When I was a teenager, I spent four summers working on the horse staff of a local day camp. For the first two years, the horses were boarded at Flintridge Riding Club. After that, they moved across the street to Rose Bowl Riders.
The Rose Bowl Riders property was located on twelve acres within Pasadena’s Hahamongna Watershed Park. At the time, ours were the only horses boarded there. The facility consisted of a clubhouse, a big riding ring, a grove of oak trees, our little pony pasture and a lot of empty space.
In the past ten years, I've made a couple visits to Hahamongna Watershed Park. I've walked the trails where I used to ride, including the outside perimeter of Rose Bowl Riders. I haven't been inside the fence, however. It's always been a members only facility, and I am not a member.
I'm still not a member, but my new friend and fellow model horse hobbyist, Katy Niles, is. Last week, she took me inside the fence for a tour of the Rose Bowl Riders facility.
and in.
Similarly, the big arena is unchanged.
And that grove of oak trees that we used to call the Enchanted Forest? Still there, still called the Enchanted Forest.
Other than that, everything was different. Where there once was empty space, now there are barns.
The space where the camp horses used to live is now a small arena.
The camp horses are still there, but they've moved to the other side of the property.
Instead of living together in a field, they have individual pens.
Of course, "my" camp horses have long since gone to greener pastures. Still it was fun meeting the new crew. This one is really cute.
And I absolutely loved this spotty girl.
Back in the day, all the camp tack was stored inside an old trailer. Now it has a proper tackroom.
All those sweat-crusted bareback pads! I can still smell them baking in the summer heat.
This was such a treat.
Thank you, Katy, for taking me to Rose Bowl Riders. I can not wait to do it again.
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YAYAYAY so much fun!
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