Looking for a boarding facility near Topsfield, Byfield area up to NH on 95. Good turnout and professional care are the priorities for my warmblood gelding. We spent years on the H/J “A” circuit and have transitioned to dressage when jumping was no longer an option. Access to trails and a dressage trainer would be a plus.
Myopia in Hamilton – there are tons of barns in the area - maybe your trainer in h/j could recommend a good dressage trainer. I grew up in Danvers, had horses growing up at home and then when I moved to NYC would ride at Myopia and several other barns when I would go home. mostly h/j barns but there is a very good Dressgae facility in Topsfield, can’t remember the name… Nancy Later Lavoie is just over the boarder in NH. She is AMAZING! check her out - she is outstanding! my trainer shares a barn with her in Wellington the Winter season – you would hit the jack pot with her! Good Luck! and welcome to the neighborhood! you will love living in Topsfield - I am feeling terribly homesick…
I used to ride at Ascot and loved it, but I’m not sure if they have a dressage trainer. You could definitely ask!
Well, here’s a short list albeit written from an eventer’s perspective. Most eventing barns around here are associated with dressage trainers as well, and I’ll throw in a couple of dressage centric barns.
Eventing based: LEDYARD FARM. Hamilton, MA. Great hacking out, indoor and outdoor rings, excellent horse care and dressage trainers come by regularly. Run by Ferial Johnson who is a consummate horsewoman. NEW MEADOW FARM. Rowley, MA Mike Robbins who runs the place is a great guy. I haven’t been by to see the barn but all I hear is good things. CASTLENECK FARM. Ipswich, MA Turnout is somewhat limited, but the indoor is excellent, the outdoor ring has just had a makeover. It is divided between two mangers/ trainers. Katie Walsh is the eventer type (the other, whom I don’t know is HJ). Katie is a super horsewoman and just all around great person. GATHERING FARM. Hamilton, MA The old USET facility, New indoor, big outdoor, turnout. Not sure who’s teaching there now, but the facility is for sale (incase you want to buy it).
Dressage based: BRADFORD EQUESTRIAN CENTER. Bradford/ Byefield MA Lovely facility, indoor, outdoor, fields to ride in. Keith Angstadt runs it with his wife. I believe he’s an “R” judge, a terrific horseman and teacher and (lucky for me) has a good sense of humor. Seems to be a lovely group of boarders too. I was just there for a little ride-review-ride yesterday and it was a great experience. LABYRINTH FARM. Rowley, MA. Samantha Williams is the owner and resident pro. She has a good eye and her personal standards are such that the facility is fabulous without being glitzy and the horses are very well cared for. She gets big name clinicians in fairly regularly, too.
And a shout out to ASCOT FARM as well. Ipswich, MA An HJ barn. but Jerry Kinney who runs it is an all around old school incredible horseman. His riders don’t just go round the ring. They hack out, go for beach rides in the winter, hunt, all kinds of things meant to develop their horsemanship skills. Three of his children are professional horsemen with their own followings. And a great group of people keep their horses there.
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Liz Austin is at Gathering now as of May.
I don’t knwo where Georgetown is in relation to your needs, but Cindi Wylie’s farm is lovely, and she is a nice person as well as a good trainer. https://cindiwylie.com/
I’m at Gathering now in South Hamilton with nine horses, we absolutely love it. The facility is gorgeous and the trail riding is the best of anywhere I have been in the area. I moved to MA from VT in 2018 when I was six months pregnant… and proceeded to have a heck of a time finding someone that could take all of our horses… we have had a few at RiverRun in West Newbury which I loved. Kathy, the owner, is amazing. Big turnouts and a nice outdoor… indoor is a little small but totally fine. Worth a check in if she has an open stall. I spent the majority of my time at Labyrinth Farm in Ipswich which is super nice and the management is excellent. Sam (owner) is a lovely rider and really kind trainer. Also for sure worth a check in and visit. For me it just became too complicated going between two or three barns with so many horses in training so I am incredibly grateful to be at Gathering. The event trainer there is fabulous and we have enjoyed collaborating- she jumped my (almost) Grand Prix horse around the other day and we talked about strengthening his weaknesses with some gymnastics and I have ridden her CCI** quite a bit. There’s usually a course set up in the outdoor so it’s fun to pop the dressage horses over stuff! Indoor is some sort of dust-free footing and never gets deep. You can DM me for some other less expensive options as well! We have had board range from $750-$1250 depending on locations. Good luck! We are just loving the area.
