April 18, 2009—FREE HORSEMANSHIP CLINIC—With Clinician Roger Moore—THIS SATURDAY at

A Bit O' Pleasure Farm 10212 Jordan Road Raleigh—(Off Hwy 50/Hwy 1010 Garner)—9:00AM till 5:00PM—Lunch Catered by Carolina Bar B Q—$6.50/Plate— Kids Corral and interactive area. Western Bandanna design, steer head roping, horseshoe painting, and just plain fun! Kids of all ages will love this area! See our web site for contact information and flyer you can print out.

Web site: www.heartofcarolinacfc.com

SEE OUR WEB SITE FOR 2009 CALENDAR AND MORE INFORMATON

The Heart of Carolina of Chapter Cowboys for Christ Chapter meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at Carolina Bar B Q in Garner off Hwy 70 E. Come in between 6:30PM and 7:30 PM to eat. Our discussions start at 7:30 PM and we conclude at 8:45 PM. If you enjoy, to ride, show, or own horses, come visit with us and bring your friends. We will be discussing past events and upcoming events.

Cowboys for Christ are a nonprofit, interdenominational outreach ministry for the livestock industry. We put on trail rides, horse clinics, gospel singings, and attend rodeos, horse shows, clinics, organized trail rides, and parades as well as visit churches. We are not a church or in competition with any church, assembly or denomination, our goal is to be helper of the local churches.

Come visit with us for some great fellowship, fun, and sharing of the gospel.

National Headquarters web site: www.cowboysforchrist.net

Up and coming events:

May 2(All Tuesdays till September) SEBRA Bull Riding and Barrel Racing—Carousel Farms—Hwy 401 N Raleigh NC—7:30 PM - CFC Cowboy Church behind the chutes. Great family fun! The event is every Tuesday through September 2009.

May 16—Trail Ride—Twin Oaks Trails—Lillington, NC— 10:00 AM till 1:00 PM -

June 20—Chapter Trail Ride—Oak Ranch Children's Home— Broadway, NC—More details later, but here's a few words about the trails :

*************OAK RANCH TRAILS *********

......On Thursday, March 5, Linda, Cliff, and I hauled some horses down to Oak Ranch to meet with Phil Richmond and to give the place a "once over". Cliff and Phil were hoping to work something out in terms of a CFC trail ride, which might in some way benefit the Oak Ranch. No better place to do that than from horseback, huh? At least horse nuts like us think that way.

The place is located near Broadway, NC not far from Sanford. It was a beautiful but chilly day and we met Phil at the barn (which is seldom used for the horses). Phil had fenced in many acres of pasture for the horses and several horses had been donated to the ranch. So, we saddled up and Phil guided us on a 3+ hours tour of the 750-acre ranch. No better way to spend a day! We often switched positions during the ride so each of us got to communicate with Phil and each other plus ask questions of Phil about the ranch. What a beautiful ride it was! I did not realize that the rolling hills of the Piedmont extended that far south; I expected to see the flat Sandhills but instead was treated to rolling hills, green pastures, high bluffs and the rolling rapids (well, at least fast moving water) of the Cape Fear River. Many trails went through the hardwood forests, up and down ravines and across creeks where the horses could drink if they chose to. About one mile of their land borders the Cape Fear River so we rode that segment; off to our right was the rolling river and to our left were beautiful high bluffs. We eventually turned to the left and took the trail leading up to the top of the bluff. When we got there the view was beautiful; Phil had erected a cross at the overlook point and plans to build an amphitheater and grills for cookouts and services. Behind the cross was a view of the river far below and the beautiful hardwood forest. Seems like we saw all of what you read about in Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn; river, woods, caves, etc. but no Indian Joe or river raft (Perhaps Phil could arrange for a the latter).

After that point we probably rode another 1.5 hours and took our time. Phil gave us a choice of the easy trail, the more advanced trail or both. We opted for the latter. The advanced trail was up and down hills but nothing really "scary". The horses got a good workout and my stead (Stormy) was panting some as we went up the slopes (funny I wasn't panting so I'm not sure what Stormy's problem was).

This ride was almost "all nature" without the sounds or sights of modern society; but at one point we rode by a television tower and though not attractive, it did serve as a good landmark. Phil told us a story of how several years ago a plane crashed into the tower and the pilot was killed. Phil continues to find parts of the plane. The pilot was very experienced so it still seems to be a puzzle as to why the accident happened. Once past the tower, we were back into the "wilderness" and continued our ride back to the barn.

When we arrived at the barn, some of the kids were there for their riding lessons. A young lady who graduated from NCSU's animal science program spends about 20 hours a week helping the kids with their horsemanship. Phil introduced us to the boys. What I saw were all beautiful kids so full of life and potential. It's so hard to believe that they were troubled youth. They were all so polite but I knew deep down inside they probably were in a lot of pain. Hopefully, here at the ranch with an emphasis on Jesus Christ with support from His equine creations, these kids will have a new start on life. President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid horseman, once said, "The best thing for the inside of a man is the outside of a horse". There is something about a horse that has healing power for a troubled kid....perhaps in that once befriended, a horse is there with you and accepts you as you are. Even if you've had a bad day, the horse is still glad to see you, give you a warm nicker or warm slobber, nudge up against you as if to say, "Good to see you". Of course, we KNOW that the best thing for the inside of a person is Jesus Christ but after Jesus, the horse is hard to beat for a companion and soul mate.

Our mission was to learn more about Oak Ranch and that we did. Phil was a very generous man and is eager to work with us to sponsor a trail ride on June 20, which hopefully will be of benefit to the ranch and to the participants. So if you want to experience what we did that day, join us in June for our Oak Ranch Ride.

Jerry Sprague

Monthly meetings 2nd Thursday of each month—Carolina Bar B Q Garner NC Off Hwy 70E 6:30PM till 8:45PM

READ ABOUT SOME PAST EVENTS :

November 12, 2008—Chapter Trail Ride at Melvin's and Edith's—Neuse River Lowgrounds—Smithfield NC—a few words about the day:

.......Speaking of ranch hands, we had heck of a trail ride last Saturday. Yep, one truck there with Alaska tags, one truck with Georgia tags, one with Virginia tags, and several with NC tags! I am not sure who had the Alaska tags, but the others I met. Our friend Jerry (who we met several years ago at a CFC trail ride at J & H Stables) shared a few words with me about the ride. Thought I would share them with you below:

It was a cold November day but bright and sunny. It was the kind of day most people would chose to stay inside. Matter of fact, at 5:30 am when I got up to feed my horses I wasn't sure I really wanted to venture out. But once outside in the cold fresh air, I always feel invigorated, and especially on such a beautiful day which God gave us. What could be better than to take my Ol' Faithful steed, One Fifty, and go on a trail ride with other Christians from Cowboys for Christ.Andy led the trail on one of Linda Saul's mounts whom was supposedly slow but actually set a good pace. My standardbred was moving out just to keep up and finally about half the 18 mounts fell a good ways behind. The day was beautiful and the temperature was great; in my opinion, the temperature is great when my horse does not sweat. Most of the hardwoods had shed their leaves so the horses' feet produced a crunchy and rustly sound as we rode through the woods. Andy took us through the swamplands where the cypress knees were abundant and along the Black River (creek?). At one point we stopped for a rest on a small bluff above the river where we dismounted and stretched our legs and the horses got to eat a snack. The fellowship was great and it was fun to talk with whoever happened to be riding beside me at the moment. I knew very few of the riders so it was nice to get to meet some of them. About three fourths through the ride, we ran into Gary Holmes all the way from Virginia. He had arrived late and had missed our departure but had tracked us until he caught up. Gary would have made a good Indian scout!A lot of walking, a little jogging and a little loping on a beautiful, sunny day made for a perfect ride. We arrived back at the "cabin" a little after two with appetites ready for some Holt Lake barbecue.Though there were only 18 riders on the ride, about 40+ people showed up for the barbecue dinner. Edith and Melvin's cabin was quaint and reminiscent of times of yesteryear. The cabin was constructed of heavy timbers, had a little electricity but most lights were oil lamps. The cabin was heated by a huge fireplace. It was crowded inside but the fellowship was warm and fun. I attempted to play some cowboy songs but the dim lighting and my senior citizen eyesight made it a challenge to see my music so I was guessing part of the time.What a great way to spend a Saturday on a cold November day!

Jerry R. SpragueRaleigh, NC

After the ride we did some grazing on some good ole fried chicken, bar b q, fixings, and of course some great deserts! As Carol Duke would say, nobody has foundered that I know of! By the way, where were Tim and Carol??? I have attached some pictures of the cabin we fellowshipped at and where we were grazing. Melvin and Edith have been blessed with an awesome place there. Words just cannot describe it there! Most all of the light was oil lanterns. The pictures will tell part of the story for me. Next time you really need to come and see for yourself! As Jerry noted, some 40+ folks were there for the great day that God had made. We had a great surprise with Shelton bringing his Dobro and guitar joining Jerry with some good ole cowboy music. Then a little later Gene joined Jerry on a song or two. One of my favorites is "He Walks With The Wild and The Lonely. He is always with us, So fear I not now for know I that thou will be standing close by in the morning—just as the words of this Cowboy song! Of course they closed with "Happy Trails." he pl A big Texas THANKS to all of them for making our fellowship complete. We even had Edith, Amy, Tommi and others doing some background singing too! Bet you all did not know I was listening! J A little while prior to dark thirty, folks started with their good byes and headed to their own ranch to unload and feed their horses. I want to thank all of you for visiting with us and all of you who came to enjoy the day God had made. In closing, a huge TEXAS THANKS to Melvin, Edith, and Andy for hosting us that blessed day!

Cliff Lee—Chapter President

March 21, 2009—Chapter Trail Ride—A Bit O' Pleasure Farm, Linda Sauls—Owner—here's few words about the day:

......Since the drought we had a couple years ago, I pray a lot for rain and make sure that I don't complain when we get a lot. I just let God send all He wants to and I thank Him for it. So, if a trail ride gets rained out, that's OK. He has determined we need the rain more than we need a trail ride and if we really want to ride, we can ride in the rain. But March 21 was one of those days that God decided to bless our trail ride with some beautiful weather. The kind I really like: you know, cool enough for a vest or jacket but not too cold. But cold enough that the horses don't sweat much. Well a few of them sweated some (even 150 did a little) so it could have been a little cooler if I had my preference...but I'm not going to complain, mind you. I just accepted what God sent us...and that was a beautiful day.

We had about 14 riders with Aimee and Haley as our main guides. Linda was also a guide but she fulfilled her guide duties from the back of the trail. That's quite an accomplishment. Linda wanted to walk since her grandson and granddaughter were riding and by walking she could stay close to the horses in case something happened. Now that's what I call a dedicated grandmother plus a marathon athlete. She must have walked 10 miles up and down hills, through creeks and other muddy spots. I'm sure she burnt off any extra cholesterol she had accumulated from the oysters we share at Carolina Barbeque. What great oysters!

Anyway, back to the ride. It was a typical ride as I remember them from my J & H days. The cool air made the horses feel good and there is something about being on a trail ride that is so invigorating to the horses. Not long after we started (say, about 2 minutes and 47 seconds) my horse must have seen a horse ahead of him speed up a little so he put his head down and did his modified rodeo buck. I was not surprised because he almost always does that near the beginning of a trail ride; he is making a statement, I suppose, that life is good and I feel great. (Or perhaps he is saying, "Daddy, see if you can stay on"). But I look forward to his little bucks/crow hops and take delight in the fact that he is still young at heart even though about 17 years old....and that I'm still in the saddle!

We crossed the road and headed down a farm road and in the distance we saw some deer or as Bobby said, "A covey of deer". (Or is it a flock?) At first we saw two take off running but as we approached about 5 more appeared and ran across the field in pursuit of the others. What a beautiful sight to see those creatures glide through the air and run so nimbly. And I'm supposed to believe that these creatures evolved from a cesspool along with the rest of us? What nonsense we hear from a godless, scientific (nonscientific) world today!

The ride was great and the air cool; the earth was alive with a fresh smell of a spring about to burst forth in a few weeks. We rode through creeks, along power lines, up and down hills, and through the woods. We had some excitement as the horses crossed one creek with an embankment partially blocking their path. Those at the front of the ride crossed the creek and rode up to the top of the hill and waited as each horse behind them crossed. Cliff was giving some individual instructions for the novice riders.

The ride continued without any mishap. On the last leg home we rode a power line which can be tricky because certain horses when going uphill like to pick up speed which then makes other horses want to do the same and if their riders don't want them to do it, horse and rider have a little disagreement. But such activity can cause the other horses to act uncharacteristically. Yes, Aimee's trustworthy steed started backing up down the hill toward the woods; Aimee finally had to dismount and lead him. And then there were Cliff's horses, which hadn't been ridden this decade so they were glad for the outing, and with a couple riders they hadn't met before; but overall, they did well with Wildfire and Summer Blue.

We arrived safely back at Linda's where Jody, Angie and Brandon were waiting with chicken they had prepared for us. So, we all enjoyed a great meal and fellowship. Billy and Jerry provided some cowboy music and Robin shared her testimony and about her missionary work in Africa.

All in all, it was the kind of Saturday that all cowgirls/cowboys live for!!

Jerry Sprague

DON'T MISS THE EVENTS REMAINING THIS YEAR—COME ON OUT—BRING YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS !

Related Links

1. http://heartofcarolinacfc.com