The Troop's first horse was Lucky. He was donated to the Troop and was stabled with our sister Troop until we found our first ranch. Lucky served us well in the first months of the Troop's existence. He died in the summer of 1975. In his memory, the "Lucky Award" is presented annually to the Girl Scout contributing the most to the Troop in the areas of Service, Citizenship, Cooperation, Attendence, and Horsemanship.
Our first ranch was in Elusively, at Phillips Ranch. The charter families were joined by five more families. Activities that first year included riding lessons and a first aid course for the scouts. Our first annual horse show was held November 8, 1975. For girls and parents just beginning to learn about horses, sponsoring a horse show was quite an endeavor. The prophits were grand total of $508.89... a real boost to the fledgling Troop.
In September 1976 the Troop moved to Hidden Valley, in House Springs. After a hard winter and feeding problems with the management, Gateway Trails decided to move again. On April 1, 1977 the association obtained a lease for a portion of Harter Farm in High Ridge, and the move was accomplished. For the first time the Troop was not dependent on public boarding facilities and was running its own operation.
In February of 1983, the organization also became Explorer Post 2571 in the Boy Scouts of America. On July 3, 1983 the troop moved to Bubbling Srings Ranch in Jefferson County and the Explorer Post membership expired after the move. The troop moved again on September 1, 1984 to High Trails in Eureka. This move was felt to be necessary as the Troop had experienced high vet bills at Bubbling Springs.
In December 1984 an invitation was received by the Troop to represent the state of Missouri in the Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington DC. Unfortunately the parade was canceled due to extremely cold weather.
In September 1985 the Troop again became Explorer Post 2571. Membership in the Boy Scouts allows the sponsoring group, Gateway Trails Association to own equipment and property.
High Trails was closed and the Troop was forced to move again, The Troop was offered a temporary home at the Weaver-Taylor Ranch in Hillsboro on October 5, 1985. Due to the distance and the fact that the Weaver-Taylor Ranch was not set up to look after horses on a long term basis, the Troop moved to Dudley Stables in High Ridge on December 14, 1985.
Gateway Trails Association under the leadership of Pat Marlow decided to run a weekly fundraising event (every Saturday-) beginning in September 1985. The events were successful that sufficient funds were accumulated by mid 1986 for the purchase of lands and buildings from Mr. A. Harter. The Troop moved to its new home 1814 Harter Farm Road, High Ridge on June 7, 1986.
June 1997 the Troop moved to its present home under the leadership of Clarence Fallin. The new ranch at 5834 Regina Road in Cedar Hill, consists of 59 acres, grass pastures, cable fences, caretakers house, fishing pond, trails, and a modern barn.
After 30 years of dedicated service to scouting, Girl Scouts of Greater St. Louis disbanded all mounted troops in the area. Gateway Trails Association believed that their program was too important to disolve and continues to provide the same quality girls program.