Ohio Horseman’s Council

Member of American Horse Council

ohconline.com

SECRETARY

Ranee Vititoe 740/505-2713 secretary@ohconline.com

TREASURER

Jo Ellen Reikowski 330/806-3146 treasurer@ohconline.com

MEMBERSHIP

Catherine Estill 513/319-2517 membership@ohconline.com

PRESIDENT

Eric Estill 513/266-9823 president@ohconline.com

VICE PRESIDENT

Nancy Strayer 740/694-1007 vicepresident@ohconline.com

OHC COUNTY LINES EDITOR

Martie Ackerman 713/553-9644 countylineeditor@ohconline.com

Greetings From Your President

Make sure your trailer weight is within the limits of your towing vehicle.

If you use a bumper pull, you may need a load leveling hitch. Besides the total trailer weight, there is a limit to how much tongue weight can be on the bumper. My truck can tow 9,200 pounds but recommends a load leveling hitch if the trailer is over 2,000 pounds. The load leveling hitch will prevent the trailer from taking weight off the front tires of the tow vehicle. Unloading the weight on the front tires would reduce the breaking and turning ability of the tow vehicle.

Please check your tire pressure. Low pressure tires are the number one cause of tire blow outs. The side walls in an under-pressure tire flex too much, causing the tire to heat up. The excess heat weakens the tire, making the tire more likely to break or blow out. Loading your trailer: Never go in the trailer with the horse. Train the horse to load on its own. An experienced horse person shared a situation with me. His horse was very reliable and not prone to acting up. He loaded the horse, then went in the trailer to close the partition. While he was standing next to the partition an ambulance went by close to the trailer, causing the horse to jump into the partition, slamming him against the wall. He suffered a few injured ribs. Lesson learned: don’t go in the trailer with your horse. ~Eric Estill, President

Trailer Safety

County Lines

ASHTABULA

Today is July 3, and we plan a ride in the gulf this afternoon along with a potluck at the finish. I was waiting to get back to finish my article so I could make some comments. It got off to a rousing start; I did not ride, so I did not see it, but Kathy had a wreck at the very beginning. She had one foot in the stirrup, and Musta decided he would go up and over. K.J. ended up on her back, gasping for the breath she had just whooshed out. When she got herself and the horse collected. She got on, and off they rode. I am pretty sure she will bear a few bruises tomorrow morning. On the flip side, the food and the company were great. There were 19 riders and some new faces. We have a nice place to park now and a nice grassy area to picnic. I’m sure there will be more of these gatherings.

July 9 was our third horse show; prizes were awarded, and the gun raffle winner was announced. Jessica Sheets was the event coordinator; contact her if you can help at any future events. With all the open houses and getting hay in the barn, a few hours of help is much appreciated. October 1 will be our Dice Ride, planning on food and a Chinese auction. Registration at 9 a.m., first riders out at 10 a.m. These times are subject to change.

Silvio hosted a ride in West Virginia at his family home. This was the second year for this ride, and those that could attend had a great time. Thank you for being the man in charge, Silvio. The club ride this year will be at Tri-Co in October; if you have been able to help out on any of this year’s projects, the club will pay; if not, you can still attend and pay your fee. It’s always a good time to hit the trail with our group. Plans will be discussed at the meeting this month. If you miss a meeting, the minutes can be emailed, or you can read them on the members’ Facebook page. Keep yourself informed of what is happening. If you’re not a member, see Mallissa Vincent or go online to the OHC state website for a membership form.

‘Til next time, give thanks for all the good things and give your horse a hug.

~Pearl Ann

CARROLL

Jefferson Lake State Park. It was a huge success! We had a total of 47 people who attended from 12 OHC chapters and some who were not members.

For our 1972-themed scavenger hunt, we hid ten items, one on each trail. Bronwyn and her horse, Hawk, won the scavenger hunt, finding eight of the items. There was so much delicious food for our potluck dinner! Instead of a normal 50/50, we changed things up and played a round of Horse Apple Bingo. Delta left his ‘horse apple’ right in the middle of square #8, which happened to be Bronwyn’s square. Apparently #8 was the lucky number that weekend!

We want to thank the following people for their contributions, we couldn’t have done it without you: Kristin Davies, Ron Wilson II, Bronwyn and David Rininger, Ron Waggoner, Gary and Karen Heckman, Donna Huber, Linda Sgambellone, Michelle Carrick, Tammy and Ronnie Wilson, park management, and everyone else who attended and made this a great weekend!

And we cannot thank our small, hard-working trail crew enough! A few weeks prior to the ride, six of our volunteers cleared over 100 downed trees from the trails in one weekend.

We’re looking forward to continuing state rides at Jefferson Lake so stay tuned for next year! ~Kristin Davies

Horse apple bingo.

Lakeside Trail at Jefferson Lake State Park. Photo credit: Bronwyn Rininger.

CLARK

I would like to begin this month with once again thanking Chris Price and Lisa Jerew. Most of you have had some experience with the storms and tornadoes of late June. Buck Creek loops were impassable until this duo took it upon themselves to clear the way for trail riding fans of Buck Creek. Thank you both on behalf of many riders.

As of this writing Mohican is still closed and needing some work. It has been an interesting summer. I don’t remember hearing about so many organized county rides in the past. Hopefully you were able to attend one or more. It could also help you check off a couple of bingo squares. Speaking of the Bingo 50 card, Becky Porter and I cleaned manure left by others at a trailhead and the trail new to me was Sycamore State Park. That’s 13 and 14 checked off. I will use a ‘pick the activity’ for a clinic I attended. My 17 hand Thoroughbred had me a little nervous since he knocked me over last year. I attended a boot camp that had tons of desensitizing activities and some obstacle work. Each day the pair of us became more confident and at ease. I admit my confidence wavered when asked to drop the reins at a canter, but it was only for several strides and I won’t do it again!

As I write this article I am preparing for an eight day pack trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness of Montana. I lived in Montana for 11 years and have ridden all over the Yellowstone and Gallatin Valley areas. My bucket list has always included the ‘Bob’, and I can’t wait to tell you all about the adventure. I am traveling with seven others from Ohio. We will meet three travel mates when we get to the lodge in Choteau, Mont. The trip allows for 10 guests. I believe that’s Box #11 to check. Anyone have a mule they want to loan me? Box #1!

Our August meeting will be at the Buck Creek shelter house Aug. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Come ride with Clark County!

~Jonna

CLINTON

Hello fellow horseman! Wow! Has this been an amazingly hot summer so far! We have been riding early in the morning to beat the heat, but now the dreadful horse flies are out… not our favorite pest! Fall riding weather will be upon us soon!

We ended up cancelling our July 4 campout, it seemed everyone had other plans. It was so amazingly hot that I’m glad the horses didn’t have to stand at the hitching posts in the heat.

With great sadness I report that our Treasurer, Marybeth Norton, has stepped down and moved to Florida. Marybeth will still be coming to Ohio to see her family and kids in college along with her horse, Cricket. Marybeth, we wish you the best life has to offer and know we will miss you so much! Amanda Snell will be taking her place as treasurer.

One of the pictures this month is a rock we found by the cemetery at CCSP cemetery circle trail. So cool! Horse Trail Treasures on Facebook, paint these and place them on the trails in Ohio. I love this rock and I am going to keep it, but I’ll paint another one and put it on the trail to brighten up someone’s day like this one did for me!

I took my grandson to the Big South Fork area in Tennessee. We stayed with our amazing friend Abby Fox, at her cabin in White Oak. Thank you Abby. We had amazing rides, climbed some mountains, saw some beautiful waterfalls along with breathtaking over looks! We made new friends! A trip to always remember.

Another photo is of Abby Fox and Mitzy Neeley-Webber on the trail. They are true trail sisters. We find ourselves finding our tribe, the one’s we can always count on, ride with, camp with, take trips with...someone that has your back, has trail manners, respects others—a true friend. So to all my trail buddies out there, thank you for being my trail buddy!

Stay hydrated this summer along with your animals! Much love, ~Susan (Sue) Lamb

Painted rock. Marybeth and Cricket on our last ride together before she moved to Florida.

COSHOCTON

Hello August! As I write this the night before the deadline, I realize I do not have the results for the poker ride or really any information on it so I’m sorry for that. I was on vacation and did not attend and missed the last meeting as well.

We have had some crazy storms and heavy winds which brought down lots of trees and branches. Mark and Jamie Jellison went out at least a half a dozen times and spent many hours cutting trees and mowing. I know Todd and Lorrie Lane took care of blue trail and I’m not sure if anyone else has been on the trails, but thank you so much for the work you have done. The weather forecast is calling for severe storms tomorrow and I sure hope it avoids Fallon! I know other clubs have been hit hard with down trees too. I did ride at Fallon on July 2 and the trails I was on were in very good shape. A man who was camping said he had been on all the trails and they were all clear of downed trees.

Just a reminder that September is fast approaching and on the 17th is our fundraising hog roast. This event is our only means of raising money to fund our clubs expenses that keeps our club open and free. Mark the date on your calendar and come enjoy the day with us, or better yet, camp the whole weekend. We look forward to seeing you. ~Gigi

Coshocton County OHC

CRAWFORD

Mother Nature has altered our riding for the summer. Malabar and Mohican received a blow that closed the trails for now. We traveled to Alum Creek the end of June to ride the Maple Glen trail. Their trails are in great shape. With the hot weather upon us we rode on the trails at our boarding farm, Crooked Creek in Galion, Ohio. Pleasant Hill is open for camping and riding the trails over to the big field. We need rain badly in Bucyrus area; but no storms please.

Be kind to your horses in this hot weather and always, see you on the trails soon.

~J. Zaebst

CUYAHOGA

In Cuyahoga County OHC we do a lot of varied things. In June we enjoyed a pizza party given by Cleveland Metroparks Mounted Police to help us celebrate OHC’s 50-year anniversary. Held at the Polo Field in the South Chagrin Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks it featured a fun obstacle course, pizza, desserts and a door prize. South Chagrin Park Manager Ryan Shalashnow and his family joined

the gathering also. Everyone had a great time and we feel very lucky to have such a good relationship with the mounted police and park managers. Corral Editor Martie Ackerman was even in attendance.

July found us again with a picnic and swimming at Walton Hills Lake courtesy of Josephine Wardle who is a Lake member. This yearly event gives us a chance to relax, swim, visit, and just get reacquainted while leaving the critters at home.

Hopefully our trail ride in Bedford Reservation found good weather and enjoyment of the beauty of this reservation. The trail takes you to the top of the river gorge 200 feet below. Beautiful scenery and a primitive trail on one side of the gorge and a well-groomed trail on the other.

We ride a different reservation each month (there are seven of the 20 plus park reservations that have bridle trails). Each offers a different experience.

On Sept. 10 we ride the Parkway trail that connects Brecksville Reservation with Mill Stream Reservation. Kathy King will be the ride leader and always creates fun. Maybe a picnic at trails end?

Some of the nicest riding weather is ahead of us. We hope you ride out every chance you get. The yard, housework, paperwork will all be there for another day. As they say, the only ride you will regret is the one you didn’t take. But if you don’t have a horse, walk the park trails with your dog, and if you don’t have a dog, get out there and walk on your own. You will come home a more contented person. Feel free to contact one of our officers for updates on activities via www.ohconline. com, find a chapter and scroll to Cuyahoga.

~Penny

DELAWARE

Greetings and happy August from your friends in Delaware Chapter. From what I hear and read, many of our chapter members and friends have been taking advantage of the good weather and enjoying our beautiful bridle trails at Alum. The bad storm that occurred earlier this spring that resulted in extensive damage to Mohican and Malabar parks, fortunately spared Alum Creek State Park.

Our trail maintenance volunteers have continued their efforts to Prada and Theresa at Caesar Creek State Ride.

ensure Alum Creek bridle trails remain safe and enjoyable for all users. A recent work day project included improving the approach to Widening Chasm platform on Winterhawk west trail. If you should run into one of our trail volunteers during your visit to our park, let them know how much you appreciate their efforts. Your support and encouragement are much appreciated.

Thus far, the OHC 50th anniversary festivities are off to a great start. A memorial tree dedication took place during Greene County’s hosting of their Caesar Creek State Ride. Carroll County chapter, along with Jefferson County, hosted their first State Ride at Jefferson Lake State Park. Both events were absolutely awesome. If you have yet to attend an OHC State Ride, make this year your year to join your fellow horse enthusiasts in celebration of our organization’s 50th anniversary. You will be sure to have an enjoyable experience.

Speaking of fun events, mark your calendar to join your Delaware friends during our annual shindig, ‘Autumn at Alum’, Sept. 9-11. Choose to camp overnight (use ReserveOhio. com for reservations) or join us for a day ride. Evening festivities are planned for both Friday and Saturday evenings. Enjoy the spectacular colors of fall while riding our awesome trails. We look forward to seeing a lot of you there!

Members can also look forward to participating in our Trail Obstacle Fun Day taking place at Brenda Webster’s beautiful Black Swan Farm, Ostrander, Ohio, on Saturday, Aug. 20. Reservations are required for this event. Contact a Delaware chapter officer for more details.

Our August meeting scheduled for Friday, Aug. 5 will be held at our new ‘home’ at the Kilbourne United Methodist Church on SR 521 in Kilbourne. We welcome our guest speaker, Ms. Shelly Privett and Poppy, her adorable miniature horse. We learned Trail crew working at widening chasm platform on WHW trail.

about the world of equine therapy and enjoyed stories of Poppy’s adventures. Guests are always welcome at our meetings! In addition, your donations of a needed item(s) from the church’s food pantry ‘wish list’ are greatly appreciated.

At the time of writing, our July 8 chapter meeting had not yet occurred. We planned to meet at Henmick Farm and Brewery. The owner of the brewery, Mr. Nick Sheets, has plans to create a short connector trail on/near his property. In addition, he plans to add other horse-friendly amenities such as tie lines and a fenced enclosure. Come early and enjoy dinner from the onsite food trucks.

~Theresa Burke

ERIE

Greetings from Erie County! August is here with blue skies, green grass, and happy horses. There are so many places to ride, from backyards and fields to Metro Parks, State Parks and even National Parks. Thanks to the organization of the Ohio Horseman’s Council, Ohio has some of the best horse trails in America. Almost every county in the state has miles of wellkept horse trails thanks to the members of the Ohio Horseman Council. The second weekend of June was the weekend for a State Ride at Caesar Creek State Park. This was truly a special event as this was the location of OHC’s very first State Ride! Our chapter President Lynn Sparks was in attendance for this special anniversary event. This event was even more special to Lynn, as she had attended the very first State Ride many years before. Lynn was able to help with a tree planting ceremony, celebrating 50 years of ongoing partnership between the ODNR and OHC. A commemorative plaque is to be mounted on a large rock and placed at the base of the tree. Look for it when you ride at Caesar Creek State Park, we have a lot to be proud of.

Edison Woods Metro Park in Berlin Heights is our home base. Edison Woods has a widely diverse landscape, from sandstone cliffs, wetlands to woodlands and meadows. Edison Woods is home to a variety of seasonal wildflowers, rare plants, amphibians and reptiles. Deer, fox and owls may be seen in your travels through the woods. We meet there for our meetings in the summer at 7 p.m., earlier if you are riding. It is a beautiful park with three parking areas for horses.

In June, we put in a pollinator garden on Mason Road trailhead. The site was picked by the park to protect the septic field by the new bathroom. Perennial beneficial plants were donated by Mulberry Creek Herb Farm, a certified organic greenhouse in Huron. The summer heat was a bit much that week but we finally got them in. Members planted lots of plants and laid cardboard and mulch to help discourage weeds. A water hydrant by the bathroom helps us in watering the new plants in this large garden. A sign will be going up soon identifying it as a beneficial pollinating garden. Look for the new identification markers on the plants. Mason Road is getting better and better.

Our club camped at Reed Road Wranglers the second weekend in July. Our next club campout is Aug. 20 at Smoky Road. Details at the Aug. 11 meeting.

Our Poker Ride is happening this year on Saturday, Sept. 10. This is a fundraiser to benefit bridle trails and equine activities. Come and join us, it’s so much fun! Registration starts at 9 a.m. to noon. Cost is a $15 donation for adults and youth. Cash prizes go out to top hands. There are

Lynn at Caesar Creek state ride.

Finishing up the garden.

Taking turns watering.

also lots of runner up prizes. Lunch is provided from 12-2. This is not a timed event, ride a marked course at your own pace. Children and riders of all experience levels are welcome. The park is located in Eastern Erie County just north of Berlin Heights. From SR 2, take the SR 61 exit south. To reach the horseman’s parking lot, turn left on Driver Road immediately after the railroad tracks. Turn right onto Smoky Road. The parking lot will be on your left. 10186 SR 61. Berlin Heights Ohio 44814. See you there!

Our showcase ride will be held Sept. 11, at the Smoky Road Horseman’s parking area. Contact Lynn Sparks for information, llarnold@aol.com.

Life is better on the trail! ~Shelley

FRANKLIN

Our chapter is still active and looking for new and returning members so pass along the news. The application is on the OHC website, ohconline. com, and search for Franklin County primary and secondary membership applications. Join online or by mail.

Hope you enjoy the photos of our last in-person get together. Thanks to Terry Baker for our photos this month.

Our next equine event will be Aug. 27 at Rocky Fork Metro Park, 8900 Bevelheimer Road, New Albany, Ohio. First equine out at 10 a.m. For more information contact our President Angela Logan at 614/208-8768 or Event Coordinator Terry Baker at 740/427- 3085.

Our meetings are on the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Meetings can be attended in person or via Zoom. Check our Facebook page for meeting locations and times at Franklin County Chapter – OHC.

Have a fabulous month of riding, driving, and playing with your equine friends. Happy Labor Day weekend too. ~Oleda

Franklin County OHC

FULTON

Ah, the dog days of summer. I am so over it. We just got back from a camping trip to Come Again Horse Camp on the edge of the Harrison-Crawford State Forest in Indiana over the July 4 weekend with a small group of adventurous friends. The campground was superb, the trails were awesome and the weather was, well, a challenge. The trip there was not uneventful. It was long (331 miles expected to take five-plus hours). About an hour from our destination, Matt was getting sleepy and I asked if he needed me to drive. He pulled over on an exit ramp, we switched and I drove on. I had to navigate a traffic circle at the top of the ramp and then go down the entrance ramp. After maybe five miles, a woman next to me was frantically waving and yelling about a tire. Sure enough, I looked in the rearview mirror, saw shredded rubber on the trailer and pulled over. Matt changed the tire in a relatively short time. He was wide awake after that and took over driving, muttering something about the traffic circle and the curb I may have run over. The traffic circle was flat, no curb! We made it to camp and the next day he got the spare replaced. All weekend we kept an eye on the temperature Michelle and Rod at Pleasant Hill Lake.

and humidity and curtailed riding when they totaled above 150. That meant early morning rides sans breakfast but it was really quite enjoyable. Monday we pulled out early heading for home. Again, about an hour from home, Matt was getting sleepy and I thought “Gee, last time he woke up after changing the tire; what can we do to keep him awake?” Just about then, he asked if I was ready to drive but I could hardly keep my eyes open so I declined. Shortly thereafter, there was a thump and we were pulling over again, with a failing tire again; the tread had peeled off of the other tire on the same side of the trailer as the last flat. These tires are only five years old! Matt changed the tire again, in no time at all and muttered about the previous flat injuring the other tire. I pointed out the extreme heat, the number of cars, trucks and trailers with flat tires we had been passing and the shredded rubber all along the highway. I’m blaming the heat. At least I wasn’t driving the second time! And he wasn’t sleepy anymore. See how that works?

While we were off on our adventure, other chapter members enjoyed camping at Reed Road and riding at Oak Openings. Several of our members also participated in the showcase events at White Star Park in June which I heard was a great time and the Pleasant Hill Lake event. It’s wonderful that there is such a variety of events to choose from as everyone can find something to their liking.

Some of our members are busy with horse shows. Beth and Flo have been showing at Northwest Ohio Driving Circuit shows. Tammy is excited to show at the Buckskin World Show with her new horse. Katti, Myndi and Dalton have been busy board members putting on the Harry Hughes pleasure circuit shows. Blue River crossing in HCFS.

Cheryl and Michelle at HCFS.

Our next planned chapter event, other than monthly meetings, is camping at Mohican Aug. 1214 but we are unsure if that will be possible. Our chili cook-off camping weekend at Reed Road will be Aug. 20-22. Hopefully our winner will be able to represent our chapter at the state cook-off in September at Mohican. We also have a small group returning to Big Elk Lick in Pennsylvania Sept. 1-6 (we have room for more if anyone wants to go as we have reserved the whole hilltop again). I believe that we have members planning on going to the regional ride at Van Buren and the State Ride at Caesar Creek is another possibility in September.

Like many others, we are so sad to hear of all of the damage that several of our parks and horse trails have suffered this year. We are amazed and grateful for the park personnel and volunteers who work so hard to clear and repair the damage! We sincerely thank them all!

If you’d like to know what we’re up to in real time, check our website, fcohc.com, Facebook group Fulton County OHC or Facebook page Fulton County Ohio Horseman’s Council. Come see us at our chapter meetings which are usually on the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. and are currently held in the banquet room at The Bunker Bar in Holland. Anyone and everyone is always welcome.

We hope you all are well and safe and we look forward to seeing you on the trails! ~Kathy

GEAUGA

Hello everyone. It has been a great summer thus far for riding and for getting hay in. Our members are hitting the trails and enjoying what nature has displayed in our beautiful parks.

The Bridle Trail Fund Committee is getting together to discuss future bridle trail improvements. There are so many ways that we can support the efforts to keep our bridle trails attractive and safe.

Be on the watch for our hay testing meeting scheduled for Aug. 9, Headwaters ride with Bemer demo and potluck Aug. 13, and the regional ride at West Woods Sept. 25. Details to be announced soon.

GOHC members are planning to celebrate the Great Geauga County 200 Anniversary with an outstanding exhibition. I am excited to see the creative ideas for everyone to see.

The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and freedom—Sharon Rolls Lemon ~Cec

GREENE

As I predicted last month, we had a great time at our State Ride. We had a wonderful turnout too, even better than the last several years. Herb counted 80 people signed in, some riding, some at the dinner, some doing both. Plus we had five with our entertainment and five from the ODNR at the tree planting. So it was a great weekend. There were more people camping than I’ve seen for probably a decade. Many people rode. It was muddy but not too bad, though I imagine more so by Sunday as we got a lot of rain Saturday night. But it held off until after all of the festivities, so that was wonderful. We had amazing temperatures for June.

We held the tree planting shortly before the dinner on Saturday. The tree was provided by the OHC 50th anniversary committee and planted by the park. Tiffany, the park manager, will take care of making sure it’s water-bagged and cared for while it gets a good start. Warren County OHC was in charge of selecting the type of tree (a Tulip Poplar due to its rapid growth and good shade) and location (between spots 18 and 20 due to that being one of the few places without one). As some of you know, when the Emerald Ash Borer started making its way into Ohio, Warren County saw the writing on the wall and knew that sooner or later almost all of the trees in the center of the horse camp would have to come down as they were Ash trees. So they started a fundraiser to plant a variety of new trees, something Greene County was very happy to contribute to. By the time the established Ash trees had to come down, there were others getting a good start. Most of them thrived and are providing good shade now. For some reason, that one camping spot never got a tree. The new tree is small yet, of course, but give it a few years and it will be providing some good shade. I’ve included a photo of the tree planting. I’ll eventually get some higher quality ones from Jeannie, but for now this one is mine.

I only had two regrets with the State Ride this year. One was that I completely forgot to put out the binders that Catherine Estill made, showing the history of Caesar Creek and OHC. Catherine gave me two copies to put out for people to read at their leisure, but I put them in the wrong spot in my trailer and just forgot they were there. My apologies to Catherine, and anyone who would have liked to read them. I looked at it and the history is very interesting. I know she’ll have them at the Warren County State Ride in September/

Tree planting. Theresa Burke and Prada, Anne Hunter and King. October, and hopefully there will be an electronic copy somewhere at some point. If anyone from Greene County wants to read them, let me know and I can make arrangements to borrow one back. The other regret is a personal one. I lost my voice Saturday morning, so I didn’t get to sing! I always enjoy the karaoke, and I tried my best but could only squeak out about every other line. I only lose my voice once every 5-10 years, but so far it’s happened twice at the State Ride. Oh well, there’s always next year. I also want to send a big thank you to Dave Goodbar for Rudy, the little mule he sold to a friend of mine. Some of you might have seen him listed on our Facebook page for a short time. My friend normally would not have even looked at one as young as Rudy, but I knew that if Dave said he was quiet, I could trust it, so we went to look. Dave brought him to Caesar Ford. We rode (yes, I even rode! Dave said I should have stayed on when we got back so he could have photo evidence) and Rudy had a new home. They’ve been out a few more times, with Dave or with me, and he’s been great. Rudy and Cooper get along well, so my friend and I are looking forward to lots of riding and camping this year. On another note, if anyone is free the weekend of Aug. 20-21, I’m always looking for volunteers for my endurance ride. We can especially use people to take the horses’ pulses. We can train you, and we’ll feed you lunch. Contact me at 937/232-9256 or akela83@ att.net if you are interested. If anyone is interested in the Warren County State Ride at Caesar Creek Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, reservations are required whether you’re camping or attending the dinner or both. Forms can be found on the ohconline.com website. For those of you without Internet, let me know and I can print one for you. That’s it for this month. I’ll have more stories and photos from the State Ride in the next few months, plus photos and news on the people who won some of the bigger raffle items.

Happy riding! ~Mickie

GUERNSEY

Storms: the gift that keeps on giving! You’re tired of reading about it and we’re tired of working on it! The huge storm that hit the state June 7, pretty much completely blocked all the trails at Salt Fork State Park. The result was: it was as if we hadn’t done any work, on any of the trails, this entire year!

If you remember the pictures in last month’s issue of the Corral, I showed you a picture of where nine trees were in a pile, 20 feet high. It took Dave and me over three hours to clear that mess! Well, two more massive wild cherry trees fell in that exact spot with this storm, and it took Don and Dave a couple of hours to clear the trail (see picture). As of this writing, with this storm; we’ve had a half a dozen people working many hours on the trails, along with Bob Meeks, Park Maintenance, and all the trails still are not clear. What’s frustrating is the fact that more trees just came down in the last couple of days! If you come to ride, use caution! You can work your way around most of the downed trees, but there are some places the trail is impassible.

I personally have hundreds of trees down on my farm, two in the yard along with many limbs. It took my wife, Darla and I, four days to haul all the downed limbs from off the yard. The storm also blew the roof off my pump house and dumped it upside down in the hay field. There was no damage to the roof and we simply turned it over and re-attached it (with more sub-braces to keep it from blowing off again). Here in Stone Creek, Ohio, we were hit pretty hard. Because of all the damage on my farm and me trying to get it back into shape, I have not

been able to make it down to the park to help with the trail work caused by this storm.

Now wash your eyes out with some sobering news: Join us Saturday, Oct. 8 for our 20th and final Poker Run! There will be an awesome ride, great food, an auction, T-shirts, breakfast on Sunday with Cowboy Church. Watch for our ad in the Corral! You won’t want to miss the day!

See you on the trail, ~Lee Randolph

HARRISON

Hello from Harrison County! The 10th Annual Harrison County OHC Regional Ride was a big success! Most camping spots were full and close to 4050 people attended for fun, food, entertainment, and riding.

The weekend started with the monthly meeting at Harrison State Forest on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Events started on Friday at 12 p.m. with a candy scavenger hunt/ride and the silent auction. The club appreciated all donations for the auction but gave a special thank you to the Taggart family for their donation of two trail saddles. At 5 p.m., it was time for the younger folk to take stage. They enjoyed yard games and a fun pie eating contest. At 7 p.m. the club held their famous ice cream and cobbler social. The evening ended with fellowship around the campfire. Saturday’s schedule included breakfast, guided rides, a potluck dinner, conclusion of silent auction and live entertainment at 7 p.m. After dinner, the HCOHC honored recipients for the youth scholarship awards. At the May meeting it had been decided that the club would award all four applicants with the scholarship since all applicants were more than deserving. Congratulations to Emma Patterson, Haylee Kelley, Madison Stull and Sage Cunningham on receiving this award! Harrison County OHC

July entertainment.

On Sunday, the campers woke up to a fantastic pancake breakfast and Cowboy Church led by Chris Boone. Campers and riders had the rest of the day to ride on their own. President Mark Westlake thanked everyone for their time, effort, donations and participation. It truly was a great weekend of fun, fellowship and riding.

Another big event that took place in Harrison County was the Harrison County Fair in Cadiz, Ohio. It was a great week for the youth! Many of our members were busy with their children and grandchildren, helping them in the equine show ring! And after a great 4-H horse show, it was time to relieve the pressure and stress with a great 4-H fun show that included those parents and grandparents! Lots of fun with family, friends and beloved pets. Great job kids! Great job parents and grandparents!

We always meet on the third Thursday of the month around 5:30 p.m. and we would like to invite you to join our chapter! We still have lots of summer and plenty of time to enjoy our horse companions. So come ride with us! Happy trails and God Bless! ~Lori Mayher

HOLMES

While I sit down to write the August newsletter during the July 4 weekend, it is clear that summer, with its heat and storms has arrived. First of all, I want to wish all readers the best in continued storm recovery from our June 13 storm. It’s one that will be long remembered around here. We are very thankful there were no serious injuries. Many of our members had property damage. Unfortunately, our State Parks sustained significant damage. At this time Mohican and Malabar remain closed. This storm resulted in the cancellation of the regional ride at Mohican that was planned for the July 4 weekend. I hope by August that has changed, or at least we have a work plan in place. The power of such a storm and the indiscriminate way in which it struck in many different areas was very frightening. While camping in southern Ohio, our home property had 14 trees down on our lane and numerous ones down on our pasture fence. Power was out only a day and a half, while much of Holmes County was out for four to five days. As usual, OHC members have responded with amazing volunteer efforts, and more opportunities will come as more areas are opened up to us. Many thanks to those who worked at Dillon and Salt Fork and all other areas that are now open.

Holmes County went to Elkins Creek Horse Camp in midJune. We camped with some Wayne County members. It did not disappoint. In spite of hot weather and the storm at home, we enjoyed amazing trails and great meals. Pairs of club members cooked each evening and we could not have eaten any better at fancy restaurants. The caves and rock formations were the stars of the show for me.

Wayne County members of the Elkins Creek camping group.

Cindy and Maisjarna at Liberty clinic.

Two of our members, Vickie Zook and Cindy Gray, volunteered the weekend before camping at the Elkins Creek’s St. Jude Fundraiser Ride. It was very successful. The unseasonable heat did make some days challenging. We headed out of camp several days at 7 and 7:30 a.m., which takes some doing for us. No one suggested a campfire.

Bruce and I rode at Salt Fork at the beginning of June and the end of June. We talked to some Guernsey County members who reminded us that due to bridge repairs one of the entrances would be closed. We need to come in the entrance from the south. The Orange Trail will be closed due to the bridge repair. This closure is posted on signs as running for 90 days, from July 11 to Oct. 11. For us, this will mean driving one exit further south on I-77S. They are good roads and will not make much difference in time.

In club news, much is on hold until we have more information on Mohican. We hope to make plans for Labor Day as soon as we have more information. We would like to thank Jim Wallace and his wife, Laura, Nancy Strayer, and Wayne members Marline Smalley and Tom Bahl for attending our June meeting. Changes to the Mohican Lodge Trail were discussed. Some of the best cookies ever were provided by Shar’s granddaughters.

One of our members, Cindy Gray, attended a Liberty Clinic at Taktur Icelandic Farm in Kentucky taught by Carrie Brandt where she learned a variety of techniques to move with her 26-year-old horse, Maistjarna, without the use of any tack, halters, or ropes. Cindy has found that Liberty work creates a deeper connection between her and her horse and also seems to increase Maistjarna’s desire to interact with her. Liberty uses body language that is more in tune with the horse’s natural way of communicating and horses pick up

on it quickly. Cindy is continuing Liberty training at home with Maistjarna and enjoys the bond it’s building between them.

State rides will be coming up. Sept. 1-4 is the Scioto Trail State Forest Ride hosted by Fairfield County, contact is Chris Streitenberger at 740/703-7740. We are hoping the Chili CookOff scheduled for Sept. 16-18 at Mohican is a go, but will have to wait for more information. More information on these and other State Rides is available on the state website at ohconline.com.

Camp Tuscazoar Hoofs and Hounds Fundraiser is Aug. 20 at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Funds will go towards the new Trailhead and parking area for horsemen. Several OHC groups have donated to this cause. Bruce and some friends rode there last weekend. There are some very nice trails. There are separate bike trails. Bruce attended Boy Scout Summer Camp there years ago. More information and a good map are available at tuscazoar.org.

Enjoy the summer riding. There will not be a September newsletter in order to provide an article celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Ohio Horseman’s Council. In closing, just a reminder that it is not only horses and dogs that require more attention and care in the heat, but we humans also need to take care and use caution. ~Bev Hanna

KNOX

Congratulations go out to Anna Cline, granddaughter of Rannay and Donnie Cline for being selected as not only the Knox County Equine Queen but also the Knox County Fair Queen for 2022. We don’t often take the time to congratulate our young members so I have included two pictures of Anna’s great smile.

We are attracting new members from far distances. We want to welcome Anita Altmair who hails from Montana where she was a member of the Montana Tennessee Walking Horse Association. Welcome, and hope you enjoy our group here in Knox County.

Knox County OHC garden flags are available at $10 along with stickers for only $6 each. Flags are black with white lettering. Please contact Misty McDonald to place your order and help promote Knox County OHC.

Recent storms that have included Anna Cline, Fair Queen Anna Cline, Equine Queen Rayneen with Ruby and Nina.

Ken, Rosemary and Michelle at a Civil War enactment.

several tornados have closed several parks. Too many trees have been downed blocking trails and creating dangerous situations. Our own Thayer Ridge was one of them. Malabar and Mohican were also affected as well as several others. This does limit some riding experiences in our locale. A recent ride at Alum proved their trails were in good shape.

As I write this, Knox County OHC has a large contingency at Bark Camp where they celebrated not only July 4, but the seven birthdays occurring in July. Debbie, Laurie, Craig, Rannay, Kathy, Randy, and Donny, we hope you all had a Happy Birthday. There were 16 riders who attended and they encountered a few obstacles which were at times quite hairy. A donkey came to visit camp which Debbie and Levi returned to his owner. It was a great weekend over all.

By the time you get this article, Knox County OHC will have hosted an invitational ride at Salt Fork which was held Aug. 5-7.

There will be no County Lines posted in the September Corral. OHC will instead be publishing a 50th anniversary newsletter.

September 10 is the Fredericktown Tomato Show parade. Watch our newsletter for possible Knox County OHC participation. September 11 is the All Horse Parade in Delaware, an event that we have participated in for many years. Suggested wear is a white hat or helmet, along with our bright green T-shirts that promote Knox County OHC and blue jeans. It’s not really what we wear but the fact that we look uniform which shows solidarity. If you don’t have a T-shirt check with Misty.

September 16-18 is a weekend campout at Alum Creek where reservations are required.

Are you tough enough to wear pink? Knox County Chapter of OHC will be holding an event at Falon Park (AEP Conesville) in Coshocton County on Oct. 8 with donations going to Susan G. Komen cure for cancer. There will be a Poker Run, first rider out at 10 a.m. and last one out at 12 noon. There will be a silent auction, a 50/50, along with a hog roast in the evening. A suggested $10 donation per individual is appreciated and goes towards the hog roast, but you are welcome to donate more. This is a worthwhile event, so save Oct. 8 on your calendar and join in on a fun event!

October 21-23 Knox County OHC’s schedule shows camping at Tar Hallow. Best get out there as the season is soon drawing to a close.

November 4-6 Knox County OHC is camping at Hocking horse camp.

Come on over to Knox County where the gates are wide open, the grass is greener, the horses leaner (as we do ride them), and everyone is welcome. We meet the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. ~Terry L. Baker LAKE

Gratitude: Our Lake County OHC members have been grateful for good weather, good experiences and good rides this summer. Several members attended the Ohio Horseman’s Council Appreciation Day which was hosted by the Cleveland Metroparks Mounted Unit at the Polo Field, South Chagrin Reservation. Three members Ricki, Barb J., and Rayneen brought their horses to utilize the obstacle course set up by the Rangers. It was rewarding to work with riders from other OHC chapters also. The Rangers provided pizza, pop, and dessert. This was in appreciation of our OHC chapters continued efforts and co-operation with the Cleveland Metropark Rangers.

Some Lake OHC members also rode with Dottie Drockton a Naturalist, from the Geauga Park District. She led a ride through Observatory Park one Sunday in June with members of our chapter, Donna Kennedy, Doug Kennedy, Michelle S. and Rayneen and other riders. We learned about the NASA building and the solar system pathway, as well as what is offered in the Observatory building itself. Thanks Dottie.

Our Lake chapter had a meeting/ picnic on July 13 at Chapin Forest, followed by ice cream up the road at Angelo’s. Barb J. showed Barb M. various trails at Headwaters Park in anticipation of our Aug. 17 ride planned at noon at Headwaters. A thank you to Barb J. for having helped clear some of these trails. ‘A Day at the Races’ at Thistledown Race Track is also planned for August. Back to July, we had fundraisers at the West Woods Flea Market and a FunDrive from July to Aug. 10 with Michelle H. in charge of the FunDrive.

Ken and Rosemary Morgan have been camping with their horses

Savannah helping.

near Cincinnati and are currently in Montana. They are doing well on their Bingo card. Another member, Rayneen, headed to Marietta, Ohio, where she visited Blennerhassett Island. She rode in a covered wagon pulled by a Mammoth mule and an American Saddle Horse. The horse bounced off the mule when it felt playful. The mule was patient and kind; the horse bouncy and wiggly. The whole experience of striking the mule, Ruby, and the horse Nina, plus holding the reins to both while in the driver’s seat was delightful. Bingo!

We look forward to sharing rides and other events with members of other OHC chapters in September and October. Let’s celebrate together in November. Have a fun time playing Bingo and riding, riding, riding. ~Rayneen

LICKING

I hope everyone is well and is getting lots of riding done! I myself try to ride every chance I get lately. The weather seems very unpredictable this year. Lots of storms and high winds have already wreaked havoc on some of our horse trails, Mohican and Malabar got hit especially badly. We just had an update on the trail status and cleaning efforts yesterday. As I am writing this, the forest in those two locations is still a mess and deemed unsafe for volunteer helpers. I am hoping that is not the case anymore as you are reading this. If you get a call for help, please be ready to lend a hand if you are able! Even our own local trails have undergone a lot of new reroutes and trail maintenance thanks to the levy that passed recently. We were able to share our beautiful trails with equestrians from other counties, just the other day we functioned as their guides. We had a lot of fun! Thank you, Licking County Park district, for providing us with wonderful places to ride!

That leads me to the important topic of trailer safety. We had a highly informative guest speaker, Roger from A1 Trailer, at our June meeting. He emphasized maintenance as accident prevention is important especially since we are transporting our best friends, our horses, back there! We also discussed the well-attended maintenance day at Dillon State Park in June. Thank you, Charlene and Craig, again, for keeping up the magnificent work of keeping our local trails rideable for us! Nineteen people from five different counties helped that day and we would like to thank them as well. It is so wonderful to see how the motto of OHC is made a reality! Horsemen helping horsemen!

Our fun show will have taken place already as I am writing this, and I hope it was well attended and everybody had tons of fun! We did have to change our trail riding schedule around a bit, please check online at Facebook or watch your emails for the changes or contact me and I will update you.

The history ride with Tami is scheduled for Aug. 7 at Taft South. I hope some of our readers are able to make it! In the meantime, enjoy your horses! See you on the trail! ~Sigrid Batten

Licking County OHC

LOGAN

I’m happy to report that Christy Stanley’s memorial hitching post and her memorial plaque was put up at Kiser Lake June 27. Many thanks to Logan County OHC members John and Becky Porter, Lynette Rostorfer and Kookie Berry as well as several members from Champaign County OHC who helped them out. Christy was one of the founding members for Logan County OHC and passed away last year due to an accident. If you go to Kiser Lake, please try out our new hitching posts.

Logan County OHC had our first ride of this year on June 25 at Marmon Valley Farm. It was very well attended. I believe there were 11 members and two guests who very well may become members. In all, they rode 5.5 miles for almost two and a half hours over the rolling hills of Logan County. Thank you Matt and Kathy Wiley for hosting this ride.

Logan County OHC

Christy Stanley memorial plaque.

~Cynthia Orr

LORAIN

Hello from Lorain County OHC! This summer sure has been hot but the wooded trails for riding feel like air conditioning. I hope you have had some opportunities to venture out into the wilderness to escape from the daily busyness of our lives. I hope you have your hay all safely stacked in your barn. I had to chuckle as our horses whinnied in delight when they saw the hay wagon pull in stacked to the top with fresh hay.

Our August sponsor is Litchfield Veterinary Clinic. We’d like to thank them for helping to support our Lorain County OHC. I would also like to thank Lance’s Trailer Sales in Athens, Ohio, for their continued support of Lorain County OHC. Please check their ad on the September calendar page.

A few attended the Harrison County Regional Ride June 1012 and Sue M. shared. It was a wonderful weekend. Trails at Malabar are closed due to storm damage until further notice but the Pleasant Hill ride on June 17-19 hosted by Ashland County was a go with some members attending. Brenda L. who attended, shared that Ashland County OHC worked very hard to clear trails for the ride and would like to thank Ashland for a very nice weekend. Sadly, the NE Area Regional ride at Mohican scheduled July 1-3 was canceled due to storm damage on the horse trails.

On Saturday, Aug. 6 we have a day ride scheduled for 10 a.m. at Hinckley Reservation. August 12-14 we will be camping at Bark Camp State Park. A great feature of this park is that there is electric at each site that will power air conditioners for the sizzling dog days of summer. Please mark your calendar for our Aug. 15 membership meet at the Equestrian Center starting at 7 p.m. We hope to see you there! August 18-25 we will be at Big Elk Lick Horse camp. You must have reservations and have a 30 day health certificate and valid Coggins test for your horse. If you have a reservation and need to cancel, please give the camp hosts ample notice as a courtesy, as this is a popular place to camp. Please read more details at the back of the calendar if you are interested in camping. Just an FYI, we will return Oct. 2-9 as well. A special delight is that wild elk roam freely in the area and you may have a visiting elk meander through your campsite or you may view them crossing the river or trails. We often hear them bugle in the distance. A very nice place to see the elk is also at the visitor center in Benezette, Pa. Check out the Lorain County Fair Aug. 21-28 as it is a huge fair

Harrison Regional Ride.

Summer fun!

with live entertainment, a wide array of animals and it is a great community event to support. Our next trail maintenance is scheduled for Aug. 27 at Charlemont to groom the trails. Bring chain saws if you have them. Nippers are also a big help for those invasive briers that like to attack us while riding. Please contact Jim Wallace if you are able to help. We will be at Brecksville Reservation on Aug. 28 for a day ride so plan to be ready to ride at 1 p.m. We will meet at the Meadows Trailhead. Directions to this site are located on the back of the calendar.

I am including the September information as we will not have our usual County Lines due to celebrating our 50th Anniversary of OHC in September. Erie County OHC is hosting a poker run at Edison Woods Metroparks in Berlin Heights on Sept. 10. This is a great time and is a fundraiser for the club, therefore there is a small fee to participate that includes your poker hand, lunch and prizes. Please contact Beth for full details; her phone number is listed in the back of the calendar. The Chili CookOff State ride hosted by Ashland OHC and day ride will be held at Mohican State Forest. Camping is Sept. 16-18 with the day ride on Saturday, riding out at 11 a.m. You will need to go the state website, ohconline. com, to make reservations. You may contact Tim Tuttle from Ashland County OHC or Jim Wallace from Lorain County OHC with further questions. Monday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. we will hold our membership meeting at the CVC Black River Room. We will plan to nominate candidates for our 2023 officers, please consider who you might nominate or if you are willing to be a candidate. Please come as we value your input! The NW area regional ride at Van Buren State Park will be held Sept. 2325. Go online at reserveohio. com to make reservations. September 27 through Oct. 23, the Quarter Horse Congress will be taking place at the State fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio. We will be camping Sept. 30Oct. 2 at Beaver Creek located in East Liverpool. You will have the opportunity to cross several creeks along the trails. Please make your reservations at reserveohio.com. Billy and Cheryl Garn are the contacts for this ride. We will then be back at Big Elk Lick Horse camp Oct. 2-9. Please refer to the Aug. 1825 details for information. There are many opportunities to ride with others, so hopefully you will be able to join in the fun at some or all the events! ~Kathy Duncan

MADISON

As I write this in July, my prediction came true—wet, muddy weather this spring turned hot and humid. Madison County Horse Council is working to keep the Deer Creek trails open, but Mother Nature is doing her best to overcome us. We are fighting wind taking down trees and rain propelling overgrowth. It sure keeps us busy! All of our state trails have the same issues with storms felling trees across trails and amazing prickly vining plants leaping forth to snag our clothes and bloody our bodies. My best advice is to always carry clippers to help keep intrusive plants at bay as well as a folding saw to help clear trails. As an all-volunteer organization, we need to help each other as much as possible so all of us can continue to enjoy what Ohio has to offer horsemen. We had a new member join after complaining at an OHC exhibit booth about how the state parks had maintained horse trails. He was amazed that the horse trails were almost all maintained by OHC volunteers, and joined up on the spot to help with the work. We are thrilled to have him as part of our chapter!

Our monthly Gymkhana series continues to bring an enthusiastic bunch of participants of all ages. The fun part is watching contestants and their horses improve with each opportunity, even if they start out walking the pattern and gradually complete their run at a faster walk. The whole point of the day is to have fun with your horse and improve horsemanship (of course, winning a ribbon or two is a great bonus). We appreciate all of those who join us for an enjoyable day in our covered arena at the Madison County Fairgrounds. Our remaining dates are Aug. 6, Sept. 17, and Oct. 8. The series winners for 2022 will have awards and prizes given at the final event.

Madison County is planning a Poker Chip Run at Deer Creek State Park on Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Poker chips will be awarded at the stops along the blue trail to be redeemed upon completion of the run for playing cards. Lunch will be offered, also. Please see our Madison County page on the OHC website for details and directions, as they are still being firmed up as I write this for submission. This should be a fun event, and it will raise funds for continued trail maintenance at the park. We hope to see you there!

Our chapter has a presentation each month, and our July meeting was a potluck under the trees at our meeting location. Who doesn’t enjoy a cookout/pot luck?! August has a presentation on Survival Skills, which will be very interesting. We will learn how to find water, how to navigate, and how to build shelter in a survival situation. We will also learn how to avoid being in a survival (help! I’m lost!) situation. Feel free to join us for meetings at the West Jefferson Community Center in West Jefferson, Ohio.

We all appreciate all of the work that our state OHC volunteers do

Madison County Deer Creek work crew, May 2022. Young contestants at Gymkhana.

on our behalf, and also for each chapter’s work to promote the horse industry and to keep our Ohio trails open for all to use. Be sure to invite all horse owners that you meet to join our organization! ~Lisa Reynolds

MEDINA

A beautiful day for a ride! Barb Vega led this adventure at Camp Tuscazoar on June 18. I’ve included pictures of some of the ten friends and their mounts at this fine park. In the one picture is the site of the future parking area for horse trailers. It’s a very costly project so donations are greatly appreciated. The park is run by all volunteers and for over 100 years has welcomed scouts and other visitors with its miles of trails that are open for hiking, biking, horseback riding or just exploring the outdoors. As they celebrate this past century, consider making a donation for future improvements. Visit their website, Tuscazoar.org, to learn more about the Centennial Trail and other information.

Don’t forget our Anniversary Ride, Saturday, Aug. 20. We are celebrating 36 years of muck, sweat and tears! Robinson Field is the place and be prepared to ride, eat and have fun. Our trails are in great shape and our hard work has paid off. We have also greatly benefited from the Dalton Family Foundation donations that have provided us with extra help on the bridle trails these past two years. Fifty percent of the profits from the ride, raffle and auction will be donated to the Dalton Trail Fund, so we want as much participation as possible. In the evening enjoy a full dinner and a sweet dessert!

Medina riders at Tuscazoar.

We are looking for volunteers and auction items, contact Rosemary Young (440/3827980 or rosemary4medinaohc@ gmail.com) for information and reservations. The flyer is in our newsletter and the OHC website, ohconline.com/chapter/Medina.

Our next work party is Aug. 13. Join us for some highly rewarding shovel swinging! Contact Raydeen Ryden (reysden@att. net or 334/663-7361) or Greg Monsanty (330/352-5737 or blackhorsebridge@aol.com) for dates and details. It’s ride time down in the valley!

~Rosemary

MEIGS

Greetings from Meigs County!

It is my hope that all of you have been enjoying your summer thus far and have had plenty of opportunities to spend time with your equine partners. The members of the Meigs Chapter OHC have been doing just that!

Our Annual Make-A-Wish benefit trail ride took place mid-June and was a roaring success! We had a great ride, an enthusiastic crowd, more than enough delicious food and managed to raise over $14,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation! Many members of the Meigs Chapter OHC devoted so much time and hard work to this event—gathering donations from the community, preparing the trails and campground, cooking, setting up, tearing down and more—and because of those efforts, many deserving children across the country will reap the benefits.

Members have also been enjoying countless hours in the saddle, covering miles of trails, and many participated in our first Meigs Chapter OHC Fun Show.

Events scheduled for August include a group trail ride on Aug. 13 at the AEP Southern Ohio Recreational Area in Langsville, Ohio, with a Fun Show to follow and a group trail ride at Elkins Creek Horse Camp in Pedro, Ohio, on Aug. 27. Hope you can join us! Happy trails, my friends! ~Beka Setzer

MORROW

Greetings from Morrow County OHC chapter where green is now the dominate color for corn/ beans/hay/pasture fields plus lawns require increased mowing. By this early July composition, nearly all local first cutting hay has been harvested with mine wrapped up on the June storm day when electrical power was off for 48 hours here and longer for other chapter members. Some large trees were toppled but no horses or buildings were hurt and horse water tanks had an adequate two-day reserve. However, pond water was utilized for in house bathroom needs and bags of ice made the kitchen refrigerator like an Amish appliance which this 82-year-old non-Amish man remembers being in his Iowa rural home before the installation of Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) transmission lines.

Although there had been some good riding weather days, health/family issues have kept most chapter members grounded since submitting the last report. Drew Ann and Frank’s July 4th excursion to Elkins Creek was disrupted by weather and an emergency trip to Florida to be with an ailing parent. A variety of health issues limited any riding by Ted, Frank, Byron, and Gerald which in turn limits the opportunity for their significant other to ride. President Floyd’s new horse that recently joined his mule did get ridden some with plans to expose it to Mount Gilead State Park (MGSP) trails when they get drier. As of this writing, storm damage has many state park equestrian trails closed for an indefinite time. Trail mats purchased from Cashman’s for wet spots at MGSP were installed by chapter members using chapter funds plus the state OHC grant which was obtained by Floyd’s diligent efforts. The MGSP equine trails were initially developed some 18 plus years ago by our OHC chapter which has assisted in annual maintenance since. The equine trailer staging area is located off highway US 42 northeast of Mount Gilead.

Health issues continue to keep some members grounded due to developments from advancing age and not because of accidents. However, the fall at home some four plus years ago by founding member Karen Sharp continues to keep her confined to assisted living facilities. She was a dedicated OHC supporter along with founding member Suzzane Allen who still cares for several paint horses with the assistance of her daughter Joyce. Suzzane last rode in the Delaware All Horse Parade four years ago at age 80 on her 30-year-old gelding Justin who died the following winter. She has since stated that it “was her last ride into the sunset”. This author did ride in the 2021 parade at age 81 and recently rode with visiting Pennsylvania daughter in early July.

Our small chapter does not conduct many organized rides but joins other OHC events and shares lots of equine fellowship during our monthly chapter meetings which are at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month in the Mount Gilead Library Annex.

Repeating words of encouragement from previous reports still remains true. Members who can navigate to the barn may enjoy the benefits of equine therapy without riding, via grooming and feeding, plus whispering horse/ human conversations like Dr. Dolittle. The smell/touch/sounds associated with such equine activities can be a spirit lifter despite not being able to ride.

Until next month, keep your chin up and strive to provide the best care possible for your horses who will provide you the opportunity to enjoy some great riding. Stay safe in the saddle/on your horse if you do have an opportunity to ride and I hope to see some readers on the trail later this year.

PERRY

Now that summer is in full swing we are working on fall riding plans, not that anyone wants to wish away, but we have a few tricks up our sleeves for some fun times in Perry County.

We decided to skip the June meeting and used a scheduled ride for our July meeting. There definitely will be the annual soup ride Oct. 1 at Dillon State Park. We’re looking for a fantastic turnout this year. As in the past there will be a 50/50, the oh-so-great auction of untold goodies and spirits, and some gift cards tossed in throughout the festivities. And of course, the soup contest, where participants can win $25, $15 or $10 for first, second and third place entries. I don’t know if we can top last year’s delicious variety or not, but let’s try! I’m hoping we will be raffling the Quick Draw Tie Line. I purchased one of these and have to say it is more than the cat’s meow.

We are trying to also put together a Halloween party in October at the group camp at Hocking, but at this time we do not know if our permit has been approved. More details later.

I’ve seen club members riding a little bit of everywhere despite the high gas prices. The gals I ride with have sort of leaned towards an every other weekend ride, but then again, weather has played a huge part in those decisions as well. Several of us made a last minute decision to camp at Zaleski State Forest on one of the cool weekends on the heels of some pretty bad storms. Seems Zaleski had the least damage of the surrounding trails. It was a good choice though we did have several places where we had to dismount and find alternate routes to get around. Seven plus hours later we made it around the light blue trail, to the Moonville Tunnel and then onto

Brenda and Diane at Zaleski.

Ben’s new ride, Trixie.

the Kings Tunnel. That is some ride and really should be put on your list of must do’s!

July found us at Salt Fork, Stone Church, Hocking and other familiar places. The Gibby Ride will highlight the August schedule followed by the Labor Day ride with our Fairfield County friends at Scioto Trails.

New additions include Ben Stengle’s new partner, Trixie. Kathy Newman acquired a stud colt that was the offspring of her former mare, Rain. He’s a good looking TWH but she has her work cut out for her. Brenda Lehman has been busy helping her granddaughter Quincy show Bud, and Q did quite well at the first point show. I have yet to see Diane Lowe’s new horse trailer but I’m sure she’ll be getting it on the road soon.

‘Til next time, happy trails! ~Marianne

PIKE

Happy summer from Pike County. We are finally riding on a regular basis. The trails are all passable and I hope to see a lot of our county riders out. Another huge thank you to our state forest trail maintenance crew. They made a bypass improvement for us on the bottom half of the trail between #18 and #20. This area was always super wet and kept slipping. It is now dry and very enjoyable. Thanks to Ben Kelley, they will also be putting in a connector trail between #20 and #21. We have waited several years for this and now it is real! Christmas in July

This will keep riders off a very unsafe road that had been ridden in order to pick up the next trail head. It will create a very pleasant loop back to Greenbrier Road.

Several members met June 25 to clean the Anderson Cemetery and rest area. We also replaced the picnic table. It looks great!

July 2 was our Christmas in July meeting and camp out. There was a great turnout of 40 people who enjoyed playing in the creek, eating ham, chicken, casseroles, cupcakes, fudge, salads, pie and cookies. The gift exchange is always hilarious. You pick a gift but it can be stolen by the next person. What great fun! Next was a candy cane marshmallow baseball game. Jim Forman sent his marshmallow on a line drive to go the winning distance. Lots of fun!

August will be our ice cream social. Everyone is welcome.

Be safe on the trails! ~Debby Sears

SANDUSKY

Welcome friends of Sandusky County and welcome summer! The heat of August is among us and many of us have a quite a few trail rides and camps under our belt! Earlier this year, we rode at a new park called Caesar Creek. Fifty years ago it all started there at that camp! It was the first organized trail ride in Ohio under the club name of Ohio Horseman’s Council. Al had the honor of helping organize the 50th anniversary ride there! He had a beautiful plaque made and a tree was planted by many people, a few who had even been at the first ride. What an amazing thing to do! After there was a wonderful meal, an auction, a few door prizes and karaoke, it was a fun weekend!

We had our showcase ride at our little trail of White Star. We were so excited to show the new trails to many OHC members that have not been here. A few had been there years ago and was very happy to see all the extra miles we have added. A group went out for a guided ride came back for a rest before supper. Anyone from another group reading this, if you missed our ‘showcase’ please let Al know, we would love to give you a guided ride! After the ride, we had a wonderful supper of BBQ pork made by Candy Catering with a lot of side dishes and desserts. Not long after the kids (and a few adults) had fun beating the heat with a water gun fight! The next morning was a big breakfast before another short ride, leading to the end of a wonderful and fun weekend!

A huge thank you to everyone who suffered through the 90 degree heat to help cleanup the trails before the campout! It couldn’t have been done without you! Thank you!

Our meetings are the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the First Brethren Church in Fremont. We usually meet for supper at 5:45 p.m. Visit our Facebook page under Sandusky County Horseman’s Council for up-to-date information. Check out the state web page at ohconline.com. Give your beautiful four-legged partner a good brushing and a kiss on their warm nose. Life is good. ~Marla Sidell

Showcase ride.

Caesar Creek Showcase ride at White Star.

STARK

I hope you are having a nice summer! It has been a weird summer with some areas praying for rain, other areas having way too much and several experiencing horrible storms with much damage. We will survive!

Stark County doesn’t have much going on which is letting our members enjoy riding and camping on their own. This month we will be taking part in the Hoofs and Hounds program being held at Camp Tuscazoar near Zoar. This is a fundraiser to help build a new parking and camping area for horsemen enabling us to enjoy the beautiful trails at the camp. It will be held on Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hope you are able to join us, as some really fun things are being planned.

Until next time, happy trails to you and have a great summer! ~Jo Ellen

SUMMIT

Thank you, thank you everyone who came out to support our June 25 fundraiser for the new barn roof at Richfield Heritage Preserve. I am very happy to report it was a major success. Much of the credit goes to our hard working committee who set up the Poker Run and even more so to all those riders and friends who came out to enjoy the ride, drawings and camaraderie. The weather was amazing, though slightly hot, summer day with plenty of sunshine and a nice breeze in the woods. Riders started off with complimentary donuts and coffee upon arrival and finished later with an optional lunch. We would like to extend a special thanks to one of our riders who donated back her winnings on the 50/50

Fundraiser success story.

Looking for a winning hand. Sunny and friends. Karen and Blue at the State Ride.

Model show champion. Janet Burnett and Bailey.

Harold McKeehan ready for action.

raffle and several members of our equine community who also made exceptionally generous contributions to our fund. This addition to our roofing fund will bring us much closer to our goals. We cannot forget to thank Big Dee Tack for their purchase rewards program which allowed us to present gift certificates as prizes for the event. There’s nothing like a paid shopping day to lift your spirits and it was definitely a win-win for everyone.

The dynamic duo was out there again putting a face on the importance of horses in our community. Of course I’m speaking about Molly Eastwood and Sunny the Wonder Horse. Our goodwill ambassadors attended another community event at Richfield Heritage Preserve in June to let the kids and adults of the community see and pet a horse maybe for the first time. Thanks to all the other volunteers who came that day to make this another success.

They say lightning does not strike twice but you might want to check with Debbie Donner. Four years ago her then new horse went on an unexplained bucking spree with her aboard. Fast forward to a month ago and it happened again with no apparent explanation; speculation was a large stinging insect. She bailed off with no injuries thanks to her protective riding vest and helmet. This demonstrates that even an experienced competitive trail rider cannot anticipate such an event on the trails. To our new riders, please ride with at least head protection to avoid debilitating injuries. It is an important reminder to us all and thank you Debbie for sharing this experience with us.

Flash! Burly phantom crosses Ohio border presumably from Pennsylvania this past week. ODNR confirmed not Big Foot, Pittsburg Steeler offensive tackle, or disgruntled Browns fan. Last sighting was a few years ago. Cell phone videos tracked and recorded movements to the southwest. A Black Bear was seen ambling through forest and fields, strolling through a large suburban cemetery near a busy mall and six lanes of traffic, scaling trees to empty bird feeders and dining at Trashcan Alfresco. All this was in the quest for new territory or a significant other. The intruder was sighted within a half mile of my house. And I was worried about squirrels and raccoons demolishing my feeders! So riders just remember, however remote the chance, you may be sharing the trail with more than just hikers—even in Ohio. Your horse should give you ample warning of Big Foot, Pittsburg Steelers or Bears. Stay safe. ~Joann Ulichney

UNION

Union County has been very busy the past month. Two members get to add something different to their bingo cards this summer. On June 11, Karen Holland and Debbie Strayton attended a live model horse show, Four Leaf Clover Live was located at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. One of Karen’s models, Party Favor won the Breyer Overall Light Breed Reserve Championship over some tough competition. She also qualified several models for the North American Nationals, while Nuttin’ Finer and Sultan’s Winter King, both American Saddlebreds won the Artist Resin Champion and Reserve Champion Gaited Horse Workmanship division.

Along with friends from Clark, Delaware, and the At-Large chapters, Union attended the new Jeffersonville Lake State Ride June 24-26 hosted by the Carroll County OHC. A total of 47 people from 12 chapters participated in the event. The trails were lovely, and the weather perfect. Saturday had a 1972-themed scavenger hunt, horse apple bingo, and a potluck. Everyone had lots of fun and the food was great.

To celebrate the July 4 holiday Susan Kiser and Karen Holland attended the Champaign County OHC’s annual Firecracker Ride at Kiser Lake State Park held on July 2. Once again, the weather was perfect. Flags were hidden along the trail to be found by those with the sharpest eyes and awards were given to the riders who found the most.

Union County is looking forward to a busy summer and fall. Remember safety first, have fun, mark up those bingo cards and happy trails. ~Karen Holland

WARREN

I was reading some posts on our Facebook page the other day, and it seems to me that there are a lot of trees at Caesar Creek that seem to watch when we clear trails and then fall right after. We can have an entire loop cleared, and then next week we’re getting reports of more trees down. It’s not that surprising, of course, since we’ve had a number of storms and a lot of the trees in the area are Ash trees. But it’s still annoying! We’ve also been rained out of a few work days too, which doesn’t help, but we’ll keep working on it.

And every once in a while we find a tree that is just too big for the saw, as happened on a June work day. Luckily there was a safe path around it, so at least until we can get back, it is passable. It should be history by the time this goes to press.

If anyone finds a tree down, or a dangerous spot on the trail, don’t hesitate to pass the word. You can put the information on the Facebook page and one of us will pass it along, or email Roger directly at blazeandspirit@gmail. com. Roger always has a list of projects.

We will also be having our big summer work day on Aug. 13. Meet at the Horseman’s Camp at 9 a.m. Bring any tools like chainsaws or loppers, or equipment like ATVs or tractors you may have, and Roger will find a place for you. We got a lot done on Green-Up Day this spring; it would be great to have as many people in August.

Speaking of August, on a

Belinda Snell and Easy. Arch on mountain bike trail at Mohican. Entrance to day riding at Malabar.

personal note, I’m holding my endurance ride Aug. 2021, and am always looking for volunteers. If you think you might be interested in volunteering, contact me at 937/232-9256 or akela83@att.net. We’ll train you to do whatever we need, and feed you lunch.

As usual, Warren County OHC was represented in two July 4th parades. We do one at Otterbein Community and another in Waynesville. The number of riders varies year to year, but one constant seems to be Harold on poop patrol and me driving him (thank God for ATVs; he used to follow with a wagon or a wheelbarrow!). There were two riders for Otterbein, Belinda Snell and Janet Burnett. They were very festive! Belinda’s horse Easy, was making her parade debut and did well. I’ll have photos from that parade this month, and photos and information on the Waynesville parade next month.

In early June, we proved that we live by the OHC motto, Horsemen Helping Horsemen. I was doing some work at the farm where I board, and got a call from some friends of mine who are in Wood County OHC, who had come in early for the Greene County State Ride. They were out on the trail, close to the top end of Solidago, and got a phone call from a friend of theirs who was driving to Caesar Creek to camp with them. She was blindsided by a car running a red light. Human, horse and dog were OK, but her truck was totaled and trailer damaged too. My friends wanted to know if I could go rescue the horse and bring her to camp. It fortunately happened only about 4 miles from where I was, so I hooked up the stock trailer and was able to go get the horse quickly. By the time I got there, plans had already been made for one of her friends to unhook when they got back to camp and come get her trailer and tow it to the horse camp, although they were a couple of hours out, so it might was a while. But apparently someone had put photos on Facebook about the accident (I never did find out just where it was posted), and here came one of our newer Warren County members, Brian, who had seen the post, to see if he was able to be of help. Once the truck was unhooked, he hooked up to her trailer, loaded her stuff and dog, and took her and the trailer to the camp, arriving just after I got there with the horse. They camped for the night and then were able to get the trailer serviceable enough to tow home the next day, when someone from her area was able to come get them. It was a bad accident, but could have been so much worse. And if it had to happen, it happened at a spot where help was close by, she was almost at her destination, and all living beings were shaken up but unharmed. So even amidst that trauma, there’s a lot to be thankful for.

A reminder that if you haven’t made reservations for the State Ride at Caesar Creek Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, you do need to make them. You can make reservations for camping, dinner or both; all on the same form. The form can be found on the ohconline.com website.

Stay cool and I hope to see a lot of you at the August work day. ~Mickie

WAYNE

I had hoped to be writing about what a fabulous Regional Ride we had at Mohican. There was to be a lot of celebration of OHC’s 50th anniversary. The weather would have been perfect for riding and camping. There were reservations for 40 rigs so it would certainly have been a good turnout with a great time had by all. Instead, Mother Nature dealt us a cruel blow by sending a devastating storm that has completely closed Mohican State Forest and Malabar Farm equine trails and camping. It was not just the parks that suffered loss, but many of our members also suffered severe storm damage to their own property. Luckily no person or animals were injured in the storm, but electricity was not restored to some areas for over five days.

However, from adversity comes strength. The forest manager at Mohican State Forest and the manager for Malabar farms and Mohican State Parks have both been incredibly responsive and with the help of other state employees from other parks and forests in Ohio they have made tremendous progress. The paragraphs below will outline what has been done to date, July 5, but by the time this article makes the Corral, there will be much more progress made. We are hoping to salvage at least some riding and camping in the fall of this year.

Mohican State Forest Report: On June 23, two bulldozers and six chainsaw operators cleared the short loop behind the horse camp. The Yellow horse trail is completely closed due to trees and debris and may never be reopened or at least not in the same path. By June 30 they had cleared six miles of trail. The goal is to get all the Blue Trail open by the end of July or the first of August. The Green and Orange Trails are both closed due to trees and work has not yet been started on those trails. All the hiking trails are open except the covered bridge to the Fire Tower. When the Green is open, we will have ride the gas line roads in order to ride up the hill. The gas line roads are also used by the mountain bikers, so we will have to use extreme caution when riding that trail. The cable for the tie line broke at the Lodge. It will be replaced. A small number of volunteers will be permitted to start clearing the trail from the Lodge to Goon Road.

Important: Please call Mohican before trailering in to ride. It is a matter of safety as trees are still falling.

Malabar Farm Report: There is a small crew working on trails. Their first priority is to clear the Maple Syrup lines as that is a source of revenue for the farm. The equestrian trails will be cleared, but are not yet open for riding. Just to give you an idea of the number of trees down, the Butternut hiking trail had 36 trees down and the Jungle Book trail had 32 trees down. Our president, Marline Smalley has met three times with the farm manager to discuss helping to open the equestrian trails. A small crew of six went in to help clear on July 2, but ran into problems and had to stop. Again, very important, please call Malabar before trailering in to ride.

Muskingum Watershed Report: Only Pleasant Hill trails are cleared for riding as of this writing. You cannot ride to Malabar. The report is that it is going to be a long time before the trail is cleared to ride between Pleasant Hill and Malabar Farm. The Muskingum Watershed staff is very small, and they can only do so much. Please be patient and do not ride in unauthorized areas.

Moving on to other matters, there was a meeting between the ODNR, Ohio Mountain Bike Club and the OHC President and Wayne County OHC President regarding the new mountain bike trail at Mohican. As you will recall, this trail was put in without consultation with the equestrian trail users and has resulted in some dangerous trail crossings. The mountain bike riders now understand the danger they and the equestrians face on these trails. They have offered to pay for and install arches and small stone warnings at each crossing (see pictures) to warn mountain bikers that the trail is about to cross the equestrian path and that they need to stop or at least slow down and look for horses. Mike Ruppe, the Ohio Mountain Bikers club president designed the arches so that they are too low for horse and rider to get under so riders won’t inadvertently end up on a bike path. They are however, visible to the horse and rider in advance of the crossing, so riders will know a crossing is coming up and can also exercise caution. There is also signage on the bike trail before the crossings giving warning of the upcoming intersection. The biggest concern is that there is a skills course and bike playground at the Lodge and there is fear that children will tire

Part of blue trail at Mohican.

of those and decide to start down the path from the Lodge toward the highlines and equestrian trails.

Expect encounters with bikers in that area. There will be signage at the highlines and Good Road.

In the meantime, our club members are learning to explore other trails and campgrounds throughout the state. There was a club campout at Elkins Creek June 13-18. Ten members attended. The camp was great. The trails were understandably muddy since they got three inches of rain in 45 minutes one day! You can’t help what Mother Nature sends us, so we have to just make the best of it and ride between the raindrops and hope the shoes stay on the horses.

We look forward to getting to work on the trails at Mohican and Malabar soon and hope we can see some of you riding there later this fall.

~Sue Baker

WOOD

We had a good Wood County turn out at Caesar Creek State Ride, Jefferson Lake State Ride and July 4 weekend at Van Buren State Park.

Several of us attended the NW Regional day rides at Oak Openings Metropark and White Star Park. Our next destination is West Branch and I hear a lot of us are going. The rest of our schedule for 2022 is: Sept. 1-4 Scioto, Sept. 2-5 Van Buren, Sept. 22-25 NW Regional Ride at Van Buren, Oct. 7-10 Hobo Stew at Van Buren, Oct. 6-9 Hueston Woods and Oct. 19-23 Hocking Hills. Some of us plan to go to the Erie County Poker Ride Sept. 10. Our meeting place has changed to Mi Tequila Mexican Restaurant in Fostoria, still

Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. Trail work will be determined by the weather and announced at the meetings or on our Facebook page. Our chainsaw crew have been busy helping the park keep the trails open. We have gotten more rubber mats down in the campground corrals. Remember, we have stones on many of our trails so a barefoot horse could Elaine and family at Van get sore. Happy trails! Buren. ~Barb O.

Judy at Jefferson Lake. Dick at Jefferson Lake.

It is FREE to add your Equine Event to the Corral Calendar.

Events will be added to the calendar in the magazine and added to our website.

Email your event(s) to michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com with the following information:

Name of Equine Event Date/Time of Equine Event Venue Name of where event will be held Address of venue Contact name and phone number

You may include an email and website address also.