Diva of Driving ~ and other various news

Nimue has had lots of adventures in the last few weeks. I am planning on doing a VERDA competitive drive in the fall with her ( I believe that will be a 30 miler.. but not sure) -- plus we have been dreaming up some challenging routes for the fun of it. Zoe will try out some driven dressage and the cones in July .. so they have been practicing together in the big ring when ever they have the time to spare. I had a photo of Zoe's father driving a hackney pony in the show ring at Madison Square Garden which I thought would be fun to scan and post next to one of her learning to drive... but I cannot find it anymore ! Oh well.. got misplaced and will turn up someday.

Zoe and I started June out with the wonder cart pony Nimue -- we had a couple of ideas for our drive... and settled on heading over to the floodplains, driving through Baltimore, over the trail to Quarry Road and then down to the boat landing.. and on. The weather was perfect and as usual Nimue was in the mood to trot !! I had to change both wheels out on the cart as the bearings wore out... I try to keep several spare wheels ready to go since we do drive a lot.

We did not take any photo's for the first 10 miles or so... since it was all pretty well traveled roads and scenery. Once we got over into Baltimore.. Zoe began snapping and video'ing. Still on back country dirt roads... the llamas run over to say hello. Keri does not like these guys -- Nimue does not even glance -- she's on a mission :)





My favorite little Baltimore Town Hall. Many times when we trot by here, there are cows loose in the road - but not today.

As we trot further down this back road -- the trees open up and we are rewarded with some beautiful views.

One of these dirt roads dead ends into a trail which connects onto Quarry Road - leading into Perkinsville - where we cross the highway and head down toward the boat landing and the floodplains to follow the river. Here's the quarry for which the road was named.




We head down toward the boat landing to follow the floodplains and the river.

As we wind our way in and out of the woods along the river and the floodplains - we come to a gate which we had forgotten was there. Not a problem when on horseback -- but we have to unhitch Nimue to get past this obstacle.

Lately we've been doing this a lot -- since we've been traveling on much more challenging trail.. there are spots we have to unhitch -- doesn't take long. Zoe always gets stuck dragging the cart through anywhere it fits.









We can peek at the river through the foliage along the way --- we fly through the trail here and eventually come out next to the airport.

And guess what -- I wish we had been readier with the video -- a plane takes up a glider and lets it go .. right on the other side of the fence as we trot by.

I like doing my gliding right in my cart behind my pony thank you :)

This route is a snowmobile trail in the winter.. it's pretty well groomed and a fun trot in the cart.

We exit out near the North Springfield dam -- which you have all seen photo's of from previous rides. Up to the left is the reservoir..

We cross the highway and trot home !

Through North Springfield ~

We took a slightly different route - over French Meadow Road to avoid back tracking... and stopped in at the auto body shop where my number 1 son works. Naturally, we shared a few jokes about front end alignment and some transmission work :)

What a fun trip !! Anyone who wants to watch an extended version of our trip on you tube -- here's the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxG3yv8UsW4

Our next big adventure with this driving Diva was a few days ago.. we trotted into Baltimore again, turned onto Dean Brook Road -- which is a lovely back country road for riding or driving. That day it turned out to be chillier than we anticipated -- we were ill prepared.. and despite a terrific drive in the cart -- we ended up getting quite wet, it rained, the wind blew and the trip was a long one over Hawk's Mountain ! We met our first big obstacle of the journey right on my road -- the town decided to replace the culvert today !!

We trotted down Route 10 for a bit.. before getting on the dirt roads heading over to Cavendish.

We pass an old farmstead -- the barns and sheds remain.. the house is long gone.

Nimue was excited to trot down new and different back roads.. when we reached the first trestle bridge.. silly girl spooked a bit at the grate in the road :)

We trot past a few very old farmhouses built in the early 1800's... we are traveling some long ago horse and cart routes here :)

We are approaching the town of Cavendish now. We cross the bridge, pass Mack Moulding and trot through the town proper- swing around on the back roads to make a big loop in order to head home over the mountain on trail.

From now on -- we vow we are bringing cash with us for snacks.... these long drives work up quite an appetite ! We could have flagged the Schwann's man down for a sweet treat.

Cavendish Town Hall -- much more modern than the one in Baltimore.

More beautiful old farmhouses ...

We are now crossing the last of the town roadways... just up here is the start of the trail over the mountain. We reach the trail opening and find it to be a LOT steeper than we remember from riding it last year. I am glad we are entering it from this side.. and not coming down it from the Baltimore side.

For a short while we trot the powerlines. Zoe's son Dominic - who loves to travel in the cart with us- spotted a big doe before anyone else did. I never realized deer could make so much snorting noise... she was scared of us and perhaps protecting a fawn... Nimue paid no mind and kept trotting.

Head back into the woods on the trail.. it's a steady upward climb but not as steep as the first part.

couple of bridges to cross along the way.

and we reach MUD.... each puddle bigger and deeper than the previous one --

One puddle was quite deep and smushy.. the cart tipped, I fell onto the floorboard, Zoe fell out into the mud... I was urging Nimue on so we would not be stuck in the sinking mud.. I ran over Zoe's leg ! It was actually her leg that helped us get up and out... and I asked why she didn't video that part of the trip !? because it was kind of funny.. but now we are still far from home , wet and cold and it's raining.

The camera is just about losing power.. we save what's left for the view ! Up this final bit of trail and there is a spot that is open for viewing out across the mountains.

Still awesome even with the raindrops... We still have some steep downhill trail and then it's back onto Baltimore Road and homeward bound... as fast as possible.. BRRRRRR.. chilly passengers and one tired pony :)

BCF Splash Dancer is continuing his baby steps toward becoming the Big Man on the hill. I video'd his first trip down the driveway -- mares on both sides excited to meet and greet. Splash is always more interested in the young colts and geldings -- asserting his manliness by talking to them. Silly boy. Zoe warmed him up in the big ring and practiced the Intro test A.

You can see at first, Splash likes to pretend he's tired.. or the mud in the corner is tricky to walk on... he yawns a lot during the first part of his warm up session.. then he settles in and performs. Of course, he's still the new boy on the block so -- he does need to test and try.

Splash tries out Intro Test A

Hasn't he got the most handsome kind face and eye ?

After the ring work, they went for a nice trot down the dirt roads, where Splash found out he can open up the throttle and trot BIG.... he loves this and Zoe treats him to this as often as possible. He did not even know he was capable of that motion-- and as I viewed it I am thinking.. MAN.. he's going to be a stupendous CART HORSE !! What a great way to show him off.. so this winter for sure -- Mister Splash Dancer will be driving.

Look at this nice video of OYY HummingBird at Bashcurl Farm -- what a darling pony !! We will miss her http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Uq3u9pnwI
But obviously she is making several young riders happy !!
Much more news than this -- but enough for now :)
Enjoy ~

Mad Month of May

Whew.. I think I am glad it's June !! What a busy month of May... between celebrations and work -- a very full 31 days !!

May is the month for fence repair full time... and keeping our fingers crossed for growth in the pastures so some of the horses can leave the farm to spend summers out on lush grass doing what horses do during their leisure time. Eat and run...

The mares and foals are the first to go out - and the foals grow strong with many acres in which to frolic and explore.

Shedding time is just about over -- coats become sleek and shiny. This spring we made great efforts to collect most of our shedding curly hair and sent if off to Bunny R. in New Mexico. She e-mailed pretty excited about the bags and bags of hair... and couldn't wait to get at it, spinning and making other curly hair projects ! She commented that even the hair from the older mares ( over 14 years ) was still quite soft and spinnable. Apparently, with age the hair tends to grow coarse. In addition to the horses being talented on the trail and in the show ring -- I am happy to report-- they all are super fiber animals as well :)

May was also the month of the big RAC 'mini-challenge' ... which I already wrote a bit about. On top of all that goes on during this month.. I am riding a "new" mount... OYY Fiona. We've been working up to more and more miles -- trying to get in good shape for longer trips. We had a list of challenges and tasks... some for trail, some to be accomplished in the ring. We were awarded extra points for video and photo documentation.. so I had the camera pointed in my direction more this month than my entire life ! Anything for points :)

One of the suggested tasks was riding with a flag...

Riding in the rain earned points ..

Lunch with our horse on the trail (this was new to me .. once I am in the saddle, I am not dismounting till I return home )

Phone three other friends who are also out riding !

Some of the ring work required for points was sensible training tasks... like stepping over, backing nicely, moving haunches.. pivoting on the front and hind -- but my favorites were the activities such as popping balloons :)

Gotta love a steadfast mount !! :)

The most fun challenge of the month was finding some deep water. Fiona and I had already found a bit of deep water in a brook along side the 6 mile loop at the beginning of the challenge month... but, I still had my birthday ride to complete and more deep water sounded like fun to me. Zoe and I and Teasel and Fiona headed down toward the Bartonsville Covered Bridge... crossing a bridge was on the list of things to do and we also intended to walk a few miles downstream in the Williams River.

Maybe I have mentioned this before - but one of my dream ideas is someday to ride across and though every covered bridge in Vermont (plus the Cornish covered bridge which is technically in New Hampshire ) That will be a big job... Fiona was a bit nervous to step into the dark corridor but with Teasel as a buddy.. she ventured in and was fine the rest of the way.

Here we are just getting in the river below the bridge -- we had to step down a very steep bank.. now for our river walk. The water varies from deep to shallow, slow moving and rushing... the rocks all rounded and slippery. The horses were well behaved and careful. This is a big day for Fiona !

The covered bridge we just crossed in the background.

Fiona's Excellent Adventure !! Instead of Bill and Ted .. it's Fee and Tee.

The scenery was beautiful along the river.. the weather vacillated from warm to windy and cold.. so we were shedding sweatshirts and putting them back on throughout the trip.

Both Zoe and I had cameras - so we have different perspectives of the same ride :)

Here's where Fiona and I find out just how deep that water really is ... COLD and DEEP !! The water was over my saddle.. and we both were thoroughly soaked.

Zoe's video of Fiona impersonating a hippopotamus






Too much FUN - we had to repeat :)

The entire ride down the river was just this -- in and out of shallow and deep... one of our best rides to date !! We went under the Covered bridge by McDermott's and up the steep bank onto the road -- This bridge has been under repair for a year now.

Under the bridge (deep water again ) and up the bank...

It was last year with Keri and Teasel that we found this bridge was out.. and we did our first walk up Williams River in order to get home. The river was not as deep then. This ride certainly deserves a blog of its own.. but I am so far behind on my entries now !! I need to just finish May up and get into June already ! :)

The ride home over the mountain was a chilly with water in our boots, wet seats and damp clothes. So worth it :)
A great birthday ride and what a super experience for Fiona. She's every bit the great mare I wanted her to be :)

In addition to riding -- We are also driving my outstanding cart pony Nimue (she has had her excellent adventures too !! ) I must devote a blog post to Nimue's journeys out and about. SOON.

During this busy spring time month we had 3 mares leave .. traveling south. Co-incidentally, they all headed to Georgia !

OYY Little "Z" left to live with a woman who wanted a nice Curly trail horse and happened to fall in love with "Z" through photo's.

This young mare has not disappointed me one bit with her training and accomplishments. "Z" has done all our scarey obstacles, trots beautifully in the big ring and what an outstanding trail horse !!

"Z" went out on the trail for the first time bravely and quietly, riding on the buckle the entire time. Nice soft mouth and eye... I hope her full brother OYY Hollis Brown ends up as nice of a mount as she is. Of course, her maternal sister is Elektra.. who is talented in many arenas... from dressage, trail, highway, sidewalks - to her own deep water crossings !

Congratulations to Geri and I hope you and "Z" always have fun together !!

A Curly sporthorse breeder in Georgia (Lisa W. ) was looking for ponies ! Top O' The Hill Farm is THE curly pony place :) so we worked out a nice north-south exchange since she happened to have a horse Zoe and I have been drooling for ---

two pony mares rode south along side "Z" to live at Bashcurl Farm.

OYY HummingBird - out of a wonderful grade ride/drive pony named Sugar and our special Big Man -- Mead's Chocolate Chip. HummingBird got her name from a BB King song..

"I’m talking about that hummingbird ~oh she’s little and she loves me too much for words to say, when I see her in the morning sleeping, she’s little and she loves me to my lucky day, hummingbird don’t fly away "

This little girl has always been a favorite of mine.. she's smart and beautiful, forward like her Mom -- and focused like her Dad.

She's a fabulous driving pony.. easy to train and quiet out on the road. She is full sister to OYY Arcus -- who is more like his Dad in temperament than HummingBird.

What a delightful pony with so much potential ! I hope Lisa W. is happy with her :)

OYY Niobe also traveled to Georgia to live at Bashcurl Farm. She's another favorite of mine... out of our extreme pony mare Biscuit and a gorgeous black 14 hh Morgan ride/drive stallion.


I chose her name Niobe mainly because it was a beautiful sounding name.. even though it carries a 'tearful' history. Niobe was a goddess full of hubris who was severly punished by the gods -- all her children murdered and her life doomed to eternal tears. This lovely Niobe, however, is humble and full of try... ready to please in any way possible.

This is a comfortable riding mare -- who will make a nice western pony as well as English. She has a promising future... one of her maternal sisters is my driving diva -- OYY Nimue. She has another maternal sister in Canada (OYY Rosalee) and a new maternal brother just born this year -- OYY Day Tripper.

Just a short peek at her trail abilities and her lovely canter depart :)

Now -- most exciting -- is our new stallion !! We are pretty pleased to announce BCF Splash Dancer has come to live with us in Vermont -- Zoe will enter him in some shows and he will breed some mares. He's settling in nicely -- his life has changed a lot from Georgia !! but he's learning his new routines and dealing with a lot of mares calling to him. So far, Mister Dancer has only visited with a phantom for collection. So he is trained for that -- if any of you breeders are interested in introducing his bloodline into your program !! Splash Dancer was bred by Lisa Wytiaz at her sporthorse farm and is out of BCF Spartacular Splashes (by Spartacus) and BCF Sparkling Sherry (by Spartacus).

quite a lovely man... plus that perfect pinto coloring is defintely in his favor -- not too much white - just enough. He has a gorgeous foal in Georgia... BCF Spontaneous Combustion.

He's a perfect blend of sweet boy and clown -- with a nice personality all of his own. I can tell he misses Lisa but is curious about his new home and life. Splash Dancer has excellent manners - he's a blast to ride.. floaty and comfy. He's nervous still about the pot bellied pigs.... and they tease him terribly .. brats.

Both Zoe and I rode him the first day out.. This week was his first time down to the big ring.... that was a long distracting trip for him at first with mares on either side wanting to visit and chat. Zoe has great plans for him and is excited about taking him to some shows. This summer I think we will concentrate on getting him off the farm and pleasantly relaxed at shows with some intro classes.

Elektra and Zoe are moving up to training level this summer and practicing a few tests in the next levels for fun. In her 'spare time' Zoe has been working with Elektra to do flying lead changes.. very cool !!

We have had a bit of trouble with saddle fit... so for the last few months Elektra has been riding out with Zoe in the Cashel soft saddle.. works great on the trail and the in the ring-- We did finally figure out a good fit with Elektra and Zoe's saddle.. now the saddle is staying where it belongs... and not a single broken hair.

A very windy day -- a saddle which is basically a piece of foam with stirrups... Elektra learning a new speedy skill and feeling a tad bit racy about it .. not bad ! :) Pretty good job Zoe ~

Now.. I have posted most of May.. time to get with the program and announce some of June's news !

Enjoy ~