Thanks to the dedicated members and gracious landowners, the Over the Mountain Ride was a huge success the weekend of September 22 and 23, with over 85 people participating in the weekend events. The morning started out with heavy fog at the top of the Petersburgh Pass, but the skies cleared up for the beautiful view at the top of the mountain.
Lunch was held in a field on the property of the old Seagroatt’s Roses and then the ride proceeded along the old railroad tracks and up and over dirt roads and trails back to our clubhouse grounds on Rt. 2 in Grafton. With rain in the forecast most riders had their rain gear tied on their saddles but did not need it as the rain held off until later that evening. The weather was perfect for riding.
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Snowstorm Ride of 1987. The ride was October 3 and 4 that year and when the riders woke up Sunday morning the snow had already covered the ground and continued until there was 28 inches on the ground in Williamstown. Horses and riders were stuck in Williamstown for a couple of days. We had ten people who rode this year that were with us on that historic ride 25 years ago. Our oldest rider this year was 81 years old and our youngest rider was 15; a diverse group of people that came together for their love of horses and riding. In order to complete the ride you must condition your horse and yourself as the average time in the saddle is 6 to 7 hours covering approximately 24 miles traversing over trails and roads from Rt. 2 at the top of the Petersburgh Pass all the way to Grafton. It’s not too soon to think about joining us next year.