Flatlanders Dressage & Combined Training Association, Inc.
Geauga Horse & Pony Association
Great Lakes Appaloosa Horse Club
Hoosier Quarter Pony Association
Knox County Horse Park
Lake Erie Mounted Vaqueros
Massillon Saddle Club
Miami Valley Horse Show Association
Michigan Trail Riders Association, Inc.
Mid-Eastern Farriers Association
Mid Ohio Dressage Association
Mid-Ohio Marauders
National Pole Bending Association
Northern Ohio Dressage Association
Northern Kentucky Horse Network
Northern Ohio Miniature Horse Club
Northern Ohio Outlaws
Ohio Appaloosa Association
O.H.I.O. EXCA
Ohio Foundation Quarter Horse Assoc.
Ohio Haflinger Association
Ohio High School Rodeo Association
Ohio Horseman’s Council
Ohio Gaited Horse Trailriders
Ohio Morgan Horse Association
Ohio Paint Horse Club
Ohio Quarter Horse Association
Ohio Ranch Horse Association
Ohio State Buckskin Association
Ohio Western Horse Association, Inc.
Ottawa County Horse Foundation
Ohio Valley Team Penning Association
Pinto Horse Association of Ohio
Premier Mount N Trail
Tri-County Trail Association
Tri-State Rodeo Association
Wayne County Saddle Club
Western Reserve Carriage Association
The Corral Staff
Editor Bobbie Coalter
Advertising Sales & General Manager Joe Coalter email joe@thehorsemenscorral.com
THE HORSEMEN’S CORRAL is published monthly by Horsemen’s Corral, 8283 Richman Road, Lodi, Ohio 44254. (ISSN 0164-6591). Published as Periodicals at the Lodi Post Office USPS 889-180 with additional entry points of Cleveland, OH 44101 and New Philadelphia, OH 44663. Periodicals postage paid at Lodi, Ohio, and additional entry offices. Subscriptions may only be purchased through Horsemen’s Corral member clubs. Single copies, $3.00 at select distributors. For subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, write to: Horsemen’s Corral, P.O. Box 32, Lodi, Ohio 44254. Manuscripts, drawings, and other material submitted must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope.
POSTMASTER: All subscription addresses are properly screened through CASS per USPS requirements. The Horsemen’s Corral will not accept returns of magazines deemed undeliverable for any reason. Please discard copy of any issue deemed as undeliverable.
The Horsemen’s Corral cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material.
MAILING ADDRESS & PHONE:
P.O. Box 32, Lodi, Ohio 44254
OFFICE: 330/635-4145
Cashmans Launches the New Cashmans Safety (CS) Series Panels A Safer, Smarter Standard for Equine Panels
Founded in the 1950s in Delaware, Ohio, Cashmans began as a True Value Hardware retail store that also sold horse feed and equine equipment while operating a working horse farm with Morgans and Standardbred horses. In 1977–1978, the family sold off the hardware franchise to focus solely on horse equipment and feed. That vision led to the opening of the nation’s first Drive Thru Feed Store in 1979. Cashmans Horse Equipment & Drive Thru Feed Store has continued to evolve, developing innovative products and practical solutions to better serve horse enthusiasts, trainers, and farm managers across the country.
Building on 45+ years of experience serving the horse industry, Cashmans continues to lead with safety, innovation, and integrity. From its long-standing partnership with Millcreek, which brought stainless steel manure spreaders to market, to the recent acquisition of Arc Aluminum Stalls, Cashmans remains committed to advancing safety, durability, and functionality in its equine products.
That legacy of safety and innovation lives on in the Cashman CS Series Panels, a new line of horse panels featuring safety-first engineering, stronger design, and ease of use at the forefront.
Developed with input from equine professionals, trainers, and farm managers, the CS Series reflects Cashman’s practical design philosophy and dedication to continuous improvement. Each panel will bear the Cashman Safety insignia, reinforcing the brand’s trusted reputation and longstanding commitment to the equine industry.
“This isn’t just a new panel, it’s a better way to build safety into every part of your operation,” said Pat Cashman, Founder at Cashmans. “We’ve listened to what horse owners and handlers really need, and we’ve responded with a smarter product that focuses on safety for the horses and safety for their owners.”
Key features of the CS Series:
• Now available in Stainless Steel: Maintenance free and suitable for any climate. These panels will truly work for you 365 days a year.
• Compact 6’ Panel Length: Easy to handle, transport, and store. Gives the best possible circumference available in panels for a more circular round pen design. (Also available in Cashman CS Horse Panel Series, Cashman Heavy Horse, and Hot Dipped Galvanized)
• Integrated Vertical Support (IVS): A single, solid vertical rod passes through each horizontal pipe, offering stronger structural integrity and eliminating external welds that can catch equipment or injure horses.
• Closed, Continuous Foot Design: 45-degree angles form a stable, low-profile foot that won’t snag or fill with debris, reducing risk for both animals and handlers.
• Square Tube Frame: Square tube turned on an angle like a diamond for additional strength and durability.
• Cashman Safety Latch System: Also known as the ‘rodeo latch,’ this secure, enclosed connection system eliminates exposed hardware and reduces the risk of halter or tack snags, making panel setup both safer and faster.
• Extra-wide Easy Entry Gate: A 6-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall arched walk-through gate comes standard in round pen packages, adding both functionality and safety.
MORE THAN JUST PANELS A NEW STANDARD IN SAFETY
In addition to launching the CS Series Panels, Cashmans is developing a Cashmans Safety (CS) designation to highlight products that meet its elevated safety standards. Products like the All-Weather Feeder, Cashman Elite Fence System, Hay Optimizer, and select stall lines may also carry the CS badge in the future.
“The CS Series is just the beginning,” said Terry Glassford. “We’re applying the same safety-first mindset to feeders, stalls, and future innovations across the board.”
AVAILABLE NOW
The CS Series panels, including the new stainless steel 6’ model, are available now through Cashmans Delaware, Ohio, store. Round Pen and Arena Packages are also available. Custom configurations available upon request. For more information, visit us online at www.cashmans.com/CSseries, or email us at info@cashmans. com or feel free to call our store at 740/363-6073.
MQHA Tack Sale
Ride In Sync
In the last four issues I detailed much of my training techniques. For this article, I have a question for you. How do you know when you have realistic expectations of your horse and yourself? Let me ask another question…do you think it is possible to improve a horse’s skills/knowledge by 1 percent per ride? If you say yes, are your absolutely sure? If you still answer yes, I want to hire you because that means you can have a horse 100 percent trained in 100 rides. It can’t be done. Neither horse nor rider is ever 100 percent trained. To be more specific, a horse is just getting started after 100 rides.
There are two basic types of horses when it comes to training; those with baggage (bad habits to unlearn before they can learn good habits) versus those who are blank slates (don’t know much of anything). The baggage horses have problems, usually made by people, to unlearn before they can be retrained.
Realistic Expectations
by Terry Myers
More specifically, the bad habits don’t go away, they are replaced with good habits. The bad habits are still in the horses’ memory, which is why it is easy to slip back into bad habits. With both people and horses it is harder to forget the bad habits than it is to learn new ones. It takes a lot longer to undo issues and retrain. Blank slate horses may learn faster, but may have a lot more things to learn. They may also have to learn to work and develop a work ethic, if they have never had to work.
Another huge unrealistic expectations issue is ‘green on green.’ There is the train of thought that the novice rider should get a young horse so they can ‘grow together.’ Let me say this one thing here, “Are you stupid?” In over 40 years of riding, I’ve only seen the green rider and young horse combination work well one time. A lady brought a 3 year old horse to me for one month of training. The horse, very smart and mild
mannered, was easy to break to ride. I was able to accomplish a lot with the gelding in a month. The owner had low expectations and a confident personality. These two got along great and did very well together. This is the only time I’ve seen green on green really work. In considering that horses weigh over 1000 pounds, but yet can be lightening quick, bad things can happen in seconds. As the saying goes, green on green makes black and blue. Buy a horse with at least more skills as yourself, unless you have the skills to teach your horse and are willing to invest in resources (training/lessons/ clinics) to help you develop yourself and your horse. Having realistic riding goals is important with each ride. Horses, like people, have good days and bad days. If you start out a ride with the intention of accomplishing a specific goal and find that you are having issues, perhaps your goal is too rigid and not realistic. Or you need to figure out a different way of communicating. Or you need to back up to a smaller goal. If you get into a fight with your horse, back way up to basic things that they know how to do so you can end your ride on a positive note. In team athletics like football or basketball, the teams that are consistently most successful are those that excel at the basics. The same can be said for riding. If you and your horse do not have good basic riding skills, you have nothing to come back to. If your horse does not have basic training, you don’t have anything to come back to either. For example: when I am at a horse expo and my horse sees something which scares him, something that he may never have seen before such as a six horse hitch that comes
thundering out of an arena. I ask my horse to do basic maneuvers that he knows how to do. This helps him focus on me and do something he is confident doing, rather than the object that he thinks is about to kill him. I step back to basics with my horse. Don’t forget your own skills. We have talked a lot in this article about the horse’s skills, but don’t forget your own. You can’t expect your horse to have skills if you don’t have the riding skills which allows your horse to perform. Be sure to invest in developing your skills and knowledge, so you can make the most of your horse’s skills and knowledge.
Most importantly, be patient with yourself and your horse. When you are working with your horse, you are on his timeframe, not yours. Your training progresses only as your horse learns and is ready to progress. Patience will help you to develop realistic expectations. When you are struggling with something, step back to the basics, then take a break and go do something fun with your horse.
One last comment to remember when you and your horse are having trouble…lower your expectations to lower your frustrations!
Happy Holidays!
Terry Myers is a national clinician and champion horse trainer with a depth of knowledge developed from over 50 years in the horse industry. Myers has been a popular clinician at multiple expos in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more about Myers’ Ride-In-Sync methods as well as clinic and training services available, visit www.tmtrainingcenter.com or on Facebook.
Scholarship Award Winner, Suggestions for 2026 Show Season
Hello, everyone, happy December! November was the culmination of the 2025 Massillon Saddle Club (MSC) show season with the November 20 year end awards banquet and election of 2026 officers. Banquet results will be included in the January newsletter. (The banquet was held after the newsletter deadline.) The MSC annual scholarship award and trail riding program award will also be presented.
Massillon Saddle Club has many ways that they ‘give back’, not only to the community, but also to its members. Massillon Saddle Club has an annual scholarship that is awarded to an MSC member. The scholarship fund was created by Patricia Diss as a way to support our members who are pursuing post-secondary schooling. MSC funds the scholarship with a percentage of all income. For more information, please see the MSC website. The 2025 Massillon Saddle Club, Inc. scholarship award winner is Kayla Lawson. Congratulations Kayla! 2026 will bring the continuation of the trail riding program and the medal buy back.
The Trail Riding program is a way for MSC members to be eligible for year end awards while enjoying the many riding trails in Ohio and other states. The 2026 program begins January 1 with an MSC membership and trail program fee. Each rider will track their trail miles/hours through a free app and will turn in their accumulated trail time in October. The top three participants will receive a year end award at the 2026 banquet. Trail time is accumulated per rider; each rider may ride multiple horses if they choose to do so, with the combined
trail time accumulated under the rider’s name. The app for the trail time is free to all; you don’t need to be a MSC member to be able to use the app. However, if you would like to be eligible for a year end award, you must be a MSC member, and have submitted the trail program fee. For more information please see the MSC website and Facebook page.
The medal buy back program will continue in 2026. Do you have too many medallions from your many class placings and are not sure what to do with them? 2026 will continue the medallion buyback program. MSC will give you a $1 credit for every two medals that you return. Medallions must be in good condition; MSC retains the right to decline any medallions that are not in good condition. You will be issued a credit slip that can be used for your classes or at the food booth through the last point show. Please see the MSC Facebook page for additional program details. And, many, many thanks for any returned medallions!
The Massillon Saddle Club/ Wayne County Saddle Club joint tack swap will return in 2026! Please watch the MSC Facebook page for the 2026 date. MSC is requesting suggestions and comments for 2026. Please let us know what events you would like to see return in 2026, and what you would like to see added or discontinued. Do you have any suggestions for any new events or classes? What did you like about the shows? How can we improve them? What types of year end awards would you like to see? All suggestions are welcome and if you are willing to help make your idea possible, please let us know. MSC is limited only by the number of volunteers willing to help.
Until next month, MSC hopes everyone enjoys the the holiday season, early winter trail rides, and time with family and friends. May each of your days be filled with happy horse adventures! ~Your Friends With Massillon Saddle Club, Inc.
and Charlie as the Adam’s family.
Dave and Cindy as Roy Rogers and Dale Evan’s.
Lake Erie Mounted Vaqueros
PRESIDENT, Mike Sheets
VICE PRESIDENT, John Truman
TREASURER, Jessica Sheets
SECRETARY, Christy Pellegrino
EMAIL, nvirzi@yahoo.com
WEBSITE, www.lakeerievaqueros.net
by Nancy Virzi (Go Forward Virzi)
As I write this club news, fall is upon us with beautiful leaves and cooler weather. Some of the Vaqueros and some of the Outlaws went to Charlie and Rhonda
Banquet Slated for March 2026
Brown’s Parkside Trailers in Beavercreek for a Halloween trail riding, costume party weekend. We had a blast! The riding was great, the weather was perfect and the costumes were crazy. Everyone had to sing a song that went with their costumes. Dave and Cindy were Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and sang happy trails
to you. I was a leopard and did the Meow Mix cat food song. We had Sonny and Cher singing I’ve got you, babe. Kelly Forrester came as a cavalry officer for the Union Army. Their trail ride weekends are always fun, lots of food and lots of riding.
We have new officers starting this November. Mike Sheets is our president, John Truman is our vice president, Christy Pellegrino is our secretary, Jessica Sheets is our treasurer. We also welcome Ed and Maria
Hefner and Steve Kitzmiller as new Board of Directors. We are looking forward to having a successful fun season and hope you all will join us.
Our banquet date is March 14, 2026. There will be a Chinese auction and good food along with the awards.
Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors: Siracki Realty, Kiko Meats, Big Dee’s Tack and Vet Supply, Agile Equine Bodyworks, Jefferson Milling and Altmeyers Trailer Sales.
Halloween weekend at Beaver Creek.
Rhonda
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Flatlanders Dressage & Combined Training Association, Inc.
Year End Wrap Up
PRESIDENT, Pat Boutwell
VICE PRESIDENT, LeeAnn Kagy
TREASURER, Lisa Gross
SECRETARY, Jill Christopher
EMAIL, fdcta@aol.com
FACEBOOK, www.facebook.com/ groups/FDCTA
by Heather Bonifas
Year end wrap up was the order of business at the latest Flatlanders meeting on November 4. Since our president, Pat Boutwell, was unavailable for the meeting, Lee Ann Kagy (our VP) opened the meeting. We started our gathering that was held at Jim and Margie Shoop’s lovely home (thank you so much for being our gracious hosts) with a carry-in style meal. Secretary’s report, treasurer report—current balance, and charitable giving were all discussed initially. Our club gave to a worthwhile new and upcoming horse related Christian ministry facility located on
Breese Road in Lima, Ohio, called Saving Grace Farm and Ministries. Best wishes to Sarah and Joey Metzger who have begun this journey.
Our fun days as a club were discussed as they just finished recently with Jonna Shumway’s trail ride and Jill Christopher’s gathering and trail adventure. Many people were able to attend at least one of the gatherings and have stories to tell. You just never know when an unseen ‘horse-eating monster’ will spook even the quietest horse. I think they just like to keep us guessing and on our toes.
Our current membership list includes 26 people of all age ranges and skill sets. We hope many of us are able to attend the annual Christmas party that will again be hosted by long time member and 2025 president, Pat Boutwell. It is scheduled in early December with the usual carryin style meal and a ‘Greedy Santa’ exchange. The meal is always above and beyond and the exchange brings some delightful conversation and laughter. With the near future plans in
place, we elected next year’s officers. Light banter abounds when members are being asked to step into new roles within the club. I promise, no one was elected just because they missed the meeting! All of the officers will be much appreciated by their time and service to our club, thank you for accepting your offices. The meeting was officially adjourned.
We have active members, several of us had stories to tell of places we went and people we met. Lee Ann, Pat, and Margie took an adventure to the Horseman’s Mission in Millersburg, Ohio. Margie shared some of the photos she took of the incredible day spent being entertained in a wholesome, Christian atmosphere where horses and people showed off their skills of daring and cooperation. They had a hoot watching some ‘chicken wrangling’ and winning door prizes. You’re just going to have to ask about the costumes!
14148 St. Marys River Road
St. Marys, OH 45885
Owner: Ron Rohrbach
Likewise, Allison Schmidbaur went to two annual equine competitions; one in Devon, Pa., the other right here in Ohio at the National World Equestrian Center, Wilmington.
Dressage at Devon is an extensive gathering of dressage competitors, clinics and world class athletes including olympian, Ingrid Klimke. Although it rained cats and dogs much of the time, the show and event was unhampered with clinics, tests, and various equine related
activities galore. Allison enjoyed the event immensely with her dear friend who flew in from Florida for the event! Wilmington, Ohio, boasted many equestrians from many disciplines and was quite the spectacle. Being held entirely indoors, she enjoyed watching people of the highest skill levels in both western and English disciplines compete. To end the evening, a couple of the members shared somewhat scary stories of our own. One member, Beth Metzger, extolled the terrific value of a roadside assistance company, U.S. Rider, who came to the rescue while on a trip with horses from Phoenix, Ariz., to Middlepoint, Ohio. Whew! We’re glad you had that service at your beck and call, Beth. The other story was given by me concerning my mini horse, Zoe. In all my years of owning and working with horses, I have never seen choke—and I hope to never again. My family had gotten home late from a tournament and immediately headed to the barn to top off hay bags and feed the aging pony. To our horror, Zoe was choking and looked to be in very bad shape. Some quick thinking and a veterinarian willing to meet in a clinic at 11 p.m. saved our dear little girl. It was tough for the next several days, but she is on her way to full recovery. Again, I think the horses like to keep us always on our toes! Now, if they’d just stay off of ours... God bless and see you next year.
Margie Shoop
Beth on Bob
Snow is Falling — the Perfect Start to a Winter Ride
PRESIDENT, Kelly Chapman
VICE PRESIDENT, Stephanie Tarr
SECRETARY, Justin Miller
TREASURER, Susan Croft
EMAIL, premiermountntrail@gmail.com
WEBSITE, www.premiermountntrail.com
by Madison Eshelman
As the temperature drops and winter makes its arrival, many riders trade their trail and ride time for cozy days indoors. But for Premier Mount N Trail (PMT) members, the arrival of colder weather doesn’t mean the season is over, it simply offers a
new way to spend time with your equine partner.
As our summer season faded away, we have a new winter series that started November
1 with many dates in the next few months. Our winter series shows will be held at Shenanigan Stables and Phoenix on Killian. Many members use this time to gain RIDE hours or work on groundwork. We look forward to seeing the growth that each member has made over the summer series and to continue their skills through the winter series.
One thing that sets PMT apart is its sense of community, and that continues through each show season. Many members stay in
touch through the winter and set goals or get together and play with their equine partners. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, PMT has something all year long.
Our annual PMT banquet will be held in January. Find us on Facebook for more updates and news.
Winter may bring shorter days, but for equine lovers, it’s just another chapter in the adventure. We encourage you to join in on our winter series fun!
be my friend
~ Albert Camus
Blankets, Barns, and Bales: Winter Wisdom for Horses and Mules
by Robert Eversole
It’s November, and the days are getting shorter. The air has a damp, bone-deep chill that seeps in before the first real snow. As I write this, the thermometer hovers around 30 degrees. While I’m inside with a mug of coffee and the woodstove humming, Ruger and the Bean are outside, content, frost dusting their backs, unbothered by the cold.
Every fall, as we head into winter, I find myself wondering what many horse and mule owners ask this time of year: Should I blanket them?
Rather than hard-and-fast rules, I’ve learned to rely on guidelines, practical ways to decide what’s right for each animal and each situation.
How Equines Stay Warm
Before reaching for the blanket, start with the basics. Horses and mules are remarkably well equipped for winter. You can’t judge their comfort by how chilly you feel.
1. Eating = Heating. The primary heat source for an equine isn’t a blanket, it’s hay. Digestion in the hindgut acts like a furnace, producing heat as microbes break down fiber. On frigid nights, the
best ‘blanket’ you can offer is an extra flake or two of good-quality hay. That furnace also needs water, so keep it ice-free and, if possible, not ice-cold.
2. Size and Heat Retention. Larger animals hold heat longer, it’s basic physics. Smaller or thin animals lose warmth faster and may need more feed or extra shelter to stay comfortable.
3. Hair Loft: Nature’s Blanket. Those tiny muscles at the base of each hair shaft lift it upright, trapping a layer of warm air against the skin, the same principle that keeps a sleeping bag warm. If you press that hair down with a heavy or poorly fitted blanket, you can make your mule colder. Sometimes their natural coat outperforms anything you can buy.
When Nature Needs a Hand
In an ideal world, healthy animals with thick coats, plenty of hay, and shelter from wind and wet, blankets are rarely needed. As the veterinarians at Texas A&M remind us:
“For the vast majority of horses, it will never be too cold for them to live outside with no blanket. Those that would benefit are thin, debilitated, ill, or have no natural hair coat.”
But perfect conditions are rare. Here are times when a blanket can be helpful:
• The animal is shivering or visibly uncomfortable
• Older, underweight, or recovering from illness
• Clipped for showing or heavy work
• Thin coated due to breed, lighting, or management
• Lacks shelter from wind and rain
• Recently moved from a warmer climate
In these cases, a properly fitted, waterproof, breathable blanket can make all the difference.
Wind, Rain, and Reality
For most horse owners, moisture is the real enemy. Dry cold is easy. Wet and windy isn’t. In places like my home in the Pacific Northwest, a steady 40-degree drizzle can chill an animal faster than a 20-degree snowfall. Snow can insulate; cold rain mats the coat and strips away that warm air layer.
A good three-sided shelter is often better than a blanket, giving your animals the freedom to step out of the weather when they choose. Shelter plus hay usually beats any turnout rug.
When You Do Blanket
If you decide to blanket, do it thoughtfully. Fit matters. A blanket that’s too tight can rub shoulders and withers; too loose can shift or tangle. Waterproofing and breathability are essential; nothing chills a horse faster than being wet under a blanket.
Check daily for rubbing, sweating, or trapped moisture. Remove the blanket on warmer days to let the coat fluff up again. Remember, blanketing is a management decision, not a fashion statement.
Talk with Your Veterinarian
Every horse and mule is different. Age, body condition, workload, and health all play a role in how well they handle cold weather. If you’re unsure about your animal’s specific needs, or if they have health concerns that might affect thermoregulation, talk with your veterinarian. A short conversation now can prevent serious problems later, and your vet can help you tailor a winter care plan that includes nutrition, shelter, and blanketing (or not) for your individual animals.
The Takeaway
Blanketing isn’t about temperature alone, it’s about context. A healthy mule with a thick coat, plenty of roughage, and shelter from the
Ohio High School Rodeo Association
Membership Portal Open to Join OHSRA
NATIONAL DIRECTOR, Nikki McCarty
PRESIDENT, Chelsea Schoch
SECRETARY, Holly Rowe
PHONE, 419/651-0111
WEBSITE, www.ohiohighschoolrodeo.org
by Emery Scott Student Vice President
Ohio High School contestants just completed another dual rodeo for the season, we hosted Indiana in Eaton, Ohio. With two arenas running all day the judges and volunteers kept the rodeo running swiftly. While lots of fun was had there was little down time for any of the contestants. They were however able to have some fun on Saturday night while hosting the golf ball toss, in which you could win a Yeti backpack cooler. This was an amazing fundraiser to raise money for the organization. Wyatt Cummings, an Indiana contestant came away with the win!
The attached picture of the
Yeti Cooler—Golf Ball Toss fundraiser.
Yeti Cooler—Golf Ball Toss fundraiser: Princess Brenna Shepard, Secretary Jaelee Winkleman, President Abby Nisonger, Toss Winner Wyatt Cummings, Queen Daphne Lanctot, Jr. High Secondary Sydney Green, and in the front Vice President Emery Scott. We would like to recognize our officers for this year. Starting off with our President Abby Nisonger. Abby is a varsity soccer player. Her favorite events at rodeos are goat tying and barrel racing. Abby shows great support for all of our participants and has been with high school rodeo the past three years.
Our Vice President Emery Scott is a third-year contestant, Emery enjoys roping and goat tying. She also plays basketball for her high school. Jaelee Winkleman is our secretary for the 2025-2026 year. Jaelee is a varsity cheerleader and a member of the National Honor Society. Jaelee’s favorite events are breakaway, team roping, and pole bending. Lastly, our queen Daphne Lanctot. Daphne serves as the president of her FFA chapter at her high school. Daphne has a passion for breakaway and team roping. All of our officers help to organize fundraisers to support the organization. We wrapped up our 2025-2026
fall season in Canal Winchester on November 22-23. As the year has gone on, we have seen lots of progress by many. We can’t wait to see all the improved skills over the winter. If you are interested in joining the rodeo community, extending your time with the association, or simply curious about how to sign up, visit our website at https://ohiohighschoolrodeo.org/ or check out our Facebook page: Ohio High School and Junior High Rodeo Association. The membership portal for the 2025-2026 season opened on July 1, and this rodeo family is always looking to grow.
Blankets, Barns and Bales
Continued from page 20
elements will stay comfortable in weather that sends us running for another layer. But a wet, windblown, or older animal may appreciate a little extra help.
Before you reach for the blanket, ask yourself: Is my animal shivering? Is he thin, elderly, or recovering?
Does he have shelter and freechoice hay?
If all those answers are “no,” he’s probably happier in his natural coat. If one or more is “yes,” that’s your sign to lend him a little help.
Winter care doesn’t have to be complicated, it just takes observation, consistency, and good judgment. Watch your animals, know their normal, and
let them tell you what they need. They’re honest that way.
For more practical advice on caring for your horses and mules, plus North America’s largest directory of equine trails and camping areas, visit www. TrailMeister.com.
Ready to dig deeper into life on the trail? Grab a copy of my bestselling books: The ABCs of Trail Riding and Horse Camping, a trusted guide for trail riding and horse camping with confidence; It’s a Cinch!, a hands-on manual for crafting your own mohair cinches; and Daily Wisdom from the Saddle, a collection of equine-inspired reflections for every day of the year. All are available on Amazon or through TrailMeister.com.
Student officers in grand entry.
Contestants waiting to compete in pole bending at the Eaton, Ohio, rodeo.
December is here. I hope the season brings everyone joy and peace.
The 2026 show season is just around the corner. Some go South to show. I know the Corral has listings for indoor venues that hold shows year round.
Our banquet will be January 10 at The Lighted Lantern, 4537 Greber Road, Fredericksburg Ohio. Please bring a main dish and cold dish to share. Everyone is welcome as a member and guests. We will be taking memberships at the banquet. If you would like, bring a basket of goodies for the raffle that will help fund the club. Contact any of the board members for a pick
up or you can bring them the day of the banquet. The year-end awards are being ordered. We will have dancing after dinner and fellowship is always a great time!
Next year shows at The Hollow will be brighter—new lights for the arena! Your board members have more improvements and upgrades for 2026.
Show dates will be organized after the banquet.
Congratulations to Collen and Leanne on becoming husband and wife!
WCSC would like to also congratulate Daxton Farr on his win at The All American Congress in October. Champion 2025 Youth Team Roping. He and his partner Jesse had a 9.5 time. I am sure this is just the beginning. The Daxton Family believe in hard work and
dedication. Looking forward to what the future will bring.
Congratulations to everyone who makes The Wayne County Saddle Club operate for all to enjoy. From turning cans, loping circles for a judge, to just playing in the mud. It truly is a place to enjoy.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Congratulations Daxton and Harris.
Northern Ohio Outlaws
Year End Banquet, New Officers, Tenative Shoot Dates for 2026
Elections for the club were held and the results are in. President
Ron Kiko; Vice President Deb Harris; Secretary Kelsey Gibson; Treasurer Mark Maxwell.
Directors: Chuck Bushmire, John Roach, Susan Fry, Jayne Maxwell, Anthony Carpico,
Knox County Horse Park
PRESIDENT, Lauren Smith
SECRETARY, Madisyn Weekley
PHONE, 740/398-5366 (call or text)
WEBSITE, knoxcountyhorsepark.mypixieset.com
by Anna Chadwick
The last fun show was held October 18 and awards and prizes were presented for all classes.
The November 1 Halloween show was enjoyed by many individuals with the costume class held last. Prizes were presented
Emily Matthews, Amanda Katz, Sonya Morse. Congratulations everyone, best wishes with the start of a new season.
The date for the year end banquet is set for February 28 at The Amish Door Banquet Hall. You can call them to make reservations, just tell them you are with the Northern Ohio Outlaws. Look forward to seeing every one in all their finery.
Tentative Schedule for 2026
to the first and second winners of the different groups. All enjoyed the fun. There are pictures on the website of the riders who enjoyed the day. Thanks to all who posted the pictures on our Facebook page and website.
Meeting locations starting November 11 will be at 411 Pittsburg Avenue in Mount Vernon, Ohio; November 11, December 8, January 12, 2026, and February 9.
2026 YEAR
Meetings dates are January 12, February 9, March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 12, November 9, and December 14.
We have a tentative schedule for the 2026 season. If you have any suggestions for events, please let us know.
MAY 16: Celebration (25 years)
MAY 30: Poker Run
JUNE 6: Little Big Show
JUNE 20: Show
JULY 29: Full Moon
AUG. 1: Cowboy Challenge
SEPT. 12: Fredericktown Parade
SEPT. 13: All Horse Parade (Delaware)
SEPT. 19: Horse Show
SEPT. 26: Poker Run
OCT. 17: Horse Show
OCT. 31: Halloween Show
NOVEMBER: Mount Vernon Christmas Parade
Shoot dates for the 2026 season are tentatively: April 25-26, June 6-7, July 11-12, August 7-9, October 3-4. A new shooter clinic date is tentatively set for Saturday, April 18.
We have one new sponsorship Susan Wise. Thank you to all our sponsors for their continued support.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!
Mark your calendards! Other shows could be added during the year. The cookshack will be open for each event.
If you would like to host a show, or rent the arena, please contact us.
We would like to thank the following sponsors for the 2025 fun show season: Danville Harness and Shoe, Two Acre Farm and Feed Supply, Strong Land Maintenance, Cosby Heating and Cooling, Travis and Sue Ross, Scarlet Acres, Red Maple Farm, Healthy Center Massage, Therapy and Acupuncture.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The club members voted at the November 8 meeting to keep the club open. Our next meeting will be January 11, 2026. Location: Lutheran Church, 300 S. Main Street, Arlington, Ohio from 2-4 p.m. If you are interested in joining the club, membership is only $25. Please bring a snack to share.
Birthday wishes to Molly Owens (picture attached) and many grateful prayers of thanks being given for her husband, who has been battling illness, but was able to attend the meeting.
At the November meeting we had a Black Smith Historian guest speaker; Mike McGee, picture attached. The Hayhurst’s met him while taking a drive around Bowling Green, Ohio, and invited
him to share his knowledge and collection at the next meeting. Mike brought a small sample of several interesting Black Smithing tools and processes to share. His stories and knowledge made for a very interesting and informative evening. Some of the things included; a bolt threading tool, an anti-kicking leg brace, several different types of traces for measuring a wheel, a carriage step and the story behind its origin. Study the attached picture to see what you can identify. The items were dated from the 1700s and 1800s. Plans are being made to tour his extensive collection later in the summer of 2026. Several guests joined us for a
delicious meal, followed by door prize giveaways of several hand wolven lap blankets, candles, and other items.
As the New Year will soon be here, please gather your list of interesting places to visit for a field trip, or locations to hold a drive at. Bring your ideas to our January 11, 2026, meeting from 2-4 p.m. at the Arlington Lutheran Church so they can be calendared for the summer of 2026.
Lastly, we are looking forward to snow this winter! If that happens in a significant way, we are hoping to gather for a sleigh
rally. If you want to hold one in your area, reach out to Julie Emmons and inform her of the location so all can be told to watch for a sufficient amount of snow to accumulate to make a sleigh ride possible. Then a fan out of emails and calls will happen to inform everyone of the event. As we all know, snow can be here for any amount of time, then be gone. There will be lots of hot chocolate available to warm the hands and the innards! Message and greetings from, President Julie Emmons Sharon Hayhurst, Editor
Black Smith Historian guest speaker, Mike McGee.
Molly Owens
2026 Stud fee: $800 + Shipping
Western Reserve Carriage Association
Winter Meeting Open to Prospective Members
PRESIDENT, Barbara King
VICE PRESIDENT, Michele Steven
TREASURER, Shellie Kwitkowski
SECRETARY, Cathy Rhoades
WEBSITE, Westernreservecarriage.com
by Cathy Rhoades
Our end of year gathering was November 16 at Brushwood
Lodge. As usual we had an abundance of delicious dishes with the club supplying chopped brisket and pulled chicken in addition to beverages including light wine! It was so good to see many members that have not been able to make our drives. There was a lot of socializing prior to our speaker, Pam Hess, who is both a longtime member and a veterinarian. She spoke on prepurchase exams.
Geauga Horse and Pony Association
After Q & A, we had our door prize drawing. Thanks to your purchases at Big Dee’s, we were able to buy great items and gift certificates.
As we look to the new year, it is time for board nominations and elections in December. We have two open positions due to Barb King and Janet Yosay terms ending. You should be receiving an email in December with the candidates for the board. Please
enter your choices to vote. Our winter meeting is January 25 at Fieldstone Therapeutic Center in Chagrin Falls. This educational meeting and potluck is open to prospective members. Memberships can be entered through our website, https:// westernreservecarriage.com or we can have forms available. Further details will be available next month.
Happy Holidays to all!
GHPA Giving Back to Community this Holiday Season
PRESIDENT, George Baker
1st VICE PRESIDENT, Dustin Sutter
2nd VICE PRESIDENT, Kelli Burns
TREASURER, Shauna Gingrich
SECRETARY, Jaimie Olson
WEBSITE, www.ghpa.us
by Jaimie and Joselyn Olson
Save the date! We’re excited to celebrate the success of our 2025 horse show season at our annual
awards banquet March 14, 2026. More information about banquet donations and reservations to follow.
At our November meeting, we elected new officers. Thank you to everyone who participated in the election and to our outgoing officers for their time, and dedication to our club. Congratulations to our new leadership team — we’re looking forward to a fantastic year ahead!
President George Baker, First Vice President Dustin Sutter,
Second Vice President Kelli Burns, Secretary Jaimie Olson, Treasurer Shauna Gingerich. This holiday season, GHPA is proud to give back to our community by donating to a local food bank and WomenSafe. Our youth clubs will also be donating items to local charities. Saddles and Spurs will be collecting food for a local food bank, and Tails and Trails will be collecting items to donate to Rescue Village. Please join us at our monthly meetings on the first Thursday
of every month at 7 p.m. at the Geauga County Fairgrounds in the lounge attached to the school building.
Stay connected! Visit our website (GHPA.US) and follow us on Facebook for the latest updates and announcements. GHPA thanks Big Dee’s Tack for their generous support of our organization through their Bonus Buck’s program. We greatly appreciate all that this wonderful company provides for our organization.
PRESIDENT, Gale Davis
VICE PRESIDENTS, Marc Beck, Cinda Bame
SECRETARY, Jeremy Reed
TREASURER, Eric Haudenschield
WEBSITE, www.owha.org
Sanction a Show by OWHA in 2026
Hello Corral readers! Ohio Western Horse Association (OWHA) hopes you and your equine companions have had the best year ever. As you reflect on your year, we hope you find smiles and fond memories that will have you loping into a new year!
OWHA Board of Directors held their monthly executive
Ohio Paint Horse Club
PRESIDENT, Tim Snapp
VICE PRESIDENT, Mark Peterson
TREASURER, Jill Davis
SECRETARY, Heather Collins
WEBSITE, www.ophc.org
by Tim Snapp
We welcome our newly elected officers and directors for 2026: President Tim Snapp, Vice President Mark Peterson, Secretary Heather Collins, Treasurer Jill Davis. Directors: Sue Johnson, Kelly Reed, Cindy Snapp. We retain the following directors and past president
meeting on November 6 at the Central Church of Christ in Kenton, Ohio. A few things were discussed at this meeting. Plans for the annual member meeting and awards banquet are being made for January at the Kenton Moose Lodge. A secured date will be released soon, so be on the lookout! Some shows for
Show Schedule Set for 2026
as well: Directors: Jennifer Peterson, Austin Rush, Kathleen Azzarello. Director Emeritus: Roxann Rohrl. Past President Mike Schwendeman.
The show schedule is set for 2026!
APRIL 25-26: Buckeye Extravaganza, Champions Center, Springfield, OH
MAY 1-3: Zone 8 Show, C Bar C. Cloverdale, IN
JULY 25-26: Buckeye Bonanza, WEC, Wilmington, OH
SEPT. 12-13: Amateur Club Show, Champions Center (covered pen), Springfield, OH We are considering a fall show with more information to come.
The General Membership meeting was held November
Michigan Trail Riders Association, Inc.
PRESIDENT, Dug Jordan
1st VICE PRESIDENT, Jimmy Corlew
SECRETARY, Jan Gould
TREASURER, Cindy Lawrence
WEBSITE, www.mtra.org
EMAIL, mtra.office@gmail.com
PHONE, 989/324-8549
MAY 7-11: Blossom Ride. Experience camping and circle riding with your horse at Luzerne Trail Camp near Luzerne, Michigan. This is not a trophy ride but a great way to start the summer riding season with the Michigan Trail Riders Association (MTRA). We will have a Potluck dinner on Saturday, May 9. A riding option is to the boardwalk that was rebuilt in early 2025.
next year are being added to our calendar.
If you and your family would like to join our family friendly and centered organization or if your association would like to have a show sanctioned by OWHA, please reach out to any board member. We would love to work with you!
9 at Scioto Township Hall, Ostrander, Ohio, at 1 p.m. We voted in new officers and directors for the year 2026.
It’s scholarship time and now we are offering four $1,000 scholarships! Applications can be downloaded on the ophc.org website and will be on Facebook. You must be an OPHC member and a high school senior enrolled in a two or four-year program and up to 23 years old. The deadline is December 31.
The OPHC/MPHC and the Midwest Series banquet will be held February 21 at the Ann Arbor Weber’s Inn in Ann Arbor, Mich. The new location allows Michigan to host it this year. The final standings for the Midwest
2026 Ride Calendar
JUNE 13-28: June Ride. Welcome to the Shore-to-Shore trophy ride with layover days! During this 15 day ride we have four layover (rest) days. On these days we remain at one camp. Members can relax, or go do laundry, replenish supplies, etc. We will start this ride with your horse’s hooves in Lake Huron and end with them in Lake Michigan after riding approximately 237 miles!
JULY 11-15: July Ride. We welcome anyone who would like to try a MTRA ride to join us at River Road Trail Camp near Oscoda, Michigan. We will start off with an orientation to help new trail riders feel more comfortable. On the 13th, you have the option to ride 18 miles to South Branch Trail Camp. It is mostly single track and would
be great for children and new members to sample what our Shore to Shore Trail is like. Once we are at South Branch, you can enjoy beautiful circle riding and activities for all ages.
JULY 24-26: AuSable Pines Endurance Ride. We will be cohosting this ride with GLDRA at South Branch Trail Camp. The details are still being finalized; we will have more information soon.
SEPT. 5-27: September Ride. 27th Criss Cross Ride. We will be starting this ride on the North Spur at Stoney Creek Trail Camp near Afton in Northern Michigan. Then ride approximately 207 miles to Cadillac Trail Camp on the South Spur. This is the first trophy option. On September 16, we will drive to/arrive at Garey Lake Trail Camp. The second trophy ride starts in Lake
Series, MPHC and OPHC award standings are posted. More payouts. More opportunities. More reasons to show your Paint. Starting in 2026, APHA’s Paynt Points incentive program is expanding to include payouts for open points, and a new color bonus will reward Paints with obvious markings. With even more ways to earn, APHA exhibitors have greater opportunities to be rewarded for time spent in the show pen. Read the full announcement https://bit. ly/ColorBonusOpenPayouts2026 Visit the ophc.org website or Facebook to stay up-to-date and for more information! Hope your fall and holiday season is fantastic!
Michigan on September 17 and continues approximately 237 miles to Lake Huron. You don’t have to ride for both trophies. However, a special Criss Cross trophy will be awarded to those who complete all 444 miles!
OCT. 3-11: Color Ride. Come join us at Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp. This area is mostly hard woods with lots of circle riding. The fall colors will make this a beautiful time to be riding in the woods! On October 7, you have the option to ride 20 miles to Garey Lake Trail Camp. This camp also has beautiful circle riding.
A membership is required to attend our trail rides. For more information, please visit our website: mtra.org or call the Michigan Trail Riders Association secretary at 989-324-8549.
Gorgeous home with 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and 2 half baths. Separate In-Law suite with private deck. Barn with 18 stalls, 60x100 indoor arena. 100x120 outdoor arena and 8 separate turnouts, 20 acres + free gas plus royalties.
Located in the desirable community of Roaming Shores, with access to Lake Roaming Rock — ideal for boating, kayaking, and fishing. The community also offers two pools, two playgrounds and a marina.
Corral Calendar
DISCLAIMER: The Horsemen’s Corral has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided on this calendar of events. However, the information is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. The Corral does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained herein. Where possible, event contact information is provided. “Call before you haul”.
DECEMBER 2025
DEC. 5-7 — Premier Mount N Trail Winter Series Mt. Trail Show and Trail Open Schooling, Shenanigans Stables, 7310 Abbey Rd. NE, Carrollton, OH. FMI: Laura, 814-434-0914, https:// premiermountntrail.com/
DEC. 6 — Southern Kentucky Team Penning Association Show, 10:30 a.m., WKU L.D. Brown Ag Expo Center, 406 Elrod Rd., Bowling Green, KY. FMI: Greg, 270-646-8495
DEC. 6-7 — Champions All Breed Association Open Show, Champions Center, Springfield, OH. FMI: 937-324-4353, www. championscenterarena.com
DEC. 7 — Blue Lakes Farm 2025-2026 Winter Series Pleasure Show, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, https://bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/website
DEC. 7 — Winter Barrels Award Series, Buckhorn Ranch Arena, 108 Simmons Lane, West Sunbury, PA. FMI: 724-290-6949
DEC. 12 — Christmas Horse & Pony Sale, Blue Grass Stockyards, 4561 Iron Works Pk., Lexington, KY. FMI: 859-588-3879
DEC. 12-28 — Falling Leaves to Frozen Trees Online Open Horse Show (Santa’s Sleigh Ride). FMI: Victoria Hill, 812-878-0216
DEC. 13 — Blue Lakes Farm 2025-2026 Winter Series Contest Show, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, https://bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/website, https://www.facebook.com/tom.snyder.18
DEC. 13 — Horse Sale, Mt. Hope Event Center, 8076 SR 241, Millersburg, OH. FMI: 330-674-6188, www.mthopeauction.com
DEC. 13 — 7th Annual Christmas in The Village All Horse Parade, 4 p.m., Roger’s Park, 210 S. High St., South Lebanon, OH. FMI: Bella, 513-349-6406, isabellaledford2@icloud.com
DEC. 13 — Foster Equine 25-26 Fun Show, Stonegate Equine Facility, 26236 Smith Rd., Coolville, OH. FMI: 740-291-3556, FosterEquineRescue@gmail.com
DEC. 13 — Rockin R Ranch Youth Rodeo, 10 a.m., Rodeo Run Arena, 11641 Alspach Rd., Canal Winchester, OH. FMI: Raynelle Rickly, 740-538-1491, https://www.facebook. com/RockinRRanchYouthRodeoAssociation
DEC. 18-19 — North American Standardbred Mixed Sale, Mt. Hope Event Center, 8076 SR 241, Millersburg, OH. FMI: 330-201-5679, www. northamericanstandardbredmixedsale.com
DEC. 19-21 — Holly Jolly Barrel Race, The Show Arena, Swanton, OH. FMI: 419-2903700, https://www.theshowarena.com/
DEC. 21 — Winter Barrels Award Series, Buckhorn Ranch Arena, 108 Simmons Lane, West Sunbury, PA. FMI: Dave, 724290-6949, buckhornoffice.108@gmail.com
JANUARY 2026
JAN. 1 — Casino Classic New Year’s Day All Breed Horse Sale, Oak Grove RacingGaming Hotel, 777 Winners Way, Oak Grove, KY. FMI: Scotty Nicks, 502-6646561, https://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=61552096796765
JAN. 2-4 — Premier Mount N Trail Winter Series Mt. Trail Show and Trail Open Schooling, Shenanigans Stables, 7310 Abbey Rd. NE, Carrollton, OH. FMI: Laura, 814-434-0914, https:// premiermountntrail.com/
JAN. 3 — Foster Equine 25-26 Fun Show, Stonegate Equine Facility, 26236 Smith Rd., Coolville, OH. FMI: 740-291-3556, FosterEquineRescue@gmail.com
JAN. 4 — Winter Barrels Award Series, Buckhorn Ranch Arena, 108 Simmons Lane, West Sunbury, PA. FMI: Dave, 724290-6949, buckhornoffice.108@gmail.com
JAN. 8-9 — Hoover’s 16th Annual Mule & Horse sale, 255 John Paul Road, Russellville, KY. FMI: Jonathan Hoover, 270-305-2807, www.hooversauctions.com
JAN. 10 — Horse Sale, Mt. Hope Event Center, 8076 SR 241, Millersburg, OH. FMI: 330-674-6188, www.mthopeauction.com
JAN. 10 — Rockin R Ranch Youth Rodeo, 10 a.m., Rodeo Run Arena, 11641 Alspach Rd., Canal Winchester, OH. FMI: 740538-1491, https://www.facebook.com/ RockinRRanchYouthRodeoAssociation
JAN. 17 — Blue Lakes Farm 2025-2026 Winter Series Contest Show, 14037 Auburn Rd., Newbury, OH. FMI: 440-564-7303, https://bluelakesfarm.wixsite.com/website, https://www.facebook.com/tom.snyder.18
JAN. 17 — Davis Ranch Open Show, 385 East US Hwy. 150, Hardinsburg, IN. FMI: David Davis, 812-620-5707, dave@ daviddavishorsemanship.com
JAN. 18 — Winter Barrels Award Series, Buckhorn Ranch Arena, 108 Simmons Lane, West Sunbury, PA. FMI: Dave, 724290-6949, buckhornoffice.108@gmail.com
JAN. 22-25 — Premier Mount N Trail Winter Series Mt. Trail Show and Trail Open Schooling, Phoenix On Killian, 1571 Killian Rd., Akron, OH. FMI: showphoenixinfo@gmail.com, https:// premiermountntrail.com/
JAN. 31-FEB. 1 — Michigan Quarter Horse Association 24th Annual New & Used Tack Sale, Farm Bureau Pavilion at MSU, 4301 Farm Lane, Lansing, MI. FMI: 616225-8211, mqha@hotmail.com, www. miquarterhorse.com
FEBRUARY 2026
FEB. 1 — Winter Barrels Award Series, Buckhorn Ranch Arena, 108 Simmons Lane, West Sunbury, PA. FMI: Dave, 724290-6949, buckhornoffice.108@gmail.com
FEB. 6-7 — Morgan Breeders Cup Sale, Mt. Hope Event Center, 8076 SR 241, Millersburg, OH. FMI: Ivan, 330-704-0803
FEB. 6-8 — Premier Mount N Trail Winter Series Mt. Trail Show and Trail Open Schooling, Shenanigans Stables, 7310 Abbey Rd. NE, Carrollton, OH. FMI: Laura, 814-434-0914, https:// premiermountntrail.com/
Any time someone starts rattling off their long list of horse-related injuries and busted body parts, I silently question their skills. Don’t they pay attention? Are they putting their horses in compromising situations that result in welldeserved medical bills? Proudly, I’ve ‘officially’ broken only one ankle in all these decades of equine activities. Translation: there’s x-ray proof. Regardless, even with an equine-induced ambulance ride count of zero, I’m as beat up as the next equestrian. But get this! My recent casual existence has actually amplified the protesting from my bodily wears and tears.
Did you know that stall cleaning can give you bunions? I’m not ambidextrous handling the manure fork so, I’m already lopsided sore. I can only scoop, sift, and pitch the fork to my right. If I swap hands, I can’t coordinate my arms and I drop
too much poop. And the bunions, you ask? Everyone has a stall cleaning rhythm. Mine includes gently rocking from side to side as I scoop, sift, and pitch manure to my right. Therefore, I enjoy the luxury of expensive podiatrist-prescribed orthotic insoles to muffle the aching big toe on my left foot and the stinging lil’ piggy toe on my right.
Speaking of stall cleaning, my hands yelp with arthritis. I remember the first major flare up that pushed my already beaten fists over the edge. I worked a big show for another trainer and was relegated to stall cleaning duty. Thirteen horses living on concrete for three weeks, bagged shavings a minimum of two feet deep to compensate. By the end of week one, my right hand was on fire all the way down my wrist. By the second week, I’d wake up unable to grip a hairbrush or toothbrush from the swelling
and pain only to spend my day cleaning those 13 stalls again. My hands now sport gnarly joint calcifications. My middle finger still painfully catches closed and I have to manually unbend it with my other hand. Several fingers have begun to permanently twist into jagged angles like the ‘mangled hands’ safety sign on dangerous farm machinery. My left arm socket has been jammed hard. Twice. I blame my friend’s feral weanling for the first time. He’d managed to wrestle its halter on but asked if I could help take it off. That crazy bugger had had just about enough of that. The weanling sunfished his whole body up and at me while I had a grip on his halter cheekpiece. Not wanting him to come over onto me, I instinctually locked my elbow and pushed back. My arm socket seared with pain from the compression of his inertia. The second time that same arm took a jamming was while loading a client’s horse into her straight load. I had the rear ramp almost fully closed when said horse decided she didn’t want to be in this box. Once again, my left arm was locked out holding the ramp as my right hand was reaching for the latch. She threw her full weight against the butt chain and ramp. And my left arm…
My right knee doesn’t hurt yet but it makes a gristly crunching noise, thanks to a spry youngster that ran that leg sidelong into a pole barn post. My tail bone throbs if I sit too long on hard surfaces. I remember the two incidents that created that annoyance. I got tossed at the canter and somehow landed feet forward, backside first. I snowplowed arena sand between my widespread legs for three feet before skidding to a stop. The other pivotal insult, a poorly planned yeehaw down my back driveway at a good clip on another client’s horse. Bareback. When he reached the spot where driveway meets open fields, he gave an exuberant buck. I flew arse-over-tea-kettle and landed with pinpoint accuracy on the high edge of a deep tractor tire rut. In August. On rock hard Ohio clay. I never got my fanny checked out, just suffered through the pain but I probably
fractured my tail bone at least once if I’m being honest. I’ve had one carriage wreck in my career, and it was a doozy but still, only bruised and battered. That’s a story for another day. My neck is my most aggravating impairment. Countless yankings, crankings, crushings, and draggings but I can definitely attribute one well-placed bonk to the head. I was riding a trail obstacle contest on a horse that had never been ridden outside of a well-groomed show arena. We were facing downhill. He tried to rear. I turned my head to the right. The crest of his neck cracked me hard in the left temple. Hmmm. Maybe I should be questioning my own choices… Since selling our farm, I’d gone as officially soft as I could stand. As of November, I put a monthly fitness membership on auto renewal, and have been working out several days a week. There’s even an adorable, delightful young coach who I now pay to watch me pick up heavy things even though I’ve eaten sandwiches bigger than her! Working out. Ick. That phrase is so…sweaty. I’d always vehemently scorned regimented exercise, maintaining a lack of time or will, what with my life of mucking stalls, training horses, and stacking hay. But I wanted my defined biceps back. I longed for loose-in-the-waist pants and a healthy glow to my cheeks. Never you mind that glow was from heat exhaustion or freezing cold wind burn. At least I had some color!
Those first few weeks at the gym, I was keenly aware and
Mid Ohio Dressage Association
PRESIDENT, Jessica Kuhnash
VICE PRESIDENT, Christine Talbert-Bash
SECRETARY, Vicki Sethna
TREASURER, Angela Tewksbury
EMAIL, midohiodressage@gmail.com
WEBSITE, www.midohiodressage.org
by Shannon Call
The year has flown by and Mid Ohio Dressage Association (MODA) members are still getting lots of year end riding in. Congratulations to the MODA members who competed at the USDF Nationals. We look forward to sharing their stories.
November 8-9 NODA and CADS co-hosted a western dressage clinic at Brecksville Stables with Joann Williams a USEF R Western Dressage judge and active competitor in all levels of western and classical dressage. Joann is also a USDF Diamond Award recipient with many Horse of the Year and Regional Championships on her own and her clients’ horses. Many of her
Year End Riding
students are also competing in WD with much success.
MODA members Shannon Call, Brandi Robinson and Vicki Sethna were riding participates in the two-day clinic. The instruction Joann gave was clear and empathic to the horse and riders. Every rider and horse improved during their 45-minute rides. Riders worked on practicing test accuracy especially in the WD level 1 test 1 3 loop serpentine, finding the correct tempo in all three gaits that best suited their horses, improving their horses straightness and finding the connection. Joann emphasized that the training process is much
more important than competition.
The MODA year end banquet invitations are being sent out for the banquet to be held December 13. The banquet is a nice time to celebrate our successes and enjoy time with our friends. Please plan to attend. Thank you to the banquet committee for your work to make the awards nice and the event fun.
The MODA membership year is from December 1 to November 30 of each year to align with USDF memberships. Members of the Mid-Ohio Dressage Association (MODA) have a Group Membership (GM)
to the United States Dressage Federation (USDF).
As members of MODA, our goal is to connect and educate the local equine community and the public about the equine sport of Dressage. You may contact MODA at midohiodressage@ gmail.com
Membership fees for MODA are as follows: Adult Individual or Business membership $50. Additional family member $10, Youth membership (21 and under) $35
MODA sends wishes to all for the best of the holiday season and lots of happy horse time.
View From the Cheap Seats
Continued from page 38
highly cautious about every tweak and twinge I felt while exercising. I knew I’d feel sore but I didn’t want to feel injured again. Most surprisingly, somehow, miraculously... regimented workouts are making me hurt…less. Alright, alright, you know-it-alls! I can’t hear you saying ‘I TOLD YOU SO’ from there but I can certainly feel you making that face!
Sarah Vas, a second-generation horse woman, writes about her decades of adventure and mayhem in the equine industry. Her experience encompasses multiple breeds and disciplines. A humble storyteller and educator at heart, her Cheap Seats column is often infused with the spirit of her two favorite philosophies. Laughter is the Breath of Life and Poverty is the Real Mother of Invention.
Vicki and Dixie.
Shannon, Brandi, Vicki. Joann, Shannon and Sonny.
The Cowboy Perseverance Ranch
Counting Our Blessings
by Rob and Tanya Corzatt
Back in the October issue we contributed an article that was titled “It Could Have Been Worse”. If you read it, you know we had a bit more adversity to deal with this year than some others. And we have dealt with even more serious events since then. However, I doubt our ‘misfortunes’ were a whole lot different or more severe than many of you reading this have experienced or are currently experiencing. But the upcoming holidays, Christmas and New Years, are a time for rejoicing and joy. So, I want to recap all the good things that happened for the Cowboy Perseverance Ranch, CRC Ranch Horses and the Corzatt family in 2025! I had no idea how fortunate I would be to be retired the entirety of 2025. I could tell I was having some arthritis issues in my hip well before I finally left environmental consulting in October 2024. Even though
I was still very busy here at the barn working with Tanya, retirement gave me the flexibility to focus on getting my hip issues figured out and then fixed. I would have missed quite a bit of work to attend all the out-patient PT and in home exercises I had to do, and am still doing, before and after my surgeries. Not necessarily the plans I had for retirement, but those plans are just delayed, not cancelled.
In March, we were able to go to the Road to The Horse competition in Lexington, Ky., with several very good friends. It was nice for T and I to have a short get away from our barn and watch some very talented clinicians work with the young geldings and fillies. Although he did not compete this year, we got to spend some time with one of our favorite western clinicians, Ken McNabb. We also had the opportunity to host a ranch riding clinic at our barn with Terry Myers, another nationally known clinician, resident of Ohio, and
another longtime friend of ours. The latter part of the summer and fall have been very busy for us. We had the honor of participating in a fundraising event held at Stockhands Horses for Healing back in early September. Since I was only about three weeks out from my first surgery I just got to stand in the arena and try to look good while T, Camdon and Michelle showed off ranch riding and ranch roping maneuvers. Apparently, they liked us, because they have expressed an interest in us coming back for next year’s fundraising event. I like to think I will be able to dazzle everyone with my mad roping and riding skills next year!
Tanya and Rob Corzatt
never had a chance to speak with him due to our tight schedule for that day, we did get to slip in and watch another good friend, Jesse Westfall, help several riders with getting lead changes down with their horses.
Not long after that we were off to the Holy Land! We got to go to Jerusalem, Ohio, for a ranch riding clinic with Ken McNabb at Grizzle Ridge Arena. Cam and T participated in the clinic. What a great time and great hosts. We met several new folks and also got to spend some time with a friend that we bought our horse, Piper, from a couple years ago. After Friday’s session we were treated to Cowboy Church with BJ Grimmet. BJ is not only one of Ken’s Certified trainers but a pastor. Chances are that if you have attended any of Ken’s clinics over on the east coast, BJ was there as well. We have known BJ for years as well and had the honor of hosting a ranch riding clinic here at our barn with him in late November.
On the cow side, we have been able to host many ranch roping clinics taught by our son Camdon and his wife Michelle. We had a very well attended ranch roping competition here in midOctober. There was a total of 31 entries in the three-man roping and doctoring event. Many of those team members were some very talented ladies, including our daughter-in-law! We also had the privilege of hosting a roping clinic presented by Dalton Darnelle of 310 Ranch Life the weekend before BJ’s clinic.
We also had the opportunity to make a flying trip up to Millersburg, Ohio, for day one of the Horseman’s Mission Colt Starting event in October. Once again, we got to see Ken McNabb and Terry Myers put on clinics for spooky horses and ranch trail classes. Although we
Many of the folks who take lessons at our barn ask us to keep an eye out for a good horse for them or their children. This year alone we have bought three new horses. We bought them knowing we had a good potential fit for one of those clients. One of them, Breeze, is a 4-year-old blue roan gelding and is already at his new home. The two others are spoken for but are going to be here for a bit longer while T works with them. Two other clients have also asked us to keep our eyes open for potential prospects for them. We never buy horses that we would not keep for ourselves or as part of our lesson herd, so it is bittersweet to see these horses leave the barn.
Christmas will be a little different for us this year since I will be a bit more restricted following my surgery. I was pretty mobile fairly soon after my first surgery and am confident I will be again after the second one, so I am hoping we can still travel and see our friends and family during the holidays. We take the last two weeks of December off every year which gives us and the horses a well-deserved break from lessons. Perhaps it will give me a better opportunity to slow down and appreciate the true reason for the season. I can also binge watch all the back-to-back Christmas movies on the Great American Family Channel or watch reruns of all ten rounds of the National Finals Rodeo!
On a serious note, our horsemanship program has always been a faith-based
Mid-Ohio Marauders Year End Fiesta Banquet Shoot
PRESIDENT, Tim Calvin
VICE PRESIDENT, Missy DeForest
SECRETARY, Judy Foster
TREASURER, Laurie Maris
PHONE, 740/206-7214
EMAIL, midohiomarauders@gmail.com
WEBSITE, www.midohiomarauders.com
by Steve Keech
The Marauders gathered to kick off the 2026 shooting season and celebrate 2025 and present our annual awards. It was a terrific
celebration; a lot of fun was had by all. Check out Facebook for pictures, especially the bull riding!
YEAR END FIESTA
SHOOT RESULTS
LIMITED WRANGLER, Aubree Syring
OPEN WRANGLER, Raielon Evans
LIMITED RIFLE, Caitlin Brohm
OPEN RIFLE, JD Hughes
LIMITED SHOTGUN, Nicholas Hall
OPEN SHOTGUN, Kelle Winkle
RES. SENIOR COWGIRL, Renee Calvin
SENIOR COWGIRL, Kelle Winkle
RES. SENIOR COWBOY, Steve Keech
SENIOR COWBOY, Tim Calvin
RESERVE COWBOY, Nicholas Hall
RESERVE COWGIRL, Missy DeForest
OVERALL COWGIRL, Chrissy Ramsey
OVERALL OVERALL, Cole Caster
EQUINE INSURANCE AGENCY
We also celebrated Olivia Boysel’s move up from L2 to L3, look for dance videos on Facebook!
If you are interested in joining the Mid-Ohio Marauders, the central Ohio club for CMSA, please visit us at Midohiomarauders. com or on Facebook at Mid-Ohio Marauders. See you soon!
2026 TENTATIVE SHOOTING SCHEDULE
APRIL 17-19: MOM Shoot
MAY 9-10: MOM Clinic, Mothers Day
MAY 15-17: MOM Shoot
JUNE 19-21: MOM Shoot
JULY 31-AUG. 2: MOM Shoot, State Fair
AUG. 21-23: MOM Shoot
SEPT. 18-20: MOM Shoot
OCT. 23-25: MOM Shoot (2026 Year End)
Counting Our Blessings
Continued from page 42
program. We consider it our ministry to share our love for horses with our love for our Lord and Savior. There are no lessons or clinics here that do not include prayer, a devotional or both. I am writing this at the end of October and just this week, two of the kids that have been taking lessons with us for a couple years now told us that they wanted to get some bibles and wanted to start going to church. One of their parents even said that what we were doing was working because their kids insist they say grace before they have dinner every night. It is a great feeling when you see one of your lesson kids or horses finally master a maneuver, but personally it is even a greater feeling when you know you may have set someone on the path to salvation. That’s all we need to head into 2026 with joyful hearts and great anticipation for an even more fruitful year for our business and, more importantly, our Lord’s Kingdom. Despite the title of this article, I am not sure how we could even begin to count our blessings. They
are too numerous to count. As for a relevant scripture, Proverbs 16:3 in the New International Version reads “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans”. Our barn and lesson program has been abundantly blessed, and T and I have faith that it will continue to be blessed as long as we keep God first in our lives and business! Tanya and I and the Cowboy Perseverance Rach wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God bless you all!
The Corzatt family owns and operates the Cowboy Perseverance Ranch (CPR) in Marengo, Ohio. CPR is a faith based operation and our mission is to build a strong foundation and relationship with our training horses and students. We are blessed to be able to provide western horsemanship lessons infused with biblical scripture to students of all ages. One student has described her time here as “CPR for the soul!” Visit our website at www.cpranch. wixsite.com/home or follow us on Facebook.
Cole Caster, Nicholas Hall, Chrissy Ramsey, and Missy DeForest.
Halloween costume winners.
Peppermint Surprise
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup dry oatmeal or oats
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• 4 peppermints - crushed Mix and serve.
• 1 diced apple
• 4 Tlb sugar
Fruit Surprise
• 2 cups horse feed
• 1 banana - chopped
• 1 apple - diced
• 6 strawberries - sliced
• 4 baby carrots - sliced
• 1 cup molasses
• 4 peppermintscrushed
Mix all ingredients together and serve. Your horse will love you for it.
Pumpkin Surprise
Take a small pumpkin, cut off top and remove all insides. Be sure and get all the seeds. Fill it with grain, carrots, apples, peppermints, strawberries or whatever fruit you have on hand. Replace top and serve to your horse.
Oat Carrot Horse Cookies
• 1 cup uncooked oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. vegatable oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
Mix ingredients in bowl. Make small balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Oatmeal Cookies
• 2 cups dry oatmeal
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 3 Tbs. Molasses
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
Combine all ingredients. Add enough water to make dough soft. Form cookies and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Give your horse a treat this holiday season....
Sticky Treats
• Apple or carrot
• Corn syrup
• Quick oats
Cut apple in half. Take core out. Roll in corn syrup then oats. Do the same for the carrot. Horses love this treat and it only takes 30 seconds to make.
Apple Banana Snacks
• Apples
• Honey
• Bananas
• Powdered Sugar
Cut apple and banana into slices. Drizzle honey over fruit and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until hard.
Horsies
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1 cup horse feed
Kisses
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• tin foil
• 1 cup oats or dry oatmeal
Mix all ingredients. Roll into balls. Wrap in tin foil and shape like a Hershey’s kiss. Place in freezer overnight.
• 4 cup bran
Easy No Cook Bran Snaps
• 4 cup applesauce
Mix ingredients together. Batter should be doughy. Roll out with rolling pin, cut shapes with cookie cutter. Let dough dry and serve.
• 2 sticks butter
“I Didn’t Buck Today” Treats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cup dry oatmeal
• 1 cup alfalfa cubes (crushed)
Mix butter with sugar and eggs until smooth. Add dry ingredients slowly. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.
Whinny Bars
• 2 cup dry oatmeal
• 3 cup bran
• 1/4 cup grain
• 1 cup molasses
Mix oats, grain and bran together in bucket. Drizzle in molasses while mixing with your hands (consistence should be a little thinner than play dough) Place dollops on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
• 4 cups of sweet feed or oats
Birthday Cake
Things Horses Love...
• Ginger Snaps
• Grapes
• Watermelon
• Carrots
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Frosted Cheerios
• Apples
• Peppermints
• Sugar Cubes
Easy Horse Treats
• Apples
• Honey
• Bananas
• Powdered Sugar
Cut apple and banana into slices.
Drizzle honey over fruit and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until hard.
• 1 Apple cut into slices
• 1 cup of molasses or honey carrot sticks
• 2 Carrots cut into
Mix the honey and sweet feed or oats tegether in a big bowl. When fully mixed, place the mixture on a plate and shape into the form a of a birthday cake. Use the carrots as candles and the apple slices as decorations.
Honey Cookies
• 1/4 cup dry oatmeal
• 1 cup sweet feed
• 2 tbs. Applesauce
• 1 tbs. Honey (or molasses)
• 1 cup cheerios
• 4 sugar cubes
• pinch of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
Mix oatmeal with water. Add sweet feed and applesauce. Mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Shape and serve.
Horsie Cake
• Plain rice cakes
• Molasses
• Any topping your heart desires
Spread molasses on one side of the rice cake. Top with things like grated carrots, grated apples, sweet feed, crushed peppermints, watermelon, or whatever your horse loves!
Horse Cookies
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 apple grated
• 2 tbs. corn oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup flour
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Mix carrot, apple, corn oil and molasses. Fold in salt, oats and flour. Mix well. Spread dough onto cookie sheet and score with a knife to make them easier to break apart after baking. Bake 20 minutes or until brown. Let cool, break apart and serve!
Western Dressage
Mastering Precision: The Four Cone Steering Drill for Western Dressage
by Kelley Bitter
In western dressage, precision is paramount. Every line, every turn, and every transition contributes to your final score and the overall harmony of your ride. A simple yet powerful exercise to sharpen your steering and improve your horse’s responsiveness is the four-cone steering drill. This versatile pattern challenges your accuracy and your horse’s straightness, balance, and engagement—all key elements for success in the show ring.
Setting Up for Success
The beauty of this drill lies in its simplicity. You can set it up in any arena or even a flat, open field. You will need just four cones. Place the cones in a square formation in the middle of your riding area. The key is to position them away from the rail or fence, roughly a horse’s length from the track. This forces you to rely on your aids for guidance rather than using the wall as a crutch. The distance between each cone should be generous enough to allow for straight lines and comfortable turns, typically 30 to 50 feet apart, depending on your horse’s level and the gaits you plan to use.
The Foundation: Walking the Square
The goal is to ride a perfect square around the outside of the cones. This sounds simple, but the challenge is to maintain perfectly straight lines and ride each corner with precision. As you approach a cone, prepare for your turn, ride around it maintaining a consistent distance, and then straighten your horse to head directly for the next line.
This exercise immediately highlights common rider and horse tendencies. Does your horse lean in on the turns like a motorcycle? Do you find yourself cutting corners or drifting away from the cone? The open space will reveal any reliance on the fence for straightness. You must keep your horse engaged between your legs and seat to prevent their body from bulging or falling in.
A useful tip is to focus your eyes on the wall or a point in the distance straight ahead of you, rather than staring down at the cone you are riding toward. Looking where you want to go helps you ride a straighter line and prevents you from inadvertently pulling your horse off course.
Adding Complexity with Gaits and Transitions
Once you can walk a clean, accurate square, it’s time to increase the difficulty.
1. Introduce the Jog: Begin jogging the pattern. Pay close attention to your horse’s balance and your ability to maintain a straight path. The increased speed will amplify any existing issues with leaning or drifting. Focus on using your core and leg aids to keep your horse’s body aligned. Aim for seamless corners without losing rhythm or straightness on the exit.
2. Incorporate Transitions: Transitions are where this drill truly polishes your skills. Try different patterns to test your horse’s responsiveness.
• Walk the short sides, jog the long sides: This tests your horse’s reaction to your aids and their ability to move forward and collect promptly. Is the transition smooth, or does your horse resist?
• Jog, then halt at each cone: Ride a straight line at the jog, come to a square halt just before the cone, and then execute a balanced turn at the walk before jogging to the next cone. This sharpens your half-halts and your horse’s obedience.
3. Advance to the Lope: For more advanced pairs, riding the pattern at a lope is an excellent test of collection and control. Maintaining straightness and preparing for the turn at the lope requires precise timing and clear communication through your aids. You can also practice transitions like walk-to-lope or jog-to-lope on the straightaways. Observe how your horse handles the upward transition. Do they leap forward or step smoothly into the gait? How balanced is the downward transition?
Connecting the Drill to Western Dressage Success
The four cone steering drill is more than a steering and straightness exercise—it directly mimics some of the most essential movements and criteria in Western dressage tests. Judges are looking for accurate geometry, clear transitions, and a harmonious partnership between horse and rider. Here’s how the key elements of this drill benefit your test performance and boost your scores:
Straight Lines: Practicing straight approaches between cones trains both you and your horse to maintain alignment—critical for movements like centerlines, diagonals, and movements across the arena. In tests, judges award higher marks for entries and lines that are unwavering and purposeful, showing rider control and horse attentiveness. Any drift or crookedness results in lost points, so consistent rehearsal with the four-cone pattern helps engrain straightness.
Balanced Turns and Corners: Each corner around a cone is an opportunity to ride a precise, balanced turn, much like what’s required in arena corners or during loops and circles in a test. Judges evaluate corner execution for balance and bend; dropping a shoulder or leaning through a turn leads to deductions. By learning to keep your horse upright and turning with their whole body (not just the head or shoulders), you set yourself up for better scores in lateral work and figures.
TREASURER Margaret Hite 740/407-6986 treasurer@ohconline.com
Greetings From Your President
As we near the end of the year, it’s good to reflect on what was accomplished last year, because those successes can drive the year ahead. First, congratulations to all Ohio Horseman’s Council members for recognizing the importance of such a large Ohio organization focused on ‘Making Ohio Better, Four Hooves at a Time,’ through their commitment to membership and to those who volunteer their personal time as chapter and state officers, event
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AUGLAIZE
Hello everyone! This year has flown by. I can’t believe we are already wrapping up the year of 2025. It feels like just yesterday we were getting ready for the fair and preparing for some events. On behalf of Auglaize County, I would like to thank everyone for the amazing turnouts we have had and thank all our sponsors for their support. We are so blessed to have all of you and your support. Just to wrap up our year I would like to mention a few of our last events we recently had for the kids. In October, we were able to participate in the Octoberfest parade in Minster, Ohio. The kids had fun and everyone was able to ride down the canal path to Dairy Queen in New Bremen for some delicious ice cream. We got to meet Eden, a foreign
organizers, trail maintenance managers, and much more. Volunteerism is the cornerstone of the Horseman’s Council, and without volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish the hundreds of activities we undertake every year. Member and volunteer accomplishments help the Ohio equestrian community enjoy the great outdoors with their equine families. And if anyone wants to know what was accomplished or is being planned, look at the
PRESIDENT Mary Alice Kuhn 330/413-6589 president@ohconline.com
VICE PRESIDENT Nancy Strayer 740/694-1007 vicepresident@ohconline.com
OHC COUNTY LINES EDITOR Kirstie Seeger 937/974-3345 countylineeditor@ohconline.com
chapter reports on the following few pages.
As we look ahead to next year, I recognize each chapter is unique and may have goals that are different from those of its neighboring counties. That’s expected because chapter location and membership composition — such as riders’ ages, equine breed, and riding discipline — can dictate the chapter’s focus. In 2026, I encourage chapters to ‘fine-tune’ their focus by building on what
exchange student from France who is extremely sweet. In addition, some of the kids in Auglaize were awarded with the opportunity of being part of Quarter Horse Congress, which was a treat. It seemed like a great experience to ride with other experienced riders and network with people from other areas in the equine world. Our Queen, Harley Mertz, was seen walking around greeting vendors and other people who were also enjoying the festivities.
In all, we had a wonderful year with the kids and hope that everyone is staying safe and warm during the chilly season. We hope to see you back next year!
~Veronica Mertz
CLARK
Clark County had a very busy fall. We were awarded a grant in 2025 from the State to repair two spots that constantly remain muddy at Buck Creek State Park. With this grant we were able to hire Denver Thompson to dig and remove the mud, place the Geotextile fabric and then put down some gravel. If you have ridden there recently you will have noticed how much better the footing is in the first loop. We are excited to have this project completed and are very grateful for assistance from the State. Our future plans include trying to get a Fecon machine for the trails and long-term plans include trying to get electric to the Buck Creek shelter house. We are not sure how to get a well pump that will be easier to pump so if anyone has ideas on that please reach out to Clark County OHC. Many thanks to all who came out for our fall trail cleanup and that includes Brenda and Max Anderson, Polly Agle, Anne and Bob Hunter, Lisa and Hugh Reynolds and Rebekah Newel. It
has worked in the past, eliminating what hasn’t, and supporting efforts that bring the most satisfaction to their membership. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my two-year term as president, Ohio Horseman’s Council members are dedicated and persistent, wanting the best for all ages of rider, breeds of equine, and disciplines of riding.
Enjoy the upcoming holidays with your equine family and friends!
~Mary Alice Kuhn
takes a lot of effort to get up on a cold morning and load gators and mowers and all the other necessary equipment to work on the trails. Everyone put in a longer day than usual and their hard work is evident when you are out on the trails.
Our fall campout was blessed with good weather and lots of
Oktoberfest Parade, 2025.
Queen Harley at Congress with Healing Cowgirl.
Queen Harley at Congress with Sarah Kelsey.
Clark County OHC
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riders. There were 15 obstacle challenges along the trail and in the day area. For example, dragging a tire, shooting balloons with a water pistol, walking over a mattress and riding through sheer curtains which, is not as easy as it sounds. We also had a costume contest which was won by a youngster named Wes who came as a bronc rider complete with a super large bronc. Prizes were given to the costume contest winner and a couple that excelled at the obstacles. We were also treated to Lydia Kaverman a livestock photographer coming to take pictures of us with our horses. What a special opportunity. As always there was lots of scrumptious sides, salads and desserts. We have some amazing cooks in Clark County. There will not be a meeting in December. See everyone at the Christmas party. Come ride with Clark County!
~Jonna Ledyard
CLERMONT
Season’s Greeting from Clermont County! As we are all trying to get in the last few rides before winter sets in, I hope everyone is enjoying our trails at East Fork. The bees are gone now so get out and enjoy the last few days before the cold and damp winter. It is also time to start finalizing your trail miles, and work hours for 2025. Trail miles, saddle hours and work hours need to be reported to Bev Sheppard by January, preferably at our January meeting. Remember to ride wearing bright orange or fluorescent colors especially if riding in the hunting areas. Riders need to be visible particularly when riding in the hunting zones.
Several members are making plans to take part in local Christmas parades in our area to help bring in the holidays.
Blue Trail Update: We are pleased to report that the Blue Trail is holding up very well, even after several inches of rain. Additional work is also being completed on the Red Fox Trail to repair sections of the hills that are in need of maintenance. As we are not looking forward to the colder days coming soon, we need to be reminded, do not leave your water hoses attached to the water faucet. Repairing a leaking water faucet is both costly, and cold!
As the riding season slows down, winter is the perfect time
to clean and repair your tack, clear out the barn and tack room of unused items, and get ready for the spring tack sales. Just a reminder to renew your 2026 memberships. Contact Bev Sheppard or use the membership form you received from the State to renew. You can also renew online at ohconline.com
We hope each and everyone has a blessed holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
~LaWana Bogard
CLINTON
Hello fellow horsemen and horsewomen. What an amazing and colorful fall we’ve had! I hope you’ve all been enjoying the wonderful riding weather and soaking in the beauty of the season. As we approach Thanksgiving and look ahead to Christmas, let’s remember what the holidays are truly about — not stress or overspending, but cherishing time with family and friends, and giving children a joyful and memorable Christmas. Some of us had the pleasure of riding at Big South Fork National Forest in Tennessee, and what a trip it was! October is handsdown the best time to go. The fall colors were breathtaking, and the trails were unforgettable. East Fork Stables offers spacious campgrounds, horse stalls, access to 12,000 acres of trails. If you’ve never ridden there, start planning your trip, it’s a must-see destination for any trail rider!
It was truly an amazing adventure filled with laughter, great company, and unforgettable views.
Holiday wishes, I hope your Thanksgiving was spectacular and that your Christmas will be magical. Let’s continue to share the joy of riding and the spirit of the season. Take a kid riding and see the future. Warm wishes, ~Sue Lamb
COLUMBIANA
Hello everyone, I want to say thank you to every person for a very successful Halloween event this year. This year was a very profitable one for us and we were able to pack the park full. The young children had a great time in a safe environment with lots of candy. Along with the great costumes, some folks went all out and had some pretty awesome decorations on their rigs. All our proceeds go right back into our beautiful trail system here at Beaver Creek State Park.
Unfortunately, the park is going to close December first but, only the main equestrian park. The trails will still be accessible, but you can only park in a small parking lot area along the street . You may not want to bring in a large rig at that time and it would be limited to a very cold day ride only. Though as always winter shall pass and the park will reopen again on April 1.
I just came from our November meeting where all our current officers accepted honoring their positions for another year. Starting off with Janus Moore as our second term president who stepped up to the plate to keep our chapter running strong. Rick Haldiman is our vice president and our trail maintenance organizer. Becky Todd is our secretary who does a great job at recording our meetings and keeping well organized records. I did this position for five years in another chapter and I can tell you she is doing a great job. Last
but not least Ted Todd ‘Becky’s husband’ and our treasurer who also is a very meticulous record keeper. In our monthly meetings Ted always has spread sheets to hand out showing every tiny detail of money brought in and money spent. Our officers are wonderful people and will be hard to replace someday. Finally, our chapter wants to thank every person, every chapter and every organization that utilized and enjoyed Beaver Creeks equestrian park and trail system. It is your participation and donations that helps us keep Beaver Creek State Park equestrian trail system beautiful. Thank you!
~Doug Johnson
CUYAHOGA
Just in time for autumn rides, and heading into winter, the Cleveland Metroparks have plans to make the trail systems even more connected. The Sagamore connector trail project, one of the last missing pieces connecting more than 51 miles of the trails from Rocky River to the South Chagrin Reservation, is underway with an agreement among Summit Metroparks, Sagamore Hills Township, and the National Park Service for developing the trail. The project is now in the design and environmental services phase. The goal is to connect the towpath (NPS), Summit Metroparks Bike and Hike Trail and ultimately the Cleveland Metroparks into the Bedford Reservation.
In South Chagrin, at the popular Shelter House destination, there is a new bridge across from the trailer parking area. Now we have access to the shelter without walking around the perimeter to get to the Shelter House.
It’s time to tally up your trail miles for 2025. It’s important to keep records of your miles and send them in next month to show just how much we value our park systems in northeast Ohio.
In November we enjoyed our annual Look-About Lodge Lunch, where members brought packaged treats that we boxed up for our reservation managers. All OHC members were welcome, with their guests, to enjoy the pizza and friendships, at no cost. Plans are afoot for two fun events this spring: The March 1 dinner and auction with none other than Joe Coalter as the auctioneer; and the March 8 Farm Bureau Tack Sale at the
On the East Fork Trails, Sue Lamb and Connee Hancock.
Lunch at Hippy Cave on the O&W off the White Oak trail.
Sue Lamb, Connee Hancock, Abby Fox, Diana Spencer and Amanda Snell.
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Berea Fairgrounds, a great time to buy and sell your no longer needed tack and horse supplies. If this information has piqued your interest in joining OHC as a primary or secondary member, now is the time to sign up for 2026. www.ohconline.com is the easiest and quickest way to do that. Hope to see you on the trail during the coming year.
~Mary Kay Dessoffy DELAWARE
Happy December to all! What a productive year it has been for our Delaware Chapter!
Beginning with our first inperson meeting in February through November, our members have been treated to a vast array of guest presenters, each sharing their unique and informative area of expertise with emphasis on our beloved equines. Our final guest speaker for 2025 was fellow member, Pam Lillie. Pam shared highlights from her awe inspiring visit to the Gettysburg National Memorial and Cemetery as experienced on horseback and horse camping. Thank you, Pam! To get a chance to visit this National Memorial has been added to my bucket list!
Our trail maintenance volunteers, led by Bobbi Arters, put in countless hours of work maintaining and enhancing the bridle trails at Alum Creek State Park. Together with our volunteers’ tireless efforts and the contribution from Mother Nature, with dry conditions, this year’s fall months afforded visitors some of the best trail conditions ever! A huge thank you is extended to each and every trail maintenance volunteer, including a shout-out to our youngest volunteers. The kiddos who took part along with their crew member, grandparent, helping to clean trails are an awesome bunch!
At the time of this article’s submission, our November elections for officers had not yet taken place. I will introduce our new 2026 slate of officers in next month’s column. Please do not forget to mark your calendar to attend our chapter’s Christmas party, schedule for December 5, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Kilbourne United Methodist Church on SR 521. The chapter will furnish the meat item and we ask guests to bring a side dish and/or dessert. An online potluck signup will be available soon. Watch for details in our chapter newsletter or online
on our chapter’s Facebook page, Delaware County, Ohio Horseman’s Council. Our party will feature our famous ‘Secret Santa’ gift exchange. Come wearing your favorite Christmas attire for a chance to win a prize in our ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ contest.
Lastly, we wish to remind as well as invite our past members and fellow horse lovers to renew and/or join our Delaware Chapter. We are proud to be the stewards of our Alum Creek bridle trails and are a fun-loving, inclusive, and welcoming group of folks who are passionate about their sport and equine partners. As a bonus, all new 2026 Delaware chapter primary members will receive a $25 gift certificate from Equus Now!, a premier equine tack and apparel business located in Delaware, Ohio.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at our Christmas party. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
~Theresa Burke
ERIE
Greetings from Erie County! What a great year it has been. Looking back at our Done List, it is overflowing with many accomplishments. Our trails are looking good with high lines at both trail heads. Our four-legged friends have carried us all over the USA. From Pennsylvania to
the Red Rocks of the west. Of course, our state of Ohio is still the heart of it all. Elkins Creek Horse Camp was in October. Fall colors and riding the high trail had everyone smiling. Our final club campout at Edison Woods was the end of October. A clear chilly night made the campfire even more enjoyable. Just add friends and horses munching on hay in the background for a perfect evening.
Our fall and winter meetings are held at the Coupling (11618 St. Rt. 13, Milan) on the second Thursday of the month. Potluck 6:30 p.m., meeting at 7 p.m. However, November is our 2026 ride planning meeting. This year it was held at Jim’s Pizza Box. (819 Main Street, Huron) officer elections, Christmas party news and agenda items added to a fun night. Our New Year’s Day ride place is TBD.
We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy Happy New Year! Life is better on the trail!
~Shelley Hayes
FAIRFIELD
December, the last of 2025. Where has the year gone? I am not sure about our members but, I am wondering if it has to do with ages...anyway enjoy the upcoming holidays with your friends and family and stay well.
Our Christmas party comes too
late for me to talk about it so catch it later. I haven’t had much contact with members so news is a little sparse. The McGuire clan and friends took off for a week ride in Tennessee. They posted pictures on Facebook, and it looked like a fun time was had. I happened to be in Tennessee at the same time and was disappointed the leaves had not started to turn. Of course, Ohio’s had not started.
Our traveling member Tanna got to go to place in Shawnee she had wanted to go. She also posted some pictures. I and four other girls did a campout in Hocking around the middle of October that didn’t turn out like we hoped. Kathy Campbell’s horse tripped over nothing and caused her to fall and break her humorous which required a joint replacement and no riding until next year. This in turn provided a whole new experience. She fell close to the falls and Artesian well. Sue and I stayed with her and the other two took her horse back to camp and we waited on rescue. Members be sure and have their emergency number on your phones. ODNR 614/7999538. The rangers were pretty quick to help out, but her ride to squad took almost an hour because of her pain. Glad to report she is doing pretty good. I don’t know about other members but, I am done for this year camping. Wish I had pictures to include so instead check out our website. Until the next Corral I am signing off.
FULTON
We have a double helping of news this month. Our Labor Day camp was a success. We had great weather and awesome rides at Mohican. We had three nights to camp and four excellent rides. The Saturday evening gettogether was highlighted by our raffle for a mounting block and a manure basket with caddy. Member Cheryl Schneider won both! The 50/50 was won by Marie Duncan. The silent auction went well. Our haystack cover dish included chicken and beef with various toppings and of course many desserts. Thank you to Bob Picklesimer for morning coffee and some breakfasts. Our work weekend was held September 19-21. There is now a grate over the hole going onto the trail downhill out of camp. The camping areas and alcoves were cleaned up and the restrooms
Young trail crew.
Elkins Creek
Pennsylvania
Erie County OHC
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cleaned. Just a reminder to anyone who camps at Mohican; hay must be picked up and not thrown into the woods as set out by Forestry in the permit rules. Thank you for your help in complying. Of course, there was plenty of great riding and eating at camp. Thank you to the Jamison’s and the Jacobsen’s for weed whacking the Teepee area and some other spots. We appreciate it very much. Thank you to all who came and worked. Mohican is a treasure, and it takes many hands to help maintain it for horsemen. A special highlight was Vickie’s granddaughter’s first official trail ride. We are very fortunate to have some great young riders in our club.
We would like to wish member Diane Tankred well on her continued recovery from hip replacement and to send our deepest sympathies to our treasurer, Sue Rhodes, on the passing of her mother at 101 years of age. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sue and her family. We have gotten some riding in since the heat broke last month. We have been to Mohican a couple times and camped at Beaver Creek with Wayne County. That was a beautiful camp. Thank you, Wayne. We also attended the Coshocton
OHC Hog Roast. Wow, great trails and great rides. We had a great meal Saturday and attended an auction and raffle. Thank you, Coshocton, for the wellorganized camp. Bruce’s young mare gets a little better with each ride and camp. Paso is doing a good job of being a trail mentor. Enjoy your rides!
~Kathy Brown
GALLIA
In Gallia County there is not a whole lot going on. Due to the rain we had to cancel our November 1 ride. We are hoping to reschedule before the end of the year. The trails at O.O. McIntyre are still in pretty good shape. With the leaves changing colors it is very beautiful. If you have not been to ride there try to go. Our next meeting is December 9 at 6 p.m. at Kali’s Pizza in Rio Grande Ohio. We hope to see you there.
~Angie Jones
GREENE
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Season’s Greetings to all. December brings holiday parades around our area. One of the parades is the Lebanon Horse-drawn Carriage Parade in Lebanon, Ohio. Several of our members, along with nearby OHC clubs, volunteered for this parade. One of our members, Cindra Phillips, and her horse, Henry, were recognized at this parade with
an ornament. This is an honor to be recognized. Henry and Cindra are number 13 in the parade and wish everyone Merry Christmas and keep riding on. We had several members ride in the South Lebanon Parade (not part of the horse-drawn parade). The South Lebanon Parade is a great way to introduce your horse to a parade. We had our Christmas dinner, and it was delicious. Looking forward to the new year and new experiences.
Supporting an OHC club ensures we have equine trails for the riders of the future. We welcome our new members to our club. We also have many young participants in the Ohio Jr. Ambassador club. This is a wonderful opportunity for the youth of our group and others in the Ohio Horseman’s Council. Please consider joining a local chapter as a main member or secondary member.
Happy trails and let’s get out and ride!
~Cindra Phillips
GUERNSEY
The beautiful fall colors scream in Terri’s ride of the Orange Trail at Salt Fork State Park. She’s riding her gallant stead, Sister Sara! We have ridden together with friends many times, but I was not there that day. Looks awesome! But, let me ask you a question; “Can anything beat a good day riding your horse?” Not much! Terri’s pic says it! Due to no fault of my own, I’ve been sidelined from riding at the park for the last seven weeks. My
2019 Chevy Silverado 3500 has been at the dealer for warranty repair the entire time. Since I bought it four years ago, as the second owner, it’s been back to the dealer 22 times by me, for fuel related issues. Last month’s article wrote about our Cowboys for Christ ride at Elkins Creek Horse Camp. What I didn’t tell you was; I picked the truck up from the dealer the night before we left for the trip and it failed again on the trip. I took it back to the dealer the Monday after we got back, and it’s been there ever since. Three weeks into that time they fixed it and decided to keep it for a few days and drive it around, just to be sure. The 23 time, it failed on them! The next day they spent four hours on the phone with General Motors. GM gave them a long list of things to check out. They did, none of them fixed it. So, GM is sending a field expert to look at the truck. My dealer says he can fix anything! Well, he was supposed to have done that sometime in the last two weeks. I’ve heard nothing, so I’m going to go see them in the morning. If I was the original owner, I would have made them take it back under the Lemon Law a long time ago. But I’m stuck with it. At 71 I’m not spending a $100,000 to replace it with a new one.
Donna G.
Cheryl and Toby
Sam and Christine at Waterloo.
Melinda Packer and Red, South Lebanon Parade.
South Lebanon Parade.
Henry’s ornament.
Terri Slacks horse.
Dee Dee at Elkins Creek.
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If you go to our Facebook Page; Salt Fork Bridle Trails, you will see that Bill rides there almost every day and he posts a video of nearly every ride. Bill has recorded several videos of the construction of the new flush toilet restrooms we are getting at Horse Camp. The old pit toilets are going to be removed when construction is done. The new restrooms are going to be on your right as you drive into camp.
Speaking of Salt Fork Bridle Trails, we hit our 1,800th member just a few days ago. If you want to know what’s going on with the horse trails at the park, join our group. Note: I only accept horse people into membership. We are a page for horsemen, by horsemen, riding the horse trails at Salt Fork.
If I ever get my truck back, Dee Dee and I hope to see you on the trail. The good weather is about to run out on us. Enjoy the picture of Dee Dee at Balancing Rock, Elkins Creek.
~Lee Randolph
HAMILTON
Holiday greetings from Hamilton County! Sweet December, we welcome you with sleighbells, happiness and everything red. We are a growing, dynamic club, whose membership is filled with really nice people who enjoy spending time together and work hard nurturing the organization. In addition, we use great care in selecting events and activities we believe members will enjoy that also support our three pillars of interest: conservation, recreation, education. Since it is the last month of the year, grab yourself a festive drink and join us as we take a quick walk down memory lane, reviewing HC-OHC’s 2025 activities.
Education. There is so much to learn in the equine industry. Partnering with outside agencies and we held three, well attended educational meetings. Over desserts and drinks we enjoyed listening and learning from Joe Conrad, Conrad Insurance Agency speaking on Barn Fire Prevention and Roy Wesselman, Retired Lt., Reilly Fire Department speaking on Large Animal Rescue. Partnering with Hamilton County Farm Bureau and Hamilton County Conservation District, we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner and received information about multiple ingenious ways to effectively manage manure. Back to desserts and drinks, we listened
and learned from Brian and Doug Schwering from Schwering Brother’s Farm about hay production and different types of hay during ‘Hay is for Horses’. Additionally, Hamilton County OHC is blessed with four, exceptional Junior Ambassador members: Elizabeth Landfried, Emma Schultz, Kenlie Shartzer and Reese Stuart who are diligently tracking their equine learning and experiences for points and prizes. You already met Emma Schultz in our October County Lines submission, and we will be highlighting our additional three Jr. Ambassadors in our January County Lines. Conservation. Maintaining equine trails, shelter areas, and parking lots is important work. Partnering with Great Parks of Hamilton on 10 horse trail maintenance events plus, some independent work, HCOHC members have accrued, at the time of this writing, a total of 416 volunteer work hours maintaining the Miami Whitewater Forest wooded horse trails (290 hours) and the Miami Whitewater Forest Shaker Trace Horse Trail (126 hours).
In addition, HC-OHC secured donated tack, purchased booth space and sold a huge truckload of tack at Warren County OHC’s Great Tack Exchange. Fifty percent of the profits realized were donated to Great Parks to support the Miami Whitewater horse trails and the remaining profits were applied to supporting Hamilton County OHC club initiatives.
People join clubs to be amongst like-minded people and to have fun. HC-OHC members had the opportunity to participation in three Hamilton County community parades (Memorial Day for Crosby Township,
Harrison Fourth of July, and the Harrison Christmas parade), four Moonlight Rides on the Shaker Trace Trail, a HC-OHC weekend trip to Hocking Hills State Park camping at Pine Creek Horse Camp, and invitations to eight regional state OHC weekend camping trips.
Additionally, wanting to give back, Hamilton County OHC donated two hefty gift cards to support our ‘You Can Use Our Meeting Space for Free’ partner, Crosby Township Community Center. Gift cards were earmarked to support Crosby’s Fun Day at Stricker’s Grove and the Community Chest to provide Christmas toys for the underserved children of Crosby Township.
Thank you to everyone who has attended our events! Please join me in thanking and recognizing our 2025 board and committee chairpersons: Heather Alden, Facebook Administrator; Ann Frederick, President, County Lines, and Jr. Ambassador; Kristin Frederick, Secretary, Facebook Administrator, and Website Manager; Dr. Mike Frederick, Great Parks horse trail liaison; Grace Hobbie, Trail Mileage Reporter; Dick Stuart, Treasurer, Membership and Parade Committee Chair; and Sarah Stuart, Vice President and Parade Committee Chair.
Lastly, congratulations to our 2026 elected officers: President Ann Frederick; Vice President Sarah Stuart; Secretary Kristin Frederick; and Treasurer Dick Stuart. To find out more about HC-OHC and access our membership application link, please go to ohconline.com, ‘find chapter’ and type in ‘Hamilton County’ in the search bar. You can also follow us on Facebook at Ohio Horseman’s Council Hamilton County Chapter.
~Ann Frederick
HARRISON
Hello OHC! Can you believe Christmas is right around the corner? This year sure did fly by! The winter coats are back on the horses, and I have started feeding hay. So glad to have a good supply this year!
I wanted to report on our Dorothy Glover Memorial Ride we hosted in late October. It was such a beautiful warm sunny day for a ride and fellowship. We had close to 40 attendees from at least five different counties! Many camped for the weekend. We served
hotdogs and homemade chili plus too many desserts to count. Bob Glover brought a beautiful cake. The trails at Harrison State Forest were in great condition and everyone enjoyed their ride. All in remembrance of Dorothy, Nancy, Alan and Bruce who have passed. It makes me smile to think of past rides and events I shared with them. It is so great we can continue to honor them this way. Speaking of trails, just a reminder that the trails at Harrison State Forest are closed from December 1 to March 31 each winter. I really believe, along with drier weather, the winter rest has helped keep our trails so nice.
We also presented our 2025 Youth Scholarship to Marley Zeroski at the Memorial Ride. Marley was at a horse show where her horse became ill, so she missed our ride in June. Our club has given away scholarships for over 10 years now. The scholarship, which can be used for horse camp or riding lessons, also includes a free one-year family OHC membership. Marley plans to continue her lessons with her scholarship. She was also given information about the OHC junior ambassador program to check out and share with her friends as well. It was reported that we are seeing an increase in youth participation in equine activities in Harrison County. Several more horses were at the county fair this year. There is even talk about starting a school equestrian team. How awesome would that be for our area youth! We are hoping to partner with Marley’s 4H club and get them involved with trail riding and trail maintenance at Harrison State Forest. That certainly would be a
Harrison 4th of July Parade.
Shaker Trace trail work, September 16, 2025.
Memorial riders. Scholarship winner.
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great benefit for our club and the forest as well! I will let you know how that plays out next year. We are currently planning our club Christmas party for later this month and wish to invite all to attend. Since our plans are not yet finalized as I write this, I encourage you to reach out to the club to obtain the details. You can check out our Facebook page by searching for Harrison County Ohio Horseman’s Council or email us at harrisoncountyohc@ gmail.com. We normally have a meal and white elephant gift exchange at our Christmas party for fun. It is always a good time! Just a reminder to renew your OHC membership before the end of the year. Your treasurer will thank you as we complete our end-of-the-year financial reports! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
HOCKING
Tis the season for holiday parades! Once again, the Hocking OHC is planning to participate in the annual Logan Holiday Parade on December 6. We always get a pretty good turnout for this event. It’s harder to find the pooper scooper that is required. We are always looking for a volunteer for dooty duty. (Did you see what I just did there?) You don’t even have to walk the parade route. If you have a fancy new golf cart, side by side or four-wheeler, you can decorate it and show it off! Riding in the parade is always such fun. It’s exciting to see all the kids along the route waiting to see Santa. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas...oh, wait a minute, I own livestock! Seriously though, Christmas is the only time that it’s acceptable to have cold and snow. I wouldn’t want it any other way, but it needs to be over my mid-January. At least it would be in a perfect world. Alas, we do not live in a perfect world,
but we try to make the yucky part of winter at least tolerable. The Hocking OHC is planning it’s holiday party January 17. More information to be announced on our Facebook page.
Here I am rambling on about events in the new year, when I haven’t even caught you up on what our members are doing now! In the past month we have members who have represented our club at Beaver Creek with the Knox OHC, at Appalachian Hills for the Perry OHC Soup ride, at the Meigs OHC for The Festival of the Leaves and at Hocking for the Annual Litter Pick Up ride, coordinated by the Vacation Vaquera with gifts donated from the ‘Love Hocking’ branch of the Tourism Association. To say that our members get around is very accurate and a good thing!
In the next edition I will be addressing some of the end of the year banquets and awards that our members brought home for all their hard efforts. Right now, I have to run and winterize my trailer. If you haven’t done yours yet, you better get on it!
Our club is very family friendly
and meet at the Home Tavern in Logan the third Sunday of every month at 7 p.m. Come in earlier for dinner and relaxed conversation prior to the meeting. Watch our Facebook page for more information about our club and upcoming events!
~Donna Shade
HOLMES
I guess it’s winter now. By the middle of this month, it will be official. We in Holmes County hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
While most of us are not getting much riding in, it is good to have some time to catch up on other activities, cleanup and organize tack and the barn, and involve ourselves in some non-riding equine activities. Not that there will be much time for those sorts of things in December, but it’s good to have a plan. We may have a tack cleaning day, check out some swap meets, and get to a tack sale. I would like to see if there are any riding clinics nearby.
The club is making plans for our spring banquet in April. It will again be at Farmstead Restaurant in Berlin and there will be a raffle. We are very grateful for the support of many local businesses who supply items for the raffle.
Bob Picklesimer’s Cowboys 4 Jesus camp was the last weekend in October. Bob, Jack, and crew took four down trees off the trails Thank you to all involved. While we were not able to camp, we did get out for a day ride and met some of the campers. It was a beautiful weekend to ride at Mohican.
The trails are closed from December 1 to March 30. Members are reminded to turn in trail miles by January 10. Miles should be separated by location.
Some of our officers and myself will have attended the state meeting in Newark. It is always full of information important to Ohio horsemen and women. Thank you to the organizers and speakers at this event.
Bruce and I have had a great year camping. We did more group camping this year and enjoyed it. Other than our spring trip to Virginia, all the camps were on Ohio OHC maintained trails. We are very fortunate to be able to enjoy these trails. Our vice president Heidi and some
friends had a very nice weekend at Hocking.
While I am not much for stories since this newsletter is short, I going to give it a try. I often take my Paso out for a short ride here at home just to keep her fit as we are both a little over the hill. We have a beautiful trail through our woods and it has a couple of steep hills. We cover this ground often enough that it is not generally an exciting ride, but several weeks ago, we went down through the pasture field past the two other horses out in electric fence on our hay field. We do his often. As we crossed the dam, Bruce’s young horse decides she would like to tag along and heads into the lake and swims across to join us. Not knowing just what to expect, I dismounted. She charged up, leaving her pasture mate running and hollering, and stood quietly waiting to see where we were going. Not well pleased, I called Bruce and told him his good filly was now a good swimmer. He came down and caught her. I suggested maybe putting them back in the pasture would be necessary. No, he felt with a little feed they would ignore me. So we start out again. I got out of their sight, or so I thought. Next, I have two loose horses swimming across the lake. Yes, she taught the other one to swim. I dismount again and back to the pasture for those two. By now even Paso, who while she is very dependable, has a little snap to her, is hollering back to the two mares she doesn’t even like ordinarily. Mounted back up, we start out again and do a couple of the hills to get her focus back. Down the hill to our spring is a pretty little spot down a bank with several trees and small saplings. The girls were still talking to Paso who was talking back but was being pretty good. Until we started up the hill. She starts out in a rush and puts me into one of the saplings. At this point I’m on the side of the hill with one hand fending off the sapling at my neck and the other on reins with too much slack in them. But as I hollered back, she went right into reverse and stopped when I said whoa like a good horse. Done? Not yet. We walked up the hill and I stopped and praised the Paso, but as I start up the main trail, I notice my glasses are missing in action. One week old glasses and the first new glasses I’ve had in four years. While I’m sure they are under the sapling, I’m also
Chris and Shannon.
Lunch break at Hocking.
Litter pick up ride goody bag.
Diane at the Litter Pick-up Ride.
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sure they will be hard to see in leaves and without glasses. I take out my phone to call for backup and we have no signal. I decide to take a look, having left the saddle bags at the barn, I do not have a lead rope and Paso is not going near those glasses. I undo her reins and tie them to her trail bridle, not the bit and tie her to a tree. She stood well and I scooted down the hill. And there are the glasses in plain sight. I found a nice rock to use as a mounting block and back onto the trail we went. It seemed a good idea at that point to call it a ride and head back. Overall, it was a pretty good ride. Never felt scary, just annoying. I have to say all three of the horses behaved well given the circumstances. I will never consider that part of our trail boring again. And I am grateful to have my glasses back. Happy trails!
~Bev Hanna KNOX
Happy trails and greetings from Knox County! October has been a busy month for KCOHC. We had 18 members attend the campout at Beaver Creek State Park which included several of our junior ambassadors. For some, this was their first campout with horses. The weather was great and the trails, with many water crossings, were awesome. Next was our much-anticipated fundraising event, a combined scavenger hunt and obstacle challenge with the theme of ‘The Four Seasons’. We had a good turnout of 26 riders and many volunteers and observers on a beautiful fall day. We couldn’t have asked for better! Our scavenger hunt, which meant spotting items on the trail which reflected the changing seasons, was won by the team of Jaxson Retherford and Kim Cortright. They found 35 out of 38 items spread out on about three miles of trail. Our obstacle challenge was
held in two rings, one reflecting spring/summer and the other fall/ winter with fun but challenging obstacles like pulling a sleigh (with sleigh bells!) and crossing the ‘ocean’ (tarp), avoiding the fish and even a shark! Our obstacle challenge winner was Kelly Blount. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who came out and participated. Of course, this would not have been such a big success without our many wonderful volunteers. Special thanks to the event planning committee of Teresa, Mike, myself, Donnie, Ranay, Kathy and Terry who put it all together. The money raised will help pay for the six new picnic tables the club recently purchased for the new shelter house at Thayer Ridge Park.
At the end of October, we had our last scheduled campout at Salt Fork State Park. We again had great weather even if it was a little chilly at night. I will have pictures and details about our Halloween festivities in next month’s article. Until then, we still meet the third Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Pizza Cottage in Mt. Vernon. Come join us for a meeting, a fun event, or riding down Ohio’s beautiful trails!
~Cindy Cossin LAKE
The moonlight ride at Headwaters in Geauga County was enchanting. An afternoon ride had also been held that day.
Phoenix, was ridden by Jill a student of Kris Ropp, in the afternoon. I also rode my new horse, Teddy that afternoon. Emily, another student of Kris Ropp, rode Phoenix for the evening trail ride. It was her first trail ride ever. Due to my various health issues, Teddy and I stayed back at my trailer with Emily’s mother, Jana. Teddy behaved well when left behind by the other horses and riders. Jana joined me in walking the golden one, Teddy, to the lake. She had never led a horse before, and he was kind to her. Once in a while he stopped and turned his head to look for me. She reassured him that I was coming, just very slowly. We three watched the moon rise over the lake, shimmering and golden. When Emily returned, she too was glowing. She loved trail riding.
Barb J. was on the moonlight ride, and became an instant celebrity as her photo was front page in the Geauga Times Courier. Emily on Phoenix is also in the photograph, but in the background along with several others. Karen D. of Lake OHC also was in the background.
The Halloween Ride held by Geauga OHC at West Woods was open to other chapters. Teddy and I joined Isabel from Kris Ropp’s Free Spirit Farm. Isabel rode Phoenix, a former police horse, and great trail guy. Kris wants her students to have a variety of experiences while riding. All three ladies, Jill, Emily, and Isabel now really love trail riding! Thanks Kris for sharing your
love of horses. Dottie D. led the group in which Isabel and I rode. She pointed out various trees and plants along the way. We were in awe of the second largest tulip tree in Ohio and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.
Cheyanne, our current Lake president, continues to barrel race. Along with barrel racing she has expanded her time to rescuing unwanted horses. Her newest horse, Dallas, was saved from an extremely dangerous situation. She loves working with him while he continues to heal both physically and mentally. Savannah, Cheyanne’s younger sister, enjoyed being with horses while attending a summer session at Red Oak Camp in Chincapin, Kirtland. This prepared her for possible Jr. Ambassador for Lake OHC in 2026. Michelle H. continues to work with Savannah and her own horses. She is so proud of both her daughters, Cheyanne and Savannah.
We wish you all happy holidays and a joyous new year. Stay safe and stay warm as you welcome in 2026.
~Rayneen Tisovic
LAWRENCE
Our club just finished up October with a fun-filled Halloween weekend ride and homemade chili cooked in a cast iron pot. Our chef was Tommy Wood. Several members dressed up in costume and even one of the horses made her grand appearance. We had several side dishes and lots of sweets and goodie bags full of candy. Kelly even made the adults fireball cheesecake which was to die for. There was also a double batch of snickerdoodle cookies that kept disappearing two cookies at a time. I think that Richard Murry knows something about it. Jim Crowe was the winner of the best costume and Khloe Adams’ horse Reason won the best dressed horse.
KCOHC at Beaver Creek.
Obstacle challenge winner, Kelly Blount.
Half of scavenger hunt winners, Jaxson Retherford.
Savannah
Dallas
Halloween ride.
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The club also had a very productive workday at Paddle Creek horse campground which resulted in replacing several rotten and broken boards on the horse tie stalls. The men also tightened up the tie lines and secured the metal post. The grass was cut as well.
We are planning our Christmas party on December 7, starting around 4 p.m. The club will provide the turkey and everyone else is to bring a covered dish and or a dessert. We will also be having our Chinese gift exchange which is always fun when someone steals your gift. There will be games with prizes and all the food you can eat. Everyone is welcome. Merry Christmas ~Susan White
LICKING
There’s still winter riding to be done but please remember Ohio State Forest and Park riding trails will close December 1. Licking County Equestrian trails will remain open, weather permitting. Please remember to ‘call before you haul’. Licking County Trail Status 24/7 hotline 740/349-4823. Reminder that November 1 through March 31 Taft Reserve South/Middle and Infirmary Mound riders may encounter dryland musher (bike and dog unit) at any time. Hopefully you have all been keeping track of your riding miles/hours to turn in by the end
of the year. The form can be found online at Licking County Chapter Ohio Horseman’s Council, under documents, chapter trail mileage and saddle hours. Let’s continue to show how important our trails are and how much we use and appreciate them.
If you have not already done so, please remember to renew your OHC membership before the end of the year, especially if you carry the equine liability insurance. The insurance runs from January 1 through December 31 so you don’t want to let your insurance lapse. Congratulations to one of our chapter’s founding members, Jan Dean, who is renewing her membership for the 37th year!
The 2026 officer elections were held during the October meeting with the following results: President Charlene Santee; Vice President Kirk Lloyd; Treasurer Sandy Belt; Secretary Linda Bering. Thank you all for continuing to lead and support our chapter. Additional thanks to Linda Bering for stepping up to fill in secretarial duties for Terry Drummond during her recovery. Continued well wishes and prayers for Terry. Our Oktoberfest camping weekend at Dillon State was a great success. Beautiful weather, great rides, fabulous food and fellowship. Thank you, Bill and Linda Bering, for hosting our last scheduled chapter ride on November 1 at Infirmary Mound. Once again, beautiful weather, great attendance and rides followed by lunch.
Our Christmas party is being held on Saturday, December 6 at the James Bradley Center, Infirmary Mound Park. Be safe, stay warm and enjoy those trails!
~Crystal Kirk
LOGAN
What an awesome October for riding, the leaves are turning bright beautiful colors and there is crispness in the air that makes for delightful riding.
We had three members attend Champaign County’s ride October 10-12 at Mohican State Park, lots of miles added those three days. Five members joined Clark County’s ride at Buck Creek Saturday the 25th, they had really good things to say about that ride. Cynthia Orrs Logan County OHC ride October 26 started at noon with BBQ pork sandwiches and cowboy beans plus a potluck that was delicious, we ate first then rode out about
1 p.m., we had 13 members attend and one guest. I think we logged six miles and rode about two hours, there were a few unexpected bucks and such, I’m blaming it on cool weather, but a very well attended good ride.
At our October meeting, we did something very different. Logan County OHC met October 21 at 5 p.m. at Spurwood Standardbred Farm in Marysville, just outside of Raymond. We had nine members and one guest attend. It is a breeding farm and averages 32 foals a year. Kelsey Grose was a wealth of knowledge on breeding and foaling; it was both educating and interesting. I don’t know about anyone else, but I really found it very informative and hopefully everyone else did too. Thank you Kelsey and Rob Grose for taking the time out of your busy schedules to do this clinic. We gathered after the clinic at Old Town Hause Tavern for dinner and a short meeting. Logan County OHC lost a longtime member Kathy Horton in September. We are looking to plant a memorial tree at Fawcet Park in Zanesfield, where they have the Logan Hill Festival that she was involved in. It’s hard to believe but this is the December Corral, and I
guess the last article of the year for us. I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday season.
~Cynthia Orr
MADISON
You are reading this in December, and I am writing in early November. I imagine you are readying for the holidays and cold weather. At the moment we are enjoying the last of warm, sunny days—days that are free of insects and humidity. These are the perfect days to be on our horses! I am sure to savor them as the evenings darken earlier and there is a bite to the air, giving a hint of the winter that is sure to come.
Our gymkhana series is complete, and we have the list of this year’s buckle winners in each age division! In youth, Sophia Schoen. In Junior, Brianna Varney. In Adult, Amber Perkins. In 40+, Kyle Koehler. Thank you to all who participated! We have a great time watching as riders and horses improve, and especially as the youth riders progress. Our 40+ competitors are all vying for the buckle, and competition is heating up. Get ready for next year! Photos of winners are with this article.
We have been riding! It is wise to take the moments that present themselves to play with your horses in whatever manner that makes you happy. If you trail ride, get out there! If you enjoy arena work, hop to it! If you are working on groundwork, get to your arena and see what you can teach your partner. We have been to Hocking State Forest, Buck Creek, Mohican, as well as various metro parks. Let’s see if we can all ride right up until, and including, New Year’s Day. Madison County worked with Clark County to enjoy a fall camp out and obstacle course at Buck Creek in late October for the second year. It was lots of fun, with new obstacles, including a mattress to walk over (my horse said, “no way!”), angled poles to navigate, and a screen curtain to go through (again, I was met with “are you nuts?”). So, those who were there can enjoy the successes and also have some things to work on with their horse. The air was brisk, and campers were grateful for good food, a warm fire, and some heat in the trailers. We look forward to next year. Maybe we can again get a scare out of the hunter who came upon the
Lawrence County OHC
Trail ride.
Crystal Falls.
Foal alarm.
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skeleton, Slim, who was pointing the way on the obstacle course. He was quite surprised on a very dark morning!
I want to thank our president, Lorna Kenyon, for her alwaysinteresting newsletters that include articles about horse keeping, horse history, or horse health. There is so much to learn as we enjoy life with our horse buddies. The great thing about OHC is that we are always looking out for the best for our horses and each other. Horsemen Helping Horsemen.
Remember to wear orange so you are seen whenever you ride in any area where there may be hunters! Deer season is long, and we ride many areas where hunters are waiting for deer to come by. Make sure they don’t think your horse might be one. Merry Christmas to everyone! Enjoy your chapter’s holiday activities, and join together in the shared pleasure of life with our horses.
~Lisa Reynolds MEDINA
Getting cozy as the weather turns colder and the nights darker, we are holding our meetings at Hinckley Town Hall (with some exceptions for the next few months). November’s meeting welcomed Maggie
Muirden of Maggie’s Mission, a 501(c)(3) non-profit rescue placing horses, dogs, and mules since 2004. She told us about her 100-acre establishment and about the many horses she has saved from kill pens and adopted out to deserving homes. She also has a variety of dogs, one of which found a good home with Debbie Donner, one of our members.
Our secretary, Megan Padget has recently adopted two of her equine saves. We are hoping to have some volunteer opportunities at her facility and getting some of our youth members involved. You can read (and donate!) about Maggie and her wonderful work at MaggieMissionRescue.org.
We also talked about 40th anniversary plans. We are in the midst of T-shirt designing with the help of member Jenna Myler. How many ways can you say “We’re 40 years of work, fun and fellowship. We’ve built miles of trails in a National Park and all the while supported the OHC motto of Horsemen Helping Horsemen” on a size large T-shirt? This is a work in progress. Stay tuned for more details on a day ride and banquet honoring our members. If you have any suggestions for places or ways we can celebrate, contact our officers at medina@ ohconline.com.
We elected (or actually reelected) our officers for 2026. Raydeen Ryden is president, vice president is Amy O’Neil, Megan Padget is secretary, and Rosemary Young is treasurer (apparently a life sentence).
Our scheduled work sessions for 2025 have ended due to the government shutdown. But we hope to continue some work when it ends if we find some good weather days. With short staffing in the park, we have picked up trimming and mowing duties. Thanks to Raydeen Ryden, her son Sam, Mike Andrea, Greg Monsanty and Jennifer Peterson who have used their own time to keep CVNP trails in great shape. We are also eternally grateful to staff at the park, Jeff Pettigrew and his crew, who have worked hard to maintain these trails.
Remember to follow us on our Facebook page at OHC Medina County Chapter Group for details of events and other information. For those making out their Christmas lists remember that every new day is a gift. Treasure it with friends and family and, of course, our equine companions. Spend time enjoying these quiet days and use them to reach out
to those who need a bit of cheer. Best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to come. Sending warm thoughts for a merry holiday from down in the valley!
~Rosemary
MEIGS
The Meigs chapter would like to thank everyone who came to our Annual Festival of The Leaves Ride. We enjoyed seeing all of you and hope you will consider joining us next year and bring a friend!
The annual Christmas party will be held at the Wilkesville Community Center on December 6 from 12 to 4 p.m. The club will provide turkey and ham and members should bring a dessert or side dish to go with the meats. We will also have a gift exchange after the dinner and if you want to participate in that you must bring a gift under $30. All members are invited. And if you’re not a member come join us! We’re looking forward to seeing you all at the Christmas party!
Please submit your suggestions for year-end awards for the fun show for next year so we can get planning. Send them to Beka Setzer or Jocelyn Wilson at meigs@ohconline.com. We welcome all suggestions!
The Meigs chapter will not meet in December other than the Christmas party. Our next meeting will be January 20, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Fox Pizza in Pomeroy, Ohio.
~Jocelyn Wilson
PERRY
As we wrap up the 2025 riding season members have been making the most of the fall weather, riding at Shawnee State Forest in Illinois, Beaver Creek, Hocking, Elkins Creek and the Appalachian Hills Equine Camp to name a few.
Our soup ride at Appalachian Hills brought out some fine culinary skills in members, with eight soups entered in the contest. Top prize actually was won by me for my new lasagna soup recipe, followed by Charlene Santee’s chicken gnocchi and a tie for third which was won by Jennifer Smathers for her veggie soup. Congrats to all! The 50/50 was won by club president Carla Marshall who graciously donated her winnings back to the club. The weather was perfect, and we had approximately 15 campers and several who came just for the soup and the auction. Sadly, we didn’t have any participation from other OHC chapters.
I don’t have a report on Shawnee from Bonnie Reed but from the pictures I saw it looked like a great time. Beaver Creek couldn’t have been better. We joined the Knox County group for ‘festival’ weekend and rode to that event for shopping and lunch. The weather, trail and companionship were pretty unbeatable. If you’ve not been to Beaver Creek recently you should make a point to put it on your list for 2026. Many improvements have been made to the campgrounds, including a horse wash, multiple water hydrants, and even a place to fill your water bottles. The grounds were in great shape and prior to arrival we received trail and camp maps. The drive to get there from the Southeastern area was surprisingly easier than I recalled, but then again since I was not navigating, we didn’t make a detour to Marietta on the way home…
The litter pick up ride hosted by Donna Shade at Hocking helped cleanup several miles of trail. Thank you, Donna, for heading this up again. It’s too bad people don’t pack out what they pack in. We appreciate everyone who participated.
Plans are underway for our annual post-holiday party. The date is February 7. More information to come as details emerge.
The current slate of officers was nominated for 2026
2025 Gymkhana Adult, Amber Perkins.
2025 Gymkhana Junior, Brianna Varney.
2025 Gymkhana Youth, Sophia Schoen.
Jim Birchfield working hard on the trails.
Susan Shepard and Pat Vaughn volunteering at the Meigs County Fair gate.
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during the October meeting. Congratulations to all for a job well done.
Don’t forget that the forest trails will be closing once again on December 1. And remember as we end the year to turn in your trail miles and as importantly renew your OHC membership. We need you!
Enjoy the remainder of the decent weather and the trails we love.
~Marianne Patton
PREBLE
The Preble County Ohio Horseman’s Council once again held its strong sense of community and dedication to Ohio’s equestrian traditions during this year’s State Ride, held the first weekend of October at Hueston Woods State Park Horseman’s Camp. Riders and horse enthusiasts from across the state and surrounding areas gathered for a weekend of trail riding, friendship, and fun—all in the spirit of riding the beautiful trails of Hueston Woods.
The event offered something for everyone, including a warm soup dinner, a lively fun show, and a Chinese auction featuring prizes donated to Preble County OHC by generous local businesses and supporters. Riders enjoyed live music, a delicious smoked pulled pork dinner, and scenic trail rides through the beautiful landscape of Hueston Woods.
Adding an extra element of adventure, riders searched the trails for the three hidden ghosts —a playful tradition that had participants of all ages joining in. Those who found the ghosts received prizes provided by Bob Wells Horse Equipment, a valued OHC associate member. Additional donations for the Chinese auction came from Ally Cat Tattoo, M’s Cutting Edge, and Gypsy Soul, whose generosity helped make the event a success.
A special thank you goes out to Junior Ambassador Ari and the many Preble County OHC members who served the community during the smoked pulled pork dinner. Their teamwork, hard work, and cheerful spirit ensured everyone felt welcome and well-fed. The efforts of all the volunteers, from organizing rides to preparing meals, reflected the heart of the organization: service, fellowship, and a shared love of horses.
The weekend ended on a heartfelt note with worship around the campfire led by Bob Huff of Stockyard Cowboy Church. Riders gathered under the evening sky to share in fellowship and reflection, closing out the weekend in gratitude and community spirit.
Following the excitement of the State Ride, Preble County OHC held its monthly meeting on November 1, where members elected officers for the upcoming term. Congratulations to President Donn Buckingham, Vice President Charlie Garnett, Treasurer Becky Clifton, Secretary Nichole Johnson, and Trustee Eugene Radar.
The OHC also wants to spread the word about the wonderful bridle trails at Hueston Woods State Park, encouraging riders to visit and experience the area’s natural beauty. As the chapter looks ahead to 2026, members invite everyone to visit Preble County OHC at this year’s upcoming spring tack sales and to watch for more details about the Spring Fling event coming soon.
SANDUSKY
Greetings to all, hoping everyone is enjoying this fantastic cool weather. As the weather has improved our club members have been out on several outings getting in as much riding time as possible.
In September club members participated in the Northwest Regional Ride held at Van Buren State Park. Tony Venegas and I camped at Waterloo with Christine and Sam Vance. We had a beautiful weekend, great ride and delicious food. In early October some members camped at Reed Road Wranglers and enjoyed Oak Openings Metro Park along with Harry Hughs. Other members were at Van Buren with Claire Bennett and her club. October provided great weather for our club ride at Pleasant Hills. Good fellowship
and good food, as always! By the time this article comes out, our club will have ridden at Rocky River and of course our home trail White Star. Just a full month of riding. Who can pass up this perfect riding weather?
Our next project is the Sandusky County Ag Society’s Winter Wonderland December 19-20 from 6-8 p.m. We bring our horses so that children can experience a horseback ride. We can always use assistance helping with the children and horses, so if you would like to volunteer you can call Mandy Currie at 419/344-6013 to sign up or if you have any questions.
If you would like to join us, our monthly meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:45 p.m. at the Sandusky Township Community Room on State Route 19 in Fremont. Visit our Facebook page for up-to-date information.
Until next time, happy trails to all and ride on!
~Sandra Sanchez
STARK
Wow, the year is really flying by! Our members have had a great year. Julie is busy planning another parade for December. The group will be riding in Louisville’s Christmas parade. Riders have really enjoyed the trails at Camp Tuscazoar this year and camping at the Preserve campsite for horsemen. Thanks to Harold, Valerie and all the others
who help with trail work. Riders are also enjoying the trails nearby at Pike Ridge for shorter rides. This year found a few of our members living our motto of ‘horsemen helping horsemen’ when we received an email from someone asking for help with her aunt who has horses and later passed away. The aunt had health problems and hadn’t informed anyone how to care for her horses. Valerie Stroh-Kline and Ida Crum who live fairly close were able to step in and help. This is a valuable lesson for all of us to let someone know how to do the feeding. Guess they were feeding straw rather than hay. I had some blessings recently. Two people that I had been friends with many years ago and lost touch with came back into my life. Tawni and Mariann it was such a pleasure to hear from you and to be able to renew our friendship. Friends are so important to all of us. This was a good year for me, and I am so grateful.
Best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ~Jo Ellen
SUMMIT
Whoa! Did that calendar just say December already? Did your secret stash of Halloween candy just run out in time for the Thanksgiving pumpkin spice mania? Now here it is on the countdown to Christmas unless you already started with Home Shopping Network and Christmas carols in July on the radio.
Members are asked to keep tallying trail miles and saddle hours for submittal by January 3, 2026 to be eligible for your Big Dee Gift certificate. Plans for the winter banquet have not been finalized and Molly volunteered to have the December meeting at her home. Speaking of generous people...Molly Eastwood and her husband Mark received early surprise packages for each of them on a recent camping trip to Beaver Creek. After a great day of riding then anticipating a relaxing evening around the campfire, they had an unexpected visit from two little waifs looking for some warmth and comfort. It was the unmistakable sound of little mews from two tiny kittens coming cautiously out of the weeds. First check was for any others or the mom but they appeared on their own. After a checkup and filling their tiny tummies, they retired to their new make-shift cozy
Laura Owings at Beaver Creek.
Camden and Boone
Pleasant Hill Lake club ride.
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bed for the night. Luckily, the wee ones chose a couple with warm hearts and a farm big enough to accommodate two more. As Molly’s saddle bags were already packed full for the trails, that left Mark to babysit the pair who loved to snuggle for a nap. They got adopted that day. Unfortunately, things like this happen all too often and not always with a happy ending. Just wish more people could afford to fix their animals and prevent new unwanted litters.
It is time to wrap up another year which has been one of fulfillment for some and challenges for others. The one constant in all of this is the support, encouragement and fellowship offered by a special group of like-minded people in OHC. Not everyone can offer the same skills or talents needed for holding office, organizing fundraisers or social activities, wrangling hungry crowds of riders, or mentoring new members. The successful chapter taps into the best each member has to offer. I especially wish to thank everyone who shared their photos for the Corral so we could all share in their adventures. So, from everyone here we wish to thank each and every one of you. We recognize and appreciate
all your contributions. Have a blessed, hopeful Christmas and a year full of promise for the New Year.
~Joann Ulichney TUSCARAWAS
Do we whisper softly in the wind or proclaim with intensity, a symphonic recital of fear, pain and ultimately the joy of celebration of life? Death, whether anticipated relating to advanced age,, or unexpected, with the onset of an accident or debilitating disease, our grief overcomes any sensibility. The unwavering devotion horse oriented folks display when faced with the inevitable spiraling effect when a decision is adamant. The research incurred, emotion ridden questions to professional care givers, moments of contemplation, and desperate attempts to alter the outcome. The responsibility and obligation rages within us. Peace is a promise that endures time. Memories often stimulated by photos, artistic renderings, sculptures, horsehair jewelry or pottery may soothe our souls. The efforts may result in a subtle smile, the commencement of healing. The rewarding memories allow the opportunity to contemplate the emotional risk to reach for another challenging relationship. The reluctance to feel to the depths of our being, must be cast aside. Life resonates with emotion. Choose to move forward and relish the amazing rewards only a horse can provide.
The support we offer fellow OHC members reignites the spirit of the horse. The courage to deeply bond with the next horse that chooses us, restores our faith.
The Tuscarawas County OHC has chosen to offer a raffle for a Gen4 Glock. Tickets are $10. each or three for $25. Bullseye Gun Shop will also have tickets
available. The drawing shall occur on February 14, 2026.
Any questions pertaining to the above mentioned information or the OHC monthly dinner meetings, please contact Holly Waldenmyer 330/432-5164.
Happy Trails, ~Holly
UNION
Howdy, everyone. It’s time to make plans for the holidays and prepare for winter. Hopefully everyone had the chance to take advantage of the fine autumn weather. The Tuesday maintenance crew at Alum Creek State Park has continued to work on the trails and they are ready to ride.
Happy holidays and happy trails.
~Debbie Strayton
WARREN
Your Over the Hill Gang has had our last work day for the year. We generally meet only the first Wednesday in November, then knock off for the rest of the year as people get busy with holidays. If any major problems occur, please feel free to report it. We’ll still try to take care of it if possible, but we don’t do anything organized.
This also gives me time to get my UTV in for its annual service. It gets quite a workout, and with workdays usually every two weeks, this is the best time. I need to have it back by the first Saturday in December, as I use it to take volunteers to their places along the parade route. If you’ve never volunteered there before, please consider it. The Chamber of Commerce really appreciates having horse people along the route. This is partly because so many of the crowd has no clue about horses, so we sometimes need to run interference. And it’s partly because if a driver has a problem, unusual but it can happen, it’s good to have
an experienced horse person nearby. We start at the Berry school and bus garage, and they feed us well! Catherine will send out an e-blast about the event, with pertinent information.
Happy Holidays!
~Mickie
WASHINGTON
Hello from Washington County. It is hard to believe this is the last Corral for 2025. We have big plans for 2026, but we will wait and tell you about that next year!
We continue to prosper in Washington County. We have added several new members this year, some younger folk as we start a new year. All organizations go through a change as age hits the group, and our chapter is certainly feeling age in that we have lost several to death and many others have stopped riding and participating. We are thrilled to have new blood coming in and look forward to advancing the cause of OHC!
In recent news, TJ Wells was our guest speaker at the November meeting. He is the Washington County Extension agent. He gave an interesting PowerPoint presentation about pastures, forage and weeds and how to treat them. All horse folks struggle with hay, whether we grow our own or buy it. He brought out several helpful tips and much needed information. The meeting also included a recap of our successful Kid’s Ride with Wayne National Forest in celebration of Public Land Days. We have had this event for many years. however, this was especially interesting because of the government shutdown. Wayne National Forest is of course under the Federal Government. They usually provide personnel to help
Early Christmas.
Nap time.
Summit County OHC
Tuscarawas County OHC
Zoe enjoying the fine autumn weather.
Zayden Sandy on Annie.
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with the kids and such. Not this year! Nevertheless, we had a good time, 52 kids had a great time, as shown in the photos of Zayden and his brother Drexel Sandy on horseback, plus both OHC and Wayne National, Kinderhook trailhead to be exact, enjoy added visibility in the community.
Our next report will tell of our Christmas party at our December meeting. It will include turkey, ham and potluck from members for a grand feast. We will have a Chinese gift exchange that features thievery and such. And as always, we will collect new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. As we wrap up the year, we want to say how grateful we are for you and for our members. It has been a good year; we have ridden many miles and have enjoyed fellowship with folks far and near through the framework of Ohio Horseman’s Council. It is our hope you have a joyous Christmas and will remember the cradle is worthless unless you put it in the shadow of the cross! Mery Christmas, we will talk to you next year!
~Rita Schultheis
WAYNE
October was an exciting month for the Wayne County OHC, as members came together to enjoy the crisp autumn air, vibrant fall foliage, and a calendar packed with engaging activities. Our chapter, known for its commitment to camaraderie and a shared passion for trail riding, made the most of the season with rides and camp outs.
The highlight of our month was our annual weeklong camp out at Pine Creek Camp in Hocking Hills State Park. Although the camp has changed owners, they remain committed to offering a place where horsemen can enjoy camping and trail riding in small or large groups. The weather was amazing, and the trails were dry and in great shape. We had 11
rigs and 15 riders, most of which stayed for the entire week. Meals were shared with groups taking turns preparing the evening meal each day. Thank you, Marline Smalley, for organizing that and to all you who prepared the meals. It was so nice to only have to prepare one meal and to enjoy those wonderful home cooked meals! The campfires were awesome. Dave Smalley sent out a call for everyone to bring firewood, and we had a stack head high! Dave was the fire keeper extraordinaire. The ‘slow roll’ mornings with a campfire, coffee and homemade cookies were delightful.
Sheila Haury hosted a camp out at Wills Creek which was attended by four riders and four rigs. The weather didn’t cooperate for the entire weekend but the time spent in camp and on the trails was enjoyable. Bev and Bruce Hanna hosted a camp out at Salt Fork that had 11 rigs and 15 riders in attendance. Secondary members from Summit and Medina joined in the fun. The river was low enough for safe crossings and the trails were challenging. Heather Kinney Tate couldn’t join us at Pine Creek but met up with a longtime friend at Cowboy Larry’s in Hocking Hills for a few days of camping and riding. The last official Tuesday ride at Mohican was held October 28 at noon with Charlene and Mary guiding. Remember Mohican and all other state parks will be closed to equestrian traffic
on December 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026. Please respect this closure and let others know as well. It really helps with trail maintenance in the spring when the trails are not cut up from horses trampling through the woods when it is muddy and the ground is frozen.
In the show arena, at the Ranch Horse Challenge, Heather made a ‘donation’, but Taran made an impressive showing, winning Overall Champion. Between trail riding, camping and showing, their horse, Gus has certainly earned the winter off!
As the year winds down and we pause to give our horses a muchdeserved rest and we prepare to enjoy the holiday season, there are activities beginning again right after the first of the year.
The Winter Bash is January 17, 2026, at noon at The Barn Restaurant in Smithville, Ohio. The trail planning meeting will be in February where we will all get geared up for the 2026 riding and camping season. We welcome new members and look forward to meeting you all out on the trail.
~Susan Baker
WOOD
December has arrived! I know some (like me) truly welcome the colder weather and the reprieve it brings from outside tasks like weeding, mowing and trimming, and bugs. Most of us, however, do not relish the need to bundle up like Eskimos in order to safely navigate our way to the barn for daily feeding, watering and stall cleaning chores. But hopefully you can attempt to enjoy a snowflake or two landing on your face or the sight of a frosty whiskered face greeting you eagerly in the morning.
Obviously, we all hope for some ‘not so frosty’ days on the occasion, when we can take a day trip to one of our local parks for some riding time. Wood County OHC members are fortunate to have a few local parks to choose from, all are well taken care of
throughout the year, and the trails are typically safe no matter what the weather holds.
With the OHC membership drive currently happening, we encourage everyone to get their renewals submitted as soon as possible! Make sure you make the appropriate corrections on the form if you are opting for the insurance; there was an error on the original form in the amounts due.
Unless otherwise noted on our Facebook site, Wood County will have our monthly meeting as usual in December on the first Tuesday, December 2 at Mi Tequila’s restaurant in Fostoria at 6:30 p.m. Make every effort to attend, as it will be the annual election meeting. Also, keep your calendars handy for announcements regarding the date, time and location or our annual Christmas party, traditionally now held in January. The Facebook site for Wood County OHC is the best and most updated location for this information. It is also a great resource for reaching out to others regarding possible riding meetups.
We have reached the last month
Drexel Sandy and Becky Singree.
Cindy Funk
Mohican
Taren Tate
Costume parade at Hobo Stew and Soupfest event.
Creative campsite at Hobo Stew and Soupfest event.
Barb O., Tina McGinn and Jo Saam enjoying a weekend at Sycamore State Park.
Tri-County Trail Association
Merry Christmas to One and All
PRESIDENT, Jim Mike
VICE PRESIDENT, Cindy Krumm
SECRETARY, Bev Mills
TREASURER, Lydia Fox
WEBSITE, www.tri-cotrails.com
by Kelly Jo Heffner
Tri-Co Trail Association would like to say Merry Christmas to everyone! There is much to celebrate this holiday season including being a member of such a wonderful club. The
Western Dressage
members have all put the club first and pulled together to accomplish so much this year. Our events all turned out spectacular with even some of our new members stepping up and doing everything from planning the event to making the meals and entertaining our many happy guests! Thank you to all our members for making this another great year for our guests as well as for our members.
Christmas is the time of year that we get together with our closest friends and family to celebrate and spend quality time together. Tri-Co meets for Christmas each
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Precise Transitions: Adding transitions between gaits around and between the cones sharpens your horse’s responsiveness. Western dressage tests often require prompt, smooth transitions—walk to jog, jog to lope, or downward shifts—that show the horse’s obedience and rider’s subtlety. Practicing these changes in the drill not only improves the quickness of response but also teaches you to ride transitions exactly where they are called for within the pattern, an important detail for maximizing points.
Control of Pace and Rhythm: As you practice transitions and gait changes, you also hone your ability to control pace, impulsion, and rhythm—all elements’ judges score under ‘Gaits’ and ‘Impulsion.’
Have the CORRAL delivered to your mailbox each month!
year to celebrate the holiday with a covered dish dinner with the club providing the ham (and turkey). It is a time for the club to come together every year before the actual holiday to celebrate the year as well as set a few goals for the following season. Each day is a blessing!
The Christmas season in a club such as Tri-Co is also our time of year for the election of next year’s board members. It’s during this time that members are nominated and elected into office, and while these are not paid positions, it is these people that assist with everything from keeping the
campground mowed, making sure all the licensure is in place, making sure all inspections are completed, making sure all things are in place for events, and being accessible to all members if there are any issues that arise requiring a board member to investigate (among the list of things to do).
Board members are the face of the club and donate their time to making this club great!
In closing, Tri-Co wants to wish each and every one reading the Corral this year to have a wonderful holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
Maintaining the same tempo along all four sides of the square and through transitions demonstrates unity and self-carriage, essential for high marks.
Suppleness and Engagement: The need to keep your horse’s body engaged and attentive, especially through turns and transitions in open space, helps develop suppleness. This translates directly to better lateral movements, smaller circles, and work requiring collection or lengthening, all of which are present in more advanced levels of western dressage.
Rider Effectiveness and Precision: Because this drill is intentionally set away from walls or fences, you cannot rely on the arena for guidance. This heightens your awareness of using seat, leg, and rein aids independently and effectively—a skill that is reflected in the ‘Rider’s Position’ and ‘Effectiveness of Aids’ scores.
In summary, by faithfully working through the four-cone steering drill, you are rehearsing the building blocks of most western dressage patterns. You and your horse learn to deliver confident, polished, and accurate maneuvers, leading not only to higher test scores but also to smoother, more harmonious rides in daily training and competition.
At Eagles Nest Equestrian Center, we offer lessons and training to help riders and horses reach their full potential. We’re also excited to announce our Show Team for 2026—let the fun begin!
Located in Ravenna, Ohio, Eagles Nest Equestrian Center is committed to helping riders of all levels achieve their horsemanship goals. We offer comprehensive lessons tailored to individual needs, and we are excited to announce the formation of our new show team. This dedicated team provides a supportive and goal-oriented environment for competitors looking to advance their skills and succeed in the show ring. Whether you are just starting or are ready to compete, we have a program for you. Contact us today for more information and to join our community. www.Eaglesnestequestrian.com or https://www. facebook.com/EaglesNestEquestrianPerformance/
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of 2025. I sincerely hope that you, your friends and family (including of course all fourlegged members!) have had opportunities to share good, memorable times together. For those of us who have lost loved ones during this past year, I pray that there will be much comfort in your memories of the time you had together. And, as we all tend to want to better ourselves
as a new year approaches, let’s all vow to make the most of the time we are given with those who cross our paths. That is one New Year’s resolution we can all make and actually keep! Wood County OHC wishes everyone a wonderful Christmas and holiday season, and a very safe and happy New Year! Until 2026, ~Juliann Flage
