April 2019 FCOHC Newsletter – Ohio Horseman's Council, Fairfield Chapter

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I am not going to start hollering Hallelujah winter is over quite yet, but I personally can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The groundhog did in fact forecast an early spring. Maybe I'll have to re-evaluate my position on groundhogs, probably not.

I have seen several pictures and videos of our members on Facebook out riding. Blow the Facebook page up. Show the rest of the world that our OHC Chapter riders really do ride their horses.

Back on April 16th, Tom organized a crew and we started the process of repairing the tie lines in the turn-around area of the state horse camp at Hocking. We do not have official word on our grant application to South Central. However, it was felt we needed to get on the tie line project before the campers started to show up in force. We purchased one truckload of stone, paid for from the club account. The $750 dollars was already authorized by the club as our commitment to this project. I need to send out a special thanks to Bryan Black for bringing his Bob Cat to move the stone. It was obvious watching Bryan this was not his first rodeo. Warren, Mike, Tom, Sam, Donna and Keith White, Earl, June and I provided the muscle to level the stone with rakes and shovels after Bryan dumped it in place. The whole project only took a few minutes over an hour. Thanks to everyone!!! We will wait to complete this project until after a decision has been made at South Central.

On April 17th, Tom and I went to Tar Hollow and helped the Ross OHC with a workday. Dave Clary and Jimmy Miller from Ross OHC had assisted us at our trail cleaning work day earlier in the month. We felt it only fair to repay the favor. Their primary focus for the day was putting up tie lines at the state horse camp. Tom and I had volunteered to cut out trees on the trials. We started on the Boundary trail with the goal to move on to the Logan trail before we called it a day. Wrong! We spent 5 hours clearing the Boundary trail. What a mess. At that point, Tom and I were both pretty much spent so the Logan trail will have to wait until another day.

As I write this newsletter, plans are still in place for our first ride at Mohican. We have had communication from the park manager and a final decision will be made by mid-week if the ground is dry enough for the campers. We do have a plan B, but I'm going to sit on that until it may become necessary to make a final decision.

As mentioned at our last meeting, I will not be at the April OHC meeting. Pam will conduct the meeting. She and I will stay in touch while I'm MIA. We are down to needing only 7 slots filed for the AAYHS. She did promise me she would file those in my absence. Make her look good and step up to help our club.

Looking ahead to club activities. Don Wagner, the state OHC trail boss has asked us to help at a work day at Zaleski State Forest. Vinton county does not have an OHC chapter and the park manager has asked for help to clear the trials. Tentatively this has been set for Saturday, April 13th. Tom McGuire will coordinate this work detail. Watch Facebook and e-mail for details.

Our second ride of the year is set for April 26, 27 and 28th at Salt Fork State Park. I will be back long before that and keep everyone up to speed as we get closer to those dates.
It is my turn in the barrel when it comes to providing my bio for all to read. Hope you don't find me too boring.

That's all I have for now.

Chris

My experience with horses started when dad bought a pony for my brothers and I from a neighbor. I was around 8 or 10 at the time. My brothers never got into riding, but I was ruined for the rest of my life. When I was around 16, I bought a 2-year-old sorrel quarter horse with the idea of training it. You all know how that went. I didn't know anything and in the end, the horse didn't either. My next experience was to buy a broke buckskin quarter horse when I was 18. He ran off with me the first time I saddled him up, (there is always a reason they are for sale) but in the long run he turned out to be a very nice horse.

Four years in the Air Force plus a young family sidelined my involvement with horses. One of the bad habits I have had since I was 16 is playing with bird dogs. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time and met a guy named Paul Pruit who took bird dogs to field trials. He asked me to go with him and I was hooked. In my early 40s, I had that dreaded mid-life crisis and bought another German Shorthaired Pointer. Why is that important? At the field trials we run the dogs from horseback. So not only did I buy a dog, I bought a horse. For several years I only rode horses at field trials. I have traveled all over the midwest and southwest competing with the dogs. I have been fortunate to own a couple of the best dogs in the German Shorthaired breed at the time they were competing. I was elected to the National German Shorthaired Pointer board of directors some 16 years ago and still serve on that board today.

Back to current history. My farrier for the past 18 years or more has been Tony Abbott. Tony was having a birthday party at Hocking many years ago. He invited June and me down to trail ride. It was fun and more importantly, it gave the horses something to do to earn their keep in the off-trial season. Today I trail ride way more than I field trial. Retirement has a way of forcing you to decide how much fun you can afford. Chasing dogs around the country is expensive. Those that know me best would say I have not changed much in life. I had dogs and horses when I was a kid and I have dogs and horses today as an old man.

Some 6 or 7 years ago, Charlie Beery called and asked June and I to go to an OHC meeting with him and Barb. I have been hanging out with the Fairfield OHC bunch ever since. So, if this doesn't work out with me as president, you can't blame Charlie but chew on Barb!

Thanks, Chris

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Meet Chris Streitenberger, FCOHC President