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.
