Equine group combines activities in poker ride

Playing a poker card game with ping pong balls might be a little unique, but the Wild Horse Plains Back Country Horsemen found out it's a good way to raise money.

Ninety-one riders gathered at the historic Jones Ranch on Little Thompson River Road about 10 miles northwest of Plains on Saturday to participate in its annual poker ride. The day-long event ended with the club's president, Kelsie Blevins, as the big winner with an ace high flush to nab the top prize, a coveted custom made breast collar for "Cowboy," her 13-year-old American quarterhorse.

The second highest hand was also a flush, queen high, held by Stan Smith of Dalton Gardens, Idaho, and the prize was another breast collar, both made and donated by Plains resident Ron Rude. Rude didn't participate in the ride, but he is an honorary lifetime member and one of four charter members of the Plains club of when it was formed in 2006. The top 12 hands got to pick from an assortment of prizes. 

Third place went to Roberta Piazza of Clark Fork, Idaho, with three queens and eight high. The Club also had a silent auction, a 50/50 drawing, and a raffle drawing for a quilt.

The club has been putting on the fundraiser almost every year since 2010 to help members get reimbursed when doing volunteer work on federal and state land trails. The club has done a lot of work on the former Big Hole Lookout, which was turned into a rental cabin. Club member John Errecart said that they spent $1,000 for lanterns, cots, and stoves for the cabin, even though they lost money in the 2021 poker ride. "Our mission is to help public land managers, like the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation," said Errecart, who's been with the club since it began in 2006. 

The club raised a little over $1,000 in this year's poker ride, said Terry Collins, the club secretary and treasurer. "I think people were really appreciative to be able to ride in that beautiful country," said Collins, who added that they had riders from as far east as Columbus, Mont., and as far west as Chelan, Wash. She also said a person from Wyoming registered, but couldn't make it. There were a lot of riders from Washington and Idaho, including members from the Pan Handle Back Country Horsemen Club in Idaho and the Northeast Back Country Horsemen in Deer Park, Wash. Twenty-eight riders were from Sanders County from Heron to Plains, including 2-year-old Fay Garrison of Trout Creek, who accompanied mom, Paula, on the 10-mile ride. 

"It was a big success. I feel like we had a very good ride and from the people I talked to they had a pretty good time," said Blevins, who's been president for two years and a member for three. Blevins said the club might use the money raised to purchase a concrete outhouse for a popular gravel pit near Big Hole Lookout. "Anytime a horse and rider can get out in the mountains and just enjoy the freedom its always a good day," said Blevins.

The club spent three days clearing and marking the trails for the event. They also marked access roads for emergency vehicles and had two clearings identified for helicopter landings. Blevins said she appreciated the donations for prizes and the auction, along with the 20-25 volunteers who helped make the event a success. Most of the ride was done on the Jones Ranch, which is owned by Jim and Barb Shallenberger. Jim said he was happy to allow the club to use his land because it's for such a good cause. Blevins said that having the use of the ranch facility was a big help. The ride is also on the properties of Gary Rogers and his son, Dustin Rogers, and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The club has held the poker ride at the Jones Ranch for every year but the first two, which were done at the Sanders County Fairgrounds. Club member Cindy Ray, a past president, said the Jones Ranch is a much better location because it offers a more scenic look and riders don't have to travel on paved roads on the loop of West and East Fork Combest Creek Roads.

The ride included fiver poker stations. The first and last stations were at the check-in point. It was an average of three miles between stations and about one and a half miles between four and five. "This is a great event. We get to meet some awesome people all day," said Corvallis resident Jackie Faux, a first time poker ride participant. Instead of cards this year, volunteers at the stations pulled ping pong balls out of a container with card designations on the balls. Ronan resident and club member Laurie Crawford, manning station two with her husband, David, and granddaughter, Annabelle, said she liked using the ping pong balls because the cards sometimes stuck together. The only problem, she said, was that most of the horses thought she had a treat for them in the ball bucket. 

At station four, riders had a choice of tossing a ping pong ball into one of 52 cups, each marked with a card. They had six chances and if all missed, Susan or Irv Walker would draw a ball card. They had the option of allowing a ball drawn instead of trying their aiming skills. About half of them selected to throw, either from their horse or dismounted. They had the tossing game last year, but not to draw cards. It was just an additional fun stop. The final station tested the participants' aiming skills by using a BB gun to shoot at cards on a board 25 feet away. 

"It's not just the game, I like riding with my friends," said Brooke Eldridge of Trout Creek, who added that the club put on a great ride. She and her riding partner, Brandi Trelatsky, also of Trout Creek, plan to participate next year. Trelatsky said the ping pong station was her favorite.

Riders paid $25 for the ride, which included a BBQ lunch and one poker hand, but riders could buy as many additional hands as they wanted at $5 apiece. Most of the riders purchased additional hands to increase their chances of winning. Youth riders, 21 years old and younger, paid $15 for the ride and lunch. Riders preregistered for the ride because the club caps the number at 150. They started taking reservations in March. The BBQ lunch was provided by Lisa and Dave Remsburg. Dave also donated a saddle stand that he built.

The first rider set out shortly after 8 a.m. and the Sandpoint, Idaho, woman was back by 9:30 a.m. For most participants, which included five teenagers, it was more of a leisure trip that took about three hours. "The fun is getting out and riding with your friends," said Dee Dunkeson of Drummond, who's competed for four years. "I never win anything at these, not even a door prize, I come for the ride," said Marla Wright of Heron, who has participated in the poker ride for three years.

The Plains club has 77 members, most from Sanders County, but they also have people from St. Regis, Superior and Ronan. The Back Country Horsemen of Montana has more than 1,000 members in its 18 chapters. It began in the Flathead Valley in the 1970s. The club meets on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Plains Senior Center.

The mission of the Wild Horse Plains Back Country Horsemen is to promote and maintain backcountry trails for stock use, said Collins. "We partner with the Forest Service in maintaining trails by clearing trails and sometimes packing in tools, materials, and supplies for their projects," she said. Club volunteers used their stock to haul 30,000 pounds of gravel on Trail #223 between the ferry landing along Highway 135 and St. Regis in April.

The club will be working on the Big Hole area trails from June 3-13. On June 17, members will conduct a hands-on packing clinic for the Forest Service's Youth Conservation Corps at the Sanders County Fairgrounds. From June 24-26, it will rendezvous with 17 other BCHMT chapters at Seeley Lake. And from July 8-10, they will be working on the Slide Rock Trail at the top of Graves Creek about eight miles from Thompson Falls.