JANUARY 2014 THE RIDER /23 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
OTRA News January 2014
Rider, just mention that you are an OTRA Member. They also have some travel tips and check- lists on their website, check them out at
www.usrider.org. This offer will be available to April 15, 2014. ----------------
who love our camping/trail rid- ing stories and would love to join in the fun but don’t know where to start. At the 2013 AGM, education for trail riders was one of the areas that mem- bers wanted OTRA to focus on. The board of directors has responded to riders requests and put together some new clinics for 2014. These clinics will be held without horses in order for attendees to focus on hands on learning. This is training for the riders. This year OTRA is pleased to announce three clinic offerings. If you would like to have something included in the clinic, please contact Darlene Sharpe.
Basic Trail Skills Saturday, April 5, 2014 @ Hol- lowford Fencing hosted by Sue Eyre • Trail safety & Etiquette • What to pack for the trail • Dealing with obstacles • Basic first aid for horse and rider
• Navigation
Clinics We hear about many riders
ers purchased US Rider just prior to a trip to Otter Creek, NY this past summer. On her trip home, she had problems with her truck and called US Rider for assistance. They sent two tow vehicles, one for the truck and one for the trailer and had the horses towed home and the truck to a repair shop of her choosing. They were prompt, courteous, and very helpful. She was thrilled with the service they provided and couldn’t believe all the times she trav- elled without being covered. Don’t delay; take advantage of this offer now. When you call to join US
trail riders! Don’t forget that now is the time to renew your membership. It is also time to renew your liability insurance and your roadside assistance. Your membership and liability insurance are must haves in order for you to participate in all OTRA rides. The roadside assistance is highly recommend- ed. US Rider is once again offering OTRA members a $10 discount on their one year mem- bership and in addition, for each US Rider membership pur- chased, $10 will be donated by US Rider to OTRA. A win win situation. One of my fellow trial rid-
Happy New Year fellow • First aid for camping
Camping Skills Sunday, April 6, 2014 @ Pine River Ranch hosted by Janice Clegg • What to pack & leave no trace camping • Trail challenges • Navigation • Overnight horse confinement & knots, tying
• Camping and food preparation • Emergencies & first aid • Navigation
Packing Skills Saturday, April 26, 2014 @ Kinder Horsemanship hosted by Wendy Downer • What & how to pack panniers • Leading and dealing with horses
members, $150 for non mem- bers. Registration is due by the end of Can-Am - March 30, 2014. Registration forms will be available at Can-Am or by contacting Darlene Sharpe.
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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
manning a booth at the Can-Am All Breeds Equine Expo in Orangeville. Drop by and say hi, ask questions, pick up forms. The dates for 2014 are March 28 to 30. The directors felt this would be the perfect opportuni- ty to conduct the Annual Gener- al Meeting. Details to follow in the February issue of the Rider. Come out and give us your input, join the board of directors or just find out what is going on behind the scenes at OTRA.
the board of directors. This is when all the planning is done for the year, memberships start to come in, and the ride calendar is developed. Think- ing of hosting a ride but don’t know what is involved? Con- tact Karen Plume and she will help get you set up to host a successful ride. Now is the time to make it happen for 2014.
Don’t forget to join us on Facebook!
utes, look up this article ”Lat- est Study on Potential Ecolog- ical Impact of Horses on Trails Is a Call to Action for All Horsemen” by Fran Jurga and post a response. It is an
If you have a few min-
Ride Hosts Needed January is a busy time for
OTRA will once again be
Cost for clinics: $50/day for members, $65/day for non members All 3 clinics $120 for
the December 2013 OTRA newsletter. It was written by our Director Karen Plume. My apologies to Karen for not giv- ing her credit for the article at the time. Karen always has an entertaining story to tell and she does it very well. She also sub- mitted the following article which I have included for your enjoyment.
------------------ believe in angels (OTRA style).
(again) and my years belonging to OTRA have strengthened my belief in... hay fairies and angels (OTRA Style). Fairies you ask? Yep! I was told early on that on some rides if you left a flake of hay out overnight, the “hay fairy” might visit and buy you a couple more hours of shut eye. Skeptical at first, but so wanting to believe in it, much like the tooth fairy that as a kid made me temporarily rich by leaving me a quarter, I tried it... and it worked! Not every time, but the hay fairy would visit, and when I had slept in for that extra time without my horse demanding its’ early morning breakfast it was a gift... from who else but the OTRA hay fairy! Call me crazy, but I also
I BELIEVE... Now I’ve been thinkin’
http://blogs.equisearch.com/hors ehealth/2013/11/07/australian- research-horse-impact-ecology- national-parks-trails/ What is your membership doing for trails? In 2013, OTRA provided funding to have new decking put on the bridge on The Pine Tree Trail, one of the equestrian trails near Whitney, ON I hope everyone enjoyed
interesting read.
and BELIEVE you will see and hear other OTRA angels because of the camaraderie and support OTRA members give each other is truly amazing. Like when they tell you that you amazingly stayed on your buck- ing horse more than the standard allotted 8 seconds, or when they get off to hold your horse as you are dragging yourself off the ground and dusting yourself off before getting back on... I am proud to be a member of OTRA. Last year when it was my horse that circled back to help a new member conquer a “scary obstacle” I thought, “look how far we have come” and I have OTRA and its’ angels and members to thank for it. Next OTRA ride watch for
I believe there is a higher spirit that uses humans to do angelic horse related good deeds. When I first joined OTRA the angels that were sent to help me came in three different looking human forms... a short, balding, Ger- man-Canadian, a taller cowboy- ish type and a guy that at first looked like Grizzly Adams but as you got to know him was more like a giant Santa Claus. These three odd looking OTRA angels surrounded me, a green rider and my green trail horse for the first year and a half on the trails. They watched over us, showed us how to manage the many obstacles that were new and always ensured we made it back to camp safe. One of my OTRA angels has since got his official angel papers but I swear there are times still today, when I need a boost of confidence on the trail I feel his presence and hear his encour- agement and infectious laugh! Now if you look closely
the hay fairy and angels, you just may be surprised at who and what you may see and meet on the trail and in camp. It makes me proud to be a member of OTRA. Karen.
CAMPING RECIPES! WE WANT TO PUT TOGETHER AN
OTRA COOKBOOK AND NEED YOUR HELP. PLEASE
FORWARD YOUR RECIPES TO ANY DIRECTOR OR
BRING THEM TO CAN-AM OR THE AGM. THANKS.
ing glasses or a magnifying glass in your saddle bag so you can read your map!
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mail to keep us all updated on the trail development near Lavant Station:
designated for the Big Ben Memorial Trail Initiative’s pro- ject to move forward. We have a Project Engineer and Trail Scouting and Development volunteer, Paul Frigon, P.Eng, Vice-Chair, Lanark County Municipal Trail Corporation to co-ordinate the project moving forward. Paul has been able to
Greetings everyone, The year 2014 has been
Gayda Errett sent this e- Don’t forget to pack read-
WANTED: YOUR FAVOURITE
in working with the Initiative’s Trail Scouting Master, Philip Thompson, to find a new park- ing area. Paul’s professional surveying skills were put to good use resulting in an excel- lent location for a ‘first class’ parking facility constructed by a local construction company, Crain’s Construction, who did the work au gratis. The Initiative and the Big
gather volunteers to assist him in finalizing the scouting of the trailhead routing, cum laude, tagging it, then upon approval from the County, commence construction. Paul was also instrumental
OTRA and its members represent the equestrian trail user
Ben Memorial Trail Sub-Com- mittee acknowledges Philip Thompson’s semi-retirement after spending 6 intense years searching the Lavant Forest for looped trails, a parking area and trailhead routing. The project would not have progressed this far without Philip’s trail scout- ing skills, knowledge, commit- ment, dedication and enthusi- asm to honour Big Ben in this special way. It is anticipated there
should be a trail ready for public use by late Fall 2014. We are crossing our ‘trail fingers’! Your ongoing moral sup-
port is greatly appreciated. Also, the support received over the years from financial donators including a ‘In-Memoriam’ donation [for a plaque to be mounted at the trailhead kiosk]. Please visit our website for
updated information and maps of the proposed trailhead rout- ing at http://thebigbenmemorial-
trail.ca
Happy Trails! Gayda
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