Testimonials
Hi Ron,
We have just arrived back home to England following our holiday
in America. We just wanted to let you know that we all thoroughly
enjoyed our time with you and found your family very welcoming,
with lovely food and good company. The riding was fantastic
and even Dean, who wasn't a keen horse rider, is now going to
carry on riding back here although I am sure it will not be
so enjoyable without the wonderful trails and amazing views.
We also wanted to let you know that Mark was absolutely brilliant
with everybody during the riding and certainly made a big contribution
towards the enjoyment of it and hopefully we are looking forward
to coming back again next year!!
Kind regards
Lynne Cornish
November 2009
Hi Ron,
Thank you, Mark, Cheryl and Larry for a wonderful weekend. This
was my first ranch experience since I've been riding regularly
and it was absolutely wonderful. As far as I was concerned,
the riding could not have been better. Cisco was fabulous. I'm
still ecstatic about having ridden a mustang. Mark was our guide,
protector (safety first), instructor and even entertainer all
rolled up in one. He made the weekend "fantabulous."
And the trails, the weather (even the rain), the terrain, and
the ride in town all contributed to a dream come true. Going
to sleep gazing at the stars from a very comfortable bed in
a log cabin and waking up to view horses grazing feet from the
cabin was awesome.
I'm grateful to all of you and to Denise (who recommended Hilltop)
for a splendid equine weekend.
Keep up the good work.
Susan
September 2009
Dear
Ron:
THANK YOU FOR A SUPER WEEKEND!
My feelings about this weekend are pretty much the same as those
expressed by Kathy in her email. The Hilltop experience far
surpassed the trip I had taken to Wyoming many years ago from
a riding perspective and on many other accounts.
Especially true where her statements regarding Mark. He is very
customer-focused and his desire for everyone to enjoy and have
a great time is amazing. Just his knowledge of horses and his
riding ability made me feel very secure and I know he was concerned
that safety come first out on the trials. Funny, I was thinking
you should open a service called, “Ask Mark” about
anything related to horses or riding!
Thank you for sharing your dinner table with us and always asking
us if we were enjoying ourselves!
Well, we all said we definitely want to come back to Hilltop
at some point when we can arrange it (hopefully I can rally
everyone for some Spring riding!)
Sincerely,
Jeanne
September 2009
Ron
–
Thank you so
much for some of the best riding I’ve ever experienced!
I had a really great time and now have some memories to last
me a life time.
The place is beautiful, the horses are in great shape and the
trails are amazing!! I really appreciated the intimate setting,
especially around the dinner table. It made us feel like family.
Everyone was very courteous and eager to please.
I also wanted you to know that I really appreciated Mark’s
attention to our needs/wants. His riding experience, gentle
guidance, and extreme patience was incredible. He really made
the trip extra fun! The trip into town for lunch was just the
icing on the cake- lol! Next time I want to go look for cows…
;-)
Thanks also to you for being so accommodating and checking in
with us every day to make sure we were having a great time.
Your hospitality was much appreciated. I definitely plan to
come back!
Kathleen
September 2009
Dear
Ron and Staff,
Thank you all for a fabulous time this past week. My family
truly enjoyed every minute and I will treasure those moments
always. The horses were perfectly matched for the girls, Gerald
and I. We immediately felt at home with the other guests and
the staff. The warm inviting atmosphere of the ranch made us,
City Slickers, feel right at home.
I suppose you were right when you said we “are country
folk at heart” – Thank you all for helping to reveal
that in us. I have to admit the experience was somewhat enchanting.
Leaving New York City and staying a week on the ranch, connecting
with the horses, making new friends, having family style meals,
eating great food at every meal, joking, playing games, breathtaking
scenery the list can go on and on. What a DELIGHT!
Thank yous are never enough for a priceless experience.
With much appreciation we want to Thank, Ron, Mark, Kathy, Brittany,
Amanda, Larry, Mike, Sam, Josh, Zena, Stefanie & Family,
Franco & Margaret, Cristy & Family, Julie and anyone
else I might have missed.
It was a pleasure and I do hope our paths meet again.
With
Blessings,
Nikki, Gerald, Micah & Sariyah
2009
Ron
and Staff,
I wanted to e-mail Thanking you all for such a wonderful stay
at the Ranch this week. I was so amazed at how comfortable it
became in such a short period of time. The kids just seemed
to be best friends from the start and Gerald and Nickie were
just fabulous as I'm sure you know. Julie was so kind and sweet
and full of encouraging words. All the staff was very open and
friendly. Gillian has commented several times that she misses
Larry and his food!!!!! Poor kid had to have Pasta for lunch
today...no more fancy meals!
Gillian
and I have had a incredibly tough year. My illness combined
with Her Father walking out on us made this vacation even more
important, Her first comment in the car to me when we were driving
home was "I miss my Ranch family already, I forgot all
my problems" And she cried.....seriously she was crying.
I have promised her we will return soon perhaps for a afternoon
ride.
Your
decision to put her on Cisco was perfect too. She did great
on him and made her feel pride again. Nichelle my Niece also
came out of her shell too. She just clicked with Star and loved
her from the first moment she laid eyes on her. And as for myself
Abby seemed to sense when I was getting weak and behaved herself.
It didn't hurt that I was whispering to her I was tired and
to not get any bad ideas :)
I proved
to myself I can ride again. So we are off to visit our barn
now and I'm going to ride Lakota for the first time in a year.
I will let Gillian work him first so he is lazy for me. He's
only 4 and has way too much energy.
Thank
you so much for giving us a bright spot in a very difficult
year.
Sincerely,
Cristy and Gillian Riggall
2009
Hi,
My name is Jeff from Florida, and I recently visited your ranch
for a three hour horse riding expedition. We had a great time.
It was mine and my kids first time on a horse, and my wifes
first since she was a teenager. I will highly recommend you
to any friends that we know.
Jeff
July 2009
Wanted
to thank you for such a nice morning ride. It was so great to
see horses that aren't "stable" horses and actually
responsive to the rider. We will come back in the fall when
it cools down a bit.
Of course.
I'd like to add also that your hospitality and that of your
staff was exceptional. I was so touched by the care you take
of your animals. Truly, it was like riding at a friend's house.
Thank you. Wish I was a little closer geographically; I would
come over and help out.
I had a thoroubred jumper in California 20+ years ago and I
so miss being around horses. I'm glad that I found you.
Thank
you!
Patricia Hoffman
August 2009
Ron,
A special thank you to you and your family and staff for a great
time. Teddi and I will never forget the few days at Hilltop
and the people we met. We had a wonderful time and appreciate
all you did to make the stay comfortable and memorable.
Please thank Bosley's owner for letting me ride that special
guy and tell Larry that when we got home I looked up the recipe
for spiedies and made them last night. Thanks, also to Mark
!
Hope to see you soon
Jane
August 2009
Hi Ron
and Larry and Mark and Brittany and Sam and Tyler ... and Everybody!
Thank you for a place near home that is nothing like home. In
only one weekend, my niece and I were in another world escaping
the stresses of life. The chance to be outside daily enjoying
nature was incredible. How can one place have so many spectacular
views?! And the food!! Who would have ever expected to have
gourmet food at a ranch? It was ‘bueno’! Thank you
ALL for creating a place
where we felt welcomed from the first to the last moment with
never a dull moment!
Sincerely,
Nancy and Madeline
July 2009
Hey
Ron & the gang,
I just wanted to thank you all for the great weekend my son
and I spent with you. We enjoyed ourselves and my son learned
a lot and is already planning to come back in a few months for
the day. The meals, especially breakfast was a great spread
and Chef Larry did an awesome job. We loved the horses and they
were very well trained. We felt at home within hours of being
there and thank you all for the hospitality and a wonderful
trip that we will remember and look forward to doing again.
Dawn and Kris
July 2009
Ron,
Mark, Larry and of course the horses (Tucker, Rainy, Sade, Pilgrim
and Cisco)
We just had the most amazing/unforgettable weekend. If you enjoy
horses and the great outdoors, a camping trip to Otter Creek
Trail system in the Adirondacks with The Hill Top Ranch is the
place to go. Ron (owner) and Mark (trail guide) are two great
guys, very patient, explain what to do on the horse so you feel
comfortable on the horses. The horses are very well trained
and even the most inexperienced rider will have an enjoyable
time. We were able to do a little over 30 miles this weekend
on several different trails throughout the Otter Creek Trail
system. Even though it rained, we definitely didn't let that
stop us from having an amazing time. At the end of the day,
Ron and Mark took us to Eatonville falls to take a dip and wash
up; you can even ride the water over a small fall, didn't try
it but looked like a lot of fun. While we are gone, Chef Larry
is back at camp preparing another awesome spread of food. He
sure doesn't let you go hungry. He's an excellent cook with
great variety and they all cater to you. We believe Ron, Mark
and Larry had a lot of fun as well. Probably won't be the same
after spending 3 days with us wild and crazy girls from Maine.
You arrive not really knowing them very well, but leave feeling
like family. The weekend goes by way too quickly, none of us
wanted to go. We are looking forward to our return trip in 2010
when we stay at the Ranch. That's right boys, the crazy girls
from Maine are coming back, hope your ready!!
We Miss you Guys!!!
Candi Taylor-New Gloucester, ME
Andrea Segars-New Gloucester, ME
Tracy Preble-New Gloucester, ME
Chuckie Durgin-Portland, ME
Pam Irish-Gorham, ME
2009
Hi Ron,
Just wanted to thank you for a wonderful experience. We enjoyed
ourselves tremendously. Can't wait til our next visit. Give
my best to Mark, Larry, Brittany and the boys.
Carolyn
New Hope, Pa.
Hilltop
Crew,
Chad and I would like to thank you for such a great weekend!
After traveling around NY to find a place to ride that provides
an environment that encourages an intimate relationship with
a majestic creature we are glad to have finally found the perfect
place. Everyone on the ranch is so warm, welcoming, and very
knowledgeable. It is refreshing to have been given the opportunity
to meet such cool people while doing something we love to do.
Each of the horses we were privileged to meet are sweet and
gentle natured. The individuality of all of them truly shined
when we were out on the trail. They did not need to be head
to tail to be comfortable and were more focused on taking gentle
cues from their riders. It was awesome to feel as though we
were actually riding and not just sittin' on a horse. Also,
it was really nice to be able to help out a bit and refresh
our memories of the care necessary to maintain the horses. We
hope when we come back we can help out even more! Oh, I almost
forgot, the food was amazzzzzzzzzzing!!!!! And the cabin we
stayed in, which we were told was just built, was BEAUTIFUL.
Next time we want to try to wake up alittle earlier and just
sit drinking our coffee, watching the horses play in the pasture
steps away from the cabins front porch.
Hope
to See You Soon!
Kristin and Chad
June 2009
Hey
Everyone!
This is Sarah Kate. I came to Hilltop in september with my Barn
Club. You might just remember us as the four crazy girls. We
just wanted to send an e-mail saying how much fun we had when
we were there. It was so great and we're already planning a
way to come back! We had so much fun. Claire asked me to tell
you to give X man a kiss for her. We all miss it a lot and appreciate
all the things you did to give us such a great weekend. We're
really hoping that we can come back again. I miss all the ponies
and all the beautiful land. That was one of my favorite parts.
Having all the space to run and around and have fun and laugh.
And boy did I take some pretty pictures! I'm including some
of my favorite pictures! Hope you like them.
Sarah
Kate D-C, Claire C, Jenny D and Nina B
Dear
Ron,
Thanks again for a wonderful weekend. It's hard to believe that
after so many visits (14 in 4 years) there is always something
NEW to experience. The horses and trails always combine for
a memorable riding experience. I also want to tell you that
your hospitality and friendship are much appreciated. The Hilltop
Ranch has a very special place in my heart.
Zena
Hi Ron,
I hit hail the size of pennies on my way back home. Was a pretty
exciting ride. I could have used Star. I’ve attached a
picture of my horse. I have been re-living my weekend since
I left. I have so many fond memories. I wish I was going back
this weekend.
I never did get to tell you of my favorite thing that happened
this weekend. It was Sunday morning after breakfast. I went
to my room to get my hat, walked back through the kitchen, mud
room, barn, and then walked into where we tack the horses and
my horse is standing there waiting for me. That was such a great
feeling. Just walking out to get on my horse.
Thanks again for the great horses, great training, great food,
and great company. I look forward to seeing all of you again
soon.
Regards,
Jerry
Ron,
I can't thank you enough for this weekend. Conquering the cell
tower hill was a huge thrill, but nothing compared to the Sunday
morning ride. I can't wait to do that again, and explore some
of the other trails that branch off. I also want to thank you
and your family for all the support, encouragement and friendship
- Hill Top Ranch has truly become a second home to me.
Zena
Dear
Ron,
Hi, I hope you and all of your family are doing well. Megan
and I had an absolutely amazing time when we were up at the
ranch. You provide a most unique and personal experience for
everyone who comes up. Thank you so much for some of the best
experiences of my life.
Sincerely,
Kerry
