Tilden Wildcat Horsemen's Association Newsletter News Nov-Dec 2011.pdfNewsletter November-December 2011 Right:Riding from Tilden to Sibley on the second day of the ride--photo by Anne

Tilden WildcatHorsemen'sAssociationNewsletter

November-December 2011

Right:Riding from Tilden to

Sibley on the second day of the

ride--photo by Anne Corder.

Below: Hikers traversing

Crockett Hills Regional Park on

the first morning of the hike.

Photo by Charles Ladd

East

Bay

Hills

Ride

and

Hike

Report

Continued on page 4

The 10th Annual East

Bay Hills Trails

Benefit Ride and

Hike had so much going for

it this year. We had 44 hikers,

who hiked up to 60 miles over

5 days, and 33 equestrians,

who rode up to 100 miles in 6

days. Amazingly good food,

beautiful trails, perfect

weather for it, the human

powered blender making

both smoothies and

margaritas, telescope view-

ing, a naturalist expounding

on tarantulas, an equestrian

drill team performance, an in-

spiring talk by 4-Wheel Bob

Coomber, and a baby gray fox

who stood on one of the

tables in camp the final

night... Oh, and the raffle was

Continued on page 2

Page 2 Tilden Wildcat Horsemen's Association Newsletter November -December 2011

East Bay Hills Report

was won by an 8 year-old celebrating

her birthday that very day...

Behind the scenes, however, this

was a challenge from the start. Our

invaluable food coordinator for the

previous 8 years, Bob Cooper, would

be unable to join us this year. The

campsite we really wanted proved to

be unavailable, as did two key sec-

tions of trail for the hike. Bay Area

Barns and Trails, which in most past

years provided $5,000 in matching

funds, was unable to do so this time.

Some major donors for our raffle in

past years could not donate this time,

and the economy hit us another

way—sign-ups were really low just a

couple of weeks before we started.

And it turned out many of our key

volunteers were unavailable.

Our planning committee worked

hard to overcome these obstacles and by the time we started it all somehow came together. Cathy Moyer, the Executive Director

of Volunteers for Outdoor California, took over as food coordinator and brought the V-O-Cal kitchen with her. We started the hike

in Crockett for the first time and included trail not generally available to the public. New donors stepped up to make our raffle and

silent auction better than ever, and most importantly at the last minute a lot more people signed up to hike, ride and volunteer.

Actually we had nearly as many participants as last year, although there were not as many who stayed for the entire event. We

were also unable to replace the matching funds from previous years, but were still able to raise $12,500 while everyone had a grand

time.

This issue of the TWHA Newsletter is chock full of photos, memories, and vignettes from this year’s hike, with some other

things as well. Thanks to everyone who participated—we hope to see you next year!

Continued from page 1

I think having everyone bring

their own dishes/utensils was a good

idea. The auction and raffle items

were awesome! I love having the

margaritas! This ride is my favorite! I

absolutely love it! Thank you SO

MUCH for all the time and hard work

to make it happen! I hope to do it

every year!

----Jeanine Wolf

Above: Hikers on the Whopper Trail at San

Pablo Reservoir on their way to Tilden the

first day. Photo by Charles Ladd. Left:

Jeanine Wolf's horse Kobe has covered more

miles over the last few years than anyone

else, even doing some days backwards and

forwards! Photo by Anne Corder.

November -December 2011 Tilden Wildcat Horsemen's Association Newsletter Page 3

I did the first 3 days. I was pretty

worn out but a person could do a

minimum day on the 3rd day if they

were doing all 5. I enjoy camping

and having the meals etc made it

very comfortable. Not carrying the

gear made it heaven. The solar show-

ers made it nirvana. This might be

too much mileage per day for my

wife and / or the average hiker. I

hope to be back next year

-----Hiker Comment

I love it and look forward to do-

ing it again next year. I am surprised

that the ride and hike doesn’t fill up

as it is an amazing adventure like no

other that one can have in the East

Bay hills. I don’t know of any better

way to experience the East Bay hills.

Thank you so much for organizing

this experience.

----TWHA Member Anne Corder

Above: Marilyn Russell and Karen Schwartz

led their horses to water and they drank!

before heading up the hill (right) Middle:

Hikers on their way from Tilden towards

Sibley, while the horses waited at Tilden for

their riders to return after dropping off their

trailers at Sequoia Arena. Photos by Anne

Corder and John Rabold


At Tilden Park

Upper left: Hiker Jay Bailinson gives Cathy Moyer

a massage on the first day. Jay gave free massages

every afternoon, asking for donations to V-O-Cal

and the Ridge Trail. Happy hiker and rider

recipients donated $530. Middle left: V-O-Cal's

shower tents were set up at Tilden by V-O-Cal

crew leader and hiker Eric 'Bam-Bam' Barnett,

while the solar shower bags heated in the sun.

Lower left: The hkers convinced the Tilden Steam

Trains to open a bit early when they passed by on

their way towards Sibley the second day of the

hike. Above: V-O-Cal crew leader and Save Mt.

Diablo Naturalist Jodi Bailey makes fruit

smoothies with the Human Powered Blender at

Tilden. The blackberry, raspberry and strawberry

smoothies were quite popular this year, though

on Saturday night someone showed up with

margarita mix! Photos by Anne Corder and John

Rabold.


As always, a big thanks to all the wonderful

volunteers that donate their precious time to give

all us riders and hikers a wonderful event. Hav-

ing done this ride 9 years (all but the first), its no

surprise to say its my favorite annually event!

And such a great cause to help fund the Bay Area

Ridge Trail. I came late on Friday because of

pneumonia and wasn’t able to help out much,

but nothing like spending time with your horse

to regenerate, I was feeling better every day.

The weather was great, the company fun, and

the trails as usual lovely - just love French and

Columbine Trails, even if my horse did get stung

by a bee on Columbine on Monday!

As usual the programs were entertaining, and

if you were a rider and weren’t there Sunday night,

you missed a very good Vet talk.

Oh yes, let us not forget the massages - a

wonderful way to relax those tired muscles and

raise money! Last year I didn’t manage to get

any but did this year!

Again thanks to TWHA for running this ride

and hike - I hope we made BART lots of money

and the 70+ volunteer team for this ride rocks!

----TWHA Member Janice Frazier

Riders and

Hikers on

the Move

Above: Janice Frazier on her Andalusian . Middle:

Hikers on the trail in Sibley Volcanic Preserve. Left:

Some of the hikers stop for lunch on the way from

Tilden to Sibley. Photos by Charles Ladd and John

Rabold

Pretty amazing with folks coming

and going for less than 5 days. The cli-

entele seemed to be a good group, and

the over all administration seemed to

accomplish/get everything done with-

out ruffling any feathers. Quite an ex-

cellent group of dedicated volunteers!

----Hiker Comment


It's Dinner Time

The East Bay Hills Trails Benefit has always been known for its

exceptional dinners, and this year there was no let-up! Top right: The

line formed early at Sequoia Arena Thursday after we all nibbled on

the appetizers (lower right) prepared by Victoria Shoemaker. After

loading up their plates (top right) with the tri-tip prepared by Page

Schorer and the wonderful side-dishes and vegetarian alternatives,

the group settled down for dinner (lower right). In the background

EBRPD Naturalist Michael Moran is setting up for his talk on

Tarantulas. Photos by Richard Friedman

Sequoia to Bort was wonderful, but my favorite was the

last part of the Sunday ride through that wooded place

[Columbine and Cascade Trails] where I expected fairies to

fly out from the shrubs!!

----Rider Comment


Upper left: Ridge Trail Council Board members and hike leaders Gary Cook and Bob Siegel

relax after hiking with Ridge Trail Super-Volunteer Jan Neufeld at Sequoia Arena, while (lower

left) TWHA Horses Keepsake and Sin gobble some hay after a long ride. Upper right: Flowers

in Tilden; Lower Left: Amanita muscaria mushroom on the Conlon Trail in Wildcat. Photos by

Anne Corder and Charles Ladd

Quiet Timeon the Trailand in Camp

Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining the East Bay

Hills Ride on Day 4 from Sequoia Arena to Bort Meadows.

If you’ve never taken part, you may not know what you’re

missing. This is probably the best-organized leisure ride in

the country. If you’re used to competitions, as I was, I could

hardly believe how good it felt to relax, sleep in, ride at any

pace and along any route (even the recommended one),

and then enjoy better food and evening programs than any-

thing I have seen at an endurance ride.

This is all thanks to Morris Older and a corps of dedi-

cated volunteers, who put this together year after year. People

come from far away to enjoy our hills, but even if you ride

here regularly you ought to give this a try. It’s for a good

cause, but don’t let that stop you, it’s some of the best fun

you’re likely to have on horseback.

----TWHA President Gary Fitts


Friday Night at Sequoia Arena

Friday night the Metropolitan

Horsemen's Assocation offered a choice

of chicken or portobello mushroom (left)

with assorted salads to match for dinner.

(Photo by Anne Corder.) In the meantime,

hiker Jay Bailinson offfered massage sur-

rounded by trees above the arena. (Photo

by Charles Ladd)

The arena, sporting a fence rebuilt by

volunteers using funds raised by previ-

ous East Bay Hills Trails Benefit rides,

then showcased the Diablo Ladies Ro-

deo Drill Team, which performed after

dinner. (Photos by Gary Cook, extracted

from his You-Tube video )

Following a short ride and hike meet-

ing, hikers and riders alike made the short

trek across Skyline Blvd. to the Chabot

Space and Science Center, where amateur

telescopes on the patio supplemented the

views available through the largest tele-

scopes open for public viewing west of

the Mississippi. Photo by Charles Ladd


Back on

the TrailThanks once again for putting to-

gether a wonderful event. The food

Saturday was delicious and a pleas-

ant surprise! 4-Wheel Bob was really

fun. The best part, however, was

watching Malik riding Skippy all on

his own on while coming back on the

MacDonald trail. We’re already look-

ing forward to next year!

The volunteers were great, as

usual.

---Kudos! Chris Moisenco

Camping in the East Bay Hills over

Labor Day is cold. Yes, it's summer - but

that means fog early and late. So getting

out of my sleeping bag in the fog to start

helping with breakfast is hard. And my

alarm went off early! Because not only

do I need to get started with the work, the

horses know I am up and out and they

make it clear that the whole camp will be

in turmoil if I do not feed them NOW. So

after 2 trips to the hay pile to carry enough

back for the 2 horses, I’m now15 min

late. Can they live until my camp mate

gets up to get water....I decide they can

because if I take them both to water...with

all the untying and walking and drinking

and tying up again...I’ll miss another 20

min of my shift.

I wanted to get there: last night there

had been a very suggestive coffee-stuff-

ing event and I wanted to see, and taste,

the results, which were very good. And it

was nice to have coffee. With breakfast

to help cook and serve and lunch to lay

out and then pack up...there was a lot to

do. And lots of people to meet. All was

going great...until my pal come to get me

because the horses were not being coop-

erative and it was going to take us both

to get them to water and back to where

they were tied for their breakfast.

Then back to work on the lunch table,

make my lunch, help put away the stuff.

Then back to the horses to brush, clean,

saddle up, put the bridle on, and pack

lunch, water and the spare tack that I

carry. Now to pack up all the horse stuff

and the personal gear for camping. I re-

ally need more coffee, but have not had

time to get to the outhouse yet. And it’s

time to hit the trail!. Why it must be 9:30

by now! Where are my boots? Tighten

the girth again, check the rigging...

Mount Up! Ride out. And relax.....

-----TWHA Member Alice Puilipson

Hikers on one of the many shady trails in the

East Bay Parks. Below: Riders approach Bort

Meadows with miles of trail in the distance.

Photos by John Rabold and Anne Corder

Memoir of a Horse Volunteer


One of this year’s riders was TWHA

member David Whittall, whom I rode with

at the start of the very first East Bay Hills

Ride in 2002. In 2006, David came for a

couple of days, and his daughter Zoe and

son James each rode a day. His wife

Corinne came and they hosted an im-

promptu lunchtime birthday party for their

then 3 year-old daughter Isabel on the

trail at Mitchell Canyon on Mt. Diablo.

This year all 5 of them returned. David

and Zoe to ride, Corinne and James to

help David volunteer for a breakfast shift,

and Isabel and Zoe helped fill the solar

shower bags. Saturday was Isabel’s 8th

birthday—and also was our East Bay Hills

Saturday Night at Bort Meadow

raffle, where each time a ticket is pulled,

the winner gets to select the prize they

want from a table that included

CamelBaks, Marmot backpacks, an REI

sleeping bag, tent, smart phone, Stephen

Joseph photo, and all kinds of other hik-

ing and equestrian goodies.

10 year-old rider Malik Broughton

pulled the first ticket out of the bag and

the first prize went to the day’s birthday

girl, Isabel! Advice was coming from all

sides—”Pick the smart phone,” “Get the

CamelBak,” and a couple of other sug-

gestions, but Isabel turned around and

firmly said “No—I’m picking what I

want.!” And after looking over the table

she did exactly that, choosing a brand

new shiny stainless steel water bottle.

Her brother later won the smart phone,

and his sister then won one of the

CamelBaks, so everyone was happy, while

their astounded parents, not accustomed

to winning raffles, looked on amused.

---by Morris Older

Saturday night 100 hikers, riders and guests

were treated to a Moroccan dinner with lamb

and chicken ka-bobs orchestrated by Lila

Abdul-Rahim, who has cooked every year

for the East Bay Hils Ride, with the help of

her all-star TWHA volunteers, including 2

past Presidents and our Treasurer. Right:

hikers, riders and guests enjoying dinner.

Afterwards 4-Wheel Bob Coomber (below) -

gave an inspiring talk on his adventures

wheelchairing the East Bay Hills trails and

on mountains beyond. His advice: if it seems

too hard, try it anyway, and you will be

amazed at what you CAN do. Then came

our raffle (story below), where everyone is a

guaranteed winner, and our silent auction.

See the list of this year's donations later in this

issue. Photos by Anne Corder and Gary

Cook

Birthday Present--Winning Raffle Ticket

I didn’t have a vehicle with me, so it

was all very easy. Thanks to the

horse people for agreeing to trans-

port the hikers’ gear!

----Hiker comment


I actually have been volunteering

around and doing trail work in the Bay

Area for a few years now. When I heard

the opportunity to actually hike 60 miles

of Bay Area Ridge Trail it was a no

brainer. I would never get to see that

much of the ridge trail on a solo trek. Ever.

I actually even hiked some trail that I

worked on in Oakland while we were at it.

The food was excellent, the company

was top notch and the experience was

priceless. We hiked along the bay near

Crockett Hills, wandered through Tilden

and the hills offered there, experienced

the Redwoods of Oakland near Joaquin

Miller Park and summited the Dinosaur

Ridge! Seeing this much of the bay from

this perspective is a rare thing indeed. I

very much suggest the hike and enjoyed

it from start to finish.

---- Eric “Bam Bam” Barnett

Editor's note: Bam Bam is a super

volunteer who cleared the trail from the

Tilden camp to Wildcat Canyon Road,

helped load and unload the food truck,

moved hay, assembled shower tents, and

assisted all week long!

Final Day

Hiking

Overall very enjoyable-especially the good humor and

guidance of volunteer leaders, guides and sweeps. I really

appreciated Charlie, Gary and Bob. Food was very good

and also the evening programs

----Hiker Dee McGuffrey

Just wanted to let you know that we enjoyed everything

about the hike. We especially enjoyed meeting all the

other people we met. That made the hike very fun. We hope

to keep in touch with as many as possible. Thanks again

Morris for all you do and did in putting this hike together

and making sure everything went well, you did well! Please

keep us posted in what may come up.

---- Mark, Lisa and Michael

Sunday's hike began at Bort Meadow,

traversed Anthony Chabot Park to the Willow

View Trail (top), climbed Ramage Peak to

Dinosaur Ridge (middle) in the EBMUD

watershed and finished with a descent through

Cull Canyon(below). Photos by Charles Ladd.


SundayNight

The hike over, on Sunday

night, Victoria Shoemaker and

Page Schorer returned for a sec-

ond night to serve up a scrump-

tious feast, and then Berkeley

Veterinarian Alana Alpern spoke

on emergency horse care.

Thank you for the amazing job you did!!!! I know it took many hours of

organization and effort and I appreciate it very much. I am looking for-

ward to next year and hope to do a longer stay. See you then!!

--First time EB Hills Rider Val Kasnick

I loved Alana’s presentation... she needs

more time, like every evening! I felt her presen-

tation was very pertinent to us riders and can

imagine that she has so much more to offer. I

did not know about the pulse point that she

introduced us to or about wrapping horse’s legs

in such a way as to prevent further injury.

----Rider Comment

Top right and lower left: Sunday's

Dinner. Middle right Alana

Alpern, DVM shows how to check

pulse near the eyes. Photos by

Richard Friedman. Bottom right:

The morning (lower right) started

foggy. Photos by Anne Corder.


Thanks to Our Amazing Volunteers!

The East Bay Hills Trails Benefit Ride and Hike could not

have happened without the efforts of over 70 volunteers. A

planning committee, which included TWHA members

Morris Older, Judy Etheridge, Page Schorer, and Jane Binder,

Metropolitan Horsemen’s Association members Judi Bank and

Amelia Marshall began meeting in March to plan the eques-

trian ride. A separate committee of Bay Area Ridge Trail Coun-

cil members Morris Older, Gary Cook, Bob Siegel and Charlie

Bowen, as well as BARTC Staff members Joel Gartland and

Dena Justice started meeting shortly thereafter to plan the

hike. Our camp managers each day included Jane Binder,

Judy Etheridge, and Judi Bank. Morris Older served as overall

ride and hike manager with able assistance from the co-plan-

ners and camp managers.

Our evening chefs were Page Schorer, Judi Bank, Lila

Abdul-Rahim, and Victoria Shoemaker, with Jim Townsend of

the Regional Trails Department of the East Bay Regional Park

District providing dinner for the group one evening. Our

evening chefs were ably assisted by Jodi Bailey, Charlie Bowen,

Lisa McLaughlin, , Eric Shroeder, Jenni Smith, Golda Blum,

Richard Friedman, Ute Frey, Petra Liljestrand, Kim Abbott,

Cheryl Ann Fulton, Elie Geske, Inez Fort, Melanie Diamond,

Joe Nieblas, Randy Hassell, Amelia Marshall, Judy Etheridge,

Kirsten Whitsett, Eric Shcroeder, and Ken Snetsinger, as well

as the large number of riders and hikers who chipped in as

needed.

Cathy Moyer, the Executive Director of Volunteers for Out-

door California, provided our kitchen, purchased the food

for breakfast and lunches, and coordinated those meals.

June Nakatini, Diane Ollis, Alice Philipson, Becky Mertens,

David, James and Corinne Whittall, Karl Saarni, Judy Etheridge,

and Ken Snetsinger and numerous other hikers and riders

helped provide breakfast and lunches. MHA provided dinner

tables and chairs used at 2 of the campsites and Kim Abbott

helped move them. Judi Bank, Jenni Smith, Lila Abdul-Rahim,

Page Schorer, Jim Townsend, Becky Mertens, Cathy Moyer

and Victoria Shoemaker all helped with the shopping.

Bort Meadow requires gate monitors at all times when

it is open, and Becky Mertens, Lisa McLaughlin, Elise Geske,

Page Schorer, Rachel Royce, Ken Snetsinger, and Judy

Etheridge all took turns.

Volunteers were needed to pick up the hikers at BART

and then drop them off at the end of the hike. Thomas Beck

Bobbie Landers, Irma Rupert, Bern Smith, June Nakatini, Irma

Ruport, Morris Older, Lisa McLaughlin, Amelia Marshall, Pat

Corder, Rachel Royce and Ute Frey stepped up to get the job

done. Kathy Campbell, Doug Ross, Lisa McLaughlin, Pat

Corder and Irma Ruport volunteered to shuttle riders back

to the starting point so they could ride their horses between

camps. Judi Bank, Inez Fort and Amelia Marshall helped people

find parking places at Sequoia Arena, while Jane Binder di-

rected the parking at Tilden Park. Our hay purchases and

delivery were arranged by Judy Etheridge, Morris Older, Bam-

Bam Barnett and Ken Snetsinger. Water troughs were sup-

plied, placed in strategic locations and filled by Judy Etheridge,

Ken Snetsinger and by Tilden, Redwood and Anthony Chabot

Park staff. The wonderful horse and hiker crossing signs,

borrowed from Redwood Park, were set up and attended at

Fish Ranch Road by Kathy Campbell and Doug Ross.

Sections of trail were pre-ridden or walked by Rachel

Royce, Gary Fitts, Charlie Bowen, and Morris Older. Morris

Older wrote up the trail directions and takes full responsibility

for any errors therein. Morris made up the masters of the eques-

trian trail maps, and Gary Cook made up the masters of the

hiking maps. Gary Cook, Bob Siegel, Charlie Bowen, Bill

Warburton, and Sandy Venning served as our lead and

sweep hikers. Morris Older made all arrangements with

the regional parks, while Judi Bank did the same with the City

of Oakland and Joaquin Miller Park. Martha Benioff, Judi Bank,

and Kim Abbott arranged for our insurance.

The hikers and riders were especially pleased this year by

the shower tents with solar showers that were borrowed

from Volunteers for Outdoor California and set up by Eric Bam

Bam Barnett, Becky Mertens, Corinne and Isabelle Whittall

and Malik Broughton. The Human-Powered-Blender was

on loan from Chino Yip, and transported down from Napa by

Jay Ballinson. And we are especially grateful to Jay Bailinson,

who after hiking, provided massage for 3 hours daily to hik-

ers and riders who donated to the event.

We were extremely fortunate to have evening presenta-

tions by EBRPD Naturalist Michael Moran, who talked about

Tarantulas, by Margaret Obrien, and the Diablo Ladies Drill

Team, by 4-Wheel Bob Coomber, who inspired us with his

wheel-chair adventures, and by Dr. Alana Apern, DVM, who

spoke about emergency horse care on the trail.

We were blessed to have the artwork and design skills

of Debby Young for our tee shirts. The ride sales table at

our camps was set up and tended by Morris Older, with help

from Judy Etheridge. Irma Ruport, Charlie Bowen, Gary Cook

and others sold raffle tickets, and Malik Boughton helped

pick the winners..

Our emergency trailer on call was provided by Inez

Continued on page 15


Thanks to our Generous Donors

Continued from page 14

Thanks to Our Volunteers

This year’s East Bay Hills Trail Ben-

efit Ride and Hike was greatly assisted

by the generous contributions we re-

ceived both for the ride and for our silent

auction and raffle. We deeply appreciate

the following donations:

REI

Tent, camp chair, sleeping pad, sleeping

bag

CamelBak

5 CamelBak filtration packs and 12 water

bottles

Marmot

Three backpacks and a sleeping bag

East Bay Regional Park District

Dinner for 65 for hikers and campers

Clif Bar

Fuel for our hikers and riders

Pop Chips

Snacks for our hikers and riders

Orinda Village Horse Shop

Sportage riding helmet

Stephen Joseph

Mt Diablo Photograhic Print

Page Schorer

Tri-Tip for 70

Victoria Shoemaker

Food for hungry riders and hikers

Sports Basement

Desert for 70 and a $50 gift certificate

Peet’s Coffee

Coffee and Tea

Ariat

Gift Certificate for Boots

Save Mt. Diablo

Mt Diablo book, map and hat

Reactor Panel Saddlery

Saddle Pads, tack, lotions and more

Safeway

$125 Gift Cards

Vista Madera Tack

Grooming Box with hoofpicks, riding

gloves, brushes and more

Western Saddlery

Hay bag, brush set, misc. tack

Wilderness Press

Trail Guidebooks and maps

Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

Wine, wine glasses, bags, and water

bottles

Sandy Greenblat

Marin Equestrian Guide

Riders and Hikers who cancelled

And donated part of all of their fees

Riders and Hikers

Who donated numerous raffle prizes

Amelia Marshall

12 bottles of wine

Bay Nature Magazine

Gift Subscription

Janice Frazier

Dog and cat baskets

Judy Etheridge was amongst our enthusiastic

raffle ticket vendors. Photo by Anne Corder

The French trail with the Red-

wood trees, that we did on Saturday,

was amazing.

---Hiker Comment

Fort. The manure trailer was transported

by Peter Bank and Amelia Marshall.

TWHA web guru Gary Fitts posted

our ride info on the website, and many

riders, and family members pitched in

whenever they were needed. When some-

thing unexpectedly needed to be done,

there were last minute volunteers who

rose to the occasion. TWHA, MHA and

BARTC extend our deep and sincere

thanks to all of the volunteers who as-

sisted. If we have inadvertently neglected

to mention your name, please know that

we have valued your assistance. With-

out all of you this event would not have

been possible.

A number of organizations and

groups helped with the 5-Day Ride. In

addition to TWHA and MHA the assis-

tance of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Coun-

cil, and Volunteers for Outdoor California

was essential. Publicity from horse club

newsletters, and several hiking clubs

helped riders and hikers throughout the

Bay Area and beyond to find out about

the ride. Charles Robiins wrote a nice

press release about 4-Wheel Bob

Coomber. See the separate listing of our

donors and sponsors, who assisted in

our fund raising effots.

Finally, the ride and hike would not

have been possible without the coop-

eration and aid of EBRPD’s Tiffany

Margulici, Dee Rosario in Redwood,

Sergio Huerta, in Tilden, Alison Rein in

Wildcat, Jeff Manley in Sibley , Janet

Gomes in Chabot, Jeff Crowle in Roberts,

and Jerry Richardson in Kennedy Grove

and other park staff. EBRPD was exem-

plary in fixing trail, setting up water, and

helping to ensure that the ride worked

for everyone. The City of Oakland

was also very helpful in facilitating our

abilityto camp , hike and ride at Joaquin

Miller Park.


EBATC Picnic at Pt. PinoleThe 4th Annual East Bay Area Trails

Council Picnic and Multi-Use Excursion

was a rare opportunity for trail users of

all stripes to get together and celebrate

the beautiful open spaces of the East Bay,

and get to know each other better, a

chance to celebrate what we all have in

common: a deep and abiding love of trails,

the outdoors, and taking a little trip

through the same. Sharing trails is the es-

sence of EBATC's message, and actually

doing so in a highly cooperative, and fun-

loving way can lower barriers faster and

more effectively than any other activity.

This was the first time the picnic was

held at Pt. Pinole and over 60 trail users,

including 30 equestrians took part. They

brought all kinds of horses, including a

Mini (nammed Minnie) and covered the

trails with bicyclists including a tandem

bike pulling a ababy carriage. After the

hike and ride, the East Bay Regional Park

District provided a BBQ replete with

salmon, Vegie burgers and chicken, and

watermelon. The bicyclists brought lots

of beer to share, and everyone had a great

time.

Group photo by Sean Dougan

Finders Not Keepers in Tilden Park

Early in the morning on September 23

Metropolitan Horsemen's Association

President Melanie Diamond and her

friend Greg were walking their dogs in

Tilden Park when another hiker warned

them that there was loose horse ahead.

So she quickly went to her nearby home

for a halter, found the horse on Seaview

Trail and called me. I went up and we

walked him back to the Orinda Horsemen's

Association pasture and determeined

that he was Micki, TWHA member Doug

Ross's gelding.

Early in the morning, the OHA horses

sometimes hang out at the very top of

their watershed pasture near Seaview

Trail. Every once in a while hikers in Til-

den cut the wires on the fence there. Years

ago EBMUD Naturalist Jim Dunne,

wallking early in the morning, found 17

horses in Tilden Park. He found the dam-

aged fence line, and used his belt to lead

the lead mare through the fence and the

horses followed.

by Morris Older

This time Micki was by himself, and

though quite well behaved, was happy

to get back to the pasture. He had only

minor scratches from going through the

fence, and was soon back in the pasture.

Meanwhile a couple of OHA members

went up and repaired the fence.

Thanks to Melanie's quick action the

situation was rapidly corrected. She was

impressed by Micki's personality, and

asked a couple of times if "Finders Keep-

ers' could be the rule here...


In a triumph of public process over private interest, the

East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors voted unani-

mously to approve the proposed expansion of the Wildcat

Canyon staging area and create safe horse trailer parking spots

along with a trailer turn-around area. This improvement – which

utilizes and slightly expands an existing paved area — will at

last make Wildcat Canyon accessible to equestrians without

impinging on surrounding neighborhood streets.

The public process began in September 2010 when Park

District land use planners held a public meeting to present a

proposal for improvements to Wildcat/Alvarado Parks. Their

initial plan, intended to address picnicking families’ increasing

use of Alvarado Park, was to add and improve pedestrian/

ADA access into Alvarado from the adjacent Wildcat staging

area as well as expand the staging area car parking capacity

from 17 to 38 car spaces.

Members of the Tri-City Horsemen’s Association as well

as many TWHA members attended that first presentation to

express the desire that horse trailer parking be included in the

parking expansion plan. Many park neighbors turned out for

the meeting as well, opposing any plans that would result in

improved public access adjacent to their properties.

The unexpected turnout of equestrians at that 2010 meet-

ing caused the park planners to revise their proposal to in-

clude trailer parking. The equestrian-friendly revised proposal

was submitted to the Board for their review and ultimately,

their vote.

For the nine months following that initial planning meet-

ing, the participation of the horse community at additional

public comment meetings, in letter/e-mail campaigns, and

through an online petition kept equestrian interests along with

the desire for improved public access in front of the planners

and the park Board. At the same time a group formed by a few

Coming Soon: Horse Trailer

Parking in Wildcat Canyon Parkvocal neighbors – called ‘Friends of Wildcat Canyon’ – also

kept up their campaign for public exclusion, citing environ-

mental damage, safety concerns, historic precedent, unmet prior

land use commitments, and many other allegations designed

to derail the planners’ proposal.

At the July Park District Board meeting, the Alvarado/Wild-

cat parking proposal was again publicly scrutinized and then

put to a final vote. 17 speakers, both equestrians and neigh-

bors, made statements for and against the plan. Then each

board member had their chance to comment: it was gratifying

to hear each of them voice their support of horses in Wildcat

Canyon. Many Board members called this parking improve-

ment ‘just a first step’ toward realizing the long-term, multi-

layered plans to improve these parks. They reaffirmed the

commitment to continued restoration of the creek bed and even-

tual removal of a culvert bridge, but in the short-term, the use

of an existing paved area to improve parking for Alvarado pic-

nickers and equestrians was deemed sound. One board mem-

ber even said he felt “the horsemen have been patient long

enough.”

Now the plan is approved and implementation will soon be

scheduled, but the ‘Friends of Wildcat Canyon’ are still trying

to quash it. In the past the Friends have successfully stopped

Wildcat/Alvarado improvements by calling in the media and

crying environmental foul. This time around they have gotten

the ear of local media (Contra Costa Times and East Bay Ex-

press) and in the past few months one-sided stories denounc-

ing the plan and the Park District’s ‘stewardship’ have run. It

is vital that TWHA members actively and vocally support the

implementation of the approved plan: watch for and rebut ar-

ticles in the media, promote community access to this public

resource, and enlist the support of other groups that share our

interests. We’re almost there!

by Lisa McLaughlin

Q: What do you call a dozen bags of uprooted star thistle?

A: A good start!

Taking advantage of a recent rain, Rose Marie Hoffman

(standing, left) induced Bay Laurel riders (including a few not

pictured) to clear a section of roadside along Lomas Cantadas

of the horse-hostile prickly weed on Sunday, November 13.

By Diane Ollis

Flash Mob Hits Yellowstar


I’m sitting here at the computer. It’s

freakishly hot outside at 103 degrees.

Marty was willing to go out in the heat

and move the cows back to their normal

pen and I was happy he didn’t need help.

I’ll just sit here in the air conditioning and

type.

We got up early this morning to get

ahead of the heat so we could work the

horses on the cows. The sun was peek-

ing over the Sierras waaaay off in the east-

ern distance. It was a great big red or-

ange and the air was still and cool. We

pulled ”Buford”, our Guernsey steer, out

of our little remuda and took him over to

the big arena. We have to make an alley

of fence panels to do this. The horses get

worked just culling him out of the group.

Marty’s horse Blue works cows great.

He watches them and is interested. I think

he may make a great cow horse someday

and with his slow relaxed lope he could

even make a great western pleasure horse.

On the other hand my horse JB has all

this great Hancock blood in him but is

monumentally uninterested in cows.

Looking this way and that way but never

at the cow. He just wants to go back and

hang with Blue. Yet I keep gently encour-

aging him and finally he settles in and

follows the cow in a relaxed way. Good

for the day. Let’s go on to the next project.

This is putting insecticide ear tags on

the cows. Marty corners them, wedges

them in between two fence panels and

holds their heads. Then I take the great

big blue ear piercer and do the deed. It’s

got to go between the 2nd and 3rd sections

of cartilage. The cows don’t like this. Are

you surprised? I get one on the wrong

side of the ear. But, hey, it’s a cow not a

fashion statement. Out on the ranch you

just have to be effective. I have to say

the orange earring looks pretty cute. Yar

Har matey! I hope they work. Even

though the heat and the lack of humidity

decimates the flies Ma Nature makes them

so prolific we’re always doing battle.

It’s not so much different out here than

it is in the city. What am I saying? It’s

totally different out here. You can go to a

movie, you can go to dinner, you can go

to the store. It’s just a truck ride away.

But everything else is different.

What’s different are the unending

chores and repair. Then if you don’t have

some kind of system you are a prisoner

of your animals and you can’t go any-

where for very long. Kind of like having

children. City folks do have this issue.

I’m not denying that. It’s just that out

here with a boat load of critters it’s just

exponentially on a different level.

So what you do is find the local horse

barn and you make friends with the owner

and you take your horses over there if

you want to go out of town. You figure

out an automatic watering and feeding

By Renee Benoit

A Day In The Life:

She’s Gone Country

Continued on page 19


system for your chickens and make sure

their pen is big enough to handle them

being cooped up for a few days. You can

still take the dog to the sitter but you need

to pile enough hay in there to last the

cows for the duration and make sure the

floats are working everywhere and then

and only then you drive off. Oh, yeah,

get the neighbors down the way to look

in on them from time to time to make sure

Buford didn’t put his foot through the

fence.

I can’t write this article without men-

tioning dust. I thought we moved to

Tracy but I actually think we may have

travelled some kind of time warp into the

Oklamona dust bowl. At least that’s how

it feels. Everywhere you look is that beau-

tiful sandy loam soil that makes the Great

Central Valley the salad bowl of the na-

tion.

But there’s a real downside to it. It’s

the endless supply of dust. You thought

you wiped off your counter but , oh no!

Well, you did. But it came right back!

Where did you come from? I know. It’s

the dust fairy that flew in last night and

gave you more while you were sleeping.

Just get used to it. Channel your inner

lover of grunginess.

I realized at some point that being a

member of OHA for nigh on to 25 years

really did prepare me for this life. I was

already familiar with electric cross fenc-

ing, pasture management and various

necessities like laying in a supply of hay

for the winter. Same thing for the plumb-

ing and fence repair. I don’t really miss

having neighbors on top of me. I like be-

ing able to be master of my own fate. At

least to a greater degree than I had be-

fore. You can almost get bored with be-

ing able to ride every day. It’s not a di-

lemma anymore. Laundry, grocery shop

or ride? You can do it all. Put in the laun-

dry and go saddle up the horses. Come

back in and have a big cold glass of ice

tea. After wards have an immediate shower

to rinse off the dust.

There’s the morning and you drive off

to work and you’ve just petted your horse

on the nose and you know he’s happy

because he has some buddies to hang

out with and 3 squares a day and 360 de-

grees of vistas to gaze at. Life is good.

He’ll be there tonight and ready when you

wipe off the city and throw on the saddle

and take little hack out by the canal in the

twilight. The alfalfa fields are alive with

thousands of yellow butterflies and the

sunset is magnificent and the peace

settles down like that good earth dust and

you’re happy.

Gone CountryContinued from page 17

Thanks to everyone who came out

August 27th to make riding in Tilden a

little better — Diane Ollis, Eric Schroeder,

Heather da Cunha, Kim Abbott, Lisa

Mclaughlin, Morris Older, Susan Palo, and

Gary Fitts . We whacked brush back along

upper and lower Vollmer Peak Trail, and

Kim and Morris tackled the poison oak.

Lisa and Morris improved the drainage

on the connector between Vollmer Peak

Trail and South Park Drive. All of these

trails were used the next week on the East

Bay Hills Trail Ride.

And thanks to Susan Palo for orga-

nizing it all!

Thanks again everyone. Maybe next

time we’ll have beer for the workers.

Thanks also to Tilden Park staff for

arranging to rehabilitate lower Vollmer

Peak Trail going uphill from Big Springs

Picnic Area.

Tracy photos courtesy of Renee Benoit

TWHA Trail Work Day on August 27th


The TWHA Newsletter aims for bi-

monthly publication- Written and

photo Contributions gratefuly ac-

cepted--see email address above.

Please reprint anything herein, but do

give us credit.

2011 TWHA Board

President:

Gary Fitts 510-524-3729

[email protected]

Vice President:

Kirsten Whitsett 925-283-1997

[email protected]

Co-Recording Secretaries:

Lila Abdul-Rahim 925-284-9218

[email protected]

Ute Frey 510-204-0698

[email protected]

Treasurer:

Kim Abbott 510-655-4195

[email protected]

Membership Secretary:

Page Schorer 510-525-9675

[email protected]

Newsletter:

Morris Older 925-254-8943

[email protected]

Trail Work:

Susan Palo 510-548-2724

[email protected]

Historian:

Debby Young 925-254-1408

[email protected]

EBATC Representative:

Marilyn Terstegge 925-254-5430

[email protected]

Members At Large:

Alison Martin 510-559-9534

[email protected]

Jennifer Rader 925-689-0198

[email protected]

Eric Schroeder

[email protected]

Jane Binder 510-524-3300

Jenni Smith 925.386.5580

[email protected]

Becky Mertens 510-981-0780

[email protected]

Lisa McLauglin 510-843-6720

[email protected]

OHA members will recognize Brego,

shown here with Vaulter Eric Garcia earlier

this year, shortly before Brego joined a top

varuling team in Woodside. Photo courtesy

of Renee Benoit

Zoe

Whittall

with Pearl

Moon.

Photo

courtesy

of David

Whittall

TWHA Member Zoe Whittall's

‘new’ horse is SQR Pearl Moon, a pure-

bred grey Arabian Grey Mare born in

2003 out of KJ Patrinka (Pure Polish

daughter of *Karadjordje+++) by Moon

Seeqr. Pearl is living at Bay Laurel Ara-

bians in Orinda. Zoe rode Pearl on the

Bort Meadows and Lake Chabot sec-

tions of the East Bay Hills Ride in

Setember, and also competed in the Cow-

boy Camp NATRC ride near Cache Creek

a few weeks later, where she was the first

place horse in the CP division. David

also reports that his wife Corinne is riding

again. Together, Zoe and Corinne are

making sure that Pearl has a good train-

ing schedule each week and that she will

be ready for the 2012 endurance season.

TWHA member Renee Benoit

writes that she has found new homes

for her horses Brego (see picture) and

Dusty. who has been accepted on pro-

bation at Project RIDE., which she de-

scribes as a premier therapeutic riding

school that has it’s own barn and ranch,

near Elk Grove, within sight of the non-

functional Rancho Seco nuclear power

plant on rolling non-steep pasture. She

notes that the horses get out every day

for their bareback pad ride with handlers

on either side and a leader. They work

for a week then they go out to pasture

to be a horse for a week.

And earlier this year, former TWHA

TWHA Horse News

member Madeleine Kirsch wrote

that " I’d like to share this with you

and the people who know Rufus.

Many TWHA members knew about

his horrible accident when he was still

an endurance horse and might be

happy to learn that Rufus does very

well in his new career. He and I won

today the two first level dressage tests

we participated in (against big ole

warmbloods). at in Pleasanton at Yarra

Yarra Equestrian. Center."


address correction requested

Tilden-Wildcat

Horsemen's Association

www.twha.org50 La Encinal

Orinda CA 94563

TWHA 2012-3 MEMBERSHIP FORM

Name(s)_________________________ ____new or ____renewal

Address___________________________ Phone: ______________

City, State, Zip_______________ Do you have a trailer?________

Email_____________________________________

Check here if you would NOT like to receive TWHA emails_______

Names of equestrian members_____________________

Horse name(s)____________________________________________

Events or projects you may be able to help with ________________

2012 Dues Enclosed; $20 individual__ $25 family___$10 junior__

2012-3 Dues Enclosed; $35 individual__ $45 family___$15 junior_

Send form, and check to: Page Schorer, 625 Liberty, El Cerrito, CA 94530 ([email protected])

Monday, January 23- 6 p.m- TWHA Annual Membership Meeting with

Guest Speaker, Lindsay Graham, DVM, who rode the fastest recorded 100 miles in

US history in 2011. Join us at the at the Fern Cottage at Kennedy Grove Recre-

ation Area. Watch for reservation and ticket information coming soon!

Inside:

EB Hills Trails Benefit Report ......... page 1

At Tilden Park ................................ page 4

Dinner Time .................................... page 6

Drill Team ...................................... page 8

Our Amazing Volunteers ............... page 13

Our Generous Donors ................. page 14

EBATC Picnic ............................... page 15

Finders Keepers? ......................... page 15

Trailer Parking for Wildcat ........... page 16

Yellowstar Flash Mob .................. page 16

She's Gone Country ..................... page 17

TWHA Trail Work ........................ page 18

TWHA Horse news ...................... page 19

Documents

Tilden Wildcat Horsemen's Association Newsletter News Nov-Dec 2011.pdfNewsletter November-December 2011 Right:Riding from Tilden to Sibley on the second day of the ride--photo by Anne