MAFB offers horse owners boarding facilities Published April 21, 2014 By Senior Airman Andrew Crawford Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Minot Air Force Base offers families a variety of services ranging from on base family housing to recreation facilities, ranging from a fitness center to an arts and crafts center, and there is even a facility dedicated specifically to horse lovers. Dufresne Riding Club is a private stable that has been located on base since 1960 after being established by the base commander. The facility offers horse owners an alternative to boarding downtown in the city of Minot. Dufresne is a self-care facility that is maintained solely by the horse owners and volunteers from base. There are roughly eight families that are currently boarding horses at the facilities. The ranks of the families range from lieutenant colonel to senior airman. However, rank is set aside and the work is accomplished equally by all involved. In addition to the laundry list of chores and responsibilities of taking care of a 50 plus acre riding area and stable, horse owners try to make time to ride their horses when possible. Whether it is after cleaning up the barn at night or after stringing fence all day, the owners find time to enjoy their large pets, stated Grace Jones, member at Dufresne riding club. There are a variety of horses kept at the stables. Some are show horses. Some people own Arabians, others own Morgan's. Some are what horse lovers call pasture ponies, which are horses owned not for showing, but just to be loved and taken care of. Some of the owners enjoy trail riding around the property or taking their horses off site to explore the North Dakota Badlands. There are four state parks, which provide riding trails to horse owners in the state of North Dakota. These parks are Little Missouri State Park, Sully Creek State Recreation Area, Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park and Fort Ransom State Park. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park offers a trail covering 120 miles. Most of these parks charge a small fee a day for use and some have restrictions that a rider may need to be aware of before they arrive. Riders should contact the park directly before arrival to make sure they are in compliance with all park regulations. "The base riding club meets monthly on a Saturday and has what they call an all hands day," said Jones. "This is where they work on major projects together and try to accomplish as much as possible." Additionally, club also has volunteers during the all hands day for base military personnel who may be interested in horses, to come out and work with the members of the club, added Jones Compared to big city living Minot doesn't have as many attractions available. There is, however, a lot of space which, for horse lover's, is a good thing. Minot Air Force Base has given the horse owners a great way to own and take care of their animals economically. Finally, there are currently seven stalls available at Dufresne riding club. If you are interested in volunteering at the stables or have horses of your own that you would like to board, contact Danielle Crawford at 231-510-0155 for more information.