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.

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.

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.
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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.

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.

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