In a normal year, the Back Country Horsemen of BC (BCHBC) host a large-scale Rendezvous where trail-riding enthusiasts can get together for riding and camaraderie. Of course, 2020 is not a normal year.
Last week, however, the North West branch of the club held their own scaled-down version of Rendezvous at their Coalmine Camp near Telkwa.
At last year’s provincial event the North West group auctioned off a visit to the brand new facility on Telkwa Coal land with access to extensive trails in the surrounding Crown land. From July 25 – 29, the group hosted five club members from other chapters, two from Vancouver Island, two from McBride and one from Prince George.
It was a wonderful five days of sharing the award-winning camp with fellow riders, said North West president Tom Roper.
While here, the guests from Vancouver Island presented the local club with two plaques, the provincial BCHBC 2020 Outstanding Project for the camp and Volunteer of the Year for Floyd Kennedy, who Roper said was the driving force of the project.
The five-day visit culminated with a competition on the club’s obstacle course, cookout and concert. Competitors had to guide their horse through some uncomfortable situations, such as a suspension bridge and a board with holes in it inside a box that shoots up water when the horse steps into it.
Despite being handicapped 20 points, North West club member Judy Carter from Fraser Lake won the day. Her husband Don came in second.
North West chapter member Faye Golder was very pleased with the hospitality the local group showed.
“Thank you to everyone for coming out and showing our guests how wonderful our club is,” she said in a Facebook post.
