Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jenny Hiscox on June 27, 2009 at 7:37pm

Had to jump in because to me hacking means - going somewhere, going exploring. But some people in my barn say they are going for a hack and all they do is go down the driveway and back, or around the front fields. ... I don't mean to be elitist. ... But maybe I just can't help it LOL!

Permalink Reply by Eileen on June 27, 2009 at 8:06pm

Well then I stand corrected Jenny. I guess it just depends on where we grew up and where we rode as to what we call our time in the saddle. What ever we call it, or where ever we go, as long as we enjoy the time in the saddle that is what it is all about.

Permalink Reply by Shirley on June 28, 2009 at 5:27am

Ever been to Ionia State Campground or Sleepy Hollow or ...I think another is called Fort Custer Campground? I have camped at the last and rode at the first two. You can not camp with your horse at Sleepy Hollow but there is riding there and there is camping there but they won't let you have a horse in the camping area...bummer! The Ionia State Campground has a nice area to camp with your horses. That is where I got bucked off on my third ever trail ride.
Broke my helmet pretty good and had a very sore back and twisted thigh muscles but lived to tell. There is another one south of me, I think it is called Waterloo and it is more rugged then the others I mentioned. And you can spend the night with your horses.
There has been rumors that the government is attempting to close down some of the riding grounds but I don't think they've accomplished any of that.....yet!
They are also on the verge of destroying many of the wild mustangs out west. I'm very upset about those attempts. I don't know if the peoples voices are going to be heard on this subject or not.
Anyway~~Just wondering if you'd visited any of those campgrounds nearest to me...mid-state Michigan
Happy Trails! Shirley

Permalink Reply by Eileen on June 28, 2009 at 1:09pm

Shirley Custer campground or some such name is where I camped for about a week or two in the early 90's but that was in S.D. lol I wondered what state you were from when I saw all of these names popping up. It was also quite a few years ago when I started out in the Osacoda are on Lake Huron and rode across Michigan with the MTR. that was quite a trip, somehow I managed to pick the one year that we followed into swath of tornadoes, and storms all during that ride. I guess it was better than being in the middle of the storms. Ionia is one place that I am not familiar with as far as riding. I can't remember the names of all of the campgrounds that we stayed at during this ride. I found it very stressfull gettting up before the birds, getting the horse fed, tacked, and lunch etc etc etc all ready and left behind while I drove the rig to the next campspot, be bussed back and head out on what was left of some of the trails because of the downed trees and destroyed forests. In 2007 a friend and myself took our horses, and our rigs with no real agenda to stick to only cross into Mich and head west. Our first stop for the night was somewhere in the U.P. we stayed there for a few days rode what trails were there, then headed west and stopped again, and repeated this strategy all the way out. We saw a lot of U.P. as well as all of the other states between here and there. What a trip, I can't remember the names of any of the campgrounds right now, but I bet I would recognize the names if I heard them again. We hit Mi, Wi, Mn, N.D. Mt, then up north into Canada into the Rockies. That trip was one of the best riding trips I had ever been on. If we felt that we had done the trails and it was time to move on, then that is what we did, If on the other hand there was more to see then we stayed for a week and rode out every day. I probably have some of the information on all of the stops, but with my filing system, who knows where it is. lol
Ontario is not very good at allowing the horse people into any of their parks over night or riding. It is a shame, there is no reason why we should not be able to do so. but you know how government is sometimes. I Know Algonquin Pk allows horses and camping, if you can fight off the black flies, mosquitoes, and deer flies then you can alwasy go up there.

Permalink Reply by Shirley on June 28, 2009 at 5:33pm

Eileen,
Okay, my husband looked on the Michigan map. It is Fort Custer near Battle Creek, Michigan. Interesting there are two by the same name in different states. Michigan's Fort Custer has an Air National Guard Base. And the year I went camping there, a bad tornado had gone thru just a couple days before we arrived. We had to wait for the crews to pull some of the trees off the roads in the park to get to different camping areas. It was pretty bad. I started horse riding shortly after that.
Your cross country ride sounds great! The Upper Peninsula is a beautiful area if you like nature. The areas I mentioned before are the only ones I'm familiar with for trail riding in MI. but I'm sure there are more. I don't have a horse trailer. I have considered attempting a trade on my travel trailer but that's kinda a couples thing where hauling my horse around would be a bit selfish in my situation. But as it is I'm not crazy about going very far with the travel trailer cause I don't like leaving Cash for very long. He sure changed how we thought we'd be spending retirement years (along with the struggling economy) but I'm so happy to have horses in my life again. And fortunately my husband has been totally encouraging every step of the way even though horses are not his thing. I need to build up riding confidence too before I start heading cross country with horses in tow.
I know what you mean about filing systems. I'm really good at the saving part of hanging onto information but terrible about organizing so I can ever find anything.
That is a shame and surprises me that you have problems convincing your government to allow horse riding on government/park land. The Canadian areas that I've visited just seemed perfect for traveling via horse back. Lots of beautiful nature! It seems most governments aren't too concerned with what the people want these days.
My parents have a 160 acre farm about an hour north of me that will be great to ride on also. It's hilly/rollie with a creek and a pond on it so I really hope to be able to get to the point that we can enjoy that. My seat might be ready and my riding skills MIGHT be ready but my confidence is not there. I have farm lanes and wooded trails at our boarding facility to help me prepare for the bigger stuff. It's been a slow journey for me but by baby steps, we progress.
Happy Trails to YOU!
Shirley

Permalink Reply by Eileen on June 27, 2009 at 3:51pm

Gail no I don't live out west, have ridden out there many times both Canada and U.S. but I live in SWO. between London and Windsor. There is not a lot of good riding around this area for any length of time. An afternoon ride is about it if you want to stay off the busy highways, and fields. But I will have to let you know what is planned for Aug. This will be great.

Permalink Reply by Gail Morse on June 28, 2009 at 12:48pm

Hi Eileen: There are 2 places I like to go and you would be heading a bit further than Barrie to get to them. One is the Vivian Forest which is really good for just an afternoon or morning ride. There is a pond there that the horses can get to and stand in with access from a sandy small beach. The other area where I have a membership for the Riding season is the Ganaraska Forest. It is beautiful there and you can camp at the Sandaraska Park there. They have small corrals for horses and you can either tent or take a camper. You should Google that as you can ride for days in there and I am more comfortable heading that way than north. Check it out and see if there are any camp spaces available for August. I could meet you there for a day. I don't have a tent or a camper but there are b and b's near by. That is more my style. Check it out- Sandaraska Park. Cheers! Gail Morse.

Permalink Reply by Eileen on June 28, 2009 at 6:59pm

Good for your husband to support you in your hobby. Once you get your seat and skill, your confidence will be there. You build your confidence everytime that you go out to see your horse and get up thre on the saddle.
As for traveling with your horse....why not get the LQ horse trailer, then you can use it with out the horse or with the horse. It works like a charm. I have used my horse trailers to travel and live in with out the horse. Not a problem. For about 5 years I lived out of my horse trailer all winter long with out my horse. I also lived out of my horse trailer all summer in Alaska one year with two horses , and BC the next year, with same horses. It works great because once the horses are out of the back of the trailer, one can use that area for storage of food, clothing, mud room, you name it, it comes in handy. But to each their own. Your parents farm sounds perfect for getting out there and riding.
That place in SD where we camped was not all that far from Mount Rushmore, some folks took the day and rode up as far as allowed to Mt R. apparently you could see the mount from that spot or if you were really energetic, you could walk to where everyone else saw the Mt. We took a rainy day and a vehicle to go sight seening one day. Gosh there is so much to

Permalink Reply by Shirley on July 3, 2009 at 12:39am

I love your idea about traveling for long periods of time in a horse trailer. For many reasons I doubt it will happen for me but I love and am thankful for doing what I do with my horse and of course decisions like this have to be made for the best of the whole. Another good thing is Cash loads in trailers like it's a walk in the park. For many years I didn't think I'd ever have a horse of my own but it's happened, so I've learned to allow myself to dream....it might happen! If the Michigan economy continues as is I might get to go back to school to train for a new career. I was a stay at home mom with three kids and worked part time once they didn't need me home 24/7. Then I ran my own in home travel agency for 15 years and struggled for too long with the economy and competing with the internet so there is lots of factors to consider. We thought the travel agency business would be a great retirement plan that both my husband and I could work at together. And it looked like it was going to be a good plan till 9/11 and just as things were starting to get better again all this recent economy mess hit and that was it for me. It was all too discouraging. Plus all I wanted to do was be at the barn with the horses. I boarded at a training barn for 3 years and learned lots by being a sponge for all the information there was to learn. What I'm hoping for is more doors to open to help me make some good decisions of ways to work with horses. I have had many new things come into my life to open me up to some really neat things sooooo....we'll see. Right now I have three/four horses to work with besides my own and I'm excited to see what I can accomplish. These horses weren't abused, they just are younger and need some help maturing into lovely partners. I am convinced that horses are great healers in many ways and I still have lots more information to gather ...Mainly I hope to be able to help abused horses....for me that is the ultimate. Some days I think I'm dreaming and other days I think dreaming is the beginning of great things in life.No dream ...no goal to work for. May be more information then u were looking for.

Permalink Reply by Eileen on July 3, 2009 at 8:45am

LOL never too much information Shirley. I love to hear what is going on with people and their horses and plans for them. We all need the rescue people, what would our animals do with out these people and their open hearts. We all cannot persue the same goal either, what fun would that be. I am gearing down right now for a little 3 week ride and camping excursion in Ontario. It will not be far far away but several stops are planned between Lake Huron under Georgian Bay and just he other side of Toronto. These planned stops and riding are mostly at friends farms or back yards with the exception of 1 stop. I am hoping that the weather clears up some from what we have been having. Regardless of the weather, we will be out in the elements having a good time if it kills us.

Permalink Reply by Shirley on July 3, 2009 at 9:31am

Well come on down to Michigan sometime and pick Cash and I up and we'll go on to my folks farm! I'm sure you'd find it pretty but maybe not as exerting as you might like with much more experience under your belt. Did you take your horses when you went to Alaska? We spent about 17 days in Alaska in the spring of 2002 and loved it. We were there just at the right time to see the spring green coming on and before the masses of tourists scared the critters further into the wild. That was our very favorite trip ever! I do think it'd be a great adventure to go there and work at a resort for housing and then site see on our time off. In Denali they had brought people in and they were sleeping in tents for the summer. HUMM? Dream on!!
I hope you have a great 3 week trip. Wonderful!!
Yes, our horses help keep us alive if they don't kill us.

Permalink Reply by Eileen on July 3, 2009 at 9:44am

I would love to ride out from your parents farm, we will have to work on that plan. I did take two horses to Alaska back in mid 90's what an experience that was. I left home the first part of May and did not get back till after Labour Day in Sept. I worked off a ranch about 20 miles south of Yukon River. I still have one horse that I took with me that year, he is 31 now. The other one is in Michigan somewhere on a dude ranch or riding stable the last I heard. Then in 2001 or so I went back to the same outfitter in my trailer without my own horses and helped him on sheep hunt in the Denali area. We took his horses way back off the road following a drybed into "sheep country", packed his horses in, took hunters to their "spot" then spent 10 days or so looking after the horses and checking the drop off points for the hunters. Only one out of the several hunters got a sheep. It was pretty mild weather for sheep hunting, which was unusual. It was in Mid August, and they hope for nasty weather as that brings the sheep downward. Saw a mother grizz and her two babies eating berries across the stream and up an incline from where we were camped...that was close enough. Carribou were also running around there and wolves were always around, but we never saw one close or very often but lots of tracks.

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