21 Jul, 2010
If wishes were horses
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa|Publishing/writing/career stuff
I like the idea of giving my kids an unforgettable experience instead of a toy.
My most recent piece for SavvyMom was about Pinto Valley Ranch.
The girls flipped when I told them where we were going. They went to YMCA horse camp last summer, and Pinto Valley Ranch is where the horsey part of their day took place. After hearing about it for nearly a year I decided it might be (a) Savvy-worthy and (b) worth seeing for myself. And it was.
It is a real ranch; dusty and hot and rather rustic. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I just don’t want to give the impression that it’s the equivalent of a Spa Nordik for horses, with manicured lawns, polished fencing and elegantly upholstered stalls for pampered animals. It is flies and horse poop, big of sky and wide of field. But that’s cool in my books, because This is How It Is.
I spent a lot of time talking to Tracey, the mom who’s running the place right now. She is a hoot. Her parents owned Pinto Valley before her, and she grew up there. Now she and her husband are raising their kids there too. (One of whom was artfully dodging the horses and a shoelace-chewing baby alpaca on his roller blades while I was there.)
Everyone I met was fantastic; responsible, experienced, and friendly. The horses? They were the same, only bigger. I met a lovely soul named Apple Jack.
If you’re looking for something different to do with your kids, GO. You won’t be sorry. It’s a very pretty drive from Ottawa (we actually saw a BEAR on the way there) and your kids will never forget it.
They recently opened up a little diner on the site too, so take advantage of it and time your visit around a meal.
There is trail-riding too, but that’s for folks 11 and over.
Here’s my idea of a nice summer outing :
- 1) Arrive first thing in the morning.
- 2) Order breakfast.
- 3) Buy some time in the pony ring.
- 4) When it’s all said and done, spend some time visiting the other resident animals. (There were baby peacocks living in the barn when we were there. BABY PEACOCKS.)
- 5) Drive home.
Warning: this place is cash only, so hit up that ATM before you arrive. There are a few other important things to know before you go too – safety issues, clothing requirements – you can read that over here.
My only fear going to Pinto? Was that the girls were going to want a horse of their own.