Jason Arndt, jarndt@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Autumn Thyssen, 19, of Shawano, encourages her 5-year-old mare, Mia Koda, to take a bath at Upper Red Lake during the Gresham Lions Club’s sixth annual trail ride Saturday.
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Jacklyn Estreen, 14, of Seymour, races around brush in the North Star Horse Challenge during the Gresham Lions Club's sixth annual trail ride Saturday near Upper Red Lake.
Nearly 300 horse enthusiasts from across the region converged at the sixth annual Gresham Lions Club Trail Ride over the weekend.
The event was sponsored by the Gresham Lions Club. North Star Mohican Resort contributed an overnight stay at the resort for the winner of the North Star Horse Challenge.
The club has raised about $5,000 annually at the event on Upper Red Lake Road in the town of Red Springs, with proceeds used to support several area organizations and charitable efforts, including the Lions Camp in Rosholt for disabled children, local FFA chapters and scholarships for area high school students, .
“The Lions Club is about serving others, and we need to have our fundraisers," trail ride chairman Tom Mehlberg said. "This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. The other one is our winter carnival held in January.”
Mehlberg said the club booked 100 camping units this year, compared to 70 last year.
“This is our sixth annual, and every year, we get a little better and more organized,” he said.
The three trails are 3, 9 and 14 miles long.
Craig Birkholz, of Bonduel, joined the ride for the fourth time.
“This is a really great ride to come to, and there are great people and great trail rides,” Birkholz said. “I love meeting new people.”
Riders and campers were treated to a fish fry Friday, refreshments at the Lions Shelter near Upper Red Lake and a concert by the Star Fire Family Band on Saturday.
One of the winners was 14-year-old
Jacklyn Estreen, 14, of Seymour, was among the winners in the horse challenge. She captured first place both Friday and Saturday with the fastest time on an assigned obstacle course requiring rider and horse to weave their way through uneven terrain, over bridges and around barrels.
She won Friday's run in 43 seconds and tied with Tyler Thiel, of Black Creek, with a 40-second run Saturday.
“The first time I got on a horse was when I was 2," said Estreen, an eighth-grader at Seymour Middle School. "I just loved it and kept practicing and practicing. The most fun I have is that I can bond with the horse and like how loyal they are to you.”