• Latest Stories

  • Receptionist
  • Detox Technician
  • HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR
  • Quality Assurance Engineer
  • SERVERS – PT

Trotting Trails [UPDATED]

Area women who love to ride horses find Maplewood State Park to be a wonderful spot to enjoy their sport, hobby, pastime, equestrian obsession, or whatever you wish to call it. Both day riding and camping are available options. The horse campground contains twenty-four sites for campers with horses and some of them accommodate up to three additional campers, making it possible for a group of riders to share a site. No electricity, showers or flush toilets are provided in the horse campground. Some campers have generators or batteries to power their units. I understand that portable battery or solar operated electric fences are quite commonly used to keep horses penned at night. Otherwise, if the horse is tied to the camper, its every movement can be felt and the rider isn’t “bright eyed and bushy tailed” in the morning. To me, the park costs sound reasonable. Camping is $18.00 a night. A day pass for riding is $5.00, or, for those who come often, a $21.00 annual riding pass may be purchased to use from May 1st to the first snow, approximately November 1st. In this 9000 acre park located seven miles east of Pelican Rapids, riders have twenty miles of horse trails at their disposal. Therefore, hills, wooded trails and open trails give riders a variety of choices.

Cris Kling, Erhard, is one of those people who avails

herself of the park quite often. She and her horse, Red, can often be found at the Maplewood Church on pleasant summer Sunday mornings. Red is tethered while she attends services. Afterwards she delights in giving rides to children who want or whose parents want them to have the experience. Red is very accommodating while this is going on. Other times Cris rides to relax. She enjoys observing the flora and fauna which abound. According to a Maplewood State Park information sheet available at the ranger station, “nearly 150 species of breeding birds, 40 kinds of mammals, and 25 kinds of reptiles and amphibians” may be found in the park. Just like many others, she enjoys riding through the glorious fall colors and seeing them reflected in the small, clear lakes and ponds found throughout the park.

While looking around the horse campground, I talked to several couples from Detroit Lakes who were out riding. Sue was riding a Spanish mountain horse (Pasofino) which she said is very smooth riding as well as strong, being able to ride all day. She said her husband rides so he can camp, and she camps so she can ride. Her friend said she enjoys the pot lucks and socializing that go along with their outings. They both feel that it is good for horses to be with other horses, too.

Linda Doughty, Battle Lake, and Diane Hovland, Rothsay, are horse enthusiasts who ride as often as they can, both individually, in groups, and with one another. Both think Maplewood is fantastic. Linda said she always plans to come once a week, but it doesn’t work out that way. When I asked if it takes them a lot of time to prepare for camping and riding, Diane laughed and said, “It’s like having a baby. You have to pack the horse’s food, blankets, and brushes, etc.” Perhaps she made a comparison to a baby because she and her husband Lyle recently returned from Golden, Colorado, where they welcomed a new granddaughter, Berkeley Kai, born July 23rd, as well as spending time with their two and a half year old first granddaughter, Tennyson. When I asked how her love of horses started, she said she had a “horsey” grandfather who owned draft horses. She would sit in the manger and smell the hay and watch the horses chew. As she grew a little older she had ponies. After that, she had a horse whenever her living situation allowed it. Sometimes she trailers her horse and takes off for other riding areas. Usually they are in the MN, ND, SD, tri-state area. However, she recently spent a week in central Wisconsin’s New Lisbon Valley area riding amongst the limestone bluffs, creeks and rivers.

On the day photographer Janelle Streed and I went to Maplewood to visit with the riders and shoot some photos, Linda had her camper and was staying for three days. She said it was pretty easy to do this because, “All I need are some fresh food and clothes with me; otherwise the living quarter is ready.” She always knew she liked horses, but her dad wouldn’t buy her one because he didn’t believe her interest would last. Starting at age thirteen, she rented a horse for two summers. Then she bought her own and has had horses ever since. Now she brings her thirteen year old granddaughter, Courtney Payne, camping with her, her two dogs and a cat. (Pets must be restrained on a leash no longer than six feet.) Courtney, an eighth grader in Pelican Rapids, said she enjoys this because, “I like riding horse and just hanging out with Grandma.” Linda, Courtney, and Diane all ride Missouri Fox Trotters. Linda stated that, “These horses are versatile and smooth riding. They can live into their high twenties.” In the photos it’s easy to see that Linda likes to wear riding skirts that she enjoys sewing. Similar to Diane, she likes to ride all around the state of Minnesota, as well as outstate. She goes to such places as Medora, the Black Hills, and Missouri, where she has friends with whom she enjoys riding

All of the women riders referred to have nothing but praise for Maplewood State Park. Diane Hovland commented, “I love riding Maplewood because you can start riding in May and continue through November. Every season is different and beautiful.” Linda Doughty stated, “I never get tired of the trails in Maplewood. The terrain is wonderful.”