Lillie at the stables | The Press

For the second year, the dog Lillie and the Westfalia Willie are exploring Quebec (and beyond) in search of new adventures.

Stephanie Morin
The Press

There was Gaby the alpaca with her constantly annoyed look. Fiona the sow who seemed to be quite naked under her coarse hair. Victory the majestic Barbary duck, Picasso the peacock…

For Lillie the corgi, a little 2-year-old dog with exacerbated curiosity, the Pegasus farm and its strange menagerie were surprising.

Nestled in the hilly landscapes of Ulverton, in the Eastern Townships, this farm is home to 28 hairs who take advantage of an entire hill to roam as they please. At the foot of this hill, the owners, Suzanne Serhan and Jurg Grieder, have set up campgrounds on a vast grassy area along the Saint-François River. During our stay, at the end of September, flocks of noisy bustards passed over this bucolic landscape where the trees were beginning to show their first fall colors.

Willie the Westfalia would have loved it, if he hadn’t been stuck in the garage, struggling with an unexplained clutch problem. A vehicle over 30 years old has weaknesses that only an experienced mechanic can understand.

But back to Lillie. On this ground, there is no question of letting it run as it pleases. There are too many distractions and she is way too excited. The hens pecking freely on the campsites have also plunged her into a state of trance that we did not know about her. From the end of her leash, she tremblingly multiplied calls to play that remained unanswered.

The goats were more curious when they saw her arrive. Gaby stampeded. The horses pretty much ignored her, too busy eating the grass given to them by Zoe and Kaia, the two 9- and 7-year-old girls who accompanied Lillie to the Pegasus Farm.

Introduction to horse riding

For these two balls of energy, the highlight of the stay was undoubtedly the introduction to horse riding, an activity offered by Suzanne Serhan to both campsite customers and passing visitors and to parents and children alike. Excursions are also offered for ages 8 and up. The duration can vary between one and four hours, depending on the experience of the riders and the availability of the staff.

Zoe and Kaia were each able to brush their mount before settling into it. Kaia cared for Odysseus, a white-robed male whom she had renamed Pepe due to his venerable age (over 100 years of human age). Zoe took care of Woody, a “valiant heart”, according to Suzanne Serhan.

Lillie watched the ride with interest…until a gray cat named Bijou distracted her. Nothing interests Lillie more than cats. Especially those who let her approach without flinching, looking down on her as if she were an insignificant little thing.

After all these emotions, it was necessary to let Lillie untie her legs and get out her overflow of excitement. Fortunately, the farm has a 5 km hiking trail that runs along the Saint-François River before climbing up the hill where the horses graze.

One day, the owners would like to install more isolated campgrounds in the forest. “People could camp in small fenced islets in the middle of free-roaming horses,” says Suzanne Serhan.

Nice idea. Lillie has already reserved her spot.