Flatlanders Dressage & Combined Training Association, Inc.
Geauga Horse & Pony Association
Great Lakes Appaloosa Horse Club
Hoosier Quarter Pony Association
Knox County Horse Park
Lake Erie Mounted Vaqueros
Massillon Saddle Club
Miami Valley Horse Show Association
Michigan Trail Riders Association, Inc.
Mid-Eastern Farriers Association
Mid Ohio Dressage Association
Mid-Ohio Marauders
National Pole Bending Association
Northern Ohio Dressage Association
Northern Kentucky Horse Network
Northern Ohio Miniature Horse Club
Northern Ohio Outlaws
Ohio Appaloosa Association
O.H.I.O. EXCA
Ohio Foundation Quarter Horse Assoc.
Ohio Haflinger Association
Ohio High School Rodeo Association
Ohio Horseman’s Council
Ohio Gaited Horse Trailriders
Ohio Morgan Horse Association
Ohio Paint Horse Club
Ohio Quarter Horse Association
Ohio Ranch Horse Association
Ohio State Buckskin Association
Ohio Western Horse Association, Inc.
Ottawa County Horse Foundation
Ohio Valley Team Penning Association
Pinto Horse Association of Ohio
Premier Mount N Trail
Pure Gold Stables
Tri-County Trail Association
Tri-State Rodeo Association
Wayne County Saddle Club
Western Reserve Carriage Association
The Corral Staff
Editor Bobbie Coalter
Advertising Sales & General Manager Joe Coalter email joe@thehorsemenscorral.com
Club Sales & Circulation Manager
Art & Composition Director Michelle Ross email michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com
& PHOTOGRAPHERS
Features: Kelley Bitter, Rob and Tanya Corzatt, Robert Eversole, Terry Myers, Sarah Vas
THE HORSEMEN’S CORRAL is published monthly by Horsemen’s Corral, 8283 Richman Road, Lodi, Ohio 44254. (ISSN 0164-6591). Published as Periodicals at the Lodi Post Office USPS 889-180 with additional entry points of Cleveland, OH 44101 and New Philadelphia, OH 44663. Periodicals postage paid at Lodi, Ohio, and additional entry offices. Subscriptions may only be purchased through Horsemen’s Corral member clubs. Single copies, $3.00 at select distributors. For subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, write to: Horsemen’s Corral, P.O. Box 32, Lodi, Ohio 44254. Manuscripts, drawings, and other material submitted must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope.
POSTMASTER: All subscription addresses are properly screened through CASS per USPS requirements. The Horsemen’s Corral will not accept returns of magazines deemed undeliverable for any reason. Please discard copy of any issue deemed as undeliverable.
The Horsemen’s Corral cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material.
MAILING ADDRESS & PHONE:
P.O. Box 32, Lodi, Ohio 44254
OFFICE: 330/635-4145
Ride In Sync
Iam continually trying to find ways to improve my skills and knowledge. Over the years I have found horseman that I knew I wanted to learn from and found ways to do that; whether it was learning from my mentor Wayne Allen, riding in an expo clinics with Eric Horgan (Olympic medalist), Al Dunning, or Dale Livingston, or attending a cattle clinic with Richard Winters. I have always watched and studied the professional trainers that I most admired. Seeking out equine professionals that represent the training methodology and style of riding that you like is an important way to improve your horsemanship skills.
When you want help with your horse and your pocket book can’t afford to hire a trainer for six months, your options are books/ videos, lessons or clinics. If you are a good reader and independent studier, books and videos may be very helpful. Even better, if you
I Need Help!
by Terry Myers
have a friend that you can share your resources with and then ride together, your friends eyes can help you understand if you are accomplishing the goals set forth in the book/video. The problem here is that the expertise shown in the book or video may get lost in translation once you are working with your horse. You may be forgetting or misinterpreting a small piece of the lesson that will give you a different outcome. That is where having the live resource there with you can make the difference between accomplishment and total frustration.
Horses don’t make mistakes, people do.
If you find a good riding teacher in your barn or close by, frequent and routine lessons (at least once a week, twice is better) can be a great way to improve your skills. Most lessons are an hour or so and can
help you slowly and steadily build your skills. Having that set of teacher’s eyes on you can help not only build skills but help you avoid lapsing back into old bad habits. Make the most of your instruction time by making sure that you and your horse are ready to start to work at the beginning of your lesson time. If you discontinue lessons or move your horse to a different barn, be sure to maintain the good riding habits that the lessons taught you. If you start having problems, analyze your riding to make sure that you are not the problem.
In my opinion, the disadvantage of lessons compared to clinics is that you usually don’t have the big breakthroughs in an hour lesson time slot. When you ride in a clinic, you are usually riding anywhere from 5-7 hours in a day. I find that in the first hour, both riders and horses are warming up and getting the edge worked off. They are getting in a mode to really get down to work. The real improvements and developmental breakthroughs usually happen in the afternoon of the second clinic day. I know that the initial cost of a clinic may seem overwhelming when you are looking at your financial horse budget. But break the cost down to a per hour basis and compare that to the cost of lessons. You will usually find that clinics have the financial advantage. There are things you need think about when trying to get the most for your clinic dollar. Ask how many will be attending the clinic to be sure that you can receive the attention you need. Understand the full cost of the clinic, including costs for stalls, your overnight accommodations and your meals. Choose an instructor or clinician that you admire their knowledge and the way they teach. Have you ever met a great horseman who can train a horse to do amazing things but can’t teach people? A good clinician can not only ride/ train, but they can explain the ‘hows and whys’ in a way that is understandable and inspiring. A good way to find out if a clinician is a good teacher is to go audit a
clinic. Your audit fee investment is minimal, you should learn some new skills to try at home and you will find out if you want to make the investment to ride in a clinic with that clinician. When auditing or riding in a clinic, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether while you are on your horses back or sitting down to lunch, ask those questions and pick the clinician’s brain about things. You have hired that clinician to teach you skills, but sure that you take advantage of the opportunity to learn them. A really good scenario is to bring a friend, whether to ride or to audit. You can be each other’s eyes and ears when you go home, to help apply what you learned in the clinic.
Whether you seek instruction in lessons or in clinics, find an exceptional and inspiring trainer who trains in a discipline and a style that matches your goals. Just like horses, no one trainer/ clinician is exactly like another. When you find one that you like and who communicates in a teaching style that is compatible with your learning style, stick with that person to learn as much as you can before you seek instruction from someone else. One final thing to remember… horses don’t make mistakes, people do. By constantly trying to improve your knowledge, you will improve your chances of having a successful partnership with your horse and reach your equine goals.
Questions about this or any of our articles can be emailed to us at myers5000@aol.com.
Terry Myers is a national clinician and champion horse trainer with a depth of knowledge developed from over 50 years in the horse industry. Myers has been a popular clinician at multiple expos in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more about Myers’ Ride-In-Sync methods as well as clinic and training services available, visit www. tmtrainingcenter.com or on Facebook.
Monty Roberts, “The Man Who Listens to Horses,”
Invites Worldwide Certified Instructors to Celebrate His 90th Birthday
Monty Roberts, the legendary horse trainer known as ‘The Man Who Listens to Horses,’ is set to celebrate his 90th birthday on May 14, 2025. To mark this extraordinary milestone, Roberts is inviting his worldwide network of certified instructors to join him for a special celebration at his California Horse Center on Flag Is Up Farms in Solvang, California.
have inspired horse enthusiasts, trainers, and equine professionals across the globe. Through his commitment to communication and understanding between humans and horses, Roberts has cultivated a dedicated international community of instructors who continue to spread his message of kindness and respect in horsemanship.
For decades, Monty Roberts has revolutionized the equestrian world with his non-violent, trust-based training methods. His groundbreaking techniques, famously known as Join-Up®,
“This celebration is not just about me; it’s about all of us who believe in a better way to train and connect with horses,” said Monty Roberts. “I am honored to have so many talented instructors who carry forward this mission. Bringing them together for my 90th birthday is the greatest gift I could ask for.”
The event will be a momentous occasion, featuring special demonstrations, heartfelt tributes, and opportunities for Roberts’ certified instructors to reconnect and share their experiences. Guests can expect an
inspiring gathering that reflects the lifelong dedication Monty Roberts has shown to improving the lives of horses and the people who work with them.
Monty Roberts’ impact extends far beyond the equestrian community. His principles of communication, trust, and mutual
peaceful and effective leadership. As he reaches this remarkable milestone, his legacy continues to influence generations of horse lovers and advocates worldwide.
For more information about the celebration or to learn more about Monty Roberts and his training methods, please visit http://www. montyroberts.com/ or contact
Ohio High School Rodeo Association
OHSRA Appreciates Your Sponsorship
NATIONAL DIRECTOR, Nikki McCarty
PRESIDENT, Brian Corsi
SECRETARY, Holly Rowe
PHONE, 614-432-0177
WEBSITE, www.ohiohighschoolrodeo.org
by Hannah Boyes
The Ohio High School Rodeo Association is a nonprofit organization that relies heavily on sponsorships to help us achieve our lifelong rodeo goals at such a young age. These generous contributions not only cover the costs of hosting our rodeos, which each contestant looks forward to, but also helps fund our yearend awards—the rewards we all work hard to earn. In addition to sponsorships, we host a variety of fundraisers and events to support our cause. All of our sponsors are recognized on our website, ohiohighschoolrodeo.org. At each rodeo, our student officers also
hang banners around the facility for sponsors who wish to be recognized this way!
The association offers three levels of sponsorship: bronze, silver, and gold. To be recognized as a silver sponsor, a donation of at least $600 is required, while a gold sponsor must contribute $1,000 or more. We are proud to have over 60 bronze sponsors supporting us! We’d also like to recognize and thank our current silver sponsors: A.W. Cardinal, Inc., BKC Investments, Habrun’s Insurance Service, Natalie Wesner-Gischinski, United Professional Insurance Co.,
and Wieland Builders LLC.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to our gold sponsors as well: B K Layer, LLC, and Straight A’s ~ RanchCity.com.
To all of our sponsors—your generosity makes our passion for rodeo possible. We are deeply grateful for your support, which keeps our association going.
If you are interested in donating to the Ohio High School Rodeo Association, your contributions would be greatly appreciated, and I can assure you that they will not go unnoticed! To donate, please visit our sponsor page at the following link: https://ohiohighschoolrodeo. org/sponsors.
OJHSRA group photo.
Senior girls receiving awards.
New This Year: Trail Riding Program
PRESIDENT, Leanne; VICE PRESIDENT (CONTEST), Anna; VICE PRESIDENT (PLEASURE), Samantha; SECRETARY, Francine; TREASURER, Ruth
EMAIL, massillonsaddleclub@gmail.com
WEBSITE, www.massillonsaddleclub.org
Happy March! We hope that everyone had a good February. It is 2025 and the Massillon Saddle Club ‘show’ season will begin in March with a shopping event. Wayne County Saddle Club/Massillon Saddle Club joint tack swap will be held on March 29 indoors at the Wayne County Fairgrounds. If you would like to rent a space to sell your extra items, 10 ft. x 10 ft. spaces are available at $60. There is a $2 door fee for shoppers. The tack swap will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are a small business owner, please consider renting a space to highlight you business. Or, rent a space to sell any horse or nonhorse items that you have. Please
see the MSC and WCSC Facebook pages for more information.
Save The Date: The 2025 yearend awards banquet and election of 2026 officers will be held November 20 at Nickajack Farms. More information to follow.
Massillon Saddle Club would like to welcome two new officers to Massillon Saddle Club, Inc.: welcome to the new Contest VP Anna Leach, and the new Pleasure VP Samantha Thompson. Both joined MSC in 2023. Also welcome the new Junior Trustees: Robert Gauder, and, Tiegan Reed. Welcome back to Junior Trustee, Ellie Shoup. In addition, please welcome the new Trustees:
Kristen Collins, Alyssa Crofut, Becca Rogers, Carisa Wise, Madelyn Zerbe, and Lane Louive. Welcome back to the returning Trustees Loretta Gauder, Caroline Bedlion, Ty Hershey, Machell Spencer, and Lawrence Louive. Welcome back to MSC Officers Leanne Louive (President), Ruth Radtka (Treasurer), and Francine
(Secretary). Many thanks to the ‘retiring’ Trustees Mandy Herbruck and Holly Garton, for all of their efforts in the past few years. You are very much appreciated!
Showgrounds cleanup dates are March 15 and March 22 starting at noon. This is your opportunity to complete your volunteer hours for year-end awards. Membership forms can be found on the MSC website. Membership and volunteer hour forms will be available at the showgrounds. Please watch the MSC Facebook page for any updates as the dates could be rescheduled if the showgrounds are too wet to support vehicles.
New This Year: MSC is excited to announce the debut of a Trail Riding Program! Love to spend time with your horse, but, prefer not to show? Massillon Saddle Club is more than horse shows; MSC also has exhibitions/clinics, and, as requested by our members, a trail riding program. The EquiLab app will track your trail hours; you do not need to be a member to use the app. The app is free (just decline the $99 membership to access the free app). If you wish to be included in year-end awards (the award is for Top Three Overall) for trail riding miles, there is a $25 (per rider) registration fee for members. You may ride multiple horses as the trail miles accumulate per rider. If you are not yet a member, and wish to be included in the year-end trail miles award, your MSC membership fee will be in addition to the award registration fee. Year-end award miles are
tracked by each rider and submitted by October 5. Please see the MSC Facebook for specific details.
There are a few special events that are being held this year. Details are being researched at this time. Please watch the MSC Facebook page for all updates.
One of the 2025 events is the return of the Super Fun Show (also known as ‘Ellie’s Super Fun Show’) August 3. In addition to Ellie’s Fun Show, there are two additional Fun Shows planned: May 18 and September 28. New this year is a Jackpot/Buckle Series (poles and barrels) planned for April 5, May 17, June 28, and August 9. Contest Show dates are June 8, June 22, July 13, August 17, September 21, October 5. Pleasure Show dates are June 29, July 27, August 10, August 24, with a rain date (if needed) September 14.
If you would like more information about the MSC scholarship program, visit the Massillon Saddle Club website, MassillonSaddleClub.org or contact Francine.
Please watch the MSC Facebook page for updates on upcoming events, classes, and updated showbills.
Until the 2025 events begin, MSC hopes that everyone enjoys the crisp winter days and has amazing rides. We are looking forward to the start of a new season and renewing friendships, seeing returning riders, and, to meeting new ones as the year progresses. May each of your days be filled with happy horse adventures!
Michigan Trail Riders Association, Inc.
MTRA 2025 Activity Calendar
PRESIDENT, Dug Jordan
1st VICE PRESIDENT, Jimmy Corlew
SECRETARY, Jan Gould
TREASURER, Cindy Lawrence
WEBSITE, www.mtra.org
EMAIL, mtra.office@gmail.com
PHONE, 231/492-9494
MTRA ANNUAL MEETING AND BANQUET
March 22 — Come join us at a new venue at The Holiday Inn in Midland, located at 810 Cinema. The Holiday Inn amenities include a Sports Bar and Grill, fitness center, indoor pool, hot tub, game room, etc. Unfortunately, no pets are allowed. Room reservations can be made by calling 989/7948500. Check-in time is at 3 p.m. Banquet doors open at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. Following that will be our annual meeting. Jeff Wilford Entertainment will follow the meeting playing our favorite dancing tunes.
Dinner/dancing is $35/person. Dance only tickets are $10/ person. You may order tickets on our website, mtra.org, or by calling the MTRA secretary at 989/324-8549.
MAY BLOSSOM RIDE
May 14-19 — Come ride with us at Hopkin’s Creek Trail Camp, Manton, Mich., to our Cadillac Trail Camp. This ride explores the Manton area with beautiful trails and then travels to Cadillac on the weekend.
1ST JUNE RIDE
May 28-June 8 — Come ride with us from Oscoda (Lake Huron) to Empire (Lake Michigan). This is a trophy ride with no layovers. If you can’t do the whole ride, join us for a weekend! All members are welcome anytime.
2ND JUNE RIDE
FAMILY RIDE
June 14-29 — Come ride with us from Empire (Lake Michigan) to Oscoda (Lake Huron). This is a trophy ride with layovers at
Scheck’s, Goose Creek, Luzerne and South Branch. Bring your family, we have activities planned on the layover days and fun for all ages. Members can join our rides anytime; you don’t have to come for the whole ride.
AUGUST REUNION RIDE
August 6-10 — Come ride with us at Goose Creek Trail Camp, Grayling, Mich. This is a meet and greet 61st anniversary celebration with circle riding and activities. Everyone is welcome! More information to follow. You will not want to miss this!
SEPTEMBER RIDE
September 5-14 — Come ride with us from Stoney Creek Trail Camp, Afton, Mich., to Oscoda (Lake Huron). This is a trophy ride
with one layover day at Luzerne. All members are welcome to join us on any part of this ride!
OCTOBER COLOR RIDE
October 9-13 — Come ride with us at South Branch Trail Camp in Hale, Mich. This camp has beautiful circle riding along the Ausable River. The fall colors will be perfect at this time! All members are welcome to join us for all or just part of this ride.
Register online at mtra.org. Visit/join our Facebook page ‘MTRA Friends’ to seek advice and answers from riders/members who have experienced the Shore to Shore Trail Rides. Contact mtra. office@gmail.com. (All rides are awaiting DNR approval.)
Buckeye Equestrian Association
Ruta Mazelis Masterson Clinic In the Planning Stages
PRESIDENT, Patricia Andio
VICE PRESIDENT, Susan Smith-Gordan
SECRETARY, Jennifer Milliner
TREASURER, Sally Kish
FACEBOOK, Buckeye Equestrian Association
Buckeye is planning clinics for 2025. There was such a great response to the Ruta Mazelis Masterson Clinic that we plan on having that clinic again. She limits the amount of participants so watch for our column so you won’t miss it. If you can’t bring your horse, we do encourage you to audit the clinic. This is a workshop that introduces horse owners, competitors and trainers to various techniques on equine health through the lens of equine bodywork. The workshop incorporates lessons Ruta learned from her practice of the Masterson Method and
equine massage as well as insight from human physical therapy, sports medicine, and the impact of trauma. In simple terms, “What if ‘bad’ or challenging horse behavior was likely related to pain, restriction, or both.” Ruta’s goal is to show how the interconnectedness of the equine body, as well as the restrictions developed for earlier life experiences, influence the horse, and therefore rider in the present. She will demonstrate various techniques and share interpretations of the horses’ responses so that participants can look for these in their own horses. You will learn several techniques that can be used immediately to begin a personal bodywork journey with your own horses in the various activities and sports you enjoy. Information about date and time and place will follow so stay tuned.
aluminum, tall trailer for big horses 86”, 7’ wide, gooseneck, straight load Tall Trailer forBigHorses!
‘25 EXISS ESCAPE 7306 LIVING QUARTERS
7’8” inside height, 7’0” outside width all aluminum, too many options to list!
Full Gallop Ahead for Equine Affaire
The jury’s still out on whether the groundhog’s weather predictions will hold true, but here’s one prediction you can assuredly hang your riding hat on: Equine Affaire is coming!
This April 10-13, join us at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus for four days of all things equine as we celebrate the horses, donkeys, and people of the horse industry. As North America’s premier equine exposition and equestrian gathering, Equine Affaire is the place to be this spring for learning, riding, shopping, competing, networking, celebrating, and more.
Advance tickets are on sale now for both Equine Affaire and Fantasia, Equine Affaire’s musical celebration of the horse. Get yours today by visiting equineaffaire.com or by downloading the Western Edge app for iPhone and Android and navigating to the Equine Affaire portal to purchase tickets.
The staff of Equine Affaire is thrilled to return to the Ohio Expo Center to produce our thirty-first event in Ohio. Although the OEC fairgrounds and several buildings will be under construction as part of the 2050 Master Expo Plan, Equine Affaire will be in ‘full gallop’ mode, complete with hundreds of educational clinics, seminars, and demonstrations, including the return of Cowtown in Cooper with live cattle; three exciting competitions; the largest horse-related trade show in the Midwest; a bustling Breed Pavilion and Horse and Farm Exhibits; fun hands-on activities; and the addition of a brand-new feature, the Donkey Extravaganza! For the latest construction updates and information on how our event will adapt to the changing landscape of the OEC, visit our social media platforms in the weeks to come as we post updates in event traffic flows and adjust our event maps.
From our post-event surveys, we know how much our attendees value the educational opportunities at Equine Affaire. Year after year, it continues to be one of the top reasons people choose to attend our event—and so we are proud to announce this year’s lineup of top-notch equestrian educators who will be on site to teach, educate, coach, train, demonstrate, and share their expertise on a variety of horse-related topics with our audiences:
Ryan Rose General Horsemanship
APRIL 10-13, 2025
OHIO EXPO CENTER • COLUMBUS, OHIO
J Julie Goodnight General Horsemanship
Tik Maynard Eventing and General Training
Cole Cameron General Horsemanship, Roping, and Ranch
Luke Reinbold General Horsemanship and Training
Luke Gingerich Liberty, Bridleless Riding, and Reining
Barbra Schulte Cutting and Sports Psychology
Traci Brooks Hunter/Jumper
Jennifer Truett Dressage
Steve Lantvit Cow Work
Ivy Starnes Easy Gaited Horses
Marcie Quist Driving
Sandi Simons General Training and Cowgirl Dressage
Wendy Murdoch Biomechanics and the Murdoch Method
Connie Combs Barrel Racing
Ty Evans Mules
Kellie and Sam Rettinger Draft Horses
Ifa Simmonds Equestrians in Motion
Mary Miller-Jordan Liberty
Canadian Cowgirls Drill Teams
These individuals and many others will be conducting hundreds of clinics, seminars, and demonstrations in multiple arenas and demo rings throughout the four-day event. On Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12, cow horse clinics with live cattle will be held as part of Cowtown in Cooper, sponsored by Western Life Today! This exciting two-day intensive tour will lead horses and riders in an exploration of multiple cow-oriented Western events.
Want to take an active role in learning at Equine Affaire by riding in one or more clinics?
Equine Affaire’s Ride With a Pro™ clinic program enables equestrians just like you to apply for the opportunity to ride with or have your horse trained by one of our clinicians during an educational session at Equine Affaire! You could ride with Connie Combs (barrel racing), Wendy Murdoch (biomechanics and Sure Foot), Cole Cameron (colt starting), Steve Lantvit (cow work), Barbra Schulte (cutting and general training), Jennifer Truett (dressage), Marcie Quist (driving),
Full Gallop Ahead
Ivy Starnes (easy gaited horses), Tik Maynard (eventing and general horsemanship), Julie Goodnight (general training, horsemanship, and cow work), Luke Reinbold (general training, horsemanship, and cow work), Sandi Simons (general training and cowgirl dressage), Traci Brooks (hunter/jumpers), Ty Evans (mules), and Cole Cameron (roping), or get specialized instruction in equestrian fitness from Ifa Simmonds (Equestrians In Motion Workshops). Apply by February 14, 2025. Application materials, clinic summaries, and more are available on our website: https://equineaffaire.com/events/ ohio/ohio-participate/ohio-ride-in-clinics/ohio-ride-with-a-pro-2/.
Wait, we did mention there’d be donkeys on site, didn’t we?
The Donkey Extravaganza, held in proud partnership with the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, will also be held as part of Equine Affaire all four days of the event! This special wing of donkeyrelated activities will be located in the Voinovich Livestock and Trade Center, near the Breed Pavilion. Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue is the world’s leading donkey rescue organization and seeks to improve the plight of the American Donkey through its nationwide network of ranch facilities and satellite adoption centers. The Donkey Extravaganza will offer attendees a plethora of unique opportunities to learn, meet, and celebrate these adorable long-eared equines during all four days of the expo. Whether you already own and love donkeys or you’ve always wanted to learn more about them, you’ve got to attend the Donkey Extravaganza! We’ll be posting an educational presentation schedule online soon at https:// equineaffaire.com/events/ohio/ohio-attend/ohio-other-features/ donkey-extravaganza/.
In between educational opportunities, attendees will adore taking advantage of all the retail and consignment shopping adventures awaiting them at the largest horse-related trade show in the Midwest. Exhibitors from all over the country will be on site with staff, inventory, and creative booth displays to offer an array of horserelated products, services, and more. The trade show will be spread out across multiple buildings and encompass outdoor exhibit spaces. As part of the trade show, we’ll also be hosting the Marketplace Consignment Shop in the Voinovich. If you want to consign your gently-used outgrown or unwanted equestrian goods, learn more by visiting our website: https://equineaffaire.com/events/ohio/ohioparticipate/ohio-sell/ohio-the-marketplace-consignment/!
Whether it involves clinics, competitions, or special events, the schedule of events never stops at Equine Affaire. The Whispery Pines Percherons team will be back to conduct the beloved Drive A Draft ™ activity, where attendees can learn how to drive a draft horse on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 in Rod’s Covered Paddock. Sign up by visiting the Whispery Pines Percherons stalls in the Gilligan Complex on site! We’re also excited to bring back the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition on Friday, April 11; the Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge on Saturday, April 12; and to introduce the brand-new Breed Bonanza, sponsored by Sentinel by Kent and Blue Seal, on Sunday, April 13!
Versatile Horse and Rider Competition
If you and your horse enjoy the adrenaline rush of speed events, the satisfaction of tackling a complicated obstacle course, and the euphoria of competing in front of a crowd, then this is your sign to apply to ride in the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition. Applications are open now and due on February 14. This year’s event will be judged by none other than Barbra Schulte, a legendary cutting horse trainer and a member of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Compete for $5,500 in cash and other prizes!
Wanna flex your barn rat muscles and show off in front of all your friends?
Sign up at the event to compete in the Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge – no horses needed! This event is free to enter for attendees and includes prizes for the top ten participants in both the Barn Chores Marathon and the Bouncy Pony Race. To sign up, visit the Equine Affaire Information Booth in the Bricker Building prior to the competition.
Curious about the Breed Bonanza?
Sponsored by Sentinel by Kent and Blue Seal, this exciting new event features a unique under-saddle rail class. Competitors will be evaluated on quality of gaits, horsemanship, and turnout. Both youth (12-18) and adult (19+) riders are welcome to apply! The Breed Bonanza is open to all breeds and all under saddle disciplines. Horses and riders should be turned out with show tack and attire in line with the breed or discipline they are representing. Applications will be due by February 14. Visit our website for more details: https:// equineaffaire.com/events/ohio/ohio-participate/ohio-compete/ohiobreed-bonanza/.
Of course, there’s nothing like capping off a day at Equine Affaire with a night at the fabulous Fantasia! Tickets for Equine Affaire’s musical celebration of the horse are on sale now at equineaffaire.com. Fantasia will take place for just three performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in the coliseum. If you’ve never been to Fantasia, this special event features a medley of theatrical performances by some of the nation’s most exciting equestrian entertainers. If you enjoy watching gorgeously appareled horses and riders engage in liberty performances, garrocha, precision drill team patterns, breathtaking trick riding routines, graceful dances, highspeed chariot and wagon racing, and more, then Fantasia is the show for you! Tickets are going fast at equineaffaire.com – so secure your seat at the show of the season today!
Looking for the next love of your life?
Visit the Breed Pavilion and the Horse & Farm Exhibits to learn about different breeds of horses, meet a variety of horses, and to check out the Horses For Sale and the ASPCA Right Horse Adoption Affaire! Dozens of breed and pony associations will be on site to interact with our attendees and teach you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about different breeds and types of horses. And if you’re searching for your next partner in life, in the ring, or on the trail, you’ll want to meet all the adoptable horses that will be at Equine Affaire looking for their forever homes.
General admission tickets to Equine Affaire are $18/day for adults or $55 for a four-day pass; children’s tickets are available for $10/day for children ages 7-10; and children six and under are admitted for free. Enjoy unbridled access to the largest horse-related trade show in North America, multiple themed pavilions, the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition, the Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge, the brand-new Breed Bonanza and Donkey Extravaganza, and all clinics, seminars, and demonstrations, as well as a variety of immersive activities! Separate tickets are required for Fantasia.
Equine Affaire acknowledges the generous support of its sponsors, including Rod’s, US Equestrian, Pro Earth Animal Health, Sentinel by Kent and Blue Seal, Western Life Today, LRP Matting, and others. To learn more about Equine Affaire and stay up to date on everything related to Equine Affaire in Ohio, visit www.equineaffaire.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @equineaffaire.
American Horse Council Announces Future Leaders Professional Development Scholarships
Beginning in 2025, the American Horse Council (AHC) Foundation will offer five ‘Future Leaders Professional Development’ scholarships to cover the cost of conference registration for Agriculture/ Equine college students wishing to attend the AHC Annual Conference in Washington, DC. Interested students will find the scholarship application on the AHC website, www. horsecouncil.org
Applications will be accepted beginning March 1, 2025, and recipients will be announced no later than April 1, 2025.
The AHC Annual Conference is a unique opportunity to meet and network with horse industry leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs from around the country. Students attending will get to hear presentations on topics that impact all disciplines, breeds, and industry sectors— from racing to competition to trails and land use. There is no other conference in the industry
that provides this macro level view of how the US horse industry operates.
Broadway noted, the AHC Foundation (501C3) would welcome donations from interested parties to offer stipends to defray student travel expenses. If you would like to support these scholarships and help with the critical mission of growing our future industry leaders, please contact Broadway at jbroadway@horsecouncil.org
AHC OPENS 2025 AWARD NOMINATIONS
The American Horse Council (AHC) is delighted to open the 2025 Award nominations. Award recipients will be recognized at AHC’s award luncheon on June 23 as part of AHC’s Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. These awards highlight the remarkable achievements and contributions made by those dedicated to advancing and promoting the horse community. The annual awards include:
The Van Ness Award is presented to an individual(s) who best emulates the dedication and commitment of Marjorie Van Ness to the improvement of the horse industry at the state level.
The Hickey Award is named in honor of past AHC President James J. Hickey Jr., who served the AHC from 1993 to 2016. This award is presented to an individual who has been a great supporter of the horse industry and the AHC.
The AHC Champion Award honors an AHC member who has demonstrated extensive and exemplary advocacy for industry and the AHC. The recipient of this award is selected from nominations by AHC staff and leadership.
The UHC’s Unity Award recognizes an individual (or organization) active with the United Horse Coalition, who takes the initiative to be involved in, and works towards programs that promote responsible ownership
and breeding, and/or programs that support horses at-risk or in transition and their owners, and uses their industry relationships to work collaboratively to further strengthen and promote the mission of the United Horse Coalition.
The Rolapp Award is presented in honor of the late Rich Rolapp, President of the AHC from 1974 to 1993. This award is presented to a Member of Congress who has been a great supporter of the horse industry.
Nominations may be submitted by email but must include a summary of the candidate’s body of work that meets the award criteria, along with three references.
For criteria and more information about the awards contact AHC President Julie Broadway at jbroadway@ horsecouncil.org. Nominations close April 1, 2025
Thanks
to everyone who entered the March cover photo contest!
Here are a few of the entries that really got our attention.
Kinsey Hall
Lindsey Goodin
Kirstein McGraw
Chelsea David Photography
Jaclyn Kumaus
Connie Collett
Kelsey Switzer
Allie Pitt
Megan Helm
Hannah Anderson
Heidi Levandoski
Jolyn Case
Haley Hites
Taylor Green
Sawdust and Saddles: Lessons from Lumber and Horses
by Robert Eversole
Few things ground me like the smell of freshly planed wood or a sun-warmed saddle. Both promise hard work and quiet satisfaction. Each time I smooth a piece of Osage orange or saddle up Ruger for a ride into the high country, I’m reminded about how much wood and equines have in common. They are each shaped by nature, each with its own personality, quirks, and strengths. The years that I’ve spent woodworking and camping with horses and mules have taught me lessons in patience, resilience, and the value of slowing down to appreciate life’s details.
Osage orange, for instance. As a wood, it’s rugged and unyielding, with a toughness that tests even the sharpest of tools. It reminds me of Ruger, my dependable backcountry mule—no-nonsense, durable, and built to survive. Osage orange may lack the refinement of other woods, but its golden core shines as steady as a sunrise. It’s the same with Ruger. I trust him wholeheartedly on rough trails miles from the nearest trailhead. Ruger and Osage orange aren’t flashy, but their strength and endurance make them invaluable companions in the wilderness and the shop.
Refinement finds its parallel in Walnut, the aristocrat of the woodshop. Its rich, dark grain takes on a lustrous polish with care, much like the smooth, refined movement of an Icelandic horse. Walnut isn’t just beautiful; it’s versatile and dependable. Walnut can be crafted into anything from fine furniture to keepsakes. In either situation, it performs with grace. Walnut reminds me of Minning, the horse who turns heads at the trailhead and carries my wife smoothly wherever she wants to go. Walnuts and horses like Minning bring a timeless class to everything they touch, whether it’s a crafted piece or a long ride.
A vibrant spark bursts from Padauk, a wood with a bold and fiery personality. Padauk bursts with life. Its vibrant orange-red color and dramatic grain are impossible to ignore. It’s the woodworking equivalent of an Arabian horse or a high-energy mule like Cocoa, whose flair for drama commands attention on the trail. Padauk demands skill and patience in the workshop, much like how Cocoa keeps me on my toes in the saddle. These are the partners who push your boundaries, reward your efforts, and spark unforgettable moments—their brilliance lies in their vibrancy and the energy they bring to every journey. Yet, for quiet dependability, I consistently return to Maple and Ellie, my trusty all-rounder mule. Neither is showy, but their quiet strength and unwavering reliability make them irreplaceable partners. Maple is the wood I reach for when I need
something reliable, just as Ellie is ready for any job—whether it’s hauling packs or carrying me down a winding trail. Neither is dramatic, but both are quietly beautiful, embodying the kind of strength that’s easy to take for granted but impossible to replace. Appreciation for individuality is key in my woodshop and in my herd. In my shop, each species of wood brings its own personality to the bench. Some are cooperative, others stubborn. Some types are straightforward, while other species demand careful handling. The same is true with the horses and mules I’ve known over the years. Like a board, each animal is unique, full of quirks and character. Whether it’s the critter who needs a moment to size up a bridge before crossing or the mule who knows when I need encouragement, they teach me to approach each relationship with patience and understanding. Nothing compares to the lessons in patience and trust that woodworking and camping with my mules and horses have taught me. Both pursuits have taught me to appreciate the deliberate process of building trust. A roughsawn board doesn’t become a finished piece overnight. It takes time to read the grain, smooth the edges, and bring out its natural beauty. Similarly, a horse or mule only reveals its full potential with time and patience. You can’t rush the bond, but if you’re willing to put in the work, the rewards are immeasurable.
As I shape a piece of rough lumber in my shop or ride my Please turn to page 30
Western Reserve Carriage Association New Officers Announced
PRESIDENT, Barbara King
VICE PRESIDENT, Michele Steven
TREASURER, Shellie Kwitkowski
SECRETARY, Cathy Rhoades
WEBSITE, Westernreservecarriage.com
by Betsy Connor
The Western Reserve Carriage Association (WRCA) kicked off 2025 with a gathering on January 26 at Field Stone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Renewing memberships, enjoying a potluck
luncheon (including many desserts), both a live auction and a ticket raffle filled the afternoon for WRCA members. Thank you to all who donated items.
The new officers were announced: President Barb King; Vice President Michele Stevens; Secretary Cathy Rhoades; Treasurer Shellie Kwitkowski. In the week following, several members headed to Florida to attend the Carriage Association of America’s Winter Meeting and the Grand Oaks Classic Pleasure Show, both at the Grand Oaks Resort.
Knox County Horse Park Fun Show Dates
PRESIDENT, Lauren Smith
VICE PRESIDENTS, Travis Ross and Claude Robinson
TREASURER, Pam Niner
SECRETARY, Madisyn Weekley
PHONE, 740/398-5366 (call or text) WEBSITE, knoxcountyhorsepark.mypixieset.com
by Anna Chadwick
During the January 13 meeting it was decided to have an Open House on May 3 from 12 to 5 p.m. All members and nonmembers are invited to visit the Knox County Horse Park. There will be wagon and pony rides, vendors, open arena, equine salt therapy trailer and lunch.
Also announced there will be The Big and Little Show on June 28. There will be a cook shack.
The KCHP Fun Shows are for
Sawdust and Saddles
mule down a narrow mountain trail, I’m continually reminded how much these simple pleasures enrich my life. Both pursuits remind me to slow down and stay present. When I’m sanding a piece of Walnut until it gleams or packing my camp onto a remote mountain lake, I feel connected to something bigger—a partnership with the natural world. Both wood and equines are gifts shaped
points and will contain ranch classes and contest classes.
Fun show dates are: May 17 (high point show), June 7 (high point show), June 21 (high point show), July 12 (time only), August 16 (high point show), September 20 (high point show), October 18 (high point show), November 1 (Halloween show). Mark your calendars to come and join us for some fun. The cook shack will be open.
Check our Facebook page for any additional information and a copy of each fun show flyer.
This year KCHP will use Venmo for entries and at the cook shack. We will continue to accept cash and checks.
If you would like to host a show, we have available weekends open for people to rent the arena.
The March 10 meeting will start at 7 p.m. The location is 411 Pittsburg Avenue in Mt. Vernon. All interested families and individuals are welcome.
(Continued from page 28)
by wind, water, and history, grounding us in the moment with their quiet wisdom.
For more of my thoughts on trail riding and camping with horses, as well as more resources, tips, and inspiration, visit me at TrailMeister.com or pick up a copy of my best-selling book, The ABCs of Trail Riding and Horse Camping, on Amazon.
Do you have a mare due to foal?
Your mare can be boarded at the hospital prior to foaling. All foalings are attended to ensure the best possible care for your mare and foal.
• Mare can be dropped off 7-10 days prior to due date, so she can get acclimated to the hospital.
• Hospital is staffed 24x7 for monitoring.
• Once foal is born – we ensure it stands and nurses on its own. If not, immediate intervention is provided.
• Daily board for mare is at a reduced rate, until the foal is born.
• Blood work and IgG is performed on the foal before discharge.
Was the foal born at your farm, but now experiencing issues?
The hospital has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to accommodate foals requiring intensive medical or surgical care.
• The unit consists of two heated and fully padded neonate stalls.
• Each stall is equipped for oxygen delivery, vital sign monitoring, continuous intravenous fluid, and intravenous nutrition administration.
• The mare of the critically ill foal can be housed in an immediately adjacent stall. She may be allowed either visual contact or direct contact with the foal as appropriate.
Mid Ohio Dressage Association
Year-End Awards, Grants, June Jubilation
PRESIDENT, Jessica Kuhnash
VICE PRESIDENT, Christine Talbert-Bash
SECRETARY, Vicki Sethna
TREASURER, Angela Tewksbury
EMAIL, midohiodressage@gmail.com
WEBSITE, www.midohiodressage.org
by Shannon Call
It has been a long cold winter for most of us in Ohio. Now that March is here visions of springtime are dancing in the minds of horse people. Mud season is not being looked forward to, but warmer days filled with more daylight will certainly be lifting spirits. Now our horses will be spring grass crazy instead of artic blast crazy. How are all our Mid Ohio Dressage Association (MODA) members’ participation in the winter warm-up challenge coming along? Remember all horse activities count not just
riding. A nice grooming session, groundwork, holding your horse for the farrier or vet all counts! You have till March 31 to get 25 horse related activities in and earn a beautiful rosette for your dedication to wintertime horsey endeavors. There still is time to join in! Join the MODA’s Challenge Series Facebook page for information and MODAvation.
MODA SHOWS
The first show opens for entries on March 3 at showsecretary. com.
MODA members with registered Quarter Horses are encouraged to join/renew their AQHA membership and add their AQHA entry to MODA’s approved shows, like the June Jubilation and East Meets West. AQHA recognizes Classical and Western dressage.
Starting in 2025, WDAA offers a free year-end awards recognition program. Sign up for a WDAA membership and register your horse for a free
WDAA identification number for approved shows. The previous paid WDAA lifetime recognition program is still in place as well. Wdaapoints.org for more information.
Start planning your volunteer hours to qualify for MODA year-end awards and help the club run smoothly and host our lovely shows. Don’t be shy and ask if you are not sure where you can help. Opportunities abound and new friends and skills can be made volunteering. To volunteer, please email midohiodressage@ gmail.com.
MODA GRANTS
Four grants of $250 awarded during Annual Year End Celebration via drawing. Requirements: Service must be completed during the MODA membership year (December 1 through November 30). Current MODA member in good standing, paid for the following year’s membership. Volunteer at least 10 hours: six hours must be for The Classic. Donation or purchased hours do not qualify. https:// www.midohiodressage.com/ uploads/1/1/2/0/112066871/ moda_grant_form.docx-3.pdf
EVENT
Meet and Greet Western Dressage Discussion with Lynn
Palm Date: May 4. Time: 5:307 p.m. Location: Hold Your Horses Stables, Ashville, Ohio. Register: midohiodressage.com (free event) Hosted by: MODA For more information: Winning Ways with Western Dressage Ohio on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Great opportunity for western dressage competitors May 3-6. For more information: Winning Ways with Western Dressage Ohio on Facebook.
Winning Ways with Western Dressage show (judged by Lynn Palm, AQHA and WDAA approved). Grow Your Scores clinic (Sunday). Two-day Grow Your Skills clinic (Monday and Tuesday)
The Mid-Ohio Dressage Association is pleased to present our June Jubilation of Western and Classical Dressage on June 21 at the Home Of Joy Farm in Lancaster, Ohio. This show is an AQHA and WDAA special event. Show information may be found on the Mid-Ohio Dressage Association and Show Secretary websites.
Show Secretary website, https:// www.showsecretary.com/Razor/ Calendar/Details/1133
AAEP Publishes Equine Viral Hepatitis Guidelines
Newly published Equine Viral Hepatitis Guidelines from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) provides comprehensive information and instruction for equine veterinarians concerning transmission, risk factors, clinical signs, diagnostics and other considerations for two viral causes of liver damage in horses: equine parvovirushepatitis (EqPV-H) and equine hepacivirus (EqHV).
The guidelines document incorporates updates to guidance originally published for EqPV-H in 2021 along with new and corresponding guidance for EqHV, recently recognized as a cause of chronic hepatitis.
While EqHV infects approximately 40 percent of US horses, versus 15 percent for EqPV-H, most will clear the infection within 20 weeks and will not have clinical signs of liver disease or illness. Approximately 20 percent of horses infected with EqHV will develop persistent infection lasting beyond six months, and a small percentage of those will develop hepatitis over months to years. Affected horses can
have subclinical disease or show signs of liver disease of varying severity. Treatment of clinically affected horses relies primarily on supportive care and treatment of liver dysfunction.
“Both viruses can be present [horse is PCR positive] and not actively causing disease. Serial testing and early testing can help veterinarians interpret whether either virus is likely to be the cause of hepatitis,” said guidelines author Joy Tomlinson, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, assistant professor of large animal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
“If you diagnose a horse with hepatitis, I recommend either submitting the serum PCR right away or saving serum from the first visit in your freezer,” she added. “If you decide to pursue viral testing later, having that sample to compare to will be very helpful.”
The Equine Viral Hepatitis Guidelines were reviewed and approved by the AAEP’s Infectious Disease Committee and board of directors. View the guidelines or save them to your mobile device as a PDF
FRY’S
INSURANCE AGENCY
for future reference at https:// aaep.org/resource/equine-viralhepatitis-guidelines.
AAEP members may also access the guidelines through the AAEP On-the-Go app; search ‘AAEP On-the-Go’ at your app store to download.
In addition to the Equine Viral Hepatitis Guidelines, AAEP guidelines for more than 30 equine infectious diseases and foreign animal diseases are accessible through the app and the AAEP Guidelines Library at https://aaep.org/guidelinesresources/resource-library/ guidelines-library.
ABOUT AAEP
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.
Black Swamp Driving Club
New Beginnings, Calendar of Events for 2025
PRESIDENT, Julie Emmons VICE PRESIDENT, Roger Higgins, Jr. TREASURER/SECRETARY, Susan Murray CORRAL REPORTER, Sharon Hayhurst FACEBOOK, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/121257701223196
by Sharon Hayhurst
New year, new beginnings, and new people filling positions in the Black Swamp driving club. We would like to say thanks to the previous administration for your efforts to provide club activities and coordination of funds for those activities. At the January 12 meeting the following officers were elected: President Julie Emmons, Vice President Roger Higgins, Jr., Secretary/Treasurer Susan Murray (not a board member), Corral Correspondent Sharon Hayhurst (not a board member). Board members: Angie Hohenbrink, Molly Owen, Ron Hayhurst.
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT
Hello, spring is almost here. Are you looking for a family oriented hobby? Welcome to the Black Swamp Driving Club!
Our Mission is to have safe and fun driving events, learn while having new experiences and enjoy delicious potlucks at all
drives. We welcome new horse loving folks!
As we begin a wonderful year let us remember the family that plays together stays together! Come share your love of horses by learning how to drive a horse. What we learn will always be with us, so make 2025 a year of new beginnings. Watch the Corral for more information on the dates listed below as well as additional dates to be added over the next two meetings. Come join in the fun of scheduling a drive at your favorite spot.
2025 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MARCH 9: Meeting at Good Hope Church, 300 S. Main St., Arlington, Ohio, 2 p.m.
MAY 17: Owens and Emmons Drive and Potluck, Richwood Park, noon
JUNE 21: Higgins Drive and Potluck, Meeker Community Park, noon
JULY 12: Carriage Display Ice Cream Social, Upper Sandusky, 10 a.m. More information to follow.
OCT. 25: Emmons and Owens Halloween Drive and Potluck, France Lake, Kenton, noon
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to meeting you and hope you will come and be part of our carriage driving family!
~President Julie
View From the Cheap Seats
The Business of Boarding Barns – Part 1 of 2
by Sarah Vas
It’s been nearly a year since my identity changed from Barn Owner to Boarder but it’s certainly not the first time I’ve been the Boarder. I operated my own professional facility proving that it’s quite simple keeping horse owners happy. Just Say What You’ll Do Then Do What You Said. This basic principle of transparency and self-accountability was the key to my farm’s stellar reputation for horse care. Owners could rely on the fact that their animals were healthy, happy, and safe every day. Turn out and chore records were updated daily and out in the open for all to read. The barn showed the work. Emergency vet visits were rare. Stable vices were unheard of in my barn. But understand that the concept was simple. Executing it wasn’t easy and I’m not just referring to the irrefutable endless labor of horse care. Owners are
justifiably quite emotional about their animals. In my experience, boarders just want to trust the boarding barn. Unfortunately, trust is hard-earned and it only takes suspicion to break it. Oof, I’ve learned so many lessons the hard way but let me see if I can share the fundamentals of it. As a Barn Owner, ask yourself these questions. Be honest and objective about yourself. You may find that your business isn’t running like a business very well at all.
Do you have a legitimate boarding contract? Has anyone else ever proofread it for cleanliness of formatting and spelling errors? How about the legalities of your contract? Do you have an owner with multiple horses in your care? If so, does each individual horse have a separate full contract based on the reality that one horse may change ownership or pass away? Does your contract have clarification regarding horses
with or without registration papers, special care requirements, or specific allowances not granted to your general clientele such as addendums for board payment accommodations? Are your contract parameters and husbandry offerings realistically attainable within your facility set up, seasonal limitations, or realistic labor capacity? Does your client have a fully completed, signed copy of this contract? Do you renew your contracts annually with your current clientele or update contracts if you make changes to what you offer? Do you have a Heroic Measures form for each animal whereby the owner defines chosen directives for the care of the horse during emergencies or drastic changes in chronic conditions? Do you revisit the parameters of every horse’s Heroic Measures over time to compensate for age or health changes? Are your owners receiving monthly invoices regarding payments due, overdue, or incurred charges from the previous month? Are you sticking to payment due dates and penalties outlined in your contract? When a client exits, do you terminate the contract in writing or provide an exit form outlining the summary of that horse’s stay and present condition upon leaving? Have you maintained written health records and accident/injury reports for each horse in your care? If you aren’t confident in your contract or record keeping skills or your time allotment for such, are you delegating this task to someone you trust rather than just ignoring the importance of all these proven, sound business practices? And my favorite debate, if you or your client need to part ways, is a 30-written notice or final month’s board payment really a good idea or just an obstacle you both need to tolerate before being rid of each other?
Do you promise more than you can deliver? Are you a one-person army trying to maintain a 7-daya-week full-care facility? Are you claiming to be a full-care facility but barely managing the minimum, not maintaining a routinely clean environment or consistency of care over the course of 24 hours, every day, all year long? Do the limitations to your provided care and allotted consumables, like
bedding or forage, not realistically accommodate a variety of equine sizes and shapes, mental and physical health needs, and nutritional requirements?
If you are a co-op, partial-care or self-care facility, do you or your facility allow owners sufficient ability and freedom to care for their animals? Are you in agreement with your clients regarding what self-care means and how it is executed? Are you running the budgetary costs of your facility based on everyone-gets-this-andno-more or are you considering the different needs of a herd of horses based on the seasons, the changing needs of horses out of work versus in heavy training? Are your own horses’ expenses relying on boarding net income? Do you run your facility budget on your total number of stalls or a portion of that number, leaving a buffer for the reality of empty stalls, facility maintenance and upkeep requirements, rising cost of supplies or employee needs? Are you willing to look hard at your facility and routine so that the layout, working environment, and efficient organization are all about making each day as easy and organized as possible? Is your facility reasonably safe for both horses and humans?
Do you behave like a business owner? Are you complaining about a client to another client? Do you treat clients differently based on your personal friendships? If you have close personal relationships with this client or that, do you still abide by the binding contract terms? Do you calmly and rationally address a problem or inconsistency when
PRESIDENT, Gale Davis
Visit Facebook For Up-To-Date Show Schedule
VICE PRESIDENTS, Marc Beck, Cinda Bame
SECRETARY, Jeremy Reed
TREASURER, Eric Haudenschield WEBSITE, www.owha.org
Hello Corral readers! Ohio Western Horse Association (OWHA) hopes that you will have the luck of the Irish this month and you start seeing fields of green grass. We know that days are feeling longer and the anticipation of spring is growing more intense. Many of you are starting to look forward to the 2025 show season and planning what shows you are wanting to attend. Please visit Ohio Western Horse Association Facebook page for our most up-to-date show schedule. And remember that OWHA is a family friendly association that offers pleasure and speed events for all ages and skill levels.
Ohio Western Horse Association held the annual meeting on February 8 at the Moose Lodge in Kenton, Ohio. We want to thank all the members and families that attended the meetings and banquet. It was a great time to see our members, and to catch up on all that has been happening in the off season. We look forward to our 2025 OWHA board members and
their ideas on continuing to make OWHA a great organization. With that being said we would like to welcome our new and returning board members. The 2025 OWHA President is Gale Davis. Returning 1st Vice President is Marc Beck and 2nd Vice President is Cinda Bame, Treasurer Eric Haundenschield, Youth Club President Ashley Haundenschield and Points Secretary is Krista Beck. Trustees include Wilma Fox, Chris Risner, Angela Foust and Deb Fritch. And Jeremy Reed the 2025 secretary and newsletter editor. OWHA Youth Club continues to collect Tribute feed tags to earn money for the Youth club. If you would like to donate feed tags to the Youth club, please
feel free to contact OWHA via Facebook private message. The money earned from the feed tags goes towards the annual Youth team tournament awards, OWHA Youth shows and other youth activities. The Youth club also had a booth at the Annual GLApHC swap OWHA meet at the University of Findlay Western Equestrian Farm on February 9. They sold used horse items and show clothes along with yummy baked goods. The swap meet is a great event to find deals on all your horse equipment and show clothes needs. Feel free to reach out to OWHA Board members with any questions regarding shows, membership or general questions about OWHA.
View From the Cheap Seats
Continued from page 36
a client’s horse has developed bad manners or when a client exceeds a contract boundary? Are you civilized and in control of your emotions in front of the clients? Do you always handle every horse in such a way that your clients trust your knowledge and authority? Are you careful not to influence inexperienced clientele with your own horse handling shortcuts? Do you lead by example with your barn staff? Do you fight with employees or family members in front of clients? Are your family members polite and courteous to clientele regardless of their involvement in the business? Most private horse owners are bound by their budget, reasonable travel distance to a boarding barn, and what they’ll tolerate in care
minimums. The market bears the budget and your farm address is what it is but that third thing, tolerance? That’s where you, the individual equine professional, can either sink or swim. Next month, I’ll discuss what to ask when trying to find an affordable boarding barn close to home that isn’t dreadful.
Sarah Vas, a second-generation horse woman, writes about her decades of adventure and mayhem in the equine industry. Her experience encompasses multiple breeds and disciplines. A humble storyteller and educator at heart, her Cheap Seats column is often infused with the spirit of her two favorite philosophies. Laughter is the Breath of Life and Poverty is the Real Mother of Invention.
2024 EXISS MODEL 8034
GOOSENECK
Side unload door, Full swing center gate with hold back and heavy duty slam latch with external release.
FEATHERLITE MODEL 9400
2, 3 OR 4-HORSE SLANT LOAD
2”, 24” or 48” SW Dressing Room Inside Height of 7’0”
FINANCING AVAILABLE!
2023 FEATHERLITE MODEL 8417
STOCK COMBO
7’ tall x 20’ stock area, plus 4’ dressing room, black nose, Plexi Glass inserts, 10 yr. structural warranty
2023 FEATHERLITE MODEL 7821
4-HORSE GOOSNECK
15’ Short wall, 6’ slide out, new interior colors and features!
TRADES WELCOME! FINANCING AVAILABLE!
FINANCING AVAILABLE!
Geauga Horse and Pony Association
Youth Group Elected Officers
PRESIDENT, Lisa Formica
1st VICE PRESIDENT, Rachel Formica
2nd VICE PRESIDENT, Dustin Sutter
TREASURER, Shauna Gingrich
SECRETARY, Kelli Burns
WEBSITE, www.ghpa.us
by Jaimie and Joselyn Olson
Geauga Horse and Pony Association (GHPA) hopes that everyone is staying warm! We are certainly looking forward to warm summer days at our Open Shows and Friday Night Lights contesting shows. Our new updated showbills have been released and can be viewed on our website, GHPA.us. The 2025 show dates are as follows. Open Shows: June 1, June 22, July 20, August 10 and Friday Night Lights Contesting Shows: June 13, June 27, July 11, August 1. All of our shows are held at the Geauga County Fairgrounds, 4373 N. Cheshire Street, Burton, Ohio.
Our two youth groups have
elected officers for the new year.
Saddles and Spurs: President McKenzie Thompson, Vice President Claire Welder, Secretary Madelynn Hughes, Treasurer Harper Munn.
Tails and Trails: President Grace Rutkowski, Vice President Grace Klar, Secretary Sophie Villanueva, Treasurer Joselyn Olson, Social Chair Hannah Muellner.
Both clubs are gearing up for a great 2025 season! If you are interested in being a part of one of the clubs, please contact one of the club advisors: Frank Muellner (f-muellner@ sbcglobal.net), Jaimie Olson (Jaimiesutter230@gmail.com) or Kelli Burns (kelliburns86@ gmail.com).
The GHPA Education Committee is working on putting together some great clinics for this year. Please be sure to check our Facebook page, website and your emails for the upcoming events.
The 2024 year-end awards (and more) banquet will be on March 15. Invitations were mailed
out to all members for this reservation required event. Our banquet committee and members are working on collection donations for our raffles. If you are interested in posting an ad or congratulating someone in our banquet book, please contact Cynthia Burroughs (cburroughs10@jcu.edu) We are looking forward to a fantastic evening!
Stay up to date on current news, events, and show dates within our organization by visiting
www.ghpa.us, or following us on Facebook. Our club meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Geauga County Fairgrounds and are open to all members. GHPA thanks Big Dee’s Tack for their generous support of our organization through their Bonus Buck’s program. Likewise, thank you to Schneiders Saddlery for their generous support. We greatly appreciate all these two wonderful companies provide for our organization.
Colorado Ranger Horse Association
Program Applications and Fees Due
PRESIDENT, Toni Lukavich; 1ST VICE PRESIDENT, Charmaine Wulff; SECRETARY, Barbara Summerson; TREASURER, Jane Montgomery. WEBSITE, www.coloradoranger.com EMAIL, prranger@verizon.net
by Cathy Martens-Nitschke
The Colorado Ranger Horse (“The Using Horse of the High Plains”) is one that is registered with the Colorado Ranger Horse Association, Inc. (CRHA), which is one of the oldest of the western horse breed registries still in existence in the United States.
The 51st Colorado Ranger Horse National Show was held on September 21-22, 2024. The show was at Clinton County Fairgrounds 96 Racetrack Road, Mill Hall, Pa.
Don’t forget to send in your Youth Point Program applications and fees for 2025 to Cathy Martens Nitschke. Sarah Craig: Ranger Log Program.
Toni Lukavich: Open Show Program. Forms are on the website, www.coloradoranger. com. Check all other programs for the upcoming year too.
Here are the rest of the High Points from the 2024 CRHA National:
GYMKHANA GRAND CHAMPION: KK Leggs Diamund owned by Jerry and Toni Lukavich, PA., shown by Charmaine Wulff, PA.
GYMKHANA RES. CHAMPION: Belle’s Legacy owned and shown by Amanda Wikman, NH.
PLEASURE GRAND CHAMPION: Honey’s Red Star owned and shown by Katie Montgomery, PA.
PLEASURE RESERVE CHAMPION: Belle’s Legacy owned and shown by Amanda Wikman, NH.
ADULT WALK/TROT GRAND CHAMPION: Sarina Bower, PA.
ADULT WALK/TROT RESERVE CHAMPION: Barbara Summerson, PA.
2025 Colorado Ranger Horse Association National Show will be at Clinton County Fairgrounds, Mill Hall, Pa.
Premier
Trail
PRESIDENT, Kelly Chapman
VICE PRESIDENT, Stephanie Tarr
SECRETARY, Justin Miller
TREASURER, Susan Croft
EMAIL, premiermountntrail@gmail.com
WEBSITE, www.premiermountntrail.com
Hello everyone!
2024 Achievements
In January, we had our annual banquet. It was so nice to get so many people together and show the achievements of our trail riders and competitors for the 2024 season. Our Premier Mount N Trail (PMT) overall supreme grand champion was awarded to Lisa Schell and Leo Cita Rocket. The PMT overall supreme reserve champion was awarded to Christina Brna and Boomer Many great awards were given and a lot of fun was had!
We’re quickly approaching spring and warmer temperatures. It’s a good time to start looking at the spring show dates. This year we have six different parks located in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. If you’re thinking
about showing multiple times this year, sign up to become a member and receive awards at the end of the show season. It’s never too late to join! A quick reminder, now is a great time to practice for upcoming shows in the spring and summer months. Record your hours working your horse(s) and send them in for our RIDE hour program.
Tri-County Trail Association New Website, Tack Swap in April
PRESIDENT, Jim Mike
VICE PRESIDENT, Cindy Krumm
SECRETARY, Bev Mills
TREASURER, Lydia Fox
WEBSITE, www.tri-cotrails.com
by Kelly Jo Heffner
Hello readers and welcome to March! It’s almost spring here in Northeast Ohio! Thank you to ‘Buckeye Chuck’ the groundhog that predicted the early spring for us here in Ohio! Tri-Co kicks off the camping season on April 1 and many members and lot holders are getting things ready for opening day. Our first official event is the Annual Tack Swap on April 26 held here at the campground pavilion. The flyer is included in this issue of the Corral if you would like to come and be a buyer or a seller! Remember that one of the local 4H clubs will be here to provide snacks and drinks, which in turn supports two clubs at once! This is a good way to make a little extra money while getting rid of the things that aren’t needed any longer. Take the opportunity to check out the camp and enjoy visiting with members and venders.
The new webpage for TriCo Trails is almost ready to be unveiled, with some definite upgrades. One of the many upgrades is the ability to preregister a campsite and prepay for any of our events. It will feature the campground map and the lots that are available for that event. Patrons will be able to preregister for all club events at once if they choose to do so! Keep an eye out for the announcement for the new and improved Tri-County Trail Association webpage on our Facebook page and here in the Corral!
Our monthly newsletter is available to receive by email. To sign up for the electronic version of the Trailways newsletter is available on our Facebook page, and on any of our issues. After signing up you will receive an email (usually goes to the spam folder) to confirm your email. Once you receive and reply to that confirmation email, it will begin to come to your email monthly.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day this month! Hopefully everything will be green soon (if not already)! I hope everyone has a great March, and this article finds everyone healthy and ready to get out riding soon!
Western Dressage
Lengthening Your Upper Body and Legs for Better Connection in Western Dressage
by Kelley Bitter
What if I told you that achieving a harmonious connection with your horse could start with something as simple, and as challenging, as adjusting your own body? Yep, the secret to helping your horse connect through his body and engage his hind legs hinges on you, the rider, lengthening your upper body and legs. It’s a dance between you and your horse, and the better your posture, the better your horse can move. Sounds simple, right? Well, like most things in western dressage, it’s a bit more nuanced than it seems. But don’t worry—I’ve got your back (literally).
Let’s break down why lengthening your upper body and legs is the game-changer you didn’t know you needed, and how this subtle adjustment can elevate your western dressage practice.
Take Scott, for example. Scott came to me one day, utterly baffled as to why his horse, Max, just wouldn’t respond to his aids. He tried everything—more leg, less leg, shifting his weight, you name it—but Max remained as unimpressed as a kid being told to eat their vegetables. Scott was frustrated and convinced Max was just being stubborn. Then we had a little chat about lengthening his body and legs.
Scott had been riding with a bit of a ‘scrunched-up’ posture, his shoulders slightly hunched and his legs gripping tightly. Once I showed him how to lengthen through his upper body and allow his legs to drape softly around Max, it was like someone flipped a switch. Suddenly, Max was all ears, responding to every subtle cue like a pro. Scott couldn’t believe the difference, and I couldn’t help but
laugh when he said, “Who knew sitting up straight could solve all my problems, my mom’s been nagging me about that for years!”
Why Does Lengthening Matter?
Picture a marionette puppet. When the strings are taut and balanced, the puppet moves fluidly and effortlessly. But if those strings go loose or uneven, the puppet’s movement becomes sloppy and disconnected. The same principle applies to riding—your body is the ‘puppeteer,’ and your alignment directly influences your horse’s ability to move freely and engage.
Lengthening your upper body creates balance, stability, and an open channel of communication with your horse. A tall, aligned torso allows your horse to feel light, even pressure through their back, encouraging them to swing and engage their hindquarters. Meanwhile, lengthening your legs forms a steady, supportive connection with your horse’s sides, giving them clear cues and promoting relaxation. Without proper length and alignment, your horse might struggle to connect through his entire body. Lack of rider stability can result in uneven gaits or a horse that feels ‘flat’ in their movement. And in western dressage, where every stride matters, the difference is palpable.
How to Lengthen Your Upper Body and Legs
Now, before you go picturing yourself as Gumby on horseback, I’m not talking about stretching yourself into some impossible yoga pose. Lengthening isn’t about physically growing taller—it’s about creating a sense of space and alignment within your own body. Here’s how you can work on it:
1. Breathe to Find Your Center. Lengthening starts with your breath. Before you even sit in the saddle, take a moment to breathe deeply. Imagine someone gently pulling a string from the top of your head up toward the sky—a soft lift that straightens and expands your upper body. This is your foundation for lengthening.
2. Open Your Chest, No Tension Allowed. Think of opening your chest like stretching your wings, but not so much that you look like you’re about to lead a yoga class. Your shoulders should rest gently back and down, not scrunched up by your ears. A soft chest allows your torso to remain balanced and flexible, which translates to controlled, fluid motion in your horse.
3. Anchor Through Your Legs. Here’s where your legs come into play—literally. Instead of gripping with your thighs (a habit we all have when things get dicey out there), focus on letting your legs ‘drape’ around your horse’s sides. Imagine you’re wrapping yourself around a barrel—firm, but soft at the same time. This relaxed leg position allows for clear, effective communication with your horse’s sides without creating tension.
4. Think of Yourself as a Willow Tree. Strong but pliable. Your upper body is the trunk, grounded but reaching tall toward the sun. Your legs are the roots, steadying you and connecting you to your horse. Together, this creates a beautiful, balanced frame that allows for grace and flow.
5. Engage Your Core. Think of your core as your stabilizer—without it, you’re toast. Engage your core muscles to stay balanced while maintaining flexibility in your upper body and legs. A strong core keeps you centered, which makes it easier for your horse to balance as well.
6. Practice Off the Horse. Posture and alignment don’t magically fix themselves as soon as you mount up (we wish!). Incorporate exercises like yoga, Pilates, or stretching routines to build length and flexibility in your body off the horse. Trust me, your future self in the saddle will thank you.
National Snaffle Bit Association Announces Online Store
The National Snaffle Bit Association has launched an online store featuring a variety of NSBA-branded merchandise available for purchase.
Members and horse enthusiasts can browse a selection of clothing and hats ranging from fleece shirts, hoodies and joggers to polos and T-shirts, pullovers and outerwear as well as headwear, which all proudly display the NSBA logo. These items are
Western Dressage
available in a number of color combinations and sizes.
“NSBA is excited to offer these exclusive branded items to the horse show community,” noted Stephanie Lynn, NSBA’s executive director. “We look forward to seeing them proudly worn at events nationwide in the future.”
To view the online store, choose ‘Shop NSBA’ under the ‘About’ tab at nsba.com.
(continued from page 46)
The Western Dressage Connection
Now, you might be thinking, “This all sounds great, but how does it actually help my western dressage?” Oh, my friend, this is where the magic happens.
Western dressage demands balance, rhythm, and communication between horse and rider. It’s not just about looking good in the saddle; it’s about creating a mutual partnership where your horse feels supported and encouraged to perform at their best.
When you lengthen your upper body and legs, here’s what happens in the context of western dressage:
• Better Engagement: A long, aligned upper body and relaxed legs provide your horse with the space and balance they need to engage their hindquarters fully. This results in a rounder frame and more expressive gaits.
• Improved Transitions: Whether you’re moving from a jog to a lope or executing a halt, lengthening your body provides the stability needed for seamless transitions. Your horse will respond to your clear, balanced cues.
• Enhanced Connection: Lengthening allows for softer hands and a stronger seat, creating better communication through your reins and seat bones. Your horse knows exactly what you’re asking for—and they’ll thank you for it.
• Score-Worthy Movement: Western dressage judges love to see a harmonious connection between rider and horse. A well-lengthened rider helps their horse move fluidly, which leads to higher scores in everything from circles to halts.
A Personal Note
When I first started working on lengthening my body, it felt... awkward. I’d catch myself slouching or gripping with my knees the moment I got distracted. But over time (and with lots of reminders from patient instructors), I started to feel the difference in my horse. He went from resistant and tense to relaxed and willing. Suddenly, we were working as a team—and it all began with my own posture.
Quick Tips for Improving Your Posture
Improving your posture in the saddle doesn’t happen overnight— trust me, I know! But with some consistent practice and a few specific tweaks, you can make some major strides. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
1. Check Yourself Often. Make a habit of self-assessing during your ride. Are your shoulders back? Is your chest open? Are your elbows softly at your sides? It’s so easy to revert to old habits, especially when you’re focused on multiple things at once (hello, balancing circles and a horse that suddenly finds the fence terrifying). Set mental reminders and don’t be afraid to pause mid-ride to readjust.
2. Strengthen Your Core. A strong core is your secret weapon. Think of it as your saddle seatbelt—it keeps you steady so you’re not gripping with your knees or collapsing in your torso. Hit the yoga mat or try some planks to build strength that’ll show up in the saddle.
Established in 1983, the National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.
The National Snaffle Bit
Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its eight alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year. To learn more about the NSBA, please visit nsba.com.
3. Lengthen Don’t Stiffen. Here’s the kicker—when someone says, ‘lengthen your posture,’ it can often lead to riders stiffening up like they’re auditioning to be a flagpole. Don’t do that (I’ve been there, it’s not pretty). Instead, think of your spine stretching tall in a way that feels light and relaxed while still maintaining structure.
4. Ask For Feedback. If you’ve got a trainer or a riding buddy, ask them to share what they notice about your position. Sometimes it’s hard to feel what’s happening without someone else pointing it out (and video doesn’t lie—though you might want to brace yourself for the replay).
5. Practice Out of the Saddle. Carrying good posture into your daily life can make a difference when you get back in the saddle. Whether you’re walking your dog, working at your desk, or standing in line at the coffee shop, stay mindful of your alignment. Think ‘tall and relaxed,’ just like you would while riding.
By focusing on your position, you create a clearer, more supportive channel for communication with your horse. And who doesn’t love clearer communication? Horses might not text back, but they sure do respond when you make things easier for them. Keep practicing, laugh off the wobbles, and remember you’re not in this alone. Every time you stretch a little taller, you’re one step closer to those dream rides.
Your Turn
If you’ve been feeling stuck in your western dressage practice, consider starting with yourself. Lengthen your upper body and legs and see what changes in your horse. Chances are, you’ll both feel more grounded, connected, and ready to tackle those dressage patterns with ease.
What are you waiting for? Saddle up and stretch out—your best rides are just ahead. Interested in learning more? Check out my new online courses at www.eaglesnestequestrian.com. Don’t forget to tag us on Facebook as well!
Contact us at Eagles Nest Equestrian Center in Shalersville, Ohio. Offering lessons in western dressage, horsemanship, showmanship, and contesting. Check us out on Facebook. Look at our website for blog, lesson schedule and clinics. www.eaglesnestequestrian.com
DISCLAIMER: The Horsemen’s Corral has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided on this calendar of events. However, the information is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. The Corral does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained herein. Where possible, event contact information is provided. Please “Call before you haul”.
MARCH 2025
MARCH 1 — Premier Mount N Trail Winter Series, Shenanigans Stables, 7310 Abbey Rd. NE, Carrollton, OH. FMI: www. shenanigansstables.com
MARCH 1 — Confidence Building Workshop, The Show Arena, 1640 County Road B, Swanton, OH. FMI: Kim Veenstra, 810-923-4964
MARCH 1 — Tis The Season To Be Freezing Barrel Series hosted by Tracie Spitznogle, Treharne’s Training Center, 49053 Fredericktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: Tracie Spitznogle, 304-780-2990
MARCH 1 — Indiana Equine Foundation Tack Swap, 9 a.m., Boone County Fairgrounds BCA Building, 1300 E. 100 S., Lebanon, IN. FMI: redpegasusranch@hotmail.com, www.indianaequinefoundation.com
MARCH 1 — Spring Jumper Show, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Antebellum Farm, 1984 N. Yarnallton Pike, Lexington, KY. FMI: Aubrey Whalen, 734-740-9080
MARCH 1-2 — Champions Center Open Show, 4144 Laybourne Rd., Springfield, OH. FMI: 937-324-4353, championscenter06@ gmail.com, championscenterarena.com
MARCH 2 — Sandusky County 4H Horse Committee 2025 Equine Event, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sandusky County Fairground’s Flower Building, 901 Rawson Ave., Fremont, OH. FMI: Candy Rosenberger, 419-307-4774
MARCH 2 — Blue Lakes Farm 2024-2025 Winter Series Pleasure Show, 14037 Auburn Road, Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-5647303, https://bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/ website
MARCH 2 — Tack Swap, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sand Hill Stable, 4311 St. Rt. 303, Mantua, OH. FMI: Darlene, 330-614-1332
MARCH 2 — Versatile Horse Competition, The Show Arena, 1640 County Road B, Swanton, OH. FMI: 419-2903700, theshowarena@yahoo.com, theshowarena.com
MARCH 3-8 — 46th Annual Spring MidOhio Draft Horse & Carriage Sale, Mt. Hope Auction, Mt. Hope, OH. FMI: 330-6746188, www.mthopeauction.com
MARCH 4 — MSU Rodeo Spring Barrel Jackpot Series, 2101 College Farm Road, Murray, KY. FMI: https://www.facebook. com/murraystaterodeoteam
MARCH 5 — Treharne’s Wednesday Night Barrel & Pole Jackpot, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dttrainingcenter@ gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/ davetreharnetrainingcenter
Buckeye Mini Horse, Donkey, Pony & Horse Mixed Auction
MARCH 5 — Equine Night, 5-7 p.m., Centerra Country Store, 1009 W. Old Lincoln Way, Wooster, OH. FMI: malsop@ centerracoop.com
MARCH 5-7 — Boone County Draft & Quarter Horse Sale, Missouri State Fairgrounds, Sedalia, MO. FMI: Joe Raber, 719-4313137, boonecountyhorseauction@gmail. com, www.boonecountyhorsesale.com
MARCH 6 — Better Barrel Races, The Show Arena, 1640 CR B, Swanton, OH. FMI: Joe, 419-290-3700, theshowarena@yahoo.com
MARCH 7 — Fast Times Fridays Series Open Horse Show, Madison County Fairgrounds Indoor Arena, 3237 Old Irvine Rd., Richmond, KY. FMI: Ronnie Smith, 859771-3388
MARCH 8 — OHIO EXCA Winter Practice, 10 am. to 12 pm and 1-3 pm, Win-Seek Fallen Pines, 5022 Everett Hull Rd., Cortland, OH. FMI: www.ohioexca.com
MARCH 8 — 1st Annual Tack Swap Mounted Unit Fundraiser, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Lorain County Fairgrounds (Building 19), 2300 Fairgrounds Rd., Wellington, OH. FMI: Deputy Hurlburt, 440-329-3847, dhurlburt@loraincountysheriff.com
MARCH 8 — Blue Lakes Farm 2024-2025 Winter Series Contest Show, 14037 Auburn Road, Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, https://bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/website
MARCH 8 — Southern Kentucky Team Penning Association Show, 10:30 a.m., WKU L.D. Brown Ag Expo Center, 406 Elrod Rd., Bowling Green, KY. FMI: Greg, 270646-8495
MARCH 8 — Equine Health & Coggins Clinic, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Central KY Ag/ Expo Center, 678 Wallace Wilkinson Blvd., Liberty, KY. FMI: Casey County Veterinary Services PLLC, 606-787-0030
MARCH 8 — Monroe County Saddle Club Winter Show, 2 p.m., 8010 W. Elwren Rd., Bloomington, IN. FMI: Candace McFarland, 812-320-9675, www.facebook.com/ themonroecountysaddleclub
MARCH 8 — The Big Chill III Three-Shoot Buckle Series, Penland Arena, Stoneboro, PA. FMI: steeltowngunslingers.com
MARCH 14-16 — Indiana American Saddlebred Horse Association Spring Warm Up, C Bar C Expo Center, Cloverdale, IN. FMI: Judy McManama, 317-750-7590, indianasaddlebred.net
MARCH 15 — Two Minds, One Mission Clinic, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sand Hill Stables, 4113 OH-303, Mantua, OH. FMI: 724-4560237, horseofadifferentcolor.org
MARCH 15 — Coshocton County 4-H Horse Committee Horse & Livestock Tack Swap, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Coshocton County Fairgrounds Grandstand, 707 Kenilworth Ave., Coshocton, OH. FMI: Alonna, 740622-2265, hoffman.644@osu.edu
MARCH 15 — Rockin’ Ranch Youth Rodeo, Rodeo Run Arena, 11641 Alspach Rd., Canal Winchester, OH. FMI: 740-538-1491
MARCH 15 — Henderson 500 Buckle Series, Henderson Arena, 739 Van Fossan West Rd., Jackson, OH. FMI: Kelsie, 937728-9422
MARCH 15-16 — Performance Horse Foundation Clinic, Penley Horsemanship, 3339 OH-45, Salem, OH. FMI: 828-4484711, info@penleyhorsemanship.com, penleyhorsemanship.com
Corral Calendar
Continued from page 50
MARCH 16 — 39th Annual Great Tack Exchange, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Greene County Expo Center & Fairgrounds, 120 Fairgrounds Rd., Xenia, OH. FMI: 937-4882018 (leave a message), Search The Great Tack Exchange on Facebook
MARCH 19 — Treharne’s Wednesday Night Barrel & Pole Jackpot, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330692-1271, https://www.facebook.com/ davetreharnetrainingcenter
MARCH 20-23 — Cranisacral 4-Day Intensive with Certified IET Instructor Kim Elkins, Happenstance Stables, 22126 Sycamore Rd., Midland, OH. FMI: Kim, 937-304-4301, kimelkins91@gmail.com, TomMayes.net
MARCH 21-23 — Kick Off 2025 NBHA Event, The Show Arena, 1640 CR B, Swanton, OH. FMI: Joe, 419-290-3700, theshowarena@ yahoo.com
MARCH 21-23 — RSTPA Big Bucks Series, Diamond 7 Arena, 36 Deardorff Rd., Dillsburg, PA. FMI: Paul, 516-639-6666
MARCH 22 — Horsemen’s Corral 2025 Equine Announcer Seminar, Cashmans, 1646 US Highway 42 N., Delaware, OH. FMI: Joe, 330-635-4145
MARCH 22 — 1st Ohio Cowboy Mounted Shooting, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937-603-2197, https://www.facebook. com/bullenequestriancenter
MARCH 22 — Circle G Winter Series, 10816 Verona Rd., Lewisburg, OH. FMI: Baily, 567644-5761
MARCH 22 — Tack Exchange, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Circle K Ranch at YMCA Camp Kern, 5291 St. Rt. 350, Oregonia, OH. FMI: jmullins@daytonymca.org
MARCH 22 — ATI Equine Field Day, 1 p.m., Ohio State ATI Equine Center, 3339 Apple Creek Rd., Apple Creek, OH. FMI: mastella.1@osu.edu, https://ati.osu.edu/ aboutus/facilities/equine-center
MARCH 22 — The Big Chill III Three-Shoot Buckle Series, Penland Arena, Stoneboro, PA. FMI: steeltowngunslingers.com
MARCH 22 — Michigan Trail Rider Association Annual Meeting and Banquet, The Holiday Inn, Midland, MI. FMI: mtra. office@gmail.com, www.mtra.org
MARCH 23 — Horseman’s Flea Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wood County Fairgrounds Junior Fair & Champion Buildings, 13800 W. Poe Road, Bowling Green, OH. FMI: Conni Grames, 419-276-3532, cmgrames@gmail.com
MARCH 23 — Central Ohio Riding Club Tack Swap, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 16830 Middleburg Plain City Rd., Marysville, OH. FMI: Lindsey Shepard, 740-918-9331
MARCH 23 — 29th Annual Darke County Tack Sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Darke County Fairgrounds, 800 Sweitzer St., Greenville, OH. FMI: Madison Werner, 937-564-7250 (text), darkehorsecommittee@gmail.com
MARCH 25 — MSU Rodeo Spring Barrel Jackpot Series, 2101 College Farm Road, Murray, KY. FMI: https://www.facebook. com/murraystaterodeoteam
MARCH 28-30 — 5th Annual Indiana Equine Roudup, Cowpokes Arena, 253 Stardust Rd., Cloverdale, IN. FMI: www. cbarcexpo.com/ier
MARCH 29 — Buckeye Mini Horse, Donkey, Pony & Horse Mixed Auction, Wayne County Fairgrounds, 199 Vanover St., Wooster, OH. FMI: Daniel Schrock, 330-763-0905, schrocksauctioneering@ gmail.com
MARCH 29 — Dusty Britches Ugly Sweater Gymkhana Series, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937-603-2197, https://www. facebook.com/bullenequestriancenter
MARCH 29 — Wayne County Saddle Club and Massillon Saddle Club Tack Swap, Wayne County Fairgrounds Event Center, 199 Vanover St., Wooster, OH
MARCH 29 — Tack Sale, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Heart of a Warrior Farm, 6545 Beecher Rd. SW, Granville, OH. FMI: 614-881-2506
MARCH 29 — Buckin’ On The Ridge, 5:30 p.m., Riverland Arena, 9675 Riverland Ave. SW, Navarre, OH. FMI: E&H Cattle Company, 740-390-9181, https://www.facebook. com/profile.php?id=100083746374272
MARCH 29 — Tis The Season To Be Freezing Barrel Series hosted by Tracie Spitznogle, Treharne’s Training Center, Negley, OH. FMI: Tracie Spitznogle, 304-780-2990
MARCH 29 — Columbiana County OHC BCHA Tack Swap, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Smokin’ W Ranch, 37912 Saltwell Rd., Lisbon, OH. FMI: Chad Rose, 234-575-1402 (text)
MARCH 29 — Foster Equine Barrel Racing Jackpot, 26236 Smith Rd., Coolville, OH. FMI: 740-291-3556
MARCH 29 — Winning Edge Spring Tack Sale, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Winning Edge Trainint Center, Coopersville, MI. FMI: Chris, 616-292-3787, chris@ winningedgetrainingcenter.com
MARCH 29 — Spring Driving Horse Sale, 606 Sales and Events LLC, 5194 Ewing Rd., Ewing, KY. FMI: Calvin Kemp, 606-202-0719
MARCH 29 — Coggins Club, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Silver Spur Saddle Club, 1725 Priceville Rd., Bonnieville, KY. FMI: Jeff Mosher, 270-537-3854
MARCH 29 — Problem Solving Mini Clinic, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Krista Johnson Horsemanship LLC, 6995 N. 750 W., Orland, IN. FMI: 260-318-3767, kristajhorsemanship@gmail.com, www. kristajohnsonhorsemanship.square.site
MARCH 29-30 — David Edwards Pole Bending Clinic, Blue Lakes Farm, Newbury, OH. FMI: Amy Snyder, 440-479-8503
MARCH 30 — Cuyahoga County Farm Bureau Tack Sale & More, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 19201 E. Bagley Rd., Middleburg Heights, OH. FMI: 440-877-0706, cuyahoga@ofbf.org
Please turn to page 54
Geauga Horse & Pony Association
2025 OPEN HORSE SHOWS
Geauga County Fairgrounds — Burton, Ohio
Regular Class Entry Fee: $7 per class
Jackpot Classes: $12 entry fee with 80% payback + $100 (**class must have 5 entries to qualify for payback)
Open Class Paybacks: 1st - $10, 2nd - $7, 3rd - $3 GHPA Bucks, 4th - $2 GHPA Bucks, 5th - $1 GHPA Bucks (GHPA Bucks can be used toward purchases at the food booth.)
W/T Awards & Novice Awards: 1st through 6th place ribbons
Grounds and Office Fee: $10 per exhibitor Visit www.ghpa.us for rules, regulations, and how to qualify for year-end awards.
19. Open English Equitation
20. W/T Hunter Under Saddle
21. Novice (18 & U) Hunter Under Saddle
22. Open Hunter Under Saddle
1. W/T Ranch Riding Pattern
2. Novice Ranch Riding Pattern
3. Open Ranch Riding Pattern
4. W/T Ranch Horse Rail
5. Novice Ranch Horse Rail
6. Open Ranch Horse Rail
7. $100 added Jackpot
Ranch Horse Rail (all shows)
8. Stock Horse Halter (W/T, Novice, Open)
9. Non-Stock Horse Halter (W/T, Novice, Open)
10. Ranch Halter
11. W/T Showmanship (English or Western)
12. Novice Showmanship (18 & U) (English or Western)
13. Open Showmanship (English or Western)
14. $100 added Showmanship (English or Western) (all shows)
15. SPECIAL CLASS: S olo Cup Showmanship (6/22 SHOW)
16. Leadline (6 & U) & EWD Riders
• INTERMISSION — 30 MINUTES •
17. W/T English Equitation
18. Novice (18 & U) English Equitation
1. Leadline (6 & U) & EWD Barrels
2. W/T (18 & U) Keyhole
3. Beginner Youth (18 & U) Keyhole
4. Advanced Youth (18 & U) Keyhole
5. Adult Keyhole
6. W/T (18 & U) Stakes
7. Beginner Youth (18 & U) Stakes
8. Advanced Youth (18 & U) Stakes
9. Adult Stakes
10. Exhibition Run Poles
11. $100 Added Jackpot Poles
12. W/T (18 & U) Poles
13. Beginner Youth (18
21.
22.
23. OPEN TO ALL. $100 added Jackpot W/T HUS (6/1 & 7/20 shows) No Trainers
25. SPECIAL CLASS: 6/1, 7/20, 8/10 Shows (see details)
26. W/T Discipline Rail (English or Western)
27. Novice Discipline Rail (18 & U) (English or Western)
28. Open Discipline Rail (English or Western)
29. W/T Western Horsemanship
30. Novice (18 & U) Western Horsemanship
31. Open Western Horsemanship
32. W/T Western Pleasure
33. Novice (18 & U) Western Pleasure
34. Open Western Pleasure
35. OPEN TO ALL. $100 added Jackpot W/T Western Pleasure (6/22 & 8/10 shows) No Trainers
36. $100 added Jackpot Western Pleasure (6/1 & 7/20 shows)
A list of classes counting toward year-end high point will be available in the entry booth.
W/T classes are open to all ages, including youth & adults new to riding as well as adults who are showing an inexperienced horse. See GHPA rules for details.
**TRAINERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SHOW IN ANY W/T CLASS INCLUDING JACKPOTS**
Contesting Entry Fee: $8 per class
Contesting Timing Fee: $2 per exhibitor
Exhibition Runs: $5/run (maximum of 2 runs per horse/rider combo per class.)
Jackpot Classes: $12 entry fee with 80% payback + $100 (**class must have 5 entries for payback)
W/T Awards: 1st to 6th place ribbons Youth and Adult Class Paybacks: 80% payback per class (**class must have 5 entries for payback)
Grounds and Office Fee: $10 per exhibitor
A list of classes counting toward year-end highpoint will be posted and available in entry booth.
Check our website, www.ghpa.us for all rules, regulations, and how to qualify for year-end awards!
Corral Calendar
APRIL 2025
APRIL 1 — MSU Rodeo Spring Barrel Jackpot Series, 2101 College Farm Road, Murray, KY. FMI: https://www.facebook. com/murraystaterodeoteam
APRIL 2 — Treharne’s Wednesday Night Barrel & Pole Jackpot, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dttrainingcenter@ gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/ davetreharnetrainingcenter
APRIL 4-5 — New Paris Equine Center Mount Up Sale, NPEC South, 17625 CR 48, New Paris, IN. FMI: 574-5354887, mountupsale@npec.team, newparisequine.com/npec-mount-up-sale
APRIL 4-6 — Hello Spring Barrel Race, Hoosier Horse Park, 7105 S. Kern St., Nineveh, IN. FMI: Penny, 812-406-8512
APRIL 4-6 — Daniel Boone Distance Riders Endurance 101 Clinic, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, KY. FMI: tammimedina@gmail.com
APRIL 5 — Premier Mount N Trail Winter Series, Shenanigans Stables, 7310 Abbey Rd. NE, Carrollton, OH. FMI: www. shenanigansstables.com
APRIL 5 — Massillon Saddle Club Buckle Series, 12680 Sally St. SW, Massillon, OH. FMI: 330-844-4041, massillonsaddleclub@ gmail.com, massillonsaddleclub.org
APRIL 5 — Mid Ohio Dressage Association Spring Schooling (Classical and Western) Show, Duncan Run Farm, Galena, OH. FMI: midohiodressage@gmail.com, www. midohiodressage.com, showsecretary.com
APRIL 5-6 — Ponies of America Show, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937603-2197, https://www.facebook.com/ bullenequestriancenter
APRIL 5-6 — Allegany Mountain Saddle Fittings, Rising Star Ranch LLC, 11337 Watkins Rd. SW, Pataskala, OH. FMI: 502494-5314
APRIL 5-6 — Spring Working Equitation Clinic, Sand Hill Stable, 4311 State Route 303, Mantua, OH. FMI: 330-221-8819, sandhillstableoh.com
APRIL 5-6 — Roy Dale Memorial International Barrel Racing, Central KY Ag Expo Center, 678 Wallace Wilkinson Blvd., Liberty, KY. FMI: Savannah, 859-559-2662
APRIL 6 — Blue Lakes Farm 2024-2025 Winter Series Pleasure Show, 14037 Auburn Road, Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-5647303, https://bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/ website
APRIL 6 — Youth Rodeo Series Finals, Garwood Arena, 2538 Middleton Rd., Columbiana, OH. FMI: 330-717-4329, garwoodarena@gmail.com
APRIL 8 — MSU Rodeo Spring Barrel Jackpot Series, 2101 College Farm Road, Murray, KY. FMI: https://www.facebook. com/murraystaterodeoteam
APRIL 9-13 — Indiana Quarter Horse Youth Association Show, C Bar C Arena, 253 W. Stardust Rd., Cloverdale, IN. FMI: Kathy Avolt, 765-714-4324, www.iqha.com
APRIL 10-13 — Equine Affaire, Ohio Expo Center, 651 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH Columbus, OH. FMI: equineaffaire.com
APRIL 11 — Henderson 500 Buckle Series, Henderson Arena, 739 Van Fossan West Rd., Jackson, OH. FMI: Kelsie, 937-728-9422
APRIL 11-13 — Spring Bowser Barrel Clinic, The Shoe Arena, 1540 CR B, Swanton, OH. FMI: 419-290-3700, www.theshowarena. com
APRIL 11-13 — Eastern Ohio Quarter Horse Association Horse Show, Champions Center, Springfield, OH. FMI: eoqha.us
APRIL 11-13 — RSTPA Big Bucks Series, Diamond 7 Arena, 36 Deardorff Rd., Dillsburg, PA. FMI: Paul, 516-639-6666
APRIL 12 — Archery Practice (No Horses), Creek Side Horse Park, 7369 Mottice Dr. SE, Waynesburg, OH. FMI: creeksidehorsepark@gmail.com, creeksidehorsepark.com
APRIL 12 — New Shooter Clinic, Ruggles Arena, Cardington, OH. FMI: northernohiooutlawsinfo@gmail.com, www.nooutlaws.com
APRIL 12 — Blue Lakes Farm 2024-2025 Winter Series Contest Show, 14037 Auburn Road, Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, https://bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/website
APRIL 12-13 — High Call Productions & Central States Ropes, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937-603-2197, https://www. facebook.com/bullenequestriancenter
APRIL 12-13 — INPHC Early Bird, Henry County Saddle Club, New Castle, IN. FMI: www.inphc.club
APRIL 12-13 — Early Bird Ride, Sand Ridge Forest, Forest City, IL. FMI: Lucy Stafford, 217-971-5673, oaats.org
APRIL 16 — Treharne’s Wednesday Night Barrel & Pole Jackpot, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dttrainingcenter@ gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/ davetreharnetrainingcenter
APRIL 18 — Preble County OHC Good Friday Group Ride, 4 Mile Valley Rd., Camden, OH. FMI: prebleohc.com
APRIL 18-19 — No Frills Ride, Star Tannery, VA. FMI: Diane Connolly, 703-505-7123, dcconnolly24@gmail.com, oaats.org
APRIL 18-20 — 1st Annual Carter County Trail Ride, Dirt Slingers Off-Road Park, 3710 West US Hwy. 60, Grayson, KY. FMI: rushcartel@gmail.com
APRIL 18-20 — Michigan Foundation Quarter Horse Registry Show, Midland County Fairgrounds, Midland, MI. FMI: 517-331-6085, michigan-fqhr.com
APRIL 19 — Southern Kentucky Team Penning Association Show, 10:30 a.m., WKU L.D. Brown Ag Expo Center, 406 Elrod Rd., Bowling Green, KY. FMI: Greg, 270646-8495
APRIL 19 — Monroe County Saddle Club Winter Show, 2 p.m., 8010 W. Elwren Rd., Bloomington, IN. FMI: Candace McFarland, 812-320-9675, www.facebook.com/ themonroecountysaddleclub
APRIL 23-26 — 79th River Ridge Horse Show, Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, OH. FMI: Barbara Dunham, 740-3528562, showsec1@aol.com, https://www. riverridgehs.org/
APRIL 24-25 — Joe Beaver Clinic, The Show Arena, 1640 CR B, Swanton, OH. FMI: 419290-3700, www.theshowarena.com
APRIL 24-27 — 5th Annual Wounded Warrior Horseback Ride, Tim Applegate Horse Event Center East Fork State Park, Batavia, OH. FMI: www.facebook.com/ groups/clermontcountyohc
APRIL 24-27 — Down For The Derby, Madison County Fairgrounds, 3237 Old Irvine Rd., Richmond, KY. FMI: Ronnie Smith, 859-771-3388
APRIL 25-27 — Keystone Legacy Rodeo, Keystone Horse Center, 103 Horse Farm Rd., Bloomsburg, PA. FMI: www.nhsra.org
APRIL 25-27 — Michigan Paint Horse Club Back 2 Michigan Show, Ingham County Fairgrounds, Mason, MI. FMI: www.miphc. com
APRIL 25-27 — Spring ShoCase, Michigan State University Pavilion, 4301 Farm Lane, Lansing, MI. FMI: www.shomehorseshows. com
APRIL 26 — Tri-Co Trails 4th Annual Tack Swap, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2662 Downing St. SW, East Sparta, OH. FMI: Cindy Krumm, 330-705-2897, ckrumm1958@gmail.com
APRIL 26 — Preble County OHC Spring Fling Speed & Fun Show, Hueston Woods State Park Horseman’s Camp Arena, 4 Mile Valley Rd., Morning Sun, OH. FMI: www.facebook.com/groups/pcohc
APRIL 26 — Dusty Boots Tack Swap, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Knox County Fairgrounds Ramser Center, 601 Fairgrounds Rd., Mt. Vernon, OH. FMI: Lexi, 740-358-8720
APRIL 26 — SAGA Farm Schooling Show Series, Morrow County Fairgrounds, 195 S. Main St., Mt. Gilead, OH. FMI: 419-5641205, sagasporthorses@gmail.com
APRIL 26 — LoCo No Frills Horse Show Buckle Series, 9 a.m., Logan County Fairgrounds, 301 E. Lake Ave., Bellefontaine, OH. FMI: Follow Facebook page, LoCo Open Horse Shows
APRIL 26 — 6th Annual Mega Swap, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Crooked Creek Horse Park, Ford City, PA. FMI: Brittney Kepple, 724954-7658 (text only - 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
APRIL 26 — Kentuckiana Ranch Horse Association Show, Shelby County Fairgrounds, 1513 Midland Trail, Shelbyville, KY. FMI: kentuckianaranchhorse.weebly.com
APRIL 26-27 — OPHC Buckeye Extravaganza APHA & All Breed Open Show, Champions Center, Springfield, OH. FMI: ohiophc@gmail.com, www.ophc.org
APRIL 26-27 — Northern Ohio Outlaw Shoot, Wayne County Fairgrounds, Wooster, OH. FMI: northernohiooutlawsinfo@gmail. com, www.nooutlaws.com
APRIL 26-27 — 1st Ohio Cowboy Mounted Shooting, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937-603-2197, https://www.facebook. com/bullenequestriancenter
APRIL 27 — Obstacle Odyssey with Brenda Hanson, Eagles Nest Equestrian Performance Center, Ravenna, OH. FMI: www.eaglesnestequestrian.com/events
APRIL 27 — INPHC All Breed Invitational, Jasper County Fairgrounds, Rensselaer, IN. FMI: www.inphc.club
APRIL 27 — Two Minds, One Mission BrainCentered Horsemanship Clinic, Orion Farms, 415 Cedar Run Rd., Allison Park, PA. FMI: 724-456-0237, horseofadifferentcolor.org
MAY 2025
MAY 2 — Intro To Liberty & Tricks Clinic, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Win-Seek Fallen Pines, 5022 Everett Hull Rd., Cortland, OH. FMI: Laura, 724-301-2244, Lwiencek24@gmail.com
MAY 2-4 — Great 8 Zone-O-Rama, Cowpokes Arena, Cloverdale, IN. FMI: www.zone8apha.weebly.com
MAY 2-4 — IBRA Show, The Show Arena, 1540 CR B, Swanton, OH. FMI: Joe, 419290-3700, theshowarena@yahoo.com
MAY 2-4 — 5 Rides To The Prize Show, Miami County Fairgrounds, 650 N. County Road 25A, Troy, OH. FMI: miamicountyhorseassociation@gmail.com
MAY 2-4 — Rockin’ Ranch Youth Rodeo, Rodeo Run Arena, 11641 Alspach Rd., Canal Winchester, OH. FMI: 740-538-1491
MAY 3 — Ohio Foundation Quarter Horse Association Show, Guernsey County Fairgrounds, Old Washington, OH. FMI: 740-877-7993, ohfqha.com
MAY 3 — Hocking Hills Saddle Club Open Horse Show Series, 9 a.m., Hocking County Fairgrounds, Logan, OH. FMI: Chrissy Robers, 740-603-2073, hchorseshow@ gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=61556989073547
MAY 3 — Olivia Montgomery Memorial Horse Show, Rodeo Run Stables, 11641 Alspach Rd. NW, Canal Winchester, OH. FMI: Deanna Davis, 740-641-6543
MAY 3 — St. Joseph County Horseman’s Association Fun Speed Show, 21388 Centreville-Constantine Rd., Centreville, MI. FMI: Shirel Hart, 269-506-6390
MAY 3 — Circle X Ranch Open Show, 10 a.m., 818 W. 250 N., Winchester, IN. FMI: 317-868-6011
MAY 3 — Midwest Saddle Club Tack Swap, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 25 N 450 E, Valparaiso, IN. FMI: Tab Somers, 219-241-3037
MAY 3-4 — The Superior Friesian Horse Sale, Mt. Hope Auction Center, 8076 SR 241, Millersburg, OH. FMI: Harry Yoder, 330-231-4548, mthopeauction.com
MAY 3-4 — Champions Center Open Show, 4144 Laybourne Rd., Springfield, OH. FMI: 937-324-4353, championscenter06@ gmail.com, championscenterarena.com
MAY 3-4 — Western Ohio Youth Rodeo, Preble County Fairgrounds Bullen Equestrian Center, Eaton, OH. FMI: Mike Asbury, 937-726-9711, https://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=61557530051194
MAY 3-4 — White River Spring Ride, Timbers Edge Campground, 4345 N. Warner Ave., Hesperia, MI. FMI: Pat Wierengo, 231-854-0092, oaats.org
MAY 3-6 — AQHA/WDAA Western Dressage Show/Grow Your Scores Clinic/ Grow Your Skills Clinic, Hold Your Horses Stables, Ashville, OH. FMI: 352-362-7847, lynnpalm.com
MAY 4 — Preble County 4-H Horse Advisors Tack Sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Preble County Fairgrounds Expo Building, Eaton, OH. FMI: Jillian Rader, 513-869-8164
MAY 4 — Steubenville Saddle Club Horse Show, 9 a.m., 8675 State Route 152, Richmond, OH. FMI: https://www. facebook.com/SteubenvilleSaddleClub
MAY 4 — Indiana Miniature Equine Club Show, 10 a.m., Hendricks County Fairgrounds Horse Arena & Barn, Danville, IN. FMI: Lori Benge, 317-289-4284, Lori. Benge25@yahoo.com, www.imecnews.com
MAY 7 — Treharne’s Wednesday Night Barrel & Pole Jackpot, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330692-1271, https://www.facebook.com/ davetreharnetrainingcenter
MAY 8-11 — Shaw Farm Productions NCHA Days Cutting, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937-603-2197, https://www. facebook.com/bullenequestriancenter
MAY 9-11 — Ranch Horse Association of Michigan Show, Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds, Berrien Springs, MI. FMI: www.miranchhorse.com
MAY 9-11 — Michigan Paint Horse Club Spring Breakout, Ingham County Fairgrounds, Mason, MI. FMI: Brianna Slager, 616-610-9326, bribri1402@gmail. com, www.miphc.com
MAY 9-12 — Mark Langley Clinic, Royal Impact Farm, 317 Clore Jackson Road, Shelbyville, KY. FMI: Kelly, 419-265-7087, engelhart08@gmail.com
MAY 10 — Mounted Archery Practice & Mountain Trail Judges Refresher & Schooling For Competitors, Creek Side Horse Park, 7369 Mottice Dr. SE, Waynesburg, OH. FMI: creeksidehorsepark@gmail.com, creeksidehorsepark.com
MAY 10 — Hocking Hills Saddle Club Mini Show, Hocking County Fairgrounds, Logan, OH. FMI: Chrissy Robers, 740603-2073, hchorseshow@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=61556989073547
MAY 10 — Horse Equipment Total Dispersal, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Midnight Rose Farm, 16980 Burrows Rd., Thompson, OH. FMI: 440-488-0048, midnightrosefarm@ juno.com
MAY 10 — Open Mountain Horse Fun Show, 2 p.m., Crosswind Stables, Winchester, KY. FMI: 606-643-5130, andreacrawford1996@gmail.com
MAY 10-11 — Ashland Paint & Plain Saddle Club Show, 9 a.m., Ashland County Fairgrounds, 2042 Claremont Ave., Ashland, OH. FMI: appshowoffice@gmail. com, ashlandpaintandplain.com
MAY 10-11 — Maracci Performance Horses LLC Open Horse Show (10th) & Open Game Show (11th), Waterford Fairgrounds, 13012 US Hwy. 19, Waterford, PA. FMI: 814-323-5882
MAY 11 — Premier Mount N Trail Obstacle Competition Series, Kal-Val Saddle Club, 9853 S. 34th St., Scotts, MI. FMI: www. premiermountntrail.com
MAY 14-19 — Michigan Trail Rider Association May Blossom Ride, Hopkins Creek Trail Camp, Manton, MI. FMI: mtra. office@gmail.com, www.mtra.org
Please turn to page 58
Proceeds to benefit Tri-Co Trails in maintaining our trail system and campgrounds.
10 am to 3 pm (vendors may start setting up at 7am)
New and Used horse tack, livestock supplies, jewelry, related knick knacks and services are all welcome!
Discounts for paid reservations received by 4/4/25.
There will be a concession stand offering hot dogs, coneys, sloppy joes, walking tacos, drinks and chips. Stand to be provided by and benefit the Stark County Stars 4-H Club.
Corral Calendar
Continued from page 56
MAY 16-17 — Gordyville USA All-American Sale, 2205 CR 3000 N, Gifford, IL. FMI: 217568-7117, gordyvilleusa@gmail.com
MAY 16-17 — Shake It Up Ride, Shasker Village, 3501 Lexington Rd., Harrodsburg, KY. FMI: Amy Whelan, 606-638-4852, arabsrun@lycommonline.com, oaats.org
MAY 16-18 — Mounted Archery Clinic —Elizabeth Tinnan (16-18)/Mike Schmidt Mountain Trail Clinic (17th)/ Ranch Show (17th)/Mountain Trail Show (18th), Creek Side Horse Park, 7369 Mottice Dr. SE, Waynesburg, OH. FMI: creeksidehorsepark@gmail.com, creeksidehorsepark.com
MAY 16-18 — OPHC Summer Warm Up, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH. FMI: ohiophc@gmail.com, www.ophc.org
MAY 16-18 — Michigan Foundation Quarter Horse Registry Show, Midland County Fairgrounds, Midland, MI. FMI: 517-331-6085, michigan-fqhr.com
MAY 17 — Massillon Saddle Club Buckle Series, 12680 Sally St. SW, Massillon, OH. FMI: 330-844-4041, massillonsaddleclub@ gmail.com, massillonsaddleclub.org
MAY 17 — Knox County Horse Park High Point Show, 7500 Thayer Road, Mt. Vernon, OH. FMI: 740-627-0096, kchp.mtv. ohio@gmail.com, knoxcountyhorsepark. mypixieset.com
MAY 17 — LoCo No Frills Horse Show Buckle Series, 9 a.m., Logan County Fairgrounds, 301 E. Lake Ave., Bellefontaine, OH. FMI: Follow Facebook page, LoCo Open Horse Shows
MAY 17 — Foxhunting Clinic, Sewickley Hunt Club, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., WPQHA Showgrounds, New Castle, PA. FMI: sewickleyhuntevents@gmail.com, www. sewickleyhuntclub.com
MAY 17 — Southern Kentucky Team Penning Association Show, 10:30 a.m., WKU L.D. Brown Ag Expo Center, 406 Elrod Rd., Bowling Green, KY. FMI: Greg, 270646-8495
MAY 17 — Kentuckiana Ranch Horse Association Show, Shelby County Fairgrounds, 1513 Midland Trail, Shelbyville, KY. FMI: kentuckianaranchhorse.weebly. com
MAY 17 — The King’s Horsemen Youth Horse Show, 9 a.m., Global Harvest Church, 5110 E 800 S., Monterey, IN. FMI: 574-7727767
MAY 17-18 — Preble County 4H, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937-6032197, https://www.facebook.com/ bullenequestriancenter
MAY 17-18 — Saddle Fitting & Horsemanship Clinic with Wendy Winn, Blue Lakes Farm, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: Amy Snyder, 440-4798503, cowgirlup73@hotmail.com
MAY 17-18 — East Coast Outlaws Banquet Shoot, Lycoming County Fairgrounds, Hughesville, PA. FMI: eastcoastoutlaws. com, www.eastcoastoutlaws.com
MAY 17-18 — ISHA Spring Open All Breed Horse Show, Hoosier Horse Park, Edinburgh, IN. FMI: Donna Skatrud, 317418-6381, indianasaddlehorse.org
MAY 17-19 — Carl Bledsoe 3-Day Clinic, Rising Star Ranch LLC, 11337 Watkins Rd. SW, Pataskala, OH. FMI: Tammy Bledsoe, 770-403-4635
MAY 18 — Massillon Saddle Club Fun Show, 12680 Sally St. SW, Massillon, OH. FMI: 330-844-4041, massillonsaddleclub@ gmail.com, massillonsaddleclub.org
MAY 21 — Treharne’s Wednesday Night Barrel & Pole Jackpot, 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd., Negley, OH. FMI: 330-692-1271, dttrainingcenter@ gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/ davetreharnetrainingcenter
MAY 23 — Fast Times Fridays Series Open Horse Show, Madison County Fairgrounds Indoor Arena, 3237 Old Irvine Rd., Richmond, KY. FMI: Ronnie, 859-771-3388
MAY 23-25 — Michigan Paint Horse Club Back 2 Memorial Day Show, Ingham County Fairgrounds, 700 E. Ash Street, Mason, MI. FMI: www.miphc.com
MAY 24 — SAGA Farm Schooling Show Series, Morrow County Fairgrounds, 195 S. Main St., Mt. Gilead, OH. FMI: 419-5641205, sagasporthorses@gmail.com
MAY 24 — Midwest Saddle & Bridle Association Boots & Jeans Show, 9 a.m., 25 N. 450 E. Valparaiso, IN. FMI: 219-241-3037
MAY 24-25 — BCSHA Open Horse Show, Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kaylee, 937603-2197, https://www.facebook.com/ bullenequestriancenter
MAY 24-25 — Butler County Saddle Horse Association Memorial Day Weekend Show, Bullen Equestrian Center at Preble County Fairgrounds, Eaton, OH. FMI: questions@ bcsaddlehorse.com, bcsaddlehorse.com
MAY 24-25 — 4 Season Equine Association Show, 8:30 a.m., Northwestern MI Fairgrounds, Traverse City, MI. FMI: 4seasonequine@gmail.com
MAY 28-JUNE 8 — Michigan Trail Rider Association 1st June Ride, Oscoda to Empire, MI. FMI: mtra.office@gmail.com, www.mtra.org
MAY 29 — Massillon Saddle Club Pleasure Show, 12680 Sally St. SW, Massillon, OH. FMI: 330-844-4041, massillonsaddleclub@ gmail.com, massillonsaddleclub.org
MAY 30 — Showtime 2025, MSU Livestock Pavilion, East Lansing, MI. FMI: https:// www.facebook.com/halfarabianmich/
MAY 30-JUNE 1 — Bowser Barrel Clinic, The Show Arena, 1540 CR B, Swanton, OH. FMI: 419-290-3700, www.theshowarean.com
MAY 30-JUNE 1 — EUPHA Show, Chippewa County Fairgrounds, 124 Fair Rd., Kinross, MI. FMI: carie921@gmail.com, eupha. weebly.com
MAY 31 — Premier Mount N Trail Obstacle Competition Series, Stone Gate Farm, 31575 Schneider Rd., Hanoverton, OH. FMI: www.premiermountntrail.com
MAY 31 — LCHS Open Show Summer Series, Carlisle Reservation Equestrian Center, 13630 Diagonal Rd., LaGrange, OH. FMI: Jennifer, 440-323-5219
Please turn to page 60
& Combined Training Association, Inc.
A Familiar Feeling
PRESIDENT, Pat Boutwell
VICE PRESIDENT, LeeAnn Kagy
TREASURER, Lisa Gross
SECRETARY, Jill Christopher
EMAIL, fdcta@aol.com
FACEBOOK, www.facebook.com/ groups/FDCTA
by Heather Bonifas
Anticipation! It’s that familiar feeling—that interior itch that makes us feel just a bit uncomfortable, but at the same time filled with hope of the future. It’s that same feeling that sometimes takes over our thoughts and makes us unaware
or not appreciate the here and now. Considering the finite nature of our being on this Earth, that can be a dangerous thing; always looking to the future and not reveling in the beauty of the moments we are given. Some of us of a certain vintage remember a song of the same name, “An-tici-pa-tion, is making me wait...”
Our first meeting of 2025 was hosted by Pat Boutwell. Thank you for opening up your lovely home once again to us for the meeting and the carry in style meal. Since we had already elected officers last year, the evening was well organized and proceeded in a (mostly) swift manner. The use of a tinkling bell at the most rabbit trail moments brought us back on topic. We covered all the bases: reading
Hello members and friends, March is here. The big news for the month is The Wayne County Saddle Club (WCSC) and the Massillon Saddle Club Tack Swap on March 29, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at
minutes, giving a treasurer’s report, setting tentative dates for in-house fun days and various host farms, fielded ideas for clinic locations and hopeful clinicians, and finally discussed attending an early show at the University of Findlay. June, July, August, and September are listed for fun days of all sorts.
The annual Equine Affaire is alway on the list of must-do activities.
One of the (several) discussions that we shared was from a new member, Michelle Clay. She reminded us that a discerning and careful course must be taken when looking for our next equine companion. This led to most of us in the group (about a dozen members) chiming in with stories of our own about being taken,
tricked, or nearly, by people selling defective horses with outright deceptive intent or just ignorance. Never shop alone.
Balancing the anticipation of the future and loving the moment is the trick to a most satisfying way to spend our limited days this side of Heaven. Oh, and if you are still hearing that catchy old song and want to give a listen, Carly Simon sang it, look it up and sing along.
2025 Shaping Up To Be a Busy Year
The Wayne County Fairgrounds Event Center, 199 Hanover Street, Wooster, Ohio. Call or text Leanne Louive, 330/8444042 or Shenea Holcombe, 330/600-0284. Full flyer was in the February issue of the Corral and on WCSC or Massillon Saddle Club Facebook pages. Our 2025 year is shaping up to be a busy one. The WCSC is hosting a full schedule of shows again this year. April 18 is the first Friday Nite Fun Show Buckle Series. Leanne Louive is your contact. May 10 is the first Saddle Club Open Contest Show. Vice President of Contest is Jamie Carlisle, 330/933-3741. May 18
MAY 31 — Hunter Schooling Show, 8 a.m., Keystone Equestrian Center, 8840 State Route 22, New Alexandria, PA. FMI: 724668-8280, keystoneequestriancenter.com
MAY 31-JUNE 1 — Western Dressage Clinic w/Mike Schmidt & EXCA (31st)/ Mounted Archery Competition (31st & 1st), Creek Side Horse Park, 7369 Mottice Dr. SE, Waynesburg, OH. FMI: creeksidehorsepark.com
MAY 31-JUNE 1 — Ohio State Buckskin Association Show, 8 a.m., Preble County Fairgrounds Bullen Equestrian Center, 722 South Franklin St., Eaton, OH. FMI: Kali Blackburn, 724-718-7161 (text), www. ohiobuckskins.org
MAY 31-JUNE 1 — Crooked Creek Competitive Trail Ride and Ride and Tie, 467 Crooked Creek Dam Rd., Ford City, PA. FMI: Erin Carta, 607-765-1490
JUNE 2025
JUNE 1 — Premier Mount N Trail Obstacle Competition Series, Stone Gate Farm, 31575 Schneider Rd., Hanoverton, OH. FMI: www.premiermountntrail.com
is the first Sunday Funday Show. Contact Rachael Adamson, 419/606-9712. April 26 is the first Pleasure Horse Show. Phil Harstine will judge. Contact Vice President of Pleasure, Angela Bonewitz, 330/465-8386.
Our Youth Show Director is MacKenzie Reynolds. She is planning clinics and shows starting in May. We are really looking forward to see what she has planned.
Cleanup at the club grounds will be March 22 and April 27. If you would like to help with mowing or dragging the ring you must attend one of these dates. Instructions will be given on the
operation of the equipment. You must be approved. This is a time to get your volunteer hours in. We really can use all hands on deck so to speak. Bring tools, gloves, and all your relatives! WCSC meetings are held the first Thursday of every month, all active current members are welcome to attend. Here is another old saying—it takes a village to get things done. Horse shows don’t just happen. Dedicated members are important. Become active and become involved. With that said, happy trails!
JUNE 1 — Geauga Horse & Pony Association Open Horse Show, 8 a.m., Geauga County Fairgrounds, Burton, OH. FMI: www.ghpa.us
JUNE 6-8 — Ranch Horse Association of Michigan Show, Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds, Berrien Springs, MI. FMI: www.miranchhorse.com
JUNE 6-8 — EUPHA Show, Chippewa County Fairgrounds, 124 Fair Rd., Kinross, MI. FMI: carie921@gmail.com, eupha. weebly.com
JUNE 6-8 — Christian Family Roundup, Mammoth Cave Horse Camp, 2578 Ollie Rd., Mammoth Cave, KY. FMI: Chris, 270597-6542, nolincc@gmail.com
JUNE 7 — Ohio Foundation Quarter Horse Association Show, Guernsey County Fairgrounds, Old Washington, OH. FMI: 740-877-7993, ohfqha.com
JUNE 7 — Knox County Horse Park High Point Show, 7500 Thayer Road, Mt. Vernon, OH. FMI: 740-627-0096, kchp.mtv. ohio@gmail.com, knoxcountyhorsepark. mypixieset.com
For More Equine Events Visit www.thehorsemenscorral.com ******
Email your equine event to michelle@thehorsemenscorral.com
The Cowboy Perseverance Ranch
A Lesson in Selflessness
by Rob and Tanya Corzatt
The week of January 20, turned out to be a very memorable week for Tanya and I. First of all, she and I spent that Monday evening watching our Buckeyes complete their run through the college football playoffs to win the NCAA National Championship. Later that week, Cam and I took two trailers full of horses to our farrier to get their hooves trimmed or shoes reset. His wife and daughters make several different chocolate goodies, and they were on display in the shop where he trims the horses. I had to donate to the cause and buy a couple boxes of Buckeyes! They were delicious. The Friday after the game, we met with some dear friends (also Buckeyes) for dinner. The restaurant we chose just happened to have a replay of the game playing so that was a bonus for our get together. Our
friends were telling us that they had decided to join a group from our church on a tour of Greece and the surrounding islands later this year. The trip was going to visit several of the ancient cities mentioned in the Bible as well as the Island of Patmos on which John was exiled and famously transcribed the Book of Revelation. Our friends were equally excited at the opportunity to get to spend some time with the lead and associate pastor and their wives. Ironically, as we were waiting to order our dinner, Tanya saw our lead pastor getting ready to leave the restaurant. I remember him saying years ago that since he was a Baptist preacher, you were either going to see him in church or in a restaurant! T caught him to say hello and then he walked over to our table to say hello to the rest of us. Our friends began to tell him how excited they were to be going on the trip with him.
He told them, however, that he and his wife were not going to be going on the trip. He proceeded to tell us that his sister-in-law back home in West Virginia had just recently hit a black bear in their modified van. The van was modified with a ramp to be accessible for wheelchairs. The van was totaled. Our pastor told us that insurance would cover the cost for replacing the van, but not the wheelchair equipment. So, he and his wife decided to give his family members the money they had set aside for the trip to Greece. If you knew our pastor, you would know that he and his wife routinely consider others before themselves. Consider Hebrews 13:16 – “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifice God is pleased”. The very next evening, we were blessed with even more humbling evidence of faith and selflessness. A little background for context….It has probably been a couple years now that an old friend came to visit us here at our new place. This friend used to bring a relative to our old place for riding lessons. She just happened to be visiting another friend of hers that lives about a quarter mile down the road from us. So, both she and our new neighbor came up to visit us at our new barn. And then the new friend and her husband stopped by one day so he could introduce himself. We found out that our neighbor has been battling cancer for almost 15 years! During this past year, she was told that her cancer was terminal. We have been blessed with the ability to provide them with some meals over the past couple months. We were also able to carry in dinner to their home with our mutual friends the last Saturday in January. What a blessing it was for both T and I. We were both humbled by the attitude and faith that our friend with cancer and her husband displayed that evening. While we sat and talked that evening, she shared with us that her prayer wasn’t that God would take the cancer from her but that her family would come to a saving knowledge of Christ by witnessing her actions during this final chapter in her life. She quoted Luke 22:42, which
in the NKJV reads “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” She also knows that when she sheds this earthly body, she will be with Jesus in her glorified body, with no more of the pain, discomfort and anxiety she has had to face the past 15 years. They both know her death is inevitable but until that occurs, she has decided to live her life as well as she can, and her health allows her. One of her bucket list wishes was to go on a sleigh ride. T was able to get in touch with some acquaintances of ours and get the ball rolling. In fact, the day after we had dinner with them, they took a carriage ride together. Although she was hoping for a sleigh ride, the weather wasn’t really cooperating that weekend. Despite that, we heard they had a great time on their ride.
They also mentioned that they were starting a scholarship fund as a memorial to her for the Bible Institute at our local church. It is a continuing education program recently undertaken by our church and they intend to start a fund that will enable financially disadvantaged students to pay for the continuing education credits. The are naming it the “Hezekiah Fund”. In 2nd Kings 20:6, God told Hezekiah, a former King of Judah, that He was going to let him live another 15 years and deliver him from the control of the Assyrians. If you remember, she has been battling this cancer for 15 years. So, basically God has given her these 15 years after her initial diagnosis of only having 6 months.
As livestock owners, we all do everything in our power to make
S Please turn to page 64
Tanya and Rob Corzatt
2025 Thoroughbred Makeover Accepted Trainers Announced
The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced today the list of participating trainers accepted to compete at the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The world’s largest retraining competition for recently-retired racehorses and former broodmares takes place on October 8-11 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington and will award over $135,000 in prize money.
The flagship event of the RRP, the Thoroughbred Makeover not only provides a showcase competition for participating horses, but serves as an inspiration event to encourage more equestrians to get involved with the breed. The competition is open to professionals, amateurs, juniors and teams, all competing on an equal footing with racehorses that raced or trained to race within the past two years with no more than 15 retraining rides prior to December 1, 2024. The Former Broodmare division offers competition alongside the Retiring Racehorse division and is designated for mares exiting the breeding industry; Former Broodmares will compete for a separate pot of prize money.
“We are thrilled to congratulate the trainers who have been accepted for this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover,” said Erin Halliwell, executive director of Thoroughbred Charities of America. “Their dedication, skill, and passion for
Selflessness
Continued from page 62
sure our horses and cows, or other pets, are well taken care of. I get a kick out of a T-shirt I saw that said “I work hard so my horse can have nice things”. We stumble out through the mud or the bitter cold to make sure they have feed, bedding and water. We sacrifice for them. We need to do so for others in times of need. And not just for our friends, our loved ones or fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be ready to help strangers in need. Our daughter-in-law informed us a couple weeks ago that a friend of a friend of hers lost their home in a fire. They lost everything. Calls for donations went out. T
transforming retired racehorses into versatile athletes is truly inspiring. We look forward to watching the culmination of their efforts at the Makeover.”
Competition at the Thoroughbred Makeover is available in ten disciplines, and trainers can choose to compete in up to two per horse: barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunter, polo, ranch work, show hunter, show jumper, and freestyle (a free-form discipline to showcase skills of the trainer’s choice). Trainers do not select competitive disciplines for their horses until August, allowing them plenty of time to assess their horses’ strengths and talents.
While trainers did not declare their entry intentions on their applications, they did provide a horseman’s resume that detailed their training and competition experience, including riding video in their disciplines of declared expertise.
Applicants also furnished letters from their veterinarians stating that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to appropriately care for a horse transitioning from the track. An independent application committee considered each applicant’s ability as described in
their application to bring along a recently-retired Thoroughbred to compete at a national venue in a big environment.
Accepted trainers are encouraged to register their horses with the RRP as soon as they acquire them; horse registration closes on July 31. As horses are registered and approved, they will appear on the entry list at theRRP.org/ entries. The 322 accepted trainers have signed up to bring a total of 319 horses; late applications are also considered through June 27, 2025 so this number is expected to grow.
“Heading into the 10-year anniversary of the Thoroughbred Makeover in its current format, we have a lot more to be proud of than just the sheer volume of horses served,” said Kirsten Green, executive director of the RRP. “In the past decade, we have seen the level of knowledge and appreciation around the breed elevate in a way that has made a marked impact on the effectiveness of the aftercare industry and overall outcomes for Thoroughbreds transitioning on from their racing careers.”
The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium is a gathering for North America’s aftercare industry, with
networking opportunities for both non-profit and for-profit entities. The event includes the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace horse sale, a vendor fair, a hands-on seminar series, and clinics and guided schooling opportunities for participants after preliminary competition. New for 2025, the Thoroughbred Makeover will culminate in the Championships on Saturday, with the top 10 horses in each discipline called back for final rounds of competition.
The Thoroughbred Makeover is the flagship event of the RRP, a 501(c)3 non-profit committed to increasing the demand for and value of Thoroughbreds in careers beyond racing. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover: contact Megan Garlich at mgarlich@therrp.org for more information.
The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization working to increase demand for off-track Thoroughbreds beyond racing. In addition to producing the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, the world’s largest and most lucrative retraining competition for recently-retired racehorses, the organization also maintains an educational library of content to empower more equestrians to ride a Thoroughbred, offers the only Thoroughbred-only online horse listings, and conducts clinics and seminars throughout the country
and I were able to go through our closet and donate gently worn and new clothes that they could possibly use. It was a small sacrifice on our part. Luke 12:48 reads, “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Many scriptures in the New Testament remind us that we are to take care of one another. In Matthew 22:36-40 it reads “Master, which is the great commandment in the law. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. We all strive to do well with the first commandment. So let’s try harder on the second commandment as well. You will not need to look and or long to find someone that needs a helping hand.
In closing, I have to admit that it would be fun to join our friends on the trip to Greece, but it would be difficult for us to do so at this time. Besides, we are going to get to go to Jerusalem soon! Yep, there is a Ken McNabb clinic in Jerusalem, Ohio, this fall, and T and one of our sons are both signed up to participate.
God bless you all!
The Corzatt family owns and operates the Cowboy Perseverance Ranch (CPR) in Marengo, Ohio. CPR is a faith based operation and our mission is to build a strong foundation and relationship with our training horses and students. We are blessed to be able to provide western horsemanship lessons infused with biblical scripture to students of all ages. One student has described her time here as “CPR for the soul!” Visit our website at www.cpranch. wixsite.com/home or follow us on Facebook.
Visit us at the Michigan Horse Expo Booth #52
Horses and Humans Research Foundation Announces John M. Kundtz as New Board President
The Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF), dedicated to advancing global knowledge of horse-human interactions and their impact on the health and wellness of both people and horses, proudly announces the election of John M. Kundtz as the new President of its Board of Directors.
With over 35 years of board experience in the nonprofit sector, Kundtz brings HHRF a wealth of leadership and strategic insight. His expertise in global technology sales with IBM and innovative approach to nonprofit management uniquely position him to advance the Foundation. His passion for sharing stories and
lessons through various media platforms enhances his role as an engaging and influential leader in a not-for-profit community.
“I am honored to serve as Board President during this exciting time for HHRF,” said Mr. Kundtz.
“Building on the organization’s strong foundation, I look forward to advancing research that enhances our understanding of horse-human interactions and their profound benefits.”
Mr. Kundtz succeeds Nancy Paschall, who has led the organization for three years. Under her visionary leadership, HHRF has upheld and expanded its mission, strengthening its role as a catalyst for high-quality research.
Celebrating 20 Years of Impact
This leadership transition coincides with HHRF’s 20th anniversary. Inspired by Molly Sweeney’s vision, HHRF was founded to develop, fund, and promote scientific research in equine-assisted activities and therapies. Since achieving 501(c) (3)nonprofit status in 2005, HHRF has sustained investment in rigorous research and serves as a catalyst to advance global knowledge of horse-human interactions and their impact on the health and wellness of people and horses.
Contribute to HHRF today and help ensure that important
research and education on horsehuman interactions continues. For more information about HHRF and our team, visit the website horsesandhumans.org or contact Dr. Pebbles Turbeville, CEO, ceo@horsesandhumans.org.
Mission
“Through sustained investment in rigorous research and educational initiatives, Horses and Humans Research Foundation serves as a catalyst to advance global knowledge of horse-human interactions and their impact on health and well-being of people, horses and other equines.” * such as Donkeys and Mules.
2025 APHA World Show Promises Over $1.6M in Cash and Prizes
With 400+ classes, Youth scholarships galore and over $1.6 million in cash and prizes, the 2025 APHA Word Show promises to be an event you won’t want to miss. The event
takes place June 20–July 6, in Fort Worth, Texas.
The APHA World Championship Show features an all-scholarship Youth show, with $100,000 offered each
year. First-, second- and thirdplace winners in all Youth world championship classes, along with one randomly selected exhibitor per class, win scholarship cash for higher-education opportunities.
The Intermediate Division, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, returns to offer 86 bonus opportunities to win in select Open and Amateur world championship classes. By entering the main class and the Intermediate division, eligible participants can double their chances to earn Gist trophy buckles and other great prizes.
New events for 2025 include $1,000-added Western Versatility Pattern Sweepstakes and English Versatility Pattern Sweepstakes (Open, Amateur and Youth divisions), $1,000-added Open Breakaway Roping Sweepstakes, 52 new jackpot opportunities held concurrently with select Open and Amateur world championship classes, expanded all-breed Youth Futurity Project classes (yearling through 3-year-old horses), Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide, new Equestrians with Disabilities classes and more.
Horse Futurity, Ranch Horse Triple Crown classes, American Rope Horse Futurity Association Cowtown Classic and National Reining Horse Association
events. The Interscholastic Equestrian Association Western National Finals also takes place concurrently with the APHA World Show.
Find full event details at apha. com/worldshow. Pre-enter by May 15 for the best rates; entries are accepted until 5 p.m. the day before the class takes place at the show, though late fees apply after the pre-entry deadline.
What: 2025 APHA World Championship Show
The APHA World Championship Show is the world’s premier competition for registered Paint Horses. It is also home to select all-breed competitions that include the International Ranch Horse Association world championships and IRHA Ranch
When: June 20–July 6, 2025
Where: Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, Texas Who: Hosted by the American Paint Horse Association Pre-entry, stall & RV deadline: May 15, 2025
TREASURER Margaret Hite 740/407-6986 treasurer@ohconline.com
Greetings From Your President
In 2024, our volunteers achieved significant milestones by establishing new trail systems, repairing and maintaining existing ones, improving campgrounds, and many other back-aching activities to create a safe and scenic environment for equestrians to enjoy in the great outdoors. If you helped with any of these efforts, whether for a few hours, a few days, or even weeks at a time, you are appreciated. If you ride these trails, please say a silent thank you to the volunteers who made your ride enjoyable.
The March OHC state membership meeting will spend time rewarding those who give up days in their saddle to days with their weed whip, mower, hammer and nails, dozer, or other pieces of equipment. The trails committee has awards to be given from Riding Warehouse, Lowe’s, Cashman’s, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Parks and Watercraft, and even McDonald’s, Bob Evans, and Cracker Barrel. Please recognize these
County Lines
BELMONT
February brought a spell of near zero temps, snow and icy conditions for Belmont County. These conditions are hard on horses and even harder on their caretakers!
New business includes a portapotty for the clubhouse and show ring which is much closer to the clubhouse and grounds.
I would like to introduce Jean Wood, born in Uniontown, Pa., and passed her first 39 years waiting and wishing for her first horse. At 39 she finally got that wish and got a 15-year-old Quarter Horse named Philly Ten years later she bought her first Paso Fino, Hombre. Totally enjoying the lifestyle several more horses, all Paso Finos followed but sadly one was lost to laminitis, the next to EPM and yet another was reclaimed unexpectedly by the lessor. Deciding a change was needed she next bought a Tennessee Walker named Chief. During most of this time Jean had a booming bakery business and was well known at every exhibit or event where she sold her baked goods very quickly. After her divorce Jean was filling in at the office of veterinarian Charlie Wood who after several weeks asked her out on a date and the rest is history! The couple left Pennsylvania and bought a house with acreage in Belmont County. Jean lives right next to Barkcamp and can often just ride there. They bought two more horses, LadyBug a racker and CashE gaited but unknown breeding. They rode together
PRESIDENT Mary Alice Kuhn 330/413-6589 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
businesses for supporting our hard-working volunteers, and a special shout out to Delaware and Union County Chapters OHC for adding a chapter donation to help make this a grand reward celebration for our volunteers.
OHC volunteers are ‘Making Ohio Better, Four Hooves at a Time’ although they miss saddle time when a trail needs work. The volunteers show riders who visit from outside Ohio why we have great trails in the Buckeye State, and they are the cornerstone of the Ohio Horseman’s Council, no matter their age, riding discipline, or equine breed. Every chapter reports its efforts in hours spent and equipment used, and we salute our volunteers because they are more valuable than ever.
Thank you all OHC volunteers. You didn’t have to do it, but you did!
~Mary Alice Kuhn
several years hauling all over at least six states, Jean even traveled to Iceland to ride Mongol ponies for a week! She says the trot is a very comfortable yet rapid gait. Asked about her favorite trip she with no hesitation said Mackinac Island, Mich., where she and Chief boarded a ferry to the island to trail ride.
~Rebecca Herndon
CLARK
Clark County is very excited to announce that we were awarded a $1000 matching grant from the state Ohio Horseman’s Council. This will go a long way in helping us continue our work on the muddiest areas at Buck Creek. The work will continue in spring
as soon as the weather permits. Buck Creek also held their own meeting in February looking for volunteers in a variety of areas. If you take advantage of the park and have time check with the park office to see how you can help.
Member Theresa Nikodym, is starting a new role as the OHC Central Region Junior Ambassadors Regional Mentor. The Junior Ambassadors is a new program starting this year to encourage young people to join and get involved with Ohio Horse Council. Information regarding the program can be found on the OHC main webpage under documents, and scroll all the way down to the tab called Junior Ambassadors. For clubs with few junior members, it would be possible to have one volunteer for a few chapters. Thanks to all of our members who turned in mileage this year. We had almost 4,000 miles reported and 1,300 of those miles were at Buck Creek. It’s a new year so it’s time to start counting again.
The Clark County 4-Horse Committee Annual Tack Swap and Sale is Saturday, March 22. Please consider donating to the sale or helping out at the booth.
Jean Wood and LadyBug at Hocking Hills.
Belmont County OHC
County Lines
The sale is very well attended and it’s a great way to see some old friends.
Equine Affaire is just around the corner. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer your time and fun things to watch and learn. This event never disappoints and there is something for everyone.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the VFW in Enon located at 5075 Enon-Xenia Road in Fairborn (actually Enon). Food purchase optional. Come ride with Clark County!
~Jonna Ledyard
CLERMONT
Muddy March greetings from Clermont County! We have one word for our article this month: mud! Now that we have thawed out from 8-12 inches of snow in January, welcome to mud season in southwest Ohio. I am so done with this weather, can we fast forward to mid-May?
Being awarded the $10K grant from OSP, we are beginning to make concrete plans to recover our Blue Trail. We ask that riders be considerate of the trail conditions and not ride the areas where you know the trails will be muddy. Horse traffic can severely damage the footing on the trails, causing holes that will collect water, and not allow draining of the area. We ask that riders do not ride the muddy areas, which would cause additional damage to the trails. We will attempt to protect the environment, while meeting riders needs and hopefully result in little maintenance. Our goal is to keep the trails safe, open and functioning to support the horse traffic.
Congratulations to those members who turned in trail miles and hours for 2024. Pictured are those members who rode 500 or more miles, including Liz Emerson and our trail dog, she had over 1500 miles...best trail dog around! Russell 1002, LaWana 795, Samantha 646, Peggi 595, Amy 509, Tim 502: Total of all riders was 10,811 East Fork total was 7,437! Our membership drive continues, so get your memberships in for 2025. We have not reached 25 orders for the bricks, we are hoping another few orders come in so we can get the bricks on order.
Lastly, our Wounded Warrior
Ride is coming up quick! April 24-27 at the Tim Applegate Horseman’s Area at East Fork State Park. Campsites are first come, first served; $25 for each rig per night. If under 18 admission is free. Check in/gate opens about noon on Thursday. Water will be provided for the horses. We will have two bands. The one on Friday, Carson Lee is donating his band! The Dillon Band on Saturday, and Nelson is doing the food (roasting a hog) for Saturday, donated by Voss Construction. Bring a covered dish to share if you would like. Food trucks will be available so you can purchase food and not have to cook. We will also have fish races for the kids! Auction items will be once again on Saturday evening, so bring your baskets and donated items for this awesome fundraiser to benefit our Wounded Warriors.
Until April, God bless everyone. “When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have”—Winston Churchill.
~LaWana Bogard
CLINTON
Hello fellow horsemen and women. Hope your holidays were amazing! We had an amazing Christmas party at member Abby Fox’s. Photo 1 is our small but great group. Thank you, Abby, for hosting. Sorry for missing the last Corral article I had knee replacement surgery, and my brother passed away at Thanksgiving, I had a lot going on at the first of the year. Talking about knee surgery photo 2 is my first ride post-surgery. We went to CCSP at the first of February, the trails where still a bit snowy and icey, but the mud was frozen so that was amazing. Thank you, Amanda Snell, for coming to pick me up, and riding with me.
I’d like to inform you that the Moonlight and Farmers trails are in great condition. Warren County has done a great job maintaining them. During last
fall’s storms, lots of trees went down. They are all cut off the trails now, and the new bridge on Farmers is great. Thank you, Warren County!
I know next Green Up Day is April 25 at CCSP. If you ride there, come and join us. We have a great time, cleaning up and they usually have a great lunch! I am looking forward to a great year of riding with my new knee, hope to see you on the trails! Watch our Facebook page for updates on meetings, camping and trail rides. Take a kid riding and see the future.
~Sue Lamb
CUYAHOGA
It looks like March is coming in like a lion but that’s not stopping us from fomenting plans for the year. Already our group rides are on the schedule, as evidenced in our February newsletter. And with the February banquet and auction—plenty of horse supplies on the block—we will be prepared.
Of course, our biggest event invites all other OHC chapters: the State Ride is again hosted by Cuyahoga, Summit and Medina Counties. Even if you’re not riding, come to the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation Polo Field to watch the Cleveland Metroparks Mounted Unit guide riders around an obstacle course, or come for the catered dinner. Following that is the now famous Beach Ride at Edgewater Beach, another event with the strong presence of our beloved Cleveland Metroparks Mounted Unit.
With all that saddle time, we’ve got an eye on safety. This year, we are selling affordable waterproof identification tags to affix to your saddle. If you’ve ever taken a tumble off your
horse and watched him trot happily away into the distance, this tag will identify you, your trailer and truck, and, of course, your miscreant traitor of a mount. Another safety feature we’re promoting is your cell phone—not to text and ride—but to track where you are on trail and transmit that information to someone who can help. Another benefit to the cell phone (no, not Pinterest) is your ability to allow someone to track you.
Last month, the northeast area regional chapters meeting took place in Richfield to share ideas, talk about what’s happening in each chapter, and lend an ear to some speakers. We kept it simple with brown bag lunches and way too many desserts. It was a heartwarming gathering of like-minded people in the depths of winter.
~Mary Kay Dessoffy DELAWARE
Hello from your friends of Delaware Chapter. I don’t know about anyone else, but the arrival of March always lifts my spirit along with the ‘wearing of the green’ for Saint Patrick’s Day. Spring is right around the corner! It’s time to get myself and my horse, Prada, back into shape! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new chapter Treasurer, Mr. Jim Vorbau as well as extend a most appreciative thank you to Alex Sydney who is stepping down from her position. Jim graciously agreed to assume the role as our chapter treasurer because of Alex’s work obligations which necessitate her to scale back a bit. A huge thank you to Alex Sydney for serving as our treasurer for the past two years and a warm welcome to Jim! The members of our trail maintenance crew, led by Bobbi Arters, continued to work throughout the winter months, weather allowing. One goal for our 2025 season will be to create an alternate path next to Gas Line platform on Maple Glen trail. We hope to coordinate this project with the help of employees from IGS Energy who choose to fulfill their employee volunteer day with us at our Alum Creek bridle trails. Our first chapter meeting of the year, held February 7, featured member, Kaylie Eaves of Kaylie Eaves Horsemanship LLC. Our meeting had not yet occurred when this article was submitted,
500 Miles
Clinton County OHC
County Lines
thus, highlights from Kaylie’s presentation will appear in next month’s column.
A big thank you to all our members who took the time to report their 2024 trail mileage and/or saddle hours to me. Trail mileage especially mileage accumulated on national and state forests and parks is shared with land managers and other agencies such as ODNR to serve as ‘proof of the popularity and use of horse trails throughout the state of Ohio. This data helps to justify the horse trails continued existence and some allocation of funding.
Join me in congratulating our top five trail riders for 2024: Bobbi Arters, Carole Bosich, each with 1,063 miles, Valerie Carlson with 586 miles, Donna Potteiger and Mary Chmielewski each accomplishing 318 miles. The highest number of saddle hours were earned by Judy St. Jean. Our Alum Creek State Park was understandably the most popular riding destination for our members, recording 3,291 miles. Riding on home trails was the next most popular location with 394 miles. Rocky Fork Metro Park, Mohican Memorial State Forest and Deer Creek State Park represented 236, 85, and 82 miles respectively. The most popular location for out-ofstate riding was Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Congratulations to the following members for reaching a mileage milestone this year; 200-mile patch: Leslie Johns and Sue Zinni. 500-mile patch: Donna Potteiger. 1,000 mile patch: Valerie Carlson, and 1,000-mile bar: Bobbi Arters and Carole Bosich. Our awards ceremony will take place during next month’s meeting.
Looking ahead this month, our State General Membership meeting is slated for Saturday, March 8 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Elks Club, 73 North Third Street, Newark, Ohio. For more details and to make your lunch reservation, please refer to the event flyer posted on our Facebook page, Delaware County, Ohio Horseman’s Council. In addition, our Central Region OHC meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 15 starting at 11 a.m. at the West Jefferson Community Center, 230 Cemetery Road, West Jefferson, Ohio. Members are asked to RSVP for this regional meeting no later than March 8. A potluck style lunch is planned
with the Central Region providing the meat (chicken). Attendees are asked to bring a side dish to share. Looking forward to seeing lots of you at our upcoming meetings! Erin Go Bragh!
~Theresa Burke
ERIE
Greetings from Erie County! March is a great time of the year! First St. Patrick’s Day then the Equinox follows only a few days later, welcoming in spring!
Lots of excitement is in the air as reservations for future camping trips are being made. It is time to do trailer checks and tune ups on our pickup trucks if you haven’t already. Of course, our horses need conditioning as much as we do. Don’t forget equipment checks. Clean cinches and blankets make for comfortable rides for your equine partners.
Our first meeting of the new year was held at the Coupling. Mark Malone, Property Manager for Erie MetroParks, was also in attendance providing valuable information for the new year. We discussed future plans for the park as well as how to contact him in case of a trail problem. We were awarded the $750 regional grant for our plan to improve the section of S Ridge trail between the Mason Road parking lot and the entrance into the woods. Plans are underway for our trail committee with anticipation of warmer weather arriving. We also discussed a pollinator garden on Smokey Road as the one on Mason Road is doing so well and looks great! Mark also explained how the reporting of our miles and hours make such a difference at the state level. It shows just how much the horse community does for National, State and local parks and preserves. It helps to keep our trails open. We are so thankful that Eric E. does our tally of our miles and hours and makes it easy for us to do so. Thank you, Eric. We appreciate you.
Our vision meeting was held at Jim’s Pizza Box in Milan. A lot of great ideas were passed around as we discussed various things we wanted to do. Plans are underway for our Member Appreciation Night. Final votes on the venue go in at the February meeting. Our member night will likely be held in March this year at the end of the month. April seems to be such a busy month. March 13 will be the date for our
March meeting. This will be held at the Coupling. A potluck starts at 6:30 p.m., with the meeting to follow at 7 p.m. March 16, our club will meet up on the Mason Road trailhead to ride at 1 p.m. Weather is always a factor this time of year so watch your emails. Spring is a beautiful time to ride. Life is better on the trail!
~Shelley Hayes
FULTON
Hopefully, by now, we can see and feel the real signs of spring and not just the budding trees, popping flowers and ticks that we saw interspersed amongst the ice storms and snow of January and February. I am wanting to hit the trails and go camping as many of our members are and I’ll bet many of you are.
Our February chapter meeting
was at The Bunker Bar and 36 members and guests attended. We reviewed our 2024 calendar and will repeat our recurrent events in 2025. Chapter meetings in March and April will be at Bunkers Bar and Grill. Our Kentucky Derby party in May, chili cook-off in August and Oaktoberfest in October along with monthly chapter meetings will be at Reed Road Ranglers during weekend camping events. Chapter meetings will be at Reed Road Ranglers in June (pizza party), July (picnic and pie/dessert baking contest), and September (corn roast). In addition, we planned a Winter Blues breakfast at Delta 109 in March and hopefully a tour of a bison ranch after the meal as well as some activity on National Trails Day in June. And we added a camping weekend at Mohican in August as Cheryl was successful in procuring that for us. It sounds like we’ll be busy and we can’t wait!
Candy loves the snow.
Life is good.
Pollinator garden on Mason Road.
Most volunteer hours, Marianne.
Most saddle hours, Beth.
Most trail miles, Ron.
County Lines
There really wasn’t anything else planned for February for the chapter but some members planned to attend the NW Region planning meeting for the state ride at Van Buren in September. We are so looking forward to that ride this year as it was cancelled last year. Many members made it to Van Buren after they reopened later in the year and some of us have trips planned already for this year. It’s close enough that we can day ride or camp and we do both.
As usual, our website www. fcohc.com, our Facebook page Fulton County Ohio Horseman’s Council or our Facebook group Fulton County OHC can reveal what we’re up to in real time. Keep warm and be safe and we hope to see you on the trails!
~Kathy Brown
GREENE
The winter was brutal for riders, with all the cold and snow around the area. We are looking forward to spring riding, hopefully it’s not too muddy. We had our SW Regional Meeting in February and learned much regarding our southwest regional area, as several topics directly impact our chapter and members. Many of the Greene County Horseman’s club attended the OHC Spring Meeting in Newark, Ohio. The Warren County Great Tack Exchange was held at the Greene County Fairgrounds. It was well attended, and many items were available at a reduced cost for all equine enthusiasts and 4-H groups. Many of the Greene County Horse Council helped at various booths and with initial set up. All in all, a good time and it was great to see everyone. Supporting an OHC club ensures we have equine trails for the riders of the future.
We welcome our new members to our club. We also have many young participants in the Ohio Jr. Ambassador club. This is a wonderful opportunity for the
youth of our group and others in the Ohio Horseman’s Council. Please consider joining a local chapter as a main member or secondary member. Happy trails and let’s ride.
~Cindra Phillips
GUERNSEY
Time for a year in review!
We started our Facebook Page: Salt Fork Bridle Trails, five or six years ago. It has grown to 1,600 Horsemen! A few weeks back I offered the park a seat on the Board, I haven’t heard back yet, but even they use the page to communicate to all our riders.
Here’s a small list of some of the things that happened on the trails at Salt Fork State Park in 2024: Rachel and her friend were riding the Orange Trail. They decided to stop at the picnic table on the peninsula for lunch. Just as they got to the picnic tables, one of their horses stepped in a ground nest of yellow jackets. Both horses were stung multiple times, and both ladies ended up getting bucked off. And, down the trail went the horses at Mach 10! Once they dusted off their pride, they got on Salt Fork Bridle Trails (SFBT) and put out a call for help. Our members quickly came to the rescue and called the park. They immediately sent help via employees on fourwheelers. They caught the horses and got them back to Rachel and her friend! Melissa was riding the trail one day and she found a Tribit sound box. She immediately posted a picture of it on SFBT. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was Bill’s. I called Bill. It was his. I put him in touch with Melissa and he got his sound box back. Problem solved! Several times over the past year riders reported trees down on the trail. Most of the time the park saw the report before I did and they had already dispatched someone to take care of the problem before I knew about it. Now, that’s teamwork!
It was amazing to see how many times the horse camp was full of horse trailers and riders. In July it was wall-to-wall! The Amish have an annual camp and ride at the park at that time. I wish I would have counted all the horses, there were a lot of them. In fact, our new mast head on SFBT is from their ride. They managed to get 12 horses in 10 Horse Cave! We had lots of first-time riders come to the park, especially to ride to 10 Horse Cave and ride behind the waterfall. Unfortunately, the 16-week long drought had turned the water off! Fred and Katie were riding the Purple Trail with their Australian Shepherd Luna. Somehow, one of the horses kicked the dog and she took off over the hill yelping. Fred and Katie called for Luna, but to no avail. So, they left some of their clothing, where they last saw her, and went home. They came back several days in a row, and finally after they came back to camp on one of their searches, Luna was waiting for them at the truck. Talk about a reunion! You can see the joy of that reunion in the picture of Katie and Luna. In the next picture, see Marla and friend in 10 Horse Cave, followed by Debbie, on her horse riding the Orange Trail. Dee and I hope to see you on the trail soon!
~Lee Randolph
HAMILTON
Hello and welcome sweet March, you are the gateway month to spring! And yes, after
two months away, Hamilton County is very happy to be back with you in the County Lines! Before we dive into March, let’s take a quick look at HC-OHC’s 2024 reported trail miles, saddle hours, and trail work totals. Combing the results of the 13 members who returned reports, here is HC-OHC’s contribution to OHC’s state totals: 2,695 trail miles ridden; 111 hours showing; 558 hours schooling; five hours driving; and 110 hours of volunteer horse trail maintenance. When converting labor hours to money saved, 110 volunteer hours convert to an estimated savings of well over $3,000 in labor costs for Great Parks Miami Whitewater Forest. In addition, congratulations to four members who have reached trail riding milestones and will be awarded patches: Marc Avery, 200 miles; Jennifer Dills and Mike Frederick, 500 miles; and Jennifer Drennan 1,000 miles.
Continued congratulations go to Ronda Austing, the lucky trail mileage submitter who won the ‘Record to Reward’ drawing to receive a nifty $50 Valley Vet Supply gift certificate, a reward for her efforts in recording and reporting her 2024 trail miles. Additional happenings include: changing our regularly scheduled monthly meetings from the first Thursday of the month to the second Wednesday of each month at Crosby Township’s Community Center.
Ann and Kristin Frederick attended the OHC’s excellent MidWinter meetings and seminars held in Newark, Ohio, (January); and
Bike path trail ride.
Katie and Luna
Debbie on the Purple Trail.
Marla and friend.
Ann, OHC President Mary Alice Kuhn and Kristin.
OHC President and Jr. Ambassador.
County Lines
Ann Frederick attended OHC’s Southwest Regional President’s Gathering held in Wilmington, Ohio, (February).
Moving forward and on to the month of March, I believe we have something going on for everyone! Saturday, March 8, is OHC’s general membership meeting in Newark, Ohio; Wednesday, March 12, during our regularly scheduled club meeting, we look forward to Joe Conrad and Roy Wesselman speaking on ‘Barn Fire Prevention and Large Animal Rescue’; Sunday, March 16 HCOHC purchased booth space to sell donated tack and other items at Warren County’s Great Tack Exchange with proceeds to benefit Hamilton County bridle trails and HC-OHC club initiatives; and lastly, on Monday, March 17, HC-OHC is partnering with Hamilton County Conservation District and Hamilton County Farm Bureau to support a lovely dinner and educational program on ‘New Strategies for Equine Manure Management’ at the Sharon Woods Center.
Here is a quick glimpse into April. On Wednesday, April 9 we look forward to Dr. Michael Frederick, DVM and Schwering Farms speaking on ‘Hay is for Horses’, a deep dive into horses and hay, different types of hays, what it takes to produce a bale of hay, and we will have samples of hay (with the laboratory hay analysis) on hand for comparison. If we sound just like you, come join our club. We would love having you in our herd! To find out more information about OHC, HC-OHC, and access our membership application link, please go online to OHC’s website, ohconline.com. Once there, go to ‘Find Chapter’ and select or type in ‘Hamilton County’ in the search bar. You can also follow us on Facebook at ‘Ohio Horseman’s Council Hamilton County Chapter’. Yours in horses.
~Ann Frederick
HARRISON
Hello OHC! I hope everyone has survived the cold and snow! I enjoyed the snow after getting so little last year. The cold, not so much. Thankfully all my animals did well. Due to the hay shortage, I was pushed into purchasing some of those large square bales to feed my horses. The ones I got weighed around 1,300 pounds, so I was a little nervous about how to handle and feed them. I was really pleased, however, with how well it worked out. I purchased two bales and had them loaded on my utility trailer that I was able to back into the barn to keep them dry. The bales peel off nice tight flakes that I was able to easily fold and carry with my wheelbarrow or in the bed of my utility vehicle. I certainly had less waste and better quality of hay than feeding round bales. I also felt it was easier to feed than small square bales. I don’t know about you, but it has gotten much harder for me to toss hay bales around. They just don’t seem as light as they used to! I will not hesitate to purchase the large square bales again if I need to.
One of our members, Fay Verhovec, was honored with awards last month by the Premier Mountain Trail Association. This is a group that offers obstacle competitions, both in hand and on horseback. Faye and her horse Ruby have been competing for four years now and have advanced to level three. Faye states you learn to work with your horse as a team. She enjoys the challenges as well as the friendships she has made and has become a board member. Anything you do to become more of a team with your horse will make all your equine activities not only more fun but also much safer. Congratulations to Faye! Unfortunately, we had to cancel our January meeting due to the extremely cold weather and snow
that day. We all agreed we missed our night out with our friends. Our 2025 dates for rides and activities are still pending as of this submission. New members and ideas are always welcome.
~Sherrie Hart
HOCKING
Hocking County OHC started the year with our annual holiday party. There were quite a few ‘new’ things that the club tried. First, we had a new location. This year the party was held at the Gibisonville Community Center. Personally, I thought it was a great location! We do usually have a caterer for the food, but this year, instead of the normal offerings, we requested a taco bar. I believe that went over extremely well. For dessert it had been customary for each family to bring a dish to share. This year we tried an ice cream bar. Members were asked to bring a topping to share. The club provided the ice cream. We did still have members who brought a dessert, so there was quite a variety for everyone to choose from. I suspect that some of the ‘new’ stuff will be repeated again in the future.
Along with the food, there was a gift exchange, a slide show presentation, music and Santa for the kids. 2023 club achievements were also announced and certificates presented.
2023 Adult Trail Riders for Hocking OHC: 1. Laura Owings, 1,779 miles; 2. Brenda Lehman, 1,752 miles; 3. Donna Shade, 1,045 miles; 4. Dianna Lowe, 942 miles; 5. Kathy Newman, 665 miles.
2023 Top Saddle Hours for Hocking OHC: 1. Lynda Klingler, 1,550 hours; 2. Donna Shade, 168 hours; 3. Quincy Lehman, 150 hours; 4. Kathy Newman, 50 hours; 5. Brenda Lehman, 10 hours.
2023 Top Trail Maintenance for Hocking OHC: 1. Donna Shade, 6 hours.
2024 numbers have been turned in and our club is even more active than ever! We love to see new faces and meet new people. Or perhaps you were a member in the past, and you haven’t been to a meeting or event for a long time. We would love to see you join us! Our club is very family friendly and meet at the Home Tavern in Logan the third Sunday of every month at 7 p.m. Come in earlier for dinner and relaxed conversation prior to the meeting. Watch our Facebook page for more information about our club and upcoming events!
~Donna Shade
HOLMES
Here’s hoping we are all riding by the time this March article greets you. At least here, this has been an old-fashioned Ohio winter. There is plenty of cold, snow, and mud. Our chapter is on hold for the time being until the March meeting. The spring banquet will be in April.
The Ohio Horseman’s Council meeting in January was well attended despite some nasty weather in the morning. We are very fortunate to have a well-run organization with knowledgeable people willing to volunteer their time. The new youth program presentation was very informative.
More riding soon.
PMT award winner, Faye Verhovec and friends.
Sherrie’s large hay bales.
Holiday party and Santa.
Ice cream fixing station.
County Lines
While it will take some time to implement, I believe it will be very beneficial to families, and help our organization increase its youth participation. There was also an excellent talk about the Ohio Metro Parks Mounted Unit. Again, we are fortunate to have them.
We have gone two months without riding which is a long time. Usually, we get a warm day here and there. But we have made do with getting together at a couple of Christmas parties and breakfasts. We also went to the Ashland Paint and Plain Swap meet and saw many people we knew. There are some other swaps coming up.
The OSU-ATI had a very good Zoom presentation in January on forages with a focus on pasture management. They had another one at the end of February on concentrates, and one in March on ticks. Information can be found on their equine website. It is free. Spring is coming.
~Bev Hanna
KNOX
Happy trails and greetings from frozen Knox County! Writing this in late January, I think this must be what it’s like to have lived during the Ice Age. I
don’t know how our four-legged friends are able to withstand this bitter cold but they seem to adapt a lot better than we do. In spite of the cold, 21 of our members got together for our annual after the holidays winter party. We started off the festivities with games, laughter and catching up with good friends and setting up our camping and trail riding schedule for 2025. Followed of course by lots of good food and the always popular gift exchange. Members drew numbers to decide the order of picking a wrapped gift or stealing someone else’s gift. There always seems to be that one gift that everyone wants, but we all go home happy and thankful for what we have and for each other’s company.
At our last meeting, it was reported that our club turned in a total of 8,800 trail miles in 2024. Whoop whoop! Our top five trail mile riders were; Barb Stevens #5, Terry Baker #4, Phil Rauch #3, Laurie Murdick #2 and Kathy Shoemaker #1. Kathy had over 1,000 miles! Congrats to all. Our top three favorite places to ride where; Malabar #3, Alum Creek #2 and Mohican State Park #1. We thank Barb Stevens for putting all this data together for us. We had a drawing for a gift card for all those who turned in their trail miles and Teresa Smith was the lucky winner. Looking forward, we are busy preparing for our annual Tack Auction in February. By the time you read this in March
it will be over, but I hope to be reporting that it was a huge success in my next article. We are also waiting to hear if our request for a grant from the Knox County Foundation for a shelter house to be built at Thayer Ridge Park will be approved. We are working hand-in-hand with the Knox County Park Department and Park Director David Heithaus, and if approved we could start construction in the spring. More updates on this as we get information.
We meet every third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. We have a new meeting place at Pizza Cottage, 510 South Main in Mt. Vernon. Come join us for a meeting, an event, or riding down Ohio’s beautiful trails!
~Cindy Cossin LAKE
“That it was fun!” is great to hear following a holiday event. Those who attended our holiday dinner at Honeyz enjoyed the evening in Kirtland. Our discussion on whether to blanket our horses or to not blanket them was lively and engaging. The food was delicious and filling. Our white elephant gift exchange was amusing with the very first person dramatically exclaiming, “Yes! Don’t anyone take this. This is mine, mine!” After the shock and surprise quieted down, no one took it as the game went on.
Barbara J., last year’s president, was presented with a blue halter with her horse’s name in brass on it. This was a thank you gift for her guidance in 2024. Rosemary Morgan was presented with The Joe Bush Award for serving the Cuyahoga OHC chapter well, as a secondary member. Rosemary helped organize rides and even led various rides. Big Dee’s gift cards were given to each member who turned in their trail miles in a timely manner.
Two of our members audited a dressage clinic given at Cornerstone Horse Ranch in Geauga County. It was interesting to watch the younger horses begin their training, and then to observe the older horses as they continued through different levels. The weather was 25 degrees, so I give these horses and riders a great deal of credit for working so hard. If I had not had on my new lined riding boots from Big Dee’s, my feet would have been frozen, instead of toasty. Thanks
to Big Dee’s and Schneider’s Saddlery for carrying our winter needs clothing.
Our sympathy goes out to Barbara J. and her family on the death of her sister, Connie. Connie volunteered for us on our past poker rides, helping in many different ways.
Stay warm. Stay healthy. Stay strong on your journey ahead.
~Rayneen Tisovic
LICKING
The question this month is, how are we going to get our horses in shape for the new riding season? The answer is...come trail ride with us, the Licking County Chapter of OHC! We have put together our ride schedule and if you’re not a member yet you can see it on Facebook on our chapter page or come to our meeting on March 30 and find out about our schedule this year. We will also have two ladies from our Licking County parks coming to tell us about some exiting things happening there that are in the
Paso getting her birthday treat on a below zero January day.
Nancy and Fury at frozen waterfall.
Kathy and new horse Jade.
Members at the winter party.
Rosemary with Joe Bush award.
Penny with Big Dees gift card.
Barb J. with blue halter.
County Lines
planning amongst other important matters. Curious? Come and find out. Hope to see you! Bring your friends. We like to meet new people. In the meantime, love on your horses and get them ready for the season! Let’s ride soon!
~Sigrid Batten
LOGAN
Logan County OHC had our first meeting of the year on January 21, the coldest day of the year with a temperature of -8. But guess what, we still had a good turnout of members and a lovely, warm potluck. We moved our monthly meetings to the third Tuesday of the month rather than the first Sunday of the month, it seemed like it worked out just fine. Quite a few of us Logan County members bought raffle tickets from Champaign Counties’ raffle drawing, two of our members won! Brien Lambert won $100 and Teri Elsass won $50. When the subject of fundraising was brought up at our last meeting, we decided to do a Logan County OHC raffle. Brien Lambert volunteered to make up the raffle tickets and we will be selling them for $10 each. We will have three drawings one for $200, $100 and $50. The drawing will take place at our April 15 meeting. In addition to this we are going to investigate a tack swap at Champaign County Fairgrounds where we will sell donated and consignment tack and/or horse supplies. Additionally, we will have baked goods for sale. Our new Activities Committee was organized; members include Monica Young, Becky Porter, Bethany Lambert, Cynthia Orr, Becky Martin and Lynette Rostorfer. The Activities Committee met on January 30 and let’s just say we have a full schedule which we will announce at the next meeting. We had our drawing for saddle hours and trail miles, anyone who turned in miles
or hours to state got their name in the hat. Deb Hubbard won the $50 gift card, Becky Porter, John Porter and Larry Elsass all won $25 gift cards. Bobbie Shields was gifted with a special thank you gift card for all the hard work and organizing of our concession stand in years past.
The winter days will soon be behind us and we will be blessed with the muddy days of early spring. Happy trails everyone!.~Cynthia Orr
LORAIN
Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! May the luck of the Irish be with you. We hope you are all doing well and have been able to get out to ride some over the winter months, at least in the arena. I’d like to take a moment to thank Equine Essentials, our Lorain County March calendar sponsor. We had a great turnout for our first meeting of the year in January. When a potluck is offered before our meetings, the club members show up with an awesome variety of choices. The theme for the potluck was a soup dinner. Folks brought soups and a variety of breads, as well as goodies to complete the meal. At our January meeting, all those who wanted to go to Pine Creek Campground on the edge of Hocking Hills secured a site by paying for their site as this is one of our favorite places to ride, especially in the fall. We’d like to thank Jim W. and Lara M. for being in charge of the campsite assignments for this ride. We have had a lull in activities due to the cold weather but on our March calendar we have some options that may spark your interest. First off, the OHC state meeting will be in Newark, Ohio, at the Elks Lodge on Saturday, March 8. Jim Wallace is the contact person for this event. On Saturday, March 15 we will be riding at Hinckley Reservation for our St. Patrick’s Day ride. We generally celebrate by wearing green and dressing our horses in green, as well. We plan to meet at the Worden Ledges parking area and hitting the trails without much jigging while searching for the pot of gold. Barb Musolf is the contact person for this ride. We will gather at the Carlisle Visitor Center on Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. for our membership meeting. Brenda Lang will be in charge of the presentation of
the 2024 trail miles awards. A big round of applause is in order to her as she has graciously been doing this volunteer job for many years now. Our club thanks you Brenda, for your time and commitment to tallying up our miles and saddle hours to submit to our state. Submitting our information to OHC is so important as it helps to keep our trails funded with state money to help keep our trails open and in good repair for riding. On Saturday, March 22 we have a trail ride scheduled at Wellington Reservation. We plan to ride out at 1 p.m. March 27-30, we will be attending the Road to the Horse event at the Kentucky Horse Park. The contact for this event is Lara M. so if you have any questions, she may be able to answer them as she has attended this event in the past and has thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking ahead to April, we will be riding at Edison Woods on Saturday, March 5 to celebrate April Fool’s Day at 1 p.m. No fooling!
Remember to mark your calendar for the Equine Affaire in Columbus at the Ohio Expo Center. The Equine Affaire runs April 10-13 and is packed with several well-known champions and expert speakers that will speak on a wide range of equine disciplines and topics with valuable learning options available. Numerous vendors attend offering a wide range of tack, apparel and equine related paraphernalia for purchase. A great selection of new and used trailers are also on site for purchase. Additionally, Fantasia, the well-known horse show will be performing April 10-12. Tickets go fast for this show so
be sure to order your tickets well in advance of the Equine Affaire if you wish to attend.
With any luck spring will be here soon, start to clean your tack, oil your boots and groom your horses this month so you will be ready for the warmer days ahead.
~Kathy Duncan MADISON
I am writing this in early February, the beginning of mud month, knowing you will read it in March with the hope that some flowers and sun are livening up our landscape. January is the month for planning, since there is not much else to do that involves the outdoors, and Madison County OHC has been doing just that!
We invited our Deer Creek State Park Maintenance Manager, Bob Kruse, to our February meeting as a judge for our chili and apple pie cookoff. Really, Bob asked to come to our February meeting to talk about the trails and update us on the progress of the water line to the horse camp, so we decided to give him double duty and be an impartial judge of the cookoff. Many of you have met Bob as he had made the rounds to many of the surrounding OHC chapter meetings to talk about Deer Creek, so you know he likes good food and loves to present information about Deer Creek. He’s a wonderful ambassador for the park and a great working partner for us. Thanks Bob!
We are planning for another jointly held Fall Fun Weekend at Buck Creek State Park with Clark County OHC and will be inviting other neighboring county chapters to join in the fun. There will again be a trail course with challenges to try and other activities that we will dream up. It is so much fun to meet our other nearby chapters to find out about new trails and
Winter riding fun but we are ready for spring.
January soup potluck.
Char in Apache Junction, Arizona.
OHC mid-winter training session.
County Lines
riding partners.
Two of our members, Judy Chambers and Jan Maki, enjoyed their annual winter ride meeting friends in the high desert of Arizona at the Circle Z ranch. They enjoyed the high challenging trails as well as flat land that provides a good spot for long lopes along Sonoita Creek in a beautiful part of our country. They expected some temperate weather and instead rode in hail, 20-degree days, then sun and temperature in the high 70s. It’s a good thing that they took some of every type of clothing! They saw javelinas, coati, deer and turkeys, while occasionally riding into the little town of Patagonia for lunch. What a fortunate duo.
We are pleased to announce that our trail maintenance volunteer work at Deer Creek tallied a total value of $56,500. Thanks so much to Jean Kritner and Marsha Pierce for their commitment to weekly work days (they swear it’s not work if it’s fun). We look forward to more scheduled work days in concert with park staff to get to the bigger projects. You guys rock! Remember the planning I mentioned? It includes planning time to get your horse (slowly) back into condition after time off this winter. Be sure to work gradually up to a normal work load so you don’t stress joints and muscles, or worse. It’s not fair to expect our horses to hop right back into heavy work after several months off, just like you won’t dash out to run a marathon or even a 5K after months of inactivity. Be sure to take the time to plan your horse trips, from making reservations to being certain hay will be available if you will need to purchase it at your destination (there has been a drought). Take the time to look at your first aid kits for horse and human to replace outdated or used up products before it becomes urgent. The Trailmeister website has lots of good checklists that we use and provide to our members. We all look forward to a 2025 full of time with our horses and our friends and family! Happy trails to all.
~Lisa Reynolds
MEDINA
Many thanks to all the members who attended our combined banquet with Summit Chapter January 18. We all had our fill of chicken and cake (thanks,
Debbie Donner!) and had the opportunity to meet a few of our newest and youngest members. We are anxious to have them take part in the OHC Junior Ambassador Club. These young people can compete for prizes, belt buckles and ultimately, a $250 scholarship. And they don’t even have to own a horse! We will be reaching out to our young members in the near future with more information about being an ambassador, in the meantime you can contact Raydeen Ryden at raysden2@gmail.com or 334/663-7361.
Medina’s officers for 2025 Raydeen Ryden, President; Amy O’Neil, Vice President, Megan Padget, Secretary; and Rosemary Young, Treasurer, met this past February to start planning this year’s schedule. We will be rolling it out with members at the March 5 meeting. We have new places to hold our meetings and new ideas for weekday rides. If you don’t attend our meetings, you can miss a lot. Meet with people who ride and want you to ride with them. Connect with like-minded equestrians who stick to a nice pleasant walk or a full-on power ride. A full schedule along with our work sessions will be out soon. Our third annual combined state ride with Cuyahoga and Summit chapters is a go! A save-the-date flyer is posted on our websites and Facebook pages and the official flyer will be out soon (if it is not already). We promise less rain (knock on wood) and another great obstacle course presented by the Cleveland Metroparks Mounted Unit. They took the participants through some meaningful exercises last year, asking our horses to work in teams and seeing how well they respond to emergency situations. We are limited to 20 participants for this event, so register soon! Along with that we have lots of beautiful trails, good food, raffles and $1, $5, and $10 tables of truly valuable stuff. The 80 plus members who joined us last year will tell you that this is one great ride. Spring is just around the corner (of all that mud you have to scrape off your horse), enjoy it down in the valley!
~Rosemary Young MEIGS
The Meigs OHC will be having a tack sale on March 1 at the Wilkesville Community Center
starting at noon. All are invited to attend. The address to the Wilkesville Community Center is 164 SR-124 Wilkesville, Ohio 45695. There will be drinks, soup beans, hotdogs and plenty of desserts for purchase as well as the tack supplied by Jerry Henderson. We hope to see you all there!
The club received a $750 grant to upgrade some of our trails and we’re excited to get started. If you would like to come help, contact Beka Setzer or Ed Turley at meigs@ohconline.com and they’ll set up a time.
The club is tossing around ideas for fun show awards. Buckles were mentioned as well as trophies and buckle keychains for both adult and youth divisions. If you would like to voice your opinion on this topic, please send an email to meigs@ohconline. com with your suggestions. We would appreciate any input as we are trying to bring more people in to the fun shows. The fun shows are free, so bring your pony out and have some fun with us! The schedule will be posted on our Facebook page as well as our OHC page https://ohconline.com/ chapter/meigs-county-chapterohio-horsemans-council/.
We’re looking forward to seeing all the returning members and all the new faces on May 18 at our first trail ride and fun show.
April 5, the Meigs OHC will be having a tack swap/annual vaccine and Coggins clinic at the camp. Dr. John from the Meigs Veterinary Clinic will be onsite giving vaccines, pulling Coggins and doing a limited number of teeth/floats. Floats must be booked in advance. Floats $100, $25 vaccines (Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Equine Influenza and Tetanus), Coggins $25, Strangles Vaccine $25. Contact Beka at meigs@ohconline.com for an appointment or more information on either event. Both events start at 10 a.m.
The Meigs chapter meets each month on the third Tuesday with the exception of December. Meetings begin at 7 p.m. at Fox’s Pizza Den in Pomeroy, Ohio. Visitors are welcome so please join us to learn more about the OHC and see how you can become a member.
~Jocelyn Wilson
MORROW
Finally, March! By the end of this month, it will be spring. We are hopeful to be getting our
equines ready for the upcoming riding season!
January was a long and bitter cold month. Some of our members were fortunate to get to ride at Morrow County OHC member, Byron Edgecomb’s, indoor arena a few times to work our equines. February brought a few nicer days to be able to hit some backroad riding throughout Ohio.
In 2024 Morrow County OHC turned in right around 4,500 trail miles. We are looking for that number to grow in 2025! To help encourage members to record their trail miles we had a drawing for two $50 TSC gift cards.
In 2025 we are fortunate to have been able to get the Hocking Hills Equestrian Group Camp for Memorial Day weekend and Zaleski State Forest Group Camp the weekend of October 17-19. We will be having a fall themed weekend at the Zaleski ride in October consisting of decorating camping spaces, pumpkin carving, Saturday night potluck, etc.
If you and/or your family would like to join in on the fun that Morrow County OHC has
Terry and Phil at Glenmont.
Sam McDonald riding at Thayer Ridge.
Riding back roads at Glenmont.
County Lines
to offer we would encourage you to attend one of our meetings! They are currently held at the Mt. Gilead Library Annex, the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. Happy trails to you all!
~Misty McDonald
PERRY
Our winter party at the Holiday Inn Express in Zanesville did not disappoint with over 40 members and guests enjoying a tasty meal, games and gift exchange.
Hats off to the officers and all helpers in setting up the chocolate themed event. Marsha Wofter outdid herself with all the chocolates she made in shapes of horse heads, hats and other western forms that were in turn wrapped and tied with colorful bows. These treat baggies adorned the tables along with other decorations that included horseshoes, painted rocks, and painted glassware served as door prizes.
Special thanks to Henry Doyle and his wife for the appetizer tray which spelled out Perry OHC. It was so crafty that I had to include a photo!
In other news, the club is setting aside $500 for maintenance of Burr Oak horse trails and camping. Burr Oak also is getting flush toilets this year thanks to ODNR. We would like to see our campground and trails utilized more frequently for equine activities so if you have any suggestions to make this more appealing, speak up!
Marsha has volunteered to head up our member participation program which we hope will encourage members to participate in as many events as possible. Details to follow.
Our new President, Carla, has challenged members to establish goals for the year such as marking trails, and establishing signage at trail heads and campgrounds for proper trail etiquette. We will further discuss what club goals are achievable at the next meeting.
I was recognized for my four years of service as club president during the February meeting with a cookie shower thanks to my successor. Everyone enjoyed the after dinner treats and I learned macadamia nut cookies are the club fave!
The trail ride schedule has not yet been presented but we hope to publish that soon. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates. Spring may be coming soon
but while we wait check out all the scheduled tack auctions and horse sales because there are plenty not to mention the annual Equine Affaire. Spend your tax checks wisely people!
~Marianne Patton
PREBLE
Spring is approaching! We have not had a lot going on but are looking forward to the warm weather. We have our Spring Fling April 26, with our annual obstacle course and fun show. Come work on your spring tune ups. Trails are open, if you see down trees, please reach out so we can help get it cleared. We have some work days coming up; if you would like to join us, please follow our Facebook page for details, www.facebook.com/ prebleohc.
We had a fun new event in February. We participated in a Paint and Sip event with other equestrians, and are looking forward to other similar events in the future.
OHC is starting a new youth ambassador program that started February 1. This is an exciting new program to help involve our youth and bring a new insight to OHC. For more details see www.ohconline.com. Youth do not have to own a horse to be involved. Look for your local OHC at the upcoming tack sales. Feel free to ask questions about becoming a member of the OHC. We would love to grow our county’s program and would
love to see more youth involved. Are you a small or large business owner and would like to become an associate member. Please reach out to us for more details of the perks of becoming an associate member.
~Nichole Johnson
SUMMIT
For all those who attended the joint winter banquet with the Medina County Chapter, we hope you enjoyed the evening. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend so you might want to check the Medina Chapter’s coverage this month for more details. From the pictures taken it looks like the winter fiesta was a hit. Thanks to some colorfully festive swags and accessories, potted cactus decorations, and live aloe plants at each table, it looked Tucson Chic indeed. Of course, no celebration would be complete without the beautifully decorated horseshoe cake done by our own Debbie Donner. Highlighting the evening was the presentation of a commemorative plaque to Molly Eastwood for her epic 1,000 miles in the saddle for 2024. All other SCOHC members who turned in their trail miles and/or saddle hours were awarded Big Dee’s Gift cards for their contributions to keeping the state informed of how much we use and appreciate Ohio Horse Trails. Thanks, Big Dee’s for our purchases earning points to convert to gift cards and your support in keeping this initiative going. Our next big task is recruiting new members, especially younger riders to carry on the work we started and find their own piece of heaven on the back of an equine companion. Monthly meetings are now held on the second Wednesday of the month at Masonic and Fellowship Halls as well as the Richfield Heritage Preserve Summer Barn located in Richfield, Ohio. Monthly reminders with meeting minutes are forwarded via email
to members prior to the monthly meetings. Please advise if you are not receiving them. This looks like a longer and more traditional cold winter. Icy footing is dangerous for you as well as your horse and could cause serious injuries. There will be plenty of time to hit the trails when conditions are better. Until then, stay safe.
~Joann Ulichney TUSCARAWAS
Determination and a fearless nature, certainly are obvious aspects that provide 4-year-old Dottie the courage to rise from the arena’s sandy turf to mount her pony, Pinky once again. Granddaughter of Kendall and Rayna Garrett, she has definitely absorbed the knowledge conveyed, as she accompanied Grandma Rayna during horse experiences and the ritual of daily chores. However, Dottie’s perseverance and devotion are unusual and worthy of awe. Recently, she mounted her pony bareback and cheerfully applied
Tasty treat.
Preble County OHC
Preble County OHC
Fiesta full house.
A masterpiece by Debbie.
Tuscarawas County OHC
County Lines
her heels. Pinky, obstinate and a bit stubborn, typical of most ponies, reacted to the prodding and successfully dumped Dottie twice. The pony’s reaction did not deter this child! She clambered aboard for her third attempt, her expression of determined effort, evident on her countenance. She would endure no more of Pinky’s antics. Dottie prevailed and rode triumphantly onward.
Since that meeting of their minds, she has discovered the absolute unimaginable excitement of proceeding to a gallop. Dottie is on the avenue of the ultimate adventure, as her patience prevails and she heeds her grandma’s advice. I believe, Dottie is destined to become an outstanding horsewoman we will all be proud to witness!
The Tuscarawas County OHC congregates on the second Monday of each month for an informal dinner meeting. We welcome new members. You may wish to contact the undersigned for the dinner destination.
Our annual Christmas celebration was held in January. It began with an amazing dinner at Baker’s Cafe in Canton. We thank
Mick Aukamp and Mike Burkhart who hosted our traditional gift exchange at their new home in Boliver, following dinner. Their unique home is elegantly functional, but the attached garage and barn facility was perceived as every horseman’s vision of perfection! Mick had a vision and Mike listened— perfection. Numerous overhead doors to easily enter or release horse trailers and equipment delighted our members. Of course, special attention was paid to the attached horse area, where stalls, hay, paddock area with direct access to the pasture, and content horses, simply awed all of us. This couple were able to share their abilities and desires... dreams do come true!
~Holly Waldenmyer
UNION
Howdy, everyone. I hope everyone survived the frigid winter weather in January. I always seem to spend more time in the barn when it gets brutally cold, monitoring the horses, cleaning stalls, spreading bedding and keeping an eye on the water trough heaters and heated buckets. However, Buckeye Chuck, the Ohio ground hog prognosticator, did not see his shadow and spring is on its way. It is time to start planning for the trail riding season, which should include attending the OHC General Membership Meeting in March and Equine Affaire in April. For a number of reasons, I did not make the OHC midwinter meeting in January, again. The new Junior Ambassador program was introduced at the meeting. If interested, check out the OHC website. I am sure more information about it will be coming soon. Happy Trails.
~Debbie Strayton
WARREN
I can’t believe that last month I didn’t mention our Great Tack Exchange, set for March 16. Of course, the ad is in the Corral, but it was still quite an oversight. I don’t know whether this will reach anyone before the event. But if so, please join us. We have a lot of fun, there’s great shopping, and our food booth does a brisk business for good reason. The event is held at the Greene County Fairgrounds from 11-4, and hopefully we’ll see a lot of you there.
The Over the Hill Gang finally did manage to get a work day in on February 5. While Roger Pawsat, Harold McKeehan and Rick Wehrley had been out a couple times in January, the whole group was not. The first Wednesday fell on New Year’s Day, so we didn’t work then. And on the third Wednesday we were buried in snow. I was pretty amazed at how dry the trails were; I’d expected much more mud. I’m sure there was in other areas, but Chris Pawsat, Dan Weber, Tom Prudhoe and I got lucky. (The rest of the crew was on a different project, so I don’t know about them.)
The two photos included this month are two of the roughly 30 trees we cut off of the north end of Caesar Creek. One includes Chris as well, proving that we work even in the cold. That’s it for this month. Stay warm!
~Mickie Newnam
WASHINGTON
Hello horse people, we are turning the corner and soon the trails will open and we will be back in the saddle, I hope!
Washington County is busy as usual. Every State meeting, a different region hosts. The State meeting in March, a few days before or after you receive this Corral, is the responsibility of the Southeast Region. Of course, it is impossible for so many chapters to jointly put on such an event and the lot fell to Washington County to be the lead for the meeting. We are grateful to our members for their willingness to help make the meeting go so well. From the registration, to the food, to the drinks, to the silent auction and numerous other details, our folks have met the challenge and we are thankful. We are also thankful to the other chapters in the Southeast for helping provide desserts, silent auction goods, and other items for the meeting as well.
On the local front, we had our Certified Chain Sawyers’ class at Wayne National Forest Reno Headquarters on March 1. Five of our old timers were recertified and we added one new sawyer; welcome Dennis Dye to the ranks. At our February meeting of the chapter, we heard from Chris Yeager, in charge of the Marietta portion of Wayne, concerning ongoing trail improvements. One of the projects is a joint venture to update signage within the trails at Kinderhook. We are happy to be part of this project!
The summer is sure to bring some significant improvements! March 29 the Jackson’s will once again host a shot clinic at their farm. Dr. John Groah will be the attending veterinary. They hope to have an equine dentist, and a chiropractor on grounds as well. Mark your calendar and make plans to attend.
Riding season will be starting in April with the trails re-opening. It would appear that we have abbreviated our ride schedule this year. However, that is not true. We are only doing a couple ‘big’ rides as a club in addition to our usual at Kinderhook and Stroud’s Run. We are sponsoring a Children’s Miracle Network ride at Appalachian Hills near McConnelsville on June 14 and our Traditional Corn Ride on August 9. We are encouraging our members to visit and ride with our neighboring clubs and to attend State rides. It has become increasingly difficult in the past few years to find time to ride with our local club and to participate with the others in the State OHC. Our ride schedule
Tuscarawas County OHC
Tuscarawas County OHC
Zoe enjoying the winter sun.
Warren County OHC
County Lines
includes the major rides from around the State in hopes we can ride with all of you somewhere, sometime. In return, we ask you to put our two rides on your schedules and come ride with us! Our first ride is planned for April 5 at Kinderhook, lets kick off the riding season with a great time fellowshipping with one another while we enjoy natures return to spring. Finally, remember as we start a new season to communicate, be safe and have fun!
Your riding partners in the Washington County.
~Rita V. Schultheis
WAYNE
Old man winter really set in for January creating havoc with water troughs and keeping warm to do barn chores. The Wayne County Chapter stayed warm with our Winter Bash, held on January 18 at the Des Essenhaus Restaurant in Shreve, Ohio. Thirty-three of us met for a delicious meal, served home style with chicken, Swiss steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, salad and wonderful pies for dessert. The games planned by the Executive Committee were fun and very entertaining! They forced us to move out of our chairs where we might have become comatose after that great meal! Thanks to everyone who
helped plan the evening. Next, we moved on our trail planning meeting on February 2, with again, you guess it, lots of good food in a potluck. The meeting was very productive and the camping schedule looks full with new and familiar places to camp and ride. The Tuesday rides will begin in April once Mohican opens up again to equestrian traffic. If you would like a schedule of trail rides and day rides please contact our secretary, Leigh Litman. Or, better yet, join as a secondary member so you can have access to the Facebook page where last minute details are posted and if you are looking for a riding buddy, you can post without fear of an unsavory person knowing
where you will be riding. There will be lots of trail work to do in the spring and many hands make light work, so join the fun. Marline Smalley is busy keeping in shape with the 100-mile hiking challenge in January. Check out the beautiful ice and snow at Mohican. You can’t get those pictures on horseback. She even convinced Margie to hike to the Tunnel of Dreams one really cold day. Gotta admire their spunk!
Our youth members were busy as well. Zoey Neitzelt was named Student Athlete of the month at Danville High School. She excels at volleyball and basketball as well as in the classroom and with her service with her youth group at church. Congratulations Zoey! As we look forward to Equine Affaire in April, let’s work on getting our tack ready for spring riding since we can’t get our horses legged up yet. Here’s hoping for a mild and not too muddy March. Happy Trails, ~Susan Baker
WOOD
Greetings fellow horse lovers and happy ‘almost’ spring! Wood County members are looking forward to the upcoming riding and camping season and several members have been out already despite some cool temperatures.
On January 18, several of us gathered at the beautiful home of president and first lady Jon and Kathy Myers for our annual Christmas potluck and gift exchange. As always, the food was delicious and abundant, and Elaine Bennett provided us with a unique and fun way to distribute our gifts. All those present had a wonderful time socializing and catching up on holiday goings on. We also had an informal meeting at the same gathering. It was
We not only ride together, we eat together a lot too!
and Jerry showing their Christmas spirit.
announced that Van Buren, our ‘home base’, had been selected to receive a matching $3,000 grant. Currently the plan is to use the money to fund repair and upkeep to the White Trail and for replacement of an older bridge on the south side of the creek. In future years we hope to put in another trail crossing at the creek to alleviate the need to utilize the road, but that project will need to wait until the water drops further and exposes the creek bed so that a safe crossing can be laid.
Several Wood County members are planning to head up to Michigan for the April 26 weekend for the first camping trip of the season at Farmlane Campground near Waterloo State Park. As always, we welcome anyone who would like to join us. Feel free to message us on our Facebook page (Wood Co OH) for updates and information. Also, our meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at Mi Tequilas Mexican Restaurant in Fostoria at 6:30 p.m. We look forward to meeting you!
Until next month, hoping you and your family—equine, canine, feline or human—stay healthy, warm and happy.
~Juliann F.
Wayne County OHC
Wayne County OHC
Wood County OHC members enjoying the gift exchange.
