October 2023 Issue

Page 46 October 2023 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN EVENTS FARMS misc. Go ahead... Ask da Mare FREE Print subscribers get FREE classifieds! Print subscribers get FREE non-commercial classified ads! Just email your non-commercial (events, horses/trailers/tack for sale, boarding/lessons/ training etc.) classified, 35 words or less to steph@eastcoastequestrian.net. Be sure to include your name and mailing address as it appears on your sub- scription label. (Not a print subscriber? Sign up online at eastcoastequestrian. net.) Classifieds can run in more than one issue but must be resubmitted each month. Deadline is the 12th of the month before publication. Call the Cops on Drunk Trail Riders By Malorie de la Mare Dear Mal… A couple of weeks ago I was out with friends on a trail ride, and we ran into a couple of riders who were obviously drunk. It was the middle of the afternoon! They were loud and profane and, frankly, sloppy. Their horses seemed to be in distress. They had bags of beer and were throwing empty bottles into the woods. My friends and I were angry and truly disgusted. We were also frightened. These guys—they were all guys—had the potential to become violent and hurt us and/or our horses. We decided to just pass them and pretend we didn’t see how horribly they were treating their horses and the trails. After we passed them, we could hear them making obscene comments about us and we began to fear that they really could come after us. This area is one of our favorite places to ride, and it is not remote at all. When we got back to our trailers, their trailers had almost completely blocked us in. We loaded our horses, and maneu- vered one of the two trailers out, then the other one. It was a close call, as we saw the drunks coming down the trail as we left the parking lot. Is this the new reality? I was so scared, and now am afraid to go back onto the trails again. What do you think? -Worried Dear Worried… I think this whole thing is just awful. Drunk riding? Really? Besides the fact that they were endangering their horses, they were also getting ready to load their horses into their trailers and drive—DRUNK. PULLING TRAILERS WITH HORSES! Clearly this was a frightening and profoundly upsetting situ- ation. But here is the enigma: the creepy drunks were not the only individuals who have some accountability here. Once you and your friends and your horses were safe, you needed to call the police, and let them know that drunk drivers were getting ready to hit the road. You were in a position to give police a specific location where they could find the people. In addition, you and your friends need to contact the open space organization that maintains the trails you were using. Let them know what happened and where. Finally, while you were extricating your trailers, it would have been an excellent strategy to take a picture of the drunk riders’ license plates. It’s truly a shame that there are people with such little regard for other trail users and for their own horses. But that seems to be the new reality. It will be that way until enough people stand up and refuse to be bullied or cowed into silence. And that you stand up with facts, dates, places, times. The ubiq- uitous cell phone, which many people view as a scourge, in these instances is actually a prize. Let’s use it! Dear Mal… A woman I know who rides horses told me a story that really scared me. She said that a friend of hers was riding her horse on one of our local trails, and she and her horse were sudden- ly—out of nowhere—attacked by bees. My friend said that the horse had stepped on a bees’ nest. I walk on the same trails as the equestrians use, and now I’m really concerned about this. Have you ever heard about horses be- ing attacked that way? My friend seemed to be pretty unconcerned, as if that is a regular thing. Is it? And what are people supposed to do when they and their horses get attacked that way? -Scared and Nervous Dear Scared and Nervous… While it’s not exactly unheard-of for horses to step into trouble on the trails, it does happen. It was not likely a bees’ nest, unless the nest had fallen out of a tree. In the fall, yellow jackets and hornets are especially aggressive, as their food supplies are dwindling; but their popu- lations are not. Unlike bees that store honey, yellow jackets don’t build up food supplies during the spring and summer, primarily because they don’t survive the winter. Their queens do survive, by burrowing deeper into the ground, hibernating until the spring thaw. So as the summer ends, and the ready supply of food from flowers and other insects starts to shrink, yellow jackets start to get desperate, hungry and cranky. The same is true for hornets. Because they nest in the ground—in crevices, holes, decaying wood and under dense ground cover—they’re more likely to get stepped on and disturbed by people and horses on the trails. Not to make this even more scary, yellow jackets and hornets bite as well as sting. Whereas in bees it’s one bee one sting, in the world of hornets and yellow jackets, multiple stings are possible—along with bites. The job of pollinating our crops is huge, and bees can’t do it alone. So hornets and yellow jackets are critical members of the pollination crew. They con- tribute to the success of the eco- system, and trail users are, sort of, guests in their space. Trail users need to recognize that shar- ing the trails means sharing them with the creatures that are critical members of the system that sus- tains us all. As the leaves fall and trails are less obvious, encoun- ters between horses and hornets, or hikers and yellow jackets are statistically more possible. As you can imagine, horses getting attacked by stinging and biting insects can panic, buck, and run wildly to escape the threat. That’s why trail groups are such important partners. Some areas have active equestrian trail groups that monitor conditions along the trails and post warnings where nests have been spotted. Hikers are closer to the action and can see potential danger. The object is not to disturb the nests, but to avoid them and to help others avoid them. Once there’s a hard frost—or several days and nights of cold temperatures—the hornets and yellow-jackets will be gone until the spring. As they say, it takes a village to keep everyone safe on the trails. Go forth and observe. And let people know what you see! Have a question for Mal? Email her at PAEquest@aol. com. ECHO (Equine Cones Hazards and Obstacles) annual Halloween Show, October 14, 2023. Oak Ridge Stables, Dover, PA. Riding, Driving, Longlining, Lead-line, In-hand. For more information, contact Pam Kister 717-779-4542, greyhorsestable@hotmail.com or ECHO on Facebook Open Fun Show Saturday October 7. Our Gang Riding Club, 416 Gun Club Road, York, PA 17406. Registration 8am, show start 9am. For more information email Ourgangrc@gmail.com or FB Our Gang Riding Club/events. Making Strides Halloween HJ show complete with Halloween ribbons, free pumpkins, costume class and more. October 28. Outreach USHJA. FB:MakingSridesShowSeries, www.breezyrunfarm.com . TRAINING: Westfield Farm LLC, Tailored for horse and owner. ALL Breeds and disciplines. We will make your trail horse safe or a winning show horse. More info at Westfieldfarmllc.com or CALL 717-432-2828. We get results. Boarding available Landenberg, PA Field Board $360/ Stall Board $485. Professional staff, specializing in senior/retired equines. 25 yr experience, references available. 610-368-3823 or 610-806-2230 text or call. Omega Horse Rescue located in Airville, PA has a variety of horses and ponies ready for their forever homes! Please visit our website to see pictures, videos and how you can help! www.omegahorserescue.com . Better than right off the track! The PTHA's Turning for Home, Inc. always has OTTBs that are properly rehabbed, retrained and ready for their new carteers. Find your next horse at www.turningforhome.org or call 215-808-7562. Carriage for Sale. 1997 Mill Run Sporting Phaeton, Single Horse Dressage/Cones, stored well, good condition, $4,000 OBO, Unicorn6855@yahoo.com, 410-755-6855. Saddles for sale: Stubben Rex 16” w/fittings $350.00, St Lourdes close contact 16” w/fittings $350.00, Dale Chavez Western 17” w/basket tooling, matching breastplate $950.00. Call 717-350-0170 HELP WANTED Salesperson or distributor wanted to introduce patented horse stall cleaning system to horse owners in your area. A background in the equine industry is helpful, but not necessary. Sales experience required. Call Envirostall, 412-298-6850. CATS: Barn homes in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, PA. are needed to give rescued strays a chance at life. Cats are neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated; delivered and acclimated. Fill out an application to adopt at StrayCatBlues.org or call 215-631-1851. Barn cats looking for jobs! Fully vetted, no fee, hard working cats. We deliver—PA, MD, DE, NJ. Contact us! (215) 219-8148 or info@forgottencats.org . Join the Wilmington Hobby Horse Club! We’re a fun-loving group that mimics the movements of horseback riding. jumping and dressage with stick horses! We do birthday parties too! Follow us on Instagram WHHCDE and Facebook. ?s WHHCDE@GMAIL.COM horses (717) 509-9800  www.eastcoastequestrian.net Coming in November – The Winter Issue! TWO advertising features: Winter Ready (help our readers get ready for the long winter to come) and Holiday Gift Guide (early this year for maximum holiday exposure!) FREE article in the issue and online with your ¼+ page ad! Advertising Deadline: Oct. 10 FREE Classifieds for print subscribers! See this page for details. Not a print subscriber? Join the ongoing mailing list for just $20. See page 47 or visit eastcoastequestrian.net