Once again, Google Maps failed us by directing us to use Plantation Road to access this campground. Luckily, I asked the owner if there were any special directions to get there and she warned me to ignore Google’s directions.
I have submitted to Google the changes they make to the directions. Hopefully, in about a month the issue will be fixed.
The horses got their favorite type of accommodations - a large pasture with grass and a run in shed they could hide in if it decided to rain.
We also got our favorite type of accommodation - full hook-up, along with decent WIFI.
Horses are $6/night. Full hook-up is $35/night. So, for about $50/night we had everything we could want.
In addition to trailer hook-ups, they have these darling little cabins.
There are two sets of trails you can access from the cabins. There are about 800 acres in a preserve located about five minutes from the campground. To access, you ride down the dirt roads to a locked gate. The owner gave us the combination so we could access the preserve. The preserve is owned by a local hunting club. They use the grounds to hunt wild turkeys when they are in season. We saw several hunting stands situated along the trails. They would pour corn cobs or bird grains on the trails, then climb into their stands and wait for the turkeys to come out and eat the food. Doesn’t seem very sporting, but wild turkeys are a nuisance and the population can go up pretty fast, so I have no issue with them being hunted to keep their numbers down.
The trails are mostly sandy through a forest. Flat and easy riding.
Our horses were due for their trim. It has been almost five months since their last trim. Because we ride them almost daily, their hooves naturally wear down. Even so, the farrier just needed to balance them out.
He did a great job and charged $35/horse. We normally pay a little more in California.
If you need a really good farrier in the South Carolina area, I highly recommend him.
The Rusty Spur is located about 30 miles Northwest of Myrtle Beach, so we spent one afternoon of our stay playing tourist. We went to the Broadway by the Beach entertainment district. We had lunch at Paula Deen’s Southern Kitchen. We had a lovely waterside view.
We had a leisurely time exploring the shops. I had been a big fan of david & goliath. They had a nice store in San Francisco in the Market area. But when I went in, I was surprised at how angry a lot of their items were. I recalled them as being clever. So, either they have changed or I have.
There were a couple of little girls staying with their family in one of the small cabins. They had never seen horses up close and never been on a horse. So, we offered to give them pony rides. One of the girls was too scared to ride by herself, so we said it was totally OK for them to ride together. They rode both horses and had a blast.
In addition to the trails, the campground owners have set up a pretty nice obstacle course. Ari and I did it the morning before we left. Lennox was able to do all the obstacles with no problems or hesitation. Mercutio is able to do the majority of the obstacles, but he balks at one or two of them and outright refuses to even attempt one or two of them. There are some limited trails right by the obstacle course, so after playing with the obstacles, we went on a short trail ride. Almost immediately after I turned off my GoPro camera, Lennox trampled right over a snake. I squeaked “snake! Lennox stepped on a snake!” Ari didn’t see it because it was right below him and said “where?” and then proceeded to back over the snake. So, the snake got trampled TWICE! Ari moved forward and the snake dashed into the bushes to get away from Lennox. Luckily for Lennox, it was not a venomous snake. Lennox probably thought the snake was just another part of the obstacle course we had just done as he didn’t even hesitate walking over him. Needless to say, the snake was not having a good day.
The above is one of my longer videos and it is a bit bumpy because I am having to do more reining than usual to encourage my horse to do the obstacles. Obstacle courses, like this one, are a good way to build confidence in your horse.