3rd Annual Memorial Event Annual Trail Course and Challenge
On June 20th, the Cache Peak Chapter of BCHI hosted our annual Trail Course and Challenge Event. This event included a free 2 hour clinic and judged trail class open to all 4-Hers in the morning. In the afternoon, an open clinic and trail challenge course were offered with an associated entry fee. Thanks to our grants from the Idaho Horse Board and BCHA, we were able to continue our mission to educate our youth in horsemanship skills. These grants allowed us to hire a clinician and judge, with 3 top placing awards and an additional award for Most Improved this year for the 4-H participants. Each non-placing rider received a participant award.
We hired clinician Dana Lovell of Running T Horsemanship and judge Bonnie McBride. Each year the 4-Hers receive individual attention on obstacles they are likely to see at their county fair class. The horsemanship lessons go much further than completion of an obstacle. One principle Dana taught was “The Power of the Pause” – a concept that encouraged each rider to regroup with their horse if their conversation turned argumentative. This was visible as young riders paused to relax instead of trying to force their horses through the obstacles.
The event had 10 4-H participants, 26 adults in the afternoon. Our secretary, Mary Ann Shaff, took the reins for organizing and implementation of the event and the rest of the chapter stepped up to fill needed work spots. Several members catered the event while others brought friends and family to volunteer where needed. Cache Peak dedicates this event to honor our members who have passed before us. Thank you BCHA for our 2020 grant!
Back Country Horsemen of Kansas Board and Kansas Horse Council Team to Support Hosting of National Television Show
Eisenhower State Park, Osage County, KS: “Eisenhower State Park may be the most beautiful, cleanest, well-cared-for horse trails in America,” said Tom Seay, Friday June 19th, the night before he and Pat Seay filmed an episode of “Best of America on Horseback.” That show now is the most popular horse riding and trail show in the nation, after building a faithful following of trail riders and horse lovers for decades on RFD-TV. “And I mean it,” Tom said. “The quality of what you have here is out of the respect that you have for your land, and that comes through.”
Eisenhower KSBCHA Board and Volunteers
True to that description, premier stewards of trail riding in Kansas—the Back Country Horsemen of Kansas (BCHKS) and The Kansas Horse Council—teamed to host and serve meals to the TV show’s crew and participating riders, who came from as far away as Michigan to ride the trails on the following day. The crew selected seven ideal filming sites prior to Saturday’s ride. The weather seemed to have heard Tom’s glowing endorsement and pushed the rain south that was supposed to have swamped the morning ride.
BCHKS Kansas Vice Chairman, Stephanie Huss, said, “This is why we are here. To support each other in events that create excitement among trail riders and inspire them to help us work with the state to keep trails safe, well-maintained, and accessible to us all.”
Eisenhower State Park drapes over the gentle hills and into treed valleys to give riders a taste of what lies just westward—the towering Flint Hills of eastern Kansas and extreme north-central Oklahoma.
The park surrounds Lake Melvern, which provides a sparkling, lakeside views for the horse-camping sites. There are neat-as-a-pin restrooms and showers, plus four modern cabins and two primitive yurts for rent. Throughout the camp, visitors will find 163 utility campsites, including 126 with water and electric and 25 with gray water stations. Eisenhower State Park features 1,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, 440 acres of woodland, and 6,930 acres of excellent fishing.
New Back Country Horsemen of Kansas Board Elected—focus on building membership
Perry Lake, Jefferson County, KS: The Back Country Horsemen of Kansas (BCHKS) board held its annual election on June 6, 2020 beside the 11,150-acre Perry Lake just northeast of Topeka, Kansas. The board successfully kicked off the post-shut-down season with an election that retained valuable institutional knowledge with existing members like long-time veteran, Steven Lindsey, as Chairman. It refreshed its ranks with new participants, like Stephanie Huss of Spring Hill. The board roster includes:
- Chairman/National Director, Steven Lindsey
- Vice Chairman, Stephanie Huss
- Secretary, Erin Glassman
- Treasurer, Sheila Watkins
- National Director, Diana Skinner
The board’s focus this year is communication through social media, email, and partnership events to educate trail riders throughout Kansas about the important work done by the Back Country Horsemen of Kansas. The board’s goal is to build membership and momentum in the BCHKS. With at least 30 publicly maintained trails in the state, the board is anxious to let the thousands of trail riders in the state know how they can help keep trails open, safe, and accessible through membership in BCHKS.
For more information about Back Country Horsemen of American and their chapters, please visit their website: www.bcha.org
