TRAIL MIX the Official Publication of the Indiana Trail Riders Association, Inc
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TRAIL MIX The Official Publication of the Indiana Trail Riders Association, Inc. September 2013 November 30th. More details to come later, but this is definitely ITRA GOLD NUGGET a crowd pleaser. All are welcome to join us for the week, the weekend, or the day…just get out here!! CORPORATE SPONSOR Happy Trails to you, Bob Ladies Ride May 17 – 19, 2013 By Rita Lockridge Once again GeGe hosted the Annual Ladies Ride weekend at Blackwell Horse Camp in the Charles Deam Wilderness area , part of the BEAUTIFUL Hoosier National Forest just South of Bloomington. I believe this was her 14th year for President’s Report hosting this fun weekend of ladies getting together for fun and By Bob McPheeters riding together. Many of us took time off on Friday to get there and enjoy one more day of riding and it was a gorgeous weekend! The Wow, time seems to be really getting away from us here at weather couldn’t have been better! There were quite a few Lighthouse Stables. Summer is quickly coming to an end, campers already in the campground by noon on Friday so it which can only mean one thing….our biggest camping season was going to be a busy weekend for the trails! Probably the is almost upon us. I want to reflect back and thank our only worry would be the ticks! They have been out strong in members for all the volunteer hours that have been put in numbers this year and the woods have provided them a good across the state and encourage everyone to keep up the hard breeding ground too. work. Saturday was a beautiful day! The group of ladies and I I had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones headed out with a lunch packed. We were planning to find the at HHF. We had a great group show up at the spring ride; fire tower and ride the Axom loop. What a wonderful ride we Brown County was spotless when we left. Work at Versailles had. Several of us had not yet ridden that trail and it is really a has been moving right along, thanks in a big way to Directors great ride! We didn’t quite make the whole loop, or find the fire Larry Sidell, Greg Hersberger, and Nancy Brunnemer (plus all tower, and, running longer than we thought, we did a little the countless other volunteers that make up our great backtracking to get back to camp. We ended up a bit later organization). There have been other work weekends that I’m than we planned to get back to camp but still in plenty of time forgetting to mention here, but THANK YOU, THANK YOU, to get our carry in items ready for dinner. Of course, having a THANK YOU for all you guys do!!!! If you’re hosting a pitch in with a group of 60 or so ladies, the food is always workday, or go out cleaning/clearing trails, please be sure to AWESOME!! There’s no way you could walk away hungry!! report your hours to secretary Erin Maksymczak. We had a fun evening together at the “getting to know you” Now to talk about what your board of directors and officers session. Many first timers came this year and if you brought are working on right now. By the time this reaches you in your something for the gift exchange, you went away with cozy homes, we will have had our long term planning meeting. something fun as well. There was no repeat performance by At this meeting we plan to talk to about where we want ITRA to the streaker this year. Several of us had our cameras ready, be in 10 years and how we will be accomplishing these goals. just in case! We are always open to suggestions…please contact any of us. Sunday morning GeGe had arranged for Jerri Todd to give Be sure to mark your calendars and reserve your site with a short talk at the morning session of praise. We had some Midwest Trail Ride for our fall ride September 13-15. Join us good voices singing and then Jerri’s talk about conquering her for a weekend of fun and relaxation. Leave your trash sticks fears put a great start to the day. I think many of us can and chainsaws at home ladies and gentleman….this is all identify with Jerri when she has a fear of speaking yet was able about having a good time and not working. Come out and to get through a talk in front of others! I think a lot of us can find meet fellow trail riders. This is the perfect weekend to network something to take away from the weekend that will help us be and make new riding friends. We will have our trail a better (or braver) person! competition, yummy food, karaoke, and a board meeting. All One more ride was set out upon before we had to pack up are welcome to join us for any of these events between your camp and head home. The group of ladies I was with headed trail riding adventures. Just be sure to at least make it to out to do the 545 and the Saddle Creek trail loop. I sure hope dinner and over to a warm fire at some point!! that the forest management got enough responses to keep this Last but not least, also be sure to get your reservations in for beautiful trail open! It makes a great short loop and when you the ride of the year….our Fall cleanup ride in Brown County 1 want to head home early in the afternoon; it’s perfect for a park to raise dollars to improve horseback riding and horse Sunday morning ride. driving at our IDNR properties. Thank you GeGe Showalter for starting this annual event 14 This coming Fall 50 Mile Trail Ride will be held on the years ago! I’ve attended now about 5 years and it is always a weekend of November 8th, 9th and 10th, 2013. Proceeds trip that I look forward to being a part of! I know many ladies from this event will go to our park improvement fund managed who feel the same way; you always have a lot of them there! I by the Indiana Natural Resource Foundation. Reservations for know I’m already looking forward to the weekend in 2014! the event must be made by calling the O’Bannon Woods State Park Office at 812-738-8232 on or after September 3. Three additional horse groups have organized riding events at O’Bannon Woods State Park and are also offering to volunteer with organized work days to improve the horse camp and trails. We welcome the “Southern Indiana Draft Horse and Mule Association”, the “Just Along for the Ride” wagon riders of KY and the Dusty Trail Saddle Club of Boonville, Indiana to become full partners in our efforts to provide more and improved recreational horse riding and driving opportunities for all to enjoy. A new day riding parking and picnic area has opened for horse riders. With the help from the Indiana Department of Saturday evening at the Ladies Ride. Corrections offender work crews, a large horse trailer and vehicle parking lot, split rail fencing, horse ties and charcoal News and Updates from O’Bannon Woods grills have been added to the existing Fire Lookout Tower – West Picnic Shelter and Area. Although more finish work and State Park the installation of water hydrants is needed, the site is ready to By Ranger Bob 08/2013 use. Stanley Baelz of OBWSP and his trail team of AmeriCorps workers have marked additional horse trails with 4x4 posts and carsonite decals. We are not done yet and have miles to go before we are finished, but most riders, hikers and park users are finding it easier to return to camp at the end of the day. We continue to need dedicated volunteers to help us to improve and provide better camping facilities and horse trails at our park and on the adjoining Harrison Crawford State Forest. We are looking for: • Bobcat skid steer loaders • Tractor and brushhog operators • ATV and UTV operators • Trained Chainsaw Operators • General laborers and helpers The park provides free camping and firewood for our volunteers. Volunteers must contact the park and pre-register before arriving. If interested in volunteering at the Park please contact Ranger Bob at [email protected] or Stanley Baelz at [email protected] or call the office at 812-738-8232. If you Our biggest, largest and heaviest park workers now have a would like to make contact with Dwayne Sieg, Manager of safe way to travel. Forest and Gump, our two pioneer 2,500 Harrison-Crawford State Forest, his email is [email protected] pound oxen and their two companions, fit safely and or his office number is 812-738-7694. comfortably into the park’s new stock trailer. Ranger Bob’s horse, Mary, and his buckboard wagon also tuck nicely into the trailer. Expect to see us at more local, regional and state Take Time to Pray events. By Pastor Dean Manuel The purchase of a new stock trailer for the park was made possible through the generous donations of many and fund A few Sundays ago when making my rounds with the raising efforts of our partners. Our partnership 50-mile spring horses picking up people for Service I came to a campsite and fall fundraising trail rides, the sale of birdhouses, and the where I recognized the little girls.