Carol Jo (“CJ”) Hargreaves joined Mid Valley Unit of Backcountry Horsemen of California sometime in 1989 or ‘90. At the time, she was dating a BCHC member who had a horse and riding mule, and she wanted to join in on the unit’s fun-sounding work “parties” and other riding and social activities. It wasn’t long before CJ had her own riding mule, a truck and trailer, a ranchette for keeping it all, and was deeply involved in the administration of BCHC. CJ served as Mid Valley Unit’s secretary for many years, helped put together the unit’s monthly newsletter, developed curriculum for teaching packing classes at Modesto Junior College, helped put on educational events, chaired the annual Columbia Christmas Parade for about 10 years, served on Rendezvous Committees for the events held in Turlock, and was elected the unit’s first woman president. CJ’s first elected position in state BCHC was as Alternate National Director to Back Country Horsemen of America for the year 2000. She never got to do anything, however, because neither of the Directors ever missed a meeting. In 2001, she was elected BCHC Secretary and served two terms under the leadership of BCHC Presidents Toby Horst and John Keyes. When the BCHC Newsletter Editor position became vacant, she moved to that job and served from 2005 through 2011. After a hiatus during which she edited Woodbridge LIFE, the monthly paper for the Woodbridge/Del Webb 55+ community in Manteca, as well as Renaissance, the monthly newsletter for the nonprofit Peer Recovery Art Project in Modesto, in September 2020, CJ again became BCHC’s Editor. In addition to editing the BCHC paper, she served on the Insurance Committee, is currently serving on the Bylaws Committee and Website Committee, and temporarily as BCHC’s Webmaster and Facebook Administrator. Carol Jo was born in Seattle, Washington, earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington and has worked in a variety of different jobs from insurance adjuster to reference librarian to supervisor and manager. In 1980, she moved to Modesto, California, where she began working for Stanislaus County. After 30 years, she retired from county employment in 2010. CJ married Larry Schneider in 2006. She has one son, Andrew, who lives in Surprise, Arizona, with his wife and their two sons. Larry has two sons, one in Stockton, California, and the other in Farmington, Missouri. CJ enjoys worldwide traveling, camping in their motor home (and little vintage trailer), boating and other water activities, reading and knitting. She is currently serving as President of her P.E.O. chapter, an international women’s philanthropic and educational organization, and participates in a local book club. Larry and CJ moved to Long Lake in Olympia, Washington, in October 2019, but that doesn’t stop her from being active in BCHC. She sincerely enjoys creating The Backcountry News every quarter where she learns something new and improves her editing and pagination skills with every edition.