I actually grew up on the King Side Road between Bathurst and Dufferin. We had 2 acres, the property had been a farm and we had the old drive shed on the property. My dream was to have a pony of my own. My parents knew lots of folks with horses and their impression was that you had to have tons of $$$, which we didn't. They had no idea that they could have sent me 5 minutes up the road to Tynedale to learn to ride. This is one of my biggest regrets in life. I wish that I had learned to ride as a child.

I started riding through the IBM Riding Club at a place on Kennedy just north of Bloomington (can't remember the name) when I was 25. I was there for a year and then moved on. Bought a safe as houses quarter horse, boarded her privately. It seemed I either had money for a horse or money for lessons. The two didn't converge for a very long time.

Ironically, my brother now has 7 (count em, 7) horses on that same property (The King City Natural Health Centre for those in the area). He plays polo, his wife hunts and they have a pony for their daughter.

I knew lots of the farms mentioned in the other thread, but I only drove by them, never rode at them.

Jane, yes I remember the name Meloches - was that a trail riding 'establishment' ? If it's the one I went to several times at 13-14 years old, we would all line up our horses at one end of a huge field and then race to the other end ....without helmets, most of us. I did have a horse stumble and pitch me and was knocked out for a while. Imagine how our parents just didn't know the helmet issue in those days. Sheesh, if I imagine my own daughter doing that !

Horsie girl,

My daughter started her riding at Mountainview with the Listers about 30 years ago [ouch!] and then DH and I figured if we were going to be at the barn we might as well take lessons too! I was around 26 when I finally got to take my first riding lessons after being horse crazy all my life. It was heaven. Such great memories. Do you remember Play it Right, Sonny, Nicky, Little Taboo. Going out for a hack and doing the "Slide"
We started out with Steve as our coach, then Marg, then a girl called Gwen from U of G , then Jennifer Lister. I go by the farm about once a week on my way into town. Everything looks the same except the slide hill looks like it has gotten smaller. LOL!!!

We now have our own farm and have bred some nice "A "horses as well as board a few . Daughter showed hunter/jumper and I did endurance riding until a few years ago. I actually did a one day 75 mile ride, drove all night to get home, unloaded everything and went to work and did a double. Yikes!!
I just hack now and not that often I'm afraid.
And all this started at Mountainview Farm!!!

Great thread. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

I worked at a stable on St John's Rd, D.D.O. a mile or so north of Fairview Shopping Centre in the late 60's, early 70's.
My memory has gotten so bad I remember things but not their names. I remember Meloches also. It is so nice to re-visit the fun and enjoyable times of our youth!

I don't know that place but I do remember walking up the narrow country road that was St John's Rd, north of Hymus Blvd in the early 60's. I remember when Fairview was being built! That's how old I am [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/eek.gif[/img]

I lived in a housing developement up by the stable and went to John Rennie HS and used to walk home up St. Johns on the days I had no classes in the afternoon so I could go to the barn to clean stalls etc.......I wonder where all that incentive has gone??

I started riding at age 9 at Green Willow Stables in Hornby. It was run by Dan Jones and his family. That was in the 60's Anyone else on here from Green Willow?

STONEGATE, drop me an email off the board sally_morrow03@hotmail.com, now I am curious I must know you from the good old days. I still live just outside of Acton, maybe we could get together for a hack one day.

Wow - lots of familiar names here.
Followed my sisters around 3C (about 37 years ago)- we bought our first pony there.
Listers gave us our second (a 17 year old half arab sway back mare)...moved to Misty Acres. Finally bought a place in the country and had them at home.
Later, one of my sisters used to live in one of those cottages at Chingcousy Country Club and teach in the barn.
I totally jumped anything (I mean furniture etc)and made the dog do it, too. Now, I see my daughter do the same thing.....

I started as a kid, went to BSS summer camp and we rode at Eglinton, too many years ago for me to count, but at least 30, after that Cedar Creek in Guelph (if my memory is correct) area and then Sunnybrooke Stables, before the arena went in, we used to ride outside, even through the winter. Those were the days, jumping the piles of wood chips out on the trail.

Can't say I remember those names. But my memory is poor at the best of times. I do remember having a crush on a guy named Jeff, but I can't remember his last name.lol

We grew up in Don Mills and Willowdale as kids, and those were in the days when Windfield's Farm had their broodmare division on York Mills Road just west of Leslie (where the housing development is now ...)

My best friend and I used to bike out there after school and on weekends and "pick grass" for the broodmares and climb on the fence and feed them and pat them and we'd spend hours there at times ... [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

One day Beth got the brilliant idea that we should perhaps take them for a ride [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/rolleyes.gif[/img] so she picked her favorite mare and brought her alongside the fence and I did the same with mine, and I remember who it was to this day - her name was Willow Lake and the dam of the good race stallion - Victorian Prince - and we'd climb on board these girls and they'd wander off in search of their friends and more grass with us on board ...

God must look after idiots and horse crazy young girls (!) as these wonderful mares never did a thing except jiggedy jog a few steps and mosey around with us on their backs ...

If the farm manager ever saw these 2 horse crazy girls on the backs of their valuable broodmares I'm sure that he would have gone completely and totally nuts, and all I can say is that I'm glad we picked 2 mares that had actually been backed and ridden once upon a time and were kind to 2 crazy girls! [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

No. I started riding at the National Capital Equestrian Park in 1985, and me and my friends used to go to Silver Spur when we wanted fun trail rides.

Edited because the quote thingy didn't work.

[This message has been edited by CatBalou (edited March 02, 2008).]

Oh gosh, we must have been practically neighbours! We lived just off Leslie Street, just south of that big white mansion. I used to dream about living in the mansion with all the stables and stuff!!

And there was a riding stable at Finch & Leslie as I recall. My older sister's friend was killed there, I think, after a fall without a helmet. To this day my sister can't understand why we ride [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/frown.gif[/img]

I recall going to the broodmare farm and getting bitten feeding grain to the horses -- I STILL have a kink in my finger from the bite!

Yikes, no that is not the place but I remember where you are talking about, it was just down the road from Meloches. Meloches was a fancy boarding facility, big white house at the front of the property, HUGE x-country jumps in the front field. Friends of my parents kept their horses there for awhile.

GP'r, you may be interested to know that:
- the one lane bridge (sadly) was taken down in the 80's and the road paved (more sadly)

- the cottages on the Ching. property still stand, but most are boarded up now. I was told that the owners had long leases on them and that as the leases were up the owner of the property (Bruce McLaughlin still, I think) was not renewing the leases. Still a few left tho'.

- The pool by the juniors club house is long gone....the wading pool is still there empty and unused except for perhaps a couple of geese when the rainfall fills it.

- The arena by the long 'C' barn is used for equipment for the golf club, the barn is still standing in disuse.

- The 'B' was closed up but has been maintained to some degree.

- The 'A' barn was fixed up and still stands. Sometimes I peek in and imagine what it must have been like back in the day.

- The grass show rings are a golf driving range now, the sand rind, a gravel parking lot.

- The pasture field overgrown with fences falling down and the cross country fences fallen down.

- The path through the evergreens to the corner of the property has grown in with wild flowers and new deciduous tree growth.

But...when I squint my eyes......I can still see the dirt roads, the pine path, cross country fences, horses turned out in the field and hear the whinnying and clinking of tack and clipped jumping poles....Michael Gutowski instructing the riders and envision the mix of horses and people that made up the glory days of the Chinacousy Country Club.

I think the cottage my brother lived in is still inhabited (possibly by his brother-in-law if memory serves me correctly). It was actually very cute and still in decent shape - an A-frame on the river.

I can just recall the last time I went to visit him there (maybe 5 years ago?), I had to drive past several boarded up places, rusted out cars etc. down a potholed laneway, then, as I reached the few inhabited cottages - (you will think I am making this up) - I passed a creepy guy on a minibike with a megaphone (really, I am not kidding), who followed me the rest of the way in to my brother's place, announcing "hey baby, I am "beat-your-meat-pete! Stop by and visit!"

Party on.

I did not go back. Ever.

[img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img] That sounds like a blast, GP!

I, too, used to ride at Nethervue. Those would have been my first lessons - circa 1978ish... then HSE and Huelyn.

I took a number of years off, then rode and taught at Bertins and now have my horses at home.

Oh, the memories...
Started at Bayview Farms, at Bayview & John Street in Thornhill. Used to walk there every weekend. Remember Marg Glen? Helen Strawbridge? Geraldine Stinchcombe? (Parents did not want a rider in the family) Bayview moved to McCowan & Stouffville SdRd. I stayed there for a year, then rode with Norm Sutcliffe (OMIGOD) for another year, then got my own horse, and moved to Redstone, and then to Valhalla. Taught at Valhalla, rode a lot of other people's horses.
Went to University, and groomed for Craig Collins for a summer, at 1354 Burnamthorpe Rd., Oakville.(Cherkas's old place, where the Hornby horse show was held, for awhile). (I remember watching Beth Underhill at that show, early in Sagan's career, and hearing Jimmy Elder saying, that girl can RIDE, because Sagan was such a stopper, except for Beth. Craig's became Twilight Farms (Williams), and then Breakaway, with Peter Stoeckl. I taught Ainsley first!
Anyway, no longer riding, missing it every day, for the rest of my life...

[This message has been edited by GoLightly (edited March 02, 2008).]

I started at age 10 (1975) at Central Don - rode in the big green thing for a year then moved to Foxhunter with Alan for 2 years (learned awesome equitation) and then moved to Zweibrucken with Richard Chase for 3 years and learned to ride jumper - after 6 years, I had collected enough ponies and a jumper that my parents bought a farm in Millbrook, Ontario.

Hi Diane,

I was at Halton for a couple of years buck in 1970 but I also was at Kinglea for about 12 years. Moved out in 1980-81 or there abouts. Then headed down to the place I'm at now which is across the road from the old Catchpenny.
I bet we have crossed paths numerous times.

[This message has been edited by Critters (edited March 02, 2008).]

Hey TrueColours, I used to set up jumps with my friend and we would see who did the fastest round! We also set up a dressage arena and made up tests!

I started out on Saddlebreds at a farm that is now an office building at Warden Ave. and Hwy7 in Markham. The farm house was moved and is raised up sitting in a field. I think it must be historic. Part of Warden Ave. has been paved over what was the sandring! How sad is that? The girl who ran the place had to close up shop as her parents were getting divorced. My cousin boarded at Redstone Farm and my poor Father got suckered into paying for lessons there and my cousin thought it was so funny how I was Daddy's little girl! Still am after 35 years!!
I stayed at Redstone for 3 years and then moved on the Foxhunter. It's still there and doing well. My guess is they are just waiting for the right offer from the evil developers!

Cheers!

Started riding at Central Don Stables in the mid-70s...with Norm Elder, who I remember jumping on a fat chestnut called Jellybean, to make some point about jumping. For fun, we would ride through the trails in the park and jump the picnic tables.

We had a "tennis bubble" that went up over that ring in the winter, the horses had to learn to go through the airlock to prevent the thing from collapsing, and when snow slid off it, we had a rodeo! I worked there as a groom too, looking after ex-police horses owned by the Bundy's...my favorite was named Major. I also loved an appy boarded there by the Weston family, an ex-polo pony I think, named Phoenix.

Rode at Sunnybrook in Richmond Hill and showed at the Fair (ferris wheel and all).

Worked at Horse-Lover's Day Camp in Gormley...tons of fun! Also worked the YMCA riding camp at Governor General's Horse Guards. That was crazy...trying to teach beginners to ride on the polo ponies (no mane to hang onto; when they had enough, they would run back into the barn and scrape the kids off!

Also rode at Leitchcroft for some time, with Martha Griggs and Topshi Hari (sp?). Loved that place, especially going for gallops around the field out back.

Worked for a couple who lived near Joker's Hill, to exercise their horses...used to hack over to JH and play on their fantastic x-country courses!

While going to university in the 80's, rode at ClerView in Guelph (favorite horse; a buckskin called Molson) and Travis Hall in Fergus.

Moved to Oakville and rode at Bertin's briefly (favorite horse; Alize)...moved to Schellenberg in 2002 and have been there since! No more schoolies though, I am on my second horse [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/smile.gif[/img].

Hey Guineapigger and Ride On - I knew I couldn`t possibly be the only one to know about Chinguacousy! It was a going concern in the old days. I too, am sadly aware of the disappearing old facility. On a regular basis would ride my pony bareback - under `the bridge` to take her for a swim in `the river` beside the golf course. There is NOTHING like the feeling of riding a horseépony who is REALLY Swimming - She LOVED TO SWIM - incredible experience!! I had a friend who lived in the summer in those cottages - spent lots of time there!. Drove through the old barn areas a couple of years ago and felt like I was in a weird movie - quite surreal and almost creepy. I was there when Kirton`s ran the barns for a bit. --yep - I too could write a novel about those days!!

Our first horse was a 5 week old from a PMU farm in Martintown. Because of her my parents bought a second farm in St Lazare where we moved to in 1962. It was Horse Heaven as we got so many more in the following years. That horse (14:2) was the first pony to place (5th)in Preliminary at the Eastern Canadian Championships at Angus's Estate in Senneville(3 day event) ever. Prelim was the lowest level in those days, mid 60's I think.
I think Jerry Binette was our Blacksmith, he was really good. Rodney Greer lives quite near where I live now in Ontario.
I saw Sandy Babich last year at Lachute, Had't seen her for over 40 years, she used to keep her horse at our place.

- When I was 5 I took lessons at a Pony Club somewhere in Campbellville but quit after a few years because I wanted to play soccer with my friends (no one else I knew rode)
- When I was 12 I went for a public trail ride at Palomino Ranch in Carlisle and realized how much I missed it and started working there (yes, I was 12). We got to ride for free when we weren't working. That job lasted until I got into high school
- In grade 12 I went with a friend to see her horse and behold I was hooked again. The owners of the barn came to know me and when I would go up with my friend they would have me ride their horses. I fell in love with a horse there and began part boarding and then onto a free lease with him - showed very successfully and then retired him at 25 years of age whereby his owners moved him to Florida where he peacefully passed away a year later ....
Side note: in the second half of grade 12 we were allowed to register for 'co-op' classes outside of the school if we could tie the job to a high school subject. I was determined to get in as much riding as possible with my new pal so I 'co-oped' at the barn citing that I wanted to own a riding stable hence the tie to my business class. At 17 I though that was very clever.
- Now last year (15 years later) my 7 year old daughter has started taking lessons and you guessed - I'm hooked again. After a year of taking lessons with my daughter I have adopted 6 year old TB named Tall Glass from the LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society and we are in love and couldn't be happier!
~'Horses leave hoofprints on our hearts'~

Anyone here ride at Lamont Training Centre? Ian & Roseanne Black's place?

Very sad to read about Ching CC. [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/frown.gif[/img] It was a place that I dreamed about having a horse there.

I started riding at 8 at my father's boss' place. He made the mistake of picking me up and sitting me on a horse. I screamed and refused to get off. That's was it. I was hooked!

I also rode at a lovely facility that was right across the road from Joker's Hill. I believe it was run by Ann Munroe?
Can't recall. Sound familiar to anyone???

My girlfriend Ruth boarded her POA pony Amigo at Greer's and when I boarded at Dot & Jerry's place we used to ride thru the Arboretum (sp?) behind MacDonald College Farm thru to Senneville and there was a Hunt club or at least the kennels with the hounds on the other side....a really nice ride!!

The first horse I ever rode was named Sundance and it was on a trail ride at Circle Square Ranch in Arden Ontario about 30 years ago. After the trail ride, Sundance stepped on my foot. I had officially been bitten by the horse bug.

My next ride was at a trail riding place in Ottawa. My friend and I took the bus to this beautiful stable. It was so clean and the horses were beautiful. Unfortunately they didn't do trail rides for people who weren't taking lessons, so they gave us directions to this trail riding place behind their stables. We walked for what seemed like forever, but found it and had our trial ride. I was so small my feet didn't reach the stirrups, so they wedged my foot in the leathers! At the end of the trail ride, they tended to gallop the horses home and the horses knew it so they all took off and my friend fell off, but because we were riding in running shoes, her foot got caught in the stirrup and she got dragged for quite a distance. It was so scary!

Next my friend and I answered an ad in the Toronto Star to clean 3-4 stalls for free riding for this man named Chris who lived at Yonge Street and HWY 7. What a dumpy little place, and my friend only went once or twice, but I went up almost every weekend to clean the stalls and get my free riding. lol I basically taught myself how to stay on and he had everything from foals, to mares, to a stallion. Looking back now, the guy was definitely a dealer. lol

Then came the lessons off and on at Sunnybrook Stables, Exhibition Riding Club (before Sunnybrook owned it), and Jolly Huntsman (where my friend bought a huge grey gelding named Big Steel).

Had the chance to go to Ocala and work at Mockingbird Farms with a co-op 'twin' on an exchange program in grade 12. It was the first time I had ever seen a foal born. It was so exciting!

Worked for a summer at Day by Day farms with the mares, foals and retired race horses.

Still best friends with the girl in Ocala and went to my first schooling show there when I visited her. She threw me up on a green broke 3 yr old tb that was afraid of puddles (of which there are every day in the summer since it rains almost every day!) I fell off into a puddle just before my walk/trot class. lol Still did the class though, but refused to do the walk/trot/canter with that horse since I was too freaked out. (she kept taking off to try and catch up to her pasture buddy) Talk about a stressful first show! I did do the second class on someone else's horse and it went great! That horse was so perfect in every way! lol No ribbons, but lots of fun.

Many more lessons off and on through the years until I bought my girl one year ago this month! And I love her to pieces! [img]http://www.equiman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Another Ottawa area oldie here -- I first started riding at Double D Ranch in Cumberland. I attended the summer camps every year, for many years. Don, the owner at the time, used to pick up all the camp kids in the little bus. In the mornings, we had a lesson and in the afternoons a trail ride + swim at a nearby pool. What a great place it was! I believe it is now an English riding facility, but I'm not sure.