So maybe not the most over-the-top farm I’ve ever known of, but certainly the most gorgeous I had ever seen at the time… When I was around 17, my mom was selling some ponies and my TB mare. We took them down to Jimmy Lee’s Belcourt Farm so that the trainer/barn manager Debbie Buchannan could check them out and help us sell them. Aside from being in beautiful horse country (Keswick, VA), the farm was so immaculately cared for and everything had it’s place. The barn had beautiful high rafters, stalls were a beautiful hardwood with polished metal adornments. The aisles were immaculate and had fluffy clean shavings as ground covering. Beautiful photos and ribbons, a tack room that looked show ready at all times, and of course, dozens of gorgeous, well-groomed horses.
I ended up being a working student for Debbie the following summer, it was grueling. Everything was done to an exacting standard. Horses were always to be clean, as was tack. They didn’t have a ton of clients, more sales horses and horses in training. We went to a few shows where I got to show my own horse and a training horse at one show. When we went to show at HITS Culpepper, I was showing my mare, and Debbie said something about the horses getting braided. I announced (rather oblivious to “how things are done”) that I could/would braid my own horse. Debbie looked at me and asked if I was good enough to braid for an A show, It never occurred to me that I might not be, when it came to braiding, my mom and I always did our own. I told her I thought I was. Turns out I was.
While I was a working student, we really did not do things like muck stalls, that was for “the help”. Except one day, and the guys were running late. We weren’t supposed to bring the horses in for breakfast until stalls were clean if I recall. The other working student was just standing around. I picked up a pitch fork and wheelbarrow and got to work. That surprised everyone lol.
It was my first experience with a barn of that caliber. I also vividly remember that “full training board”, with ALL of the bells and whistles. They actually encouraged boarders NOT to choose that package bc then that set up really high expectations for the horses being ready for the ring along with everything that entails . We basically gave them “full training board”, but at the regular rate just to allow room for error. The rate for full training, show up to the barn and step onto your beautifully prepped horse in 1998? $900. Which is not far from what many of us pay for a much more basic board these days 
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