The Near Side: Fifteen Weekends of Summer

Summer doesn’t officially arrive until the solstice on June 21, and technically it keeps on going until the autumnal equinox on September 22. But in practice, the summer season is generally agreed to be the wonderful, beautiful months between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

I know you Floridians are grumbling about that “wonderful, beautiful” bit. Sure, oppressively hot summer weather isn’t fun, but I just can’t feel anything negative toward this season. I would happily take 12 months of summer. Maybe it’s because I spent most of my life in Maine, where summers are glorious, but short and precious. But even though I’m now in slightly warmer Kentucky, I still look forward to this time of year.

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Last year I read the startling fact that there were only 13 weekends of the summer season, which really drove home the idea that this season is fleeting. I just counted up for this year, and from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, inclusive, we get 15 weekends. That’s 15 weekends to spend on the trails or in the show ring before we begin that depressing descent into cold, dark winter dreariness.

I am determined to make each one of these next 15 weekends count. This means that Snoopy—unbeknownst to him—will be joining me in lots of summer adventuring. Granted, I don’t own a trailer and that does limit the scope of our potential adventures. Nevertheless, we’ll make the most of it. He’s also going to get to keep humoring me in my dressage dabbling at our farm’s shows. Maybe we’ll even launch out of Intro and into Training Level this year. Maybe.

What plans do you have to make the most of your 15 weekends of summer? Click “Submit a Comment” below and let me know!

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11 years ago

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky.Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.