I finally got out with Shortcake yesterday, taking a riding lesson with Adam after he finished the deck. Since last year, he has become my go-to hired man for everything on my farm and he often comes up with great ideas that I would never think of on my own. He’d never seen the part of the farm beyond the second upper pasture, so I wanted to show it to him and I wanted to check it out for riding potential, also.
I’ve only been up there once myself, just enough to inspect it briefly and come to the conclusion it wasn’t going to be useful to me for livestock. After that, I’ve been too busy focusing on the land I have that is useful for livestock to go back.
We clip-clopped out the driveway and up the hard road along the farm to where it turns to a gravel road. The horses did not like the gravel road at all. He told me to have shoes put on all four feet on the horses before I take them out there again. The horses kept wanting to go in the grass alongside the road. I’d worn shorts, so Shortcake scraped me up with briars for a bit then the road turns to more dirt than gravel as it goes along.
A little way’s up, we came to the road that leads in to this far upper piece. There’s a clearing with a gas well, and a section of woods where Adam tied Zip to get off and look down over the farm.
He wanted to be sure we knew where we were in relation to the upper pastures. This rock overhangs the end of the first upper pasture.
There’s a gas company road leading off back in the other direction, which carried us along the ridge over the second upper pasture. (The field we were fencing last week.)
It’s quite a way down through there, the path kept cleared by the gas company. At the end, there is a second gas well.
See the cleared green field beyond? There is a fence line there and that is the large cattle farm that stretches from here all the way over to the next road. (It is a HUGE farm.) Adam asked me if that fence line was my property line. We’d gone so far, I couldn’t believe it could be. I really had no idea where the property line was up there. I’d never been interested in that part of the farm before, and I’d had no idea there was such a nice riding trail there. Adam found a place where he said he could clear a path to connect the trail down to the second upper pasture, giving me a way to ride up there without taking the horses on the road if I wanted to, or I could use it to make a circle instead of backtracking on the ride. It was a nice hour’s ride up there, quiet, and beautiful. Definitely a place I wanted to ride often.
We clip-clopped back down the road to the drive.
Later yesterday evening, I talked to my neighbor Jim, who grew up here, and asked him if he knew whether or not that fence line to the cattle farm was my property line. He said that indeed it was! Wow.
I’ll call that my birthday present. Today is my birthday, by the way. Everyone finds this out on Facebook somehow, so I might as well admit it. But if it’s okay with you, I’m about to where I’d just as soon pretend it’s not happening!
GA_in_GA says:
Happy Day to you, Suzanne! Hope you have another wonderful day.
Notice, I did leave out one word.
On April 11, 2013 at 7:56 am
ladybird_1959 says:
Have a great 29th birthday! LOL I’ve been 29 for about 24 years now! HEHEHE
On April 11, 2013 at 7:58 am
Picklepie103 says:
Well, a very happy birthday to you! maybe it’s silly, but I feel such a connection to you, and I am SO proud of you! Hope you have a great year filled with all the blessings God can pour onto it! :sheep:
On April 11, 2013 at 8:07 am
Senny says:
Happy Birthday what a nice present for you.
You will have many hours of joy riding. I remember those days long ago 🙂
On April 11, 2013 at 8:11 am
emit says:
Adam my be right on the horse being shod but you need to check out the new way to ride your horse with out shoes https://www.thehorseshoof.com/ really great web site. I have not put shoes on my horses for about 2 years an yes they shy away from rocks an gravel too. When I had shoes on them they did it also. I ride mine on black top, gravel all done bare foot….
On April 11, 2013 at 8:18 am
Cheryl LeMay says:
Did you get a survey and/or legal description of your property? You should have Adam show you how to find the survey markers so you can find your borders yourself. I would not rely on a neighbor for that information. Have a happy birthday!
On April 11, 2013 at 8:52 am
lesliedgray says:
Happy Belated Birthday! I’m glad you had such a good ride… That makes anything better! I’m also glad that you found Adam; he is is and has been such a good resource for you
On April 11, 2013 at 9:08 am
MMHoney says:
Happy Birthday….
Take care; Be safe; and Be Happy
On April 11, 2013 at 9:20 am
holstein woman says:
Happy ——– to you, I’m a day late I suppose, but I was sick in bed of all things.
I’m glad you have more property to ride on. It is truly beautiful land.
On April 11, 2013 at 9:25 am
Lucann says:
Happy Birthday !! Hope you are having a great day!! :shimmy: :shimmy: :moo:
On April 11, 2013 at 9:28 am
ddlapew says:
Happy Birthday, Suzanne! I – fer sure – know we are soul sisters now: we share a birthday (except I just turned 62, blah). I’m so happy that I found your site because you are living the life I have always wanted. I didn’t get ‘my’ farm but you did! I wanted a stream, and a donkey, and chickens, and a leedle pig, and a flat rock out in the middle of a field where I could sit in the sunshine, look around, and say that it was mine. I write a lot, mostly children’s stories, but never published. I am very happy with the life I have but really enjoy living on a farm through your eyes. So, now to discover we share a birthday is very cool. And kinda ‘oooooo!’ for me. Happy Birthday from the Kickapoo Valley in WI. (which also looks very much like your ridges and valleys) More ‘ooooooooo.’
On April 11, 2013 at 9:43 am
MousE says:
Suzanne! Happy birthday! You are too young yet to worry about not celebrating birthdays. :snoopy:
Looks like you had a nice ride. That’s a lot of property! Happy days!
On April 11, 2013 at 10:36 am
JK Newsome says:
Enjoy your next trip around the sun 🙂 Our middle son has horses, and here in Kinard Florida, there are lots of trails for us flat landers
On April 11, 2013 at 11:18 am
4jsMOM says:
Happy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Suzanne!! :sun:
Today is also my brother’s birthday.
On April 11, 2013 at 11:22 am
Dumbcatluvr says:
Happy Birthday, Suzanne.
On April 11, 2013 at 11:40 am
Leck Kill Farm says:
I agree with Cheryl, get your deed and/or survey and set out on foot. I needed to do this a lot in a prior job and it is fun and interesting. Most times, it is rather easy to find the markers. You would be surprised how many stone and concrete markers are hiding in plain site. Steel pipes too. Unless, of course, your deed references ” corner marked by the large maple tree” and the tree was cut down years ago! Depending on when your farm was subdivided, there may be a subvision plan on file in the courthouse.
I live in PA, in an area of “old” farms and it was rare that I couldn’t find boundary markers.
On April 11, 2013 at 11:42 am
emmachisett says:
Oh Susannah! (Sing it!) Celebrate the day your eyes first opened to this glorious world. I used to think as you, as we get older, “just forget about birthdays”…let them pass unacknowledged…but with age comes wisdom…hopefully, and we realize just how precious our hours here are. Always honour and celebrate. You have given so many people a view through your eyes to a glorious farm experience in West Virginia…please keep it up. I, too, have land, 80 acres, that I need to search for “markers” to let me know my boundaries. But, really, we don’t “OWN” any of it, we just walk upon it and use it to our purposes until our time is done. Then we let others shepherd it. Sometimes that is a very humbling thought. Suzanne, have a wonderful day.
On April 11, 2013 at 12:07 pm
angiemay says:
Happy Happy Day !!!!!
On April 11, 2013 at 12:23 pm
outbackfarm says:
Well, happy birthday, you! I am at the point where I am counting backwards. Have a great day!!
On April 11, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Joell says:
:happyflower:
Happy birthday Suzanne, and here is hoping that you have many many more.
How nice to be able to ride your very own horse on your very own farm, and such beauty to look at. You are blessed.
On April 11, 2013 at 1:40 pm
auntbear says:
Own those birthdays woman.They are all good.
On April 11, 2013 at 2:13 pm
brookdale says:
Oh, what a beautiful ride! A lovely birthday present for you.
Happy, happy birthday! Did Morgan make you a cake?
On April 11, 2013 at 3:33 pm
GrammieEarth says:
Oh Happy Day to you Suzanne! You share this day with my older sister – trust me when I say YOU are the spring chicken in this scenario! Great riding spot. I can’t help but wonder if Adam was sent to you via all the good karma you make, and we send along through our joy in sharing these parts of your life. Whatever it is, it seems to be working! Happy, Happy April 11 and far, far beyond :heart:
On April 11, 2013 at 5:08 pm
Rose H says:
Wishing you a very happy birthday from across the pond Suzanne!
Rose H
x
:wave: :happyflower:
On April 11, 2013 at 5:41 pm
wannabeafarmgirl says:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Love your site! :snoopy:
On April 11, 2013 at 5:50 pm
yvonnem says:
A very Happy Birthday to you, Suzanne! :shimmy: :snoopy: :heart:
On April 11, 2013 at 6:07 pm
Claudia W says:
Happy Birthday! What a great birthday present , the ride and the new found land! YAY!!!
On April 11, 2013 at 8:16 pm
kbryan says:
Happy, happy Birthday! Hope you have many more, all happy and healthy. It is wonderful seeing the ponies being ridden, I hope you have oodles of rides ahead of you. AND, I’d like to see you on Zip as well. You can do it! Thank you for sharing your farm with us.
On April 11, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Linda Goble says:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOO YOU!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOO YOU!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SUZANNE HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOO YOU!!! AND MANY MANY MORE!!!!
This is me singing it to you. Good thing you can’t hear me sing it.. Glad you had a wonderful fun day!!!! :happyflower: :happyflower: :snoopy: :fairy:
On April 11, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Pat says:
:snoopy: Happy, happy birthday, Suzanne! Hope this is the start of another great year for you! :yes:
Pat in Eastern NC :wave:
On April 11, 2013 at 10:39 pm
catslady says:
Happy Birthday, Suzanne! :happyflower:
On April 11, 2013 at 11:29 pm
lavenderblue says:
Happy Birthday a day late. What a beautiful gift. A good ride on good horses over good land with good company. I want an Adam for my birthday to help with all the projects around the house.
On April 12, 2013 at 9:38 am
lavenderblue says:
Finding out I had more land somewhere would be an awesome gift, too.
On April 12, 2013 at 9:40 am
Ag Adventure says:
Happy Friday, which so happens to be a belated happy… Thursday! 😉 All joking aside I hope you had a wonderful day full of joy and all the things that make you happy!
On April 12, 2013 at 10:08 am
Minna says:
Happy Birthday! :happyflower: :fairy: :happyflower:
On April 12, 2013 at 4:46 pm
Sue, a Florida Farm Girl says:
Sorry I’m late to the party. But Happy Birthday, and I’d agree that is a wonderful birthday gift.
On April 13, 2013 at 12:30 pm
albertjames says:
I certainly hope that when you purchased the land you had it surveyed? The deed you got does have what is called “Call Outs giving measurements as to where the land starts or ends. Years ago when people bought land. Boundaries were Called at as For example : Large White Oak tree North to a Stack of stones and etc.
Remember Trees do get cut and stumps do rot. Stacks of stones can and are moved. So a good survey may be in line. A Hearsay property boundary can get a person in a lot of trouble. So never trust a person who appears to be famalier with the area. NOT SAYING YOUR FRIEND LIED. All surveyors are Certified by the State Of West Virginia are Lic and bonded by the state. And they use GPS equipment.
On April 16, 2013 at 9:20 am