Written by Bev Hanna
Welcome to March! I don’t know about you, but as soon as March arrives, I do not care what is going on outside, it is Spring as far as I’m concerned. Time to prep the horses, trailers, and tack and even get out there weather permitting.
President Vickie Zook logged in the club trail miles and volunteer hours, a big job which we appreciate very much. Quoting Vickie, “I’m very proud of our club – we had an increase for 2021 of 2,091 miles over 2020, giving us a great total of 11,745 miles with 51 members turning in.” Anna Porter had the biggest increase from previous year with 1265 miles. Ron Kline rode the most places with 10. The top three locations were Mohican with 4643 miles, Wayne National Forest with 478, and Malabar with 283 miles. There will be more information next month on youth riders and our drawing for all members who turned in miles.
We received our gift of ID tags from OHC and like them very much. I think the Bingo cards look like fun. They are a little encouragement to try something new and to support OHC. We look forward to having some fun with them. Anyone considering some of the 50th Anniversary merchandise should checkout the OHC Facebook page.
Mohican trails should be open no later than the first weekend in April and maybe a little sooner, we’ll just have to watch and see. There is a change on the lodge side, in that the trail now bypasses the small wooden bridge. We hope to get in before opening and safety check the trails close to the newly logged area.
The Ohio State Parks are having a photo contest to promote recreational use of the parks. If you have used the online reservation site, you should receive an email. You can also find it on their site. While I am not that crazy about winning a kayak, I do want to show our usage of the Ohio equine bridle trails. I would like people to think of riding as often as they think about boating, hiking, or biking when it comes to our parks. Contest is open until March 28 and one can submit up to five pictures.
Bruce and I both had a good time at the Ashland Paint and Plain Saddle Club Swap Meet at the end of January. It was a great time to get out and do something horse related. even if it was 1 or 2 degrees. The buildings were heated and the swap was well organized, as are all their activities. We saw Vickie and some friends from Wayne OHC. I even found some insulated riding pants and a couple good horse books, while Bruce found a good saddle pad for Bucky. Equine Affair is not far off and I can’t wait to get there.
Looking forward to some warmer weather here. My little Paso had a sore heel that needed a little doctoring during some of the coldest days of January. She’s good to go now, but I should have kept a closer eye on her feet. She may have bruised it on the rocks on our New Year’s Eve ride or on some ice in her paddock. Hoping everyone had a great Presidents Day and a Happy Valentines Day! Looking forward to St Patrick ’s Day! P S Members are encouraged to send me pictures by email or text.
Bev Hanna