Saddle up: Vermont, horses, trail rides, and relationships

Long-time horse owner Heidi Littlefield of Fairfax said that there's something about Vermont and horses that is magical. Littlefield, who is a Vermont Eagle newspaper account representative, said that her having to retrain her horse, using natural horsemanship-round pen training techniques, has taught her many lessons about life and herself. Littlefield's relationship with her horse "Bud", a National Show Horse (Arabian x Saddlebred), has so inspired her that she is in the process of writing a nonfiction book about her experiences with the human-horse connection. While not revealing the title of her lifestory memoir with "Bud", Littlefield hopes that the book will be published sometime within the next year or two. So, why the Vermont love affair with horses? For horse observer Littlefield, the Green Mountain State is inextricably linked to Justin Morgan's famous breed, the Morgan horse, among the USA's first horse breeds of note. Both the University of Vermont's Morgan Horse Farm and the National Museum of the Morgan Horse, located in Addison County, celebrate the long and proseprous history of the famous Morgan breed. Beyond the fame of the Morgan breed, Vermont has been a major player in the horse game—with a few ups and downs over the years, since the 18th century: The Battle of Bennington, fought during the American Revolution, was triggered when British troops attempted to steal a stableful of the rebels' finest steeds, near the site of today's Bennington Monument. In recent times, Vermont dairy farmers have cashed-in on the horse industry with a very unusual, yet valuable export—hay. At least a half-dozen Addison County farmers truck hay, several times a year, to a select number of large Arizona ranches. Then, the tractor-trailers return home, after making the 5,100-mile roundtrip trip, empty and ready to be filled again. But at the heart of the new landscape is the fact that Vermont has seen a major increase in horse ownership by wealthy ex-suburbanites—so-called lady and gentleman farmers. They buy up defunct dairy farms or build new horse-only barns and paddocks on multi-acre, rural tracts. Littlefield has notced the changes in Vermont. She approves of more horses in the state. "I'd have to say that Vermont's most popular horses for owners are the Morgan horse, the Quarter horse, and the Arabian horse," she noted. "Any horse farm you'll visit in Vermont will most likely showcase at least one of these three breeds." And then there's the lush, green beauty of the Vermont backcountry landscape in summer where horses seem to belong naturally—not unlike old England's rolling horse country. Lessons and trail rides Another area of growth in Vermont is leisure horseback riding and riding lessons. Danielle LaBerge of East Middlebury satisfies her passion for horses as a caretaker at the Kingsland Bay Stables in Ferrisburgh. The stables are owned by Kelli Cole and managed by Mandy Brigan. Last week, LaBerge started her stable workday early by exercising two horses, Baby and Calvin, along Hawkins Road, near the shore of Lake Champlain. "Kingsland Bay Stables has 13 horses and we provide riding lessons—in English and Western traditions—as well as trail rides," according to LeBerge. "We also board horses." LaBerge owns a horse, too, which is kept on a farm in Salisbury; she concurs that the connection between humans and horses is an ancient and a deep one. "You get to know each horse as an individual," she said. "They have their own personality." As soon as the summer season begins on Memorial Day, the stables will see a flock of locals and tourists interested in horseback riding. Blessed with a picturesque location adjoining Kingsland Bay State Park, trail rides include breathtaking views of the lake along evergreen scented trails. Getting back to Littlefield—her forthcoming book will explore what individuals can apply to everyday life from the deep link found between horse and owner. "Horses keep you honest," Littlefield said. "I had heard this expression before, but I didn't really get it until I realized that these beautiful animals do indeed pinpoint our moods; they seem to know just where we're at during the day. And then there's the innate quality of a horse—that's why so many experts agree with Winston Churchill: 'There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.'"

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Saddle up: Vermont, horses, trail rides, and relationships

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