2008 Membership

Remember to send in your membership dues by Jan 31st in order to remain on our e-mail list. 2007 was a great year and 2008 should be even better ! Don't miss out on the fun ! Print an application from our files section and send in along with a check payable to KD Huff. See you on the trails !

Princess Place Ride

First Coast Trail Blazers started the year off great with a 5 hour ride at Princess Place. Ten members enjoyed rustling through the leaves and riding on the scenic trails. All horses and riders survived crossing the little bridges, and the land bridge was no obstacle for any of the brave riders who crossed it. A training opportunity arose when a horse-eating wooden wire spool lurked at the bottom of the land bridge. Everyone took a few minutes to let their mounts look over the "beast" and all survived. We had a nice lunch break at the lake and then headed to the Agriculture Museum, where we rode around and looked at the party shed and the mules and draft horses that live there. We headed back from there, and another training adventure came on the power lines, which offered the perfect place to air out the horses with a good long canter. No casualties here either.... Everyone made it back to the trail head safely, and we look forward to our next adventure. LOOKEE HERE for more pictures.

Updates

We have uploaded photos from the New Year's camp out at McCulley Farms along with some photos of today's ride at Princess Place. We will add more photos as they come in and provide a narrative of today's ride. Click on our PHOTO ALBUM link to the left.

We've also added a link for those riders who would like to find other local rides in addition to our FCTB rides. They call their Yahoo group - TROT-NE FL.

Upcoming Rides & Events

Our January ride will be at Princess Place - Sat., Jan 12th - ride out at 10:00 am.

We will be participating in a work day at River Rise Preserve on Sat Feb 2nd. This is the direct result of the equine community and the State of Florida working together. Bring your work gloves and loppers to work from 8am to noon - then ride later.

The February ride will be at - Guana River State Park - Sat, Feb 16th at 10:00am (additional info and map)

The Florida Horse Park is hosting a Versatility Challenge of the Breeds with show dates in Jan, Mar and May. Additional information is posted in our files section.

Christmas Campout and Party

View lot's of pictures HERE !

The Christmas Trail Ride and Party at 7BarL was a great success. Fifteen members enjoyed the down-home comfort of the ranch and spent lots of time on the trails. Saturday morning part of the group headed out early and explored the riverside trails to the main Suwannee Spring recreation area. Of course the weekend would not be complete without Wildcat taking her traditional plunge, so Busta got that out of the way on Day 1! We rode about 3 1/2 hours and made it back to camp just as another group was going out for an afternoon ride. Everyone got in some good riding and then enjoyed some training time on the obstacle course. Marilyn could not quite convince Spirit that the horse-eating shower curtains would not crush her to death, and some of the horses were afraid of the bubbles, but overall, the afternoon provided some good training time for the horses (and riders!). Chef Cathy outdid herself and brewed up a tasty Low Country Boil with giant shrimp, sausage, taters, onions, and corn on the cob. The side dishes were equally outstanding and everyone probably ate way more than they should have. Following dinner, we shared quality time around a beautiful fire. We all retired with full bellies and heavy eyes, looking forward to another good day of riding. Sometime during the night, Antler Man tried to claw his way into Susan's trailer, and Pinky suffered some bruised knees during her escape. Sunday morning we enjoyed Marilyn's famous Christmas breakfast quiche and pastries. We headed out to the Mattair Springs trails and spent 4 hours enjoying the sights. Unfortunately, Pinky's horse Doc got a case of colic and had to see the local vet before going home. He has recovered from this incident and is looking forward to his next trail ride, just like all his other horse buddies. Thanks to everyone for coming and making this the best Christmas party ever!

Fun Day at the Cartwright's

Cathy and KD made the 2-1/2 trip to Axon, GA to visit and ride with Darcy and Mike and their friends. It was a beautiful day for the drive and the ride....sunny, bright and breezy. Mike was cooking hot dogs and hamburgers when we got there and we had a nice lunch before starting our on our 3-1/2 hour ride. 12 people enjoyed the ride on the Georgia clay roads, with lovely views of farms, cotton fields and quaint homesteads and churches. Only one mishap when KD tested the value of a helmet after a horse eating cable grabbed Stylin's front foot and wouldn't let go. Here are pictures of the day.

San Felasco Ride

Once again San Felasco provided a perfect ride for FCTB. The crisp weather was a welcome change to the heat that has chased us throughout the summer. Skies were clear and blue and the bugs have gone elsewhere. We enjoyed a 4 1/2 hour ride on our favorite creek-side trail. After two hours we arrived at the creek crossing and took a rest and enjoyed a picnic lunch. Busta could not resist the gently lapping waters, and took his obligatory wallow in the creek. Cathy tried to ride it out on top, but ended up with wet feet anyway. Good try Cathy! There were several young horses on the ride, and all did remarkably well. We saw plenty of deer, and even one nice sized buck. Good friends, beautiful weather and fine horses made the day a memorable outing. Here's a SLIDESHOW of the other photos taken.