Rock County equine group is all about fun

and friendship.

By Frank Schultz/Gazette Staff

MILTON - You might be a good fit for this group if you can laugh at its name.

Hags on Nags is not an association of witches riding worn-out mounts. But that's what they've called themselves since they organized over two years ago in northern Rock County. "You have to have a sense of humor to be a member," said Sandy Rogers, the group's "herd mare." For those who prefer something gentler, they also call themselves by the initials H.O.N. The humor doesn't stop with their name. They refer to the men in their
lives as Duds on Studs. Girls are Hags in Training, or HITs. They're an association of mostly middle-aged women who get together to have fun with their horses. Once a year, they hold HagMania.

This year's HagMania was Sunday on Lee Rinehart's farm north of Milton. Women brought ponies and horses in trailers. They brought children and husbands in cars and trucks. They brought dishes to pass. They spent the morning playing horseback games such as eggand- spoon, in which the last rider still holding her egg in her spoon wins. They also played Twister, in which the rider races to one end of the course, jumps off, spins around five times while holding a baseball bat to her head and then runs to the finish line leading the horse. No one seemed concerned about who won. Everyone who watched smiled or laughed. That's the main purpose of Hags on Nags. "We started out with a handful of women who live in the neighborhood," Rogers said.

Events
Hags on Nags' upcoming events include riding in two Christmas parades, in Whitewater on Nov. 27 and Orfordville on Dec. 4.

More information on the group can be found on its Web site,
www.hagsonnags.net.

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