APRIL 2024 THE RIDER /15


2024 Ontario Trail Riders Association Board of Directors


President Sonja Wyss 705-434-7947 info@barefoot-saddlecanada.ca


Secretary/ Promotions/Advertisement Tina Kerst 416-907-6051 tiamiadart@gmail.coma


Directors at Large Cathy Togeretz, cathytogeretz@gmail.com Yvonne Taylor, yvonnet@live.ca Sandy Salazar


Area Representative/ Treasurer/Membership Elaine Wiesner 519-940-1710 elaine.a.wiesner@gmail.com


Directors at Large Lynn Robershaw Gord Wiesner Catherine Dziedziejko


9045 20 Sideroad, Tosorontio, Lisle, ON L0M 1M0 • www.ontariotrailriders.ca


The Ontario Trail Riders Association Inc, established in 1970, is an equestrian organization which promotes recreational trail riding and the creation, devel- opment, preservation and safe use of trails.OTRA and its members represent the equestrian trail user with Ontario Equestrian and Equestrian Canada. We welcome your membership to help support the voice of OTRA on your behalf. Visit our Face- book Page.


Ontario Trail Rider Association


Submission for The Rider’ –


March 2024 Issue


ARE YOU READY? For trail riding of


course! The question is not only are YOU ready but is your horse, and your trailer? With warmer temps


and the snow melting we all have the itch to get out on the trail and it goes without saying, an ounce of preven- tion is worth a pound of cure.


Let’s start with you:


If you’ve been sedentary and unable to ride through- out the winter now is a great time to get moving to avoid the aches and pains that


come with not being in shape. At the very least the weather is great for simply getting out for a walk and starting a fitness regime. Yoga is also another good way to get stretching, some- thing we all need any way. You might even find yoga for horseback riders with all kinds of videos available on the internet. And how about


your state of mind? Last fall, did you leave your riding with any fears or challenges you need to work on? There are many clinics offered for riders which are well worth joining to any address par- ticular issues you might have. Nothing like a confi- dence booster to ride with like minded people and a good coach to help you through the sticky spots. There are also online live forums to have your ques- tions answered when you are unable to attend clinics in person. Some are also free, which is a bonus. Now to your horse:


Has he/she been off all win- ter? If you’ve been lucky enough to have an indoor arena to ride in, you may think you are ahead of the game but that’s sure not the same as out on the trail. Re-


gardless, this is the time to get started tuning into each other. You need not ride just simply spend time hanging out, grooming, leading and establishing your space. Hand walking is a great op- tion to start and to access any issues, i.e. not wanting to leave their buddy behind, or to simply ‘reconnect’. If your trailer is accessible, hook it up and practice trailer loading. The first time we load each spring I always question in my mind - will they get right in! Horses benefit from


groundwork at any time, and this is a great way to start, as in longlining, or slow lunging (watch those footings!). If you have a round pen that’s a good place to get things moving on the ground. It will take a bit of time before they are in


shape for trail rides after standing around all winter. Start slow and work them up gradually – Walking is great! Be fair to your horse and don’t join in on a long trail ride if conditioning has not yet been achieved. Sad- dle up and see how the tack fits, or does it? Check it over for wear and now is a good time to clean it before you need it. Maybe take time to wash all your brushes for a fresh start in the season. Check that first aid bag you carry on your horse as well as the one in your trailer. If you plan to camp, check your high line gear and if you are new to camping you can always practice high lining at home before you camp. If you are nervous about this, ask for help from some one experi- enced. We learned how this is done years back through the OTRA group and only practice makes perfect. Peo- ple have their individual preferences, but we advo- cate less is more with no fancy gadgets. I’m sure many of us have stories about the high line wrecks we’ve seen. When you learn and understand the basics you will try to do it right and follow basic common sense rules. For safety and a good night sleep this not a place to get slack! That pretty much


leaves the trailer: When did you last drive it and your


Hay, feed, fencing supplies needed to support Texas Panhandle wildfire victims Donations of hay, feed,


Wildfires leave damages across more than 1 million acres


fencing supplies, cow feed and milk replacer are needed to support livestock owners impacted by the devastating wildfires that have scorched ranchland across a large portion of the Texas Panhandle. Animal Supply Points


are being established in the area hardest hit by wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. They will be accepting do- nations of hay, feed, fencing and other supplies. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Andy Holloway) The Texas A&M


AgriLife Extension Service


is establishing Animal Sup- ply Points in several loca- tions in the region to accept donations. The purpose of the Animal Supply Point is to meet area producers’ most critical needs such as providing feed for cattle while they assess their indi- vidual operation’s other needs. The ongoing wildfires,


fueled by dry, windy condi- tions, have exceeded 1 mil- lion acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Forest Service will con- tinue to update the size and containment of these and other fires in the Texas Pan-


handle. “These donations will


go directly to those who need them as soon as possi- ble,” said Monty Dozier, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension Disaster Assessment Recov- ery, DAR, program director, Bryan-College


Station.


“Texans are known for their generosity and deep values of Texas agriculture during times of need. This is cer- tainly a situation where our neighbors and friends are needing assistance after these fires have threatened their livelihoods.”


Supply points for livestock


and money donation infor- mation Several Animal Supply


Points are being set up through AgriLife Exten- sion’s DAR program. Those with hay, feed or fencing materials to donate, or with equipment to help haul hay, should contact the following supply points and coordina- tors: • Gray County Animal Sup- ply Point: Clyde Carruth Pavilion, 301 Bull Barn Drive, Pampa. Contact Mar- cus Preuninger at 806-669- 8033 or 325-728-0477. • Hemphill County Animal Supply Point at Canadian


AH&N Ranch Supply, 100 Hackberry St., Canadian. Contact Andy Holloway at 806-323-9114 or 325-668- 0466. • Donations of hay can also be made through the Texas Department of Agriculture Hay Hotline. And, a relief fund has been established through the STAR Fund Disaster Assistance through the Texas Department of Agriculture. • Direct monetary donations in Gray County should be sent to: City of Pampa – Attn: Finance, Box 2499, Pampa, Texas 79066-2499, reference 02/27/2024 Fire, or made by phone or in per- son at FirstBank Southwest- Pampa at 806-669-8007. Reference City of Pampa donation for Smokehouse Creek Fire. • To make donations for people who lost their homes in Hemphill County, visit First Baptist Canadian at their website http://fbccana-


dian.org/firehelp/.


Continuing outreach and education AgriLife Extension


will provide more educa- tional information as it be- comes available on the losses and needs of those af- fected by the wildfires.


More preparedness and


recovery information may be found on the Disaster As- sessment and Recovery website


-


https://texashelp.tamu.edu/t ag/fire/ .


Safety tips and wildfire


resources are also available on the Texas Ready website - https://texasready.gov/be- informed/natural-disas- ters/wildfires.html - and the Texas A&M Forest Service website


-


https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/de- fault.asp


towing vehicle? Are they due for the safety check? If not, there are still many things you need to check yourself. Tire pressure and condition are a priority as this is usually one of the most common failures. Hook up and test your brakes and lights. Don’t wait until you are loading up to go for a ride or you are on the road to see if everything is functional. Pull out the mats to check the condition of the floorboards assuming you didn’t get to this last fall! Ramps are a culprit for rot especially under the rub- ber tread surface. Drop down windows and door locking mechanisms may have deteriorated. Grease any fittings on door hinges. Sounds like a lot of work and it is, but it’s time well spent rather than sitting on the road side waiting for as- sistance. So now, what do


YOU need to do to get ready? Make that list and start checking some off. Make sure to check


our website www.ontario- trailriders.com – 2024 has a long line up of ride opportu- nities to choose from this season.


See you on the trails! Submitted by


Yvonne Taylor.


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