Happy New Year! I kissed a horse and I liked it.

Ok, I do that all the time. New Years’ Eve, no exception.

Clearly, in this photo I’m not shivering in negative 20 degree Celsius winter temperatures in Ontario, Canada.

In this photo, I’m at the Farmer’s Pantry pick-your-own-apple farm (last fall) located in Clarksburg, Ontario, North West of Glen Huron in Ontario. In September, you can enjoy apple picking, wagon rides pulled by a tractor, a children’s play area with goats and bunnies and well, not horses. The family keeps their horses off the public tour because, no matter how much they ask, people feed them apples … and too many apples are not good for horses.

Farmer’s Pantry is one stop along The Apple Pie Trail, along Georgian Bay, about 1.5-hour drive from Toronto. Other places are all business focusing on apples, more apples and sometimes pie. Restaurants with apple-themed menu items are part of the trail, along with some bakeries. Check out our apple trail fun at dogtrotting.net.

Obviously, I’m not apple picking in January. This New Years’ Eve I rang in 2018 in a barn feeding homemade treats to my friend’s horses, after going out for sushi of course.

Treating horses. What better way to ring in the new New Year and reflect on our favourite horse encounters of 2017?

Actually, our favourite equine adventures of 2017 have yet to appear on horsetrotting.net. So stay tuned (or sign up via email if you haven’t already) to read about the following:

• riding early spring through the rolling hills of Quebec;
• feeding carrots to former famous race horses at Old Friends horse sanctuary in Lexington, Kentucky;
• and visiting outdoor horse sculptures in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I haven’t made a trail-riding list of places to visit this year – if you recommend any, please let me know in the comments below.

Also, I’m looking for a new place to take English riding lessons after the place I rode at for years closed down – and horses heartbreakingly moved out – due to life changes.  If you know of a quiet calm school near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada taking new students interested in casual riding (as exercise and therapy), please also let me know.

2018 will be a year of transition.

In the meantime, if you want to treat your horses from your own kitchen, here’s the recipe:

Happy New Year Homemade Treats for Horses

(I found these on www.bakingmischief.com and barely modified it, which is rare. The horses loved them – my dog, not so much).

Ingredients:

½ cup of steel-cut oats

½ cup of unsweetened applesauce

½ cup of grated carrot

½ cup whole-wheat flour

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover a baking tray with parchment paper. (I won’t bake without it).

Mix all four ingredients in a medium bowl.

Use a tablespoon to drop clumps of the mixture on to the baking tray. I made one-bite-sized pieces appropriate for a large dog or horse.

Bake for 20 minutes until treats are set but not entirely dry.

Where should I ride this year?

Please let me know your suggestions in the comments below.