I would talk to the other NC locals who might have dealt with them and don’t talk to the ones who are “new” here because they are the same people who run the place.
Lex - working on that via PM. 
But thanks.
Have fun!
I have such a sense of morbid curiosity about this, I may just drive down there one day and take a gander at this place and gather more information. I’ll convince myself that this is reasonable and sane because it will be gathering primary source information…:lol:
Let us all know what you find out. Nobody around there seems to have much to say about it.
I’ll certainly report anything I see/learn from the experience 
I’m wondering if folks are reluctant to discuss any interactions with them for any particular reason? Have they threatened people for negative reviews of the facilities/interactions?
They’re local to me and I’ve never heard of them.
Not sure, as I don’t live there, but the vibe I got from the people who posted on that other thread was not good and there’s next to nothing on the Internet about the business other than what they put there themselves and a single report of passing bad checks to a local saddlery. They were all but unknown until recently when they began bombarding every horse forum they could sign up for with requests for program horses and making self-promotion threads where someone new would ask about barns in the area and they’d magically appear pimping their business. They did that here today for the second time. Both the program director and the owner have rather sparse and highly questionable records as horsemen and nothing could be verified about the owner’s claims of past history and accomplishments so that’s reason enough to avoid them in my opinion.
[QUOTE=dani0303;4766875]
They’re local to me and I’ve never heard of them.[/QUOTE]
Based on what I discovered, it seems that the business was just the “Program Director” and the “Owner” for several years until they got the business up and running recently. I think there may have been some issues with the original ownership of the business as it was supposed to be part of an Equestrian Development that went sideways with the economy and lack of interest from Equestrian buyers, leaving the ownership and property rights in question. That may be why you haven’t heard of them. They don’t have much of a business or client base based on their lack of recognition though they try to make it out like they have been around for years and are all sorts of things.
Have you ever been to Mebane? It’s like 2 exits; and the highlight of the town is the log cabin builder by the highway. I can’t imagine anything worth a darn going on there. :lol:
straight from the horses mouth
[QUOTE=Eye in the Sky;4766840]
I have such a sense of morbid curiosity about this, I may just drive down there one day and take a gander at this place and gather more information. I’ll convince myself that this is reasonable and sane because it will be gathering primary source information…:lol:[/QUOTE]
Eye in the Sky - I don’t know who you are, but you are more than welcome to come check us out! I would love to have you come by, as we have absolutely nothing to hide:) Maybe you can report that you have found nothing incriminating and bogus! While we don’t have a “conventional” facility (use to be a dairy barn, so it doesn’t look like a typical horse farm), I think you would find our facility to be very user friendly and our staff to be very knowledgable.
To make some corrections:
- As for the local vibe, I am not exactly sure what their problems with us are. I know why one local facility would have some reservations, but that issue has been resolved. As for anyone else, not exactly sure. I don’t tend to care aout the opinion of our local horseman, just because its just that, an opinion.
- We have on and off for the last 6 years been looking for horses for our lesson program. That is what lesson facilities do, they look for lesson horses.
- If we weren’t growing and didn’t have a good base of clients, why would we need more lesson horses? To feed unused mouths? Seems kinda silly to me, but then according to you, we don’t know anything about the equestrian business.
- Your absolutely right that I don’t have much of a competition record, as I work with green horses and troubled horses and concentrate on taking my students to competitions. I choose not to be a trainer that rides 2 horses at competitions and coaches 3-4 students. I personally (just a personal opinion) don’t find that to be fair to either my horses or my students. It does get frustrating to always put your students first, but isn’t that what a good instructor/trainer is suppose to do?
As for the BO, she hasn’t competed in a long while either, because again time has been spent on the students and building up the business. You can draw whatever judgements you want from our competition record. The BO did compete Intermediate, but not recently. The BO, did graduate from Morven Park, but back in the 70’s. You say that those facts are hard verify, but if you can’t verify them one way or another why would you choose to believe that they are not true? Very sad that you have such a jaded view on the world.
EAI has had boarders and competitors for over 6 years now (business has only been an official business for 8 years, so I think 6 years of solid business is pretty good). We have grown very slowly, but as Petstorejunkie said, Mebane isn’t exactly a booming metropolis. However, you are correct that we just seriously start advertising in the last 2-3 years (and personally I think we need to advertise even harder, as people STILL don’t know who we are).
We DO NOT concentrate solely on competition, as we view ourselves as a educational facility for equestrians. While we concentrate on eventing and dressage, we educate our riders on all disciplines of riding and horsemanship(maybe not through actual riding, but through seminars, exposure to different types of competitions, etc…). Our students are held to a high standard and we teach them to be responsible for themselves, their horses and their equipment. Our focus is creating a responsible, mature, well-rounded rider and I believe that anyone that has seen any of our students ride will agree with that.
Yes, the property was originally part of an Equestrian Development, but it was never intended to be a public part of the development. Just a private facility behind an equestrian development. Yes, the developer pulled out, but that does not affect the business at EAI in the least.
If anyone has ANY other questions, I would be more than happy to answer them through PM. I do ask people that before you go placing judgement on people (especially through internet BB’s) to find out through personal experience. I would be MORE than happy to have anyone concerned and/or curious about Equestrian Arts Institute to set-up an appointment to come visit us and see FIRST HAND what we are all about.
Thanks
Amy Brumbach
“I don’t tend to care aout the opinion of our local horseman, just because its just that, an opinion.”
I do not understand this way of thinking. Can you elaborate?
As for making arrangements for a potential visit, I will be glad to call ahead and schedule a day and time.
[QUOTE=Eye in the Sky;4767444]
“I don’t tend to care aout the opinion of our local horseman, just because its just that, an opinion.”
I do not understand this way of thinking. Can you elaborate?
As for making arrangements for a potential visit, I will be glad to call ahead and schedule a day and time. :)[/QUOTE]
Let me clarify. I don’t care about an opinion that was based off of rumours, gossip and bulletin board trash. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has skeletons in the closet. People are always going to have opinions, but your opinions should not always be pubically broadcasted across the world. All anyone can do to change people’s opinions is to keep doing what they believe in and do their best to keep their nose clean.
While you do not “owe” any explanations regarding the statements made on this or any other bulletin boards, it would perhaps assist in clearing up any misperceptions if you were to address any of them that you believe were erroneous or reported without the correct facts.
I will caution you that many who post here are real people who actively participate in various levels of our sport as a whole. This means for you and your farm, that by participating on this and other BB’s, your reputation is being looked into and established by every post you make. I have seen many businesses thrive via the WWW, and many fail as a result. It is what you make it to be. The truth is easy to establish with the click of a mouse and a “Google” search.
Typically, people are not quick to identify a person or barn in a negative manner unless several things happen at one time - in this case, it may have been the manner in which the farm you work for/with/own has advertised itself and solicited riders/horses - an unusual business model for equestrian sports, and one that perhaps was off-putting. Then, either you or your boss presented yourself as multiple people to one of our COTH members, which also was off-putting, and admittedly strange. And finally, it seems as though you are admitting that perhaps some of the things that you/your boss/your farm have been accused of doing are, in fact true (the so-called skeletons in the closet?), but you have not clearly addressed those, which adds a layer of confusion to all of this.
I do not know you or your trainer. I have never heard of either of you, and I had not heard of your farm until I saw this thread. I went to your website to try and get some first-hand information, but all I saw was an address and a statement of theory - and the rest was just black. Did you used to have more on the website?
You are correct that we all make mistakes. I also hope you know we are all capable of correcting those mistakes.
clarification
Eye in the Sky
Thank you for your response. It sounds like at least you are willing to hear both side of the story before making a judgement, unlike some of the users on the COTH board.
First off, let me say that one of the main reasons that I haven’t said a whole lot is sometimes the more you say, the more is stirs up issues. I will also say, that I am not the owner of EAI, I am the Program Director, so I have been guarded about what to say, since my boss is not a huge fan of the internet.
Most of what LexInVA has said is true, BUT exaggerated to a negative light. For example; LexInVA says:
“The lady who runs the business as a trainer/coach is on the USEF “BANNED4LIFE!” list along with such names as Jon “Method Actor” Soresi, Paul “The French Tickler” Valliere, and Barney “The Nice Guy” Ward. Just like her employer, she has no established record as an Eventer or verifiable credibility as a professional Equestrian based on anything other than their own claims of “know-how”. Associating with her could get you in some dog poop or at the very least shunned by those who dwell on Candy Mountain.”
Several things about this are just not true.
- The suspension list is not a “BANNED4LIFE” list. I am in no way shape or form suspended for life from USEF. I owe them some money and need to clear it up. I will clear it up, as I have every intention of competing at some recognized events this year.
- While Valliere, Ward, and Soresi are all on the suspension list, I am NOT on the suspension list for the same reason. I think it is pretty horrible that someone should compare me to someone that has committed serious crimes. I understand that its not good that I am on the suspension list, but owing money and committing drug related crimes are two VERY different issues. I have not broken any laws that go along with being on the suspension list (I have not competed at a recognized events, etc…).
- I don’t have an official competition record, but nor do I claim to. I don’t claim to have competed at any recognized events, just schooling horse trials. While I know competition is important, I don’t think it is the end all and be all of teaching. I do not teach above my own riding level (unlike several of the local smaller scale instructor in this are). I teach kids that ride at maiden. When they get to BN, my boss and I split the teaching. I do most of the dressage and my boss does most of the jumping. I LOVE teaching and coaching my students at events/competitions. I prefer that over competing. I hate to admit it, but I have a pretty bad case of stage fright!
Lex also says:
"The individual behind the business claims to be an Honors graduate of the Morven Park International Equestrian Institute with 30-something years of experience in Eventing and other Equestrian sports. That educational institution hasn’t been around for almost twenty years so it’s not like you can really call them out on that but they have no verifiable record of being an Eventer or Equestrian nor have they had membership in the USEA or USEF for several years. "
Just because Morven Park hasn’t been open as a riding school for over 20+ years that means that my boss doesn’t have any credibility? I think that’s pretty bogus. From what I understand Morven PArk was one of the top equestrian schools in the United States. No, my boss doesn’t have a recent USEA record, but that does not mean Toney doesn’t know anything about eventing! While I know a lot of people really want glorious competition records, there are many fantastic teachers out there that have NEVER competed. AND that is not the case here. Toney did compete, just back in the early 80’s and under a different name (Toney is a middle name), so competitions records probably won’t come up even if you were able to look them up that far back.
Lex also says:
“Their business focuses on children. Tweens and post-toddler adolescents to be specific. Nothing alarming about that unless their conduct and behavior raise the Pedo-Bear flag for you when you watch them. They don’t really travel outside of the local area for competitions because they only have a single two-horse trailer and rely on a third-party “guy with a truck”. Their Eventing team is supposed to be for young riders, specifically teens, but I can’t say they have anyone there who can actually coach such a team unless they have brought in someone from the local community which doesn’t seem to be the case from what I’ve seen of their business arrangements. That area is eventrider’s neck of the woods so she’d be more in the know on who’s doing what with whom.”
Why is it a problem that we have focused on children? We have an adult eventing team, its just that the adults that we have on the team are busy with their jobs and can’t afford to spend the same amount of time as the kids can. Implying that we do things that would raise the Pedo-Bear flag? Has Lex ever met us? He lives in VA, not sure how he knows us or where he is getting his information. What’s the problem with having a transporter take us to competitions? Our transporter is one of the best in the area and transports a lot of horses to competitions.
As for pretending to be other people on this bulletin board (multiple screen names), I don’t have time!!! I wish I had a ton of time to sit on the computer all day and play soap opera time with members of this COTH board, but I don’t! I am too busy building up our business and undoing the damage that know it all’s have done. LEx accused me of being some on by the name of houdini, because one of the horses I have is named houdini? First of all, my horse is not named Houdini, its Journeyman’s Houdini (barn name Journey) and while I am sure that looks suspicious, its simply not true.
As for using other internet avenues to advertise that people may have found offensive, I am sorry. All I have done is find out the demographics of our area and pursue people that might be interested. My intention was obviously not to offend anyone.
My boss and I are just two hard-working individuals that would like to make a living doing what we love to do best, ride and teach. We are a small riding school and we have made some mistakes. We have a strong group of dedicated riders (yes, most are children) that learn not only how to ride, but how to be a good horseman. If anyone has a problem with that, then I am sorry. If anyone has any further questions about EAI or myself, please PM me, as I have said all I am going to say on this thread.
Oh, in regards to the website, I will be fixed by the middle of April. I am not a website designer, but I tried designing one on Publisher. Looked good in publisher, but for some reason a lot of people can’t see the entire site. If anyone would like to get more info on EAI, I have a .pdf of what is on the website.
BTW - Lex, something else you might want to know about me (although you probably already know, since you seem to know everyone about me), I eat peanut butter, with my pickles. Hope thats not offensive to you:)
GO TO JAIL. DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT $200.
Let’s see here kiddies…
After the first thread where EAI got blasted, we have this thread by “houdiniboy” asking for past records which were all scoured to see if there was any historical proof of her boss’s claims of competing and there wasn’t any in the records available. Shortly thereafter, we have this thread where “houdiniboy” wants to know if anyone can find out who they really are if they don’t put their name on there. We also have this thread nearly a month later where “houdiniboy” admits she is in NC. Then, ladies and that other guy sitting in front of the PC at home, we have this thread, where she obviously forgot that she was logged in under her regular name and posted something she meant to say under “houdiniboy”. For those of you who don’t remember, the user “houdiniboy” sent me a PM claiming to be an Eventer who had just relocated to Manassas and was looking for a suitable barn for her horse. There happens to be a horse at the EAI named “Journeyman’s Houdini” so I knew it was her without any second though. Then she sent me a PM trying to goad me into revealing my name when she realized I didn’t fall for her stupid trick and I recently got an e-mail just like the first PM “houdiniboy” sent me from another new user “tazzismyman” who was looking for a barn in Manassas for her “retired horse” but turned out to be from NC as well according to this thread where they happen to have moved to the exact same area as the school and is seeking information about trainers and such in the area. Anyone with common sense knows that you’re gonna look at what’s in the area way before you relocate and the thread looked like a set-up from what they put in the first post about not wanting anyone’s opinion if it’s unfavorable. Apart from that though, I already knew that “Tazz” was another EAI horse from what I dug up in their old lease ads.
I don’t know about you, my fellow COTH-folk, but I’ve had about enough of this woman, her so-called school, and her shenanigans! Let’s talk about food instead! 
If you search Amy’s name on Facebook you can see photos of her and her students; The eventing photos are frightening as are some of the jumping photos.
There’s NO way I’d let my students event with positions like that. Poor horses.
I had a BBQ chicken for dinner. What did you have?
Boneless Terri-Hot wings, fried dill pickles, homemade potato chips, and two ‘Cherry Lemon Sundrops’ from a local little hole in the wall I went with my parents.
The drinks were amazing, I’m not a fan of flavored alcohol or rum in general, but they were great!
I say this about NC, the places might not always look nice but the artery clogging food will more than make up for the quality of surroundings in taste. :lol:
