SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Read Online For Free
    • Flipbook
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Equestrian Gallery
      • Stallions
      • Horses & Ponies for Sale
  • Get Our Media Kit
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Wednesday, January 13 2016 / Published in Weekly Feature

The Bottom Line: Happy Riding Year!

By Jan Westmark

Jan, right, on Oreo and her daughter, Abby Westmark, on Doc. Riding at the Red Horse Mountain Ranch for a week gave Jan the itch to ride as often as possible during 2016.

Jan, right, on Oreo and her daughter, Abby Westmark, on Doc. Riding at the Red Horse Mountain Ranch for a week gave Jan the itch to ride as often as possible during 2016.

It’s 2016, which for many people means it’s time to make their New Year’s resolutions. I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions — probably because I don’t keep them. Sometimes when the New Year rolls around I decide to stop eating chocolate because I’m the first to admit I have a serious chocolate addiction. But then I realize that life without chocolate is difficult (and ridiculous) so that resolution only lasts a few days — or hours.

This year, however, I am making one New Year’s resolution — to ride more often during 2016. I’ve been horseless for a while, which doesn’t work well. As most horse people know, once you’ve been bitten by the horse bug your life changes forever and a horse becomes a necessity.

Jan’s horse Oreo is easy to spot. Look for the black horse by himself toward the right of the photo. Photo by Anne Joubert

Jan’s horse Oreo is easy to spot. Look for the black horse by himself toward the right of the photo.
Photo by Anne Joubert

Toward the end of 2015, I went to the Red Horse Mountain Ranch in Idaho, a fantastic dude ranch that gave me a great taste of the West. And it rekindled my desire to ride more often. (Don’t miss my full story on my dude ranch trip to Red Horse Mountain Ranch in an upcoming issue.)

The ranch assigns each guest a horse for the week, and I was thoroughly smitten with my big black horse named Oreo. He would make a wonderful amateur hunter or foxhunter, and I spent several days trying to figure out how to bring him back to North Carolina with me. Oreo was willing to lope along the trails as calm as could be, even as other horses galloped wildly past him. (You can’t call it cantering when you’re riding the rocky Idaho trails.)

Abby feeding carrots to Oreo.

Abby feeding carrots to Oreo.

One big difference between riding in Idaho and in Wellington, Florida, where I used to live, and even in North Carolina where I live now, is in Idaho the ground is very rocky. And the trails go straight up and straight down and are covered with large rocks. The terrain didn’t bother Oreo; he just picked his way along the trails while I clung to the saddle and gasped at the views and the giant drop-offs on either side of the trail.

When I returned from the ranch, I spent several weekends at the Tryon International Equestrian Center. If that doesn’t spark the desire to ride again, nothing will. The show is filled with one gorgeous horse after another and it certainly kept my itch to ride alive.

So here’s to a New Year filled with horses and riding. I wish that for everyone — whether it’s riding your own horses, riding a friend’s horses, taking lessons or maybe just working alongside horses — I think 2016 is the perfect year to get back in the saddle. And stay there. Happy New Year!

Share this page:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Tagged under: 2016, abby westmark, dude ranch, jan westmark, new-year, red horse mountain ranch, the bottom line

What you can read next

Ali Wagstaff: Learning, Teaching and Riding to Win
Raising Money for Breast Cancer Research One Piaffe at a Time
Kerry Hannon on Money and Horses – The Well Known Author and Financial Expert Shares About Her Relationship with Horses and Learning What’s Important in Life

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Stallion Gallery

Visit Stallion Gallery

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • STARR VAUGHN EQUESTRIAN HOME OF DONARWEISS
    Fresh & Frozen Semen Dressage training, Clinics, Sales Foal & Field Board, Lay Overs Michele & Genay Vaughn 916-869-7942 • Elk Grove, CA www.svequestrian.com Starr Vaughn Equestrian
    Svequestrian GenayVaughn

    [Read more]

  • Barnstead Inn Manchester Vermont
    Click ad title for more
    “Downtown Manchester’s only boutique inn and tavern” Privately situated. just 2 blocks from shopping and dining is our early 1800’s farm property converted into 18 rooms & suites. Local amenities such as complimentary skin care products in all rooms,

    [Read more]

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • “Jump for the Children” Benefit Horse Show Celebrates 40 Years & Over $3 Million to Duke Children’s
  • Woodside Recognizes the Best in the West
  • Get More for Your Money with an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • November 2025 – Table of Contents
  • Saralyn Darmstatter: Living the Horse Girl Lifestyle
  • Ruth Hogan Poulsen: Writing the Book on Dressage

Category

Recent Posts

  • November 2025 – Table of Contents

    SUBSCRIBE NOW! CONTENTS 22 Show Jumping Sofia P...
  • Saralyn Darmstatter: Living the Horse Girl Lifestyle

    By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Kacy Brown When ...
  • Ruth Hogan Poulsen: Writing the Book on Dressage

    By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Sara Farrell Fro...
  • Mark & Sophie Kinsella: Loving Team and Family

    By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Lindsey Long On ...
  • Carrie Seim: Loving and Writing About Horses

    By Kimberly Gatto Portraits by Lindsey Long Car...

Copyright © 1987 - 2025 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!