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Welcome to Altoona Trail Riders
Dedicated to preserving equestrian trails, participating in community service and promoting family fun.
october 2026
Saturday, October 3
Camp Boggy Creek family day, 9AM.
Thursday, October 8 ** note date change
Monthly meeting, Altoona School, 6:30 PM.
Saturday, October 10
Camp Boggy Creek family day, 9AM.
Thursday, October 15
Day ride - Sunnyhill West Restoration Area. Ride out at 9:30 AM.
Saturday, October 24
Day ride - Silver Springs State Park (or Indian Lake if trails are wet). Ride out at 9:30 AM.
October 29 - November 1
Campout at Black Horse Resort Ranch
november 2026
Thursday, November 5
Monthly meeting, Altoona School, 6:30 PM. Refreshments will be served.
Saturday, November 7
Day ride - Half Moon Wildlife Mgmt Area
November 12 - 15
Campout at McCulley Farms, Jasper, FL
Saturday, November 21
Day ride -- Sunnyhill Blue House
december 2026
Tuesday, December 1
Christmas party, Lake Eustis Waterfront Grill, 1 - 5 PM. Bring dog or cat food for the animal shelter.
Thursday, December 3
Monthly meeting, 6:30 PM, Altoona School. Refreshments will be served.
Saturday, December 5
Reindeer Games at Iris Glick's Arena at Greener Pastures, 9AM
Saturday, December 19
Day ride - Bear Pond Trail Head at the southern end of Seminole State Forest,
Thursday, December 31
Day ride - Sawgrass Island Preserve
january 2027
Wednesday, January 6
Monthly meeting, 6:30 PM, Altoona School.
Refreshments will be served. *** Note - change in meeting date due to campout at Serenity Acres.
January 7 - 10
Campout at Serenity Acres, Inverness
Saturday, January 23
Progressive Day Ride, 11AM - ??. Begin with appetizers at Trailhead Ranch, Umatilla
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, Sunnyhill Trails, Ocklawaha Prairie 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 $10. 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 November 2026
OFFICERS:
Michelle McWilliams, President Contact info: email markmichellworks@aol.com or Text 352-636-6430
Ron Smith, Vice President/Trail Boss email : trails4me@aol.com
Paige Chassie, Treasurer
Renee Lewis, Secretary
Directors: Martha Bradford, Jerry Harrington, Sherry Orr, Kerry Young
Message from your President: I hope this is not your last ATR Newsletter. Hopefully by now you have renewed your membership. We have lots of fun stuff coming up that you won't want to miss out on.
Just home from our first ATR campout of the season. Black Horse was fabulous. We had the whole place to ourselves for the most part. We rode, enjoyed meals together, a night of trivia and a day of obstacles. We were having so much fun I didn't get a chance to announce the obstacle winners so if you competed be sure to come to the meeting to see if you were a winner. Misty and Danielle along with all their staff are doing a wonderful job out there. Check our Facebook page to see all the great photos taken from this weekend. I would like to give a huge shout out to our volunteer judges who made the challenge possible; John and Nanci Dalziel, Karen Pando and Duane Young.
Speaking of our meeting we will have guest speaker, John Hayduk from Nutrena Feed. If you would like to have your hay analyzed, bring one gallon ziplock bag full of hay.
Reminder: If you are interested in riding in the Umatilla Christmas Parade on December 12th please reach out to Diane Roberts via Facebook, text or call 352-408-4149.
See you all at this week's meeting.
Calendar:
Nov:
Monday, 2nd – Back Country Work Day – Meet Jerry on FR 49. Cancelled if it is raining but the latest forecast shows it to be clearing up. See you there.
Thursday, 5th - ATR Monthly Meeting- Altoona School at 6:30pm. Address: 42630 FL-19, Altoona, FL 32702. Doors open at 6:30pm. Guest Speaker John Hayduk from Nutrena Feed. Dan's Feed will supply the refreshments, pizza and drinks. Bring a gallon ziplock sized sample of your hay and John will do an analysis on it.
Saturday, 7th- Halfmoon Day Ride - Ride out at 9:30 AM. Bring water for horses. There is a vault toilet on site. Bring your lunch for after the ride. Directions: 6014 FL-44 Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538 From Altoona, Go west on CR 42 to the end in Pedro, approximately 30 miles. Go left(south) on CR 475 all the way to the end at SR 44, approximately 4 miles. Go right(west) on SR 44 for approximately 6 miles. Look for Half Moon WMA signs. Turn RIGHT onto CR 247 for 4 miles to the Half Moon parking area on the left.
Thursday 12th- Sunday 15th - McCulley Campout - All reservations made through McCulley Farms text 386-623-6090. Please click the "going" button on the Facebook Event tab or let Trail Boss Ron know you are camping. There will be lots of riding and a bit of fun planned after rides. Instead of a potluck dinner lets have a potluck lunch after Saturday's ride. Trail Boss Ron will have dinner places picked out for those who wish to go out to dinner. All other meals on your own. Hopefully we can have a campfire since the temps will be cooler. 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.
Saturday, 21st - Sunnyhill Blue House Day Ride - Ride out at 9:30 AM. There is water for horses and a port-a-potty. Bring your lunch to enjoy after the ride.
Directions : Blue House at 19561 SE Hwy 42, Umatilla. From Altoona onto Hwy 42 West go approx 12 miles turn right into the entrance and follow the driveway around past the building on the right to the open parking area.
Dec:
Thursday, 3rd - ATR Monthly Meeting- Altoona School at 6:30pm. Address: 42630 FL-19, Altoona, FL 32702. Doors open at 6:30pm. Bring your drink and a donation towards future refreshments. Wear your holiday shirts. We will draw for electric sites at Serenity Acres for the Jan 7th to 10th campout. There will be six electric sites in the drawing. Please be sure to give Trail Boss Ron your name before the start of the meeting.
Saturday, 5th - Reindeer Games - Registration at 9:00 AM. Directions: from Altoona, go west on CR 42 for 8 miles. Turn left onto SE Hwy 450 and go 1.4 miles to the entrance on the right. Follow driveway to the left to the barn area.
Saturday 15th - Seminole State Forest to Bear Pond Day Ride - Ride out 9:30 am. Follow Facebook for more details.
Sunshine Committee: Thankfully only two injuries to report this month. Francis Monday fell outside her feed shed and broke her ankle earlier this month. She is home recovering and so far no surgery is required. Sadly our Sunshine Lady also took a fall two days before her birthday at home and tore her meniscus and fractured her ankle. At this time I have not heard what her exact treatment plan is but I do know she was wearing a brace and a boot. Prayers that she also will not require surgery. As a safety awareness let us all be more careful when walking. Don't be in a hurry. Watch for objects in the way and most importantly PLEASE take extra care when walking in or around water. While not seriously hurt as these two members there have been a lot of slip and falls lately among the membership. In the wise words of our Trail Boss "Safety First"!
