Welcome to FoxTROT's blogspot!

If you trail ride in Tennessee on a Missouri Fox Trotting (MFT) horse, then this site is for you! Whether you live in Tennessee or travel here to ride, we invite you to participate. Our desire is to provide an association that will enhance the enjoyment of trail riding the MFT. FoxTROT is an affiliate of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association.

SCHEDULED TRAIL RIDES

The rides listed below are scheduled organizational rides. Additional day and week-end rides are scheduled by Regional Reps and among members as time and opportunity allows.

2017 FoxTROT MFTHBA
National Trail Ride Schedule

(Pending approval by the MFTHBA Trail Committee)

FoxTROT Spring NTR
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
3-7 May 2017
Zenith Stables & Campground
Allardt, TN
931-879-5252
http://www.zenithstables.com

FoxTROT Octoberfest @ East Fork
11-15 October 2017
East Fork Stables
Jamestown, TN
931-879-1176
http://www.eastforkstables.com
In addition to camping and stall fees, this ride requires purchase of the meal package which covers ALL MEALS starting with supper on Wednesday and ending with breakfast on Sunday - $165.00 per person. It's best to MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS VERY EARLY! Reservations require 25% deposit with balance pay out through the year. There's a 10% discount for pre-registration.

Someone of FoxTROT is riding nearly every week end and some week days. For info on regional day rides contact the following anytime for specific plans --

Big South Fork FoxTROT
Lea Valentine, 865-556-3485/931-879-0808, leavalfox@bellsouth.net
Rose Walter, 931-269-0580, rosewalter52@yahoo.com

Smoky Mountain/Eastern TN & Western NC FoxTROT
Lloyd Styles, 865-805-0620, lstyles1968@gmail.com
Debby Gerhardt, 423-237-8726, debbygerhardt@yahoo.com
Sam Gerhardt, 423-237-8724, smfoxtrotters@hotmail.com

2017 Clinics/Events of Interest

Southern Equine Expo
24-27 February 2017
Tennessee Miller Coliseum
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
http://www.southernequineexpo.com
FoxTROT will be representing the MFTHBA with a booth at this event! John Brandreth and The Kansas Kowboy D will provide the MFT breed demo!

MFTHBA Spring Show

3 Year Old Futurity
National Trail Ride
6-9 June 2017
Ava, Missouri
http://www.mfthba.com/springshow
417-683-2468

MFTHBA Show and Celebration
National Trail Ride
5-11 September 2017

Ava, Missouri
http://www.mfthba.com/
417-683-2468

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I RIDE

A page from an 87 yr old horsewoman's journal:

I Ride

I ride. That seems like such a simple statement. However as many women who ride know it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability. I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold beer after a long ride.

The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'the sickness'. It's a sickness I've had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of 'the sickness'. It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings.

I ride. I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trail-head
somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse.
My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust.

Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.

I consider the simple statement; I ride. I think of all I do because I ride.
Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the Manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride, no matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt. I ride. And I feel better for doing so.

The beauty I've seen because I ride amazes me. I've ridden out to find lakes that remain for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart.

I think of the people, mostly women, I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch. We haul 40ft rigs, we back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel with out makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably, when you were a
small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.

"My treasures do not chink or glitter; They gleam in the sun and neigh in
the night".

Contributed by member Lea Valentine

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Listed below are two MFT's for sale--Please view all under "Related Links" column.

Terry on Surprise in a cave at The Bolo Club



Terry on Twister at Big South Fork





Terry Messex has any of 3 nice MFTs for sale! There's Surprise (spotted gelding), Twister (sorrel gelding), and a new 4.5 year old chestnut gelding he just acquired out of Kentucky. All are papered MFTs. Terry says the new chestnut can be bought "right". Contact Terry for more info at 931-575-8307 or robbiemessex@att.net.

Thanksgiving Ride in The Smokies, East Tennessee













































































Having enjoyed his Thansgiving holiday with family early, Terry Messex came with some of his TWH and SSH friends to ride out of Orchard Cove over the Thanksgiving weekend. Lea Valentine joined them on Friday for the weekend. Lea brought her new MFT buckskin gelding, Dollar. Deb and I, with our RMH friends, went over for a day ride with them all on Saturday. The weather was perfect, CLEAR and COOL! There was even a trace of snow along the Appalachian Trail at the top. We thank the LORD for His goodnes in allowing us to enjoy Friends, Fox Trotters, and Fall weather in the mountains of East Tennessee!

Ride at Normandy Dam, Central Tennessee

Recently, Terry Messex met with Donna Porter, Ray Mauer, and their friend, Chris, at Normandy Dam for a beautiful ride.
This location is one of Terry's favorite day ride destinations.










Wednesday, December 2, 2009



I


I








I saw some of this on the news last night, and then Sam sent me this article and the pictures.

I urge everyone of you to send an email to Representative Janis Sontany: rep.janis.sontany@capitol.tn.gov.
to encourage her and tell her that you stand behind her. I have heard that she has previously tried to get a bill passed that will protect horses and other livestock, and she couldn't even get it to the table for discussion.

The mug shots of Mr. Howland and his son show them both with a smile. Rep. Sontany made a comment that it should be the last time somebody can smile about doing this to animals.



Starved horses get attention of lawmaker
Bill would make abuse a felony
By Anne Paine . THE TENNESSEAN . December 2, 2009

State Rep. Janis Sontany of Nashville moved down the stalls one by one at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, looking over 82 boney, near-starved horses and two mules.

Manes hung matted with cockleburs. Dehydration, misshapen hooves and wounds were evident.
One young mule, too weak to be revived, had died two days ago.
Two Cannon County men, from whose farm the animals were removed from last week, face misdemeanor charges.
Related

* Starving horses get help on Thanksgiving <http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091127/NEWS01/911270355/-1/ARCHIVE01>

Such horrific treatment of horses, or any confined animal, should be a felony, Sontany said, like it is when a dog or cat is abused.
She said she intends to file a bill in the coming legislative session to try to make it so.
"We no longer should give anyone a pass if they hold back food and water," Sontany said.
Farm animals were not included when a bill that addressed dog and cat abuse passed the legislature because of objections from farming community representatives, she said.
In this case, Charles Eugene (Gene) Howland and his son, Charles C. (Clint) Howland are scheduled for a court appearance Tuesday on misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, according to Cannon County Sheriff Billy Nichols. They are free on $1,500 bond each.
The district attorney is expected to file more charges, with evidence that the nonprofit groups taking care of the animals say they have gathered to document the neglect.
The Humane Society of the United States, working with United Animal Nations, estimates the cost of the rescue and work will run about $250,000, for which fundraising is needed.
Nichols thanked the groups and volunteers for taking on the grim rescue and recovery that was too large and pricey for his department alone.
About 40 horses were found last week inside a barn in atrocious condition, said Cannon County Detective Charlie Wilder.
Urine and manure lay so thick that he sank past his boots in it, he said. Ammonia stank so much, his lungs hurt.
"One dead horse was lying among the live ones," he said.
Other horses had been confined outside in an area with not enough grass for grazing, Sontany said.

"What do you think the outcome is going to be if you do that?" she asked.

Horses are improving
About 35 of the healthiest horses will be moved to an equine rescue group as early as next week, said Scotlund Haisley, senior director of emergency services for the Humane Society of the United States.
They'll be disbursed when they're ready and good homes are found.
Most won't be strong enough to be moved for three to four weeks, Haisley said.
Related

* Starving horses get help on Thanksgiving <http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091127/NEWS01/911270355/-1/ARCHIVE01>

"This started as a rescue operation <http://www.tennessean.com/section/videonetwork?bctid=52611918001> , and now it's a life-saving operation," he said. "It's miraculous that we've had as many survivors as we've had this far."
From the moment the horses arrived a week ago at the fairgrounds to clean individual stalls with food and water, they seemed to perk up, he said.
"We were in awe," he said, admitting he shed a few tears. "The resilience of these animals is outstanding."
During the first days of the rescue <http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091127/NEWS01/911270355/-1/ARCHIVE01> , volunteers had to help many horses stand up, though most are now staying on their own.
Donations for the horses and volunteers have continued to pour in, Haisley
said.
That has included getting the use of the fairgrounds, which has been indispensable, and veterinarian services, he said. More help is still being sought.
Tractor Supply Co. in Brentwood has contributed $5,000 and will give a truckload of Purina feed this week and a truckload of shavings for the stalls.
"To see what has happened with these animals is just painful," said John Wendler with Tractor Supply.

Previous Page
Contact Anne Paine at 615-259-8071 or apaine@tennessean.com <mailto:apaine@tennessean.com> .

Comments >> <http://www.tennessean.com/comments/article/20091202/NEWS0201/912020400/Starved-horses-get-attention-of-lawmaker>
Read and share your thoughts on this story.

<http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?template=zoom&Site=DN&Date=20091202&Category=NEWS0201&ArtNo=912020400&Ref=AR>
Purchase this Photo

Rep. Janis Sontany checks on one of the horses whose plight spurs her to seek stiff state penalties for abuse and neglect of farm animals. (LARRY MCCORMACK / THE TENNESSEAN)

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Some of you may not have heard of the 84 horses rescued from Cannon County (Woodbury area).
Right now, they are needing everything from help mucking stalls to dollar contributions. I know many of us live too far away to show up and muck a stall, but every $1 adds up.
I'd like to know if anybody has suggestions, or the "know-how", on the avenues to take that will eliminate this type of treatment from so-called humans.
What is to prevent them, or people like them, to just start doing this over again? My heart is heavy with this type of cruelty.
Moira

Read On:

The US Humane Society has seized 84 horses from a Cannon County farm in TN and has taken them to TN State Fair Grounds in Nashville for immediate care.

They need supplies and volunteers to help care for these horses. The main need at this point is feed and hay (no round bales until the horses are moved away from fairground).

People interested in donating supplies or volunteering can contact the manager of the Tennessee State Fairgrounds at 615-862-8980 or email HSUS at tnhorserescue@hsus.org
From Humane Society:
In the coming weeks these horses will be moving further along the road to recovery at our emergency shelter. When our vets have decided they are stable enough for transport, we will start moving them out to rescue groups from whom the horses can then be adopted. As of now, we will not be doing direct adoptions from the emergency shelter. The rescues who take in these amazing animals will be publicized in the local media and on the HSUS Web site www.humanesociety.org and those groups will be handling adoptions.

Please ask anyone who is interested in fostering or adopting to e-mail at this address and their information will be forwarded to the HSUS employees in charge of placement and they will contact those interested directly with more information.

Email Address: tnhorserescue@hsus.org
Subject Line: Adoption or Foster