A friend of mine was reminscing about riding at Sunnyfield when she was a kid and she was wondering if it was still around.
Couldn’t really find anything on line - one possibility in Bedford-Ketonah, but she wasn’t positive if that was the place.
Anyone know if they are still around?
She would have been there about 35-40 years ago. (Maybe a little more, but I don’t want to age her too much. 
)
Sunnyfield Farm is in Bedford. Stillmboaeding and doing lessons. Google it. It’s in the top 3 search…
Yup! Besides the owner’s TBs, it houses HW Dressage and Great Island Dressage right now. Lendon also stops by to teach students occasionally.
Was that the Neilsens’ place? Sandy and Karen’s parents?
[QUOTE=Sing Mia Song;6663885]
Was that the Neilsens’ place? Sandy and Karen’s parents?[/QUOTE]
Yes, the farm is owned by the Neilsen’s. I believe the daughter’s wonderful equitation horse (won the finals )is buried on the farm. Still a beautiful farm with lots of turnout and meticulously kept.
Thanks so much for the information…I’ll pass it on.
Sunnyfield is still there, on Rt 172 just south of Bedford Village.
Lendon Gray’s dressage barn was based there for many years, but I believe she has cut back on her operations recently.
I do not know how old your friend is, but I first rode at Sunnyfiled in the mid 60’s, and my first horse came from Sunyfield. It was built, and owned, by Mrs (Josephine ?) McIntosh, who was an A&P heiress. She had some of the first Lipizzaners in the US, and also some of the earliest “English sport” Quarter Horses. It was the original home of the USET, before the facilities at Gladstone and Hamilton were built.
Mrs McIntosh’s daughter, Karen McIntosh Collins competed on the US Olympic Dressage team at either Rome or Tokyo- I forget which. Mrs Mcintosh also had some serious open jumpers, and there was the remains of an upper level Three-Day Eventing course on the property. Quite a number of the top eventers of the 50s and early 60s rode there, including Mike Page, and Denis Glaccum.
In the mid 60s, Mrs McIntosh developed Leukemia (though it was not made public at the time) and she began selling off the youner-to middle aged horses, and made retirement arrangements for the older horses. That was when we bough Golden Rocket for me, and a year later Meadow Lark for my sister.
After she died, it was bought by someone else, and focused on show hunters. later the primary focus was dressage, but I do not know much about the intermediate stages.
I have a book with pictures of Sunnyfield in the early 60s.
Janet, thanks so much for the fascinating history. I’m betting Jeanne was there when you were - I’ll have to check. She’s around 57 and started there when she was around 8.
Ask her if she remembers the Goldfinger twins.
[QUOTE=Janet;6665114]
I have a book with pictures of Sunnyfield in the early 60s.[/QUOTE]
Is it your own pictures or a published book? I remember hearing about Sunnyfield when I was a kid in the 60s, and American Girl magazine even did a photo shoot there during the same time period. Later on, in the 1980s/90s I worked for a family that lived in Bedford, and got to pass by it on several occasions, it looked beautiful from the road. Thanks for the history, I love hearing about these old places. And I remember reading about Karen McIntosh when she was competing in dressage, the US had so few upper level dressage riders in those days.
I remember Sunnyfield well. My family boarded at Shannon Stables, in Bedford, – then owned and run by the Hawkins family. (Artie Hawkins was the manager and trainer.) We were there from 1959 – 1964.
We would hack over to Sunnyfield frequently.
I remember the big summer show, but I have even more vivid memories of the FREEZING COLD winter shows. Damn that indoor ring was cold.
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;6665712]
I remember Sunnyfield well. My family boarded at Shannon Stables (in Bedford) – then owned and run my the Hawkins family. (Artie Hawkins was the manager and trainer.) We were therre from 1959 – 1964.
We would hack over to Sunnyfield frequently.
I remember the big summer show, but I have even more vivid memories of the FREEZING COLD winter shows. Damn that indoor ring was cold.:D[/QUOTE]
Lord Helpus- I’ve been boarding my horses at Shannon Stables (Donegal Farm) for the past 8 or so years. Such a beautiful place, and clearly one with a lot of history. I’d love to hear any stories, descriptions, etc. from the past! Feel free to PM 
It is a published book, called “Horse Show” by Pat Johnson. About half text and half pictures. I think the copyright is 1962.
About a third of the pictures were taken at one of Sunnyfield winter shows in the indoor. No pictures of me, but pictures of both the horses that were later mine (Golden Rocket) and my sister’s (Meadow Lark); the intructors, Werner Platzer and Alex Zivulovitch (SP?); many of the students; and Tony d’Ambrosio Sr.
[QUOTE=BAC;6665703]
Is it your own pictures or a published book? I remember hearing about Sunnyfield when I was a kid in the 60s, and American Girl magazine even did a photo shoot there during the same time period. Later on, in the 1980s/90s I worked for a family that lived in Bedford, and got to pass by it on several occasions, it looked beautiful from the road. Thanks for the history, I love hearing about these old places. And I remember reading about Karen McIntosh when she was competing in dressage, the US had so few upper level dressage riders in those days.[/QUOTE]
I lived there when I worked for Lendon the summer of '94. Beautiful farm. The hack out was awesome - meticulously maintained bridle trails (I remember hacking over the Shannon Farm).
Does Shannon still have cross country fences out back?
Janet - It did when I was there. Not sure about now.
[QUOTE=RW06;6665814]
Lord Helpus- I’ve been boarding my horses at Shannon Stables (Donegal Farm) for the past 8 or so years. Such a beautiful place, and clearly one with a lot of history. I’d love to hear any stories, descriptions, etc. from the past! Feel free to PM :)[/QUOTE]
Shannon Stables was not a beautiful place when we were there. My parents built 5 stalls and a small tack room for our horses so I was rarely in the main barn. But it was old and was certainly not a showplace.
At that time the barn was a U with a place in the center portion to ride through to go down to the ring and outside course. I vividly remember coming back from a ride in 1963 and just walking into the courtyard when the (1) groom there came running out to tell my mother that President Kennedy had just been shot.
I think we all know just where we were when the President was shot – and that is my main memory of Shannon Stables.
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;6666221]
I think we all know just where we were when the President was shot – and that is my main memory of Shannon Stables.[/QUOTE]
That’s some history, all right. 
I haven’t been to Sunnyfield lately, but I stopped in there years ago to see a friend of mine there. As we were chatting by the barn, our dogs slipped away, and we found them all the way up by the house at the back behind the big paddock. Bad dogs! :lol:
[QUOTE=STA;6664620]
Yes, the farm is owned by the Neilsen’s. I believe the daughter’s wonderful equitation horse (won the finals )is buried on the farm. [/QUOTE]
Was the horse’s name French Leave? I seem to remember that name.
[QUOTE=MHM;6666244]
Was the horse’s name French Leave? I seem to remember that name.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I believe that was his name. I could not remember if his name was French Leave or Leaf, but just the same a WONDERFUL horse.
Someone mentioned they remember hacking over to Sunnyfield from Shannon. You would be taking your life into your hands if you tried that today. lol The area is very populated now compared to then.
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