Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Dashing Through the Snow

Ready for your own one-horse open sleigh ride? Shelburne Farms’ Stargazing Sleigh Rides up the ante with a team of two Percheron draft horses leading a 12-person sled under the evening sky. Weather permitting, bundled-up passengers can expect to see celestial constellations such as Orion, the Pleiades (or Seven Sisters) and the Big Dipper. Guide Pat Palmer of Thornapple Farm points them out during the 30-minute journey through the wooded estate designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, sharing star mythology as well as stories about the 4-year-old horses, Jake and Jerry. They’re no flying reindeer, but this open-air jaunt along silent and (hopefully) snow-covered trails will still make your night.