World
Many feet have trod the grounds at the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough but it’s hooves that are creating a bit of stir there lately.
After an absence of five years, horses are back on site at the tourist attraction. Leading the return is Zeus, one of the largest horses in the United States. The young Belgium draft horse stands 20 hands high and weighs 2,950 pounds.
The seven-year-old horse, whose Facebook page lists him as single and looking for friendship, eats 50 pounds of oats a day and can easily toss off a bale of hay as well. Still, Zeus won’t be pulling his own weight, or any weight because his owner, Curt Towle of Towles Hill Stables of Porter, Maine, doesn’t have shafts big enough to hitch him to a carriage. But the gentle giant, who spends his winters at the Mount Washington Hotel stables, is content to have visitors pet him and will pose for pictures with visitors at the Castle in the Clouds.
Meanwhile, the other trail and draft horses at the site are doing serious work for a living.
Towle’s Hill, which runs the riding program at the historic Moultonborough estate, has 14 horses at the modern and spacious stable and is offering hour-long trail rides for $50 ($45 with a Castle pass) or half-hour rides for $25, when available. Pony rides are $10. Children must be a least nine years old and 4 feet, 8 inches tall to go on a trail ride. To make a reservation, or for more information, call 476-5900, ext. 211.
The hour-long trail rides depart daily beginning at 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30, 3 and 4:30 p.m.
Riding parties usually consist of five to six riders with one or two trail guides, depending on the skill level of the party.
Visits to Zeus are $1 (free along with a trail ride), and to pose on his back for a picture, the cost is $10.
Also, Towles Hill offers carriage rides on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on some of the Castle’s trails in either a white Vis-à-vis or a surrey that can hold up to seven people. Carriage rides, which last a half hour, are $20 per adult.
Originally called “Lucknow,” Castle in the Clouds, at 455 Old Mountain Road/Route 171, was built in 1913-14 by millionaire, inventor and shoe-manufacturing tycoon Thomas Plant (1859-1941) and sits atop a 5,500-acre estate.
The site is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For details, log onto www.castleintheclouds.org.
Top of Page
|
