Another Great Horseback Ride!
On a recent Sunday morning, my equestrian friends and I went for another very pleasant ride along the Bedford Riding Lane Association (BRLA) trails through a lovely part of Mount Kisco, New York, near my home in Bedford. The BRLA maintains and develops the historic system of trails and dirt roads, which extend and connect more than 100 linear miles of trails in the Bedford and Pound Ridge areas. We horse enthusiasts are very grateful for the BRLA. This ride took us through and past some really fabulous and historic estates. Enjoy!
1 Betsy and Dominick readied the horse trailer to transport our horses to Mt. Kisco.
2 My trailer is made for transporting two horses plus all of their tack.
3 Betsy leading Ramon and Rinze from the stable.
4 Securing Rinze in the trailer while Ramon looks on - What could the horses be thinking? A long trip to Maine or a short jaunt to ride in the country with other horses?
5 Ramon following obediently
6 After a 30-minute drive, the horses looked around with curiosity while Betsy saddled them up.
7 The other horses and riders met us at Dan Putnum's house in Mt. Kisco.
8 Standing is Barbara Kovach, who so generously provides us with extra horses from her stable. Mark, on his Paint, always joins us on these rides as sort of a guide. Upon the brown horse is Kate Mara, the stunning actress and a beautiful rider.
9 That's Muffin's husband, Jimmy with his horse, Jet. A neighbor Robbie Morrel, who lives in the neighborhood came to say hello and to see us off.
10 Here I am astride Rinze, my usual steed. Betsy, behind me, is known in this circle as the 'Horse Whisperer', for her fantastic abilities in keeping all of these horses so calm and obedient.
11 And we're off!
12 The entrance to the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Preserve. Eugene Meyer was a financier, a public official, and the publisher of the Washington Post newspaper. They are the parents of publisher Katharine Graham.
13 Upon the lower field - Mark, Kate, Helen, Keva, Maryann, Alex, Betsy, me, Jimmy, and Muffin
14 Eugene and Agnes Meyer Nature Preserve is a rugged parcel of 247-acres.
15 Waving my fly wisp
16 This preserve is made up of two separate parcels, east and west, and two separate entrances, as well.
17 This is the west parcel, which has a lot of old pasture.
18 The Meyers owned several hundred acres here.
19 This preserve was donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1973 by the Meyer Foundation. The Nature Conservancy acquired sixteen additional acres of swamp in 1978.
20 This first field is about 50-acres. That's Muffin and Jimmy.
21 Alex, in the brown riding helmet, is a wonderful horse trainer. Alongside are Maryann and Betsy.
22 Muffin and Jimmy took the lead as our bushwhackers into the woods.
23 Betsy loves when things get a little rugged.
24 New storm damage
25 And old storm damage - There is so much to clean up along old trails.
26 We rode through quite a sizable stand of pine trees.
27 Here we are heading north towards Cottage Farm.
28 Riding past Cottage Farm
29 The large structure is the main house of Seven Springs, the former Meyer estate, which is now owned by Donald Trump.
30 This is the former Heinz house, as in Heinz foods. It is now the guest house of Seven Springs.
31 This is the guest house enclave - I suppose it's where the guests of the guests might stay!
32 We debated about the purpose of this hut. We couldn't decide.
33 About thirty years ago, or so, someone made an effort to reforest with this mix of trees all planted in rows and very evenly spaced.
34 Walking down Oregon Road
35 This is a barn on the Merestead estate, formerly the estate of Mrs. Margaret Sloane Patterson, daughter of William Sloane, President of W. and J. Sloane, a furniture and rug store in NYC.
36 Cute cottage potting shed at Merestead - Margaret Sloane Patterson and her husband Dr. Robert L. Patterson, Jr. bequeathed Merestead to the County of Westchester, NY to be used as a park and historic house museum.
37 The chicken coop - Merestead became a Westchester County Park with the passing Margaret on Aug. 3, 2000.
38 The root cellar - Westchester has been developing the property for use as a Westchester County historic site. Merestead, Scottish for farmland, is listed on the National Register of Historic Properties.
39 The other entrance - The 130-acre estate consists of farmland, woods, gardens, and buildings including a 1906 Georgian Revival house designed by architects Delano and Aldrich.
40 Back riding - Alex and Muffin leading our group to the top of hill.
41 We came upon this magnificent view facing northwest.
42 This field is approximately 100-acres on the Merestead estate.
43 The recognizable yellow arrow of the Bedford Riding Lanes Association.
44 Heading down - Muffin guided us with a wrong turn.
45 No worries! Back on track!
46 There were obstacles to maneuver.
47 Heading down hill into what looks to be a swampy area.
48 Bogs can be very dangerous for horses, as Muffin quickly discovered.
49 Her horse, Biscuit, actually sank a bit, but she managed to get to terra firma before anything bad happened. She's pointing for us to stay safely to the left.
50 Some sort of old drainage pit or sink hole with a sign stating 'beware of gully'.
51 This is Scribner Lake on the former Scribner estate of publishing fame.
52 Back in civilization - riding down Linden Lane
53 It was necessary to cross Rt. 172. To be on the safe side, I called Dominick, who was with the trailer, and asked him to meet us and help us out by stopping traffic. We were all very appreciative, as cars just do not like to stop.
54 Trotting up the Hollander's Drive
55 The photographic Kate Mara
56 A view of Maryann Hawley's farm while riding through Rochambeau Farm
57 Dominick met us with the trailer back at the entrance to Rochambeau farm.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
That is some beautiful country and houses and buildings.
Thanks!
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | December 9th, 2011 at 1:10 am
I believe that there is nothing better then a ride with friends. The trails and those old estates just so beautiful to look at.
Posted by: Holly | December 9th, 2011 at 5:41 am
Good morning to all,
I and my daughter are also horse enthusiasts, I myself riding since the age of 10. We've become so enamored with riding and caring for horses, that we've decided to move to the country and begin a permanent relationship with two rescues when the barn has been readied and we have found trails that accommodate not only us, but our four-legged friends. We live in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the hardest hit for economy, as well as finding trails that will suit both us and our horses. Martha, we have a question of WHERE we should best move with the best outcome of trails and economic stability. Our parents live in the Geauga County area and we were hoping you might help us with who to talk with, as well as the best places in Ohio to consider moving to (Geauga County would be our first choice due to family living in that area). We thank you for your blog!! and hope this can start something with others trying to preserve their riding areas as well as any areas that can be adopted for this type of exchange! Happy Friday to all!! Melissa
Posted by: Lady Melissa | December 9th, 2011 at 8:13 am
Martha,
The horses are so beautiful. Looked like a fun ride. Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | December 9th, 2011 at 9:04 am
What Beautiful horses. I have never been horse back riding - I might just take up the sport it looks so relaxed, I bet afterwards Martha Had a great lunch awaiting. Never a wasted day goes by with Martha. That is why we Enjoy her blogs.
Posted by: Darlene Martinez | December 9th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Beautiful countryside, thanks for taking us along for the ride! Oh to be the guests of the guests and stay at the guest house enclave!
Posted by: Cindy F | December 9th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Hi Martha, That certainly was another great Horseback ride! You, Betsy, Ramon, and Rinze must have had another wonderful time riding through part of Mount Kisco and traveling through BLRA! Thanks for sharing the BLRA website-those photos and information were terrific! I love your horse trailers-they are the best I've ever seen! Do you and Betsy ever ride any of your other beautiful horses on rides like this? These photos and comments were superb and I would love to live there and ride that wonderful trail! Everyone including the horses looked so happy! I'm sure you are in Sydney, Australia by now and can't wait to see twitpics and tweets when you have time! Hope you have a fantastic weekend! Off to see The Daily Wag where F&S seem to be feeling kind of weary today! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | December 9th, 2011 at 10:01 am
Thanks for the horseback trip, wish I could have been there with you. You made it possible for me to see sites I would have never been able to see.
Posted by: Jolene Greckel | December 9th, 2011 at 10:14 am
I used to ride when I was younger. I never had a horse but rented horses at horse farms. I am now much older but still yearn to have a horse of my own. This is not possible since I am retired and can't afford one. I still dream about it though!! You are so fortunate to have the resosurces to own horses and ride them along those beautiful trails. Happy Trails to You!!!
Posted by: Sharon | December 9th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Your horses are so beautiful...such shiny coats! I've never been horse back riding, and someday would like to take lessons. What a beautiful day for riding. I love taking backroads and looking at old farms and estates with lots of scenery. The ride looked a little challenging in some spots, with the fallen trees and ruggedness of the terrain..plus the bog that, thank goodness, the horse and rider got through ok without any harm. I couldn't believe the size of the guest house on one estate (think is was Donald Trump's estate)...it was huge! It looked like it should have been the main house. Thanks, Martha, for a glimpse of your day.
Posted by: Judy | December 9th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Martha,
You have such beautiful horses and gorgeous trails to ride. My horse and I have to settle for a round pen and the hay fields at my barn. I was wondering if you have any useful recipes for horse treats. I would like to make something unique for the other boarders and their horses. Thank you for any ideas. Happy Holidays!
Posted by: Elizabeth Heyer | December 9th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
FABULOUS and BEAUTIFUL!
Posted by: Frances | December 9th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Martha, what kind of saddles do you ride on? It looks like the last picture shows some sort of bareback pad?
Posted by: Stacey | December 9th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Hi Martha,
I decided to post on your blog so that I could let you know what an inspiration you have been to me for many years.I am an dressage equestrinne who has ridden since the age of fours years and my 2 (now grown 28 & 24) daughters rode in Pony Club until they went off to college.
While raising them our time at the barn and at home was filled with many craft and gardening and pet care ideas from you and your magazine.
Seeing your beautiful farm and Friesans on the Today Show last month prompted me to ask you if you ever allow visitors on the farm.I would love to come and tour the barn and love those gorgeous horses. My mare Cadence, was raised on our farm from the age of 7 months. She is now 27 yo. Never had a lame day in her life. We acheived 4th level dressage training together. It was such a wonderful journey.
I did my turkey this year with butter,wine and cheese cloth ! LOl !
happy and Blessed Holidays
Posted by: Roberta Ragge | December 9th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Martha, thank you for all of the wonderful photos! What a grand ride to be on! and to view the estates that you rode through. I would love to be able to go on a trail ride through Beford, Mt Kisco and Westchester. You are truly a blessed person to be able to ride through such beautiful countyside. Your horses are beautiful and Betsy looks like a very magnetic person. I have been on trail rides ranging from two to sixty horses. There is nothing more enjoyable to me than trail riding. Thank you so much for sharing your ride in photos. It is so uplifting to go through the photos. I am hoping that you might consider blogging more often with your horse riding. I just love it. Thanks again!
Posted by: Syl | December 9th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Horses are wonderful and these photos prove it. Pound Ridge is new to me but not Pine Ridge. Some of us have too many horses and it can get very complicated but there is a WILD HORSE SANCTUARY near Hot Springs, SD and a wonderful man who cares.
http://wildmustangs.com/
800-252-6652
Posted by: ann | December 10th, 2011 at 9:24 am
Wow. You're really blessed! The great outdoors, the horses, the weather... amazing.
Posted by: David | December 10th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Beautiful!!!!
I can feel the freshness and the beauty through your pictures...
Lovely!!!
Posted by: Reem | Simply Reem | December 11th, 2011 at 3:00 am
Martha,
I wish I were your niece and could go horse back riding with you! So beautiful and fun!! I love the fabulous, historic real estate too!!
Posted by: Krista | December 11th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
The mysterious hut is for the guests of the guests of the guests
Great pics!
Posted by: Jennifer | December 12th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Hi Martha
my name is norma and I wanted to tell u that your horses are just beautiful.
I was wondering if u live close to the Moreland farm with the gyspy horses? I was told they live at Bedford corners n.y.
I live in Bucyrus ohio the capital of the Bratworst.
I would like to come this spring to see you and your horses and the farm u have.
also the moreland farm.
I heard it is about 10 hrs to drive.
well Martha u and your families have a Wonderful Christmas and a wonderful new year. Thanks again for your show. I watch it every day.thak care and God BLess u and your kindness.
Posted by: norma k. brown | December 20th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
I am enthralled with horses and their long, beautiful tails. I like to feed them apples and walk with them, but not ride them because that is scary. I'm happy to see you like horses as much as i do.
Posted by: Arabian horses | January 2nd, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Hi Barbara and Mark...
The best people for horses and to ride with!
Hope to ride again with them again in the Spring on the BRLA trails...
How nice that Barbara is supplying the horses for your guests.
Very reliable!
Posted by: dyrecter | January 27th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Hello, my wife and I ride Tennessee Walkers. I saw your blog and had to ask what breed are Ramon and Rinze. They look to be Draft size and build (I used to have Belgians).
Thank you,
Mark
Posted by: Mark Kueker | February 18th, 2012 at 1:49 am
Loved this blog Martha. You looked very regal sitting upon your handsome Fresian. Such a beautiful day, gorgeous horses, friends, photos narrated so nicely. Thank you. I enjoyed that. I will go hug my own horse later today!
Posted by: WJYD | February 29th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
I can't wait for summer to take Frisby out! Plus I really want that horse trailer
Posted by: Lisa | May 10th, 2013 at 1:18 pm