TOP TRAIL HORSE
They Get Out & Ride
By Troy Lynn Norris
42 / Sport and Trail Magazine
Top Trail has been around since 2013 and we want to acknowledge and celebrate some of our most senior members who understand and illustrate our brand motto: Get Out & Ride.
Maggie Bradshaw
When Top Trail became an “official” trail logging program in 2015 Maggie was our very first “official” member! To date Maggie has 4054+ miles logged and she will get her 4000 mile rocker patch in the mail (to go with her 1000, 2000, and 3000 mile rockers) early in 2020!
I had the privilege of meeting Maggie, her husband, and several of her friends at our first “official” Top Trail gathering at Clinton Lake in Lawrence, Kansas over the Labor Day weekend in 2015. It was at that event that Maggie’s husband, Wayne, told us how she was determined to win the first Top Trail Rider Challenge. Even though it was a cold winter, he said, she would come home from work, bundle up, saddle up, and ride — even in the dark — to get enough miles logged to win the prize — a sponsored award from SpecTACKular Tack. She logged 503+ miles from January 1st through March 31st 2015 to earn her new tack!
And that was just the beginning of the wins for Maggie & Co. as she has won many Top Trail Challenges as well.
Maggie continues logging trails with her new ride, Rockin’ RITA Bandita, primarily in and around the beautiful state of Oklahoma where they will soon retire, slow down, and enjoy life one trail at a time.
Karri Koelling
Top Trail began as a group on Facebook in 2013 and that’s when Karri first started logging with us. In 2015, she was the 2nd official Top Trail member and has renewed year after year.
I had the privilege of meeting Karri at the 2016 Top Trail gathering at Flying R Ranch in West Plains, Missouri. Karri lives nearby and was a phenomenal help during the event. She assisted new members with all things Top Trail and looking back, I don’t think I could have done it without her! Not only that, she rode with us on a fun and educational ride in the Mark Twain NF. Karri knows the trails and the history of the area so well — it was quite the treat!
Karri and her mare, JK Prada trail ride and compete in distance riding with NATRC and AERC. They did take a little time off from logging so that Prada could raise a foal. But now they’re back on the trail again — building on Karri’s 1095+ lifetime Top Trail miles.
Deirdre Perot
Deirdre is Top Trail member #5 who has been with us from the start. To date she has 4571+ lifetime Top Trail miles. Deirdre is a force to be reckoned with! Her home-base is North Carolina where she’s Public Lands Representative for the Back Country Horsemen of NC, and a National Director.
Shortly after I moved to the Big South Fork area in 2017, Deirdre visited. I already knew Deirdre as an accomplished equestrian, but during our visit I also learned of her dedication to the trails we, as trail riders, use and need to sustain our favorite recreational activity. She’s heavily involved in trail management, along with building and maintaining durable bridle trails. Deirdre is a knowledgable advocate for the equestrian community building virtual bridges with other organized groups who recreate in the public outdoor spaces.
Always on the go, she recently completed a 20 mile round trip with 4 other riders, 4 stock, and 4 pack animals into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park packing 500 pounds of mulch to a shelter on the Appalachian Trail. The trail involved elevation changes of 7000 ft. Now that’s dedication! Just a day in the life of Ms. Deirdre Perot!!
Shannon Chastain
Shannon was one of our very first Top Trail members. With 2527+ lifetime Top Trail miles to date, she works full time and carves out time to spend time with her Arabian mare, Haily.
Shannon is completely dedicated to Haily. She recently told us, “My horse Haily and I have had quite a year—(Haily) was diagnosed with Anhidrosis... My dream with this horse is to be a decade endurance team. Which means we do at least one 50 endurance ride a year for 10 years. I have given up on that dream since it is not fair to her to expect her to do that extreme riding. I also decided she is more important to me than any sport. If I can only ride her 1 mile a month I will do that will a smile on my face. She is getting better—we got 1/3 of our miles for the year in the last month. No panting and some sweating. We took the acupuncture herbs route to control and help her I am so hoping it will continue to work. Everyone hug your horses!”
While this was devastating news, Shannon sees the silver lining— she can manage Haily’s condition, adjust her expectations, and remain positive. I totally respect and admire that!
Lifetime Miles — Because Life Happens
As I look back at each one of these wonderful equestrians, I realize they have all experienced “life” in past four years for one reason or another—keeping them out of the saddle for a time or season. But just like any authentic horse person… they cannot wait to get back in the saddle when the time is right. They aren’t traveling to a destination — they’re on a lifelong journey, riding is part of the journey and they have equines that mean the world to them. Sometimes you get to ride a lot, sometimes you don’t. That’s life. Top Trail is here to log those rides when it all comes together.
SpecTACKular Tack. She logged 503+ miles from January 1st through March 31st 2015 to earn her new tack!
And that was just the beginning of the wins for Maggie & Co. as she has won many Top Trail Challenges as well.
Maggie continues logging trails with her new ride, Rockin’ RITA Bandita, primarily in and around the beautiful state of Oklahoma where they will soon retire, slow down, and enjoy life one trail at a time.
Karri Koelling
Top Trail began as a group on Facebook in 2013 and that’s when Karri first started logging with us. In 2015, she was the 2nd official Top Trail member and has renewed year after year.
I had the privilege of meeting Karri at the 2016 Top Trail gathering at Flying R Ranch in West Plains, Missouri. Karri lives nearby and was a phenomenal help during the event. She assisted new members with all things Top Trail and looking back, I don’t think I could have done it without her! Not only that, she rode with us on a fun and educational ride in the Mark Twain NF. Karri knows the trails and the history of the area so well — it was quite the treat!
Karri and her mare, JK Prada trail ride and compete in distance riding with NATRC and AERC. They did take a little time off from logging so that Prada could raise a foal. But now they’re back on the trail again — building on Karri’s 1095+ lifetime Top Trail miles.
Deirdre Perot
Deirdre is Top Trail member #5 who has been with us from the start. To date she has 4571+ lifetime Top Trail miles. Deirdre is a force to be reckoned with! Her home-base is North Carolina where she’s Public Lands Representative for the Back Country Horsemen of NC, and a National Director.
Shortly after I moved to the Big South Fork area in 2017, Deirdre visited. I already knew Deirdre as an accomplished equestrian, but during our visit I also learned of her dedication to the trails we, as trail riders, use and need to sustain our favorite recreational activity. She’s heavily involved in trail management, along with building and maintaining durable bridle trails. Deirdre is a knowledgable advocate for the equestrian community building virtual bridges with other organized groups who recreate in the public outdoor spaces.
Always on the go, she recently completed a 20 mile round trip with 4 other riders, 4 stock, and 4 pack animals into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park packing 500 pounds of mulch to a shelter on the Appalachian Trail. The trail involved elevation changes of 7000 ft. Now that’s dedication! Just a day in the life of Ms. Deirdre Perot!!
Shannon Chastain
Shannon was one of our very first Top Trail members. With 2527+ lifetime Top Trail miles to date, she works full time and carves out time to spend time with her Arabian mare, Haily.
Shannon is completely dedicated to Haily. She recently told us, “My horse Haily and I have had quite a year—(Haily) was diagnosed with Anhidrosis... My dream with this horse is to be a decade endurance team. Which means we do at least one 50 endurance ride a year for 10 years. I have given up on that dream since it is not fair to her to expect her to do that extreme riding. I also decided she is more important to me than any sport. If I can only ride her 1 mile a month I will do that will a smile on my face. She is getting better—we got 1/3 of our miles for the year in the last month. No panting and some sweating. We took the acupuncture herbs route to control and help her I am so hoping it will continue to work. Everyone hug your horses!”
While this was devastating news, Shannon sees the silver lining— she can manage Haily’s condition, adjust her expectations, and remain positive. I totally respect and admire that!
Lifetime Miles — Because Life Happens
As I look back at each one of these wonderful equestrians, I realize they have all experienced “life” in past four years for one reason or another—keeping them out of the saddle for a time or season. But just like any authentic horse person… they cannot wait to get back in the saddle when the time is right. They aren’t traveling to a destination — they’re on a lifelong journey, riding is part of the journey and they have equines that mean the world to them. Sometimes you get to ride a lot, sometimes you don’t. That’s life. Top Trail is here to log those rides when it all comes together.