Mid-Winter, 2010. Hard to believe, but there is still snow lingering from the mid-December blizzard. We have been hammered by an uncharacteristically long stretch of inclement weather and have had to postpone Sunday lessons since early December. We are hoping for a break in the weather soon. The horses are wondering why they aren’t being ridden and are happy to see me when I go down to check water troughs and hay. They hang their heads over the fence, waiting. Planning for our upcoming summer camps is underway, and that always makes the winter weather more tolerable. This summer, campers will have the opportunity to learn about horse therapy work since Old Meadows Farm will be running the horse therapy program at Camp Holiday Trails again this summer. Unlike last summer when the program was held in the evenings, we’ll be running Camp GooseChase from Camp Holiday Trails this summer, and campers will actively participate in offering the horse therapy sessions in the mornings, at least three times a week. I’m excited about this new opportunity to both engage with the campers at Camp Holiday Trails and for GooseChase campers to observe first-hand the therapeutic benefits of working with horses.

 

Mid-Winter, 2009.  Winter involves a lot of waiting: waiting for freezing snaps to end, for frozen hoses to thaw, and for the wind to stop blowing! Thick layers of ice on the water troughs have to be broken, and the large chunks of ice regularly removed in order to keep plenty of fresh water available for the horses. Once the ice is removed, it sits in piles beside the troughs, slowly melting. The horses love chewing on the ice, and I can hear the crunch, crunch of their ice munching as I complete my chores. One of my favorite sounds is the sound of horses munching on hay (rather than ice), and I often pause to listen to that satisfying sound.

Updating the website for the upcoming summer always makes me eager for the warmer, fun days of camp when I can spend entire days with the horses and campers. We’ve built two sheds to provide more shade near the barn and the riding ring, and I’m hoping to create a riding area in the woods where we can escape the summer sun during the hottest part of the day and practice navigating trail obstacles.

The work is ongoing, the horses are fat and happy, and spring is on the horizon.

 

Late Winter, 2008.  We’re waiting to hear the first spring peepers, which should be any day now.  Due to a computer malfunction, the OMF website had to be recreated.  Quite a chore!  Thanks to those of you who have been waiting patiently for the 2008 camp information to be posted.  I was thankful for several icy days that allowed me to work inside guilt-free; without them, I might still be updating the website! There’s a long “to do” list of outside chores just waiting for warmer weather, so assuming we have nice weather for our Spring Break, it will be spent painting, planting, and playing with the horses. This winter was hard on several of our older residents. Our beloved Jasper died last fall and is now buried in the large field beside Helen. We also lost our wonderful Angora bunny, Clover. We think he was about 12 years old, so he had a good long life. He is buried in the shade of one of our red maples. Saying “goodbye” is one of the bittersweet responsibilities of animal ownership, but it is frequently counterbalanced by the anticipation of new life, which in our case is scheduled to arrive this summer—both Tonka and Tinkerbelle were bred to a beautiful Welsh stallion, Rocky Creek’s Frank Independence. You can see “Frankie’s” picture at www.prettygirlfarm.com/frankie_pedigree.html. I can’t wait to see the babies! Camp is always extra special when there is a foal on the farm, and this summer there will be two!

Winter, 2007.  We've been enjoying a busy lesson schedule with another unusually warm start to the winter riding season. We'll probably pay for it during the next two months! Sailor will be gelded soon, and I'm trying to find time to condition Thunderbolt (and myself) for endurance rides later in the year. We're waiting to get the results back from our recent soil analysis to see how much liming and fertilizing we'll need to do for quality hay production and healthy pastures. A new feature is being added to the summer camp menu for our older campers who already have lots of riding experience: Adventure Week! I'm excited about spending a week trail riding in the Blue Ridge with a group of horse-loving girls. Should be fun!

Winter, 2006.  Relatively balmy weather has allowed us to ride throughout most of the winter...so far. Since it is now snowing outside (mid-Feb.), who knows what kind of weather we'll face in the remaining weeks of winter. Upcoming projects include additional fencing, and yes, trying to paint all the fencing that is already up.

Spring, 2005.  Our big project for this year is the riding ring. Work is underway, and emerging from the dirt and mud is a level area approximately 80'x160'. 

Winter/Spring, 2005- Variable weather keeps us busy. One day it will be in the 70's with mud everywhere and the next day it can be below freezing. At the moment, there is ice everywhere, and the horses are happily munching away on their hay. Plans are underway for several camp sessions, and a new riding ring is scheduled to be built soon. More fencing and painting also await!

Summer, 2004.  Our first camp season was a wonderful success! Each day offered new challenges and time to bond with the horses. Campers not only got to know the horses, but one another as well. I was always impressed by the positive attitudes of the campers and their willingness to help each other. Skills visibly improved each day and when camp was over, it was evident campers were not the same riders they had been when they first arrived. Memorable moments from throughout the summer included watching facial grimaces on those riding bareback for the first time on the "bony ponies", learning how to tie quick-release knots, wearing wet bandannas to keep cool, riding up and down the hills on the trails, seeing campers canter for the first time, dressing the horses up in costumes, playing "Mother, May I?" on horseback, learning how to put on and take off bridles, loading Eclipse on the trailer for the first time, riding in rope halters, trotting without holding on, learning to vault onto the back of a pony, grooming the horses and ending up filthy ourselves, playing  "Chubby Bunnies" (How many marshmallows can you shove into your mouth?), riding in the rain, cleaning tack, eating lunch in the hay loft, and simply enjoying one another's company and our unrushed time with the horses. In summary, it was a simply wonderful summer!

Spring, 2004.  The holes have been dug, the posts have been set, the gates have been hung, the hay has been cut, and there is still more work to do! We dug and set over 250 fence posts as we worked to create various paddocks around the barn and fence off the drainage swale that cuts across one of our fields. More work awaits, as there is one more cutting of hay to bring in later in the summer (square bales this time) and all those fence tops have to be cut off.  Then, all that new fencing will need to be painted (in 2005?).

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is folly to attempt to educate children within a city; the first step must be to remove them out of it.     - Thoreau

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