Once upon a time, a horse-crazy gal had the crazy idea that it would be fun for friends from all over the country to meet and ride together. Several years later, the ride has become an annual event when summer is about to give way to fall. The location setting is the largest park in the U.S.A. that specifically caters to “horsefolk” – Fort Robinson State Park, located in western Nebraska. All in all, there are 22,000 acres that offer miles of smiles for trail riders! Swing your foot in the stirrup and join us for a virtual ride back into history.
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“
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
”
~ Mark TwainDebbie Bosworth
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
Column contents © Deb Bosworth. All rights reserved.
Being a farmgirl is not
about where you live,
but how you live.Rebekah Teal
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
Column contents © Rebekah Teal. All rights reserved.
“
Keep close to Nature’s heart … and break clear away once in awhile to climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods, to wash your spirit clean.
”
~ John MuirCathi Belcher
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Column contents © Cathi Belcher. All rights reserved.
“
Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
”
~ Anthony J. D’AngeloDori Troutman
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
Column contents © Dori Troutman. All rights reserved.
Shery Jespersen
Previous Ranch Farmgirl,
Oct 2009 – Nov 2013Wyoming cattle rancher and outpost writer (rider), shares the “view from her saddle.” Shery is a leather and lace cowgirl-farmgirl who’s been horse-crazy all of her life. Her other interests include “junktiques,” arts and crafts, glamping, collecting antique china, and cultivating mirth.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Column contents © Mary Murray. All rights reserved.
Farmgirl
is a condition
of the heart.Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Column contents © Alexandra Wilson. All rights reserved.
Libbie Zenger
Previous Rural Farmgirl,
June 2010 – Jan 2012Libbie’s a small town farmgirl who lives in the high-desert Sevier Valley of Central Utah on a 140-year-old farm with her husband and two darling little farmboys—as well as 30 ewes; 60 new little lambs; a handful of rams; a lovely milk cow, Evelynn; an old horse, Doc; two dogs; a bunch o’ chickens; and two kitties.
René Groom
Previous Rural Farmgirl,
April 2009 – May 2010René lives in Washington state’s wine country. She grew up in the dry-land wheat fields of E. Washington, where learning to drive the family truck and tractors, and “snipe hunting,” were rites of passage. She has dirt under her nails and in her veins. In true farmgirl fashion, there is no place on Earth she would rather be than on the farm.
Farmgirl spirit can take root anywhere—dirt or no dirt.
Nicole Christensen
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Column contents © Nicole Christensen. All rights reserved.
Paula Spencer
Previous Suburban Farmgirl,
October 2009 – October 2010Paula is a mom of four and a journalist who’s partial to writing about common sense and women’s interests. She’s lived in five great farm states (Michigan, Iowa, New York, Tennessee, and now North Carolina), though never on a farm. She’s nevertheless inordinately fond of heirloom tomatoes, fine stitching, early mornings, and making pies. And sock monkeys.
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WOW! I owned a horse when we lived in Cuba in the 1950’s and still remember how much I loved riding. Reading this inspires me to think about adding land to our farm so I can have a horse again. What a beautiful story with beautiful horse and people pictures! thank you for sharing. Love, Terces
Oh, how I wish I were closer and your FRIEND!! I will have to enjoy thru your blog. What a beautiful tribute to your friends AND horses!
The largest park in the U.S. is the Adirondack park….lets all ride here?
WOW!!! All I can say is I’m putting this on my Bucket List! Thank you! It brought tears to my eyes! And I was wondering how ya’ll left your gardens!!! I’m a fan of your Blog and of your Profile Picture! Blessings to you! And thank you Sherry, for sharing your life with me!
Oh how FUN!! My now-husband and I rode out at Fort Rob when we were courting…great photos reminding me of that great area of the country!
We moved up to Montana from Texas after marrying and starting our family 4 years ago… I left behind a group of friends we called the "YeeHa Sisterhood" (made a yahoogroup and everything! nationwide! grin) that was comprised of all gals who likewise rode English, western, Aussie, or bareback! We had monthly trail rides while I was still in TX, and they still get together every now and then here and there around the country. I’ll have to suggest a Fort Robinson ride and see if I can’t haul my ’87 foundation-bred QH "Bubas Pepper" down there for a YeeHa get-together!
Thanks for this great post – and now I’ve been singing and whistling "Happy Trails" for half an hour… grin…
~TJ
Shery,
There’s beauty everywhere in this post! All the gals are just beaming with joy to be with their horses and the horses look happy too…I see it’s not just " young fillies" out there on the trail with their trusty steeds. More inspiration for this middle aged "rookie rider" ! Fall riding lessons begin this Friday for me! Can’t wait… There just might be a short trail ride in my near future! I’ll keep you posted!
I don’t have to tell you Happy Trails!
hugs,
Deb
Oh Shery,
Thanx for taking us along on a wonderful ride….and Ribbon is beautiful!
hugz
grace
Sounds just wonderful! Someday I want to learn to ride. It was fun going along with you on your ride with your writing.
Happy Trails
Rose
Thank you for such a great post…again! It looks like so much fun…and refreshing. (I also wish that I could have had tomatoes as those on your vines. Ours were horrible!) Ribbon is a beauty!! I think it is truly a blessing to have horses. They are certainly beautiful creatures.
Beautiful and wonderful. You are blessed.
Me and my horse Beauty want to come!!!!
Why don’t you let a friend use your camera so we can see how much you enjoy yourself? We know you do; you keep telling us, but I want to know if you tilt back your head and roar, or do a little dance, or roll around on the ground or….
This is my first visit to your blog. It looks like a great blog and I can’t wait to read more and get to know you through it:) We got married not far from Ft Robinson park and I love it there – that place is amazing. I have never gotten to ride there yet but I hope to sometime. It is gorgeous there and I have heard it is such a great place to trail ride. Thank you for sharing the stories and photos 🙂
Looks like you had a wonderful time…wish that I was right along with you…maybe next year. 🙂 I look forward to getting together for our next farmgirl gathering and getting all the details that fall between the lines. See you soon my friend 🙂
If I were to be a ranch hand in this life I would love to spend my time with you and your friends. Looks like the life from here in the north. One or two of my chickens are laying eggs now. Had three yesterday but not sure if all three were laid yesterday or also from the day before. But none at all today. Pretty little blue-green ones. Made hubs 1/2 fried egg sandwich and sent on home with our little 3 year old niece.
Hi Shery,
Never has a greater statement been true "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man!" In this case a woman, with MS trying to convince her family how important it is to let her have a horse. But more importantly are your kind words describing Sean and his dedication to fitting his saddles not only to you, but also the horse. Sean literally throws himself into any thing he does and he truly is an artist! I know because I’m his mom! Again, thank you.
Louise Cannady
P.S. I love you, Sean!
Hello Shery,
I finally had some time to read your blog – what a great entry! I was so happy to hear that you gals are fans of the Morgan horse breed. The love of my life, Danny (also a Morgan), passed away in early May after 27 years. There has been a huge hole in my life since, and it was cool to hear of others who share my passion. I would love to join you one day on a ride!
This looks like a great place to ride. I have been wanting to go west to ride. The history and the beauty of the land. This place I will go to ride one day.
What a beautiful article. Bless all of you, Horses too.
What a beautiful article. Bless all of you, Horses too.
My first visit to your blog. Oh, you are so going to love that new saddle!! I got mine from Double H almost 2 years ago. Fits my two TB Morgan crosses beautifully. And for me – improved my riding immensely! So comfortable! Best investment I ever made!! One year I would love to join your ride.
LOL, Shery….
I just now saw this page…didn’t know my pic was on it 🙂 I tell ya, that was the funnest time of my entire life. Gotta do it again! Thanks for loaning me your beautiful mares for the ride!
Sue
I read your article and it reminded me of a horse named Bonnie I met at summer camp.I loved her. I am reminded of the deep love in my heart for horses and how someday I can have one again.
Enlightened
Thank You for sharing
I would so love to join all you girls on this ride with my 5 yr. old Morgan mare "Mattie". My friend Kathy would like to go to.
Now how far is Nebraska from Massachusetts! And I need the dates too Yeehaw!
Thank-you so much!
Carla
I would so love to join all you girls on this ride with my 5 yr. old Morgan mare "Mattie". My friend Kathy would like to go to.
Now how far is Nebraska from Massachusetts! And I need the dates too Yeehaw!
Thank-you so much!
Carla
Sure is one pretty mare in all the cavalry accoutraments and such! Like the rest of them too. Great job Shery and great writing,
Marty and Karen