A very busy week!

Busy & Happy days around the farm!



Thursday we had a super Ladies' Night with a large attendance. If you haven't come to one of these fetes yet, you are missing a super good time. We had a large group of very enthusiastic riders. Ladies' Night rides (and drives!) work on the basics, and strength & balancing exercises on mostly lesson horses. Here and there we do a show horse demonstration under saddle, or driving. After riding, we convene to our cozy lounge by the fire for a light supper, desserts and a guest speaker of my choosing. We have had equine nutritionists, massage therapists, a horse communicator, and for this month: a comfort food theme: complete with Stacey Hewes, our Pampered Chef Consultant, Saddlebred Rescue Cookbooks for sale, and a light supper of Golden Mushroom soup, Warm Moscatelli pasta salad with feta and roasted vegetables done by Sneekers Cafe in Groton, CT followed by Polynesian Pineapple Surprise & Raspberry Fudge Trifle for dessert by Denis & Stacey respectively.

Jane & Stacey strategize on their baking tips!

A man dropped in! Anything goes at Ladies' Night!
A "standing" ovation............. Upon exiting the restroom our January token man cleared his throat and proudly proclaimed to the room......... "I'd like to make an announcement please! The seat? Is DOWN. I am 76 years old and I can be trained." He brought down not just the seat, but the house to roars of laughter! We are considering a Ladies' Night Male Invitational for Feb. 11th! Write your thoughts in the comments section!

Our next Ladies' Night is Thursday, February 11th. We will ride, enjoy a light supper & have a short demonstration by Raeleen on "Zumba!" It's a fitness program using resistance training, latin music and dance, where the motto is "Ditch the workout, join the party!" Sounds good so far!? We're looking forward to giving it a try. The one second from the left (below) is excited to pack another outfit!

On Sunday I traveled to Massachusetts to judge one of the UPHA Chapter 14 Winter Tournaments @ High Tail Acres Equestrian Center, and had a lovely time. The Deltorichio family and their customers graciously hosted the tournament & opened the barn, sparing no detail on comfort to horse and human, to 60+ riders and 8 participating stables. It was very rewarding to see so many young people & adults so enthusiastic about their riding & deliver a showing of their best skills. Each rider really tried their best from tall to small. Some had butterflies, some didn't- all worked through the nipping cold with smiles & their best efforts and most importantly sportsmanship & a love for their horses.

Highlights for me were the singing of our National Anthem- a wonderful way to start the program & sung in an outstanding fashion by a pre-teen High Tail Acres tournament rider, the leadliner who answered (correctly) what her stirrup was called who afterward looked truly puzzled on why the lady judging didn't know what a stirrup was :-) and of course, the FABULOUS food. Hey these are MY highlights, after all.

Monday was a day off of school in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and we had day camp here at the farm! Up & at 'em for another long day. So worth it though, two days with horsey-kids is a learning experience & inspiring! One long talk we had on Monday was how is that we can put so much energy into hours of work at the barn with no complaint but find it difficult to summon a speck of enthusiasm for even five minutes cleaning our rooms?! The answer was unanimous .........."Because it's the BARN!"

A totem pole of kids peeking in on us.. Pablo too! MEOW

Oh how I remember how time flew at the barn when I was a kid & what a haven it was. How I loved everything about it. The sight, the smells, the sounds, and most importantly time with the horses. It was a dream as a child to spend the day at the barn.

Things you don't find playing X Box: The kids found this perfectly symmetrical birds nest sewn with horsehair from each horse in the lower barn: beautiful

We made many discoveries at camp & worked on vocabulary, safety skills, bareback riding, did balancing games and winter grooming strategies. Big fun at the barn!!


Our next camp will be over February Winter School Vacation. Call if you are interested!

Signing off, Sharon