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Gaited Horse Cavalry -
Getting it done smoothly. |
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Gaited Horse Cavalry is in its 4th year of offering lots of trail riding fun to its members. As the name suggests, most members have horses of the gaited variety, but non-gaited breeds are welcome. Anyone who likes to move out at a good pace will enjoy club outings. The club is made up of 53 member families from Illinois and Wisconsin, ages 7 to 77. A board consisting of a president, vice president and secretary/treasurer currently governs them. For the 2001 season, meetings will be held in conjunction with a day ride. Once per month an afternoon ride will be followed by the meeting and pizza. |
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| Organized events include a couple of day rides and one campout per month. Rides are generally held in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. They include a pre-ride breakfast of coffee, juice and rolls or a pizza afterwards. Guest riders may attend for a $5.00 fee. Special rides may include a poker ride with a 50% payback. It is common for 4 to 16 horses to attend rides that last from 1-1/2 to 6 hours, depending on location. President Julie Levy states her favorite campouts have been at Kettle Moraine north in Wisconsin and Jubilee College State Park in Illinois. Some members also travel to rides in other states and will gladly share information on well run organized rides that they have attended. Anyone interested in gaited breeds will have the opportunity to network with members owning everything from Icelandic horses to Missouri Fox Trotters. Gaited horses are gaining popularity in the Midwest and membership provides a venue to observe and try different breeds. Forget about hanging your head over the side of your horse to see if your horse is doing a stepping pace or hard pace. Someone on the ride can surely help you identify your favorite shuffle. |
Gaited horses are gaining popularity in the Midwest and membership provides a venue to observe and try different breeds. |
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The clubs goals are simple; |
When trail riding winds down a bit in February, members look forward to an annual dinner dance. It can be anything from dressy to casual and I'm sure of one thing; the main topic conversation is horses. A planning meeting is held every spring to schedule rides and campouts to exciting places. The clubs goals are simple; promote trail riding, fellowship and fun. A future goal of the club is to have a gaited horse clinic. Gaited Horse Cavalry is currently seeking new members who want to ride with other gaited horses. Many new memberships came from people they met on the trail that decided to join after riding with the group. Here's some sound advice an old timer passed on to me. He said, "If you want a good gaited horse, ride next to a good gaited horse." Gaited horses seem to find their smoothest gait when they are relaxed and next to an experienced gaited horse. I can't think of a better way to improve your horses trail gaits than to ride with the Gaited Horse Cavalry. |
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| Annual dues are $25.00 for a family membership. This entitles you to a monthly newsletter, ride schedule and plenty of good times around the campfire. The rest of the dues will most likely end up in your stomach. If you're interested in joining, you can contact the Gaited Horse Cavalry by writing to Julie Levy, 12769 Russel Rd., Zion, IL 60099, or call Julie at 773/918-2675. |
contact the Gaited Horse Cavalry by writing to Julie Levy, 12769 Russel Rd., Zion, IL 60099, or call Julie at 773/918-2675. |
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