Gettin' Back In The Saddle Is The Important Part Riding Family Opens Cross Trails Ranch Some people take a hard bucking and stay down, while others follow the old adage and get right back in the saddle to try again. Mark Radefeld got thrown pretty hard, but got right back on, is building his own business, and says he has “...no intention of getting away from horses.” In March of last year, Radefeld was working at Old West Stagecoach Lines when it was still in Oakland, Tennessee, and he decided to tackle a horse that had hurt several cowboys before him. He thought he would be the “one” to master the temperamental beast, but it didn’t work out that way; Radefeld wound up with a broken leg that didn’t heal properly, and eventually lost part of the limb. “It wasn’t the first leg that horse had broken,” he said. But it didn’t stop him. In fact, it doesn’t seem to have even slowed him down, much. It took a little assistance, but he was back on a horse six weeks after the surgery. He was also working with handicapped riders at Old West, and admits that his own injury has given him an even greater understanding of what it’s like to be in that position. He left Old West because the terrain was difficult to maneuver, and worked at an indoor arena for a while, where it was easier for him to get around. Then, he found a little over 80 acres available between Arlington and Mason, Tennessee, and seized the opportunity to launch his own stable and training facility, which has been christened “Cross Trails Ranch.” Radefeld says he still has a little recovering to do, but he and his wife, Terry, are working to establish a place where you can do everything from board your animal to learn to barrel race. Both have been riding since they were children. Terry Radefeld is an accomplished barrel racer and western pleasure competitor who began racing at age 8, and earned “...150-200 trophies and checks” during a long career in that sport, and also captured two national points championships in Western Pleasure. Radefeld says she is offering lessons for both humans and horses from beginning to advanced barrels. Mark is focusing on the aspects of horsemanship he knows best: trail and endurance riding, basic horsemanship, and equine care. He is also offering animal training from “...starting colts, and all the way up.” Also in the works is a competitive trail course. The couple also offers pasture boarding, and has plans to add arena The ranch offers some beautiful riding, which he describes as “..fenced, with rolling hills and 2 lakes” where animals are fed 11% co-op feed 2 twice daily, good round bales of Tifton 44 hay as needed, and have access to two lakes plus fresh water for drinking. A small creek runs through part of the property, and Radefeld is talking with the owner of an adjacent 1200-plus acres about the possibility of riding there. Radefeld says boarders will have 24 hour access to their animals and, if they’re planning to ride, he’ll even catch up the horses if they call ahead. Even though he’s still sorting out some of the details, the land should be available for those who just want to bring their horses out and ride a while. The operation really is a family affair, with the Radefeld’s son, 13-year old Parker, helping out. “He can ride the hair off a horse,” says Mark, and the fact that the family lives there means someone is on hand “...twenty four - seven, to make sure the animals are safe and well-attended to.” And there’s another generation of Radefeld’s waiting in the wings; as Mark Terry talk about the future of Cross Trails Ranch, their 9-year old granddaughter, Taylor, frequently comes up in the conversation. Terry had her on the back of big, red barrel horse when she was only a few months old, and the love of horses took deep root. “Everything she does is horses,” says Mark. “She draws horses, she has I don’t know how many books on horses.” Cross Trails Ranch is located just off Highway 70 at 570 Burrowtown Road, about five miles east of Arlington and just a short trot from the Bartlett area. Mark says his surgery has created some other interesting situations. A farrier friend was looking at his prosthesis, and told a horse whose artificial leg wasn’t working out and would have to be put down. He mentioned it to the guy who made his prosthesis, and he wound up making one for the horse. “They’re now able to turn that horse out into the paddock,” says Radefeld. “Because of what he did, that horse is still on the right side of the ground.” And, the accident also provided him with the only tattoo he has: you guessed it, a horse on his prosthesis. For more information about Cross Trails Ranch, contact Mark Radefeld at 901-361-8568.