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 Trail Mix September, 2014 The Official Publication of the Indiana Trail Riders Association, Inc. ITRA Meets in Joint Planning Retreat with DNR & HBCH By Greg Hersberger ITRA GOLD NUGGET CORPORATE SPONSOR By the time this newsletter comes out the Board of Directors of the Indiana Trial Riders Association, the Board of Directors of the Hoosier Back County Horsemen, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and possibly a Hoosier National Forest Representative will have held a long range planning retreat. The goal is having a plan to take Indiana trail riding into the next decade. ITRA s goal is to have a joint working partnership among all parties involved as we have enjoyed in the past. It is meetings like this, with all parties sitting down in a laid back setting with no real issues to work on, enable us to concentrate on the big picture of making Indiana a great place to continue to ride and camp. Last year the ITRA Board had one of these with some DNR folks in attendance. An Indiana Horse Council representative came for a session and we had a couple of the HBCH board attend. It was decided that it went so well to try this year to expand it and add both ITRA and HBCH together to meet. Then each board will meet separately to plan for their own organizational futures. Stay tuned to the next newsletter to hear how the meetings went. Greg 1 What is the Midwest Equine Trail Foundation? By Chris Riehl This is 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.
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. ITRA Calendar September 12-14, 2014 October 25, 2014 November 28-30, 2014 ITRA OFFICERS - 2014 Norman, IN Tippecanoe River State Park Brown County State Park President Bob McPheeters 27799 North 100 West Anderson, IN 46011 765-683-0665 bob@lighthousestables.com Greg Hersberger (Chairman) 17 4962 South 250 West Portland, IN 47374 260-729-1208 itra.greg@gmail.com Vice President Arlene Smoot 2532 West 200 South Danville, IN 46122 317-745-2976 wonderlostacres@aol.com Brett Erwood 15 3520 West 800 South Rosedale, IN 47876 812-299-2923 horacehockey@yahoo.com Treasurer Jody Weldy 26468 County Road 28 Elkhart, IN 46517 574-875-1469 jmweldy@fromtier.com ITRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rita Lockridge 16 7010 East 300 North Lafayette, In 47905 765-714-5019 rita@bg-sc.com Secretary Erin Maksymczak 6565 E. 256 th Street Arcadia, IN 46030 317-695-5599 Emaksymczak@yahoo.com Lawrence Turnquist 15 12005 Parrish St. Cedar Lake, IN 46303 219 374-5370 lwt41sr@yahoo.com ITRA Fall Ride Meet and Greet Ride Annual Thanksgiving Cleanup The Fall Ride for ITRA will be held at Midwest Trail Ride near Norman, Indiana. Contact MTR at 812-834- 6686 or www.midwesttrailride.com for reservations. Join Scotty Eskridge for his annual fall ride at Tippecanoe River State Park. Ride out on your own if you like or a group ride will be leaving at around 10:00 am. Saturday evening Scotty will have two kinds of chili along with his beans and corn bread. For more information call Scotty at 574-896- 5159 or 574-514-5498. 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 the list for a free night of camping or contact Bob McPheeters at 765-683-0665 or bob@lighthousestables.com. A board meeting will be held after the pitch-in dinner. John Allen 17 9825 South 100 East Clayton., IN 46118 317-539-4326 carriageboy@hotmail.com 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 top4653cat@aol.com Gayle Vautaw 17 6113 South 900 East Walton, IN 46994 574-626-3424 valleyview_k9s@yahoo.com Georgia Ballinger 16 6762 E. Mahalasville Rd. Morgantown, IN 46160 812-597-2170 cowgirleorgia@hotmail.com Barb Ferguson 15 2430 S. Glenn :Lane Salem, IN 47167 812-967-3161 Itra.barb@gmail.com Yvette Rollins 16 12784 E. Rollins Lane Springville, IN 47462 812-797-4540 hoosierhorsemen@yahoo.com Mary Williams 16 14978 E. 191 st Street Noblesville, IN 46060 765-534-5192 williamtm@embarqmail.com Happy Trails Marsha!! Nancy Brunnemer 17 7178 North 500 West McCordsville, IN 46055 317-443-8771 toby2thor1@hotmail.com Karen Humphreys 15 3419 North 425 East Danville, IN 46122 317-892-3769 kkh923@aol.com Larry Sidell 17 273 East 1200 North Batesville, In 47006 812-934-4086 Horsesnandhammers@aol.com ITRA APPOINTED POSITIONS Membership Chairperson Bonnie Miller 8181 W. 100 S Farmland, IN 47340 765-468-6716 bonniemiller@1quest.net ITRA Web Site Administrator Donald Lockridge 7010 East 300 North Lafayette, IN 47905 765-714-5021 don@bg-sc.com Trail Mix Editor Mary Williams 14978 East 191 st Street Noblesville, IN 46060 765-534-5192 williamtm@embarqmail.com Trail Guide Editor John Allen 9825 South 100 East Clayton, IN 46118 317-539-4326 carriageboy@hotmail.com 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 williamtm@embarqmail.comm or mailed to Mary Williams 14978 East 191 st Street Noblesville, IN 46060 by the 10 th of even months. 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 10734 N. 800 E Ossian, In 46777 260-639-6657 round2it@onlyinternet.net 2 1 1
Headaches!!! A Message From Our Chairman of the Board Do you know there are things in our life that can bring on stress and worry! Well for the last 8 years or more, one of the things your leadership of the ITRA never had to worry about was the publishing of our newsletter and whether the membership was going to get the newsletter they want. I for one never even let the thought that it wouldn t happen cross my mind. We had an excellent Trail Mix Editor that worked hard and diligently to be sure it happened and didn t cause the board to even worry it wouldn t happen. More than one of the officers and board members did get a good thrashing when we didn t get the things we promised to have for the newsletter to her on time!! If you were a day late your stuff didn t make it in because you were late! We all learned the hard way to be sure we were on time!!!! I m sorry to report that Marsha Berry has decided to move onto other things after her great run as Trail Mix Editor. I know for sure that all of ITRA and especially the Officers and Board of Directors will miss her and her great newsletter. She is a great supporter of ITRA and worked hard to get members when she was out camping. Marsha always was spreading the word of the good things ITRA has done for trail riding in Indiana. Hopefully we will still get to see her out and about on her new mare riding and camping. Marsha good luck in whatever future endeavor you do and know you will be missed! Greg Hersberger Chairman, Board of Directors ITRA Notes from the Editor I would like to introduce myself as your new Indiana Trail Riders Newsletter Editor. One of my extracurricular duties as an art teacher was to produce a school newsletter for several years. While opening a new school, I also became involved in creating all the school s graphics, logos, brochures and yearbook. I thought I was finished with all that until ITRA needed someone to step in and help continue their newsletter. I am honored the board has put their trust in me to continue to be their voice. I have sporadically been involved with ITRA through the years. Even though I have been involved with horses in other activities, trail riding has been my first love. I have always enjoyed contributing to ITRA in any way I could. Marsha Berry did a terrific job editing the newsletter. I can only hope I am able to continue with the same quality. I want to personally thank Marsha for all of her help in this transition. Her help has enabled me to maintain the usual deadlines. We will gladly accept advertising from individuals, groups, or businesses. If you know of anyone interested, please contact me. You may contact me at 14978 East 191 st Street Noblesville, IN 46060, 765-534-5192 (leave a message), or williamtm@embarqmail.com. Mary Williams Bonnie Miller is New Membership Chairman. If any lifetime members want a laminated lifetime card, email me at itramembership@gmail.com. Bonnie 9 3
Shepler's Western Wear By Ron McCoy A lot of people don't know this or have reason to think about it for that matter, but there was a real live Harry Shepler who had a western store on the west side of Wichita, Kansas right on highway 54. This was back in the days when a person could go into such a place and by jeans, jackets, boots, cinches, halters, bridles and such at an affordable price. I was privileged to get to know Harry as a customer. He had some neurological problems in his neck, so he carried his head somewhat bent and his speech wasn't too clear. Surgeries hadn't seemed to help much. I had a friend at that time, AH Bauer that fancied himself as a bareback bronco rider. There was a rodeo up in Emporia, Kansas and AH wanted me to go there with him in case he got hurt and couldn't drive home. So much for positive thinking. AH came out of chute Number 4 and the bronc made about 4 highflying jumps and AH went skyward, looking like a helicopter spinning around. Seems his bareback rigging just disintegrated from hanging in the garage too long. What happened to the check your equipment routine? The next event was calf roping and there was my old friend Harry Shepler working as the flagman. Well, this one contestant came banging out of the chute in record time, swung his loop a couple of times and caught his 400 pound calf. He swung out of saddle and scooted along his rope. This is when things fell apart. The horse side passed one way and the calf ran the other way passing the horse while making a full circle around the roper. Then the horse went south and the calf went north. With a bawl the calf said he was done and the well tied roper fell over. Harry waited the required six seconds and dropped his flag. The calf won third place in roping that day. 4 Wild Bill Sez Ever notice those folks camped near you always seem to have a campfire going in nothing flat, while you can't get anything going despite liberal applications of charcoal fluid and diesel fuel. Here's a helpful hint: Get a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with sawdust, either table sawdust or chain sawdust. Mix in a gallon of kerosene and let it soak for about a week. It doesn't hurt to mix it every now and then as the kerosene tends to go to the bottom. Put a coffee can of this mix under your firewood and a little more in the middle. Light it and you have a professionally built fire going in no time flat. Ol' Wild Bill Sez: When you are riding along sometimes off the regularly marked trail or perhaps riding cross country in a remote area and you come to a gate, if it is open leave it open, if it is closed close it after passing through. You never know if the gate is closed to hold livestock in or open to allow livestock access to water or feed. Note: Ron McCoy is a monthly contributor. My Colorado Ride By Vicki Grant Honestly, my intentions were good; this was supposed to be a nice, HORSELESS vacation, with the focus being on visiting friends and relatives I d not seen in many years. But you are all trail riders, so you know how it is. First, while looking at pictures, I started thinking about how nice it would be to ride in Colorado again. Then I did some harmless internet browsing, checking out riding stables that just happened to be in the areas I d be visiting. No harm in looking, right? My fingers slipped on the keyboard, and the next thing I knew, I had accidentally made reservations to ride in the Garden of the Gods and near Rocky Mountain National Park. Not my fault, right? Those darn keyboards Well, since the reservations were nonrefundable, of course I had to ride. Oh, I DID spend quite a bit of time with friends and relatives, and even invited them to join me, even though I knew there was no chance they d want to. After all, I wanted to be polite, and not have it seem like I was really, really anxious to get to a barn! My first ride was at Academy Riding Stables adjacent to the Garden of the Gods in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I was actually happy that I was not on my own horse! People were climbing all over the rocks, with many sitting just where their legs were dangling in front of the horses faces. That probably wouldn t have gone over well with Warsong, my usual ride. But the scenery was absolutely stunning, and I had a great ride. Several days later, I was frantically searching for Sombrero Ranch in Estes Park, Colorado. My GPS went a little haywire; it would point one way, while telling me to turn the opposite way. To top it off, I wasn t expecting the stable to be so close to town, and had been looking further out. 9 I arrived with just a few minutes to spare, grabbed my helmet and horn bags out of the car, and dashed into the office to sign my release forms. Now, a few weeks before, a friend had sent me a newspaper article about this facility, and it seems they had added some draft horses so they could offer rides to larger people. I commented that I hoped they wouldn t give me one of the drafts, and my friend said, Oh, don t worry, you aren t THAT big! Well, apparently, I am, since they took me right over to Abner, a Belgian gelding! Guess I d better not have any fair food this year It was going to be a very slow ride, I figured, but ol Abner surprised me by moving out pretty well. Again, the scenery was stunning, and I was able to take lots of pictures from atop Abner s broad back. Although there hadn t been a cloud in the sky when we left, it soon became dark and started to rain, accompanied by much thunder and lightning. Then it started to hail! The guide s horse became very upset, and for a moment, I thought he was going to bolt back to the ranch. The young lady kept control of him, though, and we waited it out. At that moment, I was glad I was on a nice coldblooded horse! We rode on to the area where dinner was to be served. Since the four of us on the experienced ride were soaked to the skin by that time, it was nice to have a hot meal. The ride back to the stable was uneventful, which was good, since I d about had my quota of excitement for the day! If you would like to be able to ride awhile on vacation without bringing your own horse, Colorado is the ideal place to go! Besides the well-known stables and outfitters near the popular tourist sites, there are many ranches throughout the mountains with signs up offering horseback riding. As one of my friends said, Vicki, if you stop at every place that has horseback riding, you will never make it to my house! And, oh, for those of you who think guided rides on rental horses are beneath you, I can assure you that these rides can get to be plenty interesting. Ask me sometime why I am paranoid about keeping my keys and I.D. on me and not in my horn bags. Or why I never let my horse grab bites of grass along the trails! But I will save those for another story.
On The Trail Our Iceland Riding Adventure By John Hossler This will be a continuing serial covering several newsletters. Iceland, and particularly the capital, Reykjavik, is a place most people have heard of, some people know where it is, but few people can spell Ryckovic correctly, and even fewer have been there. Paul Cronen and I had the opportunity in June, 2014 to ride in Iceland and it and a great experience. We ride together here in the states on several rides a year that his wife (Cherri, a frequent contributor to the newsletter) arranges and organizes. The interest started around the campfire on one of our Colorado trips when we both found that we had an interest in Iceland. I had been there briefly during a several hour layover at the airport on the way to Europe for a choir tour, and I thought it was intriguing. Paul was interested because he is a destination rider, former Eagle Scout, and loves hiking in the outdoors and camping in cold weather. Iceland is a perfect fit. Iceland is an island just under the Artic Circle in the Northern Atlantic. It would be on the same latitude with northern Alaska and the Bering Strait. In square miles it is the size of Virginia or Kentucky. Iceland s origins are volcanic and actually was featured on 60 Minutes because of a recent volcanic eruption. It was settled by Nordic seafarers in 800 AD. It politically had been aligned with Denmark, but got their independence from them in 1944. (Our first day in Iceland was actually their Independence Day). Even though it is far north, Iceland lies along the Gulf Stream that modulates the temperature especially in the winter. When I called for reservations in January, it was 0 degrees there and 0 degrees for us in southern Indiana. There are two major companies for Icelandic riding (Eld Hester and Ischatar). For scheduling reasons we went with Eld Hester. We wholeheartedly recommend them. There is a multitude of riding options from ½ day rides to 9 day rides. We opted for a 7 day ride known as the Kjour (cure Lure) Tour. Our tour went through a wilderness area in the highlands area of central Iceland that is sandwiched between the second and third largest glaciers in Iceland. A couple of times we were actually able to see both at the same time although we were closer to the Langjokull Glacier which is the second largest. Our tour was different from most of the others offered. We rode cross country thru the wilderness area and stayed in huts and sleeping bags along the way. Although we did have a Sag wagon (4 wheel drive SUV Sith with a trailer) that hauled our luggage for us and would meet us at our evening destination. (Only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed in the interior). The cook (Johanna) drove the SAG wagon, but she was also the unsung hero. Johanna was up early and had breakfast ready for us (porridge, cold cuts, cheeses, sour milk and cereal). She cleaned up after we left, did the dishes, fixed our lunches, met us around noon for lunch on most days, had some smacks ready for us at the end of the day, and then cooked supper and cleaned up afterwards. Her day ended about the same time ours did as we all headed to bed. Read the next installment in our November newsletter. 8 ITRA at Work ITRA Mounting Block On the Vandalia Trail By John Allen I have placed an Indiana Trail Riders mounting block at Crittenden Creek on the Vandalia Trail. The trail runs east and west between Amo and Coatsville in the central part of Indiana. Crittenden Creek crosses the trail about midway. Both the east and west approach to the creek, though graded, is steep and at times the water is swift. This forces some riders (like me) to dismount and lead the horse across, then remount. The trail organizers placed a mounting block on the west side but those travelling east had no mounting block. Now, there is a block featuring Indiana Trail Riders along with a request to join our organization. Attached is a photo of myself and the mounting block for the Trail Mix. Please let me know if you have any questions. 5 Versailles Horsemen s Campground Update By Nancy Brunnemer On August 13, 2014 many Department of Natural Resources personnel including John Davis, DNR Assistant Director, and Indiana Trail Rider Association officers and directors met to discuss the existing work needed to complete the Versailles Horsemen s Campground. We first visited the site and checked out the work currently being done. ITRA had hoped that the campground would be completed earlier, but with state budget cuts and other interruptions there have been several delays. One of the goals determined by the meeting was to start cutting and stoning the campground road after Labor Day. Development of the sites, including running electric lines, will also begin. The excavating and drainage of the property will continue. The spring goal is to have 9-15 electric sites open. Initially, there will be pit toilets and water available. Future plans will hopefully include a comfort station. We know that there is a great demand for this campground so we will let our members of ITRA know about the official opening. If you would like to be included on the existing volunteer list to work on the campground or on the trails in Versailles, please contact me, Nancy Brunnemer at toby2thor1@hotmail.com or call 317-433- 8771.
Our Beginnings By Arlene Smoot Way back in the early 1970's and before, the horse camp at Brown County State Park was where the family campground is now and there were no sites. Everyone just pulled into the woods and parked best they could. There were vehicles everywhere. If you wanted electricity you had to have long extension cords. The cords had to run from the trailers across the road to the outlets. The trails were just whatever the deer had made by living in the park. Some of them were pretty rough. I remember one where the horses had to step down such a steep step they could only put their front feet down and then had to swing around and put their back feet down. This area was all rock and they stepped down to a rock ledge. Kinda scary! We had a lot of fun camping there as it was not so regulated and everyone talked and visited together. I can't give you a specific date but by the mid 1970's the park had made a new camp, the one we use now. With the new camp came lots of rules: no trees for shade; specific camp sites; but it did have outlets much closer to the sites; water nearby; hitching rails for each site; and the campers could feel like they had their own space unlike the old camp where there was no separation. Soon more regulations came into play and many people were VERY unhappy. More next time ---- Arlene Is Your Horse Normal? By Rita Lockridge, RVT To be able to determine if your horse is acting abnormal in any way, you should know what the normal values are for your equestrian. I ve been asked many times to come check a horse at camp that isn t acting right, and my first questions always get the person a bit stumped! Following up from the first aid talk I gave at the Annual ITRA meeting earlier this year, do you know YOUR horses normal heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature? Do you know how to find each one of those parameters? Knowing when they are normal will definitely help you know if they are having an abnormal episode and all of these pieces of information are very important to your veterinarian when you call! Equine (Adult) Normal Value Temperature: 99-101 F Pulse: 28-44 beats per minute Respiration rate: 10-24 breaths per minute Human (Adult) Normal Values Temperature: 97.02 99.50 F (98.6 average) Pulse: 60-100 beats per minute Respiration Rate: 12-20 breaths per minute Mucous Membranes (gums, inside eyelids) should be pink and have a capillary refill time of <2 seconds. This indicates good blood flow and oxygenation of the tissues. Gut sounds should be present on the left and right sides of the horse. Upper quadrant (in front of the hip) and the lower quadrant (by the flank), make sure to check all 4 areas! The heartbeat is a lub-dub sound is ONE BEAT! Hot and humid weather may increase any or all of these values! Younger animals and humans values are slightly different! The Midwest Equine Trail Foundation By Chris Riehl The idea to form this corporation was started in 2011 after a group of ITRA members brainstormed around a campfire on to how to raise money to expand, improve and maintain horse trails. Many of the grants or public monies available require that you are a charitable organization. One of the founding members was Richard King, (great guy), who unfortunately passed away. His loving wife, Connie, requested that donations for his passing be bequeathed to the Midwest Equine Trail Foundation. The support was tremendous. The Midwest Equine Trail Foundation received its confirmation of its charitable status and is a legal tax exempt organization. Therefore, any contributions to this organization are tax deductible. Our plan includes raising funds via grants, corporate and private donations to achieve our objectives and to make this region a premier place to ride. As anyone who owns a horse knows, they are not cheap to keep. We horse owners spend our money on feed, saddles, trucks, trailers, camping spots, bridles, pads, vets and fence to name a few things. If we can convince even one of these providers to support this organization, it will be in the trail riders best interests. There will be an article in each of the next several Trail Mixes as to what we are doing and status of projects. By the way, you can send your tax deductible donation to: Yellowwood Work Day June 14, 2014 By Chris Riehl We had a very productive workday at Yellowwood. Georgia Ballinger and her friend Hanna, Nancy Brunner and myself did a lot of work in four hours. We were able to re-stabilize the creek crossing at Jackson Creek on the YZ trail. We had to do this because the stream changed course over the winter and took out the bank. We had to reinforce the bank with two tons of rip-rap and we created a rock path across the creek for hikers and fishermen. Georgia and Hanna demonstrated their endurance and agility skills placing the rip-rap in the proper location. The DNR came in afterwards and laid down the gravel. We also cleaned out culverts, put gravel over an area of the Y trail outside of horse camp that had washed out. We fixed a hitching rail at a break area that some ignoramus had vandalized. Afterwards we enjoyed a fried chicken lunch from IGA in Nashville (best chicken in the county), and we still had time to take a nice afternoon ride to admire our work. Editor s Note: Arlene has graciously agreed to write a series of articles about the founding of ITRA. Always make sure that you know each horse is slightly different at rest. Practice taking temperatures, pulses and respiration Midwest Equine Trail Foundation rates so you know your horses normal value. In times of emergencies, we all get in a hurry. It s good to remember the 4653 Lanam Ridge Rd. 6 basics and all those details will help your veterinarian! 7