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Trail Mix The Official Publication of the Indiana Trail Riders Association, Inc.
November, 2014
ITRA GOLD NUGGET CORPORATE SPONSOR
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INDIANA TRAIL RIDERS ASSOCIATION, INC. Post Office Box 185 Farmland, IN 47340
Return Address Requested
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID NOBLESVILLE, IN PERMIT NO. 21
ITRA Meets in Joint Planning Retreat with
DNR & HBCH
The Indiana Trail Riders Association Directors met on the weekend of Aug. 15, 2014. Held at Covered Bridge Retreat we had access to campsites as well as the house to hold our meetings in. The retreat offered us an opportunity to meet with Indiana Department of Natural Resources. We also had representatives from Hoosier Back Country Horsemen in attendance. This enabled us to have in depth discussions about current and future projects and concerns with our public horse trails. We had updates concerning Versailles State Park Horsemen’s Campground. The DNR offered us information on how we could access and create horse trails in the Fish and Wildlife areas specifically in northern Indiana. Since our state parks no longer have any organized youth organizations to help with maintenance, our fundraising abilities at the parks was explored. We want to thank all who took the time to attend. Meeting in person with all stakeholders allows us to better communicate ITRA’s goals. Next year’s retreat with ITRA’s Directors will again be held at DNR’s Covered Bridge Retreat on Aug. 14, 15, 16, 2015.
Currently, we are starting to develop
a contact network to solicit funding for
trails. If you know of a sales rep or contact
person for a corporation that would support
our cause, please let me know and I will
gladly follow up and see what develops. The
Midwest Equine Trail Foundation is a 501 c 3
organization and any contributions are tax
deductible.
The address of the foundation is: Midwest Equine Trail Foundation 4653 Lanam Ridge Rd. Nashville, IN 47448 812-320-7818
Midwest Equine Trail Foundation Happenings
By Chris Riehl
Join or Renew ITRA USE THIS FORM – (Please Print)
Membership renewal Due by Hoosier Horse Fair
Name: ______________________________________ Spouse: _____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ City: _______________________St:____Zip:_______ Home Phone: ________________________________ Cell Phone: __________________________________ County: _____________________________________ Email: ______________________________________ Referring Member: ____________________________
Family Membership $ 20.00 Association (Club) Membership $ 25.00 Lifetime Membership $250.00 Trail Guide (postage-1 per member) $ 3.00 (2013 Trail Guide—next Trail Guide will be published in 2016) Trail Fund Donation Amount $_______ Newsletter by US Postal Service Do not send hard copy—will access Trail Mix on website
Membership renewal due by Hoosier Horse Fair
Indiana Trail Riders Mission Statement The purpose of the Indiana Trail Riders Association is to promote trail riding and equine activities in Indiana and the surrounding area. The Indiana Trail Riders are involved on the local, state, and national levels striving to promote and improve trails and campgrounds. We work actively on the legislative and administrative levels as well as sponsoring and organizing workdays on several recreational properties in the hope that the natural beauty we have enjoyed on horseback will be available for future generations as well.
The EDGe (Email discussion Group) is a wonderful FREE communication tool for ITRA members with an internet connection. Send a blank e-mail to [email protected] Subscription is free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Advertise in the Trail Mix---Full Page $100.00, Half Page $50.00, Quarter Page $25.00, Bus Card Size Ad. $15.00. November, 2014
Mail completed form with check payable to ITRA at: Indiana Trail Riders Association, Inc.
Post office Box 185 Farmland, IN 47340
Or use Paypal to renew on our website
We’re on the Web at: www.intrailriders.org.
Round 2 It Ranch presents
Trail Rider’s Equipment 5 Star Wool Pads Parker Nylon Equipment Garroutte Leather Products Schutz Bros. Leather Products Select the Best - Joint Supplements
President Bob McPheeters 27799 North 100 West Anderson, IN 46011 765-683-0665 [email protected]
Vice President Arlene Smoot 2532 West 200 South Danville, IN 46122 317-745-2976 [email protected]
Treasurer Jody Weldy 26468 County Road 28 Elkhart, IN 46517 574-875-1469 [email protected]
Secretary Erin Maksymczak 6565 E. 256th Street Arcadia, IN 46030 317-695-5599 [email protected]
Greg Hersberger (Chairman) “17 4962 South 250 West Portland, IN 47374 260-729-1208 [email protected]
Brett Erwood ‘15 3520 West 800 South Rosedale, IN 47876 812-299-2923 [email protected]
Rita Lockridge ‘16 7010 East 300 North Lafayette, In 47905 765-714-5019 [email protected]
Lawrence Turnquist ‘15 12005 Parrish St. Cedar Lake, IN 46303 219 374-5370 [email protected]
John Allen ‘17 9825 South 100 East Clayton., IN 46118 317-539-4326 [email protected]
Scotty Eskridge ‘16 P. O. Box 234 Knox, 46534 574-896-5159
Chris Riehl ‘16 4653 Lantern Ridge Rd. Nashville, IN 47448 812-988-2263 [email protected]
Gayle Vautaw ‘17 6113 South 900 East Walton, IN 46994 574-626-3424 [email protected]
Georgia Ballinger ‘16 6762 E. Mahalasville Rd. Morgantown, IN 46160 812-597-2170 [email protected]
Barb Ferguson ‘15 2430 S. Glenn :Lane Salem, IN 47167 812-967-3161 [email protected]
Yvette Rollins ‘16 12784 E. Rollins Lane Springville, IN 47462 812-797-4540 [email protected]
Mary Williams ‘16 14978 E. 191st Street Noblesville, IN 46060 765-534-5192 [email protected]
Nancy Brunnemer ‘17 7178 North 500 West McCordsville, IN 46055 317-443-8771 [email protected]
Karen Humphreys ‘15 3419 North 425 East Danville, IN 46122 317-892-3769 [email protected]
Larry Sidell ‘17 273 East 1200 North Batesville, In 47006 812-934-4086 [email protected]
Membership Chairperson Bonnie Miller 8181 W. 100 S Farmland, IN 47340 765-468-6716 [email protected]
ITRA Web Site Administrator Donald Lockridge 7010 East 300 North Lafayette, IN 47905 765-714-5021 [email protected]
Trail Mix Editor Mary Williams 14978 East 191st Street Noblesville, IN 46060 765-534-5192 [email protected]
Trail Guide Editor John Allen 9825 South 100 East Clayton, IN 46118 317-539-4326 [email protected]
The Indiana Trail Riders *STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of the Indiana Trail Riders Association…is to promote trail riding and equine activities in Indiana and the surrounding area.
The ITRA is involved on local, state and national levels striving to promote and improve trails and campgrounds.
We work actively on the legislative and administrative levels as well we sponsoring and organization workdays on several recreational
properties in the hope that the natural beauty we have enjoyed on horseback will be available for future generations as well.
The corporate address is Post Office Box 185, Farmland, Indiana 47340.
The corporate address is Post Office Box 185, Farmland, Indiana 47340.
ITRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ITRA APPOINTED POSITIONS
This Trail Mix Newsletter is the Official Publication of the Indiana Trail Riders Association. It is published six times a year in odd
numbered months. Editorial material, photos, and notices of upcoming events should be submitted to
[email protected] or mailed to Mary Williams 14978 East 191st Street Noblesville, IN 46060 by the 10th of even months.
ITRA Calendar
April 10, 11, 12, 2015
March 21, 2015 November 28-30, 2014
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ITRA OFFICERS - 2014
10734 N. 800 E Ossian, In 46777 260-639-6657 [email protected]
Brown County State Park
Annual Thanksgiving Cleanup Put this on your calendar now because it is the most important workday of the ITRA year and a lot of fun. The pitch-in dinner is legend! Get your name on a list for a free night of camping or contact Bob McPheeters at 765-683-0665 or [email protected] A board meeting will be held after the pitch-in dinner.
ADJOINS BROWN COUNTY STATE
PARK NEAR TRAIL 6 5333 St Rd 135 S, Nashville IN 47448 3 BR,
2 1/2 BA home hidden on a hilltop, surrounded by
woods. Large att-garage. 40x32 horse barn w/2
stalls. Pasture area & addtl storage barn. DSL
HiSpeed Internet. 24.39 acs m/l $289,000
PHIL SHIVELY TEAM 812-325-2290 www.philshivelyteam.com
Discount
Copies
Teresa Peil & Sara Schmidt
100 Mensa Drive * Noblesville, IN 46062
(317)-773-8783 * Fax (317)773-9050
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 to 5:30 * Sat 10:00 to 3:00
Email: [email protected]
Indiana State Fairgrounds
Hoosier Horse Fair
April 17, 18, 19, 2015 June 6, 2015
O’Bannon Woods
Spring Trail Maintenance Ride Call the park office of reservations and information.
National Trails Day Directors across the state will have planned events.
Hamilton County Fairgrounds.
ITRA Membership
Annual Meeting The pitch-in and silent auction at 1:00
pm with meeting to follow. Election of officers.
June 14-17, 2015
Washington, DC
American Horse Council 2015 Annual Meeting and National Issues Forum
November 7-9, 2014
O’Bannon Woods
Maintenance Trail Ride Sponsored by Capital Saddle Club, ride on your own or guided rides will be provided. A pitch-in and dance on Saturday night. Call for reservations at 812-738-8232.
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Notes from ITRA Board Meeting at Fall Ride
We want to thank everyone who help with the Friday night spaghetti dinner, the Saturday night pitch-in, the Cowboy Challenge, and the silent and live auctions. We were able to raise over $2300.00.
We will have another board meeting after the Saturday night pitch-in during the fall clean-up at Brown County State Park on November 29, 2014.
By Mary Williams, acting Secretary.
At the conclusion of the Indiana Trail Riders’Fall Ride the Board of Directors held a meeting on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with Greg Hersberger presiding. Bob McPheeters and Erin Maksymczak were called away at the last minute. Attending board members at the meeting were Greg Hersberger, Mary Williams, acting Secretary, Yvette Rollins, Georgia Ballinger, Barb Ferguson, Larry Sidell, John Allen, Chris Riehl, Karen Humphreys, Arlene Smoot, Scotty Eskridge and Georgia Ballinger. We also had a few from the membership in attendance. Jody Weldy had sent a treasurer’s report to all the board members before the Fall Ride.
Karen Humphries made a detailed report about ITRA’s activities during the retreat in August. We were able to meet informally with the Director of National Resources for the State of Indiana and Hoosier Backcountry Horsemen on Friday night. This enabled us to have a detailed discussion about many topics including how we can access Fish & Wildlife areas for horse trails especially in northern Indiana. We met with DNR Directors to discuss current issues with other projects including Versailles State Park and other parks around the state.
The following was reported on by directors:
The Trail Mix costs.
ITRA will appoint a board to work on the Midwest Equine Trail Foundation by-laws. There must be an active ITRA member on their board.
ITRA will donate all proceeds from the fall ride silent auction to our trail maintenance fund.
O’Bannon Wood’s fund raiser.
Cardinal Greenway & Prairie Creek Ride Oct. 3-5, 2014 ITRA co-sponsored.
Happy Fest—B&O Trail Fundraiser in partner with Brownsburg Parks Sept. 27, 2014.
Wilderness Celebration Sept. 27, 2014 at Blackwell Camp.
Potato Creek Campground intermixing regular campers in the horse camp safety concerns.
Hoosier Outdoor Experience at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park Sept. 20, 2014.
Salamonie Riders Rendezvous Sept. 20, 2014.
Dean Lake Dry Fork Trail reroute and scheduling of repairs.
ITRA’s Annual Meeting presentations.
Indiana Horse Council report by Yvette Rollins
Update current by-laws to allow board members conference call meetings as necessary.
Midwest Equine Trail Foundation funding.
Bonnie Miller Membership Chairman
If any lifetime members want a laminated lifetime card, email me at [email protected].
Bonnie
Our Mission Statement. This corporation is organized exclusively for charitable purposes to educate and/or fund development and construction of public equine trails in Indiana and their surrounding states. Furthermore, the corporation shall monitor, evaluate and suggest improvements for public equine trail design. All funds, whether income or principal, and whether acquired by gift or contribution or otherwise, shall be devoted to said purposes. Midwest Equine Trail Foundation 4653 Lanam Ridge Rd. Nashville, IN 47448
Midwest Equine Trail Foundation
Contact Chris Riehl
A word of warning: At ITRA’s next silent auction, be careful what you lay on an auction table. While at Midwest an ITRA member, returning from the showers, laid their dirty clothes on a table to look over the items for sale. After forgetting they left their clothes in the mess hall, they finally found them mixed in the auction with bid sheets! At least they were able to remove their laundry with no harm done.
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The new horse campground was much bigger than the old one. But as I said earlier, with the big campground came many new rules and regulations. One big drawback to the new campground was most people were not happy about driving on St. Rd. 135 South to get to camp. The rigs were getting bigger and that narrow winding road was a test of driving skills. And then there was, as one person said, the “hill from hell”! Another problem was a lack of trails. All the single file trails were now off limits for horses. We had only Trail A and B. Trail J had not been made yet. Now we had plenty of room for lots of campers but no trails to speak of.
The DNR said they could not allow us to ride the single file trails because they were not able to keep them maintained. They could only maintain A and B because they required no hand work. Trails A and B could be maintained with bulldozers.
Forest Skinner lived on St. Rd. 135 and had been riding all those single file trails, made by the deer that lived in the park, for many years. He was very upset by all the new rules and regulations. Again I can’t give you the exact date, but one weekend when we arrived at the camp, there were signs that told of a meeting being held Saturday night in the Rally Ground. The Rally Ground was the name given to what is now the far part of the primitive camp. It is the area around the day riding parking lot you see as you come into the camp from St. Rd. 135. It was for group camping and did not have actual camp sites. Mr. Skinner had decided something needed to be done about losing all the trails and all the new rules and regulations so he was calling a meeting of horse campers. So, of course we attended.
There were many very angry people at this meeting. It was, as I remember, quite a long meeting with much shouting and many, many complaints. Believe it or not, this was the beginning of Indiana Trail Riders Association. More next time ----
Arlene Editor’s Note: Arlene has graciously agreed to write a
series of articles about the founding of ITRA.
Our Beginnings By Arlene Smoot
Come on down to the Corydon,
Indiana area for the Fall ride on November 7,
8, 9, 2014. This ride is sponsored by the Old
Capital Saddle Club and all fees go directly
back to benefit the trails, cash or check
only. Weather permitting, there will be a DJ
dance on Saturday night with a pitch-in
before the dance. You can go on guided rides
on Saturday or just ride the trails on your own.
Ride along the Ohio River or the Blue
River. The picture shows Anna Zupancic
resting at Potato Creek. Please support this
fund raising ride by calling the park office for
reservations at 812-738-8232. Tons of fun on
this ride!
God has blessed us with the most wonderful place of worship! A place he spoke into existence so many years ago! With wonderful people to come and share in worship with a Great God!
On any given Sunday things like this will happen. A few Sundays back there was a man in a blue denim shirt and white cowboy hat. During praise time he told us when he came to service last year. He had ask for prayer for a friend that had cancer. She was not expected to live much longer and the cowboy thought they would be going back home to a funeral. He reminded us that our group had prayed for her, and he was there to tell us that she is cancer free and doing well!! Praise God!
That same Sunday a woman and her sister shared their story. They told of about their dad who is 84 years old. He never wanted anything to do with God his entire life and was failing in health. He still did not want to hear about the love of God even though he was in pain. But one night he called out to God and prayed to God to help him. He woke the next morning with peace and no pain. He now tells everybody about his new buddy... God!
Yes we might only see some of these people once or a few times a year but we all serve the same Mighty and all powerful God!
A God of Love... 1 Kings 8:23 “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.”
We would love to worship with you some Sunday so come on by and take a morning break with us. Have some coffee and breakfast and sit a spell and you never know you just might want to share something God has done for you! Pastor Dean Brown County State Park Horseman’s Camp [email protected] 812-345-1642 Facebook: hcco horseman's camp
Love Sundays in the Park!!! By Pastor Dean Wild
Bill
Sez
Do something different. When
the snow flies in the winter, the rain
falls in the spring and the bugs are
biting so badly in the summer that they
have to get in line for an empty space
to bite on. It's a good time to sit
inside. Since there's nothing good on
TV any more, pull out a good book or
two and read for a spell. Try any of
Tony Hillerman's mysteries of the Four
Corners area or J.A. Jance of the
Arizona Southwest. These are easy to
find in a library. You can email me for
ten more suggestions of good reading
like "Pan Handle Cowboy" by John
Erikson and Bob Sharp's "Cattle
Country", by Robert L. Sharp.
Ol' Wild Bill Sez:
Untie your horse when unloading
before you open the back
door. Some of these critters see
daylight and want to unload
"now". If they are still tied, no
telling what might happen.
Note: Ron McCoy is a monthly contributor.
O’Bannon Woods Trail Maintenance Fall Ride
By Nancy runner
Many times the change in weather patterns bring about changes that can affect our horses’ health. Fall brings along cooler weather. Some will be changing from pasture grass to more of a hay ration and many of us feed our first cutting hay before we start on the “good stuff” when it gets into the heart of winter. That cool weather change may drop the temperature of the water tank and some of our horses just aren’t fond of drinking the cooler water on those cooler days. Combine that with a steamier hay/forage and possibly less exercise, some horses will have an increase chance of an impaction colic.
Typically, an average size 1000 pound horse will drink between 5-10 gallons of water per day. When it cools off, be observant that your horses are still drinking. Sometimes we need to put the water heaters in the stock tanks sooner than we really think we should. Horses can become dehydrated quickly (we forget that just breathing there is an exchange and we lose moisture in every breath we exhale), and that also adds to the intestines “drying out” quicker and the impaction can become very large. Most impaction colic cases are considered as a “medical” colic, meaning surgery is not required to fix them. However, if they get so large they may need to have surgery to empty the impaction from their intestines. Of course that brings on a larger set of risk factors as well as costs.
As I wrote in the last newsletter, make sure you know your horse’s normal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rates. Know when there is a problem and they are acting “abnormal”. If they become uncomfortable, pawing, looking at their sides, getting up and down, and rolling; that is indicative that you need to be calling your veterinarian and having them on their way to look into your horses’ health. Your veterinarian will be able to do a physical exam and determine the best way to help your horse resolve the colic episode. Never wait to call! It is always better to call early and get your veterinarian on board as soon as you can. The sooner the better for your equine patient!
Things that you can do to help manage your equine going into the cooler months is things to help keep them as hydrated as possible. Adding extra salt blocks around, even adding loose salt (livestock salt is very inexpensive) to their daily ration at a rate of 1-2 tablespoons will help them drink more every day. If you don’t feed a grain meal, you can also sprinkle it on their hay or just leave it in a tub for them loose. Many will find it appealing and lick freely, even more so than a block.
Add a powdered electrolyte to their feed. Adding 1-2 teaspoons to their feed will help them increase water consumption.
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Is Your Horse Normal? By Rita Lockridge, RVT
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Veterinary Mobility Act Signed into Law
Reported by Yvette Rollins
Our Iceland Riding Adventure By John Hossler
This is a continuing serial covering several newsletters. Last newsletter John Hossler described the beginnings of his horseback tour in Iceland. He wanted to clarify his food and temperature references. On the 0 degree temperatures, it was Fahrenheit in Indiana but 0 degrees Celsius in Iceland, or 32 degrees F. Also “sour milk” was a good thing. It was like liquid yogurt.
Our accommodations became more primitive as we got deeper into the interior of Iceland. The sleeping arrangements were usually open rooms with bunks. The Europeans are not as puritanical as Americans, but careful timing could be accomplished and preserve our modesty without any problem. Although Paul got to see a bare butt, I was not as fortunate. However I got to wake up two mornings with different women beside me for the first time in 45 years. I think the last time that happened it was with my sister.
The average temperature listed on the brochure was 50 degrees. I doubt it ever got into the 60’s with probably on the coldest stretch maybe the upper 40’s. But we were prepared for it with layers of clothes so getting cold was never an issue. It was rainy on most days, but not what I would consider down pours. But Eld Hestar did provide heavy duty rain gear that also afforded a stout wind break. Unfortunately our longest day in the saddle was the rainiest, but hey, you are riding in the northern Atlantic and what can you expect? We were fortunate that we were riding south to north and most of the time the wind was to our back. (The next tour group would be bussed to the northern farm and do the return trip in the opposite direction). We did have a day and a half of partly sunny weather which was very comfortable. We were pretty much down to our base layer. My impression was that we two Midwestern cowboys were more tolerant to the cold than the northern Europeans which were quite bundled up. (We had six countries represented in our group of 18-20 people.)
The terrain was desolate at times across old lava fields. In my mind it looked like I could be on the moon or Mars. But then we would come into lush, green, open valley’s that was not unlike some of the riding I have done in Wyoming except for the temperature and humidity. There were lots of glacial streams that we crossed. We did follow along several large streams that would have made for great white water rafting.
We also crossed larger areas which I guess would be called a bog or a moor. It was very spongy, and you could watch the horse and rider move up and down with the ground which I have never experienced before. Occasionally someone would break thru. The only accident occurred when one of the staff broke thru and both horse and rider tumbled forward. No injuries were involved and we quickly moved on. I was surprised about the varying terrain that we crossed over the 120 miles we traversed in 6 days in the saddle. It never seemed to get old or monotonous.
ITRA at Work On The Trail
John Hossler has graciously allowed me to publish his e-mail
address for anyone who has questions about his trip. You can
reach John at [email protected].
Read the next installment in January, 2015
Submitted by admin on Mon, 08/04/2014 - 12:01 On Friday, August 1, President Obama signed into
law an American Horse Council (AHC) supported bill, the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, making it legal for veterinarians to provide the care necessary to horses away from their licensed place of practice and across state lines.
Previously, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) believed that veterinarians were in violation of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) and prohibited them from transporting, administering or dispensing any controlled substances which are necessary for the veterinarian when attempting to care for the safety and well-being of the horse beyond their licensed locations.
The new language reads, “a registrant who is a veterinarian shall not be required to have a separate registration in order to transport and dispense controlled substances in the usual course of veterinary practice at a site other than the registrant’s registered principal place of business or professional practice, so long as the site of transporting and dispensing is located in a State where the veterinarian is licensed to practice veterinary medicine and is not a principal place of business or professional practice.”
The AHC is unaware of how the DEA will react to this or whether they will issue new guidance or change their registration process in any way to reflect this new provision.
The AHC would like to thank Congress and the President for this important legislation that allows veterinarians to continue caring for the well-being of horses
without any fear of being in violation of the CSA.
Clean the water tanks frequently! Sometimes even the simplest of things will make the biggest difference. Add your water heaters before it frosts. They should only come on when the temperature drops below 55⁰, but even that will make a big difference in how much water your horses will drink.
Make sure they are still getting plenty of exercise! Exercise makes their gut motility work. If you need to, spread their hay out in separate locations so they have to walk around to find it.
I just want to also remind folks that it is also good to make sure that you have had their feces checked for parasite eggs and had all the horses on a deworming program as well as a good dental checkup for each horse.
Hopefully everyone will keep happy and healthy horses this fall!
John Hossler and Bob Cronen in their usual Iceland riding attire.
Those Maddening Trailers By John Allen
"Dear Drivers,
My most valued possession is inside the trailer behind my truck. She stepped into that rolling steel box because I asked her to, and she trusts me. She's a living, breathing creature, and all 1,200 lbs. of her are precariously balanced on four tiny hoofs as my truck and trailer wind down the road.
My horse is not a boat or camp trailer, and I cannot stop quickly or turn sharply without risking her safety and even her life. Know that I will do just about anything to avoid hitting the brakes with a horse in my trailer. When I make those wide turns, I need them to prevent my horse from scrambling. Please give me room and time to turn. And that large distance between me and the car in front of me. It might look like enough room to fit three sedans bumper to bumper, but it’s actually the distance I need to stop softly and safely without my horse falling.
Those times when we’re headed up a hill, my speed is as fast as I can go. My foot has the accelerator pressed to the floor, and no matter how hard you try, your Honda can’t push us up this hill. I promise I’ll move to the right lane when it becomes available or pull over if I find a safe spot on the shoulder, but until then I ask for your patience and some space.
Lastly, my set up weighs three tons, and that much weight prevents me from swerving. When you pass me going 80 mph uphill on a blind corner, you don’t just put my horse at risk: your risky driving threatens the lives of the oncoming driver, my passenger, me, you, and everyone in the cars behind us. So next time you see a horse trailer, assume a loved animal is in there. Please give some space, and offer some patience. By driving safely, we’ll all get where we’re going." Thank you, Your horse loving, road sharing, friends
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The ITRA Cowboy Challenge seemed to be a bit more challenging this year. We did not have any perfect scores. But we had some excellent competitors. We had three youth competing and enjoying their fine horses. We also had seven adults showing off their skills on their beautiful horses. The obstacles they had to complete were: picking up a hat with a stick; side pass over a red log; walk through a noodle gate; get clippers from mailbox; cut a twig off branch and put clippers back in mailbox; do a 360 degree turn around red box with front feet inside the box; walk over poles that were at a slant; back a figure eight around two cones; walk over a rocking bridge with stop in middle and yell “ITRA is great”; walk on top of a tarp and place plastic over shoulders and rump of their horse; dismount, pick up rabbit and gently remount using mounting block then back five steps. Points were given with time separating the first two places.
The youth winners were: first Katelynn Roberts, second Micah Hardy and third Emily Wesner.
Cowboy Challenge By Karen Humphries
ITRA’s Fall Ride at Midwest
We began the ride with a spaghetti dinner on Friday night at Bob and Debbie McPheeter’s trailer. ITRA Board members donated the money for the food, so all the proceeds could go to ITRA. We served over 50 people. Karen Humphreys ran the Cowboy Challenge before a very successful silent auction during the pitch-in on Saturday night. We had such a large amount of donated items we held a live auction after dinner. We want to thank everybody for their help making this another successful ride.
Spaghetti Dinner at MTR By Bob McPheeters
It was agreed at the Officer's Retreat that ITRA would offer dinner on Friday night of our Fall Ride at Midwest Trail Rides. Funds were raised at that time, and my wife and I agreed to prepare and serve the meal at our campsite. We put together 9 pounds of spaghetti sauce, 10 pounds of meatballs, 9 pounds of Italian sausage, and 10 (dry) pounds of spaghetti. Sides of breadsticks and mixed salad were also offered. The dinner was priced at a reasonable $6.00/plate, and was attended well. We served approximately 50 dinners and the club took in $325.00! We'll definitely do this again next year! Thanks to Dave Maksymczak and Beth Lange, who helped with the preparation and serving. And a big "thank you," to the riders and campers who participated in the dinner. We would also like to send out our thanks to the wonderful members and friends who took care of breaking our campsite and packing everything while I was at the Bloomington ER. You guys are the best! At the printing of this newsletter I am able to be back at work part time.
ITRA’s famous pitch-ins were made even better when Bob
McPheeters prepared the pot roast.
We had enough volunteers to be able to keep our store open
throughout the ride.
The tack covered ½ the mess hall! We had so many items
donated this year, we were able to also have an alive auction at
the end of dinner Saturday night.
The Adult winners were: first Chris Beasley, second Irene Hagerman, third Gayle Vautaw, fourth Jay Kinman, fifth Martha Shriver, sixth Kevin Wallin, seventh Beth Jerman.
I want to thank all the participants for entertaining the spectators, and want to see more of you on the course next year. Don't be shy.
For many contestants, this was the safest solution to not drop the bunny while having to remount.
We had a good crowd enjoying the beautiful evening while
watching the Cowboy Challenge.