Randolph the Bow Legged Cowboy!

Christmas is a special time of year! It is a time of Family, Friends, Faith and Films (Don't you all enjoy the holiday movies?)! Well, I've been singing a song I learned YEARS ago to my children and now grandchildren (or whoever else's children that will listen!). I have no idea who wrote it or how to give credit. You may find that the children in your life will enjoy it, so I'm sharing with you. Sing this to the tune of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".

"Randolph the bow legged cowboy
Had a very shiny gun,
And if you ever saw it
You would turn away and run.

All of the other cowboys
Used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Randolph
Join in any horseback games.

Then one snowy Christmas Eve,
The sheriff came to say,
Randolph with your guns so bright,
Won't you lead my posse tonight?

Then how the cowgirls loved him,
And they shouted out with glee,
Randolph the bowlegged cowboy
You'll go down in history!"

Merry Christmas and Happy Trails,

Sam Gerhardt
President, FoxTROT

Elections and Membership Renewals

Well, here we are at the end of another successful year. From The Winter Gathering on to our first National Trail Ride and then to the Foxtrotter Affair, FoxTROT experienced great participation and reviews in 2010. We anticipate 2011 to be even better! It is now time to cast your ballot for the 2011 officers and to renew your membership. The new candidates are all actively involved in FoxTROT and bring energy and additional ideas to us. Please thoroughly answer the ballot and mail it with your completed membership renewal and dues. Many have already accomplished this. Your input and continued support is what makes FoxTROT viable, motivated and successful. Let me see an envelope from you in my mail box soon!

It is also time to renew membership in the national organization, the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association. There are many benefits to belonging to the MFTHBA (http://www.mfthba.com/), the most important being the right to vote and to provide input to the direction of the organization. It is my personal experience that the leadership of the MFTHBA does have an ear and will respond to communication from the membership. There are many positive changes taking place in the MFTHBA and I like to think that those changes have been influenced by individual members who remain actively engaged. Of course, as I write this I'm aware that most of FoxTROT want to trail ride and have no interest in the affairs of the MFTHBA. This is understandable, believe me! However, the MFTHBA is OUR breed registry. To keep it strong we must be members; to influence it in a better direction we must vote and communicate our desires and concerns. There is strength in numbers. Please consider joining or renewing your membership in the MFTHBA for 2011.

FoxTROT's next full organizational ride will be The Spring Gathering at Catoosa Ridge Stables, Crossville, TN, Saturday, 26 March 2011. Notice this is a "Spring" Gathering. Last year The "Winter" Gathering had a bit too much "winter" so we postponed this event for a month in 2011. Be looking for further information after the new year.

Thanksgiving Weekend at KC Ranch, Alabama

After giving thanks to the Lord with family for all His blessings upon us, several of us met at KC Ranch (http://www.kcranchalabama.com/) in Double Springs, Alabama. Ken and Carol McDonald are the owners of KC Ranch which is located in beautiful northwest Alabama on the edge of the Bankhead National Forrest. It just so happens that Ken and Carol own/trail ride our favorite breed, Missouri Fox Trotters! We did all of our riding on the many miles of the private trails of KC Ranch. There are several loops to make, ranging from an hour to several hours in length. We rode along the creek beds, through the woods, across the bridges, and over the sandstone and red clay. The trails are well marked and color coded trail maps were provided. Three delicious meals a day were provided in the dining hall. As Terry M would say, "You could founder at this place"! They really did serve the best food I've eaten at a horse camp. The campsites are level with full hookups (water, electric, septic) and are near the stalls. A cabin is available for those without living quarters. I was surprised that the camp was nearly full with riders/campers coming from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and other places. We look forward to returning to KC Ranch and would encourage others to go there to camp, eat and ride!

Those joining Deb and I were Hunter (our oldest grandson), Bob and Betty Wills, Terry Messex, Felix and Rose Walters, Terry and Julie Yokely. Most of us were riding our MFTs, but there were a couple of Spotted Saddle Horses among us. Of course, we talked up our MFTs to all who would give an ear! I left copies of The Journal in the dining hall and noticed that they were being read by other guests. While we were there Terry Y, Felix W, and Ken and Carol all joined FoxTROT! We are happy to see them become a part and look forward to riding with them in the future. Of course, we finished our visit Sunday morning with Cowboy Church. There were 17 of us gathered around the fire for some singing and an encouraging word from the Scriptures. Everyone then said our "nice to meet you" and "see y'all later" before breaking camp, loading horses and heading home. Once again, we were reminded why we started FoxTROT in the first place.

Merry Christmas and Happy Trails,

Sam Gerhardt, President, FoxTROT

Fall Ride at Circle E Guest Ranch

Donna and Terry put together a 3 day ride in Middle Tennessee at the Circle E Guest Ranch., 11 - 14 November 2010. A friend of Ray and Donna's and new MFT owner, Casey Rogilio, wrote a nice record of her day ride with the group. I have edited it slightly to post to the blog.

"Seven riders met at Circle E, on top of the Cumberland Plateau, to ride in the woods as part of the FoxTROT ride. Terry Lea, Bob, Felix, Donna, Ray and myself. We took off across the road from the camp heading generally north and into an open logging area. We had maps, but we weren't paying tons of attention to them at times. Woo Hoo! It was a down hill jaunt from the moment we headed out of the logging area and my heart was beating rapidly. I dinna care for downhill that much; uphill is good, downhill is bad in my general mantra! Donna and I realized that our saddles were giving us some side to side motion so we made our tack adjustments and then continued the ride onto a flat road.

"We stayed on the flat road for oh, about 20 feet, if that! then Ray led us off and up the side of a hill into some trees and by a granite bluff. I still don't know if he knew where we were going or if Terry had told him, but we ended up in 'Hooterville'! Yep, we sure did! There must have been about 100 bras fastened onto the trees! We headed on from there, downhill and up again 'til Terry got to thinking we were on hunting land. Yikes. We had 2 darker buckskins that could have looked like deer, 3 sorrels and 2 black and whites. Thankfully, I had on my bright yellow rain jacket so 'I' would have been safe. LOL. No, hopefully any hunters would have realized that they were horses with people on them. We had to go back the way we had come. My heart was no longer beating rapidly. My horse, Cassey, had some of the p&v taken out of her on the slopes so far. I realized she was a more sure footed thing, even on steeper slopes, than I normally ride. She's not one to go headlong down a slope just to keep up with the other horses. She would also slow at fallen trees and carefully negotiate them.

"I took tons of pictures, trying to capture the brilliant light we saw pouring out of the sky and giving our eyes a feast of blazing oranges, bright yellows and fiery reds. At times the leaves seemed almost incandescent, they were so illuminated. There was no way for pictures to do justice to the beauty we saw at every turn of the trail.

"I felt so blessed to be able to ride on this occasion for more than one reason. It was a marvel to look at the beauty God had for us. Donna had invited me and I confess I felt a touch of trepidation at riding at Circle E. I had heard the trails could be rough. Well, Cassey took great care of me. She puffed up the hills. I know on one occasion she came to a halt and I felt she was firmly telling me to haul my OWN butt up the hill! We went down rocky places where she had to place her feet carefully and up rocky places where she had to scramble to get good footing. CW McCall's son 'Black Bear Road' kept coming to mind; there were 'rocks as big as a hall closet' that we passed and lots of grapefruit sized rocks to pick our way through. We rode past boulders as big as houses and at least one HUGE boulder that had to be 50 feet high.

"It was a wonderful day. At one point I told Ray and Donna that my cheeks hurt from grinning so much. I feel like I've come a long way as a trail rider. We negotiated some downhill and through trees/rock stuff that would have sent me screaming in the other direction with Justin, and Dino would have probably lost his mind on some of the uphills. It helps immensely to have a horse that is a seasoned trail horse and can take care of herself and her rider. Yay Cassey!!! I know I slept well last night; hopefully Cassey did too!"

Obviously, Casey had a wonderful time riding with FoxTROT! In addition to those mentioned in Casey's article, others joining the ride that weekend were Michael and Sharon Lesner, Kathy and Marty, and some folk from the area. Deb and I did not make this ride, and it sounds like we missed out!

Happy Trails,

Sam Gerhardt

President, FoxTROT

Foxtrotter Affair 2010

(There are no photos with this article. For some strange reason none of us had working cameras! Sorry.)

The first annual Foxtrotter Affair (http://www.foxtrotteraffair.com) was held at East Fork Stables (http://www.eastforkstables.com) in Jamestown, TN, 8 - 12 September 2010, in conjunction with the FoxTROT Fall Trail Ride. Along with the usual 20 or so MFT trail riders from FoxTROT, we had folks bring their MFTs from Kentucky, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Missouri.

The trail riding on East Fork is second to none! Guides were provided to accommodate each skill level of trail rider. Trails were well marked and expansive. We enjoyed the trails each day, even in the rain. I can no longer say, "I've never left the barn in the rain". East Fork should be on every trail rider's "bucket list" of places to ride.

Crest Ridge Saddlery (http://www.crestridgesaddlery.com) gave an excellent clinic on saddle fit. The explanations and information was understandable and valuable. The CRS staff was busy during the entire event assisting and advising. It is certain that many saw the need to replace poorly fit saddles and purchase a top quality saddle from CRS on the spot. Many others will , no doubt, make an order with CRS after they return home. We will look forward to seeing these folks again at next year's Foxtrotter Affair.

Henry Dunn, a MFT trainer from Florida, was on hand to help folks in the arena with their gaits. After a brief demonstration, he was kept busy throughout the event one on one with interested riders. Many comments were made about the great help received from Mr. Dunn.

A competitive trail obstacle course was set up for casual use as desired. Many presented the opportunity to their MFTs to meet the challenges. Most did very well, while some will need more exposure! I heard several say that they will be building obstacles on their places in order to be better prepared for next year! Since the MFTHBA is now associated with the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (http://www.actha.us.com) this type of course certainly will continue to be popular with trail riders.

For many, the charity horse show for the local animal rescue group was the highlight of the Foxtrotter Affair. East Fork was covered up with locals and MFT riders enjoying the show. Several of our MFTs placed in their appropriate classes. The rain did create some issues, but all seemed to have a great time, "entering at the fox trot"!

The last evening was spent at the pavilion. We enjoyed a delicious bar-b-que supper. After the meal, cash awards were presented to certain participants (who doesn't like cash theses days?), like oldest and youngest, best cowboy and cowgirl, who traveled farthest, and those who placed in the show. In addition to cash, some received a copy of the book, Fox Trot Trackings. The awards were well deserved by all who received them. Arrangements were made for entertainment from a local band to follow the meal and awards presentation. Many remained at the pavilion to enjoy the music, dance and, well, you know what goes with this for many MFT folks! The music with "hoops and hollers" was heard well into the night. The last night night was made very special by all of these activities.

Sunday morning brought Cowboy Church. A message meant to challenge and encourage came from the book of Revelation. Jesus is coming again, but this time He will be riding a white horse not a donkey! (Yes, there must be horses in heaven!) The challenge to each was to be certain that they had trusted the shed blood of the risen Savior, rather than religion or good works, in order to be ready for His return! After a word of Prayer, Cowboy Church was dismissed.

The 2010 Foxtrotter Affair was a great success! Special thanks to all who gave and worked so diligently to provide this tremendous event. Be sure to save the website to your "favorites" list in order to keep current with plans for the 2011 Foxtrotter Affair to be held 28 September - 2 October 2011.

Happy Trails

Sam Gerhardt
President, FoxTROT

FoxTROT's First MFTHBA National Trail Ride!!

On 21-25 July 2010, FoxTROT gathered in the Great Smoky Mountains at Orchard Cove Stables for our first FoxTROT/MFTHBA National Trail Ride. There were 26 riders in all with over 30 horses in camp. Besides our Tennessee folks, the Moore family came down from central Illinois; the Godwins and Kellys came up from LA (that's Lower Alabama); and Don Groh came over from North Carolina. Although there were a few "other " horses welcomed on the ride, most of us were enjoying the smooth, sure footed gaits of our Missouri Fox Trotters.

We were able to make several great rides in the Smokies where the elevation brought us cooler temperatures than in the valley. On Thursday we got an early start and trailered 18 horses to the back side of Cades Cove so we could make the ride up to Gregory Bald (elevation: 4,949 ft). The wild blue berries were coming in and the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys were priceless. Although many were tired and maybe a bit sore after being out for 7 hours, everyone made comments about how much they enjoyed Gregory Bald. On Friday we rode out of camp casually in small and large groups to enjoy the School House Gap Trail and onward to other loops in the area. Everyone was conscious of the need to get back and get ready for Donna and Ray's wedding in the evening. Saturday brought another early start, trailering around 8:00 a.m., to get to the Middle Prong Trail in the Tremont area of the Smokies. About 15 made this loop ride along the creek on up to the Miry Ridge Trail and back down to the trailers. The highlight of this ride was the water crossings, cascades and waterfalls along the trail. The cool breezes along the creek and in the elevation were a welcome break from the summer heat. Sunday morning brought a big camp pot luck breakfast and Cowboy Church, after which most had to break camp and make there way home. As always, new friends were made and old friendships were strengthened as we enjoyed one another and our great Missouri Fox Trotters on the trail and in camp. With a few tearful "see ya' later" and "hope to ride with you again soon", the FoxTROT/MFTHBA National Trail Ride in the Smokies came to an end. Everyone agreed that the Great Smoky Mountains provided us a wonderful place to ride in the summer.

If all this sounds wonderful to you, then make your plans right away to join us on a future trail ride. The next FoxTROT ride is just around the corner. The FoxTROT Fall Trail Ride, along with the Foxtrotter Affair, is set for 8-12 September at East Fork Stables in Jamestown, TN. For reservations at East Fork Stables go to http://www.eastforkstables.com/, then go to http://www.foxtrotteraffair.com/ to register for the Foxtrotter Affair.

Happy Trails,

Sam Gerhardt, President, FoxTROT

P.S. Be sure to check out the slide show presentation prepared by Lea Valentine, FoxTROT VP. You'll find it in the blog below the wedding blog.

FoxTROT's First Wedding!!

On Friday, 23 July 2010, FoxTROT members, Donna Porter and Ray Maurer, were joined in holy matrimony! The ceremony was held on the steps of an old Methodist church in Townsend, Tennessee, just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The wedding was planned by the couple to coincide with the FoxTROT/MFTHBA National Trail Ride in the Smokies. Those in attendance were members of FoxTROT who came to participate in the ride. FoxTROT President, Sam Gerhardt, who is an ordained minister, presided over the service. After the ceremony, everyone enjoyed a "wedding supper" at the Carriage House Restaurant where a surprise wedding cake was presented to the newly married couple. The next morning Ray and Donna returned to camp around 7:00 a.m. and saddled up to join the rest on the Saturday trail ride by 8:00 a.m.

The wedding vows recited by the couple were a bit unique to a horse oriented household. " I, (Ray/Donna), take you (Donna/Ray), as my lawful wedded (wife/husband) to have and to hold from this day forward. I promise to love and cherish you, to honor and sustain you, in the bad that may darken our days, in the good that may light our ways, in sickness as in health, in poverty as in wealth, for better or for worse, through horse buying and selling, riding and training (at which point, Ray said, "That's a tough one."), and forsaking all others, to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us." Later, the couple told us that the only real 'disagreement' they'd had in their four years together was over buying or not buying a horse. So, the unique vows proved to be perfectly appropriate!

Our prayers remain with Mr. and Mrs. Maurer. We wish them great success and happiness in their marriage.

ANNUAL SUMMER RIDE at ORCHARD COVE STABLES

Lea Valentine posted the pictures of the FoxTROT annual Summer ride held at Orchard Cove Stables, (Great Smokies) Townsend, TN. Unfortunately, we were not able to attend, but by these pictures, it was beautiful, as usual. Future BLOG posts about this adventure to come soon!

Click on below:

Lea's Pictures

Summer Riding!

Once again we're in the middle of a hot summer. Many are not able to ride because of the heat. Fortunately, those of us who live/ride in the mountains can start early and get into the elevation where it's pleasant. This is part of the reason for scheduling the FoxTROT Summer Trail Ride in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. At last check, Freda tells me that we have 31 horses registered with Orchard Cove. There has been a good response from MFT Trail Riders outside of Tennessee because of the MFTHBA National Trail Ride. We look forward to seeing all of you at Orchard Cove Stables, Townsend, TN, 21 - 25 July 2010.

As usual, Deb and I ride nearly every week end. If interested, you can check out recent updates to our personal blogspot, http://www.ridinghappytrails.blogspot.com/.

Happy Trails, Sam Gerhardt, President, FoxTROT

RIDING AT HIGH COUNTRY HORSE CAMP

My sister and I arrived at High Country Horse Camp Sunday evening and got our horses settled in.We met some of the fellow campers then drove to town, 25 miles away to eat dinner.

Monday morning two happy horses greeted us at breakfast time. They loved the large stalls at HCHC and Tango even laid down in the night.
We saddled and packed our lunches and cameras in our saddle bags and headed out up the road. We traveled an old county road for two or three miles then crossed the paved road again and entered the Mt. Rogers area. We were still traveling on the wide cinder road which was a constant climb since leaving camp when we came upon a network of tubing strung around trees. It looked like children had been there playing and left their "toys". As we continued on we came to another area of the same tubing and couldn't imagine what it was until we noticed a faded sign telling this was a Maple sugar water collection area. Having come from an area in Indiana where Maple trees were tapped and sugar water was drained into a bucket this tubing network leading to a large plastic tank was quite a labor saving system and quite interesting to me.

We continued another two miles or so and came into an open area which was Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. Here we found the Appalachian Trail, this section for hikers only and the VA Highlands Horse Trail. The plan for the day, because I had only been riding about a month and only short rides due to herniated discs and of course Tango who'd had a long vacation due to my health wasn't in top condition either.

Our plan was to take a short loop and return to camp early. On our short ride that took a total of 6 1/2 hours we experienced some beautiful scenery and even encountered a bear cub on the trail who quickly retreated to somewhere, probably a tree nearby. The trail we met him on opened to a small bald with wild cherry trees that had fruit on them and the bears had mutilated the small trees by trying to climb them to retrieve the fruit.

Many places we had to open gates, which normally wouldn't have been a problem on our handy fox trotters that do side pass and back but the gates weren't well designed to be opened from horseback. Still we managed to open about half of them without dismounting.
The riding is rugged and rocky but beautiful and I hope to return again when my fox trotter and I are both in better physical condition.

Kate Shaner
Jamestown, TN
www.mtnmajestyminiatureschnauzers.com