January 2019 FCOHC Newsletter

I hope everyone had a happy and fruitful holiday season. From pictures I have seen on Facebook, it appears several entertained a house full of guest. Time spent with friends and family, in my opinion, is what the holiday season is all about.

Moving on to OHC business, I sent out an e-mail on the 29^th in regard to trail miles. I know there are still a few of the diehards out logging trail miles with the goal of reaching that magical 1000 mark. For everyone else, as soon as you get your miles totaled up, e-mail them to Tom McGuire. The miles need to be broken down to place ridden, and total miles. You can also bring them to the January meeting which is on Sunday the 13^th.

It was suggested by Kathy Smith that I request bio information from each of our officers which could then be shared with the membership by way of this newsletter. I fully agree with that suggestion, so for the next couple of months bio info for one or more of you officers will appear in this publication. I feel extremely blessed to work with a group as dedicated and talented as you elected to be the Fairfield OHC officers for 2019. I hope after reading the bios you will also gain a better appreciation for those at the front table.

Along the line of key people, Art Crist has opted to step down as our trail boss. Mike Kempton and Richard Risinger have both agreed to stay on as part of the trail committee. Tom McGuire has accepted to take over as trail boss. I don’t know anyone in our group other than some of his own family that spends more time in the saddle. His experience expands to riding in multiple states as well as almost all of the local parks. More importantly, Tom has an awesome computer and people skills. For those not aware, the trail boss is the person responsible for applying for all of the grants and camping permits. We already have several items in the mill of which Tom will bring us up to date on the 13^th.

Kathy Smith has been hard at work upgrading our web page as well as our FaceBook page. It is still a work in progress and I will bring you up to speed at the meeting. I am confident you will like the changes.

Chris

My experience around horses started back in 1972. That year, my father was working for Willow Brook Farms which owned the famous Quarter Horse Sonny Dee Bar.

By age five, I had my first pony and had experienced my first riding misadventure. I was riding my pony when he spooked and my foot got caught up in the stirrup. I was dragged for a good distance upside down with my hair dragging the ground before finally hitting the dirt. That was the first of many mishaps to come.

We moved to Florida in 1977 where my dad was a farrier. I spent my summers travelling around with him on the job. I got to meet all kinds of horse people and their horses, see all types of farms big and small, and attend lots of horse shows. After a lot of begging, I finally got my own horse at age 13. He was a black and white paint (my favorite) and I spent the next couple of years trail riding and showing at local shows.

My parents ended up divorcing and I had to give up my horse. I went many years without horses, but I now own 3 horses and a pony. I drove all the way to North Carolina to buy my horse ChiChi just because he looked like the paint I had when I was a teenager. So yeah, I am kind of a crazy horse person!

These days I enjoy trail riding and going to fun shows whenever I get the chance.  I guess some things never change 😊.

FCOHC members brave the weather and wet at Scioto Trails, December 27.