mallet's Blog

I've moved to a new stable in Wisconsin. I was out walking the wolf on a recent fall morning when I ran into a woman walking her dog. We talked about our dogs for awhile when she said she had to get going because she was "going riding." I asked her where she rode, and she told me about a place called Appy Orse Acres. She described a place where the horses all live outdoors and are very happy and healthy animals.

So last weekend, on a 15 degree Wisconsin winter afternoon, I took my first lesson at Appy Orse Acres. The instructor, Bernadette, paired me up with a big (16.3) hands horse named Jenkins. At first blush, he didn't impress me as a particularly handsome fellow. I had been spoiled by riding a retired thoroughbred racehorse since October. But Jenkins grew on me quickly. Because he spends his nights out in a rolling pasture, he has a thick chestnut coat. It wasn't until I began brushing that coat, that I realized how solid he is. Though very stocky, Jenkins is all muscle.

Jenkins is also very expressive. As I walked him from the barn to the indoor arena in a driving snowstorm, the big horse actually turned his head toward me and made a face. It was a "what on earth are we doing?" face. We were both freezing our tails off as we pressed on through the blowing snow. I had to really pull him at one point until he saw the open door to the arena, at which point he started pulling me.

Jenkins turned out to be a very good horse. And, Bernadette is clearly a very good instructor. He trotted very nicely and cantered faster than my buddy the thoroughbred. Within 30 minutes we were jumping.

At any rate, I think I'm going to stay with Jenkins and Bernadette. There are rolling hills and trails where we can ride in the summer. And there are a lot of good horses at Appy Orse Acres.