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Phipps Ride – Saturday, January 7, 2023

Oh, to be 7 years old again……. Herb, Wendy, Nancy, Lena and I met the park manager of Phipps Park and his 7 year old daughter at Phipps on Saturday for a ride. It had been many years since Robert had ridden and those weren’t great experiences, so he was a bit nervous. Kate had only ridden a few times, but was extremely excited to ride a horse again. So Herb and I cleaned out our 3-horse LQ trailer, normally ready for camping with the 3rd stall used for storage, and made room for 3 horses to transport to Phipps. We also packed up tack, etc. for 3 horses. Well I forgot how much work that can be…..whew! But when we pulled in to Phipps and saw Kate peeking out from behind her dad with a HUGE smile on her face, the thought of the workload faded quickly. We saddled up our 3 boys (Beau for Robert, General for Kate and Cricket for me). We tried to shorten the stirrups to fit Kate’s legs…..failed at that, but did manage to make her helmet fit. She was a sport and so happy to be up on General, she didn’t care that she couldn’t reach the stirrups. We got Dad up and settled and off we went for about an 1.5 hour ride, me leading General with Kate. One thing I wanted to do was give Robert a different perspective of those trails and that I did. While riding, Robert agreed seeing the trails this way was very different and very enjoyable. I told Kate that General really liked to be petted on the mane occasionally while riding. It was so cute, when I looked back and caught her small hand patting General’s mane. Like I said, oh to be 7 again……
Interestingly enough, we came up on an SUV that was trying to drive down our trail. Was basically lost trying to get out of the park from a Gulf Winds Track Club meet. We also passed a biker with his dog off-leash. Other than that, all hikers and bikers were very considerate and almost all were happy to stop and admire the horses. On the way back to the trailers, I asked Kate if we were going to have to drag her off General and she quietly said with a grin “maybe”. It was a perfectly beautiful day and everyone really enjoyed the quiet ride through the woods. Needless to say I was really happy to get two people back in the saddle again. Something worth thinking about….. if you have the opportunity to reintroduce a child or adult to horseback riding, do it. It has multiple benefits and is quite fulfilling for yourself.
Sharon

2023 STA ANNUAL MEETING January 14, 2023 The Homestead Barn, Monticello, FL

We would like to thank everyone that came to the STA Annual Meeting. We had a good turnout, plenty of food, and we want to thank David Rigdon for the fabulous job on the smoked meat.
We discussed the challenges in 2022 including the low number of people riding and attending workdays and what can we do to get members to participate. Some riders relayed that the rides are too fast if gaited horses are leading. We can divide up into two groups (slow and fast) if we have enough participating. You can also call the ride leader to find out the speed of the ride. Other members said they need to know well in advance if there is a ride. The destination does not need to be determined, just a date so they can put it on their calendar. Nancy Stephens motioned that STA have a ride on the third Saturday of each month, and the location will be determined as the date gets closer. If the ride needs to be canceled, it is at the discretion of the ride leader to either assign a new date or cancel the ride completely. It was seconded by Pam Freeman and the motion carried.

Slate of Officers and Board Members for 2023:
President: Joyce Papp
Vice President: Sue Noyes
Secretary: Leatha Flowers
Treasurer: Sharon Haughton
Newsletter Editor: Liz Rich
Board Members: Maria Morales, Linda Vause, Gaye Johnson, Wendy Trawick

We would like to recognize the following individuals for their time:
Linda Vause for the most hours ridden in 2022 (17 hours)
Sue Noyes for the most volunteer work hours (37.5 hours)

In closing, we want to thank you again for coming and providing valuable input. We hope to see you on the trail, so please mark your calendars for STA scheduled rides the third Saturday of
each month. Anyone can lead a scheduled ride, so if you would like to lead, just contact one of the board members.

Phipps Ride – Saturday, October 29, 2022

The day was cloudy but with a nice breeze, it was a great day to be riding. Those who came to enjoy the day were: Herb, Sharon on General, Gaye with Max, Nancy S. on Rebel, Nancy I. on Ginger, Wendy on Arrow, Linda on Blondie, and Joyce on Blue. All the horses were on their best behavior, and we all enjoyed a good ride. Since the only one that showed up dressed up (if you could call it that) was me with my pumpkin beanie cap on, so I won my own prize of horse treats. General was pretty happy about that! Afterwards we pulled out our chairs and just hung out for a while, solving the problems of the world…..or actually talking about our horses and their challenges. What else would we talk about? Fun day and looking forward to the next one.
Sharon

Rivers Road – Saturday, October 22, 2022

What a great day for a ride! The weather was not too cold or too hot. When I pulled into the trailhead with Quia, there were four horse trailers already there. Wow, I thought, we’re going to have a good ride today! Alas, they were not going on the STA ride. I then wondered if this was going to be my second “ride of one”. But…I was not disappointed because Maria M. came in with Trovi so it made my first “ride of two” official STA event!
Ron T., my husband, Frank, and I had spent 3.5 hours on October 12 doing much needed maintenance on the Orange Trail to remove downed trees and trimming the sides of the trail to remove brush. We decided to take it because it would be clear. The woods were pretty quiet as we rode along but we chatted a lot and I gave Maria some history on how the trail came to be and some of the interesting things we learned while establishing it. After we had ridden for quite a while, we came upon a hunter who popped out on the road in front of us. We had an opportunity to talk with him briefly and expressed that we hoped we had not ruined his hunt. He said “no” that he was leaving but his truck was parked in the road a ways down and he hoped we wouldn’t have any problem getting around it. We said it wouldn’t be a problem and asked his name. We then explained to Ryan that we have marked trails in the area and if he is interested in knowing where they are, we have trail maps at the Rivers Road Trailhead. He was unsure where that was as he entered the forest off of Spring Hill Road, so we explained how to get to Rivers Road and find the trailhead. We then went on our way and maneuvered around his truck to continue our ride. I showed Maria where we had put in a by-pass trail years ago because a hurricane came through and blew over a LOT of sand pines on our trail making it impossible to traverse the area. We continued on the trail and when we reached the point where the bypass would bring you back to the trail, I pointed that out to Maria, and we discussed how the Spring Hill blue trail out of FR 362 has a long and short route. We decided to bring this up at the next board meeting to see if it would be feasible to restore the bypass route so that riders who may have a problem or want a shorter ride could get back to the trailhead faster. The rest of the ride was quiet, and we chatted more about our own histories with horses and our lives. When we arrived back at the trailhead, three of the other riders were just coming back so we talked with them for a few minutes. All in all, it was a really good 2.5-hour ride!
Sue N.

Wakulla Springs – Saturday, October 15, 2022

We had a lovely ride with perfect weather this morning. The ride was 7 miles and about 2 hours and 20 minutes. In attendance were Sue, Joyce, Wendy, Susan W. and myself.
The parking lot was still the same as our pre ride day, I don’t believe the Springs staff went back to mow it as promised. Other than that, we had a wonderful morning with our ponies.
Maria

Miccosukee Greenway at Crump Road – Saturday, October 1, 2022

What a great day for a trail ride! There was a great cool breeze requiring the need of a jacket while tacking up the horses. Regine K. and I arrived with Sadie and Quia followed by Maria M. with Trovi. Sharon H. came in next and brought her new horse, Beau, a gorgeous Quarter horse. Last to arrive was Esther D. with Dana. Ester, Sharon and I were part of the crew that trimmed the single-track trail on August 27, so we were anxious to see how it looked. (After that workday, I had cleared the firebreak out of the trailhead of overhead branches, so we rode that first to see what it was like.) After we crossed Miccosukee Road, we headed for the single-track trail and were impressed with the work we had done. The trail was still pretty clear, but we noted that the underbrush is really thick in places and trying to encroach on the treadway. There was also a huge tree that had fallen across the trail during one of the storms we have had since our workday. We rode all the way to the gate where the single-track ends and then took the main trail to the grassy area that takes you around to the road crossing leading to the Thornton Road Trailhead. We decided to ride to Thornton Trailhead and discovered the flashing light at this crossing is not working. (We have made several attempts to get it fixed but may need to meet the crew to show them what the problem is.) We were able to get across the road ok and noticed there were a lot of rocks on the main trail. It caused some problems for Sadie, who is somewhat tender footed, but she was able to use the sides and avoid a lot of them. We arrived where the trail goes along Miccosukee Road and under I-10 and Regine, Maria and I then rode under I-10 while Sharon and Esther waited for us. When we started back, Regine was worried about Sadie as she was slightly limping on her right front because of the rocks. She finally got off and checked all her feet and removed a few smaller rocks. I explained she probably had gotten a bruise because when she got off the main trail, she was much better. We rode the single track back to stay off the main trail and after crossing the road again, we headed down the main trail for a short way until we could take a trail through the woods back to Crump Trailhead. All in all, it was a good 3-hour ride with good weather, good company and good horses!
Sue N.

Miccosukee Greenway Workday with Horses – Saturday, August 27, 2022

When I arrived at the Crump Road Trailhead with Quia at 8:20 a.m., it was 80 degrees. I was glad about that as I figured it wouldn’t be a bad heat-filled day to be clearing a trail! Esther D. was the next to arrive with Dana. She is a NATRAC rider and travels all over the country for competitions but happened to be here this weekend! Linda V. was next with Scarlet and then Sharon H. showed up with General. This was our mighty team that set out to clear our single-track trail after you cross Miccosukee Road. We actually started clearing on the way to the crossing and remarked about the high humidity. Once we arrived at the single-track trail, the real “fun” began. This trail was so overgrown we had trouble finding it in spots. The pictures with this write-up will give you an example of the severity of need for maintenance as it was truly impassable. We were really taken back by the amount of growth we experienced as we noticed the county had conducted a prescribed burn and it must have really encouraged growth. We soon realized we would have to work from the ground, so Sharon and Linda started it off and Esther and I held their horses. Later on, Esther joined the ground crew with Linda and Sharon held her horse. I went on ahead and cleared the overhead branches when the underbrush had cleared out. We could not have accomplished the clearing without Sharon’s Super Saw, a small four-inch electric chain saw. I was amazed when she was able to cut through a fallen tree that was at least 8 to 10 inches in diameter. When we saw that tree, we thought we’d have to call it a day! It was tough going for most of the way, but we were able to clear the underbrush as well as the overhead branches and vines all the way to where the trail joins back up with the main trail. Needless to say, we all felt accomplished with the work we were able to do on this 3.5-hour workday! As I left the trailhead, the temperature was 91 degrees.
Sue N.

Phipps Park – May 14, 2022

The weather was pretty nice for this 1 3/4 hour ride that brought together some old friends and a new friend. Sue brought Quia and also Sadie for Jan. Much to our surprise old friends were already there…Connie with Camsoix and her sister, Debbie , with Truffles. Then a trailer we had not seen before arrived and it was Rick with Quirt. Rick lives in Georgia and it was his first ride with STA. To round out the group, Wendy came in with Arrow and Joyce arrived with Blue. We started out on the trail next to Miller Landing Road and took the first trail to get over to the power line. We then took the single track trail along the soccer fields. The ride leader switched often during the ride but the pace was slow enough for everyone to be able to talk with each other. There is a new recreation manager for the City of Tallahassee and he has done a great job of getting the trails cleaned up and ready for enjoyment. We stuck to the perimeter and enjoyed riding next to Lake Victoria and the bat house that never seems to have any occupants. Rick was interested in the permanent jumps that are used for the Red Hills Horse Trials as he had never seen them before. We rode near Lake Jackson and then took the single track horse trail up near the pines along Miller Landing Road before heading back to the trailhead.
Submitted by Sue

Fort Braden Equestrian Trails and Quarterly Meeting – April 9, 2022

We had a record turnout for the ride with the parking lot and entrance packed in with horse trailers. Wendy and Arrow lead the “fast ride” that included myself on Majik, Becky on Smoke, Chris on Rose, Chris’s granddaughter, Bella, who just turned 11 years old, on Shake and some other riders. We decided to take the east side trail backwards for a change of scenery. The “slow” riders also took the east trail but went the right way. This was Bella’s first trail ride at Ft. Braden and proved to be a little challenging for her, especially at the creek crossings. But she managed to tackle the trails with her trusty steed. Halfway through the ride we ran into the other riders heading in the opposite direction. After the ride, we congregated at the Pavilion by the parking lot. STA brought sandwiches and we had plenty of side dishes and desserts. After lunch, we began our quarterly meeting and we provided some updates on the various trail projects that we have going on:
o Aenon Church Road – Wendy said the contact person for this trail is difficult to reach. Nancy Stephens will contact someone who can help. Sue and Suzanne offered to meet Wendy there to check on the current condition of this trailhead.
o Rivers Road – Sue and Ron Tuttle are working to get the sandy area under the power lines altered to prevent trucks from getting stuck.
Continued on next page
Fort Braden Equestrian Trails and Quarterly Meeting – April 9, 2022 (Cont.) o Ft. Braden – Leatha said that the state forestry had installed two new directional signs, but she felt they still needed some changes as nothing indicates “To Trailhead” (as she had discussed with Bin Wan). She will contact Bin and provide details of the changes requested. A workday is needed for this trail.
o Econfina River – Nancy said NFLBCHA will be meeting to discuss improvement of this trailhead.
o St. Marks Rail Trail – Joyce said we may have lost this trail due to overgrowth and non-use. The area is more industrialize since it was first created and therefore a noisy trail to ride.
o Torreya – Joyce said the State is now able to focus on this trailhead since the damage of Hurricane Michael, but it is not in their current management plan to incorporate an equestrian trail like it was before the storm.
o Wakulla Springs, Ferrell Tract – Joyce said this trail will be nice once it is established. It is in the UMP.
o Bald Point – Nancy Stephens said there are plans to install an equestrian campsite at this trailhead.
o Bluffs of St. Teresa – Nancy Stephens said there is no parking or trails at this location, but it is stated equestrians are allowed to ride there.
o L. Kirk Edwards – Linda said a marked loop will be created that crosses the river.
o Econfina Creek, Pine Ridge – Nancy Stephens said this is a nice area with 4 primitive camp sites, room for corrals and miles of trails.
We will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available. Overall it was a beautiful day for riding and congregating with others.
Submitted by Liz R.

Phipps Park – February 12, 2022

We had a nice turnout and great weather. Those that rode were Sharon on Cricket, Herb on General, Lena on Scooter, Sue on Quia, Jan on Sadie, Donna on Magnum, and Wendy on Arrow. Sadie lead the pack at a fast walk and that seemed to set off Quia and Arrow……all the way through the single track near the soccer field. Finally, Sue put Quia in front, followed by Sadie, then Arrow. The pace slowed a little, but not enough until Arrow was next to Quia, blocking Sadie. Ahhh, the order we must keep amongst our horses to keep them happy. After an hour the group really took a deep sigh and was at a relaxed walk….. until we entered the single track approaching Lake Victoria. There was a small hill that Arrow decided he wanted to canter down and pass everyone. Wendy corrected him and guided him back to repeat the hill 3 times until he took it at a slow walk. While this was going on, a man and his dog were visiting with the group. Yet another dog on the trail that had never seen horses before… Not much happened after that, but we did cover some ground as the entire loop was done in 1.5 hours. I’d say that was a pretty quick ride.

Sharon, Herb and Lena took it slower and had to stop early on. But that gave Lena a chance to ride a loop alone with Scooter – first time for them. She was smiling when she got back, because Scooter behaved himself like a perfect gentleman…a new found confidence in his abilities. It evidently was a day for building confidence in our horses, because Donna said Magnum did very well on the trail….I think she even likes him a bit more than she did before 🙂 We of course stayed around for a bit and caught up. Great day with our horses.
Submitted by Sharon

JR Alford Greenway – January 23, 2022

When I pulled up my driveway with Quia, the temperature was 38 degrees. Not bad, I thought, because it was supposed to be colder. As I got to the electronic gate, I see Linda V. and Scarlet go flying by. Good, I thought, at least I won’t be the only one there! After Linda and I pulled in the trailhead, Vickie J. and Angie S. pulled in with Sol and Gizmo. I noticed a little dog in the truck and asked why they had brought it. They found it running back and forth across SR59, south of I-10 so they stopped and picked him up. He was really scared. Angie called her husband and he came and picked the little dog up and took him home. I asked Vickie what they were going to do with him and she said she was going to see if her husband would let her keep the dog until they could determine who owned him.. After this happened, Suzanne L. came in with Cracker so this was the group for the ride! When we mounted up, the temperature was 43 degrees…not bad, I thought! We started out to the east to do the perimeter trail but shortly, Angie started having trouble with Gizmo and decided to go back to the trailhead. Suzanne said she would be glad to ride him for her but we couldn’t find a bench to use as a mounting block for Angie so she and Vickie departed, much to our disappointment. The rest of the ride was very enjoyable. We ran into many walkers, some with dogs, and some bike riders, all who were courteous. All in all it was very enjoyable. We took two of the multiple use single track trails as Suzanne had never been on them and ended up with a 3-hour trail ride!

Fast forward a few days…I was talking to Jan E. about the ride and mentioned the dog they picked up. She said that on Facebook a girl posted her being in Lloyd to visit her grandmother and her dog got out of the car and she couldn’t find it. I gave Jan Vicki’s phone number, hoping this would be a great reunion. Come to find out, the dog the girl lost was a female…same coloring and everything, but the dog Vickie has is a male! (This told me she talked her husband into keeping the dog until someone can prove they are the true owner.) So, beware….if you go on a ride I lead in the future, you never know what will happen!!!!!
Submitted by Sue N.

STA Youth Ride – February 2, 2022 at Equistarre Horsemanship

What a wonderful day we had! Fifteen riders braved the chilly air to meet at Equistarre Horsemanship for a two hour ride in the Apalachicola National Forest. This ride was geared toward the riding youth. We had five youths riding and by all accounts, everyone had a great time. The air was crisp and a few of the horses were feeling a bit frisky. One horse was a bit too exuberant and temporarily lost his rider. But all was well, horse and rider were reunited and the ride continued. As we rode, it did warm up a bit and by the time we got back to Equistarre, it was closing in on 50 degrees.

Time to fire up the grill! Hotdogs, chips, cookies and water were the lunch of the day. Our intrepid grill masters had the dogs in their buns ready for the hungry riders. After lunch, Equistarre riders entertained us with some mounted drills. Hot fresh popcorn was also provided for the spectators. Everyone had such a great time, they were asking when the next youth ride would be taking place.
Submitted by Ester D.

St. Marks Headwaters Ride – December 4, 2021

The weather was perfect for a nice ride on a beautiful greenway! Seven riders participated and three of them had never ridden there. I was the first to arrive with Jan and we brought Quia and Sadie. The horses really like this park and were excited to know that’s where we were riding. Linda and Chris were the next to come in and had Blondie and Farley, then we had two members from Cairo come join us, Jessica and Brandi and they brought Tequila and Dollar. The last to arrive was my new neighbor Paulie with Image. Since we had “newbies” to this greenway, I took the time to explain the layout of the park and explained we would be riding all the way up to Buck Lake Road first. We started out of the trailhead and took the half circle cutouts from the main trail until we hit the one to go to Buck Lake Road. The trail was very nice but when we rode along the fence line at Buck Lake, it had not been mowed and it was probably because it had been under water. We made the turn-around ok and I explained we would backtrack to the first trail heading west, This takes you to the location for the trailhead for the general public which will be off Buck Lake Road. (The reason there is no access directly down the fence along the road is because of a wetland and I understand there will be a bridge built in that area which will not accommodate horses.) We then headed south and came to Michael Crowley’s place and saw his cows. The horses always love to encounter them! At this point we headed east along his fence line and when you get to the corner, if you turn south, you will be on a road with LOTS of rocks which is difficult for horses with tender feet, so we continued east and crossed a canal that had a little water in it. We soon ended up in the main area of the greenway and headed down toward the railroad track. We explored another trail that took us west, but it had not been mowed either. It was an “in and out same way trail” so we then came to the railroad trail and took it so everyone would know where you end up if you had taken the “rock road”. We then returned and made our way to the big oak area. This is a special place on this greenway, and I gave everyone the history of the fairy houses that appeared in the area after the COVID lockdown went into effect. They stayed there for quite some time and people would leave “additions” to them which made it very interesting. They have since been removed by the county which has disappointed a lot of people who were interested in seeing what new “gifts” had arrived! All in all, it was a great 2.5 hour ride.

Sue

Otter Lake Ride – November 13, 2021

What a wonderful day to ride. The weather was perfect for an outdoor excursion. When the trail ended, the temperature was touching 70 degrees. There was nothing but sunny blue skies, for the entire two-and-half-hour trek, through the St. Marks’ National Preserve, Panacea Unit, (AKA Otter Lake). A panacea of a day, for sure! Seven equine enthusiasts with their special steeds enjoyed traversing sandy white two-rut roads, which lead through a Hallmark Greeting Card picturesque landscape. The mind clearing therapy that is obtained by meandering through natures beauty via horseback and shared with friendly fellowship is priceless. It was a joy meeting Stan riding Bailey and Teresa riding Tater. They are new to the area and recently relocated from Iowa to Havana. They enjoy camping as well as horseback riding and Stan offered to assist with trail maintenance. It was truly a delight getting to know them. While on the trail, we met up with two friends Harry riding Duke and Melodie riding Molly. They live near Otter Lake and subsequently joined our party. It’s always nice when you encounter friends on the trail. Current STA members who dared to brave the 70-degree blue sky day for a ride in the park: Sabrina riding Giddeon, Susan riding Bravo, Jill riding Buddy and yours truly, David riding Bell.
At the close of the ride, Stan, Teresa, Susan, Jill and I set around and got acquainted more with each other. Stan and Teresa are a friendly couple with many tales of their previous Mid-Western adventures. I won’t go into details here, but if the opportunity arises for any of you to meet them, take it. As Stan said, their camping mishaps could have come from the movie RV. According to Teresa, she had never heard of a “two-rut” road until moving to Florida! She got to ride on some nice ones today. Until next time happy trails to all!


David

St. Marks River Preserve State Park – Ride and Lunch

Saturday, January 1, 2022, Ride out at 10:00 a.m. Ride contact: Linda, 850-544-1900

If you are concerned about the speed of the ride, please contact the ride leader.

There are picnic tables at this trailhead. This will be a 2.5 hour ride. We will be cooking hamburgers after the ride.  Please  bring a personal snack to accompany your hamburger, as well as your own beverage. There are several trails all marked with different colors. It is a good idea to refer to the map at the kiosk prior to riding, if not familiar with this park. The terrain is generally flat and at times made up of thick loose dirt. Not much shade on this ride, so heat of the summer can be oppressive. Deer are frequently spotted and once in a long while, bear. Please bring bug spray in case the bugs are active as this park tends to be buggy.

Directions from Tallahassee: Take US 90 East to Chaires Cross Road. Turn right and continue to Apalachee Parkway. Cross over the Parkway and continue on W.W. Kelly Road to Tram Road. Turn left and go about 2.5 miles. About 1,000 feet before entrance, there is a brown State Park sign on the right directing you to the trailhead on the left. When you see Bobby Godwin Road on the left, the next drive to the left is the entrance to the State Park.

Directions from Woodville/Crawfordville: Take Capital Circle east to Tram Road. Turn right and continue several miles. (Trailhead is about 2.5 miles past W.W. Kelly Road.) About 1,000 feet before entrance, there is a brown State Park sign on the right directing you to the trailhead on the left. When you see Bobby Godwin Road on the left, the next drive to the left is the entrance to the State Park.

November 6, 2021 – Florida Caverns State Park, Marianna, FL

I was supposed to be down at Camp Boggy creek this past weekend for an endurance ride. Unfortunately, my truck kept acting up so I had to turn back around. Later that evening when I was all sad faced, Linda invited me to a slower, shorter ride with old friends. I said heck yeah I want to go! Can you pick Farley and I up??
With gal pal Linda behind the wheel, hot cocoa and 3 ponies in the box, we headed west to the newly reclaimed horse trails at the Florida Caverns State Park. After a little touristy view of all the winding roads within the park we made the right turn into the equestrian camping/parking facility where STA President Joyce met us. Shortly thereafter STA members Herb and Sharon and the Kremkau’s pulled in making us a little ride party of 7. The park equestrian campsite has big stalls and a few small paddocks along with 3 hook up sites, a pavilion and a very clean bath house. When the sites are full, the RV campsite is just down the hill where you can also hook up. Your horse can still use the barn and you are allowed to bring them to your trailer to tack. Cleaning up behind your manure maker is requested. This would be a great place for camping weekend or a stop over from TX or LA when heading to other parts of Florida. Ride the trails, explore the cavern, go tubing or kayaking down the Chipola River then check out Marianna and the little towns surrounding the area. The forest continues to recover from Hurricane Michael (10/2018). What was once a heavily wooded area is less so these days. Our small but merry group rode the 2 mile red trail 1st which led us past a sink hole and easy trails though the remaining tree canopy and new growth. It was a nice lollipop route which brought us back to camp and back out to the orange trail. The orange trail was a 6 mile course with open grass pathways which were nicely mowed and easy to maneuver. Our day was gloriously beautiful with azure blue skies. Not a single cloud, no bugs and a little breeze kept us comfortable in the saddle. While on the 6 mile loop, Joyce pointed out a house that was built over a cave. I would love to take a tour! While Joyce marveled at having your personal storm shelter in place; I was thinking more like personal wine cellar. Tomato – tomaahto. Emergency flashlight for my friend, a bottle of vino for me. Life is good! From there we headed to a pond where the horses took a big gulp and made bigger splashes. “We’re going down” almost came to a big splash event. Luckily for the rider, the big dip didn’t happen. While on this trail we passed different flora and fauna including lots of dill weed, thistle and what looked like mini black-eyed Susans. The horses seem to always know the go back trail and we picked up a little speed thus making our average speed just under 4 mph per Joyce’s trail app. Woo-Hoo! No matter the speed, any day spent with friends on horseback is a good day indeed! Though I am making a little joke about the speed, this really was a lovely ride that any horse and rider can do. The trails were marked as if Stevie Wonder along with the Lighthouse for the Blind marked them. We ended the day with a pot of chicken chili prepared by Linda while the horses enjoyed the lush grass around the facility.
A big thank you to STA President Joyce, the BOD and everyone else that put the effort in to reestablishing this trail.
Happy Trails! Chris

October 30, 2021 – Maclay Gardens State Park

On a somewhat cool Saturday morning, Sue on Quia, Nancy on Gypsy, Herb on General, and I on Cricket began our ride out. We encountered several hikers and bikers, almost all of them were really nice and friendly. One couple stopped to video us for his brother. Another fellow told us that he had seen the trailers and was so hoping he would see us. He was very happy and admired each one as we passed. Because I don’t ride this trail frequently, I always forget how beautiful the trails are there. It made me appreciate how lucky we are to have the gorgeous trails that we do. Weather was perfect, the company was very enjoyable too and I think all of our ponies enjoyed the day out too.
•Special note: We did encounter an older man on a bicycle who obviously doesn’t understand the need for slowing down when encountering horses on the trail. He barely slowed down the first time he passed us and the second time he ended up between my
horse and the horse behind me. Fortunately, my horse is not a kicker. I tried to explain to him that we were trying to find a wider spot for him to be able to pass us, but I believe it was falling on deaf ears. So beware of this individual. Feel free to report him to the gate entrance people with a picture if possible. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture, but I did report him and the gate attendant was very disgusted with him and will report his behavior.
Submitted by Sharon

October 23, 2021 – JR Alford Greenway

I was concerned about what we would find at our trailhead parking area since someone wrapped one of the gates around the pole and the other gate has been removed, leaving it accessible to the general public. Jan and I were the first ones to arrive with Sadie and Quia so I backed the trailer up to the fence so I would be heading out in case someone unknowingly parked and blocked us in. I had all the other participants park the same way for protection. Paulie, with Image, is my neighbor and followed me to the trailhead as she is new to the area, having moved here from South Carolina. The next to arrive was Lena with Scooter, then Sharon and Herb arrived with Cricket and General and last was Wendy with Arrow. I decided to take everyone on the shady route as I have had folks say it’s too open and hot to ride here. We left the trailhead to the east and the weather was really nice. We took the trail that runs in back of the homes and heads to the lake. As we rode down the regular trail, we ran into some walkers along the lake and experienced some pebbles on this trail, too. We took the trail down to the railroad track and rode it. I explained I was told the track had been sold and trains don’t run on it very much. After the trail turned away from the lake, we saw two girl bikers ahead of us and stopped, but then saw they were trying to move a dead tree that had fallen over the trail. They indicated they thought we could get by it, so Jan and Sadie led the way. Jan caught the tree with her ankle and pulled it with her until it snapped but didn’t break off. One of the bike gals was Super Woman as she pushed on it until it broke off. We thanked them for making the trail passable! After this episode we just enjoyed the trail and each other’s company and came back on the new single-track trail with the bridge on it. When we got off it and headed toward the trailers, a walker and her dog stopped to watch us go by. All in all, this was a good safe 2 hour ride.
Submitted by Sue

October 16, 2021 – STA Anniversary Celebration ride at Rivers Road

The day started cool but ended up a little warm and humid but by then we were already back at the trailers. We had hoped for a large turnout and were going to have 2 groups of riders, fast & slow. As it turned out, we had 9 riders show up, so we just had 1 group led by Sue on the Orange Trail. This was my first ride on the orange trail and it is a really nice ride winding and twisting through the National Forest. We rode just over 2 hours at a leisurely pace enjoying each other’s company and stopping every now and again for Sue to fill us in on the history of the trail. When we arrived back at the trailers, Wendy and Sharon were there with a table set up to sell STA T-shirts. Of course, I had to buy 2. After more socializing we “broke camp” and headed home. A very nice ride, with good friends! Sue, Jan, Linda, Ron, Ellen, Maria, David and Suzanne. You should have been there too!
Submitted by Joyce

October 9, 2021, Miccosukee Greenway – Crump Road Trailhead

When I arrived at the trailhead, there were a lot of cars in it and I was concerned about where we would park, but everything worked out ok as we only had five trailers. Jan came with me so Quia and Sadie both got a day out in the woods. Next to arrive was Joyce with Blue, then Suzanne with Wyatt, followed by Linda with Scarlet. The last to come in was Rocky with Flicka and Michelle with Bindi. I explained to everyone that I would like to ride all the way to Thornton Road Trailhead so we could go on to the church and see what the State Historical Division has closed of the single-track trail because of a newly discovered cemetery. We started for the single-track trail out the back way of the trailhead and found the entrance blocked so we made our own path across the small creek and worked our way to the trail. It was in good shape, so we hugged the fence line and rode over to the crossing at Miccosukee Road. The caution lights worked well, and we had no difficulty crossing. As we rode on to the entrance to the next single-track trail, I noticed that it was overgrown and made a note to schedule a workday to clean it up. Sadie and Jan were leading at this point as Sadie is a really good trail horse. After we had gone through some downed trees someone yelled “bees” so we sped up for a short distance and then I saw Joyce off Blue and she was swatting at the wasps on him. She was the only one to get hit. Soon we were on our way again going around downed trees and ducking under limbs with grape vines. The single track was like this until we got near the portion that follows Miccosukee Road where it cleared up and the ride was very nice. When we got to the crossing to go under I-10, the equestrian light wouldn’t work but we had no trouble crossing the road. Going under I-10 was chaotic as we had several horses who had not been under it but we managed to stay safe. When we arrived at Thornton Road Trailhead, Richard and Lena were arriving and several of us spoke to them. We then crossed the hayfield to the entrance for the single-track trail and had to wait on Suzanne who then brought Lena and Richard along. The area that has been closed is quite large and forces us to use the main trail for a distance. (The Friends of the Miccosukee Greenway is evaluating this situation and will determine if a reroute is feasible to recommend to the county and state.) At this point the group split up as Suzanne, Joyce and Linda decided to ride with Lena and Richard and the rest of us headed back. When we got to the first road crossing, the equestrian light worked so I guess it’s just the equestrian button on the south side that’s bad. (We will report this to the authorities.) We decided we would stay on the regular trail to return to Crump Road. The footing is not very good for horses with tender feet because of small pebbles so we will also bring this to the attention of the new management for the park. All in all, everyone had a good time, and we rode for 3.5 hours.


Submitted by Sue