November 30, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 45

Frozen whiskers!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We had quite the finale this week as we wrapped up winter horsemanship for 2019, celebrated Thanksgiving, and prepared to say goodbye to many dear friends.

Kelly and Lyne <3

This week, we had a grand batch of guests come back and stay with us- all made substantial improvement this week in the riding intensive setting of winter horsemanship with Shayne; it was great to see! Ann and Erik brought their horses, Brandy and Buck, to ride while they were here.  It’s so special to see how much they are improving with their pretty ponies. Kelly and Lyne came back as well- both had been with us earlier in the season so it was great to welcome them back for the holiday. We also got to welcome back Amy, Nancy, Clive, Helen, and Richard, all of whom have grown to be very good friends to everyone here at McGinnis. Finally, Kevin’s mom, Bronwyn, was able to join us this week- Shayne could not be more delighted with the improvement that she has made.

The perfect setting for our Thanksgiving

Of course, since it is winter horsemanship, we spent all week studying- you guessed it- horsemanship. What a worthy and difficult endeavor. There is so much to learn, to study, to ponder and practice. But we have very good teachers in the horses that we have here at McGinnis Meadows. Their patience and gentleness is unparalleled.

The beginning of the feast

For our Thanksgiving feast, we all gathered in the dining room and, well, feasted. And then feasted some more. Our team in the kitchen really outdid themselves this year- Miriam, Emily, Ash, and Anna were miracle workers. We had two different turkeys, prime rib, homemade bread and rolls, and just about every fixin’ that you could ever want to have! So so nice… and delicious. To top it off, there were three different kinds of pie. Despite all the glorious food, my favorite part of the party was at the beginning. To start off the meal, we all had a moment of sharing while we prayed over our meal. Everyone around the table added to the prayer and thanked God for the best things in their lives; it was a really special time.

By next week our staff numbers will be dwindling; Ash, Miriam, Roby, Shayne, and Des will all be heading out for the winter. Very soon Scott will be headed out as well. And finally, Janice will be going away for a couple of weeks for her vacation- I don’t know what I will do without her- it will be very quiet up here in the office. Here’s to hoping and praying that all of our friends travel safely and return back home refreshed and ready for another season.

Ann and her mare, Brandy. We’re so proud of them!

Thanks to everyone, all of our new and old friends, for the great year we had. It is a joy to have you ride with us.

Stay tuned next week for winter shenanigans

Happy trails,

Anna

 

Trouble looking to get inside by the fire

Kelly, Lyne, and Amy… (and Erik :))

Bronwyn on Dude

Clive riding home after a successful day of horsemanship

No explanation necessary