Saddle up for trail ride benefitting Highland Lakes Family Crisis Center
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
BURNET — If you have a horse and don’t have the wide-open space to really enjoy your equine friend, consider hitting the trails for the Highland Lakes Family Crisis Center on May 17 at the Double Heart Ranch in Burnet.
“This is our second year,” event organizer Glenna Bell Orman said. “A trail ride is a bit different from most of the fundraisers you see, but, you know, not everybody plays golf or runs. So we came up with the trail ride.”
The Saddle Up for Safer Families benefit trail ride gives horse owners a chance to explore the Double Heart Ranch, 7557 CR 340 south of Burnet. The ranch owners, who have several draft horses and carriages, have created numerous trails on the property.
Orman said she knows many people in the Highland Lakes who own a horse and either keep it boarded or on small acreage.
“They usually don’t have a place to really trail ride,” she said. “And they’re not into rodeo, so they really don’t have a lot of opportunities to ride. This gives them a chance to ride and supports a great cause.”
The Highland Lakes Family Crisis Center provides domestic abuse victims and their children a safe haven while they try to get back on their feet. The program offers counseling, support and numerous other services — all free. The center even helps with educational and training programs.
The center relies heavily on fundraisers and donations to keep its doors open.
When officials began thinking about another fundraiser, Orman recalled a trail ride benefitting the West Texas Rehabilitation Center. It raised thousands of dollars for the center, and Orman thought a trail ride would offer another group of people a chance to support the local crisis center.
“We’re trying to reach out to a whole different realm of people to support the crisis center,” Orman said.
The day starts at 8:30 a.m. with registration. The morning ride begins at 10 a.m. with a break at noon for lunch, featuring a Which Wich sandwich. At 1:30 p.m. the ride resumes before culminating at 3:30 p.m.
The ranch features varied terrain, so Orman recommended horses be shod.
Also, all horse owners must show proof of a negative Coggins test for their equine prior to the date of the ride. Registration for the ride is $50.
Contact Orman at (830) 265-7085 or ormangb@hotmail.com or Pat Moore at (830) 598-1587 for more information or to pre-register.
daniel@thepicayune.com