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07 Jun 10

Wine country on horseback ...

June 7, 2010
by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Wine country on horseback

A unique and fabulous way to see the countryside of the North Fork and enjoy the fruits of the vine while on horse back, the 7th Annual Vineyard Ride took place on Saturday, June 5th. Events like this often taking place in California, has now become a tradition on the North Fork every June, but it attracts riders from all across Long Island. This event was sponsored by local Long Island horse groups the Nassau Suffolk Horseman’s Association, Inc., Old Field Farm, Ltd. and East End Livestock and Horsemen’s Association.

A beautiful albeit warm day, this year there were 83-seasoned horse back enthusiasts riding approximately 10-miles round trip starting from Martha Clara Vineyards. Taking the back roads along vineyards and through beautiful farmland, the first stop on the tour was Paumanok Vineyards.

Divided into different groups, the first group “Cabernet Sauvignons” aka the fast group, (trotting and possibly cantering), arrived at Jamesport Vineyards and were greeted by lots of water for the horses, bottled water for people and of course a tasting of wines offered by Paumanok Vineyards. The amazing thing to see was the wide variety of different horse back riding disciplines. There were English riders, Western riders, decked out in Cowboy hats of course, jumpers and horses also varied just as much – from thoroughbreds, Friesians, quarter horses, painted, and many more.

What a sight to see a group of riders and their horses rounding the bend of grape vine rows, not an everyday sight even for the NoFo folks. Almost all the riders hosed down their horses, gave them water, and dismounted at each vineyard.

Each group had numerous guides, volunteers and a lot of smiling faces. The very few and very short places that the riders were roadside, a police car escort was there to assist.

As the second, slower paced group the, “Chardonnays” arrived, the first group was instructed, “Riders up!” and off they went to the second stop in the tour, Jamesport Vineyards. Jake Perdie from Jamesport Vineyards was on hand to help and Sally Lynch the President of Old Field Farm, Ltd. and the organizer of the event said, “he is always a big help to us.”
Sally Lynch said that, “this event is a fundraiser for the three non-profit groups involved, to help them continue the work we do. It also gives back to the local vineyards because many of the riders purchase wine which it is then shipped over to them.” Obviously they can’t carry a case of wine on horseback. Sally is a lovely person and works tirelessly to organize this event each year.

In speaking with many of the riders, this was their 2nd or 3rd time attending and they said it is absolutely one of the best rides they do all year. There were many volunteers at each stop to assist the riders, help with the horses and all were also horse owners and very horse savvy. The majority of the riders were there with their own horses.

Riders ranged from ages in their mid-20’s to late 70’s. The 3rd stop was back at Martha Clara where riders also enjoyed a delicious lunch. The cost for the tour was $95 per person donation including lunch and all proceeds from this fundraiser go towards benefiting the restoration of Old Field Farm, an historic equestrian parkland, and the ongoing mission of Nassau Suffolk Horseman’s Association as it strives to preserve L.I. as horse country. A magnificent day and beautiful country side, and amazing way to tour the vineyards, I am definitely going to take part next year – but this time on a horse! Reservations for participating fill up fast, and they will stay under 100 horses to ensure safety for each rider and group of riders. What a fantastic tradition, now if we can just get them to do it in the fall too, hmm.

 

Click here to see a slideshow of the event:
http://www.slide.com/r/Tq6M3jYA6j8RUHZoj8whxbdMa093N1OS?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

 

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