Where:  De la Beche Rd, Taradale

When: Sunday, 20 September, 2015

Time: 9:45 horseless muster, 10 am ride out 

Parking: is opposite the Taradale hall and on the grass area amongst the trees. There is a sand based car park also, but for tidiness reasons float parking would be preferred to be on the grassed area.  Please take away all rubbish, hay and manure when you leave. Clean up and removal of manure at the float parking site is required as the Mt Alexander Council has asked for the parking area to be left as we found it.  

Ride Description - Experienced riders and horses only please, due to potential for traffic hazards (trains and cars/motorbikes).  This ride will have a bitumen section with the ability get off on the side of the road in most areas. The roads are usually quiet but still subject to traffic. We will be riding under a railway bridge which serves the Melbourne-Bendigo line and has potential for trains while we are in the area.  We will be using a time table to avoid being in the area with a train passing overhead, but there is the possibility of a late or unscheduled train catching us unawares.  If your horse is particularly spooky or inclined to bolt, this is not a good ride for you.  We will be on bitumen going under the bridge, so the surface could be slippery if a horse bolts and would be very unforgiving if a rider is unseated. It will be up to each rider to decide if they feel safer mounted or leading while in the bridge area.  We will pause for people to dismount/remount as necessary.  There will also be a shallow water crossing with an alternative option to use a rail sided wooden bridge (Coliban River). The railway bridge and water crossing are repeated on the return trip.  We then ride into the bush following dirt roads and bush tracks.  Along the ride we may see cars, trains, kangaroos, motor bikes, bushwalkers, horses in paddocks, and barking dogs in yards that we will ride past. The terrain is rocky in places, and there is a moderately steep hill going down.  Total ride length will be 10 to 14 kilometers, to be decided on the day.

Conditions: Requires horses to be moderately fit and shod or booted (or horses with strong hooves acclimated to very rocky conditions).

Bring:  saddlebag lunch, halter and lead rope. There is no water at the float parking area, so it is recommended you bring water for your horse.