Go to Event Tab and see KSC Youth Horsemanship Clinic event for detales and RSVP the event

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SR Ride in Chillicothe May 4-6th      by LG

Can you say “YET ANOTHER GREAT RIDE” at the SR!  It had been raining all week up north. Particularly all day the day before and all night the eve of the ride! On our way to the farrier in Jamesport Friday morning all I could see were puddles in the fields and wondering to myself, “ How many people will show up for this ride?  It looks pretty soggy to me”. My guess was that not too many campers/riders would show up, figuring they would all think it was too wet.  Boy Howdy was I wrong!  Guess folks weren’t watching the weather up north and it was still fairly dry in the Kearney area.  There were 11 trailers staying overnight which included 20 plus riders and about 8 day riders joined us.  The trails were a little wet, but every water crossing had water in it and the trails were absolutely beautiful.

  Road ridin’ to Charlie’s… Awwww...it don’t get any better than this!

We have waited all winter long for the big adventure to GOOD TIME CHARLIE’S and the trip was well worth the wait...7 miles round trip.  Everyone began tacking up about three in the afternoon to be on the road by three thirty for an estimated arrival time of Four O’clock.  Charlie was opening a little early just for us!  The barn lot at Charlie’s was empty and a perfect place for us to tie up our horses.  There were 25 of us making the journey and only a few rode in motorized vehicles.  The buffet was to die for!   The food was so DELICIOUS! I would say, good enough to drive to CHARLIE'S from Kearney, on a Friday night,  or Saturday night... even with out horses. 

Kick ‘er back after eating all that good food and enjoy the company before riding back to camp

Saturday night was a perfect night to sit at the camp fire with the moon at a very close position to the earth, shining bigger and brighter than ever.  Some took a moonlight ride while others enjoyed the warmth of the fire and good conversation.

Here is a link that can help you plan your next moonlight ride.  

http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml.

Sunday morning breakfast at the SR is always delightful as the men get involved and show off their biscuit and gravy building skills.  The Swearingin Ranch remains a magical getaway place for our club. Thanks again to Dan and Pam for another wonderful, magical, fantabulous weekend!

see our Trail Boss Report Below.

Swearingin’s Ranch May 4-6

What a great weekend at Dan and Pam's! We all arrived on Friday afternoon and feasted on some great Mexican food provided by the social committee. We all afterwards enjoyed laughs and the great campfire. Saturday we all ventured out for a morning ride. The scenery is fantastic there and the weather was great. After our morning ride we all grabbed a bite to eat and then gathered up to chat and talk about horses. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying the time to just catch up, meet and talk with new members. That afternoon we all headed to Good Time Charlie's for dinner on horseback. Yes you heard me correct, we rode to the restaurant on horseback. Only a 2.6 mile ride that was full of beautiful scenery. A moment in my life I will truly never forget. So much fun! The food and laughs at the restaurant were limitless. We rode back later that afternoon and hung by the campfire. Sunday morning we had a unbelievable breakfast with cinnamon rolls and a delicious casserole. Julie Murphy is a fantastic cook!! After that it started raining and we all headed home. Some made it out quickly and others played in the mud "Cliff". It was a great weekend and memories to last a lifetime. Thanks again Dan and Pam!

Trail Boss "Kat"

 Larry, Managing the "De-Stucking" process.  Ooops! It was wet!

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The Flying R Ranch - Best of America By Horseback, April 2012 Ride

If you haven’t been to the Flying R  Ranch, Westplains, Missouri you need to go!  This one is on my favorites list.  There you will find some of the best trail riding and one of the nicest facilities I have visited.  Absolutely beautiful!  Trails range from gravel roads to single file trail, river trails, river crossings, hills and dales, private property and Mark Twain National Forest. 

Only 5 ½ hour pull from Kearney and all 4 lane until you get to Cabool.  From there only 20 miles of some 2 lane winding road, but take it slow and you will get there. 

We were able to ride with the Best of America By Horseback show during our visit.  BOABH will be returning to the Flying R Ranch in October this year 2012.  You know if they come back it’s got to be good!

Our first day we ventured out to find Noblett Lake though we didn’t reach our destination, we were able to ride about 19 miles (6 hours).  Make sure your horse in good condition if you want to attempt this and be sure to pack a lunch.

The Flying R Ranch has cabins to rent, located on the river.  They are currently building stalls near the cabins.  There is also the bunk house located above the dining hall, with rooms to rent. The shower house “The Wash Rack” is clean and well designed and decorated nicely as well and includes a laundry facility. 

There is water and electric at each site.  Sites are level and mostly in shade in the evening.  Stalls are small but covered with water close and free shavings.  They offer a service to clean stalls at a charge of $5 per cleaning of each stall if you don’t want to do it yourself.  Free fire wood. There is a $5 charge for the dump station and the location is such that it makes it difficult to drain everything out. Though when recommendations are made Terry is very good about making the changes if the request is valid and I would anticipate some corrections made on the dump station.

One thing I really like about this place is, they have food to purchase if you want to purchase per meal or you can cook your own at your camp site. The dining hall is big and they have free WIFI.  Phone service is sparse so if you have a smart phone or laptop, you can at least communicate with the family back home via email or Facebook.

They have a nice little gift shop, and apparel shop and an ice cream shop too (with waffle cones!!!) The Flying R Ranch is the 1^st SpecTACKular® Outpost and you will find SpecTACKular tack there to purchase. 

KSC member and owner of SpecTACKular Inc. -  Equine Sports Gear, was interviewed by Best of America By Horseback Host, Tom Seay.

The owners Terry and Pam Carroll are wonderful people.  If you’re lucky you will get to ride with them and see all the best sites on the trails.  All in all… this trail rider highly recommends the Flying R Ranch.  You will find a link to the Flying R Ranch on the side bar of this site.  Also, check out this site for some pics of the BOABH April 2012 ride:  tjportraitdesign.zenfolio.com

Submitted by: Linda Gonzales

USRider is a nationwide roadside assistance plan created especially for equestrians. It includes standard features such as flat-tire repair, battery assistance and lock-out services, plus towing up to 100 miles and roadside repairs for tow vehicles and trailers with horses, emergency stabling, veterinary referrals and more.

USRider has an extensive equine travel safety area posted at www.usrider.org. This area contains a checklist of items you shouldn’t leave home without, a list of vet-recommended contents for first aid kits, trailer maintenance tips and much more.

For more information about USRider, visit them online at www.usrider.org or call 1-800-844-1409.

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/5f338b6d#/5f338b6d/1

Note to Members, archived front page articles are saved as a blog on my page (Linda Gonzales)  if you want to go back and review anything.