Those looking for a pastoral Prairie adventure on horseback, and a weekend of living life the old fashioned way ought to look no further than Roche Percee. The 21st Roche Percee Trail Ride is set to take place on Aug. 12, 13 and 14.
“What it is, is you just get out and have some fun with your horses,” said Joyce Schlapkohl, a co-ordinator for the Roche Percee Trail Ride.
The ride starts on Friday (Aug. 12), at 1 p.m., stopping for supper at 6:30 p.m. Afterwards, starting at 8 p.m., Schlapkohl said there will be socializing and a beer garden. On Saturday, breakfast will be ready at 7 a.m., and the riders will get started again at 9:30 a.m.
“They usually come back around 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m., and then we have supper at 6:30 p.m. There’ll be more socializing in the evening, and then on Sunday, we have a worship service at 8:30 a.m., and a brunch at 9 a.m.,” said Schlapkohl. “Then, at 10:30 a.m., the ride goes out again. That’s a short day. They’re in for supper at about 4 p.m. on Sunday.”
The trail ride will be a grand tour of the river valley in which Roche Percee is situated, scaling and exploring the hills in the countryside that surrounds the village. Schlapkohl said that participants often partake in the trial ride on horseback themselves, or drawn in wagons. There are a number of different routes the ride will go along, throughout the weekend.
“What money we make from the trail ride, we usually give to all the local horse organizations, and we also support domestics at the fair,” said Schlapkohl. “We also give to the Estevan Exhibition Association and to shows like the Morgan Horse Show.”
Schlapkohl encouraged people interested to register early, adding that the number of people in attendance can vary greatly from year to year.
“Sometimes we’ll have as many as 290, and other times we’ll have as few as 80. We never really know, until the last minute, how many people we’re going to have,” Schlapkohl said. “We don’t really know until the ride happens itself, and I understand that. If it’s as hot as it is today, you wouldn’t want to be riding too far.”
Schlapkohl noted there are camping amenities available to riders, but she added, “You’re just kind of roughing it. There are porta-potties available, but there’s no electricity, or shower facilities or anything like that, so you’re getting right down to the good old days.”
