Take Jess to Work: Hidden Hollow Farms

If you remember a couple weeks ago we did a little bit called Take Jess to Work for Administrative Professionals Day. I was a mechanic one day and a pre school teacher the next. You can check out all the videos and pictures on our Youtube channel.

Due to scheduling conflicts we had to reschedule my day at the farm. Thankfully we were able to figure things out and I got the chance to work at Hidden Hollow Farms in Red Hook. Stephanie emailed into the show and promised me I would get to hop on the saddle and ride a horse! And of course she put me to work.

I got to work with Stephanie and Woody. Woody is one of the many horses used at Hidden Hollow as a therapy horse for children with disabilities. Hidden Hollow is a non for profit organization and therapeutic riding facility for those with special needs and those who don't. Woody has a pretty cool back story, he was donated to Hidden Hollow by Michael J. Fox!

Before I could get on and ride into the sunset, we had to prep Woody. First, I had to brush him which was very relaxing and calmed me down a little bit. Because believe it or not, I was a little nervous... I  haven't been on a horse since my first birthday. Next, came the saddle. I had no idea they were so heavy! Takes a lot of muscle to work on the farm. Then we had to take Woody to the walking circle. You know the whole "you can lead a horse to water" cliche saying? Well I had to lead the horse to the walking circle and it was not an easy task. Woody seemed to be a gentle giant and I think we had a pretty nice back and forth, so he took it easy on me. It was finally time, Stephanie made sure I followed all the rules and suited me up with a helmet, and I got to ride a horse!

I look so ridiculous, part of me was terrified but the other part of me was super excited that I got to ride a horse. The staff at Hidden Hollow Farms are very knowledgeable and so friendly. They offer regular horse riding lessons if you're thinking about getting into riding and there are a ton of horses and other animals to check out while you're there. Summer is here so why not spend some time outdoors with these beautiful animals. They even have a Clydesdale. Meet Gus:

For more information about Hidden Hollow Farms visit their website http://www.hiddenhollowfarms.org/.