Mt. Agamenticus Riding Stables
Mount Agamenticus is a small mountain that has a lot to offer. It is located in the small town of York Maine where I grew up. It’s a long drive to get to but it is worth it. There is beautiful scenery at every angle, trials to discover, and a big field to play in.
At the summit of the mountain there is a fire tower. My father used to man the tower, keeping watch over the town, making sure it is safe from fires. There was also a small riding stable at the base of the tower and I would go with my father as often as I could to visit the horses. I was about six years old when I discovered the charming little barn.
One day, when I was tagging along, I noticed the woman who managed the barn was out front staining the fence. I asked my father if it would be ok for me to see if there was any room for me at the stables, and he nodded his head and I took off.
I was nervous but I walked over to her with my head up high as she had the stain all over her hands. I asked if I could volunteer and help out at the stables and to my delight she said that she would love to have me help. My eyes light up and I was overjoyed. I ran up to the top of the tower and told my dad. He was so happy for me.
The next day, my father and I went back up the mountain and I was “dressed for success.” It felt like the drive was longer that usual, I just wanted to get there! We pulled up and I hopped out of the truck and ran down to the barn. The horses were out eating their hay, swatting the flies with their tails, and enjoying the summer sun. When I got up to the fence I stopped to walk, I didn’t want to seem too excited but it was a dream come true and I was itching to get there. The aroma of the horses and the hay was all around me and I knew I was in heaven and that this was the beginning of something special.
From that day on I was there as often as I could. I took riding lessons, helped with cleaning the stalls and paddocks, bathed the horses, cleaned buckets, put out hay and water, brought the horses in and out, helped with getting them ready for trail rides and everything else that there is to do with horses, I did it all. I didn’t mind, I was on top of the world.
There was one horse, she was beautiful. She was an appaloosa and her name was Cherokee. I loved her and everyone knew it. She took great care of me. She was the only horse that I wanted to ride, I rode others but she was number one. We went on long trail rides, short trail rides, rides in the ring and even just me sitting on her back with out a saddle, just hanging out. We were best buds, inseparable you could say.
We were out in the field at the top of the mountain with other riders on a beautiful sunny day. The grass was green and the sky clear. I could see my dad up in the tower looking down at us. Cherokee and I were riding around enjoy the sites as we got farther and farther from the group. She looked over and saw the others were far from us and took off at a gallop. I held on for dear life as it startled me, it was my first time going that fast. We got to the group and I was in shock. It was scary but fun all at the same time!
I volunteered there for seven years over the summers. It was my safe haven, a place where I could be myself and truly enjoy life. The trails were wonderful and the people were great but after a while it began to run down. The town couldn’t afford it anymore and the horses all left and I was in tears.
I saw Cherokee one day at a friend’s house. Her new owner’s were boarding her there. I only saw her at a distance and that was the last time I saw her. I still wonder where she is and how she is doing. I look online every once in a while just in the hope that I would find her and if I ever do I will have to buy her. She was my girl and I will miss her forever
Tags: barn, fire tower, horses, lesson, riding, stable, stalls, Whales & Friends, whales blog
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I used to live in York. I now live in Wells, only a short distance north of York. I loved riding up at the Mt. Stables as well, and unfortunitaly they are no longer running. I work at the Recreation Department in York now. I get at least two calls a day asking about places to ride, and about the Mt. A stables. They were well loved. I really hope that someday someone pushes to have them reopened. Maybe you should do that.
Wow, it’s nice to know someone that knows where I am talking about! Small world! I wish they would reopen them and maybe I should try it! That would be awesome if they had them up there again!
Hi Laura,
This is Jen, I was the manager at the stables for the last few years, and the last year when it closed down:( I found homes for a lot of the horses who were there so they could go to good people who loved them:) Actually 2 horses were bought by a volunteer and one of them had a baby this summer! She is super cute and looks just like her momma. There are several horses still in York right now! The Mt. is a woderful place and I see people everywhere I go asking to restart a trail riding stable/camp somewhere else. I still go up and visit and walk the trails, but it is very sad to see everything empty and the horses gone. It’s a magical place for me. But unfortunately it is not an ideal spot for a stable in the weather conditions we have in Maine. The winters are long, and there is not enough of a water supply up there. You would have to truck up 10 gallons of water per horse per day up the ice road. I looked for a long time to find someone on the back road of the Mt. who would still have access to the trails where I could start another stable and put my horses. I did find some land for sale, but it was a huge commitment and financially it may have only worked in a more year round area. Horse are a very very expensive sport!
Anyway we did had a great group of volunteers and thanks for helping out!
PS. Since you were wondering I do know where Cherokee is. Last time I saw her she was doing great and happy. The owners built a barn and bought another horse from the Mt. and I borded a horse there as well. Were you there the last few yrs before it closed when I was there?
Jen
in the mid 1990s, I was giving myself a challenge each summer as a way to move beyond surviving chemo and breast cancer surgery. I grew up in Bklyn NY and never rode a horse in my life. My husband and teenage son, also non-riders, decided to accompany me to the Mt. A stables. If I was riding, so were they. We rode our horses through magical terrain, picked our way across a babbling brook or stream, and had a wondrous time. When my horse wanted to pick up speed, I kept telling him he was a “walking horse”…and my family teases me about it to this day.
I didn’t know the stables had closed and was seriously thinking about riding again this summer with my husband. Our son is grown and has moved far away. Guess you can’t recapture magic.