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MQHA Recreational Riding Program & AQHA/MQHA Trail Rides

The MQHA’s Recreational Trail Riding Program is designed to encourage riders of all ages, skill levels and breeds to have fun and to earn rewards by logging hours riding on outdoor trails. Riders must be annual members of the MQHA ($30/person or $45/family), which includes an annual subscription (8 issues) to Horse Country Magazine,  and the program is open to riders of all breeds of horses. There is no other annual enrollment fee, as the program is ongoing from year-to-year (points accumulated do not end yearly, but go to a maximum of 1,000 hours, then start over). This group also co-ordinates and hosts annual AQHA Trail Rides held in Manitoba .

Riders must keep track of their trail riding or recreational driving hours on an MQHA tally sheet, listing the horse’s name. Double time will be awarded for all MQHA sanctioned trail rides. Recognition will be awarded for each of the following hours:

100 hours; 250 hours; 500 hours; 750 hours and 1,000 hours, to a value determined by the Recreational Trail Riding Committee.

For more information about the program, the AQHA Trail Ride, to obtain tally sheets, or to submit tally sheets for awards, please contact:  Larry Clifford, Box 22042 , Brandon , MB   R7A 6Y9  Home telephone: (204) 763-8911 Work telephone: (204) 727-3661 or fax: (204) 571-6081

AQHA & MQHA Trail Ride at 2LJ Oxbow Ranch, just outside of Shilo, Manitoba at 5:00 a.m. July 9, 2005. Time to get up. We have had a busy last couple of months planning not only for the trail ride but also on the committee for the Sprucewoods Rodeo. Last night’s (July 8) performance of the rodeo was great. It has been hot and humid for the past few days so this affected attendance a little, but there was still a good turnout of spectators and a great performance from the 46 riders who participated. 

Now, just as planned, Lenora and I went out to mark the trail. We had neat little cards made up in bright colours with the MQHA logo on it so all we had to do was put a little stake in the ground and draw an arrow on the sign as to the direction we are going. Lenora came back to the ranch and with her volunteers, breakfast was being served by 8:00 a.m. I had the highway signs up, met with Brad Middleton from Cam Clark Ford of Carmen, Manitoba and spotted the Exiss trailer for all to admire. Brad is a great person, he delivered the trailer, came on the trail ride, left the truck and trailer for Lenora and her crew to deliver snacks out to us on the trail, then he gave a short presentation on buying a trailer. After we returned, Brad competed in the trail trials and roped in the rodeo in the evening. What a great sport! 

We served breakfast until 11:00 a.m. and at 11:15 a.m. we all left the arena to go on the trail. At 6:00 a.m. when I was marking the trail, I was worried about mosquitoes and horse flies. There was none, it was hot and humid but every once in a while there was a nice breeze we all enjoyed. We had two routes, a short one with Trail Boss Cameron Haggerty of Shilo, and the longer one, led by myself. This group of people and horses were exceptional. It sure was great to hear people laughing and having fun with their horses. Cameron made a few tourist stops on the short route and we all made it to our snack stop at the same time. We all enjoyed the sit-down-on-the-ground and a little drink and sandwiches and listened to the trailer talk with Brad Middleton. From there it was a short ride back to the ranch. 

The trail trials were such a success. It was a simple pattern: through a gate, over some big logs, lope to the left, walk between the barrels, back up through the barrels, go pick up a rope and drag a small log around the barrels, cross a bridge, jog over to beside that nice new Exiss trailer, dismount and lift all four feet. The seniors got to load their horses in that nice new trailer. Great time! Almost everyone that went on the trail ride participated in the trail trails. The winners were:

          Youth 13 & under – Katrina Cockle from Oxdrift, ON riding AQHA’s Dash To The Country

          Youth 14 – 18 – Melissa Cockle from Oxdrift, ON riding on her favourite horse, Lightning

          Senior – Chris Storzinski from Brandon, Manitoba riding AQHA’s Alcar Mr Rocky

All three won a Montana Silversmith buckle with “AQHA Trail Ride” in the centre, and “MQHA” on top with “Trail Trial 05” on the bottom. We used the AQHA method of judging the class, done by Carol Lowery with her handy scribe, Linda.

Overall, it was a great success and we have only received great reviews of the day’s events because now everyone sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the evening performance of the Sprucewoods Rodeo.  

We would like to thank all of our volunteers and these sponsors: Maple Leaf Pork, Brandon, MB; Cam Clark Ford, Carmen, MB; Sandy Land Video, Shilo, MB; Chicken Delight, Brandon, MB; Cowtown, Brandon, MB; Edward Jones (Kevin Arran), Brandon, MB; Dillies Florist (Don Dillie), Brandon, MB; Countryside Equipment, Brandon, MB; Regent Custom Cresting, Brandon, MB; Horse Country Magazine, Winnipeg, MB; and AQHA & MQHA.