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INSIDE THE JouRnal
Great rides: Black Gold
South Dakota’s Black Hills is a perfect summertime escape and
home to a longstanding SDPHC trail ride in June.
With beautiful scenery, top-notch horse camping
amenities and great company on the trail, equestrians
come back year-after-year to trail ride throughout Black
Hills National Forest in Custer, South Dakota. Though the
forest offers year-round riding opportunities, the highlight
of many APHA trail riders’ calendars is the annual
The South Dakota Paint Horse Club’s annual Black Hills Trail ride
is a must-ride destination for equestrians. For more recreational
riding getaways, check out the Journal’s “Great rides” column in
every issue.
8 Summer 2011 • PAINT HORSE CONNECTION
TimoTHy BraTTan
By Jessica Hein
South Dakota Paint Horse Club-sponsored Black Hills
Trail Ride June 24–26—one of APHA’s most-enduring
weekend rides.
“Of all the rides we have occasion to attend, this is
the one I look forward to the most,” said Monte Land
of Paige, Texas. “It just can’t be beat for an overall trail
riding experience.”
Riders from as far away as France have attended the
event, and for good reason. Coordinated by SDPHC
member Sharon Karp, the Black Hills Trail Ride is
a great opportunity to reunite with both old and new
friends and experience the wide-stretching countryside
in southwestern South Dakota. Organized trail rides—led
by guides Darwin and Judy Mailloux—take place Friday,
Saturday and Sunday during the weekend-long event,
and participants are treated to chuck wagon-style homecooked
meals as they relax around the campfire back at
Broken Arrow Campground.
So named for the pine-covered hillsides that appear
black, the Black Hills is expansive—covering more than
8,000 square miles across southwestern South Dakota and
northeastern Wyoming. Black Hills National Forest offers
a multitude of trails perfect for riders of all skill levels,
taking them across prairie grasslands and rock canyons.
The forest’s website recommends the Centennial, Big Hill
and Sundance trails, as well as routes through the Black
Elk and Norbeck wilderness preserves.
Three horse-friendly campgrounds are available within
the forest—their amenities vary, with some including
stock tanks, potable water, corrals and tie-up areas. Other
campsites, like Broken Arrow Campground, are privately
run and offer top-notch amenities for horses and riders.
Every month in the Paint Horse Journal, “Great Rides”
highlights new places for recreational riding on your
Paint Horse. This abbreviated feature, “Black Gold,”
appears unabridged in the May 2011 Journal. To ensure
you never miss another Great Rides, subscribe to the
Journal by calling (866) 745-4968 between 8 a.m. and
4:30 p.m. CST Monday through Friday or going online to
painthorsejournal.com.