Watching horse show classes at Deerfield Fair reminds me of how little I understand or appreciate many methods of showing horses.
In keeping and training our backyard horses, we have always practiced natural horsekeeping, and we believe in riding and using horses in ways that are as COMFORTABLE as possible for the horse. What I see happening in some show classes and in certain styles of riding does not seem at all natural to me.
At risk of offending many horse people, I must say that I do not believe that high-headed styles of riding look natural in any way, and certainly do not look comfortable for the horse. Often the riders do not look comfortable either, given that their horses are usually so tense they act like they are ready to explode at any minute.
Natural horse training methods teach that lowering the horse’s head relaxes him. No one can disagree that horses raise their heads higher when they are alarmed or nervous. Yet the “saddleseat” and some other gaited riding styles pull the horse’s head high in the air, using severe leverage bits, and ask the horse to prance along lifting its feet high in the air at the same time.
On the other hand, the trend in western show classes seems to be nose-dragging postures and slow-motion gaits. This way of going seems almost as unnatural as high-headed and high-stepping. I have heard arguments against both extremes over the years, yet nothing changes in the show ring, and young people growing up showing are still being taught that this is the way horses should go.
Why is it that humans are so inclined to impose their will on animals, and are so taken with faddish techniques? Horses are supposed to be pleasurable and go nicely, yet “normal” horses such as our tractable, willing driving horses would likely be laughed out of most horse show classes, simply because they don’t look artificial.
These styles and fads, and yes, abuse in some cases, persist because that’s what the judges like to see therefore the horses win ribbons. The breeding industry for these types of horses benefits from winning recognition. People pay good money for prize-winning horses and their get– and there’s the rub. If there’s money in it, it’s not going to change.
Did I mention abuse? There are many show horses that hardly ever get to see the light of day, for fear they might get dirty, or suffer a bump or scar, or that their coats might get sun-bleached. They are shut in stalls most of the time, if lucky they get taken out 2 or 3 times a week for “exercise,” which means they are worked and trained.
People dislike “vices” in horses… Such things as weaving, stall pacing, cribbing and wind-sucking, also mean behavior are examples of vices. Vices can be destructive, dangerous, and self-destructive to the horse. Yet vices are unnatural behaviors which horses develop under stress– the stress of being shut in stalls or tiny paddocks, not being allowed to interact with other horses, not being allowed freedom to roam and act like horses, and being forced to work in unnatural and uncomfortable positions.
I understand that circumstances and finances do not always permit large pasture areas for all horses. And most people do love and enjoy their horses and try to do the best for them. I also know from personal experience that horses become very calm, trusting and tractable– downright level-headed– when they have freedom to be horses, room to exercise themselves, exposure to a wide variety of experiences, and a natural everyday existence. I feel they prefer being this way to being high-strung and nervous; I wish all horses were given this opportunity.
It’s hard to express how happy we are with all that our boys have accomplished in their short driving careers. In September we spent several days with Gilford and Glendale touring the Carriage Roads in Acadia, near Bar Harbor, Maine. This trip was the culmination of all we have been working towards since we first bred their Arabian mother mare to the Percheron Silent Commander over six years ago, raising and training her two foals to this point.
For a little excitement, here’s the “big spook” they gave us, on our third day out… Gilford on the left got startled by 2 little dogs who were barking and jumping against their leashes, and they took off at a gallop which made me lose my camera aim for a second while I grabbed Gilford’s rein trying to help Hubby rein them in. As you’ll see, they came back under control pretty quickly. At beginning of video, we pass 2 Icelandic horses on the road, one under saddle and one being driven.
An amazing vista is offered above Jordan Pond. As we descend, to our right is what’s called the “Slide,” a huge rockfall area which was braced up and reinforced during construction of the Carriage Road, so that there would be no more slides! The engineering of these roads was remarkable.
A beautiful carriage drive is found along the shores of Bubble Pond. Here the trail is narrow and it would be quite difficult if not impossible for two carriages to pass. Drivers always try to leave out heading the same direction on a loop route, so that they don’t meet head-on!
The ocean is to our right across the highway, and mountains called “the Bubbles” are seen beyond Long Pond to our left. This section of road was a foot under water just 2 days earlier, from all the heavy rains just before we arrived.
Acadia is an area unique in the Northeast, and there are few carriage driving locations in the country that can compare. 57 miles of beautiful roads designed for carriage horses encircle hills, mountains and lakes on Mt. Desert Island; the routes are designed to take advantage of the views, overlooking bays, lakes, waterways, sounds, offshore islands and the open ocean.
One expected challenge was passing the large tour wagons like this one, pulled by draft teams out of Wildwood Stables. We’ve seen many horses get unnerved by these teams so were unsure how our guys would deal with them, but no problems came up.
Driving horses underneath one of these bridges creates its own echo chamber... you can hear it on the video.
On these Carriage Roads no motor vehicles are allowed, only horses, hikers and bicyclists. Wildwood Stables adjacent to the Roads offers commercial carriage tours. The Park and the area offer a great variety of interesting things to enjoy, such as sea kayaking, sailboat excursions, the high-speed “Cat” ferry to Nova Scotia, touring the Park by auto road, spectacular scenery, Bar Harbor shopping and coastal fishing villages to explore.
Crossing the Cobblestone bridge, one of sixteen designed by Mr. Rockefeller, all unique. The stream below is swollen to massive proportions from the torrential rains brought by Hurricane Hannah.
This trip to Acadia was unusual– we arrived to find the Carriage Roads closed to all but foot traffic, due to torrential rains carried by Hurricane Hannah’s aftermath having washed out the roads in several places. Repairs were underway, and the roads were gradually re-opened over the next 4 days so that we really didn’t miss any driving time.
Returning into Wildwood after one of our outings. Going thru the campground, our trailer home is on right with the red truck.
Hope you enjoy our adventures with us in these videos! (Another post will have pictures, also more videos specifically on training, plus videos of other horses that were in Acadia.) One day we rode the boys, it was drizzly and rainy so I did not carry the camera that day therefore no pix of us in the saddle. : ( There are some pix from a bicycling/hiking day when we let the horses have the day off.
Our last day’s drive up Day Mountain normally would have offered spectacular views, but this day was cloudy with fog and mist hanging around, making it “atmospheric.” The tourists were pretty interested in our turnout.
Oak traditional Amish-style cart, horse size (~14.2-17H horse), very good condition, recently revarnished. Sealed hubs (no maintenance), split-seat (lift-up) rear entry, fenders, solid oak slat floorboards, fold-down seat backs with cushions. Hard rubber-tired wheels; never in a wreck. Please see specs below.
Meadowbrook cart put to young 15.2H Arab-Percheron.
We are no longer using this cart, it has served us well but now our 4-wheel carriage meets all our needs and we’re driving a pair. Enjoy your own carriage driving with this sturdy, functional and attractive cart! Asking $850.
Email connie for Meadowbrook inquiries… Located in central New Hampshire in Gilford, near Laconia just south of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Same horse, Perch-Arab cross, slightly older at 15.3H
Meadowbrook put to a 14.3H draft cross (Percheron-Morgan) who is very WIDE!
MEADOWBROOK MEASUREMENTS:
wheel diameter = 48 in.
Wheel-to-wheel width on ground 58 in.
Hub-to-hub width 66 in. (widest part of cart), measured at axle
axle clearance = 24 in. off the ground
seat width 44 in. total
SHAFT MEASUREMENTS:
oak shafts 6 ft 8 inches long from singletree; brass end caps
widest ID between shafts = 3 feet from about mid-belly to singletree
narrowest ID between shafts = 22 inches near front, measured at 1 foot from tip of shafts, then they flare out again at the tips (away from the horse)
base of shafts sit 10 in. above axle, making the shafts 36 inches off the ground where attached to the cart
FEATURES:
all oak
Rear split-seat entry– the left-hand (passenger) seat is hinged on the wheel side and lifts up out of the way for entering from the rear, which is how it’s designed (both seat back supports fold down).
mud fenders above wheels
flat overlapping spring suspension
sealed hubs (no maintenance)
Oak wheels and spokes with hard rubber “tires” on rims
under-driver’s-seat small storage compartment/box
removable black seat cushions
solid front dash
solid oak slat floorboard
whip holder mounted on dash
never wrecked that we can tell, definitely never wrecked in the 10-plus years we’ve had it
For a few glorious September days, many lucky horse folks got to spend time driving and riding their horses in Newbury, NH. From September 4 through Sept. 7, dirt roads, trails, and old rail beds in Newbury were explored and enjoyed.
Peaches gets to come on many of the GSCA drives– she SO loves it!!! (And I get the BACK seat!)
This beautiful, flat 30-acre field was home base for campers and portable corrals, with an adjoining stream providing cooling waters.
In camp, an adorable pair of Minis– Bev S. drives while Dottie R. walks beside
People came from as far away as Maine and Vermont. Numerous horse breeds and colors were represented, such as Percheron, Belgians, Haflinger, minis, lineback dun Quarterhorse, Gypsy Vanner, Canadian, Paint, Morgan, Appy-Arab, Perch-Arab and many other styles.
Hospitality check-in for the drivers and guests
Visiting Gypsy Cob…
[Edited from Article for GSCA September Newsletter.]
This occasion marked the 30th Anniversary of Granite State Carriage Association’s founding in 1978. Maps and directions were given for making your own drive or ride-out locally. The yearly event was highlighted by the traditional Saturday afternoon BBQ chicken picnic. Not only a fun obstacle trail course, but a cones course and a dressage ring were offered for horse play.
Our pair-in-training play on the obstacle course!
The turnout was good, with over 100 in attendance this year. The GSCA 30th Anniversary Albums of pictures and club history were unveiled by Sonja C. and are available for $5 from the club.
New club logo polos and sweatshirts were brought out in several colors. After-dinner entertainment was provided by Auntie Henrietta, who made some good jokes at Cresca’s expense, telling “tales” of Cresca growing up which sounded as if she really knew her then! Threatening weather held off until the festivities were over.
The town of Newbury once again posted a digital warning sign alerting traffic to horses on the roads, which we feel is very helpful, and also supplied cones for our field courses setups.
Horse-camping with our boys…
…and relaxing in comfort!
Various routes to drive or ride included rural paved and dirt roads, recreational railroad beds and woods trails, grass roads along ponds and marshes, and passage through the local landmark of the “Newbury Cut,” an amazing dugout through solid rock for the railroad bed.
After the obstacle course play, our boys don’t blink at walking over a piece of plywood lying on a woods trail bridge. Note Peaches the coach dog!!! (She has been riding in carts and carriages with us since her puppyhood!)
On one woods trail we passed a sugaring shack, which bespoke a lot of history… plus stands of huge, ancient sugar maples which must have been over two hundred years old.
The trail itself, described to us as “a little rough” by Linda W., was steep and twisty with exposed roots and rocks; even so, it was navigable by a new pair pulling an Eagle combo carriage, driven by you-know-who. The two Perch-Arab brothers were well-accustomed to woods and bumpy tracks from their singles training.
Our brakes can be heard squeaking on this steep downhill section of woods trail. You can tell the carriage is trying to roll forward on its own by how loose the horses are in their traces.
Passing through the locally famous “Newbury Cut,” a gap hand cut and blasted through the rock for the railroad when originally built. In New Hampshire many former railroad beds have been preserved as recreational trails.
The Percheron “Tip” put to a forecart, driven by Bea McC.
Friend Bob C. (behind driver) plays on the obstacle course
Dad Moses and Peaches behind his Arabian-Percherons, Glendale and Gilford
Peaches running around all happy!
There was way too much unplanned excitement in the campground when Ginger’s horse, mostly hitched to her recently-restored antique buggy, took off at a flat-out gallop and made several circles around the huge field before allowing himself to be stopped. Luckily the wagon wasn’t overturned, nothing was run into, other horses didn’t escape their paddocks and no one was hurt. VERY luckily for Ginger, who was knocked down by the wagon wheels but escaped serious injury.
Cindy P. shares a bonding moment with her horse
The next day dawns misty, and the boys feel frisky in their pen so they horse around with each other!
Campers socializing…
and horses socializing.
A percheron “cousin” of our boys.
On this day’s drive, we coax the boys past unusual fauna at end of the rail bed, entering a construction storage yard…
…and let them partake of a well-earned drink set out for the horses who travel this route.
Passing us in opposite direction on a long loop route (above and in video): Tammy W. driving, Tammy’s friend riding an Appaloosa, and Elaine W. driving the Fjord accompanied by her dog Dolly
Trotting swiftly to make a highway crossing…
The boys became quite balky entering this working quarry, and didn’t want to go forward, a bit overwhelmed by the strangeness of things…
BARBECUE DAY!!! The word gets out, and Newbury local folks add to the merriment!
Durwin, Marty and Karen priming the chicken BBQ
MMMMMMMM!
Picknickers eagerly line up for servings
Cresca A. getting roasted by Auntie Henrietta!
Our 30th Anniversary celebration cake!
This Newbury Picnic Drive has been hosted and organized for 10 years by Linda W. and Marty N., and the club is quite grateful for their hard work and efforts. Other volunteers to be thanked include Oliver L. who served as Marty’s second-in-command, Bess P. for her homemade desserts, Durwin and Liz C. for meal preparation, Wil and Linda S. for water truck and everything-else help. There is an unbelievable amount of work which goes into making one of these events happen!
Ginger L. in her antique buggy, driving her Canadian gelding with her Hubby along…
Ginger and John sharing quality time together
Sadly, Linda and Marty have decided to retire from hosting this drive; unless other members can step up to run the drive in the future, this most popular event will not take place again. Members please attend the club’s Planning Meeting on November 1 and consider how the club might work together to continue the Newbury drive if possible.
Sunset over Glendale in Newbury camping field…
The last day we gave the boys a break, doing a little field schooling only. Dad did some transitions (halt to walk, walk to trot) and opened them up here for some cantering practice. Glen play-bucked a little the first time, and as usual pesters his big brother…
We left another successful outing well satisfied that they are ready for our next stop, Acadia National Park!
While in Shelburne, Vermont for the August GSCA driving excursion to Shelburne Farms, Rick and I squeezed in a visit to nearby Shelburne Museum of Art and Americana, and we were very glad we did. Similar to Old Sturbridge Village but much more extensive (39 buildings), the Museum grounds of several acres are part of the original Havemeyer Webb estate (of the Vanderbilt family) which also encompassed Shelburne Farms before the property was divided and donated to the public.
Gypsy wagon showing original decorative paint
Drug wagon for peddling “Buxton’s Rheumatic Cure”
The Museum, founded in 1947, features an antique carriage exhibit which was of particular interest to us. Trade and farm vehicles, plus those from Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb’s personal fleet of 28 luxury carriages of the 1890s, make up about 225 19th and early 20th century vehicles. They comprise what is largely considered the finest collection of horse-drawn transportation in the country.
This is a rare “curricle,” the only style of 2-wheeled carriage designed for a pair to pull abreast. Note the bar above the horses’ backs which supports the pole between them.
Remarkable Carousel animals, of which several are exhibited
Conestoga wagon, one of a very small number still in existence
Other outstanding exhibits at the Museum include 17th to 20th century artifacts of folk art, fine art and crafts, a massive decoy collection (birds and fish!), vintage wooden canoes and rowboats, gardens, and examples of 1800-1900s trade shops and tools such as a print shop still in use, a saddlery, a general store, a jail and a one-room schoolhouse.
There is even a retired steamboat, the 220-ft. Ticonderoga, hauled with great effort out of Lake Champlain in 1955 to its final home on dry land for the public to enjoy.
This wagon was used for training only, thus does not have anything behind!
Twenty-five of the 18th-19th century buildings are historic in themselves, being imported from New England and New York by Electra Havemeyer Webb to the property for preservation. These include a gigantic 80-ft. diameter round silo barn moved in from East Passumpsic, Vermont, a lighthouse, an 1845 two-lane covered bridge complete with original toll signs, and an 1890 train station.
Dog Cart (dogs were housed under the seat)
A few of the many types of sleighs
The Museum entrance fee of $18 allows two consecutive days of visiting, and it would take at least that long to really peruse all the lovely exhibits. We would highly recommend this attraction to anyone in the Burlington, VT area, and especially to next year’s carriage drivers who return with the GSCA!
A luxury coach of the late 1800s
An interesting old-style fly sheet made of knotted string– this type of buggy horse fly net can still be found, offered at BigBlackHorse.com
Trade vehicles in the Annex
A buggy from Dr. Seward’s personal fleet
The “Horseshoe Barn” that houses most of the carriage collection at Shelburne Museum.
25 kids from a local summer camp stopped over to Connie’s barn in June and it was so much fun!! Connie spoke about horse basics and made it so interesting, not only for them, but for me too. I was Connie’s photographer and I had the best time taking pictures and videos for her!!! The kids were very interested and had some great questions – they kept Connie on her toes!!
Welcome to children on field trip, topic “Farming and animals”
Not being sure how the Herd would take to all this commotion, and not having any script pre-planned, Connie sort of played things by ear.
After a brief intro outside the barn, all the kids came in to see the horses in their stalls. Were they excited!
Most of these children had never been up close to a horse before. They got to go into the barn and see what a horse barn looks like and got to feel and touch the horses’ muzzles as Momma, Gilford and baby Glendale stretched their necks out through their stall doors searching for treats.
Then Connie had them all go outside into a small enclosed area and she brought out her beautiful Momma mare. The children were ringed around the fenceline with plenty of room for a horse in the middle.
Momma Willy comes out to meet the children
(These children were very well behaved and took direction readily from the 6 adults with them.) Connie knew Willy mare would be OK with crowds of people (she’s done it all!) so brought her out first, talking about how horses communicate, her age and past history as a show horse, 4-H horse, jumping horse, Arabian native costume horse, mother mare, etc.
Young girl meets horse…
…and another feeds her a carrot!
The children had brought carrots (with prior permission) so Connie took the mare around the lineup and many children fed her a carrot piece.
Willy is polite accepting carrots but Connie restrained her nonetheless, all those little hands holding out carrots was awfully overwhelming. Then she got them to approach the mare one at a time, and that worked much better so that Wil wouldn’t get over-eager and possibly pushy.
Next Connie lunged the mare, which was also a first for me to see. I have never seen Willy lunged in person, only in videos with Emmie lunging her. And Momma mare performed beautifully – I think it’s been a long time since Willy was at the end of a lunge line but she acted like she’d done it yesterday by doing just what Connie asked her to. She lunged her in 3 gaits (walk, trot, and canter) while explaining how she knew the words and was trained what to do.
After she cantered nicely, the children applauded! Willy was soaking it up, this job was SO easy!
Connie did some more Q&A– A teacher asked the parts of the horse and they were shown the basics. The kids had many thoughtful questions, such as how much they ate, how they stayed warm in winter, how do you tell a girl horse from a boy horse (!)– (Connie dodged that one by answering “the same way you do with people.”)
Q&A subject showing off.
Then more carrots, and everyone wanted to pat her through the fence, which kept it really safe for little feet.
Connie brought the mare right up to the gate (with kids on the other side). That mare stood there PERFECTLY STILL and let everyone touch her and admire her!!
All the kids with their outstretched arms wanting to touch Momma mare gave Gilford and Glendale’s mom a celebrity-like status!! Connie had expected that Momma would be fine with a crowd of excited kids around since she’s been used to it from her days with Emmie.
She truly is an amazing and wonderful horse!
Then Connie brought out Momma’s oldest boy Gilford and you could see the difference age and experiences makes. While Momma just stood quietly with barely an ear twitch and let the kids touch her and admire her, young Gilford was not quite so willing to stand still! He wasn’t difficult or anything like that, he just wasn’t quite so patient as his Mom. He is, after all, a youngster and hasn’t been around crowds like mare mom has. [Connie's NOTE: he smelled carrots and basically just wanted to grab for them!]
Dad and Fio look on…
This was a great experience for me– it’s wonderful to see young kids eager to learn about horses and I shared in their excitement that day. I’d love to be part of something like this with Connie again! I felt like a real Horse Gal by being my mentor’s assistant! [And many fine photos and vids you took too, thanks HorseGal!]
Our August horsing around time at Shelburne Farms, situated on Lake Champlain near Burlington, Vermont, could not have been much better! This was the carriage club’s (Granite State Carriage Association) 10th anniversary visit to drive at Shelburne, and our first to the area ourselves, where we spent 5 happy days enjoying our favorite hobby!
Gilford and Glen on the shores of Lake Champlain! Wahoo!!!
Shelburne Farms was created in 1886 by William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb as a model agricultural estate. In 1972, it was founded as an educational nonprofit to teach conservation stewardship of agricultural and natural resources. Shelburne Farms website
One of many amazing structures, the Farm Barn in the background…
The “Inn” at Shelburne, where guests may find accomodation. I believe it was the original residence…
Shelburne Farms is now a 1400 acre dairy farm with public exhibits, including cheesemaking, and several incredible buildings the size of small castles, such as the Inn (above) and a few barns.
Shelburne has welcomed the GSCA to come up yearly since 1998, housing our horses in style in their spacious– formerly luxurious– Coach barn. Club members stay in a nearby campground, and truck in as desired to drive their horses on the grounds, which are very carriage friendly.
Lake Champlain’s Shelburne Bay, at Shelburne Vermont.
About 12 miles of roads and trails were available for driving our carriages, some with minimal auto traffic and a few with no cars at all. Some sections of road went right along Shelburne Bay. There were a few driveable hillsides with spectacular views of the lake and the New York mountains beyond. Even the weather was perfect– the only rain was a fierce torrential storm our first night there, but it didn’t interfere with the daytime fun!
These pix and vids show us and our driving friends– we put a lot of practice mileage on our new pair and they did just super!
Drivers meet on Day 1 to review the Farm’s guidelines and accessible areas…
Trotting alongside Lake Champlain… you can hear it is pretty breezy, a storm moved in later this night.
The storm on our first overnight DID make Lake Champlain really rough for 2 days afterwards, so rough that everyone’s horses were too afraid to pass close to these crashing waves throwing spray right across the road! Luckily there were another couple of routes to drive out on.
Flocks of seagulls were one of the recurring challenges for the horses.
Big sideways jump when Gilford suddenly hears huge waves crash up against a cliff below the road to his left. Hubby was able to recover them quickly– green (inexperienced) horses require the driver to keep alert! Luckily they didn’t run into anything on the right.
THEIR HOME… Can you believe this is a stable??
This Coach barn was where Dr. Seward kept his personal coaches and driving horses.
OUR HOME… home sweet home away from home in nearby Shelburne Campground…
Inside the Coach barn, where the boys stayed in comfort while WE slept in a horse trailer! There were 8-10 horses with their respective owners, carts and carriages for the week.
GSCA driver heading out in fjord cart
We drive to Shelburne Farms breeding barn on the grounds
Circling the massive, ornate breeding barn, where Hackney horses were raised in the early 1900s.
The interior of this breeding barn is about the size of two huge indoor arenas, with stalls and rooms along both sides.
“Warming up” while making ready for the picnic drive, everyone circles their carriage horses…
Hubby circling the boys in front of Coach barn
Patti S. and Pat P., fellow GSCA members ready to head out on picnic drive.
We noticed after a day or two, that Glendale had begun to hang back in his harness and let big brother Gilford do most of the pulling. Either he was hesitant from lack of confidence, or just smart enough to realize he could do this, either way it is not desirable… so I started getting after him by lightly tapping his butt with a crop if he ignored Dad’s voice, which was effective and also made him pay more attention to being brushed with the soft lash of Hubby’s driving whip. One goal of pairs training is to keep both horses evenly “in draft” so that their work is shared evenly.
Trotting in a Caravan of carts, the Club on their traditional “Picnic drive” goes into areas not generally open to the public.
One carriage road on the way to the picnic
GSCA friend Sonja C. capturing pix of passing drivers!
We stop to rest and picnic with the horses on a beautiful peninsula in Shelburne Bay, then return as a group.
This exposure to many other horses and carts was great for our boys, especially Glen.
There were various challenges each day to deal with… here Gilford shies right off the road, afraid to approach any closer to a sheep pen ahead. He pulls his brother with him and after this tried to run away; I had to get out and head him up, we retreated to reconnoiter, and ended up taking a different route to avoid the sheep.
Pat P. and her daughters driving their Appy-Arab mare… they helped us out with our sheep practice!
Sheep-passing and canter practice… after Gilford (on a previous day) refused to pass these sheep and 2 llamas and actually wheeled and tried to run away, fellow driver Pat P. helps us train by going first. The green horses gain confidence when following another horse.
The boys are allowed to canter for their first time ever, near the end of the above video… not exactly in sync, this will take a lot more practice, but no rush to do that! Pleasure driving horses are not usually asked to canter, however we do practice it occasionally, feeling that it is good for them to experience the feel of cantering in harness BEFORE it happens unbidden, as sooner or later it is bound to do.
On one of the side trails up a hillside meadow with a view! Those are houses in the distance!
We had some cattle-passing practice too… which were nowhere near as scary as sheep. There were several woods-road passages we could drive… and one huge mud puddle we passed through several times, which was tricky but great practice for the pair and driver.
Farewell to Shelburne Farms, until next year when we hope to return!!!
Hi, just playin around here… I believe if you are adventurous, you can figure out how to embed this widget onto your own homepage in many different services– such as Facebook, Myspace, your own blog or website etc.– to share, or you can even email it to your friends.
Click on OPTIONS at bottom left to view the possibilities. Clicking on an Option icon gives you appropriate code for each service listed there. Try it and see– and I’d love to know if you do something with it! It worked nicely for me!
I’m not really feeling nostalgic for winter, but maybe a little bit for Abby, our first driving horse. Sharing these pix from 2002 (oh so long ago!) when Emmie and Dad horsed around bareback in deep fresh powder, it must have been at Christmas time.
One of my favorite shots! Em on beautiful Willow’s Bask and Dad rides Abby, making fresh tracks in their fun run.
Emmie knows Willy like the back of her hand, having ridden and trained her since the mare was 5 and Emmie was age 12. In these pictures in 2002, the mare was age 16 and in foal with Gilford.
I cannot condone their riding without helmets, but I suppose these are the softest landing conditions you might find.
Abby, a Morgan-Percheron mare and our first driving horse, controllable with a halter. And I see Dad is wearing cross-country ski boots too!
Dad makes one more run for good measure! Thanks to this mare I think we first fell in love with Percheron breeding, and ended up with our two arabian-percheron boys!
Abby has another good home now… please visit more blog posts about Abby!
The Stable Scoop Radio Show has posted it’s 3rd Episode. Stable Scoop is a horse related podcast that I think you will enjoy. You can listen on their site at www.stablescoop.com, subscribe through iTunes or listen right here by clicking the Listen Now button below. Enjoy!
Stable Scoop Radio Show Episode 3:
Join hosts Glenn the Geek and Helena B. as they take you on a wild ride with fox hunting talk to one of the most beautiful spots in America at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center. And, your faith in the youth of today will be restored as we speak with our blogger of the week, she is one articulate teen.
News of the Week:
A little legal talk with a suit after being bit while farm sitting.
Drugs at the Olympics and those nasty chili peppers.
New drug testing using horse hair.
Irish fox hunters fight back - the war continues.
The Blog of the Week is one teen who can write! You can find Kristen Kenney at Equestrianism.
