The Rural Voice, 1992-03, Page 27The Cattos accommodate groups
of all sizes, whether two passengers
or 80. For larger groups of 60 or
more, Glen gets three sleighs out on
the trails.
Sleigh rides are available from 10
a.m. until 9 p.m. Saturdays are usu-
ally the busiest days of the year, but
by the end of February, Sundays be-
come even busier. A popular day is
Valentine's Day. Church groups help
make the period between Christmas
and New Year's the busiest time of
the year. The Cattos even schedule
sleigh rides for special occasions such
as birthdays and anniversaries.
"We keep long hours," Glen
smiles. "I guess it keeps you young.
But it's worth it when we see a load
of people enjoying themselves on a
moonlit ride with the sleigh bells
ringing. It's real nice."
The trip from the bam to the old
sugar shack covers about a mile one-
way. Once part of the farm's original
maple syrup business, the sugar shack
— where the Cattos serve hot choco-
late before riding back to the barn —
is over 100 years old. Glen Catto's
great-grandfather homesteaded the
farm. "My father took it over and
then it came to me," he says proudly,
adding with a grin, "I've been farm-
ing long enough that I can't afford to
do anything else!"
If winter weather is too stormy,
the sleigh rides can be postponed.
"But if the people show up, the ride
will go," says Glen. "One year it was
storming so hard the roads were dos-
ed," he remembers, "but the group of
adults all showed up on snowmobiles.
We went for the ride!
"I do this for pleasure, not for the
money," he adds. "Some nights it's
so cold, you're gritting your teeth!
But I really like it when the people
are singing — that's when I know
that they're enjoying themselves."
Besides the sleigh rides, Glen runs
a cow -calf operation of Charolais-
cross cattle on his 800 -acre farm. He
sows 20 acres of barley and the rest
of the land is mainly hay and pasture,
with 80 acres of bush. Another side-
line is cutting and selling firewood.
"The sleigh rides are a sideline,
too," says Glen. "I used to have
mares and raise colts, then break
them and sell them, but the bottom •
fell out of that market. We have four
Percheron geldings now. We also
have a pair of mares that are in foal.
One mare, Beauty, is 28 years old.
We still use her on a sleigh once in a
while.
"A lot of people don't understand
horses," he continues. "Little kids al-
ways want to touch the horses' noses.
Older kids have to be told not to
throw snowballs around the horses.
You have to know the horse's person-
ality — what they'll do and what they
won't do," he maintains. "You have
to read the horse's thoughts. A gentle
hand on the lines is all that's needed
to send messages through the lines to
the horse, kind of like a telegraph."
When training the horses, Glen's
advice is, "Just be sure not to let any-
thing happen that first time out with
the sleigh."
Grooming the trails takes quite a
bit of work. "If there's fresh snow,
the trails need to be packed at least
once a day," he says, adding that in-
surance is an additional expense to
the hobby. He drives the teams, as do
Glen Jr. and Lawrence Osbum, the
spare driver.
In the summer months, the Cattos
offer hay rides on a wagon with a hay
rack, and provide an arca with picnic
tables and two fire pits for cooking.
Many groups have held corn or
weiner roasts there.
A lot of the people who go to
Glendale Farms for winter rides come
back in the summer, and many sum-
mer riders come back in the winter.
"It works two ways," says Glen.
"This is really quite a tourist attrac-
tion: We've had people here from
England, Jamaica, even Australia."
Sometimes on a quiet Sunday af-
ternoon, the Catto family pack up
chili, hot dogs and grandchildren and
treat themselves to an outing to the
old sugar shack.
What started out as a favour for a
community group fifteen years ago
has turned into a successful family
hobby. With horses and farming, the
Cattos are keepers of century -old
family traditions.0
HANOVER HOLIDAY TOURS
invites you to travel with /
STAN AND DORIS PAQUETTE
Former OMAF Representative For Huron County
on an
AGRICULTURAL TOUR OF SUNNY CUBA!
April 4 to 11, 1992
The Tour Includes:
Transfers to and from Toronto Airport
Roundtrip airflights
Seven nights accommodation on Varedero Beach
Breakfast and dinner daily
Two agriculture day trips
The services of a Hanover Holidays Escort
Optional Activities Include:
Other day trips, water sports, and night clubs
To receive a copy of the Special Brochure
please call:
HANOVER HOLIDAY TOURS
519-364-4911
1-800-265-5530
or see your local Travel Agent!
MARCH 1992 23