February 7, 2021 – Whew! I made it back to this blog with the new plan and oh man do I have a lot of work still ahead of me. I know the website is going to take me some time to bring up to speed with the changes so please bear with me as the transformation takes place. I want to say first of all that I appreciate the support I’ve been given and I feel right now as though I am undeserving with the passing of time with no word from me but for those of you who are reading this, you will get the preview of summer 2021.
It appears that covid is with us for a another summer and I’m not willing to wait for it to be over before I get on with the rest of my life. I realize that the original plan for Trailmaster is going to have to be put on the back burner but that does not mean that I am going to stop riding and traveling. For the next year, I am going to explore every trail riding opportunity I can make time for in our lovely province of Saskatchewan. I am going to give you all the information I gather and provide all the pictures and video I can produce so that you can feel confident knowing how long it will take to reach the destination and any traveling information necessary, what resources are available at the sight and what its like to navigate the trails for the first time. I will be traveling by myself, with my husband, and with friends for this summer, so if you would like to join in, just let me know. Trailmaster is about to become the trail critic for trail riders in Saskatchewan who want to see new country and ride new trails.
I will start updating the website this week to reflect the new business plan which has required a major shift and I look forward to your comments and suggestions as I go. I am also looking for suggestions if you have them, so feel free to tell me about a destination you can recommend or one that you’d like to experience.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last year it is that every challenge or painful experience also has valuable little lessons to help us grow and improve ourselves if we look for them. I have gone back to nursing this winter and I will be going hard at it until the sun gains enough power to overcome winter and spring takes over. One thing I want to do going forward is to listen to your suggestions more and let you know how much I appreciate your positive comments and encouragement! Stay warm and keep watching the website for updates.
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November 21, 2020 – Looking back, June was very difficult month when I had to start cancelling trips, starting with South Dakota and Wyoming, then although I thought we could proceed with Cypress Hills, it also had to be cancelled. The US trips of course had to be cancelled because no one could cross the border, but Cypress Hills could not move forward for two reasons. Firstly, there was not enough interest and also there were limitations on cooking and serving food. I feel the need to vent a little about the process before moving on to a new plan.
Right before the trip would have taken place, I received a call from Cypress Hills Park officials telling me that we needed a permit to bring “all these people” into the park. Apparently they had received a multitude of calls about the guided trail ride that we were advertising. I was speechless, and had to explain that I had not had enough people registering and that I was aware of the permit requirement but had not had the people contacting Trailmaster to register. This made me realize there was something wrong with how we had advertised the ride, and also the very cool reception from the park officials made me rethink the location since I found them rude and somewhat belligerent even telling me that our business should be changed to be guiding only and not offering any other services. I just started agreeing with her although our service never did and never will include guiding because of the liability attached to such a service. At some point in the 15 minute one sided conversation which was done on the car speaker with other people in the car; I just tried to get away from her and end the conversation. After saying there was not going to be a ride and that I knew that if we were to take people there, we knew we had to get a permit, I had no more to add except apologize for the people who had called directly there asking about the services available in the horse camp. In the back of my mind I was thinking the park should be happy that we had generated so much interest in the park but that was not the case.
The forces at work in 2020 required that I attend to personal business for the rest of the summer which flew by and I found myself having lost the whole summer of business and scrambling to figure out what I wanted to do next. In my mind, I tried to break away from the original idea and re-create the same business in a new and different way. I think we are close to re-inventing the business in a way that hopefully lead us back to our original idea in the future. We are learning from our mistakes and learning to adapt to our ever changing environment. Stay tuned!
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October 21, 2020 – Fall is here and the absence of posts is a reflection of the confusion and chaos in our lives this summer. As with many other businesses, we are looking at our business plan and questioning what will work if 2021 is a continuation of the current covid state of affairs. Change is always a challenge but when your business plan has a failure to launch, you question everything about the original plan or even if it’s even worth it. That’s just the beginning. Next you start asking yourself if you should even proceed with the business or just shut it down and forget you even had that dream. In the next few posts I will go through our roller coaster summer and where we’ve ended up as we watch the fall disappear and winter roll in with little hope of heading to Arizona this season.
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April 30, 2020 -We are disappointed to have to make the decision to postpone our South Dakota Black Hills trip and our Wyoming trip until 2021. We have to trust that these times will pass and we will be back on the southern trails next year. There is a possibility that we may be able to add a new and more accessible location you might be interested in. Watch our site and facebook page for updates.
November 10, 2019. Trigger, like myself, is keeping warm by the fire and planning for the next trails we’ll share. We’re very happy with the response to our trail adventures for summer 2020 and we’ll start accepting those deposits January 1st.
Oct 18, 2019 This weekend will be an opportunity to get our trailers ready (if you haven’t already) for winter use regardless of whether you are planning short trips or long. It can be fun to make the necessary changes with our warm fall weather but quickly the temperatures will drop here on the prairies and time spent outside is less appealing for some of us. Check your tires, grease that ball, swap out the rain sheets for winter blankets and remove any of those freezable sprays and ointments. We all know it won’t last but for the moment your trailer will be neat and tidy and you’ll have that feeling of being ready.
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Oct 5, 2019 – The advanced First Aid for horses was a practical and thorough course for anyone wanting to spend time on the trails with their horse. A little pre-planning and a lot of thinking through scenarios makes me feel much more prepared for the trips ahead. https://equihcplus.com with Caroline Kemps 
Some of us have more work to do than others to get ready for winter travel.
Today is launch day and I have to say that this has been a steep learning curve. Thank you to Elan Priddy of Priddy Design who has helped me through this experience. Another case of a good guide providing a good experience.