County Lines

up our horse trailers, not that any of us aren’t experts already! I did some research on the topic and did find a school that charges $295 and frankly I’m interested. Maybe we can get a group rate. Stay tuned!

I hope everyone is taking advantage of the good weather we’ve had this year. I’m sure the heat will get turned up but so far, so good. To wonderful friends and campfires, see you on the trail!

~Marianne Patton PIKE

We had a great turnout for our Christmas in July meeting. The food layout would put Ponderosa to shame. It is a good thing we have an hour to dine before the meeting. We then shared in a gift exchange of which usually you don’t keep what you pick. We have more trail clean up to go and repairs on some tie rails. All in good time. There were six members who camped for the holiday weekend and enjoyed a continuous campfire for five days. And of course, we managed to get in 15 miles of riding between showers, during which we played some cut throat crazy 8 cards and dominoes. Hope to see some of you on the trails.

~Debby Sears SANDUSKY

Hold your horses! Have you heard that we are planning a Poker Ride on Oct. 1, in honor of our 15 years as a club? Come join us! There will be a one-hour ride (first out at 10 a.m., last out at 1 p.m.), door prizes, best poker hand, 50/50 raffle, dropticket auction and of course, food! Cost will be $15. And, yes, camping will be available for overnight! Some current prizes include: a potting basket donated by TSC, a 50-pound bag of oats donated by the County Co-Op in Pemberville and a hand-forged poker created by our very own Vice President Al Sidel!

We sure are in the heat of the summer! We are now hosting our monthly first Sunday rides at White Star at 10 a.m. to beat the warmer weather. Come ride with us! If the weather is questionable, please visit our Facebook page to make sure the ride is still happening. We’ve completed a lot of trail work over the last few months: 300 feet of stone and geotech to the muddy areas on the trails, groomed the parking lot and general trimming back of the overgrowth. Many hands make for light work. Al is organizing monthly working parties to help keep the trails in pleasant riding condition. Please see our Facebook page for working party dates if you’d like to volunteer!

Several members of our club had fun participating in the Gibsonburg Homecoming Parade in June. Did you catch Cheryl Ohms’ picture with all of the July 4 flair?

Our club meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. (come early if you’d like to join us for dinner) at Buffalo Wild Wings in Fremont. Please join us! Hope to see you on the trails!

~Donna McHaffie STARK

During the summer we do not have regular monthly meetings as it gives us time to ride and enjoy our horses and friends. During the month of June, we had reserved the group camping area at Mohican State Forest. Last year in June our reservation was cancelled because of the tornado damage done to that region. We know they worked hard to get the trails opened back up but we didn’t know if it would be worth our while to go since so much damage had been done so we were not really expecting a lot. But were we pleasantly surprised! It was totally amazing at all the work that had been done and how nice the trails were. Thank you to all who made this happen. There were six campers and one day rider in our group and we had a wonderful time. Nature is so surprising as how the storms could take out a whole section in the middle of the forest and still leave the teepee that has been there for years. One section of the Green Trail, where the creek crossing is, was so beautiful and we didn’t even remember riding it before. Either we rode the trail backwards or it was a new section that was added. Regardless, we had such a good time and really enjoyed the trip. So glad we went.

One of our member’s horses passed away shortly after they returned from a week-long ride in Pennsylvania. Something that happens but you never expect it. He was a good horse and they had many fun times together.

Good memories which will last a lifetime. Then another member’s horse was not feeling very good when turned out, and turned up with a torn ligament which will need surgery. Again, we never know, and hope for the best.

We were hit hard in Stark County with the smoke filtering down from Canada. It has been hard to go outside being in the purple range. They say it will be with us for a while longer.

Have a safe and great year!

~Jo Ellen Reikowski

Summit

How can I put a new slant on reporting our June 24 fundraiser at Richfield Heritage Preserve for the Summer Barn. I watched our only canine attendee Lacey (Donner) with great interest and imagined her take on the proceeding through her eyes approximately two feet off the ground. First, the weather smelled iffy but there were no skunks in the immediate vicinity. Everyone else hoped the rain and storms would hold off until later that day. There was a lot of activity as the rigs filed in and people came down to grab a breakfast pastry and coffee and give her a pat and a warm hello. She watched intently for a morsel to drop, but her job on cleanup was minimal. Besides, the groundhog living under the floorboards would do the final sweep. Lacey knew that the Summit Chapter of OHC was having a Ruff, Ruff time raising funds for the new Roof, Roof, Roof on the summer barn. As she lay there looking above, she could see the overcast sky through the holes and all the Bark, Bark from the boards rotting away. Then there was a flurry of fourlegged athletic knees prancing about at various heights and off they went in a flurry to find the five treasure buckets scattered along the trail. All Lacey could do is try to GRRin and bear it until they all returned safely to trade their tokens for five magic cards. Then there was a Yip Hooray from the winners who received their special Big Dee’s gift certificates for their reward. There were also some special thank you gifts from Centerra in Medina for all the horses who participated and then, the silent auction winners were announced. Lunch smelled great but Lacey was on a short leash so she would not be under foot or hoof. After all the planning and preparation by the committee, it was time to kick back and visit for a spell. Individual photo sessions were taken to cap off the event. All too soon the weather started to take a turn for the worse and miraculously the rain started just as the last person cleared the gate. All in all, Lacey said it was a Wooferful day. Thanks to each and every person who worked so hard to make this day happen and all those of you who traveled from a far as 90 miles away to support our efforts. We hear there might have been some special donors there to bolster our efforts. Thank you, Lacey, for sharing our story.

For everyone making the parade routes this summer, we understand someone needs to at least tell spectators and event planners how to interact with the horses participating. As an awestruck kid who respected and loved them, I couldn’t wait for the horses at parades end. If you do ride, remember these are people with no experience around large animals. Many think the natural world is a glorified petting zoo and think nothing of putting their