Horseways News From Our October 25 Meeting:
Trails: Johanna, Brian, Linda and Suzanne worked on the trails in Penllyn Woods on Sunday. The area near Lantern Lane got washed out during the last hurricane, and the creek crossing is not passable. We cleared another area for a crossing, but need to put signs up and do a little more work on the bank. We are also going to add more signs in Penllyn Woods so the trails are marked better. Our next trail clearing will be on Sunday, November 13 from 2-4 p.m., at Swedesford Road and Township Line Road.
Trail Ride: We're planning a trail ride on Sunday, November 27, from Prophecy Creek Park to Willow Lake. Eliza reminded us that we need to check about whether we'll be able to park trailers there. Sometimes the parking area is used by the school or the catering operation in the park.
Ambler Christmas Parade: This event will be on Saturday, December 3. Ken Bright is coming for this event, and we're hoping Horseways members will be part of this really fun event. If you can't ride your horse in the parade, you can walk along with the riders and help carry our Horseways banner. Please let Suzanne know if you would like to participate.
Membership: We are brainstorming ways to expand our membership base. To start, Dana and Suzanne will take a look at the list of area barns, and create a database of the people at those barns. We will also start working with some of the trail maps to identify the land owners who live near our trails. We want to develop a program to communicate regularly with these folks and make sure they know how committed we are to preserving and protecting the land we ride on.
Programs: Johanna asked members to suggest ideas for meeting topics for 2012 so we can put together a comprehensive calendar so members can see what's coming up. Patti suggested a safety program about caring for horses in emergencies. She has ordered a book and will report on some of the topics we can explore. Chris said that MCEC is doing a program on trailering laws, which everyone would find helpful. Suzanne said that Pennypack Farm (a local CSA) has offered us the opportunity to co-sponsor their annual Sustainability Series at the Ambler Theater. We would be able to set up a table in the lobby to meet and talk to people coming for the movies. We also want to invite Dale Schilling back to speak, as he has been one of our most popular speakers. And the hornet and wasp specialist, Tony Buzas was another good speaker. We'll put together a proposed schedule, and welcome any other ideas.
Armentrout Woods: There's a big tree down blocking the trail. Suzanne will talk to Bob at WVWA about it.
Next Meeting: Our next Horseways meeting will be on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:00 p.m.