Exciting times at the farm

What a lot of exciting things are happening at Pony Farm, Horse Power, Stepping Stone Lodge and our new Touchstone Farm!!!! Hearing from so many people from across the country is a daily thrill. I keep smiling and being so excited about all the fun and good energy. Thank you for your interest and lovely emails. Keep them coming!!!

As I stroll around the farm, the activities just beg for picture taking. I hope you enjoy these pictures of why I love this little piece of land. Seeing the ponies plowing the gardens with Dave, our “Driving Guy”, and Chris, our Farm Manager made my day. Having the Colonial Garden by the Homestead, the sweet corn garden, the herb and the salad garden all getting prepared to plant was a treat. We will soon get the rich compost from the company which provides the containers for all our manure. My dream has been to have all of our gardens chemical and fertilizer free…and this is the year we have finally accomplished this. Our goal is has been have organic fresh salad, herbs and vegetables for camp and visiting groups until late fall. I am delighted to report that this will happen in 2011.

I also adore seeing the Horse Power and Touchstone lesson students and teachers enjoying riding in the rings and down the dirt roads. Seeing their faces and big grins warms my heart. The ponies and horses are shedding out and getting fit. The rings are now all raked and smooth, while the grass is green and lush. The newly painted jumps are a lovely back drop to it all. The horse show programs are being made for our summer shows on July 2^nd and 23^rd. As you can imagine, it is a busy but productive time at the farm.

Along with the gardens, new ideas are being planted as well. The summer Touchstone lesson program is ready to be in full swing, allowing our students to ride with us year around. Sarah, our Head Trainer, will be available to not only provide lessons but to take those who wish to compete to local shows. We are excited to re-enter the horse events in our equine community. We are eager to get out there and showcase our wonderful horses and riders.

We are also starting to offer Birthday Parties beginning in June. We have created a ‘birthday party haven’ down at the Cottage. We will be letting folks know more about this on the website but for those of you who are local, do consider hosting your child’s birthday party with us, complete with pony rides, piñatas, pictures, farm animals, and arts & crafts.

The major thing we are gearing up for is Pony Farm summer camp. Becky and Carrie will be joining me in co-directing the summer fun of camp. The lodge, horses, staff and facilities are ready to greet our campers from all over the world. This will be our 40^th Anniversary so we are planning on making this summer a true banner year. A big celebration is being planned for SATURDAY JULY 16^TH, beginning at 3PM and ending at 8PM. We will have riding demos, carriage rides, music,. Speeches and awards, a raffle, and lovely food. It will be our thank you to our farm friends, local business people, as well as alumnae. We want to truly celebrate our 40 years of fun and friendship. We hope you will mark your calendar now and join us.

Finally, we want to publicly thank all those who attended our Strategic Planning Retreat this past weekend. It was a most productive work session which included such good planning for the future of the farm. Over 20 people, each representing a different section of the farm, came to give of their wisdom, experience and input for the future. Ed Tomey, our consultant, designed a rigorous and most helpful agenda, allowing ample input from all participants. The plan incorporating all the input will come together over the next weeks, and will then be posted on the website. We are proud of the direction in which we are moving. Great change is coming as we marry Horse Power and Pony Farm into Touchstone Farm, while fulfilling our mandate with the money to fuel the mission. It was a joyous and most helpful process.

I end as I began by expressing my most heartfelt gratitude to all of you. Thank you for loving this farm and being a part of the past, present and future. Do not be a stranger to us. The welcome mat is always out for YOU. Something exciting and interesting is happening all the time. Come and be a part of Touchstone Farm as it grows!

Most Warmly,

Isabella (Boo) Martin

The Birth of Touchstone Farm!!!!!

It is with immense joy in my heart and a huge smile on my face that I write this blog. After diligent work and tremendous effort over the past year, we have combined the business entities of Horse Power and Pony Farm under a new non-profit called Touchstone Farm. Combining our two separate but intimately intertwined businesses under one entity makes terrific sense as we move forward into the next generation on the farm, and ensure that our outstanding programs can continue to grow and thrive under a consolidated organization. The new website www.touchstone-farm.org will be online shortly.

I cannot begin to thank the hundreds of people who deeply believed in this farm, its mission and its future. I will be forever filled with gratitude for the hours and hours of work that have been so generously given to get us here to the official launch of Touchstone Farm this January 1st 2011. We have been on a most exciting and challenging journey together.

At the expense of sounding like I am making a speech at the Oscars, I really want to focus in and especially thank four people who have truly made this launch possible. It is a fact that without all of them, we would not be here with the future shining bright and exciting.

The first of these amazing people is Trish Twining, our Pony Farm Advisory Council President, who stepped up into the void filled by my serious illness and hospitalization, not once but twice, with asthma. Using her amazing people skills, business acumen and good old common sense, Trish has lead the parade through the tough spring months during which time the economy was tanking and I was still unable to take a deep breathe. Under her fabulous leadership, we now come to the launch of Touchstone with a happy staff, a balanced budget, all bills paid, a herd of well cared for and nicely trained horses, and a facility which has received a terrific face lift. Words can never adequately convey what Trish has bought to our midst, week in and week out.

The next amazing person is Harry Healer, a board member, long time camp parent, and eternally wonderful human being. Harry not only attended planning meeting after meeting, but he lead the way in being the key donor in a major fundraising campaign to launch Touchstone Farm. Thanks to the massive donation given by Harry and his wife, Cynthia, other donors gained confidence to follow suit. This matching grant eventually helped us to raise over $200,000 for Touchstone. This is a miracle in today’s economy, and proves the strength of the human spirit and what teamwork can accomplish!

The next amazing person that helped make all of this happen in the correct, legal order is Jim Callahan, Esq. of Bowditch and Dewey Law Firm in Peterborough. Using common sense, sound thinking and good legal training, Jim helped us to unravel the complexities of trying to operate three businesses side by side on the same piece of property. Thanks to him and Jeff Crocker, the new lawyer representing Touchstone Farm, we are on our way to transparency, solid fiscal management and solid business planning.

Finally, I extend my most sincere and heartfelt thanks to Nancy Cook, the current Touchstone Board President. Nancy has been ‘there’ since the beginning of the farm, buying and selling horses to my family, serving as one of the founding instructors for Horse Power (as a volunteer of course!), helping start the Horse Power Instructor Training School (as a volunteer of course!) and now as our fearless leader as we move into Touchstone Farm. Her sense of humor, commitment to what is right and good, as well as her vast expertise in children and disabilities, makes her the ideal first President of the Touchstone Board.

With these people in the lead, we can not help but to continue to succeed as we celebrate our first year of Touchstone and our 40th year of the farm itself. We invite you to join us at any point along the way. As we celebrate the rich history of our past, going back to 1754, and we look forward to our exciting future, we hope you are part of our story, part of our farm family and part of our future. A warm welcome awaits you here at the brand new Touchstone Farm!

Please Save the Date for the Pony Farm 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Wellesley College Club in Wellesley, Ma. on March 19th. Details to follow shortly!!! We will be hosting a similar celebration for our metro New York campers and alumni this fall. Stay tuned....

Fondly,

Boo

Wednesday July 28th, 2010

Dearest Moms and Dads, and all Other Pony Farm Favorites,

Welcome to my first Blog of Session Four. I was sooooo very sad not to be with you to greet you on Opening Day of this session. With so many returning families, I was just plain dying to be there with you to catch up. I also love to see how grown up the girls have gotten over a year. Camp remains my most favorite time of the year. I hate to miss even one minute of it….But, I really did need to be in the ICU for my breathing. They are trying hard to let my asthma and airways relax after so much exposure to horses, kids, dust, hay, and this muggy, heavy weather. I felt like the boy in the glass bubble, looking longingly out into the sunshine and wanting to ‘go play’ with my kids and friends!

However, I am much better…and my spirits are great. I get all the news of camp, and who is riding in which group and on what horse, so I am not yet in withdrawal. The entire staff report what a great group of kids this is….the horse matches and group placement went like a piece of clockwork, thanks to your good paperwork, and us knowing so many of the kids ahead of time. We only have four new kids in this session, and two of them are from the same family…So, with good care, the groups happened easily and everyone says she is happily being challenged without over doing it. So that is music to my ears!!!

I must also say that we have such a great group of staff this year…What a difference when they are all really excited to be here and watch ‘their’ kids succeed. It makes an old camp director’s heart happy! Another unexpected perk is that we have lovely horses from all over the country. This was really the year to get out there and be pro-active. We have gotten such lovely mounts for your kids that it is a pleasure to watch them go around the ring or get lead out to the field. I guess I will be forever a ‘horse lover’…a beautiful, shiny, fit horse with a beautiful, healthy girl just makes my whole being happy! I get the pleasure and luxury of seeing this every single day, even if just by my window!

Tomorrow, I am venturing down to Boston to Brigham and Women’s Hospital to finally get a real set of experts. It is my birthday so I hope I get great news that I can venture out and play with your kids again….and NOW!!!! Enough of this” in the house” stuff….

However, regardless of what happens, I will see you on Saturday July 31st. It is supposed to be a glorious day filled with a cool breeze and a nice sunny day without too much heat. In short, perfect summer riding weather. I am most excited to tell you about this event as it has been in the works since last winter.


As we all know, there are many house and garden tours available in many towns. Each garden or house gets showcased for its special features. Well, our Temple Historical Society decided to do the same thing, but for the barns in our town, of which there are sadly very few still doing any kind of production or animal husbandry. As we all know, we are working to bring back the local produce and re-instill the values of the family farm. This is what this group of townsfolk wanted to do by honoring the existing barns.

They have met dutifully and scoped out 9 barns, our barn being the oldest as it was built in 1754. They have also found several barns that are brand new which are using green technology such as wind power. It will be a diverse group and is designed to raise money for more Temple Historical Projects such as refurbishing our old One Room School House! As you might imagine, I jumped all over this idea.

We were the first barn to sign up and we are so excited. The staff has been working for several months to upgrade a lot of our barn facilities and to organize the equipment. I hope you noticed our efforts on Opening Day! We certainly are taking better care of the horses and doing a better job of training and teaching, due to good solid organization of the facilities!!! All this is to benefit your kids, of course…There is always room for improvement in my book and in my barn! We have taken this event as a catalyst to do just this kind of organizing.

So…here is the scoop for you if you would like to come yourself. First, there will be a lecture at the historic center of Temple beginning at 10AM. Feel free to attend should you be a history buff and want to learn more about barns and their coming into fashion. However, meanwhile, back at camp, we will be getting ready for a full day of riding fun and exhibition. All the girls will be participating in the day’s events….Here is how it will work for them…and hopefully for you.

The morning will be like a Parents’ Exhibition Demonstration…with a good solid riding lesson, with some warm ups over jumps for groups that are ready to do that .Each riding group will be ready to be in the ring about 10AM and will ride for you and any spectators. One of the counselors from each group will speak to you and other visitors as to what we are working on in terms of skill building and progression. For riding parents, they can see what the kids have been learning…but, we also love to really help the non-riding parents and guests because we feel that the kids really do learn a huge amount of riding skill while they are with us, not only on the horse but off the horse as well .We are proud of this progress and like to showcase it when we can. If you want to come see this, plan on being here at 10AM….This part will go on until about 11:15AM, when they will go to their “Specialties”…meaning things that are not usually done in more traditional riding programs. These specialties include things like driving the miniature horses, Vaulting or Gymnastics on horseback, Games on horseback, Pair and Team Jumping, Jousting and jumping a course of jumps. For these specialties, the campers themselves will select which one they most want to do, and then start practicing that special skill tomorrow. It should be a fun and different display of riding skills and abilities.

Lunch will then take place between 12:30 and 1:30PM up on the long front porch of the lodge. We will have it nicely decorated so it is a pleasant place to dine while looking out over the gardens and the fields. You are welcome to bring your own picnic or purchase an old fashioned lunch box lunch from the Ladies’ Aid, at a reasonable cost of course. Those old gals sure know how to put on a spread! We will provide bag lunches for your kids so worry not about them and bringing food for refrigeration, etc.

During lunch we will offer pony rides for the town’s kids….and also a Parade of the Farm Animals…Let’s hope they all behave and stay in their halters and out of the lunch boxes! This should add a farm-y touch to the whole day….

Following lunch, the kids will mount up again and begin an actual “in house” competition that will continue on for the rest of their stay…It is our version of Pony Farm Olympics, which they have renamed “Battle of the Boy Bands” so that they can include music in each of the many events. Each team will be made up of one rider from each riding group, who will garner points for her team. The events will include Gymkhana Games, Trail Class, Jumper Courses, the High Jump, and Gambler’s Choice for this afternoon. All the points gathered will then go to the various teams. Other events coming up that will be included at other times during her stay will be tack cleaning, stable management, Counselor Quest, Personal Scavenger Hunt, Lip-synch, Casino Night, a Know Down of Horse facts, Hunter Pace and Talent Show….so, this is a theme that will carry on throughout the whole week, with the official Kick Off being the afternoon of the barn tour!!!

We hope that you might enjoy joining us for this fun day….the other eight barns are very interesting as well. We happen to think that we have the most fun activities taking place, but you can be the judge of that!!!

Should you want to come for lunch and then see just the afternoon activities, that is fine too. You would be most welcome to take your daughter out for ice cream or for dinner following the Barn Tour. The only two things that we ask is that you let us know you have her and when you expect to return….and that she surely finishes her part of barn chores on Saturday afternoon before she leaves. It is pretty hard on the ones who get left behind to do all the work alone….We try to make this fair all around. You are also welcome to take out a special camp friend, too, as long as we have the OK from the parents in our paperwork that she is allowed to leave camp with another family. Kris and Becky have all of that at their fingertips.

Following the Barn Tour, we will have a relaxing day for all kids and horses. The campers get a ‘day off’ from barn chores…We will swim, sleep in a little late, clean up rooms, gather laundry, and plan our exciting next week. We have so many fun things to do that it is hard to fit them all into two weeks…..We will also play with the small farm animals, pick our garden salad out of our home grown gardens for Sunday night dinner, swim like made, do arts and crafts and crafts with a lot of just good old chatting….and then have Talent Show under the stars….Can you see why I think I am the luckiest person in the whole world!!!!

I hope I have answered your questions and let you know just how much I missed seeing you on Opening Day….I will be back ‘in the saddle’ soon. I have great confidence in this Boston Doctor tomorrow and hope to get great news….I will let you know the results…In the meantime, thank you sooooo much for your many kind words. So many of you have sent me good wishes for health and healing….Together, it is going to happen and NOW!!!!

Thank you and don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions. I am probably the one that can answer them the easiest as I have been involved in the Barn Tour event the longest.

Until then, have a great day. Stay well and know that your kiddos are having a blast, getting their nails dirty and not caring how their hair looks….just how we want them at this age.

Most fondly,

Boo

Tuesday July 27th, 2010

Dearest Session Three Kiddos and Parents,

I am still sooooo sad not to have been able to say good bye to you all and to be with you for everything from swimming with the horses, to the Candlelight, to the Parents’ Exhibition. Camp is soooo much my favorite time of the year that I hate to miss any of it…especially the show and all the fun night time activities. Please know that if I could have been with you, I would have been.

I try not to focus on my asthma, but it is a major piece of my life in the last 20 years. What seems so mean is that I am allergic to all the things I most love….animals, hay, horses, dust, dogs and kids straight out of the barn after hugging their pony! Most of the time, I keep it under pretty good control due to lots of medicine. However, there are times when the weather and the circumstances just conspire against me….That week of really humid weather, when they cut the hay across the street from my Cottage, and the lack of rain which produced a lot of dust, to just plain being in the barns and at the lodge, all built up to ‘get me’. I had hoped tha,t if I was ‘good’ and stayed in my asthma free, air filtered house, that I could at least see you for the horse show….Sadly, as you know, even that was not possible. I did get to see all the glorious pictures though…You looked terrific.

Please don’t feel badly for me as my spirits are great….I am not a woman to ‘get down in the dumps’. I know I will get better and be back to enjoy camp with you very soon. I am excited that I am about to go to a world famous asthma doctor in Boston this Thursday….I know he will make me better. He has done it before and he will do it again…so, fear NOT, for you have not seen the last of me yet!

Besides, how can I be sad when I get this writing from one of you during Good Night Circle!!!!???? With words like this circulating around in my head, rest assured I feel better….Thank you, “Spidey” for writing so eloquently. I love you! (PS…She did give me permission to share her words with you!)

“Wake up to the smell of horses in the morning.

Grab my boots, I’m out the door.

I’m gonna hit this farm.

Before I leave, I coat myself with some fly spray and block

‘cause when I leave for the day, I ain’t a’comin’ back till Rest Hour!

I’m talking horse steppin’ on my toes, toes,

Tryin’ on ridin’ clothes,

Flies going up my nose, nose….

Ridin’ all those cutest of ponies

Never lettin’ out those groanies

Sometimes, I’m a little bit STINKY!

Don’t stop, never drop

Ride the ponies to the top

Let’s play, in the hay, every night and every day.

Havin’ fun in the sun, Hope this camp is never done.

Ain’t got a care in the world, but got plenty of friends

Got no worries on my shoulders

I hope this camp never ends.

Now the ponies are lining up ‘cause they hear we got treats

But we are turnin’ ‘em away if they step on our feet.

I’m talkin’ ponies, getting cute, cute

If they’re soar, we give ‘em bute, bute

Shining my own boots, boots.

We ride until we get real soar, soar

Pony Farm, Galore, galore

Pony Farm, Galore, galore

You put up the jump

I don’t knock it down

My heart starts a’ poundin’ when I jump it.

With my reins up

Put your reins, put your reins up!!!!

Isn’t that quite a poem or saga of life at camp. Those words encompass all of what I love about Pony Farm…the freedom, the fun, the energy, the right amount of risk, the safety, the ‘no worries on my shoulders’….I think Spidey did an amazing job!

So, I do hope the rest of your summer slides smoothly, happily and healthfully by. Please know that I am thinking of you with a great big old smile on my face. I loved our time together but only wish I could have been with you more.

Do watch our website as we will be announcing lots of fun family and camp kinds of events coming up this fall and winter. We have big plans for lots of good times….We are just now working on creating a new website…so, stay on the look out for all our news, as there will be plenty of it coming down the pike.

Please do stay in touch and know how much you are loved at Pony Farm. Hurry up and come visit…Better, yet book a family or friend weekend at the lodge. Becky, Kris and I are really trying to increase the off season use of the lodge for birthdays, slumber parties, family reunions, anniversaries or other special occasions. Get a gang of your camp friends together and come ride for the weekend…. Think of us as you start planning for that special family event. We have just the right place to welcome you!

Happy Trails to you that come with all sorts of love and hugs. Thanks again for choosing to spend part of your summer at Pony Farm. We hope we met our promise of making this the best two weeks of your year.

Tons of love and hugs and smiles,
Boo & Oscar & Martin!!!!

Wednesday July 21st, 2010

Dearest Pony Farm Families, One and All!!!!

Top of the morning to you, on this most beautiful day. I am sitting here getting ready to go to camp to greet all your precious ones, watching the birds flitting around deciding what seed is going to be their breakfast this morning…while I watch Bravo, our big Belgian, wander around my lawn, doing a good job at being a lawn mower….a riding one at that! I swear he gets lonesome for company and just wiggles the fence enough to get out and go a’visitin’ He never goes in the road or does anything bad except wait for the kids to come down for morning hug. It is getting to be quite a routine for him now….one that suits me just fine….a cup of coffee, the sun peeking out over the hill side, my dogs at my feet and a horse poking his nose in my door. What a way to start the day!!!! I am the most blessed of people….thanks to having your daughters to enjoy…and enjoy them we are!

I believe my last blog to you was all about the horse show on Saturday, the fun things we did together on Sunday, and the plans for the Family Exhibition on pick-up day…So, I will now begin with our day on Monday and go from there. I do hope you enjoy these blogs and seeing what we do at camp with your kids…..Do let me know if any one of you out there is actually reading this! Also, let me know if this is what you would like to read…or should it be more factual and shorter???? Kris always tells me that I go on toooo long but I love recounting all that we do here at Pony Farm….so what do you think???? Fun, helpful or too detailed????

Monday dawned a little gray with predictions of isolated but pretty heavy thunderstorm activities. So, we kept all the activities close to home in case of lightening. We did lessons on Monday morning because we made several horse switches due to the horse show….some wanted more of a challenge…some wanted to get an easier horse to learn to jump higher….we also moved a couple of groups around to even out the numbers…all in all, it is always good to re-group once all the staff is on and organized. Lessons went well, and then the kids came up for lunch to sign up for afternoon activities….Here is where the fun begins…Their choices were Team Jumping, Catch Riding, Swimming and small animals, Gymnastic/Grid Jumping, Bareback, two trail rides, finishing up Arts and Crafts started on Sunday, Greenies (the lesser experienced horses, ridden by the more experienced kids), and Vaulting or Gymnastics on the moving horse. The only hard part for the kids was that they wanted to do all the activities!!!

In the end, they did choose one…and off they went for a glorious afternoon of fun and easy living…That night, they played one of their favorite games “Counselor Quest”. The counselors all get assigned a certain number of points which relate to how long they have been here…thus they know the best and hardest spots to hide so no one finds them!!!! This game goes on until all counselors are caught and everyone troops back to the lodge for our Good Night Candlelight Circle….and sweet dreams of the next day…..

Tuesday was slated to be Gymkhana Day at PF…..The morning was all games done on the flat, meaning without any jumping. We had everything from bobbing for apples, sit a buck, ride a penny, musical stalls, relay races, soda burp relay, eat a marshmallow and whistle, string reins ( where the girls used yarn or thread to steer their mounts, obviously needing to rely heavily on their voice and seat to help control their horses)….others did Dizzy Bat, Sack Races, Barrel Racing and bareback relays….in short, each group had a ball….not one fall off, one tear or one pony jerked in the mouth….They were super about caring for their beloved four footed best friend.

Right after lunch, my Mom, all 88 years old, came to move the baby chicks to their new digs….A whole flock of children waited for her to arrive….and the Great Chicken Roundup got started. First, they had to catch the mother banty chickens who were fierce about guarding their babies…They had to have their wings clipped so they could not fly out of the new pen…Then, all the babies needed to be caught, gently of course, as they are so little. They almost look like bumble bees, all fluff and fuzz….Once all the moms accounted for their chicks, everyone quieted down and started pecking in the dirt and playing in the sunshine…The kids were thrilled. Mom was thrilled and the chicks were finally in a good safe and healthy place….Well done, ladies.

After a good lunch and rest hour, the afternoon of Gambler’s Choice began. Again, this is a real favorite. The kids and staff for each level build a course of jumps or obstacles that are of varying difficulty…some are spooky, some of easy, some are high and some are just funny looking. They then assign point values for each obstacle or jump, the harder ones obviously having the higher numbers….The kids then all went to tack up…We used four rings and doubled up the groups so they were jumping at about the right height for each level.

One by one, the girls each planned their course….They were given two minutes to complete as many jumps as possible, choosing their own line. The ones with the highest points were the winners….To my surprise and delight, they voted not to make it a competition with one winner….they just wanted to have fun and not worry about prizes….

We had no mishaps….no serious spooks on the part of the horses and all good planning on the part of the kids….So, the afternoon ended with glee and lots of good riding took place. It is one thing to look pretty on a horse….we aim to have them look nice while having an effective position that really can be used to ride the horse!!!

Dinner and an inside game took place last night with Becky and all Senior Staff in charge….I am happy to tell you that I was honored to be at my own parents’ 60th Anniversary Celebration Dinner…..With corsage and black tie…a photographer, champagne and the whole family gathered, we had a great time celebrating my most remarkable parents. It was fun to get dressed up and eat ‘grown up food”!

Today, we are going to do some more trail rides and some lessons so that we are ready to show you some cool stuff when you arrive on Saturday…..but this afternoon is when the fun ‘extras’ really begin as these are the specialties….Riding dressage, riding Western, driving the minis, Vaulting, learning to lunge and do natural horsemanship, to name just a few….I am dressed in my cowboy hat and boots to make the western thing fun….The driving equipment is all ready to roll, and we should be ready to give you a great demo on Saturday….

It is hard to believe that we only have a few more days with your girls…With Cascino Night of games tonight…swimming with the horses, an all day rid,e and more driving, it is going to fly by….The jury is still out on the Camping Trip….the weather is not being very cooperative…Having kids in tents under trees with ponies tied up on the mountain side when along comes a thunder and lightening storm does not conjure up a pretty picture in my mind’s eye! I bet you agree!!!! So…we will wait and see.

I hope you are having a great day….I also hope you are glad you sent your kiddo to Pony Farm. We are having a blast and wish this session would just go on and on,.

If I don’t get to write again, we will see you on Saturday between 9:30 and 10AM….we have a great show in the planning for you.,

Stay well and know that we are taking good care of your kiddo(s)!

Warmly, Boo

Horse Show Times for Third Session

Below is a list of times we are estimating your camper’s first class will start for the Horse Show on Saturday, July 17, 2010. These estimations are on the conservative side. We would rather have you here too early rather than miss some of the show.

9:00
• Olivia G
• Naomi K
• Lucy A
• Natalia K
• Alexandra N
• Svenja O
• Grace W
• Julia P
• Olivia D

9:15
• Mackenzie D
• Kortney A
• Katherine S
• Isabelle R

9:30
• Olivia M

10:00
• Sofia M

10:30
• Taylor B
• Nina R
• Kyra M
• Rachel F
• Mackenzie S
• Tara L
• Lia K
• Sophie K
• Ellie M

10:45
• Natalie B
• Shira H
• Sklyer L
• Kirsten M
• Madison G

11:00
• Emma S
• Emily S
• Anna D
• Clare D

11:30
• Becky O
• Jessie T
• Madie M
• Maggie R
• Adrianna M

12:00
• Nora M

Wednesday July 14th, 2010

Dearest Moms and Dads, and all other Pony Farm Friends & Families,

I am happily writing to say a great big hi from Pony Farm. Your ladies are all well and happily settled into their life here on the farm. It was a surprisingly smooth beginning, due in most part to the fact that you have bequeathed us great kiddos. It also helps to have so many who stayed over from last session….or who have returned again and again to camp. With us knowing their riding levels and hopes for their stay with us, it is a pleasant way to kick off the session. All the head teachers, Kris, I, and the riding staff, and kids feel like they are on the right horse or pony, and in the right group. The weather has nicely cooperated with it being cool and overcast. We did get a little rain today, just enough to help the gardens without making it sloppy in the rings. For those of you who were with us last year, you will surely remember that we had over 18 inches of rain to deal with during the first two sessions…that is no fun for man, woman, child or beasty! This year has felt like a piece of cake.

We did indeed do the Bag Skits, as promised, on that first full night of camp, Monday evening. They seemed particularly great this year. I love it when the kids actually plan ahead and bring some props with them to make the skits even more special. This seems like such a great way to get everyone ‘loosened up’ within their rooms, and then get them collaborating on doing something fun and frivolous in their lives…I am all about fun and frivolity….I think many of us are working so hard to make our stake in life, do a good job by our families, and help our kids ‘get and stay ahead’ that we sometimes forget the simpler things in life which really are just plain fun and silly. Trust me when I say that your girls were silly that night. Not one homesick tear was seen, and all tipped toed off to bed after riding twice and doing barn chores. For those used to sitting at desks, these are active days for sure!!!

Yesterday dawned lovely. I even snuck out of my little Cottage to take some early morning ‘misty’ pictures as the sun was peeking out over the tree line.. A deer was doing her last grazing on the far edge of the field in front of my house but she was too far away to get a good picture. She did help me remember how deeply blessed I am to be here on this farm, enjoying your children….and appreciating such a great staff who truly care about their young charges.

Speaking of wonderful staff, I am sincerely impressed by our core of teachers this year. They are eager riders. They begged me to go off and ride some of the newer camp horses and get them going a little more smoothly in preparation for the horse show instead of sitting on the couch watching bag skits…a much easier job! With their weekly staff lessons and lots of riding on their free time, the horses are coming along beautifully. It is such fun to watch the changes in muscles and development of necks & hindquarters as the horses get fitter and fitter. It is like a little miracle that unfolds for me each day.

Yesterday, the girls did the final ‘look see’ to make sure that they were correctly placed on the right mount and the right class. The teachers and assistants were divided up now into coaching groups so that everyone can begin preparing for the show. So far, it seems that all the girls want to show on Saturday. Each class had a lesson of real skill building. The coaches seemed pleased and began considering which divisions in which to place each rider. It is no mean feat to get 48 girls here on a Sunday afternoon, and have them dressed, pressed, clean and in the right classes….not tooo easy, not tooo hard within 5 riding days. So, they spend a lot of time speaking with the girls and getting it done right.

Sadly, I missed the afternoon activities yesterday due to a doctor’s appointment. Much to my dismay, my asthma is acting up again, despite all sorts of good doctors and medicines. I went for a check up and they found that I had a partially collapsed lung on one side and some pneumonia on the other…..Darn, this is not what I want to have happen. They swore to me that if I kept in my air filtered house for a day or two, it would blow over so I can be at the horse show…..Therefore, that is exactly what I am doing. I am in total touch by phone and email…..plus, camp is in super hands any way. I can really help organize the show and get all those details done for camp that I let go because I would much rather be with the kids and horses….So, I am already better with the antibiotics and should be rearin’ to go by show time or before. Please worry not about your daughter as she is in terrific hands and I am only a few yards away!!!

I did have to miss Personal Scavenger Hunt last night however….not much of a loss to me as I NEVER know any of the questions….The staff gathers up all questions about the newest “Hottie” movie star or singer…the best summer reading books or the latest TV diva. They then pose the questions in teams and whoever can run up the fastest gets to answer the question by singing, dancing or imitating the ‘star’ of the day….I fear that you, too, would not know the answers quickly enough either! It is a big hit and one most eagerly anticipated. Believe it or not, the staff spend time on their free time coming up with the questions or categories….Again, good clean fun under the stars.

This morning, despite moderate rain, Kris and crew decided that they should ride again and get ready to sign up for classes after the morning lesson. This afternoon, with thunder and lightening predicted, they are entering the classes by each group. Kris, Karen and Chelsea will check over the staff and kids’ picks and the entry blanks will officially go to get entered tomorrow. We should be able to send you the estimated time of your child/ren’s riding time so that you can plan your travel schedule accordingly. We do say this is our best guess as we never know how many to expect from other barns. We are generally pretty accurate. We also love having time to chat as we wait for classes.

Here are some show logistics for your info….The show itself starts at 9AM. We will have coffee and muffins for you…Your daughter will be all dressed and pressed to ride. The show goes on pretty much non- stop all day long. Please park in the Lodge and Homestead parking areas, preferably off the grass, so that the visiting trailers can park in the lower field. We expect that the show will wrap up mid- afternoon. Do not hesitate to bring a bathing suit and go for a dip…or use the swing set for younger siblings…We do ask that you do not let your other children ride your daughter’s pony, as we sure don’t want an accident while we are focusing on the show. Also, you are welcome to bring dogs, but please do keep them on a leash.

Our food concession truck friends are no longer able to bring their lunch wagon to serve visiting families and outside competitors. Sadly, our longtime friend Sandy is in the final stages of cancer. So, as much as we will miss them, we will be serving burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, ice cream, desserts and watermelon up at the lodge. Your camper ‘eats on us’….However, we are asking that you help defray your cost of your food by making a donation to our money jar….We are working hard to earn enough money to buy a brand new miniature horse harness for our littlest mini Pizazz. He was our rescue baby three years ago. He is now ready to grow up and be a big boy with his own harness….The total price is reduced by a great sale from $325 for the entire harness to $269…It is a biothane harness…just what he needs to be safe, learn well and start ‘pulling his own weight’ around here. It will be such fun to get him driving…and have all four miniature horses be able to be enjoyed by one and all. Wait until you see the other one’s driving for your exhibition. If someone gives over $50 toward this harness, it will also be a tax deduction for you….So, help us get good food for you, while working toward the purchase of a great new harness for our little man. Your kids can even help get him started driving….now all we need is the harness!!!!

As I go on and on about the horse show, do let me make one thing very clear….should you live far away, or be on a fun trip, or need to work, PLEASE DO NOT WORRY THAT YOUR DAUGHTER WILL BE THE ONLY ONE WITHOUT SOMEONE AT RING SIDE. We will take extra good care of her…She will be well coached…and we already have a fun evening planned in your absence. We will, if you have given written permission in your camp forms, allow her to go out for ice cream with a friend or two…or even dinner. She just must check out with Becky or myself before she leaves to make sure we have the appropriate permission. The other fun thing is that we will shortly post pictures of the show up on our website….or You Tube, so you will not miss any of the action. I love the blend of high tech with the fun of getting gritty in the show ring…and cooling off in the pool….so, a little something for everyone.

Sunday will be a peaceful day for all. We will put away all the ribbons, clean up our rooms, gather laundry, play cards and have a sleepy brunch. I also bet we will have lots of tales from the show. On Sunday afternoon, I have promised them the Ice Cream Trough…more on that after the fact so that you don’t think I am a derelict camp director….Lots of time to play with the farm animals, swim, bring out the baby chicks, replant some garden stuff that will produce second crops later on…and make a great big yummie salad out of what we have grown so far. I also hope to hook up the carriages and take them on a real farm wagon ride. As you can probably tell, Sunday is my favorite day with the kids because we get to do some of the more ‘farmy’ kind of things. I am hoping this Sunday to also make butterfly houses and bat houses….plus set up the baby chicks better for night time….So, as the girls are planning their Talent Night acts….we will all just enjoy being together and relaxing by the pool and on the farm.

The evening will end with our Talent Show, complete with MC…I adore seeing all the great talent that your kids possess….You sure have given them a great start in life by providing such a diverse set of skills. I do wish you could be a fly on the wall for these nights under the stars and around the bonfire.

Next week will be devoted to the other parts of riding…..a camping trip, driving carriages, natural horsemanship, vaulting, an all day drive or ride, a Hunter Pace….jousting and broom polo being new requests, culminating with swimming with the horses….so the riding and horse fun will not stop with the show.

We hope you are pleased that your child is under our care. We all send our best and with great wishes that you, too, are having some good summer fun and relaxation. Ain’t life grand!!!

Most warmly and with a great big smile!!!!

Boo and the whole Crew!!!!