The Newtown Bridle Lands Association (NBLA) Spring ride brought horses (and one mammoth donkey) and riders out into the Newtown countryside along established horse lanes and freshly cut trails.

This first organized ride of the season is a much-needed fundraiser for NBLA to help pay for ongoing trail maintenance. Traditionally, the ride has utilized parts of its annual autumn hunter pace course. This year participants had the added bonus of riding for the first time in Newtown Forest Association's (NFA) Cherry Grove Preserve. This pristine parcel of open space was the result of the community coming together to ensure one of the most iconic farms in town, and its surrounding lush lands, survived for generations to enjoy. Last Saturday, more than two dozen horseback riders soaked in the nature and the newly created trails on the 30-acre preserve.

The ride kicked off as riders gathered at the edge of the former Holmes property and headed out in casually timed small groups. The first group was filled with speed demons like myself who like to trot and canter when possible. We began with a quick loop around the trails off the asphalt cul-de-sac at the end of Holmes Farms Road. Soon we trotted up the large hill and across the former farm. A big bold trot while astride the beautiful Bea - those Percherons were made for long, fluid, bold trots - kept me happy while those behind me sometimes cantered to catch up. The vistas of red barns, tall green grasses ready for haying, and a blue sky punctuated with puffy clouds made for picture-perfect trail riding.

We then walked across Hundred Acres Road up more mowed lanes gifted by gracious landowners along NBLA easements to the top of the hill. In moments our group of six equestrians were walking down the dirt Ox Hill Road towards our next destination, the Cherry Grove Preserve.

Cherry Grove Preserve

A new opening in the stone wall along Beaver Dam Road invited horses to descend into a meadow path. Soon the forest opened before us. Once deep inside, wooded winding walkways took us places never before visited on horseback. We found ourselves atop glacial rock deposits, high above an old wooden bridge - the meandering north branch of the Pootatuck River finding its way underneath. In moments we were surrounded by the thick, ancient, cedar forest. At one point, the rider ahead of me took a turn and by the time I arrived at the fork, I could not see or hear her, this dense landscape held its secrets.

I had not been in this part of the forest at Cherry Grove Farm on horseback in nearly 40 years. It was 1979, on a fox hunt, that I last rode between shrubby common junipers and taller red cedars on narrow trails that pitched up hills and ran down dirt slopes.

Four decades later, the footing beneath us at times felt like floating across mossy beds in shady glens while the clear brook water ran alongside you. At one point, my deja vu kicked in and I was transported back as a teenager on my favorite horse on my first exhilarating ride through the old Mayer property. We only touched on a portion of the preserve, but we did take a little side trip beyond the metal gate where vast tracks of town open space and NFA land with connecting easements await us on a future ride.

A Community Goal Reached

Our beautiful spring ride wouldn't be possible without the work of many. Thanks to builder Greg Carnrick for "working his butt off" to help clear these new trials on property he originally bought and then sold to NFA. I'm impressed with his civic mindedness to continue to help improve the property so that we can all enjoy it. He also built a gravel parking lot for cars and horse trailers alike off Palestine Road next to the old foundation of the recently moved schoolhouse. I'm told other land owners and NBLA members helped clear and improve these trails for the NBLA ride. I don't know all the names, but thank you to those who volunteered their time and resources to keep the joy of horseback riding alive in Newtown.

This type of access doesn't happen without communication, cooperation, and collaboration. For example, just getting the property required a historic preservationist minded-builder, the town, and the NFA, as well as all the people who donated funds toward the purchase and continued upkeep of the property and barns. Basically, we are all in this together and Saturday's ride was proof of our success.

It's important for hikers and horseback riders to get onto the property as much as possible to enjoy the beauty, and keep the trails used, so that Mother Nature doesn't take over once again. One hidden gem of the Cherry Grove Preserve is its adjacent location to existing town open space, easements, and the NFA Fosdick Preserve. For those who enjoy passive recreation in Newtown's natural beauty, we can now enjoy miles and miles of trails and acres and acres of incredible access whether on foot or on hoof.

Lisa Peterson writes about history, horses and hounds at lisaunleashed.com. You can reach her at lisa.peterson@barngirlmedia.com.