Courtesy Stable - Latest Blog Entries

Neither rain, nor snow, nor cold weather....

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:11:00 -0500

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/31992-andorra-stables

Ride to Rebuild

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:15:00 -0500

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/7292-riding-to-rebuild-

Pony Up

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:14:00 -0500

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/29738-pony-up-

Philly Mounted

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:13:00 -0500

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/29911-mounted-patrol

Comments from MALT Students

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:01:00 -0500

"Courtesy Stable is a jewel within the city of Philadelphia. The setting is beautiful. Where else can you find horses in a residential neighborhood and on the border of some many riding trails?

I came to Courtesy Stable with fear in my heart and nervousness in my stomach. Soon I learned how to care for a horse, saddle him and then mount and ride him. The first time I mounted was quite a sensation. I was actually on a horse and had some degree of knowledge about what to expect and how to handle a horse.

Walt and Cynthia are patient, knowledgeable teachers. After my group sessions were completed, I signed on for some private lessons. I wanted to keep up my confidence and gain experience. At my age (over 60), I don't see myself galloping or jumping, however, I want to be able to participate in group excursions. I truly enjoy the atmosphere of Courtesy Stable and the support provided by the personnel. Each time I am there, it is a great learning experience and lots of fun."

Winter in the Wissahickon

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:18:00 -0500

Tonight, this Trail Ambassador is off duty. As I head out on the trail, I leave one world and enter another. The trail leads me directly into lower Houston Meadow, a recent site where Fairmount Park and the Philadelphia Water Dept are working to reduce runoff and eliminate soil erosion and water degradation in the Wissahickon Creek. Last year they cleared approximately 25 acres of trees. The meadow is vast and as far as the eye can see to the south, dark. I head right on the trail, down into the Valley along Cathedral Run, but nestled deep in the woods. The only light is that from the waning moon reflecting off the snow. The only sound is that of the snow, crunching under my horses hooves. The only smell, besides that of a distant fireplace, is that of my warm horse beneath me. I feel his heart beating in his chest and the gentle inhales and exhales. It will be a quiet ride tonight. It is just past sunset but there is still just a bit of daylight left in the sky.

I head down along Cathedral Road and there are no visitors tonight, for who else would be out here on such a cold night. I think it is about 21 degrees F. It feels like the set of some eerie movie, but it is heaven to me, my refuge, and right outside my back door. It is where I go to forget the work of my day and enjoy the quiet pleasure that I long for. How can I even begin to explain how my soul needs this? And how can I explain how this park never lets me down? I head down the trail under a fallen tree towards Forbidden Drive. Off in the distance I hear voices, I cannot be sure of where they are coming from; down below in the Valley sounds bounce off the gorge walls, so their origins are tough to pinpoint. As I head west, parallel below me is Forbidden Drive and the Rex Avenue Bridge, another work site of FPC and PWD, but tonight it is quiet. The solar panels that power the new composting toilet are there as well, I cannot see them, but I know they are there. Across the river and high atop the Valley sits the statue of Tedyescung, “looking west”.

I travel northbound and can see to my left above me, the lights from Houston Playground. They are way too bright and should be dimmed, but someone must have forgotten to flick the switch. Below me is the Red Covered Bridge at the bottom of Thomas Mill Road, it is the last remaining in the Wissahickon, sitting right here in the middle of the city, this “metropolitan paradise” as it has been so aptly named, a gem. I swear last night, the falls were frozen in mid air, tonight I think they have begun to flow again, the weight of the water is heavier than the cold in the air.

I begin my ascent up a sharp slope. I can feel the power and the effort my horse uses to take us up this steep incline safely. Equipped with snow pads and borium, what we equestrians affectionately call “4 wheel drive”, he has extra traction for the snow which helps us not to slip or slide. As we reach the top he senses that we have reached our halfway point and my steed begins to pick up speed, his walk quickens as he knows we now are on the way home. 2 white tail deer dart across the trail; my horse stops and offers them the right of way and then continues. To one side, a slight hue of red is left in the sky from the final throws of the sunset, to my right the darkness of the Andorra Natural Area looms between the dense forest. Now entering the upper end of Houston Meadow, again a vast open meadow since the clearing, it is now completely dark. There is no daylight left in the sky, but I didn’t notice that until I reached the clearing, odd? Enveloped and completely surrounded by the woods, I did not realize how dark it was. It was most calming and pleasant, peaceful and quiet, not at all eerie or frightening. There are 4 deer in the meadow and our presence suggests no threat at all and they continue to graze. What could possibly be there to offer any sort of nutrition? They just have a few more months until spring.

As I come to the end of my ride I am thankful that we have all returned safe and express again to the powers that be, my gratefulness to be so lucky to enjoy such pleasures. Where else would I be, except for right in my own backyard!

Thank you, Old Man Winter, until we meet again next year. Welcome Spring!

Another Amazing HIP Experience!

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:45:00 -0500

On the last Sunday of every month HIP (Horses in the Park) gathers at Valley Green Inn to make new friends. Here are some of the pictures from our November HIP day. Thanks for taking the pictures Cynthia and Diane G.!

Ride to Rebuild the Warming Sheds at Valley Green Inn

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:08:00 -0500

A big THANK YOU goes out to all the riders and volunteers that made the event such a success! We had a fabulous time getting together to raise money to rebuild the sheds. No one could have asked for nicer people or better weather.

We still need to raise more money. If you would like to help please mail your donation check made payable to Friends of the Wissahickon to:

Ride Re-build
c/o Courtesy Stable
901 E. Cathedral Road
Philadelphia, PA 19128

To see pictures from the day click here.

Loose Dogs should be headlined "IRRESPONSIBLE OWNERS"

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 07:11:00 -0500

There have been recent incidents in the park regarding loose dogs. We should absolutely realize that a dog, no matter the breed, is not at fault.

It is the owner's who are ignorant & irresponsible. Ignorant of the law & the rules that protect themselves, their pets & mostly OTHERS. Irresponsible because they just don't care about themselves, about their pets & mostly about OTHERS.

BUT IT IS THE DOGS THAT WILL BE PUNISHED!

MAN IS A MENACE TO HIMSELF.

The First of Many

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:26:00 -0400

One of the tasks Walt and Cynthia have decided to undertake has been building new stall doors to replace all the old ones. They designed and built what they hope to be a template for all the doors. Can we say mathematic and engineering geniuses? (not to mention industrious!)

Here is Sonny's old door before.........during.....
....and VOILA!.... after (much hard work)
(I had to take 2 pictures to show you the craftsmanship!) ;)
Magnific!! Bravo Walt and Cynthia!!

A Parelli Clinic at Courtesy

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 02:28:00 -0400

On April 19^th and 20^th, Charity Paashaus, a certified 2 Star Parelli Instructor from Willow Brook Natural Horsemanship Center, taught an Intro to Level 1 Parelli Natural Horsemanship.

We had an amazing experience learning the 7 games and how to communicate more clearly with our horses. All the horses and humans did really well! We are looking forward to more Parelli clinics!

Click here to see our pictures from the clinic.

PEC & WRV Team Up in the Wissahickon to Combat Invasive Plants

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:48:00 -0400

On June 6, 2010, a beautiful sunny day inWest Mount Airy, Philadelphia an industrious group of volunteers met to improve wildlife habitat and protect native plant species. The work area was on the Orange Trail between Kitchen's Lane Bridge and Mt. Airy Avenue. This is a beautiful section of woodsy trail, which is a hike only trail, with many tall shady trees, a view of the Creek, and always a cool breeze. Native species are diverse, mature and regenerating. Hickory, green ash, white, red and scarlet oak, black walnut, tulip poplar, white pine, hemlock, Mountain Laurel, ferns, euonymus, verbena and others. Wildlife is plentiful with foxes, turtles (now laying their eggs), frogs, toads, screech owls, wood ducks, songbirds, hawks, deer, kestrels and butterflies. The invasive species removal included devil's walking stick, wild roses and burning bushes. Stephen Jones, WRV, was the technical advisor on how to prioritize the removal and how to dispose and disperse the plant material.

A few of the invasive plant removal volunteers included (left to right) Joe, Sanna, Steve, Cynthia, Diane G., and Carmella.

For the full story and more pictures, click here.
Check out our photos from the day by clicking here.

Spring Fling 2010

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:19:00 -0400

Even with overcast skies and intermittent rain sprinkles we had a fantastic time! The kids were amazing and it was great making horse masks, playing games, riding Hot Shot, and enjoying some good snacks and lemonade. Fun was had by all!

Click here to see our pictures from the day.

Hope to see you all again next year!

Many thanks to all the volunteer and supporters that made our Spring Fling Fundraiser such a success!

The Philly Zoo Teen Group visits Courtesy for an Equine Experience

Wed, 19 May 2010 06:00:00 -0400

We were so excited to have the group from the Philadelphia Zoo Teen Group visit us for one of our Barn Days!

Click this link to look at the pictures from the day.

Friends of the Wissahickon's Trail Ambassadors visit Courtesy

Fri, 14 May 2010 05:31:00 -0400

FOW's Trail Ambassadors Bruce, Lorraine, Lynn, Shelly, Sarah, Kevin, Chris, Valerie, Diane & Cynthia came out to Courtesy last night to talk about horses. Walt led the discussion and shared a lot of great information about horses with the group.

Walt is so knowledgeable about horses, he is really informative and enjoys answering questions. Horses are his passion.
Walt is describing the muscle groups using Cynthia's horse Sonny.
Cynthia and Diane are both equestrians and had a lot to contribute to the discussion.

Walt points out the canon bone to the group and explains how delicate horses' legs are and why.

Sonny loves being the center of attention. He's so handsome!

Understanding the nature of horses helps us understand how to interact with them.

There's no such thing as a silly question. Hikers, Runners, Bikers and Equestrians all share the Park and it's great that we can all work together to be safe in the Park.

One can determine a horse's approximate age by looking at their teeth. Show us those pearly whites Sonny! :)

Walt, Sonny and Cynthia.

We had a really great time with the group and hope to do it again!

Philly Cares about Fairmount Park Day/ LOVE Your Park Day

Thu, 13 May 2010 06:41:00 -0400

The weather was great for the Love Your Park Day at Courtesy. A BIG THANK YOU goes all our volunteers who came out to help us organize and clean out the tack room, repair the fencing in the upper turn out, weed, paint, plant flowers, mulch and overall clean up! So here's to you Alessandro, Alisha, Carla, Kadija, Perlenia, Olorunmo, Brandon, Kelly, Amara, Walt, Lea, Ryan, Sarah, Jess, Cynthia, Tom, Jessie for all your help!!

A visit from Dale Schilling

Wed, 12 May 2010 05:46:00 -0400

Several weeks ago, Cynthia's boy Sonny developed a bowed tendon. This is a serious, but somewhat common injury. Dale, our trusty vet, has been treating Sonny's leg and he is on the road to recovery. Cynthia has been dilligently taking care of Sonny and following Dale's advice. It won't be long now before Sonny is as good as new!

The treatment that Dale is doing in the pictures below is called Extra-corporeal Shock Wave Therapy... (ECSWT) Sound & energy waves, similar to the feeling of pulsating air, that stimulates blood & oxygen flow.

Good boy Sonny! He stood so well for the treatment. What a good boy!!

Spring Photos

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:26:00 -0400

Cynthia captured some really nice shots over the weekend.

This baby Dogwood is just so beautiful.

Handsome Sonny, he has such an intese look on his face!

Come on Dakota, reach just a liiiiiiittle bit further! :)

Eli: "If only that grass would learn how to grow inside the fence!"

More Photos of the Spring Clean

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:16:00 -0400

Mike and Marissa own a great coffee shop, Valley Forge Coffee. Check them out on the web http://valleyforgecoffee.com/
We would like to thank them for not only volunteering for the Spring Clean Up but also for providing the delicious coffee that kept us going all day!

The following pictures were taken by Mike (great shots Mike!!)

Monday Lesson with Walt (and a couple other shots)

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:43:00 -0400

Walt is giving a lesson to a new student on Kazi.

He's explaing something, but I'm out of earshot and missing out! But I can still learn by watching. :)

Just a nice easy walk.

A nice view of our ring with the super nice new footing!

Access to the Park couldn't be more convenient!

Heather gives Garth some good grazing time after a great ride.