Distance:

Mountain Meadows Equestrian Center. We will be offering our Wednesday Day camps starting on March 18th while the children are out of school. Fresh air and exercise are 2 important factors to keep this virus at bay. No horse experience is necessary for the camp. Riders are grouped according to their ability. Twin View Stables is a family run business and a multi discipline facility welcoming all ages and riding levels. We are located in Campbell Hall, New York on 60 acres of land that sits atop a stunning hill offering panoramic views of the surrounding Campbell Hall area, but also has gorgeous trails throughout the woods. Riga Meadow Equestrian Center offers the horse enthusiast lessons in dressage, jumping, and low-level eventing. Riga's devoted, professional staff can train & exercise your equine athlete, as well as provide daily, exceptional horse care. Trainer/Instructor Regina Ennis can work with you on-site or coach you at your location. At our equestrian center, we provide quality instruction in horsemanship with an emphasis on clear communication between the horse and rider in order to achieve lasting results.

A total of over 12 miles of trails, mostly constructed of stone base and fine stone top layer, which assure level and dry surfaces even in wet weather.

Time:

Using all sections of the park, one can easily do a long walk of several hours, or one can take an easy 15-30 minute stroll.

Markings:

Sign posts are positioned at most trail intersections, indicating points of interest to be found in each direction. Main trails have names, and these are included on the sign posts. Trails have colors, but there are no markings indicating those colors along the trails except at intersections, so the color distinctions are not easy to use.

Trail Usage:

Walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing. Dogs are permitted, but must be on leash to avoid disrupting or endangering ground-nesting birdlife.

Elevation:

New Thingsamerican Meadow's Equestrian Center Events

Minor variations in elevation, and slopes where found are gentle.

Difficulty:

Terrain is quite flat and easy walking.

Parking:

There are many places to park, giving ready access to all sections of Mercer Meadows Park.

1. Curlis Lake Section: Ample parking at the Mercer County Equestrian Center, entered on the south side of Federal City Road, about .75 mile east of its intersection with Pennington-Rocky Hill Road (East Delaware Avenue) on the eastern edge of Pennington. Informal parking for a few cars is also possible on the shoulder of South Main Street in Pennington at the entrance to the Curlis Trail just south of Baldwin Street.
2. Rosedale Park District: Large parking lots are available, one right at the entrance off Federal City Road, another 100 yards in on the left, and several more near the picnic areas overlooking Rosedale Lake. There is also a parking lot on the north side of Blackwell Road midway between Federal City and Cold Soil Roads, and still another at the Hunt House, entered from Blackwell Road near its intersection with Cold Soil Road. These last two parking lots also give ready access to the Farm History and Pole Farm Districts.
3. Farm History District: Parking is available at the site of the historic Reed-Bryan Farm, entered off Federal City Road about .5 mile north of Pennington-Lawrenceville Road.
4. Pole Farm District: An ample parking lot is found beside the red barn at the intersection of Keefe Road and Cold Soil Road. Another is located on Keefe Road just east of Pennington-Lawrenceville Road.

Tips:

Mercer Meadows offers a “long walk” opportunity for the ambitious. One can walk from downtown Pennington to downtown Lawrenceville, entering Mercer Meadows on South Main Street, crossing the Equestrian District, following a variety of possible routes through the Rosedale Park and Farm History or Pole Farm Districts, and crossing Village Park into Lawrenceville, following the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail route. Total distance would be about 7.5 miles from the center of Pennington to Main Street in Lawrenceville.

Amenities:

Picnic tables are available in many locations near parking areas, and at Willow Pond in the Rosedale Park Section. Toilets can be found at most of the main parking areas (see symbols on map).

Directions:

Specific guidance to particular parking areas can be gleaned from the map, but general guidance for getting “onto the map” are as follows:

From I-95, take Exit 5 onto Federal City Road north, to Pennington-Lawrenceville Road. Going straight ahead, on Keefe Road, takes you to the two parking areas for the Pole Farm District. Going left on Pennington-Lawrenceville Road, towards Pennington, and then right on the continuation segment of Federal City Road, takes you to the entrances for the Historic Farm District and towards the Rosedale Park District.

From Princeton, take Rosedale Road out of town to its end, turn left on Carter Road, right at the light onto Cold Soil Road, and then left on Blackwell Road for access to parking for the Rosedale Park and Pole Farm Districts.

An IEA rider’s journey starts with the desire to be a part of a team. Whether the team is the partnership with the horse that an IEA rider draws for a class at the horse show or the team that consists of old and new friends at the barn, an IEA rider has the opportunity to develop competitive riding skills while making memories that will last a lifetime. And the best part is, IEA riders do not need to own a horse or tack to participate.

Gliding through the air over obstacles on a 1,200 pound mount is quite the sight and, for a rider, a significant accomplishment! Hunt Seat is the largest discipline of the IEA, and competitions offer over-fences opportunities at every event. With a history based in foxhunting, modern day hunt seat riding has adapted to a forward seat style to allow the rider to easily stay in balance with the horse on the flat or over a course of fences. In equitation, a rider’s position, ability to clearly communicate with the horse and overall performance are being judged. Each ride is performed on an unknown mount determined by a draw-based format. Whether showing over fences or on the rail, riders have lots of fun.

New Thingsamerican Meadow's Equestrian Center Camp

For hundreds of years, western riding has been synonymous with ranch work. Movements necessary to work cattle can be seen in reining patterns used in competitions today where a horse demonstrates changes of speed with the slightest touch from the rider and the ability to stop and turn quickly with ease. Western horsemanship provides a rider with a strong foundation that will support seamless communication with the horse as the combination executes the walk, jog or lope on the rail and maneuvers in individual pattern work. All Western classes are done with zero warm-up time allotted to the rider.

Rock Meadows Equestrian

Derived from the French word for training, Dressage fulfills its definition as youth-riders work hard to perform classic riding maneuvers developed on the ancient Greek battlefields. Be it equitation or test, riders are expected to guide their horses, from memory, through a series of predetermined movements in a rhythmic fashion designated by on-course letter cues. As in the Olympics, Dressage has become the fastest growing IEA equestrian offering. Harmony between the rider and horse are the goal in producing a beautiful partnership.