We had driven about eight hours that day and it was really too much to be a pleasure. Jan said she only liked to drive four hours or less and I agreed that would be great.

Ruby was kept on a leash as was Dale's dog Tyson, a rotweiller male who had been neutered. Eddie went over to get introduced to Tyson.

We sat around camp and that night Moose brought over a chimney log, along with the fixings to make a beautiful fire. The chimney log is a foot and a half long hollow log. He put it into our already burning campfire and let the blaze come up through the log. It made beautiful purple, lavender, teal or chartruse flames! He called it Wisconsin fire.

Eventually Moose told us how he colored the blaze. He gets foot long pieces of copper pipe cut and inserts them into pieces of water hose. Then he put the copper and hose in the fire. He said the color of the hose determined the color of the fire.

I insert the business card info in order that I have access to the records. Moose and Jan Tasler, E13722 Cass Valley Rd, Ontario, WI 54651, PH:606.337.4738 with email: equineexpress@centurytel.net End of the Trail Equine Campground.

I believe they said they bought the place four years ago. There are several electric and water hook ups. Six stalls are in the metal barn. Their mules and horses are in the dairy barn. They ride mules and they have traveled rather extensively. They told us about places they have been.

They are wonderful informing and entertaining people and I consider them and their cheerful outlook the biggest attraction to the camp.

We left the campfire eventually and went to the camper to get a good night's sleep and ride in the morning.

We slept good and soon had the chores done. Eddie and I saddled up the mare and gelding and prepared to take us a little ride. I had said that I wanted to ride in every state in the union, but I decided on this trip that it wasn’t going to happen because I wasn’t going to go to the New England states again. I didn’t like that city congestion and driving.

Of course, that didn’t mean that I wasn’t going to ride in Wisconsin while I was here! Dale was going to try to find him a walking horse to buy, since his was very inexperienced and only four years old. Janice didn’t ride any more.

Dale drove Eddie down in the truck and showed him where he had to go to get on the trails. Jan brought us a map and informative fliers.

Eddie had our new farrier put shoes on Dusty before we left home, but I only had him to check the mare. I was on this new mission to ride her barefoot. All our friends were horrified, but we had talked to Garth and Kathy Rumsmoke and they highly recommended it.

Garth and Kathy have a column in the Trail Rider Magazine and we talked to them at the Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio, in March. Kathy has always ridden barefoot, except for a few months in the spring when she uses EZ Boots. For the last two years, Garth has continually ridden barefoot. They travel for months at a time. They do not have any trouble over it.

They don’t have to worry about throwing a shoe or stepping on one and bending it.

I asked them if they just ride along the berm if they have to ride blacktop a little way to get to a trail.

"No. We don’t have any trouble with it!" Garth said.

My mare has had shoes on all of the time since she was very young and she has contracted and undercut heels. Our old farrier said if I left her barefoot she would expand her heels. I have left her barefoot all winter for the last couple of years.

My husband appeared to think that was gross neglect and merely tolerated it. I rode her barefoot one time and she did very well. But she was as wimpy on gravel as she could be. However, I don’t remember if she had been recently trimmed. I know she had been stall kept for most of the time.

I was concerned when we came to a long, steep hill to go down, but she did just as good as ever.

This year, I put her in the pasture for as long as we could. Ed put her up in very bad weather, but when spring came we had to put her in the barn because she seems to be allergic to fly bites. She gets big whelps that don’t go away for a year and they have a hard ball inside that can be scratched out the next spring. Can’t have that. We have sprayed, put vinegar in the water and sprinkled garlic powder on her.

I knew this trip could prove the barefoot theory or disprove it. My new young ferrier said she had the kind of feet that could go barefoot. I didn’t take any care of her feet at all or put anything on them because she never had any problems. I am of the old school that thinks that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

I read all of this stuff about horses being able to feel the ground better, have healthier feet because of improved circulation. I am hoping it is so. It always pained me to have them drive nails into her feet. I pray this works.

When we left the barn I went first. If anybody was jumping around on our spirited horses, I wanted it to be Eddie on Dusty. The gravel road down to the highway was our first test. She moved slowly down the hill but she didn’t give at any time. I was a little hesitant to "Pick her up a bit", but she did all right.

We rode the blacktop a long way down the road, maybe a half mile. Eddie kept Dusty in the gravel alongside the road, but Teege seemed to really prefer the road as always. I kept repeating Garth’s "No. We don’t have any trouble with blacktop." I felt I have to know.

Garth said people always say it will make a horse lame. "Lame is a leg or shoulder problem. A foot problem is sore." Doesn’t seem near as serious as same. We’ll see.

In about a quarter of a mile we went up the hill and rode a path through the woods. That worked out. Again we were off the hill and back on the blacktop. It must have been two miles or more on the blacktop. I couldn’t believe this was my first trail ride with her barefoot. And we had to come back the same way! It was a nice road with adequate berm. We met almost nothing. A motorcycle carefully cruised past us. We pulled the two horses off the road and held them still when a tractor approached and met us. They were fine.

The trail was a real ride. It was all in the woods but there were not very many places to get into a good running walk. At the places we were able to do it, Teege was her usual good ride. Ed thought her stride wasn’t quite as long. I still have some fear that she will fall with me again. I hope the barefoot ride will improve that aspect too. She didn’t wince more than a couple of times on the entire ride and she was that bad with shoes on! I was very pleased so far.

The rain had been very strong the night before and the trails were wet, but most were not muddy enough to even take notice. There were a couple of soft spots and we rode right through them. At least I didn’t have to worry about pulling a shoe in the mud!

I wished I had brought the camera. There was one spot that had some big rocks that was a real nice shot.

Dusty wasn’t as smooth as usual and Eddie was not satisfied with that.

At one point Teege stopped for a short rest, which I call a few puffs. I let her do that. She ought to know when she needs it more than I do.

As we sat there a minute, Eddie said, "Look at that turkey over to your right! Just sit still and let them look at it. She sees it but Dusty doesn’t yet. "

That turkey wasn’t more than 30 feet away as it walked slowly down the hill. Soon Dusty saw it too, but he merely looked as well. Teege has probably seen a lot of them in her pasture and was unconcerned, but Dusty is always in the barn or the lot and he is not exposed to as much of that.

Eventually we walked one way and the turkey walked the other. Man, woman, horses and turkey each at peace with the presence of the other. That’s how the world should be.

We continued on up the hill in our journey to Wildcat Mountain. At the top was posts with poles to tie the horses up so people could stay and rest and eat. There was a sharp switchback on the narrow trail and it dropped off the mountain through the woods and ended at a creek crossing that lead over into the Wildcat State Park Campground.

We rode down to the nearest camp where horses and mules were in a corral and the people were eating under the awning of a horse trailer.

As usual Eddie stopped to get information about the park. The people were very impressed with Dusty and his beautiful copper color with a flaxen mane and tail. The gelding moves proudly and he is easy to attract a crowd.

There was no water or electric hookups, but there was a pump for drinking water and a creek for the horses.

We said our good-byes and continued down through the park and crossed the creek to climb the hill on a different trail and return toward camp.

Back up on top of the hill we joined the trail that we climbed that morning and followed it back to the hardroad.

It was about a six hour ride that we enjoyed very much.

That night we had a heavy storm that carried strong lightening. I was so glad that the horses were safely inside a good barn.

Jan and Moose's house had damage from the storm and their TV and electric was out. It busted a light bulb in the house.

It was our intention to ride the Kickapoo Trail but it was closed because it was too wet, because they had a lot of rain before we had arrived. The Moye and Adkins decided to go on down the highway with the trailers in our journey west.

Our gracious hosts bid us farewell. Since they were trail riders, they gave us advice on other great places to camp and ride.

Wild, Wonderful West Virginia