Maple Ridge Stables

To all my student and summer camp families…..I will begin this post with an apology for how late it is in coming. However, it will be worth any inconvenience; I promise!

December 11th, 3-8pm Sunday is the Maple Ridge Stables Christmas Party. As always, it is a potluck, so please bring a dish to pass. Also, there is a gift exchange; so please bring a pre-wrapped gift that costs NO MORE than $10.

We will have games, prizes, dancing and more!

The party will be held at the Corwith
Township Hall in Vanderbilt. We will not have the kitchen, so food must be prepared when you arrive.

Please call if you have any questions. We are so happy to be able to celebrate with all of you!

There is no resting this week!

Christmas special! 🎄Buy a $100 gift certificate before December 20th and pay only $80! Certificate is good through October of 2023 and can be used for lessons, camps or trail rides! Give your child the gift of horses, friends, fun and memories!

And now he is 4!

Sara says I am “exploding” her? Translation?

I was actually thinking of getting off FB because of the volume of sales ads and trash stuff. I receive a lot more of these post than posts from friends’. So I had to change my algorithm. So hold your finger anywhere in this post and click ′copy’. Go to your page where it says ‘What's on your mind?’ Tap your finger anywhere in the blank field. Click paste. This upgrades the system.
Hello new and old friends!

First drive in the motor home!

Fall riding is the best! Bundle up and be cozy with zero bugs and beautiful views.

Had one of the best rides with this couple yesterday! Happy Birthday and thanks for joining us!

So, those of you that know me; know that I have hosted three of the most amazing exchange students ever! They have become a permanent part of our family and will be our children for life! I cannot express how I would feel without these kids in my life. I know there are a million reasons we shouldn’t host. The economy, covid, I am too old, it’s too much work…..but there are even more reasons that you should. The joy, the learning, the laughter, the memories and the love. These are some moments with mine. If you have ever considered hosting an exchange student, now is the time. I have over 300 kids just waiting for their Magic words….we have found you a family! Please call or text for information about how you can be part of their amazing experience.

We have accumulated a lot of lost and found items. If you recognize anything, please pick it up in the office next time you are here. Also, logowear is in, so please bring your check books to lessons. Thanks!

We are so fresh in the morning!

16 lunches packed and now to play!

Dinner prep and supervision.

Too busy for pictures today! We had homemade griddle sandwiches for breakfast and hot dogs over the fire for lunch. We each are getting lessons in barrels, English and vaulting!

Our cooking station is ready! Let the campers arrive!

To all lessons students! Your logo wear orders have arrived!

🐴👩‍🌾 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗱𝘆?

I am currently looking for host families for some experienced riders (and exchange students) for the fall.

🇪🇸 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻
🇳🇿 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹
🇫🇮 𝗘𝗻𝗻𝗶 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
🇫🇷 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸

All of these students love horses, and will come with their own health insurance and spending money. A host family is responsible for providing caring guidance, a room and quiet place to study, and meals at home.

They will be cleared by a physician and tested prior to arriving in the U.S. and will be coming a week or so before school starts.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗲, 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗽𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿@𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗮.𝗼𝗿𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹/𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝟵𝟴𝟵.𝟵𝟴𝟬.𝟴𝟳𝟲𝟲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼.

Can be anywhere in Northern MI or the UP!

________ Read about some of the available students! ________

🇪🇸🐴🏇🎭🎤🎹👩‍👧 Sara (14) is from Spain, and will turn 15 before she arrives in the U.S. She had a host family who unfortunately is no longer able to take her. She lives with her parents and their pet cockatiel, and has an older sister who is currently attending university. Sara specifically requested the midwest. Her parents are both doctors, and her sister is in medical school. Sara is fairly athletic, and participates in track and field, but more than this, she really loves horseback riding. She has been riding since she was 7 and says “I think that it’s a beautiful sport connected with nature, that helps you with coordination, concentration and to face your fears or to be more confident with yourself. Normally, I do jump but recently I have started with dressage. It is very important to learn how to control your horse.” She has been to summer camps, and already knows she can adapt easily to being away from home. Unlike her medically minded family members, Sara is more inclined to be creative. She loves theater! She is very much into musical, cinemas, comedies, and dressing up, and knows how to play the piano. She would love to be in a school with a theatre or drama club, because this is something that is not possible in Spain. Sara also goes to a French school in Spain, and her French is as good as, if not better than, her English. She even tutors an 11 year old girl in French and really enjoys it. She hopes that in her new host family, she will have a sister. She loves having the bond with another girl, and promises to be a great and helpful family member around the household. On a very cute side note, she loves collecting snow globes. Maybe a Michigan globe is in her future. 228HUSP002JYF Midwest request

🇳🇿 🇫🇮 🇸🇪🐎🐕🥕👩‍🍳🏊‍♀️🏈 Hannah (17) is from the Aland Islands off the coast of Finland and Sweden. She was actually born in Sweden and has Swedish citizenship. Her mother is Finnish and they have been living in Finland for the past 8 years. She lives with her mother, stepfather, and her 3 younger sisters. She also has 2 older siblings who are no longer at home. Their family is Lutheran (Christian) and they attend church fairly regularly. She really enjoys animals, and her family has dogs, cats, and rabbits. She also loves horses. She has been riding since a young age and it is one of her biggest passions in life. She also really enjoys American Football, swimming, and cooking. Hannah has been a vegetarian for a little bit and usually cooks her own meals. She still eats eggs and dairy, and definitely does not mind being with a family who eats meat. When she is older, Hannah would love to work with horses, and work as a religious and math teacher. She finds religion and politics fascinating and was able to take a trip to Israel with a friend to learn more about religion. She is very responsible, and a hard worker, so her mother did not hesitate at all when she asked to come to the U.S. for a year. She can't wait!

🇫🇮🐴🏇📚🏃‍♀️🍳 Enni (15) is from Finland and lives with just her mom, who is a teacher, and their pet dog. They take a hike together with their dog almost every day and love cooking together. Her brother is at university. She works part time at a pizza place in the summer, and enjoys meeting different people there. She is a good student, and enjoys history, gym, and English. She spends many afternoons with her friends and treasures her time with them. Enni is a hard worker, and helpful at home. She does dishes, vacuums, and mops to help her mom. She loves helping her mom, but also enjoys having a clean home, having things tidy makes her happy. To relax, she enjoys taking a break now and then to just curl up with a book. Enni says “My dearest hobby is horse riding, I have done it for like 12 years. I do not compete anywhere. It makes me forgot all my worries and stress. My favorite horse is named Humu and he is very nice and cute. I am not competing anymore. My home country is beautiful, it is the land of thousands of lakes, Finland. My favorite treat is salmiakki. I also like finnish chocolate a lot.” She can not wait to gain another set of close friends, an American family, and to really fall in love with the American way of life. 28MIFI027JSF

🇫🇷 🐴 🏊🏼‍♀️ Natasha is 17 years old from a small village in France. She lives with her mother and father. Her father is a sports trainer and her mother is a human resource manager. At home Natasha has a dog and a horse. She loves animals. Natasha absolutely loves horses, and works at the horse stables every day. She has been riding horses since she was four years old.She can speak fluent English, German, and French. Natasha is very close with her family. She visits her grandparents at least once a week. Natasha enjoys going to school. She is an excellent student. During her exchange she will be a senior. At school her favorite classes are English, economics, and history. Natasha enjoys spending time with her friends. They like to get together and go bowling, have dinner together, and have sleepovers. Natasha‘s father is a lifeguard, so she is an excellent swimmer. Natasha enjoys running, skiing, and reading. In the winter time she loves to watch Netflix and drink hot chocolate. Natasha loves meeting new people, trying new things, and is very helpful. She likes to laugh, dance, and joke around. Her parents want to warn her future host family that Natasha sings very badly, but she loves to sing in the shower. Natasha is a foodie, and knows how to cook very well. She enjoys cooking muffins, cookies, and pancakes. Natasha is very excited to be able to live with his family, and learn more about the American culture.
228JLFR153JYF

Sign someone you love up for Summer Break Horse Camp! 🐎

Space is limited, link to registration form is in the comments.

Hello Cheboygan/Otsego/Charlevoix families! Please let me introduce you to “Enni” from Finland. She would like to come to the US for either a semester or a full school year if she can find a host family. Hosting an exchange student is a wonderful way to contribute culture to your family and your community.
She enjoys hiking with her mom and her dog almost everyday. They also like to cook together and hangout together.
She loves spending time with friends and they love to ride through town on their mopeds. They enjoy shopping and just hanging out at each others houses.
She leaves for school about 7 am and gets home at about 2 pm. She does chores, cleans up the house and walks her dog. In the evening she is usually out with her friends.
Her mother is very proud of how well she looks after the house. She is tidy and always does dishes and cleans the floors.
Her favorite hobby is horse riding, she has done it for 12 years. She does not compete anywhere now, but she used to. It helps her relax and forget all her worries.
She is very proud of her country, “the land of a thousand lakes”. Finland has special culture and breathtaking nature. She loves it, but is ready to experience something new. She loves Finnish food and Finnish treats. Her favorite treat is salmiakki. She also like Finnish chocolate a lot.
If this sounds like something you would enjoy doing, please contact me, Penny Bachelder by text, phone or email to 989-980-7866 or [email protected]

If you have registered a student for lessons, you should have received a confirmation email or text. Please contact me if you did not receive a notice of class time and day.

Thank you!

What a great sign up day! Thanks everyone that came for spring clean up and to help to meet and greet. The calendar is set and I will send out emails as soon as I get all of the emails loaded.

Reminder to those of you interested in lessons this season!

Lesson sign up and open house is this Saturday, April 9th between 1 and 2 pm. I look forward to seeing returning students and some new faces this year!

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that really makes a lifelong difference? Be a host family for a student like Noa. These students have their own insurance and spending money. To learn more, please contact me: Penny Bachelder 989-980-7866 or [email protected]

Reminder, if you are interested in lessons this season, please send your contact information to our new email address at [email protected]

We were unable to save our contact information from the old email account.

We are so excited to see temps up and snow melting!

We will not be offering winter trail rides during the month of February.

My German exchange student would like to teach a couple of vaulting classes this spring. She has been riding for many years and vaulted for 3 years. If you have an interest in signing a student up for this, please let me know. We would have class every Tuesday in May after 3 pm, so it is a 5 week block. Cost is $150 for the entire session. We are only scheduling 4 students per session.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. So, the website is back up and running. Please check out the camp and event page for dates and cost of our now scheduled overnight camps. Applications may be requested by email at [email protected]

Hello faithful followers! We are no longer managing a website, so our previous email address does not work.

Please us our new email address at [email protected]

Big announcement for 2022. Camps are back! If you have a 7-9 year old interested, send a text with name, age and email to be placed on the email list!

Students and parents check your email. Change in lesson plans, wear shorts with your boots!

Maple Ridge Riders! Please check your email for Showdeo update/cancellation.

What a wonderful day! Did our second fun show and the kids are showing so much improvement! Thank you again to all the volunteers that make it possible!

Reminder to my students! Fun show at the ranch tomorrow at 1pm. If you miss equitation and showmanship, you cannot do speed show.

See you there!

We regret that we will not be sponsoring a Showdeo at Maple Ridge this year.

Reminder to Thursday students that level 2 testing today.

Thursday students...yes we have lessons!