Barns near VT

[RileysMom]

Hi all,

I recently moved to the VT Burlington area and needed to give up my wonderful full lease. I really miss my horse, but my work hours are problematic and I can’t own or full lease at the moment. I showed last year at 3’ and regularly schooled higher. I’m trying to find a barn to take lessons at in the area and I don’t know anything about any of these places (and my previous trainer doesn’t either). Ideally I’d like to take lessons 2x and could part lease but need a good match with a place that gives lessons that challenge me (I know most school horses are limited and its fine if I’m not jumping bigger but I still need to be challenged) with nice people. The latter is important. Evening lessons would be ideal as well.

[Bogie]

Where do you live/work? That will help those of us who live in the area give you recommendations. If you live south of Boston, you don’t want to ride on the North Shore :).

[RileysMom]

Just added it–thanks! I’m not yet fully acclimated to the fact that sometimes out here, 2 miles can equal 30 min…

[Bogie]

[QUOTE=RileysMom;8952202]
Just added it–thanks! I’m not yet fully acclimated to the fact that sometimes out here, 2 miles can equal 30 min… :)[/QUOTE]

Yes, that is the truth!

I keep my horses at a private co-op barn in Concord and one of the other owners lives in Arlington. She finds the commute manageable but Route 2 can be a nightmare during peak commuting time. When I drive out from Cambridge to Concord during rush hour it can easily take me 45 minutes.

I am a foxhunter, so my suggestions are based on what other people have told me. I’m not sure how many of these barns have lesson programs, but you can often find part-lease situations.

Verrill Farm in Concord has a lesson program and generally has horses to part lease. I know people who board there and they like it.

Stoneymeade Farm in Acton is on a very nice trail system. We hunt up near them and it’s a nice looking set up.

Water’s Edge Farm in Concord looks wonderful. I believe it’s more of an eventing barn but it’s also on one of the most beautiful trail systems around. It’s down the street from where I keep my horses. I don’t think they have school horses.

Liberty Tree Farm in Acton has a lesson program.

Arrowhead Farm in Concord has a lesson program.

Hopefully others will chime in. There are some nice barns farther out but then you are looking at a very long commute.

[173north]

Red Acre Farm in Stow might be a bit far, but they are very well-regarded in the area.

[gotanda2]

I was not clear where you worked?
Stoneymeade does not have lesson horses… You could ride there possibly if you could half lease. Arrowhead and Water’s edge will not have lesson horses either. Volo just closed. Verrill should have lesson horses but not sure of that program. Try Red acre as well.

If you want to go west/ south, look at saddle Rowe. They are in the process of building a new indoor but they have a big lesson program. Rising star also has a program. There are a few others out that way as well.
Good luck- this is a tough area to ride without leasing or owning !

[Cheltenham]

Little bit of a segue here/ don’t want to hijack but not sure worth starting a new thread.

I’m moving to RI soon, have my own truck and trailer. I do it dressage, jump,trail… would love to hilltop with a hunt in MA if that is possible? My horse is used to riding out, jumping natural obstacles, but we’ve never attended a hunt.

Also–noticed the mention the barns listed around Acton/concord have nice trail systems? What’s the deal with that? Can you haul in to ride them? I will be looking looking for great places to hit the trail that are good for all paces/ speeds ;0) not some rocky goat path LOL

Any tips/ suggestions for great places to trail ride much appreciated–I have my own rig, don’t mind hauling to get to great riding. PM if you don’t want to sidetrack this thread.

[Bogie]

Most places in the area don’t have lesson horses but if the OP is willing to part lease, it opens up a lot more options, especially closer options. There are a couple of barns in Harvard that might work but that’s a haul if there’s traffic.

@Cheltenham - there are some places to park but mostly it’s a question of knowing which side streets to drive down.

Foss Farm (right on the concord/carlisle border) has a parking lot (it’s not a barn, just a big field with jumps, rings, etc.)
Great Brook Farm has a huge parking area and a ton of trails and cross country jumps.
In Concord, you can park on the side of Lowell Road at Chamberlain Field. From there you can ride into Estabrook Woods or to Newbury Field.
Fairhaven Bay is also in Concord. Lovely trails and a lot of XC jumps. You can park at Arena Terrace if there’s just a couple of trailers.
In Lincoln there’s a public riding ring with parking and trails that leave from there.
In Weston, there’s also the Dickson Ring with a small xc course and loads of trails. There’s parking there but sometimes it fills up.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

As for hunting, if you are in RI, the closest hunts to you are Tanheath in CT and Norfolk which is based in Dover. Norfolk has some gorgeous territories down close to RI in Westport. If you have never hunted, be prepared to hilltop the first couple of times out (that’s the slower field with no jumps). Hunting is completely different from riding out even with a small group. You might want to watch a hunt from the ground (people often follow in cars) first to see what it’s like. Norfolk in particular hunts fast and the speed, open fields and the hounds are kind of a trifecta of excitement. I hunt with Old North Bridge Hounds, which is based in the metro west. We are more sedate than Norfolk but even so, I’ve seen horses get pretty wound up.

[Cheltenham]

[QUOTE=Bogie;8954006]
Most places in the area don’t have lesson horses but if the OP is willing to part lease, it opens up a lot more options, especially closer options. There are a couple of barns in Harvard that might work but that’s a haul if there’s traffic.

@Cheltenham - there are some places to park but mostly it’s a question of knowing which side streets to drive down.

Foss Farm (right on the concord/carlisle border) has a parking lot (it’s not a barn, just a big field with jumps, rings, etc.)
Great Brook Farm has a huge parking area and a ton of trails and cross country jumps.
In Concord, you can park on the side of Lowell Road at Chamberlain Field. From there you can ride into Estabrook Woods or to Newbury Field.
Fairhaven Bay is also in Concord. Lovely trails and a lot of XC jumps. You can park at Arena Terrace if there’s just a couple of trailers.
In Lincoln there’s a public riding ring with parking and trails that leave from there.
In Weston, there’s also the Dickson Ring with a small xc course and loads of trails. There’s parking there but sometimes it fills up.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

As for hunting, if you are in RI, the closest hunts to you are Tanheath in CT and Norfolk which is based in Dover. Norfolk has some gorgeous territories down close to RI in Westport. If you have never hunted, be prepared to hilltop the first couple of times out (that’s the slower field with no jumps). Hunting is completely different from riding out even with a small group. You might want to watch a hunt from the ground (people often follow in cars) first to see what it’s like. Norfolk in particular hunts fast and the speed, open fields and the hounds are kind of a trifecta of excitement. I hunt with Old North Bridge Hounds, which is based in the metro west. We are more sedate than Norfolk but even so, I’ve seen horses get pretty wound up.[/QUOTE]

I hunted as a kid. Yes, hill topping was what I had in mind for this horse. He jumps well but is rather back at the knee so…I have have never felt kosher doing much jumping with him…just logs and ditches what not we encounter out and about.

[lmlacross]

Didn’t Norfolk do a hunt in Little Compton/Tiverton area a season or two ago (granted, just one hunt)? My grandparents live in LC, and I’ve often though of how glorious it would be to hunt there.

[Liscar]

Been a lot of years since I lived in the area (20)… but, when I did, I lived in Belmont and boarded my horse at Windkist in N. Andover. The commute was not a big deal… they had lessons, lesson horses, leases, etc. back then. Maybe check them out?

http://www.windkistfarm.com/

[Bogie]

[QUOTE=Liscar;8954786]
Been a lot of years since I lived in the area (20)… but, when I did, I lived in Belmont and boarded my horse at Windkist in N. Andover. The commute was not a big deal… they had lessons, lesson horses, leases, etc. back then. Maybe check them out?

http://www.windkistfarm.com/[/QUOTE]

I think you would be horrified to experience Boston traffic today. I’ve lived here almost 20 years and it’s a lot worse than it used to be.

[amb]

[QUOTE=gotanda2;8953796]
Volo just closed.[/QUOTE]
Aww, any idea what happened? I’m pretty happy with my current setup, but they’ve always been in the back of my mind as a place to pick up some rides on decent school horses if I didn’t otherwise have options. Is a new equestrian operation of some kind setting up on the property, or is it headed for condos?

BTW, Linda Levy (I think former Volo head instructor) is still in the business, but teaching near San Diego now.