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

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

The weather was tolerable, I thought, as I pulled into the trailhead with Quia. It was 82 degrees. I wondered who would be participating and was surprised to see a couple of trailers already there. A couple of other trailers showed up and I said “this will be a good ride”. Megan with Gus and Carol with Breeze were the trailers who arrived after me, and then Linda came in with Blondie. I went to the trailers who were there when I arrived and discovered they were Fox Hunters and wouldn’t be riding with us BUT they really appreciate all the work STA does to provide access to beautiful trails to ride. I thanked them for their nice words and told them to enjoy their ride. So, here STA was with 2 Paso Fino riders, one quarter horse and a TN Walking Horse! I said, this would make a very interesting ride. I explained to our group that because of the heat, I would like to ride the perimeter trail so we could stay in the shade. Everyone was in agreement with that, so we headed east for the single track trail that takes you behind neighbor’s homes. We proceeded to the trail around the Arm and encountered a few walkers who were glad to see horses. As we proceeded toward the major portion of the lake a couple of deer crossed the road to the interior in front of us. We were excited to see them and wondered if we would view them again. When we got to their crossing place, we looked in the woods and THERE THEY WERE, JUST STARING AT US! They were young and curious and we enjoyed sharing a few minutes with them. We headed down to the railroad track single track trail. (I was told some time ago that the track had been sold and that probably is the reason we don’t encounter many trains anymore.) When we got to the point where the single track comes out on the wide greenway corridor, Megan suggested we exit the single track to use the Pine Tree Multiple Use Single Track Trail, so we decided to do that! We rode it from the back side and wondered if we would encounter bikers since it is one of their favorite trails. It is also the first trail that was completed as a result of a grant the county acquired. The Paso girls got out in front and started “doing their thing”. Quia was wanting to keep up with them so Linda offered for me to get behind her so I wouldn’t wear my hands out trying to keep her under control. That worked out great! This trail is very windy and we would see Megan and Carol way up in front of us and wave at each other. Quarter Horses don’t move as fast as Pasos, so we continued on the trail and wondered when we would meet up again. Well, we finally did at the other entrance and all the horses were relaxed so we got back on the single track trail and took the new one toward the trailhead. This part of the trail has a bridge on it. Quia knew where she was and was stepping out, knowing we were getting close to the trailers. When we came to the bridge (which she has been over many times), she stopped and looked at it like it was something new. I told her she had been over it many times before and she proceeded very gracefully, across it. From that point on, all the horses knew where they were and that they would be back to the trailers very soon. We encountered several bike riders and they were all very courteous and friendly. All in all, this was a great 2 hour STA ride!
Sue

The weather was absolutely perfect for a gathering of friends and family at the Rivers Road TH in honor of the memories of two unforgettable STA members and our dear friends, Jud Curtis and Lyn Grant. 30 riders started to pull in as early as 8:15 filling the parking slots available. And fill they did! We safely parked 3 rigs in each slot and also had a few others parked under the powerlines and road. Groups of riders headed out on the various trails available where they were blessed with abundant sunshine with no bugs to swat. On a sweat scale of 1-10, this was a very pleasant 5.

Following the ride, we met at Sharon and Neil Grays lovely shaded front yard. Linda and Jeannette brought photo albums and pictures of Lyn and Jud bringing fond memories back to life. Sharon H. made Baklava from Lyn’s recipe box and Sharon G. made her “to die for” banana pudding which was enjoyed by all. Our fellowship included current and past STA members and Lyn’s son “Boo”. He has his mother’s sense of humor and good looks. However, he admitted that he did not inherit her fondness for horses or dogs.

Many stories were shared, a tear or three dropped and laughter reached to the heavens above, giving Jud and Lyn a happy smile on the cloud they share.

Until we meet again, happy trails!

Chris

The day dawned cool and somewhat cloudy and as I loaded Blue and Kasha into the trailer.  I thought to myself, “not too many people will come ride in this weather.”  HA!  Was I ever wrong!

Seventeen riders (including myself) showed up to ride.  We had 14 members, 1 guest and 2 girls from the neighborhood across the highway that saw all the horse trailers and decided to join us.  15 horses and 2 mules set out as the clouds began to clear and the temperature rise.

As always, the gaited horses took off leaving the rest behind.  Maybe someday, they’ll actually let others take the lead and teach their horses how to walk slower?  For the most part, the trails are wide enough to ride side by side with a stretch at the north end that is single tract winding through the woods.  Normally this is an out and back trail with a small loop at the southern end near the trailer parking area, but for this one ride we had permission to use the service road at the north end and were able to make a loop and head back instead of straight out and back.  Special thanks to Amy for allowing this to happen.

We were out about 2 ½ hours winding through beautiful ancient magnolias, HUGE pines red buckeye (great for hummingbirds), flowering dogwood and upland forests.  We crossed 2 concrete bridges on the main road without any trouble, even though I’m sure some of the horses smelled the “horse eating Trolls” that live under the bridges. 

These trails are worth traveling to during the Fall & Spring and possibly Summer months, but I’m sure by the time the Summer heat comes, so will the bugs.  Thanks again to the Florida Park Service for providing beautiful trails to enjoy the real Florida from the backs of our best friends.

Joyce

It was a very chilly Sunday morning and we only had two brave the weather besides me. I was riding Spirit, Chris on Rose and Joyce on Blue. Me and Chris were on walking horses, and Blue was trotting behind. We started on the West trail and enjoyed a leisurely ride down the trail. The breeze along the lake was bearable behind the trees, but when we arrived at the pavilion, the cold breeze instantly froze us. So we decided to only stop for a brief photo or two and then head back to the trailers. Me and Chris were out front just chatting away with our walking horses and Joyce was behind us. Joyce was trying to get our attention and finally shouted to us that there was a deer, white as snow, in the woods. I was able to get a glimpse of a snow white deer that disappeared in the trees! We also ran across several hikers on the main road back to the trail and relayed the sighting. When we got back to the trailers, the parking lot was full with several cars, most likely hikers, and two other horse trailers. All in all we had a good 2 hour ride!
Liz