GREETINGS FROM NEW YORK CITY! Today we paid a visit to the Claremont Riding Academy, located close to Central Park in Manhattan's upper west side.

Claremont is a National Historical Site built in 1892, the only remaining riding stable in Manhattan. The multistory barn is connected by ramps, with horses kept in stalls in the basement and on the second floor. Riders have little or no access to the stables and tours are not permitted. There is a small indoor riding arena with several posts that interrupt the space.

Claremont offers a range of lessons (dressage, hunt seat equitation, jumping), classes (horse care, stable management), and has a show team that competes in the area. They also rent horses for riding in Central Park, but only to experienced riders since getting to the park requires riding a horse through traffic on city streets.

The concept of a riding stable in the heart of The Big Apple (a common nickname for New York City) is a romantic notion from the rider's perspective. Can you imagine the clip-clopping of horse shoes drowning out the noise of car engines and taxi horns as you make your way to the beautiful bridle paths that traverse Central Park?

But from the horse's perspective, Claremont looks a bit like living in a teeny New York apartment. That seems anything but romantic, and certainly not as tasty as a *real* big apple...