Vermont’s Green Mountain Trail Riding
We arrived at the Mountain Top Inn eleven miles outside of Killington in the Green Mountains of Vermont on a summer day just in time for a morning trail ride. A young girl was learning to jump in the lesson arena, as I set off on Cassanova, a surefooted mixed breed with a smooth canter. Mike would be leading me through the wooded Green Mountain trails to a lookout point for our first ride.
After warming up and getting used to Cassanova with a few trots and canters through trails amid the tall, wheat colored grass in the wide open fields above the main lodge, Mike and our group headed up, climbing the wooded trails where riders sometimes spot moose, deer and fox. We finally reached the high point Mike had been talking about, where Cassanova and I could enjoy views of Pico, the Killington area, Chittenden Reservoir, the Mountain Top’s lodge and pine trees densely scattered over rolling mountains - an idyllic Vermont view.
The Mountain Top Inn has been home to horses since the 1940’s. Horses like Pat and Mikey, the resident Clydesdales who spent part of one day with me as I learned the basics of hitching, harnessing and driving. Talk about gentle giants! Pat was so patient, as I shakily lifted the leather collar up high and over his head. Once the harness and equipment were in place, we took off across the fields and on nearby quiet country lanes, where we could pick up some speed. As I breathed in the cool air and passed by open fields backed by rolling mountains, I felt the energy and peace of an equestrian adventure in Vermont.
