Are you going on the May or June
rides? My husband and I will be attending both rides. We will only go for3-4
days in May and all 10 on the first June ride. We have been attending these ride
for 14 years and my husband in on the Board of Directors.
There is generator operated well in
every camp and a hand pump in most camps. The generator is basically "self
serve" and folks are glad to show you how if you aren't familiar with operating
one. Most of us carry a water barrel
or two to fill our horses'
pails.
Everyone ties on high lines,
slides are NOT allowed, neither are portable corrals. There are lots of ways to
tie a picket. We use a ratchet strap in the center of the line to keep it taut.
We hang our haybags on the picket as high as we can keep them from the ground
and near the picket poles to keep the horses from wrapping there ropes around
them. Lots of people favor neck collars over halters for tying to the picket
line. We have less accidents since we switched to them. We also slide our tie
ropes through a piece of milker hose tubing. It takes some tugging and baby
powder to get that baby in there. But then the rope doesn't kink around a leg
and if an acrobatic horse does get a foot over it, the surface is
smooth.
The terrain is as varied as the
state of Michigan itself- sand, gravel roads, some pavement. We have some hilly
areas. especially near Empire.
Come and plan on enjoying
yourself. Most of the riders are friendly and helpful. Bring a spare set of
shoes for your horse in case of mishaps. As a farrier I can tell you we don't
carry all types and sizes of shoes on the rides.
And one last thing. If you are
bringing a dog, it has to be leashed at all times. This is a state and federal
mandate on all "improved" recreational areas. The MTRA does enforce this
rule.
