Association/Trail Riders News

BRIGHTON TRAIL RIDERS ASSOCIATION

Here we are in mid-late summer and weather wise, it's been a mixed bag. We've had pleasant days, hot days, rainy days – you name it. Just a few weeks ago, Michigan was hit with several tornados and a DNR riding area just one county away was hit hard. Thankfully, Brighton Recreation Area was spared that kind of devastation. Nevertheless, Ma Nature did throw us a curve ball in June. We were scheduled to have our first major outdoor event since Covid and were really looking forward to it. Then, the weather reports of heavy rain and storms on the day of the event started coming in. The day prior to the event, we reluctantly decided that it had to be cancelled. Then, on the day in question, it didn't rain! On a later message to our membership, we quipped that weather forecasters could be wrong half the time and still keep their jobs. hope you'll join us for this event! This year we will have the usual festivities with prizes for the horseshoes brought in with the winning colors. We will also have our 50/50 raffle, a hot dog lunch, and a great potluck dinner following the ride on Saturday, (bring your favorite dish to pass!). We’ve added something more this year and will be holding our first Chinese auction. We have some great items to choose from so come and have a chance to win one, or two! The HTRA Horseshoe event is always a great time and is filled with fun, friendship, great food and lots of laughs! To register or for more information, email Sally Oberg at highlandtrailriders@gmail.com. Mail registration form and checks to treasurer James Jurkowski, 2641 Pebble Lane, Milford, MI 48381. Make checks payable to HTRA. Forms will be available on Highland Trail Riders Association Facebook page and at: http://highlandtrailriders.com/web/ We always welcome new members and would love having you join our Association. Wherever you ride ... please enjoy the trails, ride safe, and support your local trail rider associations!!

Right now, we have three events still on the schedule for 2021: an open ride and picnic in September, our annual Poker Ride in October, and a big banquet set for November, cohosted with the Pinckney Trail Riders. The banquet, which has evolved from a Christmas party to a “Spring Fling ” due to epidemic-caused post-ponements, is our latest effort to hold a big party with our friends from Pinckney. Given the uncertainties associated with the Covid epidemic and Mother Nature's mood, all of them are subject to change. Of course, we're keeping our fingers crossed. In the meantime, the equestrian facilities at Brighton are in full operation, so all trail riders are welcome to visit us. Mark Delaney, BTRA President

HIGHLAND TRAIL RIDERS ASSOC.

ATTENTION TRAIL RIDERS!!! HTRA is holding our annual Horseshoe Ride September 10-12, 2021. Yes...it's happening and we

IONIA HORSE TRAILS ASSOCIATION

We have had a lot of wind issues this summer, and lots of work done cleaning up downed trees and debris. If you encounter this situation on the trails, please let us know, and let the park staff know before you leave the park. We all work together as best as we can to keep the trails clear. There are lots of campsites left for our October Chili Cook Off, October 2, 2021. We are hoping for a great IHTA turn out as this will effectively be our only event for 2021! Please get your reservation made soon! When reserving online, remember your first click is on the "Equestrian" tab on the right side of the page, then you can select our horse camp. Be sure to use a good email address when making your reservation. At the end of the 2021 season, there will be an electronic survey sent to horse campers. The state is looking for your feedback and concerns about camping with horses, and potential interactions with non-horse campers. This is critical to our work to try to keep our horse campgrounds "horse only". If you register directly at the park, please ask the person working at registration to take down your email address and give it to the park supervisor so you can be included in the survey. We hope to make additions to the Ionia Confidence Course next year. We have plotted out our proposed route for Phase 2, but this hinges on DNR approval on the trail. As soon as we have DNR approval for the route, it will be brushed out and riders are welcome to start using the path to go from day staging to the Phase 1 course. The path will pick up from the trail just across the road from day staging, then take the first right (presently it is marked by pink ribbons in sets of two – stay between the ribbons.) Our approximately 100 x 100 arena built with a joint effort of park staff and IHTA volunteers in September 2019 is next to day staging. If you have an anxious horse you want to expose to trail riding, you'll have a safe place to "work out the kinks" before hitting the trails. We'll also be encouraging 4-H groups to hold their practices there, as well as potentially inviting clinicians and outside events in the future. THREE DAY PARKING AREAS: 1 – Normal Day Staging; 2 – Go past the day staging parking lot to the "Barn Lot" on the same side of the road; 3 – There is also a new option to access the west end of the park more easily! It is still signed as the X Country Ski Trail, just before the beach entrance (on the opposite side of the road) when entering the park. Park staff enlarged the parking area to hold four or five horse size rigs, but this is not a parking area suitable for BIG rigs. The drive entry is not wide, and the turnaround area is not huge. If your rig is more than 30 feet or you lack backing skills, this may not be a good option. Please park like you expect the lot to be full when you come back. Leave room for others and plan for all rigs to be able to exit safely. Remember, you can ask questions or report trail issues on our Facebook page Ionia Horse Trails – IHTA, or by calling the park at 616-527-3750.

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MAYBURY STATE PARK TRAIL RIDERS ASSOCIATION (MSPTRA)

Greetings, trail riders! You may have noticed that new rocks were placed along the recently completed equestrian bridge. This is to reinforce the side of the creek and to prevent erosion. The slew of rain these past months has inundated our park with a ton of mosquitoes and deer flies. Protect yourself and your horse by bringing an ample supply of mosquito and tick spray when you come out to ride. Our next event is the Halloween Spooktacular Scavenger Hunt Trail Ride on Saturday, October 16, 2021. Mark your calendars! We hope to see some 'spooky' horses and riders in our park this October! Additional details will be forthcoming and will be posted on our Facebook page as well as the Maybury Trail Riders website. Preacher have 24, Julie Parliament and Zeke have 21.5, Carrie Carpenter and Carma have 19.6, Autumn Sell and Ransom have 8.8, Katie Collier and Maggie have 7.5, Naomi Haas and Dexter have 7.1, Marilyn Mannino and Kate have 6.5 points. They have been working hard training, attending clinics (dressage, horsemanship, cattle clinics, mounted police), showing (virtually and in person) in Dressage, performing trail maintenance, trail riding and camping in state and out of state (Ohio, Kentucky, Wyoming) at state and National Parks. In the Ultimate Horseman's Challenge Jodi Myers leads with 266.9 points, Carrie has 148, Marilyn has 21.5, Susan Williams has 15.5, Autumn has 10.8, Rose has 7.1 and Julie has 7 points. Great job all! Keep up the good work!! Congratulations go out to Kelly Clevenger and Preacher who recently received a Certificate of Excellence and have qualified for the US National Dressage Regional Championship in Basic Level Championship and Basic Level All-Around Championship Western Dressage categories. This pair have been coached by the outstanding trainer and judge Joanne Coy. Well-done!

Don't forget to 'Log Your Ride' on our website when you ride in the park! Check out all the new updates to the website at www.mayburytrailriders.org. Continue to follow us on Facebook (https:// www.facebook.com/mayburytrailriders/) for updates on the trails, events and general news going on in the park. Feel free to post pictures from your rides! Happy Trails, Mary Nader

MICHIGAN FOX TROTTER ASSOCIATION

The Versatility Program participants have sure been busy this year. The second quarter totals for the Under Saddle Division show Jodi Myers and Spy have 229.5 points, Mandy Kellogg and Bella have 211, Georgi Carlton and Joey have 162.6, Carrie Carpenter and Moo have 126.4, Kristen Humble and Annie have 96, Rondal Montgomery and Sloopy have 91.4, Susan Bombard and Sky have 82.7, Jodi Meyers and Jigs have 30.4, Kelly Clevenger and Also, Jodi Meyers and Spy earned first place in Gaited Western Dressage at the USEF/WDAA Lite Dressage Schooling Show June 26, 2021 in Level 1 Test 1. They have been learning from judge Suzanne Morrise. Also accolades go to them for winning both divisions (Basic 3 and 4) and Level 1 Tests 1 and 4 Western Dressage in the CAWDA Sizzling Summer Show July 31, 2021. Congratulations!! On the National level, Melvin Snethern, MFTHBA Secretary/Treasurer, presented the Registry Report. Total membership is up by 75 over this time last year. New MFTHBA memberships are up by 51 from this time of year over last year. Total Registrations are down by 14 from this year as compared to last year at this time. Registration Transfers are up by 90 this year as compared to this same time last year (which debunks the idea that some are espousing over lower transfer numbers because of the change in the registration papers). We're always encouraged by the positive numbers and monitor any negative ones. Exciting new changes are coming to this association! More information on that will be available next month. Meanwhile, please help us raise funds for future activities by purchasing a blue cotton MFTA t-shirt. They are short-sleeved stonewashed blue 100% cotton with the Fox Trotter silhouette superimposed on the State of Michigan on them. Send a check for $25 for sizes M-XL or $30 for XXL to MFTA, 2333 Hagadorn Road, Mason, MI 48854. Please state the size that you need. These prices include the shipping cost. We appreciate your support! Go to our Facebook page and our website (www.michiganfoxtrotters.com) for more information on this breed and our association. If you are curious or passionate about Fox Trotters we welcome you! By Marilyn Mannino

ORTONVILLE RECREATION EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION (OREA)

OREA (Ortonville Recreation Equestrian Association) was formed to protect, promote, and improve Ortonville Recreation Area's equestrian trails and facilities along with the assistance/support of the DNR. We have been working diligently on our mission since our formation in 1998. And we are very happy to announce the exciting recent improvement of the trails by adding approximately two miles, giving us approximately eleven miles to ride!!! We are celebrating by holding a ribbon cutting ceremony, trail game, campout, and more on September 25th! We hope that you will join us. Please check out www.hadley hills.com and our Facebook group for updates on our event and ongoing news about our trails. It took a lot of planning and hard work to bring this trail to fruition. Thank you to our OREA board members/group members for all your volunteer hours working towards the opening of our trail. Also, heartfelt thanks to the many equestrians/equestrian groups who helped make this a reality. The new trail crosses a bridge, has scenic vistas, encompassing both treed and open areas. Be among the first to ride our trail! You can support our group as we move forward by selecting us as your chosen charity under Amazon Smile. Please

ORTONVILLE RECREATION EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION, continued

consider becoming a member by going to www.hadleyhills.com and printing out and mailing our application or pay/join through Zelle using the email address orea.hills @gmail.com. Please check our website for information on our monthly meetings. Any questions, please contact Robin Bobek via email at: harperbobek@charter.net or call: 810-399-5306. See you in September – Happy Trails!!

PROUD LAKE TRAIL RIDERS ASSOC.

Hello Everyone! We are very happy to report that we have added even more obstacles to our obstacle course. Please come out and give it a try! There is absolutley no charge, just enjoy. Proud Lake Trail Riders has been working diligently with the DNR to separate our trails from the bikers. The park is completely committed to doing this and they are presently evaluating options and locations. Once the trails are seperated, there will be signs up stating what are horse trails and what are bike trails. We have been working on this for the past several years and we are thrilled that the park is committed to making this happen. As of right now, the GPS maps have been submitted and we are moving forward. If you would like to join our email list, please email me at efrusy@yahoo.com and also remember to like us on Facebook! Stay safe and keep riding!

ROSE OAKS EQUESTRIAN FRIENDS

As the hot weather wanes and the bugs leave, it's the perfect time to hit the trails at Rose Oaks! The beavers were hard at work over the summer and flooded a section between 2 & 3; they have been discouraged from working in that area and the trail is in good shape once again. The summer storms took down some trees and caused some washouts, but the park staff is working hard to stay on top of things; trimming, cutting, scraping, and adding fill where needed. Remember; the staging area is home to a warning siren that runs a test every month on the first Saturday at 1pm. Come out and enjoy rolling hills, lakes, marshes, and wildflower fields at Rose Oaks! Please join our Facebook page “Rose Oaks Equestrian Friends” to keep up with the latest news.

MICHIGAN

If you encounter bikers on the trails that are not giving the ride away to horses, please contact the DNR immediately. If you are able to get photos, please try to. Our next event is our ever popular Circle Ride that we coordinate with Kensington Trail Riders. This event will be September 24-26th. There will be camping at either staging area. The ride consists of starting at either Proud Lake or Kensington and then riding to the other staging area and back again. We are currently taking camping reservations. The cost to camp is $40 for members and $50 for non members for the weekend. The cost of the ride is $15 per rider. If you would like to reserve a spot for camping at Proud Lake please contact Nancy at efrusy@yahoo.com.

WESTERN DRESSAGE ASSOC. OF MI

Summer is coming to an end and fall is just around the corner with Nature's array of beautiful colors and cool crisp mornings. It's time to start thinking about next year and the WDAMI Board needs your help as we evaluate our programs and activities. Please share with us your ideas, thoughts, experiences about WDAMI and Western Dressage. You can send your suggestions to us at infowdami@gmail.com or you can even text me at 906-440-0215. Or you may call any of our board members. Your comments and ideas will be great appreciated. BIG NEWS! There are two USEF/WDAA lite shows in Northern Michigan being held on September 11 and 12 at Lucky Dog Ranch in Harrisville, Michigan. Go to the Facebook page for Sunrise Equestrian Sports for more details. WDAMI wishes all competitors a successful show. The WDAMI Battle of the Saddle Showdown Online Horse Show (BOSS) has over 141 entries, a more than 50% increase over last year's show. We are very excited about the interest and growth of this show. I will post the show results along with the winners of the door prizes next month. Judging of the online entries will take place Sept 1-10. WDAMI would like to thank all the participants and supporters and we look forward to everyone's success. Western Dressage World Championship Show: This year's World Show is returning to a live format and will be held at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, on September 29 to Oct 3. Entries must be in by September 6, 2021. There is a group of WDAMI members who are planning to attend and compete, and they would love to have you join them. For more information on the show, you are welcome to contact me by email at Eaglehorse1@hotmail.com. Our thought this month: Riding dressage is a means of helping the horse find the most efficient way of carrying the rider. When a horse is balanced and straight, the horse can relax because no muscle is working against another; the horse only needs to use the muscles that are necessary which leads to greater comfort for the horse and less energy he needs to use to carry the rider. WDAMI is looking for sponsors for our yearend awards and educational events. If you would like to help by sponsoring or by helping us to find sponsors, please contact us by email at infowdami@gmail.com. If you would like to volunteer or offer other services we need, please contact us. We can always use the help. And please don't forget to renew your 2021 membership. Thank you for your support. Be safe, have fun, enjoy your equine partner and exercise the act of kindness to all. Until next time, Suzanne Morisse, President of WDAMI

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