Finally, the Labour Day Long weekend had arrived and we were heading off to Stockdale for a lazy weekend of riding and relaxation.
To get to our camping destination, we had to turn down Browns Road which unfortunately was blocked off due to controlled burns being carried out in the area by Parks Victoria. After a brief chat with the guys and girls from Parks Victoria, they eventually let us through.
What a great bunch of guys and gals. They kept us informed of what they were doing throughout the weekend and we did the same by informing them exactly where we would be riding.It always amazes me how you can do a burn off but not burn everything in sight except the under growth.
Finally we reached our camp site. Everyone set about getting their horses settled, watered, fed up and yarded before organising their own camping gear. We did cheat a little by already having a roast cooked prior to arriving, however we did have the vegies to prepare and cook. Tea cooked and eaten, we still had room for some truffles and then out came the birthday cake for dear Toddy.I won't disclose your age Toddy but he isn't a day under 50/60 years.With age comes adventures and it was great listening to some of Toddy's stories about his Rodeo days. Happy birthday again you spring chicken !!!
Sunday appeared to come around very quickly and what a day it was, perfect for riding. All saddled up we met up with the Parks Victoria guys and gals as we headed out just to let them know which way we would be riding our trusty four legged mates.
The landscape can be quite deceiving up this way as we headed up this hill and down another, through some bush here and there, while the sounds of the distant wildlife was very easy on the ears. The horses plodded along great together and of course, as with all of our rides, there was no shortage of talking and chuckling going on – it was just great. Even those out in the bush collecting firewood stopped their chainsaws until we were well and truly out of their sights which was lovely to see. It is so nice when everyone works in together.
It was now nearing lunchtime and the weather was starting to get quite hot so we decided to head back towards camp.
Stockdale has so much to offer with miles and miles of bush to ride through without running into anybody for hours. Yes, it does get very dry in the summer months but if you go prepared for hot dry conditions both for yourself and your horse you won't have a problem.
Our camp was on private property and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Tiger for his generosity in letting us use his land and water trough for our camp and for the use of his stockyards to keep my escape artist in a confined area. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet Tiger, but hopefully we will return to this area at a later date and we can invite him over for one of our cook ups to show our appreciation.
Thank you also to Irene for mapping out and sharing with us, some of your fantastic rides through the Stockdale area, it is beautiful.
STOCKDALE RIDE REPORT 7/8TH MARCH 2015
Hi Fillies and Colts
Finally, the Labour Day Long weekend had arrived and we were heading off to Stockdale for a lazy weekend of riding and relaxation.
To get to our camping destination, we had to turn down Browns Road which unfortunately was blocked off due to controlled burns being carried out in the area by Parks Victoria. After a brief chat with the guys and girls from Parks Victoria, they eventually let us through.
What a great bunch of guys and gals. They kept us informed of what they were doing throughout the weekend and we did the same by informing them exactly where we would be riding. It always amazes me how you can do a burn off but not burn everything in sight except the under growth.
Finally we reached our camp site. Everyone set about getting their horses settled, watered, fed up and yarded before organising their own camping gear. We did cheat a little by already having a roast cooked prior to arriving, however we did have the vegies to prepare and cook. Tea cooked and eaten, we still had room for some truffles and then out came the birthday cake for dear Toddy. I won't disclose your age Toddy but he isn't a day under 50/60 years. With age comes adventures and it was great listening to some of Toddy's stories about his Rodeo days. Happy birthday again you spring chicken !!!
Sunday appeared to come around very quickly and what a day it was, perfect for riding. All saddled up we met up with the Parks Victoria guys and gals as we headed out just to let them know which way we would be riding our trusty four legged mates.
The landscape can be quite deceiving up this way as we headed up this hill and down another, through some bush here and there, while the sounds of the distant wildlife was very easy on the ears. The horses plodded along great together and of course, as with all of our rides, there was no shortage of talking and chuckling going on – it was just great. Even those out in the bush collecting firewood stopped their chainsaws until we were well and truly out of their sights which was lovely to see. It is so nice when everyone works in together.
It was now nearing lunchtime and the weather was starting to get quite hot so we decided to head back towards camp.
Stockdale has so much to offer with miles and miles of bush to ride through without running into anybody for hours. Yes, it does get very dry in the summer months but if you go prepared for hot dry conditions both for yourself and your horse you won't have a problem.
Our camp was on private property and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Tiger for his generosity in letting us use his land and water trough for our camp and for the use of his stockyards to keep my escape artist in a confined area. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet Tiger, but hopefully we will return to this area at a later date and we can invite him over for one of our cook ups to show our appreciation.
Thank you also to Irene for mapping out and sharing with us, some of your fantastic rides through the Stockdale area, it is beautiful.
Paula Kelly