Calendar

Back Country Horsemen Of Texas are hosting this annual New Year’s Day Ride. You can come for the weekend or just the day. Bring a potluck dish to go with the black eyed peas for lunch. The only fee is for the park. If you’re staying overnight, make sure you make reservations in advance. Coggins are checked at the park entrance.

Enjoy a leisurely ride around beautiful Lake Ray Roberts. Wear green!

This event is for auditing the clinic only. Cost to audit is $30 cash per day. SAFE volunteers and adopters can audit for FREE.

Bring your own chair, lunch, snacks, beverages.

Groundwork Class: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Riding Class: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Hickory Creek WMA is a beautifully rugged, fun place to ride. The trails are now well marked and clear. You DO need a conservation pass to ride there, unless you already have an OK hunting or fishing license.

We’re honoring the life of a great Cowgirl. We’ll be having her favorite trail ride lunch after, bologna sandwiches. I think someone is smoking a bologna. So bring a potluck dish to share.

The dogwoods are blooming at Caddo Grasslands!! #1, its a lovely time to ride at Caddo AND did I mention the dogwoods? #2, If you wait too long to go ride out there, when it gets hot, the horse flies get vicious. So come enjoy the Grasslands now while its beautiful.

Come join us, Saturday, May 4, 2024 on our Trail Ride. This beautiful ride is in the area of the historic
“Chisholm Trail” on the G-C Ranch. The ride starts at 10:00 A.M. sharp. Lunch is provided, drinks
will be furnished. Porta Privies will be available.

It is recommended the horses be shod for this ride.
Negative Coggins required-no exceptions. Cost is $30 for adults, $10 for students, and kids under 12 are free.

Hickory Creek is a fun, beautifully rugged ride with lots of hills and scenery. You will need a conservation pass if you don’t already have an Ok hunting or fishing license. You can purchase one through an OK Outdoors app on your phone and just show the game warden that if you get stopped.

Enjoy a nice, relaxing ride at LBJ Grasslands near Decatur, TX

Platter Flats is a nice place to ride in summer. Its sandy, theres a nice breeze off the lake and the horse flies arent bad there.

Hello! Rochester Chapter is putting on a small Trail Ride, starting a bit early to beat the heat just in case it is hot.

We will meet at the equestrian parking lot (the north lot of the two parking areas on the West side of Case Road. See directions below). A Discover Pass is required and must be displayed on your dash. Please do not leave valuables in your vehicle or trailer.

An equipment safety check will be conducted prior to taking off, and helmets are strongly encouraged, but I will also check with Cowgirls HQ if they are required or not for a cowgirl organized ride. 🙂

This will be a walking only trail ride, and shorter for those of use whose horses (or riders!) may not be as conditioned.
Please keep in mind, following the cowgirl (and true horsemanship feel) we will start as a group and end as a group and leave no one behind. 🙂

Directions:

From the north, take I-5 South to exit 95. Keep left at the fork to continue onto Maytown Road SW (follow signs for Littlerock). Turn left onto Case Road SW. There are two parking lots. The first one you come to after the Scatter Creek Stables is used primarily by horse riders with their trailers. The second parking lot, a bit down the road, is for cars only. A Discover Pass is required to park at both lots.

A trail is open at Ray Roberts after tornadoes damaged the area. We’ll take a short ride and get back before it gets too hot.

This will be probably the last ride of the year at Hickory Creek before they close it for hunting season. Hickory Creek is a fun, fairly rugged ride. We’re meeting at the bridge. If youre coming and don’t know where to go, contact Carolyn Grayson, listed as the event coordinator and she’ll send you a pin.

C.M.O. is “competitive” because you compete, as an individual or a team, against other riders to find all of the hidden objective stations. This is a timed event and you compete for a placing for that ride. The points you and your horse earn add up towards year-end placing and lifetime points with the National Association of Competitive Mounted Orienteering (N.A.C.M.O.) and your State organization.

The “mounted” part of the name is because the game is played on horseback. In theory, you shouldn’t have to ever get off the horse as each objective station should be visible from horseback.

And, finally, “orienteering” because you must be able to orient your self on a provided map and find your way around the course. The use of a map and compass, navigating your way around the designated course, identifying landmarks and finding the objective stations is what orienteering is all about.

What C.M.O. is NOT, is an endurance or competitive riding race. In those sports, you follow a set course for a set distance and try to make the best time of all the competitors while getting a good “health” reading for your horse.

In C.M.O. you use your map to pick your route to find all the objective stations following whatever route you think is best to get around the course. Ingenuity, strategy and creativity are all useful.

Like endurance or competitive riding, however, the longer courses can cover many miles over all types of terrain. Common sense says you should have your horse in good shape and conditioned if you plan on riding long distances.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO RIDE A C.M.O.?

First you need a horse. It is, after all, a mounted sport. Any type of equine is allowed. Mules, ponies, show horses, horses off the track and backyard pets are welcome.  Your horse must be at least three years old to compete.

You will also need a compass, small writing pad and pencil.

Other suggested items would be weather appropriate clothing, water, first aid supplies, lunch, and horse water and feed. Not all areas where rides are sponsored have potable water or water for your horse.

Contact Kathy Davis for exact location and details!

LRRETA is an organization involved in maintaining the equestrian trails around Lake Ray Roberts. We’ll be joining them for their September trail ride. Lake Ray Roberts is a nice place to ride but can be a little rocky. Coggins will be checked at the main gate.

Hickory Creek is a fun, fairly rugged ride. The area will be closed in Oct through Jan for hunting season. So this will be our last opportunity for awhile. You’ll need an OK hunting or fishing license to access their public lands. If you’re from TX & over 65, you’re exempt.

We’re bringing back the historic Shawnee Trail Ride! The Shawnee Trail moved cattle from Dallas to Missouri in the 1800s. The trail crossed the Red River at Preston Point in Pottsboro. In the 1960s, some guys hitched up their wagons and rode horses from Pottsboro to Dallas to open the State Fair. The ride had its 50th anniversary in 2010 and disappeared.The 40SC are bringing it back! We’ll ride through the parade to kick off Frontier Days in Pottsboro and make a 14 mile loop to Hagerman Wildlife Refuge for lunch and back. Camping is available Fri  & Sat nights.

Fundraiser event for Back Country Horsemen of Texas. There will be a ride, lunch included, an auction, prizes given and more! Items donated for auction are appreciated. The Back Country Horsemen of Texas help support equestrian trails all over the state.

This is a fun ride in the beautifully scenic hills of St Jo on a private ranch. We’ll ride about 2 hrs on the trails  on their ranch, play on their obstacle course, and then ride through the pasture to the back fence of the neighboring winery for lunch. They have a chocolate menu! The cost is $20 for the ranch and whatever you want to spend on food and wine. Negative coggins is required.