Mountain Man Mondays; You Can't Have Hay Burners Without a Riding Ring!

Horses, I'm finally beginning to understand why Mountain Man calls them Hay Burners. Not only do they consume vast quantities of food but they also require accessories. No, not saddles, halters, bridles and all kinds of sprays and shampoos and brushes, but big ticket items like riding rings.

I've been lamenting my lack of a riding ring for quite some time. "How am I ever going to improve if I don't have an enclosed space where I can practice my riding? How am I going to work with Khrysta if I don't have a round pen?"

"Can't you just use the driveway?" the ever practical Mountain Man asks.

"No, I need a space of my own. It doesn't have to be fancy. Can't you just plop down a round pen somewhere?" This I asked before I knew the cost of a round pen.

Finally, this spring Mountain Man is convinced the horses are here to stay and after watching Khrysta throw a tantrum with me in the driveway, he became convinced of my need for an enclosed space to call my own.

At first, he thought about building a regulation size ring but we quickly discarded that idea when we discovered the cost to truck in the necessary gravel to level part of our field.

"I don't need anything fancy. Just put up some poles in the field."

"No, it's too wet. You can't ride in that." Our home and pastures lie at the base of our mountain meaning all the water congregates in our lower field.

The next day, I heard the sound of heavy equipment running and there was my Mountain Man out digging a drainage ditch and building me my very own riding ring.

It is still a work in progress but I'm able to use it and now the hay burners and I have a ring to call our own thanks to the ever resourceful Mountain Man.

The excavator gets ready to work.


Clearing a track for the ring and digging out a drainage ditch.
Building a pathway for me over the drainage ditch.

Widening the path to the ring. Restoring the old barn in the background is Mountain Man's next project.
Putting in the stone and the pipe to conduct the water away from my ring.
More work on getting the pipe set just right.
Mountain Man puts up the mesh fencing for my ring.
The drainage pipe underneath the entrance to my ring Mountain Man built.

Putting in the posts for my fencing.




Mountain Man heads home after a long day.