I’ll be at U Mass Amherst this summer, and eventually will move there. I’m looking for a quality but not necessarily fancy place to board my 12 yr old OTTB gelding. Availability of grass turnout and an indoor arena is a big plus. I would need access to a trainer/instructor with dressage and eventing cred. Any suggestions? PM me for places to avoid!
Elizabeth Pelis @ Northern Creek Farm! She’s a fellow UMass Amherst grad and Pony Clubber! Top notch facility/care/instruction 
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I would also recommend Elizabeth Pelis/Northern Creek Farm for quality care and facilities. There’s also Amherst Equestrian Center, which is a nice facility and conveniently located to UMass; it’s primarily a dressage barn.
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Stephie sold her farm in Orange, FYI
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Stephie hasn’t been in Orange for years. She’s based out of Coursebrook in Sherborn now.
Eventing training is going to be very hard to come by in this area, especially if you’re beyond BN level. I know a few people who are training with Marcus Rhatigan in Westfield, who is a jumper rider. Dressage training is easier to come by here, but the only barn near Amherst I can think of with an onsite dressage trainer is Amherst Equestrian Center. There are probably some private ones I don’t know about, but I have been in this area for 27 years now.
Grass turnout is also probably only likely at Amherst Equestrian. Other places are a lot of horses on smaller lots and may have little to no grass. That is common here.
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Thanks for the suggestions so far. How bizarre that with all that open land there is so little grass. I guess land is expensive. Maybe I’ll use my boy as a neighborhood lawnmower!
After 3 concussions and 60 plus years of life, I am focusing more on dressage anyway, but would like to have access to XC jumps and trails. Although none of my concussions occurred eventing, I can’t afford another one since I make my living off my brain!
There is grass, but the temptation to put 19 horses on a 7 acre property is too great income-wise and it invitably becomes a turnout that horses rotate through from their dirt lots. Amherst Equestrian has the most turnout that I know of in the area and most is grass.
Kate Cameron at Red Mare Farm in Hatfield is an eventer and she does have stalls with nice runouts and some turnout.
Heartland Farm down the street from them has quite a few large group turnouts - but I believe she is closing the place and relocating the business to a smaller barn elsewhere. Also does not have an indoor.
land (and housing) in the immediate Amherst area is very expensive.
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Also to the person who PMed me, it was hugely helpful, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to reply to a PM
I graduate from UMASS about 15 years ago (lord I am old). All new barns now!
I’m jealous that you are moving there @eventerprof I had a blast in my time there and would move back in a heartbeat. We looked seriously at moving back to New England this summer, and may do it some day (with the condition we buy a farm with an indoor since I cant get away without one like I can here in KY).
Eat some Antonios pizza and drink some Raos coffee for me!
We just started the process to build a place up here since I realized we’re never leaving. We’re not in Amherst anymore, so the new place is in Suffield, CT, but the roots have been laid and here we remain. Unfortunately, boarding has become very pinched as housing prices have gone way up and the demand has gone way down with the economic pressures. It is recovering some, in terms of boarding demand, but it’s not anywhere near what it was in the early 2000s.
That being said, I realized I actually knew you then. Small world. I just saw Diana the other day - she’s a realtor now. Dani is running the business at Heartland and moving out of the Station Rd. barn.
I thought that when I briefly looked up board and its a lot higher than it was when I was then.
Did you ride at HF? What horse was yours? PM me your name! I rode whatever was there when I was in college since I didn’t have a horse and I was so sad the day they told me Henry had been put down. I wish Diana could meet my gray-he is so much like Henry in so many ways and I know she would adore him and all of his quirks.
I still talk to Beth a little and I’ve gotten Christmas cards from Diana over the years but they stopped when we moved to the farm so I don’t know if she has my new address. I hope she is still in Pine Grove-I mailed her to card to say hi, tell her I now event, own a farm, and have a leadliner on the way 
I knew she sold the business-where is it moving to? I’m surprised it survived that long without an indoor especially with the place down the road…
I had a lot of good memories in Amherst and longed to move back for a long time. I don’t think we ever will, but I know we’ll be back in New England some day.
I’ll send you a message.
