Hill Country Equestrian Lodge

Welcome to Hill Country Equestrian Lodge Blog!

Welcome, friends, present and future, to our blog! Here you can find news about recent guests, current and future events, and other fun stuff. If you've been to see us recently, (or otherwise), and would like to post to our blog about your visit, please email me your remarks, and any photo/s you would like included to:info@hillcountryequestlodge.com. I would truly appreciate it, and I'll be happy to post them for you! Thanks for taking a peak at us, and come back to visit our blog, (and our ranch!), soon and often!

 

What's Just Ahead...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and Fall Colors have just started to appear in the grasses, and just barely in some of the trees. If you haven't made plans for Thanksgiving, you should really consider spending it with us here at the ranch. We still have some Suites available. It's a great time of year for riding, and you don't want to miss our incredible homemade Thanksgiving Dinner, including Peter's amazing Sweet Potato Souffle, and my sister Kathy's homemade pies! 

 

Christmas and New Year's is another great time to be here. We're open throughout the holidays, and we bring in the New Year with fireworks, refreshments, and Peter's awesome music around the campfire, including songs from his recently released NOW AND THEN cd.

Follow that with the annual COWGIRL ROUNDUP AND SHOWDEO in the park next door on New Year's Day, and you've just got too many good reasons to come visit us.  Dianne and Molly will be  doing their always crowd-pleasing Bridleless Reining demonstration. And any cowgirls visiting us that day are welcome to join in the PlayDay during the day's festivities. It' too much fun! 

 

The Bandera 50K and 100K race will take place in the Park the following weekend, Jan. 7 and 8. With the race headquarters right across our fenceline, and within walking distance from our cabins, there's no more convenient place than our ranch to stay before and after your run!

In other news, we're now on Facebook! There's a badge at the bottom of this page that takes you straight there! Give it a try, and please share it with you friends, and "like" it for us! THANKS!

Also, I've been writing a column calledWhole HOrsemanship for HOrseback Magazine for the past several months. You can pick a copy up at you feed or tack store, or read it online at www.horsebackmagazine.com. I invite you to take a look, and let my friends at Horseback, Steve and Vicki Long, know what you think!

Once again, I thank you for checking in on us! Read on for more great news from the Ranch!

    Our best to you always-Dianne and Peter at Hill Country Equestrian Lodge

Congratulations, Runners!

This past weekend, October 28-30, we had the pleasure of having 4 runeners stay with us for the Cactus Rose 50 and 1000K runs in the park next door. THey were Beth SImpson- Hall of Bayside, WI, Elise Harrington of Lakewood, CO, Mike SMith of FIshers, IN, and Charles Scheibe of Denver, CO.

Can you believe these people actually do this? Amazing!

They all conpleted their races well, and in fact, a Special Congratulations goes out to Beth Simpson-Hall who won her division of the 100!

Way to go, runners! We look forward to seeing you in January for the Bandera 100, or for the next Cactus Rose!

MOre wonderul Guests!

Dang Phong Hang and Paul Mason of Ho CHi Minh CIty, Viet Nam spent several wonderful days with us last week, enjoying our atmosphere, and learning to ride. Both of them had real game, as they cantered frquently on the trail- for their first time ever! Here you see Paul on Smoky, and Hang on Mandy. Although it's a considerable distance from their home to our ranch, they hope to make HCEL a regular vacation destination!

    Thanks, Hang and Paul! It was a pleasure having you as our guests!

 

 

We also had the pleasure of having Winona Barron and her good friend Amy Young spend several fun and sun-filled days with us last week. WInona is a very good rider, who hadn't gotten to ride in a while, but fell right into place on Molly Minnick, while AMy showed great natural ability on Fancy. These are fantastic ladies, who I thoroughly enjoyed riding with and getting to know a bit. Thanks, WInona and Amy!

 

 

 

Team ROper George RIley Payn, and barrell race Tammi Pearson brought two fo their horses for a little "chilling out" time at HCEL last week, too. These fine folks have great horsemanship skills, and really appreciated their beautiful Private Cabin, but equally our safe, well-designed barn and paddock for their horses. We look forward to theit next visit.Thanks, George, and Tammi!

Wonderful Guests from Bainbridge Island, WA

Dave and Nancy Williams of Bainbridge Island, WA, spent a lovely 2 days with us this past weekend. Somehow, I didn't manage to get any photos of us, but Nancy and I had a fabulous ride through the park, cantering through the wildflowers, and across West Verde Creek nex to Mrs. Merrick's old dairy barn. We practiced transitions from walk to canter just for fun on the trail, and nancy said, "Ive learned more on this trail ride than I have in many lessons!" It was my pleasure to ride with you, Nancy, and I look forward to more of it on your next visit!

More great guests!

We just finished another wonderful weekend here- great guests, great horses, great environment, great weather. I was lucky enough to catch a few of our weekend guests in a photo or two, and got their permission to share what's going on with them with you!

Ransom and Dayna Are Engaged!

Congratulations to Ransom Averitt and Dayna Loyd, of San Antonio, who just got engaged while visiting our ranch this past weekend! They said they loved their time here, and hope to return soon. Here they are with their beloved best 4-legged friends, Aviator, (with Dayna), and Brandon, (with Ransom). They both ride English and Jump, and Dayna loves eventing. "We love your barn!", they said, "and our Suite, too!", in order of importance to them! We look forward to seeing them again as they continue their life together!

 

 

 

Thanks also to David Tucker and Six, from Dallas, for spending their special weekend get-away with us.

I asked them if I could say they liked it, and they said    "You can say we loved it!" We loved having you here, too, David and SIx!

 

 

 

 

 

We have long enjoyed the visits of Janie Williams, Pedro Brandt, and their good friends Dene and Cherie. We're always happy to see these wonderful guests from Houston, Texas, and enjoy their good humor and fantastic personalities! I was lucky enough to snap a quick photo of them this past weekend, enjoying our fabulous weather on their own horses! 

 Left to right, Janie, on ( I should know his name, but I don't!), Dene on Dusty, Cherie on Summer, and Pedro on Oroco.

 

 

Amazing Fall Weather Continues

The weather this month has been amazing, as the Fall WIldflower varities have continued to bloom, and the butterflies have continued to feast upon them, including a good number of Monarchs that have just arrived as they migrate from Canada to Mexico for the Winter.  All of these phtos, as well as the one of Chris, have been taken within the last 2 weeks. Enjoy them, and get up here soon, if you can! It's a wonderful place to be at a wonderful time of the year!

Guest Profile- Chris Hansen, Metairie, Louisianna

Hi, everyone! We have great guests, and , with their, (your), permission, I'd like to start telling others about a few of them, (you!) No better place to start than with Chris Hansen, a ship pilot for the port of New Orleans, who lives in Metairie, LA. The first time Chris came to see us was soon after Hurricane Katrina. I hadn't yet met Chris back the, so I was worried he'd be unable to come see us soon after the destruction that hit his part of the world, but come visit us he did, and has continued to do so several times a year ever since! He has become a friend as well as a regular guest, as many of our guests do, and someone we thoroughly enjoy having around.

    One the things that impresses me most about him, is that Chris has continually improved his riding skil throughout the past several years, in spite of the fact that he doesn't get to ride much between his visit to us. In fact he seems to remember everything from one visit to the next. He has participated in all of our June Cattle Clinics, and on his visit here iearlier in October, he took our big black gelding. Jack through his Western paces, and was doing deep, balanced stops, followed by great roll-backs both directions. I've included a couple of pictures of Chris out on the trail, and I'll up-load some video of one of his lessons if I can figure out how!

    We thank Chris for coming to see us whenever he can, and we look forward to many more years of the fun and friendship that we've shared. Thanks, Chris!

Today's Guest Post Oct. 10, 2010

By Robin Centrella, Hartford, CN

After some time at Hill Country Equestrian Lodge. my husband and I retreat to our sunlit cabin with a wonderful view of the Texas Hill Country. After some long, peaceful quiet, I ask him what words come to mind about our exprience here. He says: apprehension, pleasantly surprised, professional, accommodating, intelligent explanations, unextected pleasrue, love & specail interest in horses...and more.

Let me fill in the gaps. We were gifted this trip from our loving family for our 25th wedding anniversary. We were apprehensive because of never having experienced something like this before. As we stepped foot on the welcoming porch of the 19th century white ranch house to check in, both Peter's and Dianne's comfortable demeanor was professional, yet not at all commercial.Immediately accommodating! Our exprience riding was an unexpected pleasure. Dianne's love & special interest in horses shines through as every question is intelligently answered & any fear dispelled in the coral and on the trail.

Totally cathartic. We thank Peter for his yummy food and conversation, and Dianne for sharing her knowledge  and passion with us! You must come and experience the place!

Robin & Duane Centrella, Hartford, CN

 

Fall 2010 at the Ranch- Cool Breezes, BUtterflies, and Wildflowers

    There truly is beauty inherent in every season here at our ranch in the Texas Hill Country, but I must say this Fall is extraordinarily beautiful. Early Fall rains have left the landscape green and dotted with Fall wildflowers. Varities that save their exquisite display just for this time of the year- Gayfeather, bee-bush, October daisies, and others are providing ample feeding for an amazing number of butterflies. Mornings dawn cool and brisk, followed by warm afternoons swathed in cool breezes, and evenings cool enough to sit by the fireside, indoors or out. Its a wonderful time to be here, and we still have availabiity for most dates in the near future. If you can manage a few days here, even on short notice, it will be well worth your time.

YOU MAY CLICK ON ANY OF THESE PICTURES TO SEE THEM FULL-SIZE.

 THANK YOU TO OUR LADIES' FALL RETREAT GUESTS!

The Incredible Fall weather and environment provided the perfect back-drop for our first Fall Ladies' Retreat Oct. 2st-3rd. This wonderful group of women- Tricia Speed, Erin Harris, Debbie HIcks, Sarah Hatley, Kathy Hunt, (Not pictured), and Kassie Hunt, (not pictured), shared their lovely personalities, incredible spirits, and individual talents with me and each other, creating a restful and rejuvenating experience for us all.

By the Pool after our Meditative Strectch on Sunday Morning- Tricia, Erin, Debbie, and Sarah

I'd like to share some of their thoughts with you about the weekend:

Hi Dianne,

I want to thank you for the lovely time I had at your ranch!...All the best! Tricia

 

Thank you for the renewal of my spirit.  This is my first chance on my e-mail since I got back Sunday.  I appreciate the pictures... I miss the hills already.

Debbie

I should be thankin you. It was an amazing weekend and you put together great activities. I really enjoyed 
meeting your family and the warm hospitality everyone offered. Even the horses were relaxed and well rested! 
Look forward to visiting again. Thanks again and for the picts too
Sarah

Thanks for the pics and the pears!  Chris and I baked a few of our pears  with a little bourbon and a lot of 
brown sugar yumminess. They  were fabulous and I can't wait to plan what I will do with the rest of  my box.  
:o)  Have a  wonderful week!
 Erin

We are already planning to have another Ladies' Fall Weekend Retreat onthe first weekend of 
October in 2011. 

For those who may not be able to make it at that time, I may arrange another between now and then. 
If you are interested in attending such a retreat, let me know what time of year is good for you.
    
THANK YOU AGAIN, LADIES, FOR YOUR OPENNESS AND STRENGTH OF SPIRIT! 
YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL!