As a territory chair of a hunt club, one of my responsibilities is helping to keep the trails clear. Our hunt does a lot of trail maintenance, which is somethin

g that other users of the trail system may not understand (when they complain about horse riders!).

Before the first hunt on the trail system that abuts the barn where my horses live, I knew I had some work to do. High winds and heavy snow had brought down quite a few trees and branches. Mostly, it turns out, over the jumps.

Day #1 I went out armed with a trusty hand saw. After clearing four areas I knew I didn’t have to go to the gym that day. It was exhausting! I gained a whole new appreciation for the strength and durability of branches — that hadn’t looked that thick from horse back.