Hit the trails with Dead End Ranch in Blackhawk
Melissa Teeple has been interested in horses for her whole life. She owns six now that she keeps as pets on the family farm. After years of taking friends on trail rides, Teeple decided to get the insurance required to host public rides.
“I officially started doing trail rides last fall in August,” Teeple said. “I’ve got six horses that are my pets and have been great. I’ve been interested in horses all my life and I’ve always taken people out riding with me but not as a business.”
Teeple is able to take out five guests at a time, while she leads.
“Five of the six horses are good for beginners,” Teeple said. “I ride my guy, Smokey. He’s a bit more sensitive so I ride him.”
Along with Smokey, there are Sydney, Roscoe, Zippy, Patches and Roy. You can learn about each of the horses on the Dead End Ranch Trail Rides Facebook page.
Dead End is primarily a beef farm. Teeple and her husband Dale have run the farm for 20 years and sons Ben and Sam are also a big help around the farm.
Upon arriving at the ranch, Teeple will introduce the riders to the horses and help them get acquainted with riding before hitting the trails. Close toed shoes and long pants are a requirement.
“You don’t need any experience,” Teeple said. “You’ve got to wear something like cowboy boots and your jeans, or some kind of boot or shoe and jeans. I give you a short riding lesson at the beginning to make sure you’re comfortable with the horse you’re on and your stirrups are the right length and all that. Then once you're comfortable, we go out on the trail.”
Teeple has been developing the trails on the property for as long as she’s lived there.
“I’ve been working on my trails for 20 years, but I started with a hand axe,” she said. “Now they’re getting wide enough for the tractor.”
Teeple has two trails for beginners, and a third trail for more experienced riders who might not have ridden a lot recently but want to get back into it.
Horseback riding has shown to have many benefits for riders and is often used in therapy regimes for a variety of conditions.
The Ontario Equestrian Federation (OEF) details a wide range of health benefits that can come as a result of horseback riding.
Riding can be good cardio, they say.
“You may think that riding a horse isn’t that much different than going on a ride at an amusement park. You just jump on and the horse does all the work, right? Well, not quite. A one-hour ride can burn similar calories to that of a 30-minute jog (9 km/h) or cycle ride (14 km/h). Therefore, all the health benefits associated with engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise are gained. After your first ride you may feel muscles that you never knew you had.”
Other physical health benefits listed include Improved balance and muscle strength, improved coordination, faster reflexes and increased motor planning, increased range of motion of joints, and improved respiration and circulation, among others.
Riding also can be helpful on a mental and emotional health level, the OEF says.
“Horseback riding is recognized as having excellent therapeutic qualities. The emotional benefits can be of equal importance as the physical benefits. Simply being outdoors and enjoying the countryside will boost your general well-being and act as a great stress buster,” thy said. “There is a real sense of exhilaration and freedom when you ride, a feeling that is second to none. Furthermore, developing a relationship and sense of trust between yourself and your horse is highly rewarding. Learning to control and care for an animal much larger than yourself can have a profound effect on your confidence and is a great feeling.”
Specific mental health helps include: Improved self-confidence, development of patience, improved emotional control and self-discipline, and development of respect and care for animals.
Teeple has seen some of these benefits personally with some of her riders.
“One customer came, and halfway through the ride she was like, ‘oh my god, I haven't thought about what's been bugging me,’ she said, ‘I just realized I was thinking about the beach and I wasn't even worrying about what's been bugging me.’ So that person plans to come on the regular.”
“I've had autistic kids come in, not doing the trail but doing the lessons and just the difference in their behaviors even away from me like at school improved,” Teeple said. “They get the confidence because they are succeeding at, you know, riding and communicating with this huge animal who's trying to communicate back with them.”
Teeple also relayed an anecdote about another rider who was afraid at the start of their ride.
“I had one man come that I think had never been around large animals before,” Teeple said. “So he was quite fearful at the beginning, and he didn't actually want to ride on his own. So I ended up leading him on a trail. But from where he started you know to the end of the lesson was fabulous. Going from being scared of being even around them to riding them.”
Currently, insurance permits Teeple to take riders from 12 to 69 years old on the trails, part of the reason for that is that riders need to have a certain amount of core strength to stay up on the horse. She is also not allowed to go faster than a walk on the horses in the trails.
Teeple says she is also hoping to upgrade her insurance to start pony rides and riding lessons in a ring for younger kids and offer farm tours as well.
For more information on the offerings at Dead End Ranch, look up their Facebook page Dead End Ranch Trail Rides. You can also contact Teeple at mdteeple@gmail.com
Allan Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times
