since 1995
February-March 2010
Club Meetings / News and Events
Trailblazers Monthly Meetings
Please join us on March 18, 6:30 p.m. at Tri-County Feeds, Etc. for a presentation by internationally known local veterinarian and endurance rider Dr. Jeanne Waldron who will be speaking on Lyme disease and other infectious diseases transmitted to horses from ticks. Several of these illnesses are present in our area and nearly everyone knows someone who has either been infected themselves or has dealt with an equine infection. Come learn about current diagnosis and treatment methods. Light refreshments will be served. Seating is limited and no smoking is allowed on the property. FMI contact Nancy at ntrides1@aol.com or 540-878-9250..
Upcoming Events
Judged Obstacle Clinic March 21
Trailblazers will sponsor a Judged Obstacle Clinic at Woodruff Shires in Jeffersonton, Virginia on Sunday, March 21. This will be open to club members only. There will be several one-hour sessions in the indoor arena starting about 10:30 a.m. This clinic will be primarily designed for green horses and riders who have not done this sort of thing before and for horses with a bit more experience which need a little tuning up. The course will not be a challenge for horses already competing well on the judged ride circuit. This will be a chance for horses and riders to dabble in trail obstacles to see whether they would like to pursue trail obstacle competitions. You’ll be able to try your hand at a variety of obstacles with plenty of help from experienced competitors without the pressure of competition. If participants have any particular problem please let Barbara know beforehand and we will try and address that issue. Volunteers are also needed to help at the clinic both to check participants in and as group crew in the ring. Cost of the clinic is $25 per horse. Hard hats, current negative Coggins, signed liability releases and halter & lead rope required. To sign up for the clinic or to volunteer to help, contact Barbara Virgo 540-341-7943 or barbaravirgo@msn.com.
April Trail Ride
The Trailblazers April Trail Ride will be on Sunday, April 18 at the C.F. Phelps wildlife Management Area in Summerduck. Please be ready to ride out at 10:30 a.m. Due to facility regulations only a limited number of riders will be allowed on this ride and reservations are required. Please contact Barbara Virgo at barbaravirgo@msn.com or 540-341-7943 for reservations and directions to the parking location at Phelps.
Trailblazers Fun Show – May 2
It will soon be time for our annual Fun Show at the Grove in Warrenton. We’ll hope that things dry out by then and that we will have a beautiful day for the show. We are making some changes to help the show flow better and eliminate hold ups. This is a very relaxed show with something for everyone and a good one to introduce riders and horses to the show scene. It is also good for tuning up more experienced show horses and riders for the coming show season. This is the one yearly event that requires lots of volunteers to run and is a fun raiser for the club while also supporting local 4-H and/or pony clubs. If you can help for an hour or two with one of the below position, please contact Terry Geier at tagimit@verizon.net or 540-364-3737.
Equestrian Trails News
The Virginia Horse Counsel is working on updating their guide to Virginia horse trails last published about 10 years ago. Instead of a printed copy, this time they are putting it onto a website. This is a big undertaking. If anyone has taken photos at state parks or other public trails, particularly at the trailhead, please send them along with ID of the location to Sally Aungier saungier@mindspring.com. Look for this website to be completed later this year.
Because of state budget cuts, Virginia is considering closing 5 state parks. The five parks are Twin Lakes, Caledon, Mason Neck, Staunton River Battlefield, and False Cape. The only one in our area is Mason Neck but, if the state deficit continues, who knows whether they will consider additional closings. We have beautiful, awarding winning state parks in spite of the fact that Virginia ranks near the bottom of the 50 state list for money spent on our parks. If you do not want to see our Virginia State Parks closed, contact your state legislators and let them know. You can locate your state representative and get contact information from the legislative website at http://legis.state.va.us/
Due to the harsh winter snow and wind, we can expect considerable trail damage in the form of erosion and downed trees. This will put an excess burden on property owners/managers and park staff both financially and physically. The park manager at Sky Meadows has already indicated he has a couple of trails projects they could use our help with. Manassas battlefield has numerous trees down which will need to be cleared. BES is asking for help. I expect trail work will be needed at Whitney and Robinson State Forests as well. If we want to have clear trails to ride on in the coming months, we should all expect to spend some time volunteering to work at least a couple of hours on trails. It can actually be fun and it gives you a whole new perspective the next time you ride that trail.
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Reminder: Permits Now Required for Riding on Virginia State Forests
Last year Virginia instituted a new program requiring a State Forest Use Permit for anyone age 16 years or older to ride a horse or bicycle in Virginia State Forests. Annual permits cost $16.00 and can be purchased anywhere hunting licenses are sold or online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/licenses/ . There is a stiff fine if you are caught riding without a permit.
Time to Renew Your Membership
If you have not renewed your Trailblazers membership for 2010, you need to do that now. You will no longer receive newsletters or emails from Trailblazers unless you renew by March 31. Please forward payment to membership officer Ron Corl at 6757 Beach Road, Warrenton, VA 20186. Make checks payable to Trailblazers Inc.
From the President
Those members who responded to my inquiry about the holiday party overwhelmingly preferred to have our annual party in January instead of December. So I have booked the Smokehouse at Airlie for January 8, 2011. Mark your calendars for a great evening of food and fun after the 2010 holiday madness.
Now that we have all pretty much dug out from the snow and spring is just around the corner we can look forward to some time in the saddle. First up is a trail obstacle clinic on March 21 at Woodruff Shires indoor arena in Jeffersonton (see details in this newsletter). Trailblazers will continue the monthly club rides and we have a couple of new locations in mind as well as old favorites and some that we have not been to for a while. In addition, there is a possible overnight with cabins. We are working on lining up some qualified speakers on current topics starting with the talk by Dr. Jeannie Waldron on tick transmitted diseases in horses (see details in this newsletter). Our annual Fun Show is May 2. So, while you are waiting for the mud to dry up, lay out your training/grooming/conditioning plan so you will be ready to compete at the show. I am looking forward to a fun and interesting year with all of you.
Karen Corl, President
Stories from Snowmaggedon Karen H. Kachur
While dealing the best we could with ALL THAT SNOW I was curious how other Trailblazers had toughed it out and what lessons they had learned from the experience. I found out that a 45 gallon wheeled trash can hold manure from three horses for two days—mighty handy when you can’t get to the pile. It’s also true that “If you feed them, they will come.” Danny started feeding everybody and we ended up with a ton of birds, squirrels, stray cats and a raccoon hanging around. So I did a quick poll - here is how some of the other club members fared. Many thanks to all who responded!
Can't wait for all this snow to melt. My trailer is surrounded by great piles of snow which I think will take a long time to melt. I was just thankful for knee length rubber boots, hiking socks, waterproof trousers, snow shovel to keep my balance and when the snow turned to ice my yaktrax. Horses were great and had plenty of food and we did not lose electricity. Hope you have managed to get to your manure pile!! Roll on spring. Barbara Virgo
With all this snow, over 24 inches, I found my traditional winter boots were too low and snow would fall inside them. I took out my insulated Mountain Horse English riding boots that come up to my knees. WOW! What a great pair of boots to own in this high snow. Some other things I did--I brought in an extra wheel barrow or two of bedding and piled it against a stall wall. I raked it into the stall as needed. That way I didn’t need to get to the bedding pile or use the wheelbarrow in the snow. Gave the horses hot bran mash in the morning along with their grain. They looked forward to the extra warmth. Cheers, Anita Barry
I learned how quick a horse can change its mind about leaving the barn, even w/hay outside and none inside. Also, that most of this snow was easier to move w/a plastic headed muck fork than a snow shovel. Judy Burke
My large (16 gal.) electric water tub has been invaluable with all the snow and cold weather! Expensive, but worth the price. No frozen water and always just the right temperature. Karen Corl
I learned how wonderful it is to have your horse at a barn where the care is dependable and good - no matter how many feet of now we get! Kathy Parkins
Rockan my palomino quarter horse is a nice sized animal but not as tall as some of the thoroughbred/other breed crosses in our area. After his frustration of having to be locked up in a stall for 2 days while the blizzard commenced to immortalize the year, we had an exciting loud discussion about how cool and big the snow was - biggest he'd ever seen!! He was going to have a fun time as soon as I turned him out!! Rockan is a good listener....................Snowfall accumulation in the Remington area was about 3 1/2 feet............The vet said that the swelling on Rockan's sheath should go down in about 10 days. Rockan dear man, please forgive me.....sigh......... Spring never looked so good. Jeanette Carlson
I have one for you. If your horse goes on a walkabout looking for a place to roll and gets cast in a snowdrift for hours like mine did, you dig a big trench around him and pour shavings in the trench. Get behind his neck and start lifting. Eventually he'll stand up. Then you have to change his wet clothes and put on dry ones, take his temp, look at his gums, listen to his heart. If any of these is abnormal, he might be colicking so dump 2 pints of milk of magnesia down his throat and wait until morning for the manure inspection. Oh, don't forget to have plenty of warm water available to drink. And plenty of hay to eat. If you need to know normals for all of those vitals: temp should be 99.8-101.3, gums should be pink and glistening, and heart rate around 38-40. Luckily Toby is no worse for the experience and hopefully he won't try it again. Sandy Bailey
Spring cannot get here soon enough!!! I usually like winter and some snow, but this has gone way beyond my limits! I was again reminded how wonderful my friend and neighbor Clarence Green is because he plowed out my driveway and made a path to my barn and run-in shed, not once but twice! I was reminded that I can no longer walk on top of the snow. I was reminded that you have to keep an eye on the positioning of the floating water heaters because they will burn holes in the rubber horse water tubs. (That’s probably why Southern States had them on sale!—the water tubs). I do not understand why the birds had to eat all the 3.5 pounds of bird seed in ONE DAY that I had waded out in the snow to put in the feeder. (There were other feeders available.) The horses learned to eat frozen carrots. Right now I hope the horses will learn to walk in the tractor tire tracks out to the round bale to eat hay. Diana Dutton
What became very apparent to me was that if you think you have enough of emergency supplies you do not. Our electricity was out for about 27 hours. Fearing we would run out of kerosene for our heater we conserved. Believe me it gets cold very quickly without heat. So get twice what you think you will need and make an emergency list so you don’t forget items when you go shopping. Also, I am so grateful to board with my friend Anita Barry who took on my “morning barn chores until I was able to get out. It was such a relief not to be worried about my horses. I knew they were safe and secure and in good hands.
Looking forward to spring, Vickie Bowling
I learned that it's a really good idea to lay in extra bedding when you hear a big storm is brewing. I made two pickup trips (20 bales each time) before the BIG ONE, and I was really glad I did, because getting anything into the stable for a while would have been very difficult! And I was really glad I had purchased a pair of high Muck Boots from the store before the storm. (I also made up a little jingle about manure production, but it isn't really suitable for publication in a family newspaper!) Jenny Young
Make good friends with your neighbor who owns a tractor in case your tractor is “on vacation"
A manure pile that is snow covered is not a snowdrift
It is hard to get back on your feet after making a snow angel in 27 inches of snow
Shirley Bonner
After the snow, the horses were let out into the paddock area only. Monday a huge amount of snow slid off the overhang roof. Unbeknown to us, the snow carried with it a roofing nail which, of course, was vertical and not horizontal in the snow. Murphy's Law took command and Ben stepped on the nail. Fortunately it wasn't a severe wound and several days of treatment seemed to take care of it. There are only around 2 million places in the paddock where a horse could step, but Ben picked the 2 millionth and 1 spot! One must do a shoulder shrug - there's no way to keep a roofing nail out of a massive snow slide off the roof, and there's no way to tell a nail is in a 4 foot wall of snow. Nancy Treusch
We lost power for 3 ½ days, so no lights, water or central heat and couldn’t get out the driveway. We melted snow for the horses’ water on the wood burning stove. So this is my contribution to the newsletter. It took seven buckets of snow to make one bucket of water. Can you tell we were bored? LOL! Vicki Baturay
Trailblazers’ polo shirts, sweatshirts and caps are available and can be purchased at Trailblazers meetings and events or by contacting Vickie Bowling at vbowling@comcast.net or 540-937-7744
| Polo Shirt – tan, sizes ladies S through mens XL | $20.00 |
| Sweatshirt – navy, unisex sizes S through XL | $20.00 |
| Caps – tan with green brim | $10.00 |
2009 Calendar of Events
| March 6 | Nokesville Horse Society Tack Swap, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Southern States, Manassas, www.NokesvilleHorseSociety.org |
| March 6 | Equine Education Day, Tri-County Feds, Etc., Marshall, VA 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lectures, demos & more. 540-364-1891. |
| March 13 | Virginia Horse Counsel Annual Meeting and Seminar, Colonial Downs, New Kent, VA, www.VirginiaHorseCounsel.com, 888-HORSEVA |
| March 18 | Trailblazers Meeting/Educational Lecture on Lyme Disease and other tick transmitted illnesses by Jeannie Waldron, DVM, 6:30 p.m. at Tri-County Feed, Etc., Marshall, VA. FMI contact Nancy at ntrides1@aol.com or 540-878-9250. |
| March 21 | Trailblazers Judged Obstacle Clinic at Woodruff Shires, Jeffersonton, VA. Pre-registration required. Contact Barbara for additional info. and to sign up at barbaravirgo@msn.com or 540-341-7943. |
| April 15 | Trailblazers Meeting, final Fun Show planning. 7:00 p.m., location to be announced. Check the website or contact Karen at kcorl@comcast.net or 540-349-1412. |
| April 18 | Trailblazers monthly ride, 10:30 a.m., C.W. Phelps Wildlife Management Area, Summerduck, VA. Contact Barbara for additional info. and to sign up at barbaravirgo@msn.com or 540-341-7943. |
| April 25 | BES Crystal Crown Judged Pleasure Ride, Manassas Battlefield, www.battlefieldequestriansociety.org |
| May 2 | Trailblazers Fun Show at the Grove farm, Warrenton. FMI contact Terry at tagimit@verizon.net or 540-364-3737. |
Internet Sites of Interest
The internet can provide a wealth of information about horses. If you have one that you find to be particularly good, please send it to Karen Kachur to share with the group. Here is a list of some you may find useful:
www.horserentals.com [boarding and horse rentals]
www.equine.com [horse sales]
www.horsecity.com [training and items for sale]
www.dreamhorse.com [horse sales]
www.kbrhorse.net [resistance-free training articles]
www.horsetrails.com [trail information]
http://www.roughridersonline.com [rides in the Eastern part of the country]
www.nttp.net/resources/index.html [National Trails Training Partnership website resources]
www.nttp.net/resources/trailbuilding/index.html [National Trails Training Partnership website on Trail Design and Construction] www.nttp.net/resources/trailbuilding/index.html [Presentation from Anne O'Dell, Designing Shared Use Trails to Include Equestrians, select the publication]
http://railtrails.tranguard.com/ [Trails for the Twenty-First Century, from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy - See RTC's bookstore]
www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/publications.htm [ FHWA's Recreational Trails Program publications (includes trail-related publications from the USDA Forest Service)]
www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/ [Recreational Trails Program]
www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/te/ [Transportation Enhancement Activities] http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/orgdirectory/equine.html [This site contains a comprehensive list of agricultural and consumer organizations in the state]
www.battlefieldequestriansociety.org Battlefield Equestrian Society (BES)
www.ustrailride.org U.S. Trailride (USTR)
www.thegehs.org Gettysburg Equestrian Historical Society
www.choa-va.com Culpeper Horse Owners AssociationSome New Web Sites to Check Out
www.horsemotel.com
www.baycreekranch.com
http://www.nps.gov/appa/The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supplies timely information about monitoring and management of equine diseases through the National Animal Health Surveillance System (NAHSS). The NAHSS web site can be reached at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine.
