Nebraska Horse Council

Dress in layers: Dress yourself in layers that can be easily removed if you warm up.

Wear Safe Boots: You may want to wear warmer boots. Be sure they are not so bulky that they could get wedged in the stirrups. They should still slide out easily.

Warm the Bit: A frosty cold bit can be uncomfortable for your horse. Warm the bit with your hands or keep the bridles in the house, or in the truck until you reach your destination.

Avoid Hazards: Know what is under the snow, the snow may be covering ice. Avoid areas where you know there are holes, branches or other hazards covered by the snow.

Adjust the Workload: Working in snow is harder work for your horse, plan your ride accordingly.
Remember walking in hard or crust on the snow is hard for the horse to break through, change the lead horse a lot, so that each horse gets a break.

Ride with a loose rein: Allow the horse to use his neck and head to the best of his potential. Don’t interfere with his head.  Maintain a center of balance to help you horse walk through slippery areas.

Keep muscles warm: If your horse is use to being stabled, consider using a rump rug or quarter sheet to keep his muscles from getting chilled while riding.

A wet horse can get cold: Plan extra time to cool down.

Talk to you farrier: If you plan to ride and the ground is slippery, ask you farrier about shoes with pads or ice caulks.

Prevent Snowballs: If snowballs form in the hooves, give the bottom of the hooves a coating of petroleum jelly.

Bring extra water: Working in cold weather can be dehydrating, pack extra water for yourself.

The Nebraska Horse Trails Committee sponsored a Horse Fun Day this past Saturday to raise funds for horse trails in our state.  Held at 3V Stables in Ashland, over 60 people came to participate in the mounted games, this year geared toward trail challenges, followed by the traditional speed games.  It was fun watching horses work at being patience, side passing, pulling a sled, letting their rider pick up a scary plastic bag and lots of other challenges.  With proceeds from the accompanying silent auction and raffle, the day was a huge success.

These events are made possible by some very special friends of trails.  First, we would like to thank Greg and Cindy Vossler of 3VStables for graciously donating their beautiful facilities, which is a perfect setting for this kind of event.  We could not have such an event without you!

A very special thank you to Vicki and Kirk Fraser, formerly of Springfield, for donating their snow blower for our raffle.  We hope they are enjoying more pleasant temperatures at their new home in Texas.  Polly Volz of Gretna was our lucky winner.  I guess you all know who to call when we get our first blizzard!  Congratulations, Polly.

The NHTC would also like to thank the following businesses for donating items which we used in our silent auction.  They are The Fort Western of Lincoln, NE, Lincoln Orthopaedic, Bomgaars of Plattsmouth, Bronco Billy’s of Council Bluffs.  Ed Mark Insurance, Exeter, Tanya Lynch’s Hair Illusions, The Tanning Zone, Orschleins, Nebraska Iron Works and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp, all of Lincoln.  And thank you to Horsetrailriders.com for advertising.

We also thank the following people for their donations, Tiffany Lauer, Juanita Serafini, Mary Hansen, Pattianne Belitz, Shelly Price and the lady who brought the pink brush caddy.

As chairman of the NHTC, I owe a big thank you our Fun Day Chairman, Tammy Vasa and the following volunteer workers:  Pattianne Belitz and Sandy Ries for scorekeeping, Jess Vallery chaired the raffle and took registrations.  Michelle for assisting with the silent auction and raffle tickets.  Jason Ries and Colton Vossler for helping with arena set-up and being our runners.  Bob Carrol for being the gate guy, Vickie Sich for serving as judge and provided much needed office help, Tim Kirpatrick for his humor and helping with announcing, Mary Hansen for helping with scores and Dave and the ladies who graciously helped with Closing the Silent Auction.  In addition, Jay Butterfield and his friends, who quickly set up a second arena and ran the speed classes on the fly, when we were quickly losing daylight.

Believe me the Fun Day would not have been as successful as it was without all the help of the volunteers, donated items and of course, our guests.  All proceeds from this event go to improving horse trails in Nebraska.  Well done, everyone.  Thanks again for supporting Nebraska horse trails.

Thank you to Strode’s Welding & Sales for donating two corrals to the Branched Oak Lake equestrian campground. The NHTC has worked with the Nebraska Game and Parks and received a grant toward this campground and donated 12 corrals for the project. Strode’s Welding and Sales built the corrals for us and added two extra.

Watch next spring when work begins on this new campground which will include camping pads, electrical hookups, day use parking, water, vault toilet, handicap mounting block and of course, 14 corrals. The equestrian campsite will be located on the south side of the lake at Area 2.

Strode’s Welding & Sales
1829 W. McKelvie
Lincoln NE 68531
402-470-3112 or 402-499-1569

Thanks to the following businesses for donating items for NHTC Game Day and silent auction which will be held Saturday, November 21,2009 at 3V Stables in Ashland. Their support of Nebraska horse trails is very much appreciated. Please thank them for supporting our activity by frequenting their businesses!

Bronco Billy’s Arena & Tack
www.broncobillys.org
19918 205th St
Council Bluffs, IA 51503-8050

Bomgaars
www.bomgaars.com
1538 S 15th St
Plattsmouth, NE 68048-2380

Ameritas Life Insurance Corp.
5900 O Street
Lincoln, NE.

Fort Western Outfitters
56th & Hwy 2
Lincoln, NE 68516

Lincoln Orthopaedic Center
Sports Medicine
6900 A Street
Lincoln, NE 68510

3V Stables
920 County Rd 4
Ashland, NE 68003

Kirk & Vicki Fraser
Formerly of Springfield

The Nebraska Horse Trails Committee (NHTC) has been busy as usual this year.  In case you haven’t gone to the NHC web site, or don’t have access to it, here are just a few of the many things they have accomplished so far in 2009.

• Rock Creek Crossing – In August Ed Mark and Dwight Hanson brought their skid loaders to help fix two dangerous, eroded and boggy trail crossings with the help of many volunteers, and under the direction of Wayne Brandt, Park Superintendent.  Ed also donated a 12 foot culvert to help alleviate the problem of erosion. They also made a new switchback trail descending a hill to avoid the erosion caused by riding straight down the hill.
• More MoPac Miles – The NHTC, working with Lower Platte South NRD, is establishing a new horse trail from Elmwood to Wabash as part of the wonderful MoPac Trail for riders.  They cleared almost ¾ of a mile on a hot, humid and miserable July day, with about twenty fantastic volunteers and with Ed Mark and his tree eating skid loader – which made the work much easier.
• Branched Oak Lake – A new horse camp and trails await you! With the assistance of the NHTC Branched Oak Lake has been awarded a grant of $52,000 for a new horse camp in their state park. Nebraska Game and Parks and the Nebraska Horse Trails Committee worked diligently with assistance from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program to design a new horse camping area at Area 2, on the southwest end of the lake. Primitive camping will be allowed there now with access to trails on the south side of the lake. Bathrooms, corrals and other amenities are part of the plan.

Park Superintendent Tom Morrison said that Area 3 will remain a campsite for horses and they have made the hiker/biker trails northeast of Area 3 available to horses, adding more trails at Branched Oak Lake. Area 3 has water and bathrooms available.

The trails at Branched Oak are multi-use trails, so please be respectful of other trail users and practice shared trail etiquette. To preserve trails they may be closed when wet.

Please remember to give the Game & Parks and Superintendent Tom Morrison a huge “Thank you!”
You can e-mail Tom at:  www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/places/campmaps/maps/branchedoak.pdf

Many of Nebraska’s trails are in or next to hunting areas. Here are a few tips to help you keep safe when riding during hunting seasons.

Know the hunting season schedule. Seasons vary across the state and some change every year. Call your local Game and Parks Commission or sporting goods store to find out when the hunting seasons are in your area.

When to Ride. Do not ride at sunrise or sunset. This is when animals and hunters are most active.

Wear Bright Colors. Wear brightly colored clothes like neon colors or hunter orange. Don’t wear a white helmet that could be mistaken for a deer tail. Put bright colors on your horse, a bright halter, or saddle pad, or tie bright colored ribbons to your horse’s mane and tail.

Make Noise. Ride with some type of bell (I ride with little jingle bells) or some noise maker to let the hunter know your not wild game. If you’re riding with friends chat as you go. Make your presence known.

If You’re Fired Upon or Hear Shots Close By, stop and yell. Again, make your presence known. Carry a cell phone.

If You Spot a Hunter as you are riding, be courteous and safe. Make your presence known and then turn and go the opposite direction.

Closed Trails. If a trail is posted as closed for hunting season, abide by the closing and do not enter.

The Nebraska Horse Trails Committee is at it again, blazing a new horse trail by the MoPac from Elmwood to Wabash! Look how far we’ve come! A special thank you to all the volunteers who helped clear the way!

Congratulations to Tammy Vasa! Tammy is the first Trail Timer to reach 1,000 hours of riding in the Nebraska Horse Trails Committee’s Trail Time program. Tammy joined Trail Time in 2006. She shared that she has ridden on prairies, around lakes, up mountains, in the sand hills, through forests, on roads, pastures, fields, creek bottoms, canyons and in rivers. She has rode in 5 different states reaching an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet in South Dakota. Tammy said one of the best parts has been riding with family and friends and on “the prettiest bay horse”, her Windy. I had the honor of being with Tammy when she reached this milestone on Wednesday July 23, riding with the Platte River Riders at Wilderness Park in Lincoln. Tammy is one of the founders of the Platte River Riders. That is an awesome accomplishment — 1,000 hours!! Again, Congratulations Tammy. –Kathy Newberg

Click here for information on the Trail Time Program.

It’s spring and a wet spring at that. Many days the trails are muddy and I know you have planned to ride.

But— yes, our horses can damage cause damage to trails if ridden when they are wet. They leave hoof prints, sometimes deep ones in the mud. Those deep hoof prints can cause damage to surface trails, erosion to dirt trails and damage the trails for other trail users. We also risk our right to use these trails if we abuse them. It almost happened in Iowa and NHTC doesn’t want to lose any trails in Nebraska. Our trails are few and precious.

Is it worth all that for a ride or could you wait a day or two for the trails to dry out? On a sunny day the trails dry out pretty fast. I know time is precious and you had planned to ride that particular day, but is it really worth it?

The Nebraska Horse Trails Committee proudly honors those individuals who go above and beyond in supporting and advocating Nebraska horse trails. At the 2009 Nebraska Horse Expo held this past March, the Friends and Ambassador Awards were presented to following three individuals whose contribution to the trail riders of Nebraska will have a lasting effect!

Mary Hanson of Ithaca, Nebraska is an Outdoor Recreation Planner with the National Park Service’s Midwest Regional Office. She is part of the Rivers, Trails and Conservation program that works with local communities and citizens to create trails, green spaces and rehabilitate rivers. In 2001, the Nebraska Horse Council was privileged to have Mary join the group and work with Kathy Newberg to create the Nebraska Horse Trails Committee. She facilitated meetings, assisted in advocacy awareness, created educational materials, and helped define what NHTC would accomplish. Mary has stayed an active member of the committee as a National Park Service liaison. She meets with landowners to provide information on all subjects related to trail use, including liability issues, trail design, construction, and maintenance. She continues to assist with identifying grant and fundraising opportunities, including the grants for the Oak Creek trailhead at Loma, NE and the Branched Oak State Recreation Area Equestrian Trailhead and Campground, which was just awarded for $52,500.

Dwight Hanson is a lifelong resident of Ithaca NE. He just got into serious trail riding in the last ten years. He is an engineer and has his own company manufacturing well products. One of his past jobs was working for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for seven years. He now give hands-on trail construction and repair clinics in Nebraska and other states. His knowledge of state parks has helped the Nebraska Horse Trails Committee during both planning trail projects and implementation. This past fall he provided the design work for a future equestrian trailhead and campground at Branched Oak State Recreation Area. The park will be receiving the full grant amount requested from the State of Nebraska Recreational Trails Grant Program. Dwight collects materials and ideas for future projects and continues to work with fellow NHTC members on building and repairing trails. Volunteering not only his time and muscles, but his skid loader and trailer to the benefit of all trail riders in Nebraska.

Anita Hertner of Kearney, Nebraska has a long history of life with horses and contributing both to helping individuals to increase their love of trail riding and to the betterment of trails and trail riding for all of us. She has been an active member of the Nebraska Paint Horse Club and chairman of the recreational riding program for the American Paint Horse Association. Also a member of the local Buffalo Belles Women’s riding club who recently began supporting trail riding and have been raising money and providing man hours for horse trail and camp repairs. This past summer, Anita helped to organize and raise funds for two important work days at Nebraska National Forest near Halsey. The group repaired and replaced boards on the horse corrals at the Natick campgrounds. Anita has also organized a project to mark trails through the Rowe Sanctuary area. Anita has established a reputation for getting things done for horse trails!

Visit our archives for information on those previous recipients of this prestigious award.