DECEMBER 2013 THE RIDER /25 2013 Ontario Trail Riders Association Board of Directors
President Janice Clegg 519-940-1445
pineriverranch@gmail.com
Vice President / Regional Rep Coordinator Karen Plume 519-323-4653
kp59ca@gmail.com
Secretary/ Admin Director Joan Patterson
joanpatterson@xplornet.com
Grants/Ontario Trillium Council/ OEF/ Equine Canada Bonnie Simpson
equestriantrails@hotmail.com
Memberships Wendy Downer 705-322-0287
appy1714@gmail.com
Treasurer Jan Belanger Elmvale, ON L0L 1P0 Home: 705-322-2027 Email:
janbel@csolve.net
Newsletter Elaine Wiesner
elaine.a.wiesner@gmail.com
OTRA: Box 3038, Elmvale, ON L0L 1P0 •
www.otra.ca
in 1970, is an equestrian organization which promotes recreational trail riding and the creation, development, preservation and safe use of trails.
The Ontario Trail Riders Association Inc, established
Trade Show Booth/Education Cathy Togeretz
cathytogeretz@sympatico.ca
Trade Show Booth/Education Darlene Sharpe
dsharpe@uoguelph.ca
Event Calendar Sonja Wyss
info@barefoot-saddlecanada.ca
with the Ontario Trails Council, Ontario Equestrian Federation and Equine Canada. We welcome your membership to help sup- port the voice of OTRA on your behalf. For more information please visit our website at
www.otra.ca
More Adventures On The Road With OTRA!
travel the distances to attend OTRA rides can rest easy. Why you ask? Because I am convinced Murphy (the invisible pain in the butt know as Mur- phy’s Law) travels with me. He has travelled with me before... YEP! In June, the week
All the rest of you who
before the Otter Creek, New York OTRA ride I took my trailer in for ser- vice, just as a preventative measure really. I even replaced the battery in the trailer to ensure I didn’t have power problems... Well off we went as a
convoy to Otter Creek, New York. The day was sunny with not much of a
wouldn’t hold its’ charge... While my OTRA neigh- bours had light galore I was
wind. As we all were stopped at the border cross- ing, everyone laughed when my bathroom roof window/vent fell off and landed on the ground at a travelling companion’s feet. Not to worry though, Red Green would have been proud when a good Samaritan duct taped over the gaping hole in the roof (just in case it rained). Well it did! It rained buck- ets and although my shower was warm it sure woke me up when the cold drops of rain leaked through and hit certain parts of my body... Next, the new battery
in the dim light or dark. Not to worry! I brought a heavy duty flashlight and battery operated lantern... but both wouldn’t work! Then the fridge wouldn’t work on propane, therefore I had to buy a cooler and ice. By the end of my stay, one cupboard latch had broke, the faucet decided to leak and drip constantly and the handle on my canopy twisted off in my hand. Yeh! Well I loved the rest of
the trip. The 76,000 acres at Otter Creek State Park offer hills, forests, rivers and meadows. The scenery is beautiful and the trails at times seem endless. They were rugged and unfortu- nately after the massive storms, were greasy at times, but with the sand base the ground water dis- appeared quickly. The folks were friendly and the park was
Although all four camp- grounds were full, we sel- dom ran into other groups of riders. Our OTRA trail host, Helmut Hitscherich was gracious, helpful and knowledgeable of the ser- vices in the area. There was even a lady and her daughter who would magi- cally appear each morning with fresh baking, still warm from the oven that was from heaven, the abso- lute BEST! As I drove home, I was
amazing.
feeling a little lonely as the rest of the group got to stay longer. Apparently that is what happens when you are retired. I wasn’t lonely for long as Murphy again reminded me of his pres- ence. On the 401 I checked my mirrors and saw a black, 12 foot long snake like thing whipping in the wind. I pulled over to find
a weather strip around the side door of the trailer had come loose. As I fastened it, cursing under my breath I didn’t feel lonely anymore but I had a serious talk with Murphy... Enough was enough! And the rest of the ride home was uneventful.
OTRA and its members represent the equestrian trail user
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