Riverbank Trail Riding

53 years of friendship… and today, they joined us for an amazing trail ride! 🐴❤️

Three lifelong friends who have shared 53 years of memories, laughter, life’s ups and downs — and one of their daughters lucky enough to be part of it all. 🥰

We may have gotten a little wet today, but the rain certainly didn’t dampen the fun! 🌧️ There was lots of laughter, beautiful trails, happy horses, and memories made along the way.

What a special day with such special ladies. ❤️

Here’s to 53 years of friendship, countless memories, and many more adventures to come! ✨

Today was one of those days I always dread… ❤️🐴
The day finally came when I had to separate Mama Moo from her beautiful baby, our sweet Valentina.
I haven’t had to do this in 15 years. Milo was my last foal, so needless to say, this one hit me pretty hard. And there’s an even bigger reason this little girl means so much to me — Valentina is the fourth generation descended from my very first horse. ❤️ That makes this whole journey incredibly special.
I’ve been preparing for this moment for a while. We introduced Valentina to one of our geldings, who has turned into the most wonderful babysitter and companion for her.
Today, with all the windows closed, the music turned up loud and Valentina getting a good grooming, I quietly snuck Moo out of the barn and onto the trailer… and brought her down to Riverbank.
There were definitely some cries from Mama. 💔 Moo called and called for her baby, and hearing that is probably the hardest part of weaning.
But Valentina surprised me.
She had a few little calls for Mama, but she really didn’t seem too phased by it. She has her babysitter, familiar friends, and a whole new group of horses to meet. And Moo now has the distraction of several new friends at Riverbank — including some familiar faces who left her back in May to start their own Riverbank adventure.
So today has been a big change for both of them.
A little educational piece about weaning:
Mares and foals can form an incredibly strong bond, and if left together, some mares will continue allowing their foals to nurse for a very long time. Weaning allows the mare’s milk production to naturally dry up while giving the foal the opportunity to become more independent, develop confidence, and learn important social skills from other horses.
And the beautiful thing is that weaning doesn’t erase that bond. ❤️ Once Moo is completely dried up and enough time has passed, they can be reunited. That special connection between them will still be there.
It’s hard. Really hard.
But sometimes loving our animals means making the difficult decisions that help them grow.
Today was the end of one chapter for Moo and Valentina… and the beginning of a whole new one. 🌿🐴❤️
And for me, watching the fourth generation from my very first horse take this next step is something I will never take for granted.
Welcome to your next chapter, sweet Valentina. ❤️

🌿🐴 A Day of Appreciation, Laughter & Good Times! 🐴🌿

Today we had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful group of 11 people for a special staff appreciation party! With some of the students heading back to university soon, it was the perfect reason to get everyone together, celebrate their hard work, and enjoy some well-deserved time together. ❤️

With a larger group, we split everyone into two trail rides. One group headed out first, enjoying the beautiful trails and finishing their ride down at the lake. Then the second group got their chance to explore those same trails before bringing the horses back to the barn.

Once both groups had finished their rides, we all joined together at the lake this afternoon to relax and enjoy some time together. 🛶🌊 There was kayaking, paddle boating, lots of yummy food and snacks, plenty of laughs, and good conversation while we listened to the fire crackle. 🔥

And I’m pretty sure Piper and Ace, Elisha and Jill’s two Labs, may have had the best time of us all! 😂🐕💦 There wasn’t much time when those two weren’t swimming, playing and enjoying the lake. I’m sure they’re sleeping VERY well tonight!

The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we loved being able to host a larger group and share a little piece of what makes Riverbank so special.

A very special thank you to Dr. Elisha Dickinson, Dr. Sarah Cummings, and all of their wonderful staff for choosing to celebrate with us and, most importantly, for all that you do to take care of our precious four-legged family members here at Riverbank and at our home-base location. 🐴❤️

We appreciate you more than you know! What a beautiful afternoon filled with good people, lots of laughter, happy dogs, happy horses, and wonderful memories. 🌿🐎✨

🌿🐴 A Special Day at Riverbank! 🐴🌿

Today was extra special as we welcomed lots of little campers from the Hammond River Angling Association Summer Camps for a visit with us and, of course, our horses! 🥰

It was so well received and enjoyed by everyone! We loved seeing all those smiling faces and sharing a little bit of the Riverbank experience with the kids. ❤️

A big thank-you to Debbie, our trail guide, for being there to greet all the little campers and counsellors and help make their visit so special! 🐴🌲

And the fun doesn’t stop there! 🎨 The kids are heading back to camp with a Riverbank colouring page to colour, and our guides will be choosing their favourite!

🏆🎨 Stay tuned to see who wins our colouring contest and takes home a special prize!

Thank you, Hammond River Angling Association, for hiking down to visit us with your campers! We enjoyed seeing all those smiling faces! 💕🐴

A little look at some of the fun happening around Riverbank lately! 🐴❤️

From watching Joe make hay 🌾, to catching the horses being their cute, goofy selves, and of course all the beautiful rides we’ve shared along the way! 🐎🌲

So many little moments that make this place pretty special. We sure love summer at Riverbank! ☀️🐴

When it’s just too hot for fly sheets, we make sure our horses are still protected! 🐴❤️

Even on those extra-hot days, the fly masks stay on and we use lots of fly spray to help keep everyone comfortable and those pesky flies away. ☀️🪰

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who rode with us this past weekend and understood why we only ran morning rides. It was simply too hot for both humans AND horses, and keeping everyone safe and comfortable always comes first! ❤️

We appreciate your understanding more than you know! 🐎🌿