Hi there!
I am not a regular reader of this board but I thought it might be a nice place to put out my feelers. I will be moving to the Pittsburgh area in a couple months and I was looking for recommendation for an eventing barn in the area.
A friend of mine said she (or maybe someone she knew? this was awhile ago) rode with a Bonnie Lubecky at Windhurst Farm years ago. I’m not sure if I spelled either of those names right! Does anyone know of her/that barn?
Just prepare yourself, quality barns of any discipline are hard to come by. When my brother and his now ex SO moved there a few years ago from the heart of Area 2, she STRUGGLED to find a safe barn, let alone one that offered good instruction and help in any discipline. She may have been constrained by budget some, but even still, I think they are hard to find.
A million years ago, a client of mine bought a horse from a nice looking barn in that area. Had a decent indoor and outdoor and a handful of homemade xc fences. I think it was more a dressage barn. I couldn’t even begin to tell you where it was (maybe 30 minutes from downtown, because I remember driving over a bridge or two and through a tunnel or two).
Dressage rider here, but I just moved away from Pittsburgh (Cranberry area) in June.
yellowbritches is absolutely right re: scarcity of quality barns-- a phrase that includes both trainers and level of care. You may want to contact Rebecca or Joan Simmons of Stonehouse Farm for recommendations. It looks like they’re moving out of the area but may have some up-to-date scoop on where to go.
Thanks for the info! Where did you board when you lived there? Hope you don’t mind me asking.
I ended up serendipitously stumbling into a great private barn where I was the only boarder and the owner was fanatical about good care, footing, and turnout. She unfortunately sold her place and moved somewhere warmer at about the same time as I moved away.
I have some experience with some of the other barns in the area. Feel free to PM for some details.
Patty Minter/Patusan Farm offers great quality care, facilities (indoor, outdoor, xc, trails) full care and field options, and training. It’s north of Pittsburgh in Clarksburg.
SilverCrest Equestrian Center in Valencia would be my recommendation, unless you are planning on doing seriously upper level stuff.
What part of Pittsburgh are you moving to?
I live east of the city and its really tough to find eventing barns around here. I board at a multi-discipline barn that has nice facilities and great care (and a VERY reasonable price), but no resident eventing trainer. I haul out for jumping lessons, and I have a good dressage instructor 10 minutes away that will travel to the barn.
PM me if you want, I’m familiar with a lot of the local barns and can probably give you a suggestion or two, or tell you who to avoid.
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