HORSE ASSOCIATION & TRAIL RIDERS NEWS

BRIGHTON TRAIL RIDERS ASSOC.

This is my second submission as the past president of the Brighton Trail Riders. As I explained in my previous column for Saddle Up, I decided to step down as president in January and turned over the reins to Penny Wilson. Happily for all, the transition has been problem-free and seamless and of course, Penny has been doing a fine job as our new President. It was understood that I would continue to write the columns for this publication and continue to serve as editor for our newsletter, The Hoofbeats Gazette.

BTRA has continued its involvement in our traditional activities. We hosted a display table at the Michigan Horse Council Horse Expo in March and we’ve co-hosted our annual banquet, the Spring Fling, with the Pinckney Trail Riders in late April. We’ll hold our annual membership meeting along with an open ride and picnic in May

With the coming of Spring, things have really livened up at the Brighton Recreation Area The entire area, covering almost 5000 acres, is basically split into two sections, separated by Chilson Road. The “People Side,” the larger of the two, includes several campgrounds ranging from primitive to one containing numerous sites for RV’s. It also has a sizable swimming lake, water park and hiking/ bicycle trails Our side features the equestrian facilities, a couple fishing lakes, picnic and party areas, shelters and a disc golf course. Although it is multi-use, no one seems to get in anybody’s way and aside from some occasional bikers intru-ding on our riding trails, problems are almost non-existent. We consider ourselves fortunate in that our trails are for the exclusive use of horseback riders and walkers – no wheeled or motorized vehicles allowed. Likewise, our campground is reserved for horseback riders and their rigs. The RV’s with their loud music and generators have to stay across the road.

We do have to report, however, that our campground will not open until mid-May It normally is opened in April but this year the DNR is doing some extensive work in that area. We feel it will be worth the wait so in the meantime, our staging area and the trails are waiting for you. This is one of the best time of the year for riding in the outdoors.

Follow us on Facebook: “Brighton Trail Riders Association” or visit our website: http://brightontrailriders.net/home.html

Mark Delaney

Fort Custer Horse FriendsAssociation

Fort Custer Horse Friends

Hello Trail Riders! The riding season is finally here at the Fort Custer Recreation Area. Carpets of wildflowers are blooming on the trails, the trees are budding and soon the dogwoods will be in blossom. Trail enthusiasts have been enjoying all the Park has to offer with the early warm spring days.

The FCHFA projects: corrals with covers at 3 campsites and a storage barn for our trail work equipment are underway this month. Concrete has been poured and readied by club volunteers in preparation for the delivery of the building. The corral panels have been purchased and a tentative work date to install them will be announced via emails or our website at https://www.fchfa.org/ Any volunteers are welcome to come and help with these projects. Call Nancy with any questions or let us know if you could come help! It is hoped we have these projects completed by our next event. This will be our Annual Spring Equestrian Campout May 18-21, 2023. This will be held at the Whitford Lake Event Area. It is a lovely grassy area with trees on the perimeter and plenty of picket poles in each site. Come camp for 4 days and 3 nights, and enjoy pancake breakfasts, a Saturday potluck supper and plenty of trail riding with your friends!

This is a members only event due to our insurance requirements, so let this be your chance to support FCHFA’s work at the Park and become a member this year Membership numbers are a great way to show our DNR how many equestrians support our trails!

Go to the website https://www.fchfa.org/ for a calendar of events to see work days, ride/potluck days and the current news and pictures of our 2023 projects. You can also check out happenings on Facebook. See you on the trails!

Great Lakes Dressage Club

The Great Lakes Dressage Club has been in existence for more than 50 years. Our members are primarily from southeastern Michigan and Northwest Ohio. Members usually total around 50 individuals.

Activities planned for 2023 are a clinic in June, a picnic in July, and our annual awards banquet in November.

The Great Lakes Dressage Club also holds a yearly schooling show, the date is September 17th There are dressage, western dressage, eventing dressage and driven dressage classes. Class ribbons go to 5th place and championships are offered. There are also several special awards given out. The location of this show is at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio.

For more information about the Great Lakes Dressage Club (GLDC) check out our website at: https://www.greatlakes dressageclub.com/ or on Facebook.