Fox-trotting through the Ozarks; saddle up for equestrian adventures in the mountains of southern Missouri

Travel America, Sept-Oct, 2005 by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

Fox-trotting through the Ozarks? What and where is that? Both are among the best-kept secrets of the vacation world.

The Fox Trotter is a special breed of horse with a smooth gait that makes for comfortable tiding. It's the official state horse of Missouri. The Ozarks are the mountain range that straddles southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, and abound with rivers, springs, lakes, and tiding trails. Together, they're a winning combination for an equestrian vacation to suit any level of tiding ability.

There are many riding options in the Ozarks, but our favorite headquarters is the RS Ranch, owned and operated by Roy and Tanya Schoenbeck. It's not often that people literally get to live their dreams, but Roy and Tanya do. Both grew up on farms in Illinois, with horses a big part of their lives. Seeking a place to expand and develop their ranching operation, the Schoenbecks in 1990 moved their cattle, horses, and two sons from Illinois to the countryside north of Bourbon, Missouri. There they established the picturesque homestead that is the base of their equestrian program. The 500-acre ranch is about an hour southwest of St. Louis off I-44.

From hour-long trail tides to multi-day cross-country tides to a day as a working cowboy, RS Ranch offers a true ranch experience. The big attractions are the stunning Ozarks scenery and the sure-footed and smooth-gaited Missouri Fox Trotters.

FROM COSTA RICA TO TEE MIDWEST

"It all started with a cross-country trail tide through Costa Rica in 1999," said Tanya. She and her tiding friend Carol Springer, of nearby Meramec Farm, signed up for the week-long ride with Vancouver-based Hidden Trails, the world's largest horseback vacation company. "As the week progressed, Carol and I began to realize that we could offer a similar experience fight here in the Ozarks. With encouragement from people on that tide and the folks at Hidden Trails, we launched the business the next year."

It was so successful that their tides were featured on the cover of the Hidden Trails catalog in 2004 and are featured prominently inside again this year. Hidden Trails offers a way to reach an international audience, as does the ranch's website.

Tanya is skilled at customizing an itinerary to suit guests' needs and abilities. In fact, flexibility seems to be the keyword when talking with her about what they offer.

"Whatever kind of ride people are looking for, we can do it," said Tanya. Some rides are solely with RS Ranch; others are in conjunction with Meramec Farm.

REAL RIDING

Riding with Tanya is not a nose-to-tail, stay-in-line, keep-it-at-a-walk trail ride. This is real tiding, with the opportunity to experience a variety of gaited horses, in particular the fabled Missouri Fox Trotters, or even a fox-trotting Missouri mule (born to a Fox Trotter morn and a jack, or male donkey, dad). If you prefer Quarter Horses, RS Ranch has those, too.

Most tides include meandering alongside Brazil Creek, the Meramec River, or the Bourbeuse River. The views from the bluffs high above the Meramec are breathtaking. Crossing the fiver on horseback is an exciting part of the day's ride--even when a rider occasionally ends up in the water (as this writer did). Along Three Mile Creek on a remote part of the ranch, riders can see Native American pictographs on a rocky bluff.

Rides go through pastures and woods, up and down hills, across rivers and streams, and along country gravel roads. There is no set riding order; people move up, back, and alongside at will, conversing with other riders or just enjoying the sounds of nature. Sometimes it's a walk, other times a fox trot, or perhaps a gallop. Tanya has a knack for matching people with the appropriate horse and helps riders learn to "get in the gait." Trotting alongside is Molly Brown, a mixed stock dog, who accompanies all rides. She's been known to hitch a ride on the saddle behind Tanya on long trips.

Tanya breeds, trains, and sells horses-many to guests who fall in love with their mounts. Riding vacations are a great way to try out different types of horses to see what suits you best. In recent years, guests from Mexico and six states have purchased their steeds to take home.

"Tanya, you are a true horse whisperer," wrote one satisfied rider in the guest book. Another noted, "Horses are the best medicine for any ailment. The stress just melts away."

HAPPY CAMPERS

"It's a horse person's dream," said Vicki McFarland of Tustin, California, who spent five days trekking through the Ozarks last summer with a small group composed of riders from three states and England. "It's paradise. I didn't know Missouri was so beautiful."

McFarland had ridden other gaited horses, such as Tennessee Walking Horses, before, but wanted to try Missouri Fox Trotters and was not disappointed. She and her companion were looking for Ozarks real estate by the time the ride was over.

Eileen Wolf, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had had a horse as a child, and was planning to get a horse again. She wanted to try gaited horses.