The STA Poker Run and Obstacle Challenge is April 5, 2025 in Chattahoochee, Florida. There will also be a tack sale, raffles, food trucks and more! A Yeti Roadie 32 cooler is also being raffled off (you do not need to be present to win). All proceeds to benefit HOPE Project. Click on the title above to access links to the flyers for more information.
J. R. Alford Greenway Citizen Committee Workshop
Thursday, March 6, 2pm – 4pm
Leon County Office of Resource Stewardship (Gathering Room)
1907 S Monroe St, Tallahassee
There is an important meeting regarding possible segregation of equestrian and mountain bike trails at Alford Arms. While everyone involved agrees that separate trails are a positive thing, there will be discussion about how that separation is handled. TMBA has voiced some preferences for keeping all the fun single tracks as bike-only. The STA Board would prefer to split the four existing tracks equally, two for horses, two for bikes. Per Sue Noyes, who was the equestrian consultant on the project, those
trails were originally developed for all users, not specifically bikes. The equestrians have as much right to ride on them as the mtn bikers.
It’s not clear if this meeting will have open public discussion, or if the public can attend but not comment, or if perhaps a spokesperson can sign up to speak for a group. But regardless, attendance by equestrians is important. Wear a horsey shirt or hat!
Side note: there were some user comments on the TMBA public FB page regarding the Ft Braden and Lines Tract trails. For the record, both are managed under the Florida Forest Service. The following information is provided to clarify any comments from the mtn bike community that may imply the equestrians are pushing them out of trail systems.
Ft Braden was originally dedicated as EQUESTRIAN-only under the guidance of Sue Noyes, who worked with Florida Power on the original land purchase by the state, and on developing the trails we still ride today. At some point later, the separate hiking trail system was added. Bikes have never been allowed and state forestry has no plans to allow them in the future. We are not trying to push bikers out because they have never been allowed in the first place. Ft Braden is currently the ONLY “no bikes” equestrian trail in this region.
Lines Tract is still officially listed as multi-use but the mtn bike community ABANDONED use of the tract, and several years ago state forestry INVITED Southern Trailriders to partner with the division to ADD equestrian use to the existing trails. State forestry is in the process of adding improvements to make the trailhead and trail system horse-friendly. We are all looking forward to the official equestrian-use opening announcement.
Special thanks to you for coming out to participate in the Forest Cleanup on Saturday. There were a total of 116 volunteers.
With trash containers located on Rivers Rd, Aenon Church Rd and Munson Holding Pond (Forest Rd #379), a significant impact was made in a short time.
Aenon Church Rd – 1,700 # / .85 tons
Munson Holding Pond – 2,080 # / 1.04 tons
Rivers Road – 6,560 # / 3.28 tons
Tires – 1,900 # / .95 tons
Electronics/HHW – 100 # / .05 tons
Grand Total 12,340 # / 6.17 tons
If you have comments or suggestions, please send me a text or an email.
The Forest Cleanup in Wakulla County will be tomorrow. Information is on the Keep Wakulla County Beautiful website.
The 2026 Forest Cleanup in Leon County will be on February 28.
Sharon Gray
850-510-3076
Starting out Saturday morning with a comfortable temperature of
about 60 degrees, 16 riders pulled in for this challenging but fun ride.
Sharon, Susan, Arlene, Gayle, Linda, Regine, Chris, Sue, Judy, Jessica,
Brandi, Joyce, Kathy, Esther, Donna, and Karen all were ready to ride
out at 10:00. So after a group picture, we rode out and headed for the
woods. Joe Budd is such an interesting ride going up and down hills,
crossing small streams, and enjoying it’s varying terrain. It’s
particularly pretty overlooking the Little River from the top of the
ridge. It’s easy to imagine you’re in the mountains. Once we left the
woods, we made our way down to the Education Center and lake,
walked over the dam and then headed back on the road to the
trailhead where lunch was waiting for us. Thanks so much Ron for
preparing lunch. What a great day for riding and visiting with
friends. Sharon
The day began quite chilly and I wondered what kind of turnout there would be for this trailride. As it turned out, the only brave riders were board members. After I arrived with Quia about 9:30, Sharon was next with General, then came Liz with Majik and Becky with Smoke. Last to arrive was our president, Joyce with Blue.
I had decided to ride the Yellow Trail since we had just completed a work day to clear large trees off the trail the farthest out it goes because our turn markers could not be seen. We also cleared other trees at different locations but I was excited to show our members what the club does to provide safe trails for us to enjoy.
In the meantime, while we were preparing to ride, Liz asked if it was safe to ride in the forest now that hunting season is open. I replied that still hunters are usually out of the woods by 10. Shortly after that, 3 pickup trucks headed down Rivers Road toward Crawfordville Highway. I asked Liz if she thought they were still hunters leaving and she said “I hope so”.
We started down the Yellow Trail and were having a good ride. After we made the first right turn, Joyce let us know a truck was coming and we needed to get off the trail to let it go by. I watched the truck head down the trail and noticed a vehicle approaching it coming our way and wondered how they were going to pass each other on the narrow trail road. The truck then went over a hill and I lost it. We kept riding and I couldn’t see the trucks at all so I assumed they were gone. Soon we came to a cross road and there were both of the trucks! The drivers started the trucks and took off going north and we went on to the west. We wondered if they knew each other and were just talking and thought they would interfere with our ride.
Soon we were where we had chainsawed and moved four trees that blocked the trail and hid our turn markers. I pointed this out to everyone and we continued on our way, making the necessary right turn. There were more downed trees in this area that we cut and removed and then we made another right turn. We hadn’t gone a long way when we spotted another truck parked in the trail ahead of us. It was not either of the trucks we had already seen. We stopped and talked with the driver and learned he is a dog hunter. His group was running dogs in the Yellow Trail area. He said they knew we were riding in the area and appreciated us wearing orange. We were at the intersection where the Blue Trail crosses the Yellow and I asked if we should take it. He said they would be heading in that direction back toward the transmission line and then got confirmation on his radio so we continued on the Yellow Trail.
We soon got to the trail we came out on and turned left heading toward the Trailhead. A short distance ahead we could see a couple of trucks and two equestrians. By the time we got there, the equestrians had started back to the Trailhead and the hunters were collecting their dogs. We were at the point where the Yellow Trail cuts off toward Crawfordville Highway so we thought that would be the best way back.
When we made the loop and were heading back to the main trail, we were shocked to see a hunting dog looking at us. He was all by himself and we wondered if he had gotten lost. We hoped we would run into the hunters again to let them know where we saw him. Then, we heard some dogs off in the near distance and he took off baying.
When we got back to the main trail, a truck came down it and stopped ahead of us. The guy got out and started loading up the dogs. We shared our encounter with him and he was having trouble getting one of his dogs to load up. I looked at him and said “there’s always one”. He looked at me, smiled and said “yes and this is the one”. We all laughed and wished him well as we left for the Trailhead. When we arrived there were no other equestrians in the parking area and we wondered who else was riding that day! It certainly was a very different 3-hour trail ride. Do you think it is because only board members participated?
Submitted by Sue
I want to give a big shout out to the Lake Talquin State Forest staff, for opening up the blockage in the west loop caused by the tornado back in May. I organized a short-notice work day and was joined by Julie, Regine, and two guests of Regine’s who were visiting from Germany.
We surveyed the tornado section first (and Regine saw a bear disappear into the woods!). The rangers, headed up by Jai Subramanya, recreation director, had tackled the herculean task of opening up the trail and making it “horse safe”. What used to be complete hardwood canopy is now open sky with only a few scattered trees left. A sad sight but nature will eventually heal itself.
We walked the trail, and checked on a short detour Regine and I had flagged back in the summer, and called it good.
Our other project was also storm-related, but goes back to Hurricane Michael. There was a reroute put in downhill from the horse camping location, which has suffered numerous changes every time another tree fell down. I had the OK from forestry to re-establish the original trail to match the map. And that’s what we did! We even uncovered the original “Group Campsite” sign from where it had been hidden under debris for six years.
Fort Braden Trails are an ongoing project, but I was happy to check a couple of items off the “to do’ list.
Submitted by Leatha
The hastily called workday was a huge success and I thank the following people for responding and helping us do outstanding work on behalf of all equestrians who use these trails. Our goal was to clear the Red Trail and the Orange Trail of fallen trees and debris from the two hurricanes.
We had two crews: 1) Ron, Sharon and Herb and 2) Sue, Frank, Tim, Jan , Regine and David. Ron took the Orange Trail but actually started on the Blue Trail that runs along Lake Munson. There was no damage on the Orange Trail until the road where the Blue Trail crosses the power line which then intersects the Orange Trail. They worked for 3.25 hours and accomplished clearing the trail to the single track portion that goes to a pond and then exits into a beautiful stand of longleaf pines.
Sue’s crew was able to clear the entire Red Trail and accomplished side and top clearing in areas that needed it. This trail was the worst one but everyone on the crew did an excellent job and worked well together for 3.50 hours.
Since Ron’s crew wasn’t able to complete their task, he went out on Saturday, November 2 and cleared the rest of the Orange Trail and more of the Blue Trail, working for 3 hours.
My thanks go to these crews for their hard work and dedication on such short notice. We held this workday during the week because we now have nice riding weather and thought folks may come out on the weekend and wanted the trails to be presentable. So please take advantage of the clean trails at Rivers Road!
Submitted by Sue
Trailers started rolling through the gate in preparation for a gorgeous day of riding with the weather being sunny and a perfectly cool 50 something degree morning. List of riders included ride leader Sharon with Beau; Wendy with Eli; Megan with Gus; Esther with Dana; Joyce with Blue, and Sue with Quia.
This was one of the first rides for the season for two of our riders, so they were especially happy to be there. We tacked up our horses, grouped up together and started out on the newest trail heading toward Gate B, which is now developing in to a very nice addition to our other trails.
We meandered through woods, rode up and down the hills of the trail parallel to Lake Jackson, rode down by Lake Victoria, took the single track trail by the soccer field and then headed back to the trailers which totaled 1 hour and 45 minutes. All the horses were great and I do believe all of them (including their passengers) totally enjoyed the ride.
After the ride, we pulled out some chicken rollups, along with Megan’s Halloween cookies and enjoyed munching and chatting. So enjoyed the perfect fall day with friends and our horses.
Submitted by Sharon
What great weather and great turnout for our first fall ride in 2024! We had a total of 12 members: Linda on Blondie, Chris C. on Rose, Chris L. on Ripple, Sue on Jazz, Esther on Dana, Nancy on Rosie, Chuck on Justin, Debbie on Doc, Liz on Majik, Becky on Smoke, and Regine and David leading Manni and Blue. This was Sue’s first trail ride on her new mare, Jazz. We also had two service dogs tag along.
We rode out at 9:30 taking the trails that loop from the main trail and back until we passed the new pedestrian bridge, which is currently blocked by orange fencing. Couldn’t resist a photo opportunity under some stately oaks nearby.
We then explored a newly-cut trail that wound its way through the woods; taking us West until we reached the fence line. It was quite beautiful, had a couple of shallow water crossings, and was well marked with wooden stakes.
We stopped for a while on the last leg of our ride in the oak-filled portion of the park. It gave us another chance to chat, drink some water, and snap more pictures. All in all, it was a pleasant, slow-going ride that concluded right at an hour and a half. As we returned to the parking lot, Liz couldn’t resist taking a picture of the parking lot that was filled to capacity with horse trailers.
Submitted by Becky
Save the date for the 2025 STA Poker Run & Obstacle Challenge. Proceeds to benefit HOPE Project, Inc.
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Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway Management Plan Draft Presentation
5:30pm November 7 at The Hub @ Feather Oaks, 6500 Miccosukee Road
The draft plan can be reviewed here:
Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway Citizen Advisory Committee
Capital City Cyclists participated on the Citizen Advisory Committee that recommended the goals and objectives for the plan. The plan is the third ten-year update. The Greenway is located on State of Florida conservation lands and is leased to Leon County. The State bought the land from the Welaunee developer for $4,000,000, in part to protect the Miccosukee Canopy Road.
The seven-mile Greenway has become a popular destination for cyclists, runners, walkers, equestrians, and others. The county operates four trailheads making the park easily accessible.
Dangerous New Roads Crossing Trails
An unfortunate part of the purchase was a series of utility and road easements crossing the Greenway. The road easements will seriously degrade the experience of park users who will have cross up to four busy roads. The first road to be built is an extension of Dempsey Mayo to connect the new development to Mahan. County planners expect 7500 vehicles to cross the Greenway on this road extension.
Capital City Cyclists made park user a safety an issue before the Leon County Commission and during meetings of the Miccosukee Greenway Citizens Advisory Committee. The Commission voted to reduce the speed limit, narrow the lanes, and install a user-operated red light at the intersection of the trail.
The Citizens Advisory Committee set safety objectives for new intersections of trails and roads. The commitment for the trail crossing safety is not included in the plan. Included in the background section is an uncertain explanation of what to expect with the other three proposed roads. Hopefully the City of Tallahassee and the developer will scale back the remaining road plans.
Capital City Cyclists will continue to advocate for the best possible safety measures for areas where new roads will cross the park.
Flooding Continues
Another issue not well-addressed in the plan is the flooding just east of the Edenfield Trailhead. For months the trail was drowned under ponded floodwaters and unusable. Park staff used dirt to elevatethe trail across the water.
While there is evidence of previous flooding in this area, the impact is worse from the heavy rainfall in March and April. Some suggest that the design of the stormwater facility is increasing groundwater. There is also that possibility that water redirected from the newly constructed extension of Welaunee Parkway may be increasing the amount of water pooling on the Greenway.
Cyclists and others are encouraged to review the Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway Management Plan.
Come to the community meeting 5:30pm November 7 at The Hub @ Feather Oaks, 6500 Miccosukee Road.
What great weather and great turnout for our first fall ride in 2024! We had a total of 12 members: Linda on Blondie, Chris C. on Rose, Chris L. on Ripple, Sue on Jazz, Esther on Dana, Nancy on Rosie, Chuck on Justin, Debbie on Doc, Liz on Majik, Becky on Smoke, and Regine and David leading Manni and Blue. This was Sue’s first trail ride on her new mare, Jazz. We also had two service dogs tag along.
We rode out at 9:30 taking the trails that loop from the main trail and back until we passed the new pedestrian bridge, which is currently blocked by orange fencing. Couldn’t resist a photo opportunity under some stately oaks nearby.
We then explored a newly-cut trail that wound its way through the woods; taking us West until we reached the fence line. It was quite beautiful, had a couple of shallow water crossings, and was well marked with wooden stakes.
We stopped for a while on the last leg of our ride in the oak-filled portion of the park. It gave us another chance to chat, drink some water, and snap more pictures. All in all, it was a pleasant, slow-going ride that concluded right at an hour and a half. As we returned to the parking lot, Liz couldn’t resist taking a picture of the parking lot that was filled to capacity with horse trailers.
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) – The Georgia Department of Public Health’s (DPH) South Health District has recieved three positive notifications of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
In Berrien County, a horse has tested positive, along with one mosquito pool in Irwin County, and another pool in Lowndes County, according to a release by Georgia DPH.
“These three positive notifications are spread out across our district, which tells us that EEE is present in our region,” said Chris Calhoun, District Environmental Health director. “We want to encourage everyone to take extra precautions to protect themselves against mosquito bites. While these notifications do happen most years, we must continue to take it seriously.”
DPH provided tips to prevent mosquito bites including:
“While it is not uncommon to have positive notifications for EEE in our region at this time of year, it also highlights the importance of remaining vigilant in protecting yourself against mosquito bites as they are the most common form of transmission for mosquito-borne illnesses,” the release said.
While there is no vaccine for humans to prevent EEE and West Nile Virus, there are vaccines available for horses. People are urged to consult their veterinarians to have their horse(s) vaccinated as early as possible.
For more information on mosquito-borne illnesses, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
You may have guessed by now that we aren’t having a quarterly meeting
today. The Board was unable to secure a suitable indoor venue, and
decided it was not practical to host an outdoor meeting (high today
predicted to reach the upper 90s).
But our tireless President, Joyce Papp, will prepare an email with
newsworthy information from the first half of this year and information
on upcoming projects. This will be sent out to the membership, posted on
the STA website and also on our FaceBook page.
The Board hopes everyone is staying safe and keeping all their horses
comfortable (as much as can done in Florida summertime).
The citizens committee working on the revision of the 10-year management plan has agreed to change the format to bring more clarity to the different areas that are contained in the current plan. The new plan will have three goals that contain objectives to be achieved. They are 1) Public Access & Recreational Enjoyment, 2) Natural Resource Stewardship and 3) Public Awareness & Site Preservation. The next
meeting will be held Tuesday May 21 at 10 a.m. at the Office of Resource Stewardship, 1907 South Monroe. It will start with an hour long presentation regarding the Dempsey Mayo road crossing and roundabout and after that the plan workshop will begin. The meeting is open to the public so I encourage you to attend. There is another activity involving the greenway that is being conducted by the Friends of the Miccosukee Greenway (FMG), a 501 C3 organization. The issue of most concern is the 4 road easements that were contained in the deed when the state bought the land. The first road crossing is Dempsey Mayo and it is now in the permitting stage. It contains a roundabout at Miccosukee Road with no stop lights, a dangerous arrangement for park users. FMG has proposed an amendment to the Canopy Road Protection Ordinance and pointed out the Comp Plan allows for “special regulatory measures…where special conditions are present”. This would acknowledge that road and intersection designs are special conditions, especially since the Miccosukee Greenway is in the same corridor. Residents live on all sides of the greenway in Districts 4 and 5. FMG wants to create a Miccosukee Greenway and Canopy Road Protection Corridor that allows for special conditions in road design. It would run from Dempsey Mayo to Kimberly Circle, or the full length of the 6-mile greenway. Rob Lombardo, FMG President, organized a kick-off for this effort at Edenfield Trailhead on May 11. Equestrians were the largest interest group in attendance. Special thanks go to the following for their attendance: Individuals with horses: Regine Kraft, Suzanne Lane, Chris Littlefield, Sue Noyes, David Reigner, Gayle Spellman, Nancy Stephens, Susan Tuttle and Linda Vause. On foot: Megan Altavilla, Brett Barteld, Tina Brown, Joanie Elder, Nancy Isenberg, Gaye and Jeff Johnson, Pam Springer and Wendy Trawick. Please see the picture included with this report. The next step is to get the county commission to recognize the need for this protection corridor. This effort began at their May 14 county commission meeting and there were 23 people from the FMG group in attendance with signs. Sue Noyes, Nancy Stephens and Linda Vause spoke about the need to protect the greenway as well as other FMG members. After comments, the commissioners had a healthy discussion about the issue. A motion made by David O’Keefe (who is on the management plan committee) was seconded by Rick Minor to send this issue to staff to prepare language to address the questions and issues presented by the Friends supporters including roads through the greenway as a special condition in the Canopy Road Protection Ordinance. The motion passed unanimously. It is unknown how much time staff will need to complete this task.
Submitted by Sue N.
What a great ride we had – it was historic in ways! We actually had two rides as Megan A. and Carol S. were on Pasos so they did their own thing and rode for 1.5 hours. The rest of us experienced a unique and very different ride for 2 hours. Kathleen D. came for her first ride on Jett since having a hip replacement and did superb! Esther Diaguila was riding Dana for the first time since Dana had a tendon accident. She also had a great ride. We also had Debbie R. who rode Tombstone and ponied Doc Holiday. Then there was me on Quia.
We started to the east and rode the first new multi-use single track trail in the woods then proceeded to the single track trail that runs behind the neighborhood homes. When approaching the main trail we discovered a big tree across the single track trail but had no difficulty crossing it.
We then took the main trail to the next single track trail that takes you to the beginning ot the main trail around the lake. We hadn’t gone far and found water – lots of it as far as you could see down the trail. We splashed in and soon could see it ended a ways down. We exited the water and then found a large dead 4 ft. limb hanging in vines across the trail. There was no way to get around it because of the boundary fence on the left and thick woods on the right. Debbie deserves at least 15 minutes for trail maintenance as she got off her horse and cleared it up. I then started through the vines on the ground and discovered barbed wire so she quickly removed it and put it on the boundary fence.
We then got on the trail around the lake. The lake was full but no water on the trail. We soon learned there would be spots with water and then none all along the lake. One section was up to the horses knees! No one had any trouble navigating it. We encountered a runner along the way and notified him of the water we had just been through so he turned around to go back.
We decided to take the trail along the railroad track and it was in pretty good shape. At this point Esther decided to head back because she didn’t want to over work her horse and we’d already covered 4.5 miles. This trail was in good shape, too, and when we had the option to take the new trail with the bridge we took it. We ran into several bikers and some hikers along the way and when we got to the bridge, Kathleen rode her horse over it a few times to get him used to it. When we got back to the trailhead, Esther had just arrived, too.
The conversation along the trail revealed that Debbie is the author of a horse training book, Equine Health and Communication Guide, that deals with panic attacks. She did a lot of research for this book and it’s available via Amazon. It must be a good book because her two horses were perfect on the trail. She is also a watercolor artist who does natural scenes and stories and did some of a poker ride. She has also joined STA so please welcome her when you have an opportunity to meet her!
Submitted by Sue N.
The afternoon event was held for the second year at The Homestead Barn, in Monticello.
A delicious potluck lunch was held with David Rigdon cooking his famous BBQ.
After lunch, Joyce Papp began the meeting with some brief summaries of STA current and future projects.
Jessica Mauer gave a summary of the status and needs of the upcoming Benefit Event on March 16th. There will be a Poker Run, Obstacle Challenge and a Tack Yard Sale.
Sharon Haughton gave a brief summary of the current financial status of STA.
Officers and directors were elected for the year 2024: Joyce Papp as President, Sue Noyes as Vice President, Regine Kraft as Secretary, Becky Day as Treasurer and Leatha Flowers as Newsletter Editor. Directors are: Sharon Haughton, Maria Morales, Liz Rich and Linda Vause.
Top Five Ride Hours
1st: Sharon Haughton- 16.5
2nd: Joyce Papp- 13.25
3rd: Liz Rich and Becky Day tied – 12.75
4th: Sue Noyes – 12.5
5th: Jessica Mauer and Brandi Enfinger tied – 10.75
Top Five Volunteer Hours
1st: Sue Noyes – 103.5
2nd: Ron Tuttle – 42.5
3rd: Linda Vause – 33.75
4th: Susan Wilson – 25
5th: Nancy Stephens – 22.75
Temperature predicted to be maybe 40 by noon and 10-12 mph
winds – who in the world would ride in that weather??? Turns out –
lots of us!! We had a total of 12 riders: Sharon on Beau; Nancy S. on
Rebel; Wendy on Eli; Donna on Doc; Beth on Whiskey; Alice on
Maisy; Lena on Scooter; Joyce on Blue; Don on Magnum; Sandy on
Pearl; Linda on Blondie and Chris on Farley. What a great turnout!!
A big welcome to 2 new members, Don and Beth. We rode for 3
hours in 3 separate groups, slow, fast and medium speeds. Only 2
calamities: a breast strap broke; and Linda was riding along and
noticed something different – she had lost a stirrup. So other than
that, we had a perfect day and a few of us stayed afterward sitting in
the sun catching up. If you didn’t make it, you missed a great ride!
Sharon
