Forty-plus people took part in saddling up for a good cause on a warm and sunny Saturday to help the Concordia Parrish Sheriff’s Office mounted patrol raise money for St. Jude and help the fight against childhood cancer.

This weekend’s ride marked the fifth year the mounted patrol has ridden as a charitable fundraiser, and this year’s ride was at Rifle Point on Lake St. John.

Trail ride coordinator and mounted patrol secretary Marie Cowan said this was the first time the ride was Rifle Point, and said she was happy with the selection because of the nice scenery the trails offered.

“On this type of ride you get to enjoy the scenery, its not just trails. It’s an enjoyable ride, and that is what we look for,” Cowan said.

She added that the ride is also a pleasant social experience.

“We have a morning ride, then we have lunch and everybody gets a chance to get know each other, and then we have an afternoon ride.”

Last year the ride raised $2,900 for St. Jude, and Cowan said she expects this year to be just as successful if not better.

“We always send well over $2,000,” she said.

To raise money, members of the mounted patrol sought sponsors and contributions from the community, and riders paid a $10 registration fee the day of the ride. As an added incentive, Cowan said St. Jude donated T-shirts for the event.

Cowan said she has helped raise money for St. Jude when she helped with her children’s bike-a-thons at school. Eventually she said her children graduated from riding bikes to horses, and took part in trail rides, which I where she said she got the idea from.

“When I brought the idea to the mounted patrol, they liked it, and we have been doing it ever since,” she said.

Cowan said the mounted patrol will continue to do the trail ride, but it also wants to implement a junior mounted patrol. She said the new program is aimed at getting more children involved in equine activities.