Join Lindsay and special guest Rae Lombino in an engaging podcast episode filled with equestrian stories, Thanksgiving experiences, and creative gift ideas for horse lovers. They share personal tales from farm life to horse breeding, emphasizing the therapeutic aspects of equine companionship. The episode also delves into local community support during challenging times and highlights practical winter riding gear and innovative gadgets like the Pivo for equestrian activities. Additionally, they discuss supporting local businesses and rescue organizations. Stay tuned for insights and laughter, perfect for anyone passionate about horses and the equestrian lifestyle.
Mendon Ponds Park
In this podcast episode, we take you on a captivating journey through Mendon Ponds Park, the largest in Monroe County, known for its stunning glacial geology and rich natural habitats. We explore the park’s 30 miles of trails that cater to both riders and carriage drivers, offering diverse experiences from leisurely paths to more challenging terrains. We touch on the practical aspects of visiting the park, like ample parking facilities and navigating the trails. The episode is filled with personal anecdotes and tips for a fulfilling visit, whether you’re on horseback or enjoying a carriage ride. We also share encounters with local wildlife, the park’s unique features, and the sense of community among visitors. Join us as we reveal why Mendon Ponds Park is a must-visit destination for outdoor and equestrian enthusiasts.
Links
Carlton Hill Multiple Use Area
Links
Google Maps Coordinates to Parking – Note, come up from the south to avoid the bumpy Bank St Rd
Stats
Ride or Drive – Ride Only
Trail Level – Advanced- steep hills, narrow paths, many creek bed crossings
Parking – Moderate – Will need to back into a space to allow room for others
Distance – 9 miles of trails – Get Printable Map Here
Footing – Fields, packed dirt, some gravel, roots, rocks, water crossings
Challenges – Challenging and fun trails, think safety first, ride with a friend if possible and stay on the trails! Recommend to condition you and your horse before going here. Continue reading “Carlton Hill Multiple Use Area”
Oatka Creek Park
Links
Google Maps Coordinates to Parking
Stats
Ride or Drive – Both! Yellow/Orange Trails ride only. Go LEFT on Red Trail if Driving
Trail Level – Moderate – trail range from flat to hilly
Parking – Moderate – Park top of hill on the left before yellow gates
Distance – Over 5 miles of trail – over 3 miles accessible by carriage
Footing – Packed dirt, grass, herd path, minimal mud
Challenges – Overgrowth, Ash tree blow down, Yellow trail often needs maintenance and is a narrow herd path with a steep hill. If Driving go LEFT on Red Trail or you will end up like me.
Transcript
Rochester Trail Challenge 2 – Oatka Creek Park
Introduction
I cautiously opened my eyes to look at my alarm clock 4:20am. UGH I just want to sleep in! The dogs somehow know I am conscious even though I haven’t moved a muscle, they start to stir. Looks like I’m up. Great.
Dogs pottied and fed, I checked to see what the weather was going to be like today. Seriously? Rain, again? But not until late morning. I’m awake, there is a challenge to be done, might as well pick a park and ride!
Setting
My choice today was one I hadn’t been to in years, Oatka Creek Park. Oatka Creek is one of Monroe County’s public parks, it’s 461 acres and is located at 9797 Union St, Scottsville NY, and has a little over 5 miles of trails with minimal doubling up on a section. Directions are probably the easiest you could get. Take 390 south from Rochester (north for me) and get off at the Rush exit. Go West on Rt 251 and just keep going! Pay attention to all stop signs and just keep driving forward through every single one, even when 251 leaves you to the right. Just go Straight. (Never go straight! always go forward (wise words from a gay friend). Where was I. Oh yes. Just keep going forward, the road eventually turns into the park!
Trailer parking is at the top just as you enter on your left, before the yellow gates. It’s of decent size and several smaller trailers can easily spin around and park without trouble. There isn’t too much opportunity to get the trailer to a grassy spot as the lot quickly dips off down to soccer fields. Definitely need to pickup after your pony with a heavily used shared space. The other bonus this parking lot offers, a port-a-pot, something that will come in handy after today’s drive.
The Journey
Who to take? I wandered out into the pasture and my mini Tuna randomly came up to me. Conveniently her cart and harness were already in the trailer, perfect! I’ve always wanted to drive Oatka Creek, Tuna and her cart are small and light enough should I get myself lost or in a pickle it’s easily remedied.
I loaded Tuna up into the trailer, trailering a mini always seems wasteful to me. It’s such a little thing in such a big box. Oh well, unless I build something for the bed of my truck, trailer it is.
I put the truck in drive and crept down my long driveway. 5:18am. By the time I get to the park and am ready to go it’ll be sunrise. What a great way to start the day!
We had the lot to ourselves and I unloaded Tuna and started tacking up, being early has it’s perks! As soon as I thought it, another car pulled in with a dog. The gate to the lower lot wasn’t open yet so he parked and headed on down the road to the trails. We weren’t too far behind but he was out of site by the time we got to the trail head.
It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so I made sure I downloaded the map before I left. As memory served, I knew I had to avoid the Orange and Yellow trails that lead down to the creek. They were too narrow of a foot path for a carriage to fit. But if you’re riding, they are moderately challenging and offer the chance to dip horse hooves into the creek.
There’s a yellow gate to mark the trail head but to the left you’ll find a walk around wide enough for a carriage. Today my goal was to get to a trail I had not been on before. Could be a good idea or not, we’ll find out! As I made my way onto the main trail I looked for my marker, White trail to Red and we’ll make it up from there depending on how things go.
The trails are nicely marked at each intersection with a colored square and an arrow. If you have a map, it makes it very easy to understand where you are and where you want to be.
I think the last time I was at this park was pre-covid, so I was running a lot on memory and praying that trail maintenance had been kept up on since. The trails were freshly mowed, by the look of how many clippings my wheels collected, I’d say they were mowed just the day before. However, it wasn’t long before I realized mowing and down tree removal were the only trail maintenance that was being done. I was. Having to duck and weave overgrowth, stretching hopeful arms into the center of the trail. If I Had to duck driving a miniature horse, I can’t imagine the difficulty riding one would be. Sounds like a good opportunity for a volunteer trail clearing event, and I made a mental note to talk to the parks department about one.
At just 4 years old Tuna was being perfect. She looked around and but marched forward and navigated over roots, rocks and around branches and then we hit the Red Trail. This trail had a figure 8 look on the map and we entered it at the bottom of the 8. The plan was to go right, then figure 8 myself around and back to the white trail covering the entirety of the Red.
Solid plan, until I rounded the corner and there it was. A bridge. A narrow bridge, with railings. Hmmmm. It seemed like a clearing to the left of it. Mud pit, and not the kind you want to be in, the kid that looked like the movie Neverending Story. I will NOT be losing my pony in the mud today. Man, I want to do all of this. The other side of the bridge looked newly mowed, where a mower can get through so too can a carriage was my thought.
Tuna just stood there while I played out a few scenarios in my head. 1 insane one came to the front. The hyperbike she’s pulling only weighs 30 lbs. What if I line drive her over the bridge, and pick the cart up over the railings. Seems like a good idea. I mean, I’m driving a 4 yr old baby green pony, who I’ve never asked to walk over a bridge before, and I’m by myself. What could go wrong? I figured I’d ask 3x, if Tuna said no way, we’d just turn around and go the other direction.
I lined her up straight with the bridge, asked her to walk up to it and step her front 2 feet up on. Without hesitation she complied. Seriously? I then asked her to stand, as I hoisted the cart up to my shoulders. “Tuna, walk on” and her back feet jumped up to match her fronts on the bridge. We casually made our way across, like this was a common occurrence. She gingerly jumped down on the other side, and I asked for a woah as I set the cart down. In total disbelief I did what any sane person would do and dug out my phone for a photo. Good girl Tuna! Best pony award!
I got back into the whips seat and we set off once again. Making our way around the figure 8, I found the correct path back to the white trail, one with an abandoned bridge and wide MOWED path to its side. Mental note, go LEFT not RIGHT on the Red trail next time.
We continued along the white trail which is a mix of trees and meadows, I opted to take a left onto the Blue trail when I came upon the junction. Shortly down this trail, I got more excited than any normal person would have. BIG HUGE Black Raspberries! Not the small black caps either, these were the size to compete with any top grade Wegmans berry. Tuna enjoyed the break and I enjoyed my fresh breakfast. Mmmm.
Towards the end of the blue trail I could see Tuna was losing interest. We over 3km in and the constant change in elevation up and down hills was starting to test her stamina. The Green Trail was a straight shot home and Black trail would bring us back but a little longer route. I pondered the choices as we neared the intersection.
It was then, a very confused deer saw us. We had passed quite a few so far but this one was perplexed. It didn’t know what to make of a tiny horse, carriage and human. Tuna stopped and the stand off began. Who would make the first move? I’ve been charged by a deer before when they are in this state. Tuna sensed that standing still was the best course of action as well. After what felt like lightyears the doe finally broke eye contact and decided to bounce her fluffy white tail off the trail.
We continued on our path, but I caught eye of the doe as we passed. Nope, something is telling me this one is trouble. When we got to the intersection the doe turned to face us. Uh oh. Ummmm. Tuna time to pick up the pace, she chose to go straight (black trail) and I was more focused on the deer behind us who let out a loud blow and kept coming. Tuna, blissfully unaware of the goings on just happily plodded on. I finally had to yell out to the doe and demanded that she stop following us. Tuna took this break in silence as a queue to trot on and I wasn’t about to reprimand that choice. Bambi’s mom finally decided we weren’t a threat and broke off, Phew.
I brought Tuna back down to a walk and we continued on the black trail though the cool woods. With how much rain we’ve had this year I was pleasantly surprised on how great the footing was. I only encountered 2 mud spots the entire trip and both were easily avoided with either a bridge or dry path around it.
Upon return to the trail head I opted to get out and line drive Tuna back up the hill to the trailer. Seemed only fair to her as a cool down for how awesome of a pony she had been.
Our round trip was exactly 5.0km (3.1miles) I could have easily done 5 miles with the trails available, but best to end early and gas in the tank so to speak, especially with a young horse. Lots of elevation change in the trails with a total climb being 288meters (974ft). I was on a leisurely stroll at an average pace of 4.4kmph for the whole trip
Conclusion
Oatka Creek, #2 on my Rochester Trails Challenge. I forgot how much I liked this park. Nicely groomed, variety of trails from meadows to woods, and flat to rolling hills. Riders, the Orange and Yellow trails are more challenging, especially the yellow which is more of a foot path with a very large hill climb. Last time I rode it, a tree had fallen mid-way up the steep hill. It felt like a fox hunt, cantering up the hill with a log jump halfway up. Just be prepared for anything if you choose to ride it.
Winter Riding Tips – Post Ride Care
Most of our horses here in WNY are built for the cold. They are very fuzzy this time of year with thick winter coats to keep them warm in sub zero temperatures. These winter coats are great for battling the cold but not so great for exercising under saddle. Often just a light ride with friends out on the trail can work up a sweat for your horse. Be sure to care for your equine friend the right way after your ride.
– End you ride with a nice long walk on a road or packed snow if possible. Just walking through deep snow is quite a workout. Your horse can get pretty warm even with a simple walking ride.
– A sweaty horse after a ride is a cold horse. Do your best to dry your horse off and use a fleece cooler to help draw the moisture away from their body while keeping them warm. Do not turn your horse out until they are dry! Because of the cold it will take longer than normal for a horse to dry off. Be prepared to have your horse cooling off in a stall for 1-2 hours after your ride before they are dry enough for turn out.
– Clipping your horse. Depending on how much winter riding you do you might find it beneficial to clip your horse. This will help them regulate their temperatures better during winter work so they aren’t prone to sweating. Just be sure to follow proper blanket management for the type of clip chose for your horse.
– Offer warm water. Hot horse drinking cold water could cause colic. Wait until your horse cools down and offer them heated water. Either boil some in a teapot and add to a bucket or better yet use heated buckets!
– Dehydrated horse? Believe it or not most horses like Gatorade (mine like orange flavor). The sweetness of a few scoops of Gatorade in their water bucket entices them to drink up and the added electrolytes help their system rebalance.
Winter riding is a blast and there is nothing more beautiful than enjoying a fresh snow on a crisp winter morning. Ride Safe.
Winter Riding Tips – Hoof Care
So you want to enjoy your horse during the winter months but every time you hit the trials your horse’s hooves fill up with hard snow making the bottom of their feet look like a snow cone. Not the safest of situations.
There are several ways to keep the snow from packing up in your horse’s feet
Cooking or Silicone Spray – This offers a temporary solution and is really easy to apply. Just pick up the foot, brush it clean and spay. Usually this method will prevent the snow from packing up in the hoof for 5-10 minutes.
Full Hoof Snow Pad – Made of hard plastic
Pros – You will never have to worry about snow building up in the hoof, period!
Cons – You can’t see the hoof! What’s going on under there
Silicone Snow Pad – A ring of silicone that fits between the hoof and the shoe.
Pros – you can see the bottom of the hoof and clean under the pad
Cons – This pad still can allow snow to build up if it packs up under the pad and is horrendous to clean during mud season
Horse Hoof Boots – My personal favorite Choose your style and manufacturer there’s tons of them out there. Your horse can still be turned out barefoot and strap the boots on when you need them. I personally like the Old Mac’s because of the hiking boot type tread that is on the bottom which gives better grip.