Meetings begin in September
Welcome to Altoona Trail Riders
Dedicated to preserving equestrian trails, participating in community service and promoting family fun.
september 2025
Thursday, September 4
Monthly meeting, 7PM, Altoona school.
Saturday, September 13
Day ride, Silver River State Park. Ride out at 9:30AM. RSVP required. Club will provide lunch, bring beverage and chair. Bring water for your horse. Restroom available. Mounting block available.
September 25 - 28
McCulley's Farms campout in Jasper, FL. Make your reservations to McCulleys, 386-938-1147.
october 2025
Thursday, October 2
Monthly meeting, Altoona School, 7PM. Refreshments will be served.
november 2025
Thursday, November 6
Monthly meeting, 7 PM, Altoona School.
Refreshments will be served.
december 2025
Thursday, December 4
Monthly meeting, Altoona School, 7PM.
About Us
Come ride with us!
We have monthly day rides and campouts with horses. We have monthly meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 7PM at the Altoona School, SR 19, Altoona. Visitors are always welcomed.
The Trails we Ride
We ride many different trails in the north Central Florida area including the Ocala National Forest, the Florida Greenway Trails, and state forests, parks and preserves.
Join Us On The Trail
Visitors are welcome to come ride with us and will have to pay a day membership fee of $5. ATR enforces Nicole's Law - an approved helmet is required for those 16 and under when riding horses on public lands.
Current newsletter
Message from your president
Altoona Trail Riders Newsletter September 2025
OFFICERS DIRECTORS
Michelle McWilliams, President Contact info: email markmichellworks@aol.com or Text 352-636-6430
Ron Smith, Vice President/Trail Boss Contact info: email trails4me@aol.com
Renee Lewis, Secretary
Paige Chassie, Treasurer
Directors: John Dalziel, Jerry Harrington, Libby McDermott, Karen Szabo
Message from your President:
Howdy All!! Our first meeting is coming up on September 4th at 7 pm at the Altoona School 42630 FL-19 Altoona, FL 32702. Bring a friend!!! There will be refreshments. Just as a reminder the official start time for meetings is 7:30 pm. We give the first 30 minutes for social time although I will start some meetings a bit early if we have a guest speaker. I know last year’s meetings ran a bit long for some however I want to make sure all the necessary information is available to members in attendance. I will do the best I can to have meetings end by 8:45pm. It is time to renew your memberships!! Please find print out the application found either on Facebook or our website altoonatrailridersinc.com. Again we will be enforcing the cut off time for renewing. Please have your dues paid by October 31st so you can remain active on our Facebook page and continue to receive Club emails.
There will are two new faces on the Board this year, Renee Lewis and Karen Szabo. Both have been long times members so I know they will make great additions. Renee graciously took the Secretary position as Paige moved over to be our Treasurer. Many of you noticed her attention to detail with the June 2025 General Meeting Minutes. One Facebook member commented she felt like she was at the meeting just from reading the minutes. Many of you know Karen Szabo from the well-attended Pizza Day Ride out of her place last October. She brings a lot of fun to the Club. Karen jumped right in and has already taken on some responsibility helping us work out details for our Obstacle Challenge event this year. Please be sure to welcome these wonderful ladies and thank them for giving their time and efforts to running our fantastic Club. As always please reach out to either myself or any Board member with issues, concerns and compliments at any time during this riding season. Let us know what you like and way we can improve throughout the riding year.
We had the first Board meeting on August 5th. We have the calendar set for the year so be sure to check out Facebook to see what we have planned. Put those dates on your calendar so you don’t miss the fun. More details will be added to the rides as we get closer to the event so always check Facebook for those updates. Be sure to thank Ron Smith/ Trail Boss for his hard work putting this together. Also thank Karen Pando our Communication Specialist for getting things on Facebook, sending out emails and updating our website over the summer break. We have some good speakers lined up for the year. Topics will include Barn Safety, Natural Products for your horse and self and the ever popular Tick Talk. I know it may seem way too early to talk about Christmas but we all know how quickly it sneaks up on you. The Board decided since Grad Oaks did such a great job with the food for the year-end we would see what Christmas Magic they could dish up for us. We are still working on details for food and of course what crazy gift exchange we can come up with. We are still trying to figure out just what the Obstacle Challenge will look like this year. If you have suggestions or ideas please feel free to share with a Board member. Location, cost and how much work would be needed for doing our own versus going back to M & M or someplace different is what we are mulling over. There will be an ATR Yard Sale this year so now would be a great time to declutter your barns and tack rooms. We will need volunteers to help organize and work the event ( March 7th) as well. As you all know we welcome non-members to ride with us. Those riders are required to sign a Day Rider form and pay a $5 fee to participate in that day’s ride. After some discussion among the Board we have decided to increase that Day Fee from $5 to $10. Please be mindful of this change when inviting friends, family or fellow horse people to join. We are still looking for a T-shirt wrangler. This person would be in charge of bringing Club t-shirts to rides, maintaining an inventory, and housing the shirts during the riding year. Since we did not have any volunteer members of the Board will rotate this task monthly or until a T-shirt Wrangler pops up. This would be a great position for anyone who likes to socialize without having to be in the spotlight. You just help members find the right fit and collect the money.
Calendar:
SEPT:
Thursday Sept 4th- ATR Monthly Meeting at the Altoona School at 7pm. Address: 42630 FL-19, Altoona, FL 32702. Refreshments provided. Come see what we have planned for this riding season. Social time 7PM, meeting at 7:30PM. All are welcomed. Refreshments will be served. BRING YOUR COMPLETED MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION if you have not already mailed it is.
Saturday Sept 13th Silver River State Park Day Ride- Ride out time 9:30am. **RSVP REQUIRED**. Club will provide light lunch bring your beverage of choice. Please RSVP for this ride via Facebook or to Trail Boss Ron at trails4me@aol.com . Pre-ride safety meeting will be held at 9:25 am. Please be ready to ride and in the saddle by 9:30. Approximate travel time from the Altoona School is 1 hour. Suggest you leave by 8:00 am to allow ample time for travel and tacking up. Entrance Fee is $5.00 for single occupant vehicle and $8.00 for 2 or more occupants. Pay at the iron Ranger. DIRECTIONS: From the Altoona School go north on SR 19 for 19 miles
Turn left on SR 40 for 25 miles. Watch for brown State Park sign for Silver Springs Equestrian Trails. Turn left onto gravel road to trailhead. Pay on your way in at the iron ranger.
Thursday Sept 25th - 28th. First campout of the year!! McCulley Farms Campout - All reservations made through McCulley Farms 386-938-1147. Electric & Primitive sites. Directions: 3019 NW McCulley Farm Rd, Jasper, FL 32052 ***DO NOT USE GPS*** (167 mi from Altoona School) SR 19 north 14 mi; left on SR 40 for 25 mi, right at the light onto 326 for11 mi; Right on I-75 north for 103 mi; (You will go through the AG station after crossing I-10. Make sure you pull in and get checked.) Exit 460, go left on SR 6 for 10.7 mi; Right on CR 143 for 1.3 mi; Left onto McCulley Farm Rd.; 1/4 mi to office.
OCT: Keep checking Facebook and your emails for ride updates.
Thursday Oct. 2nd- ATR Monthly Meeting at the Altoona School at 7pm. Address: 42630 FL-19, Altoona, FL 32702. Refreshments provided. Guest speaker Lori Tankel dicussing Barn Safety and Fire Prevention. Social time 7PM, meeting at 7:15PM. All are welcomed. BRING YOUR COMPLETED MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION if you have not already mailed it is.
Saturday Oct. 4th- Sunnyhill West Day Ride- Ride out at 9:30am. Directions: 35 miles from Altoona School. Go west on CR 42 to SE 182 Ave Rd (Buck N Does). Go to end at Meadors Corners(314A). Go left on 314 A to the blinking light. Go left on Hwy 464C to SE 113th St. Rd (2.5 miles). Turn left onto 113th St. and go to end at the stop sign (2.5 miles) at Fisher Rd. Turn right onto Fisher Rd and trail head will be down there on the left. Look for new board fencing.
Wednesday Oct 15th- Karen Szabo's Ranch Day Ride. Ride out at 9:30am. This is our first mid week ride. Directions: 24983 CR 42 Paisley, FL 32767. From the intersection of SR 19 and CR 42 in Altoona travel east on CR 42 for 7.7 miles. You will pass a Dollar General on the left and then there will be a brown church on the right. My driveway is on the left across from the brown church. Turn left on the concrete entryway between the mailbox and the wooden Lazy S sign. Follow the drive around the fence and parking will be in the pasture.
Saturday Oct. 25th - Rock Springs Preserve Day Ride. Ride out at 9:30am. Bring your lunch to enjoy at the trailhead after ride. Directions: 30601 Wekiva River Road Sorrento FL 32776. 25 miles from Altoona. Turn left onto CR 42E (3.5 miles) Turn right onto CR 439 (7.8 miles) Turn left onto FL-44E (4.2 miles) Turn right onto CR FL-46E (250ft) Turn right onto Wekiva River Road (0.4 miles) Go 100ft and Turn right into entrance. Follow road to end into camping area turn right to park in open field for day riding.
Sunshine Committee: Unfortunately Sue hasn’t gotten must rest this summer. Right at the end of the year Leslie Reiss had a non-horse accident resulting in a dislocated shoulder. Not to be out done Jane Richardson slipped on her porch steps while letting her dog out and spent the night in the hospital with a nasty muscle bleed that thankfully healed on its own. Jane Richardson’s horse Jack and Amy Toman’s dog Ryder crossed the Rainbow Bridge this summer leaving big holes in both ladies hearts. Sue Rogers (foot) and Laura Causey (knee) took this time to have surgery to repair parts that wore out. The Club also extends our sympathy to Donna Bellusci for the loss of her mother and Karen Szabo for the loss of her husband Tim. Let’s keep these members in our prayers. If you or any member you know gets hurt, suffers a loss or just needs some SUNSHINE please reach out to Sue Michel our Fabulous Sunshine Committee via text at 352-212-7027 or email suebrascia@gmail.com
Trail Manners
⦁ Be on time. Be saddled, mounted and ready to ride at the appointed time.
⦁ No dogs on the trails. Dogs must be leashed at all times when attending day rides and campouts.
⦁ Do not pass the Trail Leader or drop behind the Drag Rider unless given permission.
⦁ Do not pass, come up behind or run toward other horses at a high speed. Horses can become frightened or surprised and may spook causing someone to get hurt.
⦁ Ride at the ability level and speed of the LEAST experienced horse and rider. This is a club ride not your personal ride. Please respect that others may not be as comfortable riding the same way you ride. All rides should be at a controlled pace.
⦁ Speak up. If the group is moving too quickly or slowly-others may feel the same way. Do not let the group get out of your sight especially if you are unfamiliar with the trails. Let the Trail Leader know if a problem arises.
⦁ Keep a safe distance between you and the horse in front of you. This will allow you to view the trail ahead of you and prevent your horse from being kicked.
⦁ Use appropriate tail ribbons for horses that kick. Need red tail ribbons
⦁ 16 and UNDER MUST WEAR A HELMET. This is a Florida State law, "Nicole's Law" Section 773.06 of the Florida Statutes.
⦁ Stay with a dismounted rider. If someone needs to dismount the whole group needs to stop and wait for the rider to remount before resuming the ride. When necessary a few riders who are familiar with the area can stay behind with a dismounted rider until they remount or help arrives. No rider is to be left alone.
⦁ Clean up after your horse. Pick up manure or spread it according to the rules of where you are. Do not clean your trailers out when you unload.
⦁ Safety meeting will be held just prior to beginning the ride. Please give your full attention to the person leading the talk.
⦁ Passing on the Trail. If you must pass another rider call out “Passing on your Left or Right”
⦁ Most importantly - have fun and be safe!
THE MEANING OF ......RSVP
What does RSVP mean? It is French (repondez s'il vous plait). Translated to English it means "please reply" or in common terms: Please reply to the Trail Boss and let them know you are going to their event!!!!
Why do we ask you to RSVP? The Trail Boss or Ride Host needs to know how many people will attend so they can prepare beverages and food for those coming. If side-dishes are to be brought to share, it is nice to know what's coming in. So 10 people don't all bring chips! Maybe the RSVP helps the Trail Boss plan parking for all the trailers on ride property-easier if you know not only how many but sizing of trailers too. Also if for any reason a ride must be cancelled at last minute we can try to reach you BEFORE you load up and drive.
So please RSVP when asked to the upcoming rides and events. Please take a courtesy moment call/text/Facebook/email the Trail Boss or Ride Host to let them know you will attend. Just as important please call/text/Facebook/email them if your plans change and you are no longer able to attend.