The Last Green Valley, the 35-town National Heritage Corridor in eastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts, celebrated 25 years of Walktober adventures this year.
Along with about 50 others, we took advantage of the opportunity they provided to visit Wolf Den Friesians in Brooklyn, CT. The walk was hosted by owner, Doris, who greeted all her many guests alongside her two beautiful Friesian mares Cora and Gracie. While waiting for everyone to gather, we were torn between wanting to listen to Doris and all her fabulous information regarding breed history and the two prancing mares begging to be photographed.
A Little Friesian History
The Friesian horse is truly unique. It developed from a very old breed that during the Middle Ages were in great demand as war horses throughout Europe. Through the Early Middle Ages and High Middle Ages, the Friesian's compact yet muscular size enabled them to carry a knight in full armour and their gracefulness was highly prized. It's the only horse native to the Netherlands taking its name from the northern Friesland province.
In 1913 the Friesian breed came close to extinction with only three registered stallions. Careful care has been taken ever since to preserve the breed's distinct characteristics and bloodline. Due to this, all Friesians must undergo 'keuring', or inspection, by Dutch judges who decide whether the horse is worthy of star designation. Wolf Den Friesian mares are in the top twenty percent of the the world's population. Several of their foals have ranked in the top five percent.
The black coat of the Friesian is its most easily recognized feature. Other obvious characteristics are the long, heavy mane and tail and the Shire-like fetlock hair. Color alone will not receive top ranking. Correct movement and carriage is also judged. Friesians are well known for their grace, intelligence, and great presence. This was in full display for us with Cora and Gracie stopping to hold the perfect pose for photographers then trotting to a new position to pose again. But these are not just 'show ponies'. It was obvious that they knew they were being adored and were more than willing to come to the fence and hold their heads out to be embraced, even waiting patiently for the more shy people to come to them.Walktober Walk #91
After a brief tour of the barn, Doris led us on a wonderful walk down to the Levi's Mill covered bridge over Blackwell Brook for more great photo opportunities. The weather was perfect for a walk with the sun shining and the fall colors just starting to appear. The walk continued around to Woodward and Wolf Den Road, then back to the barn where we were allowed to share some carrots with the waiting horses. While saying our goodbyes we met another Subaru driver who told us how beloved his 2002 WRX was to him and that he plans on keeping it forever!
The carrots reminded us that we had not eaten, so into our Subaru we got for a short, but lovely and picturesque, drive to Brooklyn's Country View Restaurant. The servers were very accommodating and let us sit out on the patio to enjoy the fresh air, even finding and putting up an umbrella against the bright sunshine. We enjoyed a mix of breakfast and lunch menu items with the Loaded Potato Pancake, Blueberry Crepes, and Philly Steak Sandwich being particularly good.Walk #91 "Meet the Friesians" 33 Fitzgerald Road, Brooklyn, Connecticut. Repeats Sunday Oct 25th at 10:00AM
