As Easter has come and gone, I marvel at the snow still in the yard. Never has any spring been more expectantly awaited than this year. Wow, with over 110 inches of snow, it has been quite a wait but I know it will be worth it. And….are we ever ready to greet you!!! We simply can not wait to see you and welcome you to the farm.
We just started spring riding lessons yesterday. What a pleasure it was to have the sun shining, the ponies shedding, the rings melting and the students running to the barn to meet their riding friends and teachers. We have an excellent lesson turn out with lots of full classes and eager instructors. The horses and ponies are being gently ridden by our loyal ‘Barn Rats’ and riders to get them in shape for the spring season, the workshops, the fun family weekends and camp. The manes are being pulled, saddles fitted and hooves trimmed up…In short, we are ready and eager to begin our full riding season!
My Daughters Jamie and Ella took granddaughters Morgan & Megan for a spring ride.
The staff has been fantastic. With Kris, as General Manager, at the helm of the day to day in the barn, the place and programs are looking sharp! Camp is nearly full, with a few more spots in one week sessions….so, if you know of someone who might like to come to Pony Farm this summer for one week of ‘sleep over’ camp, filled with riding, driving, vaulting and even swimming with the horses and a pony camping trip, let us know right away and let’s fill those last few spots. The staff is coming together beautifully for camp as well. The lodge is all ready to go. Kelly & Deb, the Lodge Managers, are already planning awesome menus for us. Donnie will be here again as our camp Nurse and Photographer…Both of her daughters are hooked into riding, so we are so lucky to have her with us again! Kris and I are going to the camping conference this weekend to buy some cool new camp clothes and get all the latest & greatest of camp information to be really ready. We only wish it was going to begin tomorrow so that we could greet you as you come in the door!
Our January Camp Open House Tour Guides with Kris
Jessy, as our Barn Manager, has been doing her usual excellent work with the horses. We have wintered 42 four footed treasures and, despite the snow, they look terrific…. They are all fat and starting not to be so furry. We are starting to gather horses for the summer months. We are also planning the summer horse shows and a fun schooling clinic in April. Under the watchful eye of both Jessy and Corey, our Farm Manager, we have rebuilt all the barn stalls and doors. We can’t wait to paint the new wood so it all looks beautiful. It is sooo important to keep up the whole barn so that it still looks as beautiful as it did when it was a Stage Coach stop on the way from Boston to Montreal.
Jessy & the Barn Crew took great care of the horses.The two newest additions to our team have been Lauren Riccio, our new Marketing Director and Lorna Young, our returning Pony Farm Riding Director. Both fantastic ladies have been with the farm for years as either students or staff members in different positions. Together, they have really been working on upgrading, organizing and promoting the Pony Farm lessons, spring family and adult weekends and all our workshops. They have really worked on our Pony Farm website and organized lots of brochures….What fun to see the farm thrive under their care. Please do introduce yourselves on the phone when you call and make sure you set up a time to come visit.
Many attended Pony Farm Spring Lesson Open House
I am most excited to be teaching again. I love all the planning that goes on for the farm but my real treat is to be with the kids and animals. In addition to my regular job of running the farm and teaching, I am starting a new Farm Animal and Gardening Program at the farm. I think we are going to call it “Earth Keepers”. I am sooo excited about adding new farm animals, including laying ducks, baby chicks, a new goat or two, a sheep, and the donkey, of course. The four minis are already in fine form and eager to have attention. The bunnies, guinea pigs and laying hens are hard at work entertaining everyone who comes to visit. We are starting seedlings to grow vegetables, flowers, herbs….all geared to having vegetables for camp snacks and special dinners, plus attracting lots of wildlife and birds to the farm….My mission is to make this a peaceful, joyous and welcoming place to YOU to come visit. I will let you know as we unfold this new adventure of the farm.
The other reason for the Farm Animal, Gardening and Wildlife program is that we will offer a Day Camp for little kids this summer for the first time in over 15 years….Many years ago, my daughter, Jamee and Lizzie, her best friend, did a day camp for our little lesson kids….It was a huge success, drawing in some of the finest riders we ever created. We want to bring this back this summer in August, following in the steps of the Barn Yard Buddies Day camp that Horse Power has offered for the last four years. We have already had great interest in this and we can’t wait to watch everyone enjoy the baby ducks, birds, bees, and the gardens galore. What a great place to live…I am so lucky!!!
Finally, we are really excited about our upcoming Father-Daughter Weekend, our Family Spring Fling Weekend and our May Adult Get Away Weekend. We love having an ‘excuse’ to get to see our camp families and friends during the off season. We are chock full for both the Father/Daughter and the Spring Fling…with some spots left in the Adult Riding and Driving Get Away weekend….We hope you are part of it all.
So, I end as I began by wishing you a great spring filled with fun, health and happiness. I can not wait to get out and jump those jumps, ride those trails that we cleared last year, plant those gardens and play with the farm animals. Spring is simply my favorite time of the year. I can not wait to share it with you.
Most warmly,
Isabella (Boo) McDaniel
Founder and Executive Director of Pony Farm.
