About webeditor

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far webeditor has created 47 blog entries.

Fort Braden Work Day, November 10, 2024

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

Rivers Road Workday, November 1, 2024

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

Phipps Ride on Saturday, October 19, 2024

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

St. Marks Headwaters Ride – September 21, 2024

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

2025 Poker Run & Obstacle Challenge

Save the date for the 2025 STA Poker Run & Obstacle Challenge. Proceeds to benefit HOPE Project, Inc.

https://www.southerntrailriders.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2025-STA-Poker-Run-STD.jpeg

Miccosukee Greenway Meeting – Nov 7th @ 5:30pm at The Hub @ Feather Oaks

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:

https://www2.leoncountyfl.gov/CTADocs/other/MGCC_2025MCRGPlanMergred.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawGWNX5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTKEbrked4Q_FGAZSIKl6Sae0EvgdZJs6mCLoXiNx68uHzvzBMktVApopQ_aem_UUCLzTeh_eJdQgm81JgNTg

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.

St. Marks Headwaters Ride – September 21, 2024

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. 

Three Cases of EEE found in South Georgia

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:

  • Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin and/or clothing
  • Wear long sleeves and pants when the weather permits
  • Have secure, intact screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out
  • Eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flowerpots, buckets, barrels, wading pools, and other containers. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out
  • Be sure to use repellent and wear protective clothing from dusk to dawn or consider indoor activities during these times due to peak mosquito-biting hours

“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.

STA Quarterly Meeting – June 15th – CANCELED

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).

Miccosukee Greenway Update

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.

Alford Greenway – April 20, 2024

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.

2024 STA Annual Meeting – January 13, 2024

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

Fort Braden Ride – January 20, 2024

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

Poker Ride & Obstacle Challenge!!!

Join us for a Poker Ride, Obstacle Challenge and Tack Yard Sale on March 16, 2024 beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Visit the STA Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthernTrailriders/ or the event page on Facebook https://fb.me/e/30nqN3N2V for more information.

Click here for a printable EVENT FLYER and for the TACK YARD SALE FLYER.

STA Workday at Phipps Park – October 27, 2023

Our STA workday at Phipps Park on Friday was a huge success.  We set out to clear a new trail teaming up with North Florida Back Country Horse Association (NFBCHA) members. 

After doing some preliminary scouting and routing, Robert Steele, City of Tallahassee, lead the way from the Gate A entrance parking area cutting the trail with his equipment.  Then our crew followed, cleaning up debris and splitting up logs, cutting branches and installing new signs where appropriate.

We zigzagged our way to the Gate B parking area, crossed the Gate B entrance road, then continued to create a loop amongst the pines and oaks eventually connecting to the existing STA equestrian trail. 

Because one area was too dense for his machine, Robert will go back next week with some heavy-duty equipment to finish clearing that area of the trail.  We plan to have one more workday finishing up the approximately 1.5 miles of new equestrian-only trail. 

Thanks so much to our crew:  Sharon and Herb, Nancy, Linda, Maria, Wendy and Laura. 

News from the STA President (October 2023)

Hello STA Members,

Just wanted to reach out to you all and remind you of several things we have coming up on our calendar.

Saturday, October 21 st , is our monthly scheduled ride and our quarterly meeting. It will be at Rivers Road, ready to ride out at 9:30 am. It will be a 2-hour ride and afterward will be the quarterly meeting (short and sweet, I promise). If you don’t want to ride, then just come to the quarterly meeting which will begin around noon. STA will be providing the meat from Sonny’s BBQ. Bring a covered dish to share, BYOD (drink) and a lawn chair.

As our year will soon be winding down, your Board is asking for help on some decisions which we will discuss at the quarterly meeting.

  1. Last year (Jan 2022), STA had the annual meeting at the American Legion on Lake Ella Drive. This year (Jan 2023) we had it at The Homestead Barn in Monticello. We need you to think about where you prefer, or recommend, we have our annual meeting? We need a building for about 60 people, access to a kitchen, tables, chairs and restrooms, along with the ability to have or purchase alcohol. Please don’t just ignore this for someone else to do; we are truly asking for your assistance. Since it’s the “Annual Meeting” would you prefer it in early December to close out the year or in January as in the past few years?
  2. As 2024 is coming up, we are asking for new board members because some of us need a break.  Sharon Haughton is resigning as Treasurer and Liz Rich is stepping down as Newsletter Editor. Wendy Trawick is leaving the board. We will need bodies to fill these positions. If you want to help,
    or know of anyone who would want to help, speak up. Let us know! This is the time for you to come to our aid because Southern Trailriders Association is an important organization that keeps communication lines open with our legislators, land management groups, local government
    representatives and keeps our equestrian trails active.
  3. STA is getting back to sponsoring a benefit ride to be held in March. Details will be coming soon on our website and on Facebook.

Think about what you can do to participate.  Now’s your chance to help make a difference. Hope to see you at the Quarterly Meeting, October 21st . If you can’t make it, you can still make a difference by reaching out to any board member with your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks again and see you soon.

Joyce Papp, President

J.R. Alford Greenway – May 20, 2023

What a great day for a ride! The temperature was 73 degrees when I left the house with Quia to go to the trailride. When I arrived at Alford, Laura C. was already there with Jewel and then Nancy S., a new member, came in with Rosie and brought a guest, Marilyn M., with Bruin. Next to arrive were Sharon and Herb H. with Beau and General, then Paulie P. came in with Image. The last to arrive was Kathleen D. with Jett. I went down to close the exit gates and on the way back I heard a loud “boom”, like someone shooting a gun. I thought this couldn’t be happening in this area and when I got back to the trailers, I learned that Nancy had a tire blow on her horse trailer just sitting in the trailhead! How’s that for a bizarre event? We decided to call for help after we were on the ride so we would be there when help arrived.
Knowing the temperature was going to rise, the route we took utilized the single track trails and the shaded multi-use ones. We ran into several bikers and folks walking with their dogs.
At one point, we talked with a couple who had two dogs and Kathleen discovered the guy was an attorney who spoke to her as she is a retired Judge. She then learned that Marilyn is also an attorney so they had a nice conversation, too. The county has been conducting fires for maintenance on the greenway so we stayed away from the first access to the trail along the railroad as they had a sign up asking trail users not to use it. We rode on the edge of the fields and said goodbye to Kathleen, who had to leave us, until we had another chance to access the single track along the railroad. There was a slight breeze and Nancy and Marilyn had not ridden the single tracks so it was a nice experience for them. We stopped along the way for Sharon to call U. S. Rider for Nancy’s flat tire and then continued on the single track. When we came to the split to access the new multi-use “single track” we took it and crossed over the only bridge on the greenway which is near the return to the trailhead. We then arrived safely back at the trailhead from the two-hour ride. As I left, Nancy had a short wait for tire help and company from Sharon and Herb. Also, the temperature was 83 degrees! A true blessing for a nice day to enjoy riding with friends!
Submitted by Sue N.

Coldwater Equestrian Campground at Blackwater River State Forest – April 13-16, 2023

Several members (Maria Morales, Joyce Papp, Jessica Mauer, Brandi Enfinger, Lora Kibler and John Pemerton) made it to Coldwater on Thursday, April 13th, but we (Becky Day, Liz Rich, Alice Shannon and my friend, Joanne Zang) decided to go on Friday, April 14th and return on Monday, April 17th. We arrived after 6 hours on the road, due to a blow out on our flatbed trailer that was hauling a golfcart. Little did we know, golf carts are not allowed at the park. Lesson! Friday we all got together for our potluck dinner and shared stories sitting around the fire. The next morning, we decided to ride out at 10am on the pink trail, which starts on the other side of the bridge, so we split up into two groups. One slow group of mostly quarter horses (Maria Morales, Joyce Papp, Jessica Mauer, Brandi Enfinger, and Brandi’s friend, Samantha Baggett) and one fast group with mostly walking horses (Liz Rich, Becky Day, Alice Shannon, Lora Kibler and John Pemerton). Alice tagged along behind our fast-walking horses with her quarter horse, Shine. The trails were very well marked and were a mixture of pines and hardwoods. We arrived back at camp after 1pm and decided to take a dip in the creek. Now I know why they call it Coldwater! Then shortly after 4pm the rain started followed by strong winds that knocked out power to our camp. I just knew I was going to lose my awning, but it survived. It was a little scary! Our power was out for at least 4 ½ -5 hours. When the rain finally tapered off, we were able to check to make sure everyone was OK. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day and we took advantage of it. While other members were packing up to leave, we saddled up and the three of us (Becky Day, Liz Rich and Alice Shannon) decided to take the yellow trail. It is mostly pines but has several creek crossings which is refreshing for the horses. Overall, we had a wonderful time and the weather was great (except the 3-4 hours of rain Saturday evening). We will definitely be going back again.
Liz

Apalachicola National Forest Cleanup Day – Feb 25, 2023

The day dawned cool but quickly warmed up. Orientation was at 8:00 AM sharp presented by Sharon Gray. We had the BEST ever STA membership turnout with 17 members coming to pick up trash. Present were Jessica Mauer and her husband Brandon, Stephanie Gallegos and her husband Richard Fiesel, Katrina Ward, Doelle West, Ron Tuttle, Joelle Maclyn, Jan Early, Nancy Stephens, Linda Vause, Susan Wilson, Twila Wilson, Pam Freeman, Liz Rich, Sue Noyes, Joyce Papp and 2 non-members who volunteered under the STA banner, Janice Smith and Deb Stone, 19 all total. Awesome turnout! My apologies if I misspelled anyone’s name.
Some brought their UTV’s and we all brought empty feed sacks for the garbage. We have found that the feed sacks are much stronger than plastic garbage bags much to the surprise of the other volunteers. It also shows the community just how many equestrians were there helping out. After orientation, we split up into groups, some headed to Forest Road 362 off Springhill Road and the rest of us cleaned the trails at Rivers Road. All met back at Rivers Road trailhead around noon for an awesome lunch provided by Sharon Gray and the Forest Edge Neighbors. 2023 results are not in yet, but the cleanup results for 2006 – 2022 are 240.5 tons of trash.
Groups participating in the Forest Cleanup this year included Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association (TMBA), Southern Trailriders Association (STA), Forgotten Coast Jeepers, GD Off Road, SEDRA, Back Country Hunters and Anglers, North Florida Back Country Horsemen, Pi Lambda Phi, Phi Alpha Delta, Red Hills Chapter of Quail Forever, Rainbow Group, Tallahassee Fellowship Church, iHeart Media, and the Forest Edge Neighborhood.
Thank you, STA, NFBCH & SEDRA equestrian members and non-members for coming out and helping to keep the forest clean!
Joyce

Fort Braden Ride – Saturday Feb. 4, 2023

It started out a bit chilly this Saturday morning at about 38 degrees, but the sun was out bright, and it turned into a perfect day for a ride. Ten brave riders showed up dressed for the weather and by the end of the ride, we were shedding layers. Those that rode are: Sharon on Beau; Wendy on General; Laura on Jewel; Lena on Scooter; Chris on Rose; Sue on Quia; Nancy on Rebel; Alice on Shine; Kathy on Jett; and Katrina on Bandido. Thanks to Herb for helping me get sign ins and taking pictures. Most of us rode the west loop and somewhere down by the lake we all heard a bird call, that no one has ever heard before. Sounded like we were in the tropics for a minute. If you haven’t ridden the west loop in a while, you should. It’s not as hilly as the east loop but is still beautiful and definitely worth riding especially viewing from a horse’s back. Nancy and Lena checked out the east loop. Afterwards, we hung out at the pavilion enjoying our lunches with some brownies and cookies for dessert. Doesn’t get any better!


Sharon