* Shopping meeting coming up Dec. 6. Don't miss it. - Then parade on Dec. 8. *
Welcome to Altoona Trail Riders
Dedicated to the preservation of equestrian trails, participating in community service and promoting family fun.
Welcome to Altoona Trail Riders
Dedicated to the preservation of equestrian trails, participating in community service and promoting family fun.
Calendar 2018 - 2019
October 26-28, 2018
ATR campout at Spotted Dance Ranch, Brooksville. Primitive sites left. Contact Karen if you want a site. We will have a pot luck dinner on Friday night. The club will grill chicken Bring a dish to share. Sat. afternoon we will kayak the Withlacoochee River for those who want to and then have dinner at River Ratz.
Spotted Dance Ranch 29384 Wildlife Lane Brooksville, FL 34602 campout. Make reservations thru Karen Pando by email kapando11@gmail.com, text (352) 895-9937 or Facebook ATR page. DO NOT CALL RANCH DIRECTLY. Limited sites, paddocks and stalls.
Nov. 1
ATR monthly meeting, 7PM, Altoona School. No speaker this month.
Nov. 16-18
ATR campout at the Oaks Equestrian Center. 211 SW Theodore O'Connor Circle, Lake City. $25 for hookups, stalls, paddocks $25 - $35 per night. Michelle is taking reservations.
Nov. 24 - 26
24th-26th Thanksgiving Campout at Shangri La Campground. From I-75: Go west on Hwy 484. After approx. two miles, turn right on Marion Oaks Course. After curve to the left Marion Oaks Course becomes Marion Oaks Trail. Continue approx. six miles, then turn right onto S.W. 69th Court. Continue straight into the Shangri-La Campground entrance. From Hwy 200: Go east on Hwy 484. After approx. three miles, turn left on Marion Oaks Trail. Continue to S.W. 69th Court, and turn left. Continue straight into the Shangri-La Campground entrance. Make your reservations thru reserveamerica.com. There will be a Saturday Turkey Leftover Potluck. So bring a dish made from your Thanksgiving leftovers. Day Riders welcome to come any day.
Dec. 6
ATR monthly meeting, 7PM, Altoona School. Evening of shopping. Wanted, - members who do crafts, sewing, art work, more. Bring your items to sell. BRING A BAG OF DOG, CAT OR HORSE FOOD FOR LAKE COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL. Let's fill up a truck with animal food.
Dec. 8
ATR riding in the Umatilla Christmas parade. 830 AM. Theme is "Jingle Jam". Everyone to wear black jeans and a red or green T-shirt. Cover your horse's saddle pad with opposite color. Wear a Santa hat and lots of bells.
Dec. 14 - 16
Campout at Fechtel Ranch, off Oak Road Eustis. This will be our Christmas party - "Campfire Christmas". Pot luck dinner Sat. night. Club will provide meats, bring a dish to share. Everyone make their own reservations for camping - 407-884-2009.
Jan. 1, 2019
New Year's Day ride - ride out at 10AM. Lake Norris Conservation Area, 37939 Lake Norris Road, Eustis. Bring lunch to eat after the ride. Ring in the New Year with a fun trail ride.
Jan. 3
ATR monthly meeting, Altoona School, 7PM.
Allison Thomas is going to share details regarding her trip to England with the Pony Club. Also start collecting items for the March yard sale.
Jan. 11 - 13
Campout at Andy Michel's place, Inverness. $15 for elec, $5 primitive, $5 per horse per night. Limited elec available. Contact Michelle for a reservation.
Feb. 7
ATR monthly meeting, Altoona School, 7PM. No speaker this month. Need nominating committee for officers for next year.
Feb. 8 - 10
Campout at Colt Creek 16000 State Road 471, Lakeland, FL 33809. Everyone to make their own reservations with Colt Creek. This place is primitive only for horse camping. But they do have bath houses in the regular camp ground; a short drive away. Shared dinner on Sat. night.
Feb. 23
Progressive dinner ride, Trailhead Ranch Umatilla, 27435 SE Highway 42. Meet at the ranch at 11AM for appetizers and tacking up. Everyone bring something for the meal. Ride out at 12:00. Ride an hour to first stop for main meal. Ride to second stop for desserts. Return to Trailhead Ranch for after ride beverages.
March 2
ATR yard sale with the city wide yard sale. Helpers needed. See Michelle.
March 7
March 9
March 22 - 24
April 4
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
December 2018
Message from your President:
December is here and we have a busy few weeks ahead of us. First up on Dec. 6 is our monthly meeting. But this one will be a shopping evening like we did last year. We have some crafty members and others who are downsizing their horsey décor so we will have tables with neat stuff for sale. So far, we have Kathy and Kelly who sew and make neat items. We have Marsha with her restored carousels and other equine décor. We have Jeanne who does paintings. And some other folks who will bring items to sell. So, you must come out for this great meeting. 7PM shopping starts. Our meeting will begin around 8:15. Refreshments will be served. Come on out and bring a friend.
And remember that we want everyone to bring a bag of dog, cat or horse food. As in the past, we take food to the Lake County Animal Control and we want to support them again this year. Please be generous and fill up my truck!
Then on Saturday, Dec. 8 we will be riding in the Umatilla Christmas parade. The theme this year is “Jingle Jam”. If you want to walk or ride in the parade you will wear a red or green T-shirt, black jeans, a Santa hat and lots of bells. If you are riding you will have a red or green covering over your horse’s saddle pad. We have our banner carriers (Michelle and Libby) and behind them will be the walkers. Then the carts, if we have any, and finally those riding their horses. And bringing up the rear will be Jackie, the official pooper-scooper. So, this should be a great day. Everyone who does the parade wants to do it again. Come on out and prance on down the highway. Let Michelle or myself know if you plan on attending. Meet at 8AM at the ball park south of Umatilla. Enter on Ball Park Road and turn behind the ball park and drive up to the pond. We will be staging in that area. If you
want someone to move your rig to the end of the parade route, bring a spare key to your truck and we will try to get it moved. Please get to the staging area early as the area gets very congested. And this year all the parade participants will stage at the ball park. In the past, those walking staged elsewhere. The good news is that we will be at the end of the parade so we get to see most of the parade before we march off. Let us know if you have any questions.
And finally, on Dec. 14-16 we will be camping at Fechtel and on Saturday night we will have our Christmas party. We will plan to eat at 5PM. The club will provide the pulled pork and everyone needs to bring a side dish to share with this meal. We will play a couple rounds of “heads or tails”. Those of you who attended last year will remember that game. If you are not camping for the weekend, you can still come to the Saturday party and sit around the campfire with us. Everyone needs to make their own reservations at Fechtel, 407-884-2009.
Those are our December happenings. Hope you all can join us for these fun events. And remember to get your dues in now. PJ is starting to purge the membership list and if you have not renewed you will no longer receive emails. And more importantly, you will miss out on my wonderful and newsy newsletters with all these cool photos! So, hurry up and renew!
Our November activities were a lot of fun. While it was not an ATR event, several of us went to South Carolina for the AHA Beach Ride and had a blast. Lots of people and horses and lots to do. Then we had our campout at the Oaks in Lake City. We did have one very cold morning but it warmed up and we had a nice ride. On our way home Sunday, we stopped at San Felasco and rode for 3 hours. It was a very pretty ride and we thank Jeanne Thompson for showing us the trails. I recommend this place for all riders. You will like it. Then we headed off to Shangri-La for a post-Thanksgiving ride and campout. We had a small but fun group of campers and others who joined in for the day ride. We kept busy in November. And with this cooler weather, there is no excuse for not jumping in the saddle.
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