up on a small farm in what once was a rural town, Rehoboth, MA. We moved there from
Providence, RI when I was 3 so that my mom could have horses and live in the country.
We didn’t know anything about horses but my mom’s sister had two and whenever we
got the chance we would go visit Aunt Liz and go riding.
We dabbled in farm animals first and eventually purchased a shetland pony named
Acorn who came with a rope bridle, a small saddle and a stake to tie him to!
As is the case with most ponies, Acorn was a holy terror. If he could have spoken, Im
sure he would have a few choice words about my sisters and I as well.
We spent every waking moment with that pony, totally unsupervised, attempting many
ridiculous and often unsafe feats.
It was a minor miracle if we could canter him 50 feet without being hurled over his head.
It is impossible to count how many times we fell, usually numerous times every day. We
didn’t mind. At that age I’m sure we bounced! We would dust ourselves off, climb back
on and attempt the impossible 50 feet again.
Next my Mom got a big old morgan named Tango who was the love of her life, after my
dad of course! We would ride all over town and would often be gone most of the day. I
didn’t really start taking formal lessons until I was 6 or 7, and then I usually rode school
horses so in my mind this was different than the riding I was doing at home.
After Acorn & Tango came a slew of ponies and horses in various shapes and sizes. In
addition we had sheep and chickens. We learned quickly, we had a great assortment of
teachers, most with four legs!
I learned that I love all the things that go along with caring for the animals almost as
much as I love riding them…most days!
We learned to roll with the setbacks, they are inevitable. This is true in the work with the
horses as well as the farm.
About a year ago, my husband and I finally found the perfect spot to start our little farm.
It didn’t have a barn so that was the first hurdle…it didn’t have fencing…but we figured
that with some hard work and some patience we could make it a pretty great place!
Six months into the process, I’m usually still feeling pretty good about the decision.
I wouldn’t trade the move here for anything. I do get frustrated with the details as we try
to continue with daily life while we brush hog, clear land, fence, fix fences, etc.
This past month has been one of the rainiest Junes I can remember. Our property is a
bit on the, ahem, damp side. I don’t have a ring yet so Im riding in the flat field beyond
the horse paddocks. The dry, good footing that was getting more plentiful in mid May
has been receeding again as the bog creeps back into the field. I am left with enough
room for a 30-40 meter oval of varying sizes on a slightly lumpy slope. It’s not ideal…but
I do have a spot to ride.
I moved my event horse Oskar home yesterday. He had been at an indoor this winter so
he could stay in work and had stayed there this spring while I tried to figure out what
exactly the riding situation here would be.
He was a little pumped when I got on him this am and as I hacked him up the road to
the field, I debated whether I should just take him for a hack instead of attempting the
lumpy, bumpy oval.
Long story short, I did ride in the field. As soon as I trotted I felt something different, in a
good way! I could immediately feel his back come up and I could feel exactly what I had
to do to keep him soft, round and balanced. Yes, he stumbled on the bumps and yes, I
had to do some awkward manouvering to avoid the mucky spots but for the first time in
a long time I really just sat down and rode him without over thinking every step.
Sometimes I think we all get preoccupied with perfect footing. Most of the riding that lots
of us do these days is in rings. Yes, putting in a ring is high on my priority list but this
morning I was reminded that I can work with the tools I am given and it is up to me to
figure out how to make what I have do the job for me!
I grew up riding in open spaces, though fields and woods, up and down hills. This is
where I am most comfortable and ride to the best of my ability. This is why I love cross
country! I know I will sometimes be cursing my mucky field but at the moment, I am
happy that it reminded me of my roots and of the basic, instinctual riding that all of the
rest of my learning rests on.
One Response to “Making The Most of It”
ellen defrancesco
Great story! I too feel the same way about riding in open spaces. I have boarded my horse at quite a few places, one of them at the base of Sleeping Giant Mountain, Hamden, CT , No Ring. Just large, rough field to work in. Although I won’t trade it for a great indoor in the winter.