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 ~

The Gathering

Finally - it's lilac time.. I've been talking about them for some weeks now... just about open here with a fairly warm and beautiful spring time in Vermont.


And anyone who reads my blog with regularity knows what these lilacs represent -- my Dad's birthday, Mother's Day and my birthday too !! (along with a bunch of my very good friends also extra special May babies). What a great month !! :)

I used to be a big Highlander fan, in the movie the Gathering was the reunion of the last few... but on Saturday May 8th... we all attended a Gathering of a different kind and it was not only of a few - but many.

Everyone headed to my home state ~ Rhode Island ~ for a party for my Dad and Grampa to a horde, Great Grampa to even more !



When I was quite young, I was a follower of Charlie Brown comic strips and saved nearly every one. In one - Charlie Brown was quoted as saying -- You can't go home again... Too young to grasp this concept, I asked my dad who tried his best to explain but I did not truly understand until I matured.... So that home -- It’s definitely a part of me. Much of what or who I am has been shaped by that place. But, I’ve changed a lot since then. I don't get home sick much - as my home is in Vermont where my new nest clings steadfastly to its cozy perch... but this birthday Gathering was a perfect visit and a great moment. Old homes can be re-visited and enjoyed.. from a new perspective everytime you alight there.

The weather was perfection... the get together was held at my younger brother's house in Portsmouth. Even though my Dad was the central star of the day -- I was thrilled to experience the opportunity to have all my own children and grand-children assembled in one location for the day !

Two cuties - Olivia and Molly telling my son Nick something important.

All 5 sons and my daughter were present with their children -- an equal number of 5 boys and 5 girls !!

The newest grand-child (great grand-child for my Dad) is Caliope.. a chubby little bird always chirping for her nourishment. Surely she will live up to her name and make lots of music in her lifetime.

Caliope's older sister Beylah who is an adorable young woman who knows everything !

I did not snap many photo's of the boys -- they were off running and hiding and exploring... Patrick and Kyle -- two brothers who are like Lewis and Clark... ever on an expedition... Jebediah- off with the boys -- he has the tough job of being older brother to two sisters, Olivia and Molly. Owen also is the older brother of two sisters (Beylah and Caliope) .... Zoe's children.. Rena and Dominic.

Number 1 son, Number 4 son (number 5 child) and Number 2 son along the back row.

Kids will always gather 'round when it's present opening time.

it's time for the big family portrait -- gather up everyone !

We all returned to the scene the following morning for my brother's famous Mickey Mouse waffles... one batch gluten free for those of us who are intolerant :)

Before everyone left .. I snapped these of my sister and two of her daughters with my Dad.

A Gathering to remember for sure.

And unlike Stevie Winwood and Eric Clapton -- I can always find my way home :) ~ as we all know it rests in our hearts.

Now -- back in Vermont.. it's time to don my work harness as usual -- get some spring time chores done, Attack my to do list and get to riding ! There is lease pasture fence to mend... horses to move out to pasture, and don't forget -- the many tasks on the RAC May mini contest to attend to with my new mount Fiona --

Enjoy ~

Tributes, Passages and Challenges

May is traditionally a 'mini-contest' month for the Ride-A-Curly . In past years it has been obstacle month (one of my favorites). The founder and organizer of this super group of Curly riders announced the spring challenge would be something new and different. None of were made aware of any details, but we all had to choose our mounts and sign on ahead of time... making that big leap of faith so to speak. A few of us attempted to sneak in some questions hoping for some advance clue of expectations.... Denise's mouth was zipped up tight.

I originally signed on to 'perform' with my sweet Keri -- but as April progressed, I had second thoughts about using Keri. I knew at the very least this little contest was going to entail growth and bonding... (just a feeling I had) -- and I felt a bit as though going through the paces with Keri would be almost cheating in that department.

My sweet Keri lately has been struggling with the intense pace of most of our trips. We cover a lot of ground and only have certain time frames to complete our trips. Sometimes, this year, she's not fast enough. We are so much alike - Keri and I -- two post menopausal crones riding through life with foggy brain cells and sagging bodies :) She's carried me through imbalance and accompanied me through much healing. Photo of us above is quite an old one... I have not ridden in that grey saddle in a LONG time !

I have been saying and planning for years -- 2 years anyway -- I need to start her replacement ... EEEEKS. Every time, I would say -- OK tomorrow I am going to ride Luna (her daughter) or Fiona .. but I LOVE Keri. This challenge came at just the right time for me ... to kickstart me out of my comfortable Keri box.

at the very LAST minute I made the choice to use OYY Fiona as my contest mount and learn to bond with her as we ride and complete the many tasks on the challenge list. Fiona was expressly bred for a possible replacement for Keri. She is out of our Chip - and a wonderful very much loved mare Teena - who the entire family rode and had fun with. We all loved Teena, she was absolutely a member of the family... and Fiona is a curly replica. She will be a lesson horse someday also - but this year, she still seems a bit immature for the demands of therapeutic lessons. She's had some training (minimal as she was never for sale) and she has been out on the road a few times. I had myself pretty well worked up (YES... like all of us -- I have anxieties about my safety.. .) -- am I going to love her ? Is she going to be good to me ? How much am I going to miss Keri ? Is this going to be a chore or a delight ? BIG SIGH... I'm committed.. I already signed on for this.. it's going to be fine :)

First things first ~ the day the challenge begins... Keri and I and Zoe and Teasel take a trot up and over Mount Ephraim. My last big ride on a horse that is not green and is an extension of myself-- our main reason for trotting this particular trail is to check it out for suitability for a trot with Nimue -- Queen of Carts. The beginning section of trail is pretty well washed out with a cobblestone effect - so we may have to walk behind the cart for a mile or so.. but for the most part, the trail is passable by cart and pony.


And look at this !! Leafy trail ! :) It's changing... We descend down into Dutton District and get on paved road for a bit -- where the views are beautiful. On this side of town, the apple blossoms are in full bloom (they are not out yet on my side of the mountain)-- and I said to Zoe.. wouldn't it be great if we could get that wonderful apple blossom aroma on video ? Yummy.

This padlocked gate will pose a small problem.. we'll have to un-hitch Nimue and drag the cart through somehow -- then re-hitch and go :) But -- we are determined !

I love this barn. Great cupola !

Plenty of views

Look closely, you will see those windmills in Lempster, NH.

Keri and Teasel canter up Grover Road together. :) Am I going to miss this once I start riding Fiona ?

At the end of Grover Road - we get on the trail I am really anticipating with the cart -- this is going to be SO much FUN !! :)








A refreshing trot through the woods --- is it possible to ever replace this feeling created by me and Keri together with another horse ? eeeeeeks...

BUT - I arrive back at the farm and before I change out of my riding clothes- I grab Fiona to give her my first try... a deep breath for me ... camera for Zoe -- I am mounting my new horse of the month and going for it. My first goal is the big ring and the figure 8's. Fiona has never done a figure 8-- she's not particularly well schooled in ring work .. She serpentines down the driveway (you know how green horses won't travel in a straight line ? ) Enters the ring and I can feel her hesitation and I know a lot of it is coming from me as well. Looking at this photo - I think I am feeling too serious... this is supposed to be fun . Fiona looks beautiful here though --

I give myself a big girl scolding.... and as we warm up - I'm loving the way the saddle fits Fee.. and she's listening to my leg (pretty well) .. On the bottom half of the 8.. she does try to dash out the gate. :) Typically little girl green horse stuff.

As I canter up the driveway.. I am breathing normally and feeling well rooted into the saddle and the horse :) and although I am not completely immersed in this new mount as mine -- I am OK with it. I do love Fiona, and she's a great ride- it's my baggage of CHANGE and TRANSITION.

Sunday morning, Zoe and I ride the 6 mile loop - this will be Fiona's 5 miles (one of the tasks on the challenge list) . Poor thing- she gave it her all but the day woke up already hot and humid and she was tired for the last mile for sure. I don't know how to document a 5 mile ride on video (hey.. I love earning points ) The first mile she had to look around at everything -- trot, stop, trot, stop... I learned just how much I could push her and by mid-trip I was using the crop rather freely with a tappity tap. (wow is she her mother or what ? ) We had some nice canters.. I encouraged her to walk out without having to break into a trot. That was a bit tricky for her. Zoe was astride the "T" man .. and half way out - Fiona and he were trotting and walking aside each other -- that's great .. they'll make super trotting partners. Did I miss Keri -- surprisingly NO.. yikes I should feel guilty about that. Just abandon my wonderful mare because of her age and limitations.. what will I do when I have to experience that ? When I get left behind because I am too old ?

3/4 of the way into the journey, we try the brook. It's quite a steep incline from the road down to the brook and Fiona was a champ-- sitting right down on her butt and bracing carefully. She has never been on a brook walk before.

Here's where I begin to really feel Fiona as mine... what a good girl ! :)

I am feeling so proud of her, I don't have time to feel any nervousness. She hesitates but listens to my asking. And as we stroll down the opposite end -- eureka... we find deep water !! I intend to bring Fiona over to the river crossing that we just did with Keri and Elektra -- but that's a LONG trip for her -- so not sure she'll be in shape by the end of May for that. What a fortunate discovery.. a bit of deep water close to home :) We go back and forth through the deep water several times. Teasel takes a turn after his photo duty -- refreshing after a hot trot. :)

So all in all -- this has been quite a journey.. a swift 2 day break loose from habit.. establishing a new mount for me !! Would I have ever switched off... tried a new mount ? Stepped out of my comfortable Keri box ? without this little RAC challenge.. I'd like to think I am mature and brave enough ... but I so love Keri -- and do have insecurities about my safety .... in all honesty.. it would not have happened so quickly without the MAY contest. I feel so successful and accomplished... I am proud of Fiona and -- bashfully proud of myself. :) The real crux of the issue is .. habits and patterns - grabbing the easy first.. and the BIG emotional piece of riding someone other than Keri. With my beginning passage into the elderly years... I struggle with those issues as well... can you teach an old dog new tricks ??

Finally -- And like the Pointer Sisters -- " I'm so excited and I just can't hide it " Isn't it so great when we surprise ourselves with our capabilities and meet a new goal ? Thank you Denise -- and don't forget my gift of a daughter who is always supporting and encouraging me too.. who does not have a clue what it is like to reach 60 years of age (soon anyway) and still put aside your worries AND carries the camera and records my new baby steps. :)

here's "Fee" and me... you'll see more of us this month... challenge month, my birthday month -- wow .. still learning, still changing... passaging through life - now with a new friend :) Even at my age - I can still learn to fly :)

Enjoy ~