fremont on the second Tuesday of the month. We eat at 6 p.m. and start our meeting at 7 p.m. Please join us, you’ll be glad you came! ~Donna McHaffie STARK It’s so hard to believe it is now December. We had such a wonderful fall as the weather was so pleasant. Our chapter had a very successful year in with the work we did at Camp Tuscazoar in helping to establish a horseman’s camping area and putting in more trails. Then helping to get the approval for riding trails off Route 800 just south of Canton. These places are planned to be opening in the spring of 2024. Two of our members had very serious horse-related injuries that will take time to heal but they should be back in the saddle in a few months. We need to keep Ann Prunty and Stacy McGill in our prayers that their healing is successful. Best wishes for a holiday season full of fun and laughter. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Stark County members! ~Jo Ellen Reikowski SUMMIT As they say at the end of filming a great movie, “It’s a wrap folks”. So, it just seemed 60
appropriate for winding up another year with Summit County OHC riders. The year always begins with excitement and anticipation. In our case it starts off with the winter banquet in January to cap off the previous year by acknowledging trail mile, saddle hour, and volunteer hour tallies. It is also a great opportunity to visit with members we have not seen for a while and plan for some upcoming events. Recently, we have been fortunate to do a joint celebration with the Medina chapter. Eventually with each passing month, the momentum picks up with day rides as weather permits. Sprinkled in are the parades like St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4, and Christmas. Camping weekends and fundraisers begin to sprout up like mushrooms from spring through late fall. So, it is part of an ongoing cycle if we are lucky enough to keep it going. Of course, there will always be some obstacles along the way. Whether it is our health or that of our horses, with the help of medical science, perseverance and the encouragement of our OHC members, we can continue sharing these experiences for many years to come. That being said, it takes a lot of dedicated people working behind the scenes of every meeting or event to make it happen. Volunteers take on a lot of responsibility to plan and implement events to ensure their success. To every member who has worked as an officer, committee head or member, trail worker or ambassador, community liaison, or representative of the equine community we thank you for all your dedication and hard work. Your efforts have helped Summit chapter achieve an amazing goal of putting on the new roof at the Summer Barn and Richfield Heritage Preserve and gaining community recognition. We offer a special thanks to our community supporters, Big Dee Tack and Vet Supplies and Centerra of Medina for their generosity and Jayco Builders LLC for a great job on the new roof. By riding trails and attending community events, we have put a face on a lifestyle few have the privilege to enjoy in an ever-shrinking natural world environment. Hopefully, somewhere along this amazing journey we have shared, all of us have planted the seeds of a lifelong
Prayer Ride pause at RHP.
Crew at Mohican Treasure Hunt.
Trotting Traudy Prayer Ride.
during
dream for other individuals to follow in our footsteps. From everyone at Summit County OHC, Happy New Year and let’s pray for good health, continued friendships, patience to weather the storms and gratitude for thriving in spite of them. ~Joann Ulichney TUSCARAWAS Vivid autumn splendor is best appreciated when viewed from the back of a horse. Several OHC members chose Oct. 16 to venture to Hocking Hills State Horseman’s Campground for several days to enjoy the wealth of serene beauty evident in the colorful vistas. Although we journeyed separately in three rigs, all arrived within moments of one another, including our Kentucky native, Alice. During a mild drizzle, we encountered several anxious deer, whose presence and unpredictable nature startled one of us. From her new seat on the soft earth carpeted in fallen leaves, she assessed her unexpected situation. The cooler temperatures were a
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Tuscarawas County OHC welcome relief to our horses. The State camp was relatively unpopulated, which was our intended goal when we selected a Monday for travel. The traditional campfire produced sizzling steaks, as well as laughter and shared comradery. As our trail boss, Jerry intended to cover an exorbitant amount of trail the following day, we elected to rise relatively early to tend to morning chores before proceeding. My mare was the only non-gaited mount; thus, we trotted the majority of the day, nearly the entire seven hours. Whew, Cassi accepted this novelty with grace, but her rider has since considered an alternative ‘gaited horse’ to add to her current stable. 21 Horse Cave is situated at the summit of a rocky pass. Hikers were abundant and shared the cavernous outcropping with our group. We thank them for their generous offer to photograph and produce the amazing shot taken from within. Fortune was with us as we navigated the repelling area, climbing between towering rock formations, spires of strength illuminated by subtle rays of sunlight. The narrow passage led ultimately to the perfect fairly level expanse featuring intersecting hitching posts, where we unburdened our horses and stretched our legs. My comrades and I covered several miles of challenging trails, thoroughly enjoying one another’s company and experiencing the amazing bond that only intensifies when horse and rider overcome terrain that may at first glance, appear unsurmountable. Erin and Jerry were able to squeeze in one final, but strenuous ‘goat trail’ ride, prior to departure. Whereas, Alice and I joined several friends, camped at Cowboy Larry’s and devoted the entire day to hiking Cedar Falls to see its amazing views of the valley below. It was rare to see any of our hiking buddies ‘trotting’, but the camera aficionados, struggling to accomplish a particularly creative December 2023
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21 Horse Cave and Erin and Jerry. shot, were coaxed into crevices and dangerous escarpments as we observers, wary of the hazards, recognized they were far from invincible! Hocking Hills is the ultimate environment to redefine and develop relationships and share a common interest in the witnessing of spectacular natural scenery intensified by the vibrant colors of autumn. The Tuscarawas County OHC attend a dinner meeting on the second Monday of each month. As the restaurants vary, contact the undersigned, should you wish to attend. We welcome new members! ~Holly Waldenmyer
Karen and Rick Johnson with helpers on a trail work day.
Bill Smith with Harold at the 2016 Founders Days dinner.
UNION Howdy, everyone. Sadly, the autumn riding season has come and gone like the leaves from the trees. Time to make plans for the holidays and prepare for winter. Hopefully everyone had the chance to get in a few rides. I attended the November OHC State General Membership Meeting. As always, I enjoyed the camaraderie and meeting folks from other chapters. It was also a nice day for a drive to and from Newark. Happy Trails. ~Debbie Strayton WARREN Merry Christmas! It seems a bit weird to type that as my Halloween decorations are still up, but by the time you read this we’ll be close. Time flies. Our October meeting was held at Mustang Journey. This organization was started partly by our own Bill Smith, who passed recently. He had hoped for us to come to a meeting there at some point, and while it didn’t happen while he was alive, we did so this time in his honor. It was a fitting tribute. The facility was a bit of a drive, but worth it. Still a December 2023
the outdoor vendors, etc. Hey, you may as well come shop, eat and visit, so why not volunteer a couple hours also? The Over the Hill Gang had our last work day for the year on Nov. 1. The trail was cleared from the gulch north, on both sides. Hopefully it stays that way until after the first of the year, but of course we never know what Mother Nature will decide to do. You can still report any issues you come across to Roger, and he’ll put it on his list for next year. The only project we have planned so far (other than our usual clearing and trimming) is replacing a rotting bridge on Farmer’s Trace. The materials have been ordered; we just have to wait for them to be available before that project can be done. It’s possible that a few of us may still be out there working every now and then; sometimes we find something we want to do. But there are no more official work days until January. Remember that we meet the first and third Wednesday of each month (weather permitting, we do occasionally get rained out, or snowed out), and are always happy for more hands. ~Mickie Newnam WASHINGTON
Bob Witt who passed recently. work in progress, but doing well. A worthwhile cause, also. They had a really nice little mare ready for sale; she was a sweetheart. Look them up if anyone is in the market. You can find them on the web or Facebook under Mustang Journey. Don’t forget that our Great Tack Exchange will be held on March 17, 2024. Yes, on St. Patrick’s Day. We will not be selling green beer, but I imagine there will be a bit of green here and there. It will again be at the Greene County Fairgrounds (how fitting!), as we can’t get the space at the Warren County Fairgrounds anymore. As always, Judy and Belinda are looking for volunteers; it takes a village to make this event run smoothly. Contact either of them (or sign up at a meeting) if interested. You don’t have to commit to the entire day; even a couple of hours helps. The event is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. so that’s when the bulk of the volunteers are needed, but even before it’s helpful to have extra people at the food booth, helping
Merry Christmas from Washington County. Our riding season is over, unfortunately. In our part of the state there are not a lot of places to ride other than public roads and private land. We do have one resource that is a good place to ride in the winter, it is the North Bend Rail Trail just across the border in Wood County, W.Va. The trails are good and are all season. If you get a good section of weather and feel like a road trip, come on out! We will be having our Christmas party for the club on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church in Marietta. We will be collecting Toys for Tots, having a Chinese gift exchange and eat lots of great food. This is one of our largest meetings of the year, for good reason! In other news, we held a successful corn hole tournament at the Barlow Fairgrounds on Oct. 6. We held two rounds, the first round was ‘Bring Your Own Partner’ and the winners were Reece Christman and 10-year-old Jase Webb, pictured with our surprise guest Brumby. The second round was a blind draw the winners being the
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Reece Christman and Jase Webb pictured with Brumby in the middle.
Scott Webb Stevens.
and
Jared
Team Biggin, Scott Webb and Jared Stevens. There were far too many people that made this successful event possible, to mention each one by name, but the committee did a great job, and we appreciate the effort! We had four riders at the chapter ride on Oct. 28 at Stroud’s Run. It was a dreary day, but riders had a good time. This time of year has many conflicts, and that was the case for some of our most regular participants! As we finish the year, we are busy tabulating miles for the past year. This is a tedious project to be sure. We know first hand how important it is to do this in our club. A few years ago, our sister club in West Virginia had a meeting about a trail and we could provide our miles ridden there and it made a difference in the outcome of the meeting! Washington County is a social club to be sure, but it is a riding club as well. In the past we have turned in about 40,000 miles each year, we hope to do that again, but we will see. The main thing is we had a good season, no serious injuries that we know of and are looking forward to a great 2024! It is our hope you have a great holiday season and are able to count us among your friends! Merry Christmas! ~Rita V. Schultheis WAYNE Wayne County Chapter sent the horse camping season out in a 61
County Lines blaze, a blaze of color from the trees at Hocking State Park that is! A total of 16 campers and 11 rigs spent all or part of the week of Oct. 9-15 camping and riding at Pine Creek Horseman’s Camp in Hocking Hills State Park. The weather was fantastic with just a little rain on Saturday. Although it was cold in the morning and evening, Dave Smalley did a great job keeping a warm campfire going for coffee and cookies in the morning and after our fabulous group suppers each evening. Many thanks to all who pitched in and made the group meals so delicious. Dave put a new twist on the left-over garlic bread, toasting it over the fire. It sure didn’t go to waste. The riding was great. Many improvements have been made to the trails. Jim Baker did really well, riding his new horse, Jake, 46 miles just eight weeks after a total hip replacement. Cindy Funk’s new horse did well for a 4-year-old, after he gave us all a rodeo bucking lesson the first day! Elsie, “This might be the last time I get to ride this trail” won the prize for the most miles
ridden the first day. She rode six hours and covered all of the most popular sightseeing stops in one day! Most importantly, no one was hurt except Leigh Litman’s bee sting. It was a very good time of fellowship and horsemanship, and we are looking forward to next year’s October camp out at Pine Creek. Heather Kinney wasn’t able to join us at Pine Creek because she was having her own fabulous trail ride in Eminence, Mo., which she does every year with a group of old friends. The photos she posted showed many river crossings and beautiful terrain. We are glad she and Gus are home safe. The Tuesday rides at Mohican ended Oct. 24, with beautiful weather and a good group of riders. Remember, these are open to anyone, so try to join us next year and meet a great group of fun people who love horses and camping. Remember, Mohican bridle trails will close at the end of November until April 1, 2024, to equestrian traffic. Although this is a disappointment to those who love to trail ride
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Heather Kinney on Gus in Eminence, Mo. during the winter, it allows the forest and logging crews to work uninterrupted to keep the forest in good condition. Although I hate to admit it, the trails actually do stay in much better condition as well with the break in use so be sure to tell others who may not be OHC members. Or better yet, invite them to join! The Muskingum Watershed announced that the trail at Malabar is open around the rocks near SR 95. You can finally ride the loop there without crossing SR 95 to Pleasant Hill. If you don’t have time for the ride to Pleasant Hill, with this opening you can still have a nice ride staying on Malabar property. There is no signage yet, but the trail is marked with ribbons. Malabar trails do stay open all winter except for the maple syrup season. Thanks to all who participated in the survey and contacted the Metro Park system in Medina County to let them know how much we use and appreciate the bridle trails at Silver Creek Park. The lake closed for swimming after Covid and there was talk about closing the short loop bridle path around the lake and opening it only to hikers. At this point, due to the many comments they received, there are no plans to close any part of the bridle trails at Silver Creek. In fact, having just ridden it recently, I
Cindy Funk at Hocking Hills. can report that there have been significant improvements made to the eastern or Norton side of the bridle trails. They have been very muddy and hard to navigate for many years. Now, there is new gravel and culverts down and there really weren’t any bad muddy spots. The equestrian bridge has been replaced and is very nice and safe. The signage for the equestrian versus hiking trails is well marked and easy to follow. Although you may see some hikers through the trees, the trails are parallel and do not cross and are not shared. There are no bikes allowed, making it a very peaceful place to get in a six- or seven-mile ride. Finally, remember to renew your membership before the end of the year and to turn in your trail miles by Dec. 31. It can be tedious to go back through your trail app or paper calendar to calculate where and how many miles you rode. However, remember, that is in part how the state determines who is using the park trails. The heavy users get the most funding and assistance with improvements, so get those trail miles in! Here’s hoping everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you all on the trails next spring. ~Susan Baker
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