Maudslay Equestrians Winter 2011 Newsletter

Maudslay Equestrians
Winter 2011 Newsletter
Eagle Nesting Area trails
near the Merrimack River
are closed Nov 1 to
March 31
• If the field parking is snow
covered or very muddy, park
in the gravel lot
Caption describing
picture or graphic.
• Stay off trails that are very
muddy and could be
damaged by your horse’s
hooves
Happy holidays to all of our friends !!
The park is open year round for
your riding enjoyment as long as
the weather and footing allows.
Parking in the field is allowed - just
try to keep in mind that if the field
is soft and you are leaving deep
tracks, try to park in the gravel lot.
There is a section of trails by the
river that is closed for eagle
nesting from Nov 1 until March 31.
There is still some good riding to
be had before winter sets in in
earnest.
Watch the website for
our upcoming
SILENT AUCTION
To benefit the Pond
Project
Date TBD in early spring
2011 Annual Chili Ride
We had a great turnout at the
"chili ride"...92 riders-drivers and
the day couldn't have been better!
There was some thick morning fog
that people had to drive through to
in the morning- but when the fog
lifted, what a sight! 65 trailers
parked in the parking lot! We sure
did make a presence!
Mike made two huge pots of Chili
for the ride and we didn't have any
left. What a compliment to the
chef!
Special thanks to Derry Trail Riders
for providing a delicious breakfast
Kim Hackett Ort, Editor -
and warm beverages for our riders.
Great work Julia and Pat!
Rich Messina from RPM
Photography joined us again this
year to capture our ride in photos.
He has updated his website for our
2011 ride.
Go to his website for a look at the
photos taken.
http://www.photoreflect.com/stor
e/thumbpage.aspx?e=8336870
Rich Messina will donate all
proceeds from the sale of photos
to the Pond Restoration Project
Prepared by Meadowbrook Designs
Winter in the park holds its own
beauty.
2011 Annual Chili Ride continued
Together we donated $1,740.00 to the park from our equestrian
group! We made a difference. The Park Ranger, Rob Kovacs, was
delighted to see us there and thankful for our donation. It's a show of
thanks and good will to him and his staff for keeping the trails so well
groomed so that we can enjoy them with our horses.
Our donation has been ear-marked for the Pond Restoration Project.
There are still many open trails
for us to explore during the
winter months so happy trails
and mark your calendar for
Nov 25, 2012...Sunday after
Thanksgiving for our 2012 Chili
ride!
.
Remembering Mickey Galarneau
Tribute was paid at the Chili Ride to Mickey Galarneau who passed
away on Nov 10, 2011 after a long illness. Mickey was an avid trail
rider. He and his wife Sandy could be seen riding and camping all over
New England. Even when riding became impossible for him, he would
accompany Sandy to the rides. He had intended to come to the Chili
Ride and Sandy honored that intention by coming and bringing
Mickey’s horse Mr. Quigley. He will be sadly missed, but we know that
he is up there somewhere with those “Ghost Riders in the Sky”
Bridge and Pond Restoration Project
This is going to be a huge undertaking. The State of Massachusetts
has become involved and the project is now underway. We are now
working with the State hired Consultant ESS Group. Our goal is to
restore the reflecting pond under the three arched bridge, back to its
glory days. We envision restoring the pond back to a healthy
ecosystem where turtles and fish can flourish as they once did.
Neighbors of Maudslay have reported that the pond once had a white
sandy bottom and schools of goldfish would to be visible swimming
under the bridge. Sediment deposits that have accumulated over the
years together with beaver dams have all but dried up half of the
pond and have made the other half murky and stagnant. We have a
big project ahead, but we are making some great progress already.
Pat at Meadowbrook Designs is working on a website for the project
and you can check in on the progress of the project once we get the
website updated.
Watch the website for our Spring planned "Silent Auction" to benefit
the park and the Pond Restoration Project. Plans are in the works
now, but we are aiming for late March 2012 and we should have lots
of equestrian type donations for bidding on- which lead me to
mentioning that if any of you are cleaning out your tack or have items
that you would like to donate to our silent auction, you can contact
me at Roadking09@comcast.net or call (978)502-3487
Happy Holidays everyone!
Page 2
www.maudslayequestrians.info
Thanks again so much for
coming to the Chili Ride....keep
in mind that alone we may feel
overwhelmed when faced with
large projects, but together we
can do great things. I am
humbled by the generosity and
enthusiasm of each and every
participant... Kim