mallet's Blog

I bought a place in Wisconsin and was out there this week to take care of the inspection and other housekeeping issues.  But I also drove up into horse country to find a place to ride.  I visited a few different stables.  I was just sort of stumbling around out there when I happened into a woman's driveway,  She didn't have a horse farm but, as luck would have it, she does own a horse.  She told me about the farm where she boards her horse: Hidden Talent Farm.  I drove out there and met a delightful woman named Marnie Reynolds.  She has a converted dairy farm with an indoor ring, an outdoor ring and lots of corn fields to gallop in when the corn isn't growing.  Marnie struck me as a no-nonsense horsewoman.  She was much more reasonably priced than any of the snobbier places nearby.  I decided I will ride at her farm when we settle in Wisconsin.  In the meantime, I'm trying to jam in as much riding as I can before I leave town.  I went to Catherine Larose's farm in South Jersey last week and went for a long trail ride with her.  She was riding a retired racehorse named Billy.  I was on a gigantic Belgian mare.  Catherine is a trainer and knows not to just put a guy on a thoroughbred racehorse.  She wanted to see if I knew how to ride a horse before she plopped me on the back of Billy. But now she says I can come out and gallop Billy on her track before I leave town.  I think I'll take her up on that.  Meantime, I'm going out to Ashford this afternoon to ride The Great Zucchini (maybe the last time).  Jessica and I are going to take the horses down on the bike path for what may be our final Friday trail ride together.  I always looked forward to those rides at the end of a stressful week.  As I am now temporarily unemployed (I start at WTMJ in Ocotober) this stress is gone.