San Martin Horsemen's Association

Quadrill Practice 1997

Kicking It At the Kickham – You should have been there! (May 2006)

Bob, Greg and Ben - Kicking back at the Kickham

Thirty-four people and twenty-three horses participated in our Kickoff at the Kickham Memorial Day weekend camping trip.  The weather was spectacular and challenging at the same time.  Friday brought wind that threatened to blow away the tents, with people included.  When the wind died for a brief time on Friday evening it rained.  On Saturday the winds persisted but were less threatening.  Sunday was even better, with only strong breezy gusts from time to time.  On Monday morning the frost surprised everyone.  On every day the warmth of the sun was enjoyed.

The weather was remarkable, and certainly not typical for Memorial Day weekend at Coe Park.  Perhaps it was more remarkable that the horses did not use the odd weather as an excuse to be silly.  There were at least 4 horses that had never spent the night tied to a trailer.  One of those had never been camping in his life.  Without a doubt all of the horses enjoyed napping in the sun on Saturday morning, with several of them laying down in the hay field where we camped.  Coffee for the people and snoozing for the horses created an atmosphere that was good.

Everyone rode at leisure on Friday thru Monday.  Riding out of the Kickham at Coe Park allows the rider to make a choice of the fairly flat ride from one end to the other of Huntin’ Hollow, or to take any of the other trails up and down the hills along the way.  For the camping partners who don’t ride there was ample opportunity for hiking, playing board games, chatting, napping in the sun, or playing with our youngest camper (the Linden’s 18-month old granddaughter, Kaylee).

By all accounts this was a successful event enjoyed by all.  The consensus is that we want to do it again next year.  It was easy to envision this beautiful valley as a future equestrian staging/camping area with more modern conveniences.  Discussions were had about making suggestions to the management of Coe Park on how to develop it into a destination equestrian campground.  Even as it is no one was disappointed in their choice to be a part of this special weekend. 

The next camping trip for SMHA members will be at Jack Brooks (San Mateo county) in August.   Refer to the calendar for details.  Also read the Eventer and check the website for any other camping trips that might happen more spontaneously for 2006. 

Meanwhile, keep it in mind that we plan to have our second annual Kickoff at the Kickham camping trip on Memorial Day weekend in 2007.  Hope to see you there! 

NATRC and Poker Ride/ Trail Trials 2007

There were a lot of new faces in the crowd at our May 2007 (Memorial Day weekend) 38th annual Gilroy Hot Springs / Coe Park NATRC competitive trail ride. Many new-to-NATRC riders are taking advantage of new rules that allow the option for the rider to accumulate trail mileage towards their personal goals, for breed programs, etc, in a looser format than regular competitors. It brings a different type of rider into NATRC. Based on the new participants that we met it is easier to see the similarities than the differences. Hopefully we will see more of these riders in the future.

We always enjoy and appreciate having new people join our work force too. As ride secretary I must report back to the club that there is one young member who seemed to generate the greatest praise...our fairly new member Daniel Webster (13) and his mom (Lori Ann) had a first camping experience that weekend, and of course their first NATRC ride (as workers). They helped out on the P&R teams. I don’t know that I have ever had so many other workers and riders seek me out to compliment any one individual as much as they did Daniel. Daniel - thanks for being a junior worker, and such a great asset to our club!

Daniel was not the only enthusiastic, “new” worker who attracted a lot of attention and compliments.
Karen Whitehead, a member of SMHA for quite a while, stepped up to be our cook for the officials’ meals all weekend. The word cook is just too plain for the quality and quantity of food Karen prepared. No one could overlook the fact that Karen’s husband, Dave, truly cooked and served equally. This duo has catering down to a science, and made it look easy without compromise. When the weather turned cold and windy and wet their contribution was even more appreciated. Dave....Karen.....yummy....Thanks!

The few words space allows does not do justice to the professionalism, expertise and dedication of our SMHA NATRC work crew. When things get tough our people just get more proficient. For me, personally, it is always an honor and a privilege to be affiliated with these SMHA members who define passion.
Thanks to all of you, the very heart of SMHA!

Trail Trials & Poker Ride June 23, 2007

This was the first Trail Trials event held at Bear Ranch in San Martin. As with any new event or new locale for hosting a specific event there are always a lot of unknowns about how it will all work out. Judging by the response and feedback of the riders and workers this was a successful event. It is hoped that ridership in both the Trail Trials and the Poker Ride will continue to increase as word gets out. That word should be that Bear Ranch is an easy to access, has ample parking, and really nice developing trails. The county parks staff at the Bear are friendly and easy to work with too.

A bare bones report on the event would say that everyone seemed to have fun, participation was good, and all were very pleased with the wonderful tri-tip BBQ that Greg Linden & crew conjured up.

Sharon Hensley knows how to get the job done. An article will be included in the next Eventer to give our readers more details about the riders who participated, and awards presented.

Thanks to the entire Hensley family, and to all the others who worked and/or donated time & prizes for the Poker Ride portion of this event.

Photos of Fall 2002, 2003 & 2004 Halloween Poker Ride

  Follow this link to view photos of Poker Ride. Click on photo or slide viewer to see enlargements.

  • Link to Poker Ride 2002 Photos at:

  • Link to Poker Ride 2003 Photos at:

  • Link to Poker Ride 2004 Photos at:

San Martin Horsemen's Association (c) 1999  Revised July 6, 1999
For questions and comments, email smha1968@gmail.com
Home Page