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Westchester area barns

Does anyone know CEO Stables in Bedford or Bayaert Farms in North Salem?

I moved to Westchester from Hunterdon County in New Jersey and am having a rough time finding the right barn. I came from the eventing/foxhunting side and decided some time ago that I wanted to get down the technical fundamentals that twenty years of “seat of the pants/git 'er done” type riding hadn’t focused on. I’ve always been a full time professional with a demanding career, I’ve never been able to ride more than two days a week, and until now I haven t had the resources to even part lease. I don’t have any interest in showing, although I probably would have done some low-level eventing eventually. But there were lots of barns in NJ that felt right!

Fast forward to the present–I live with SO in Westchester and after much looking found a barn that didn’t require owning/leasing/showing but still offered the level of teaching i was looking for. But I’m coming back from a bad wreck last year and my current barn is a little rough around the edges --there doesn’t seem to be the kind of saintly schoolmaster/seeing eye dog that I want to ride now, and what I’ve been offered for lease are school horses, all with various school horse -type issues.

By way of reference, I’m looking for something like Redfield Farm, Ithilien Stables, or Hay Fever Farm in New Jersey–mostly adults, quality horses and teaching, showing available but not mandatory, trainer ( not necessarily head trainer) stays North in the winter. I can do a part-lease at this point but have too many other commitments to do a full lease.

CEO Stables, Bayeart Farm, and Old Salem are now offering private lessons on their horses, presumably as a prelude to a part-lease, which would be fine.Wondering if anyone here can tell me anything about them, or if there’s something else in Northern Westchester/Connecticut/Dutchess County that I may have overlooked.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to PM!

I’m not sure if she has school horses available, but Barbara Filippelli at Valley Pond Farm in Pawling, NY would be a good one to call.

I trained with her for years. She helped me find a lease horse when I wanted more riding time but wasn’t ready for ownership yet. She’s great at helping riders build confidence and establish correct fundamentals. Plus the facility is incredible.

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Kate Oliver at CEO is a very good trainer and has trained many, many successful clients. I believe she goes south and not sure what her assistant trainer situation is these days but I believe last winter her clients stayed in stalls at Old Salem as her facility does not have an indoor (though is beautiful otherwise). Beyaert is also a good choice and recently expanded their indoor, but not 100% sure their winter situation. You might also look at West Lane- I think they stay north and have heard they have more of a lesson/transition-to-lease program than most Westchester barns. Perhaps Limelight as well though I think they recently moved to Ridgefield. If Fairfield county is an option, you may find some good choices there as well.

River Horse in North Salem is the only eventing oriented barn that I know of. Might be worth checking out.

If you are going up to Kirby Hill to check out Valley Pond, there is another program on the property - Revolution Equestrian - that is also worth checking out. I believe it is a bit more casual than some of the ones you mentioned.

I live in Brooklyn and what you describe in Westchester is exactly why I moved back to a barn in NJ last year. (I rode with Redfield years ago, took a break, rode in Westchester, and now am elsewhere in NJ.) I hope you find what you’re looking for, but unfortunately, it’s not as common up that way—and if you find it, it’s going to cost an arm and a leg compared to NJ.

I’m not super in the loop re: Westchester but you might want to call or stop into the Horse Connection and RIDE and ask - they usually have good intel!

I took a lesson once at Summit Farm and wonder if maybe it could be what you’re looking for? I know the horse I lessoned on was really old but super, obvious quality, and a total confidence builder. If I could afford him I would lease him now in a heartbeat :joy:

On a separate note, if you are farm shopping in Westchester, I found the Staller app is enormously helpful for finding barns in the area. It is theoretically an Airbnb for horses, ie, for people looking to rent stalls short-term. But it gives you contact info for tons of local barns and a good approximation of the price-point you’re looking at, as well as the facilities and general size of the farm.

Personally, I would not look at OSF unless I was very competition minded… it is far and away the most beautiful farm to drive past (though JT and Staysail are also great to gawk at longingly!), but OSF is like an “institution” in a sense—it’s big, established, and fancy. Not to say you shouldn’t take a lesson there to see what it’s like! I’m definitely just judging the book by its cover, so it may be different there IRL.

Two farms I have never been to, but which look promising online, are Phoenix Horse Farm in Patterson and Arcadia Farm in Yorktown Heights. Both have gorgeous indoors! No idea about the horses they have for lease. But they just seem like nice, personably-scaled places to ride, and the trainers at Arcadia seem like the types to politely but firmly whip you into shape. They’re both hunter judges so I would imagine they know exactly what to look for to get a rider show ring ready.

I haven’t lived in Westchester for decades, so I am somewhat out of the loop. But I have known one of the trainer/owners at Arcadia, Patty, since the mid 60s, when we were both pre-teens. She boarded her horse at our farm. She came up through Pony Club when that was ALL about Combined Training. and got her B rating with the highest score ever at that point. So while she is now completely immersed in the hunter/jumper word, she does have an eventing background. She and Molly both know their stuff, and are good instructors and trainers.

But I do not know whether they have a current lesson program for people without their own horses. And I think their price structure is on the high side.

Thanks so much all, this is beginning to look less overwhelming and Ii’m developing a short list of barns. Feel like Goldilocks and the Three Bears or like I’m on Match.com.

173North, RIDE will certainly be my first stop for recon, love that place! West Lane is new to me and looks like a good fit, Phoenix Farm I’ve driven past ( and they had a fantastic horse in last year’s Retired Racehorse Project, think his name was St. John something. Arcadia and Limelight also sound good.

What I’m looking for in terms of a share lease is just what Zephyr Farms has on their leasing pages, so that’s on the list. Agree that OSF is probably way too competition-oriented, as well as wanting a bigger financial commitment. Somewhere between Zephyr Farm and OSF is what I’m looking for–good training and educated horses with primarily adult riders, somewhere between rough around the edges and over the top.

ETA: Turns out SO has a strong preference for Bedford, (ie, close to home) , so I’m looking into Boulder Brook and South Horse. Looks like lots of pony kids at both, which isn’t optimal for me. If anyone has experience/knowledge of either, I’d love to hear about it!

There’s also Cynthia Williams at New England Farms, who doesn’t seem to have a website but which I remember as an adult barn. Again, any info appreciated.

OK, this is starting to be fun! Thanks again for all your help, and keep the comments/PMs coming!

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If you want to ride in Bedford itself, there are lots of options. Check out Sunnyfield Farm - there are at least three different programs there now, including Lionshare Farm and Bexley Farm. Courtyard Farm is also worth a look, although I do think there are a lot of pony kids there. I think JT farm was also renting out some stalls, and I’m not sure who moved in there, so it’s probably worth a stop too. I’m not sure who is in Shannon Stables right now either. Natasha at Horse Connection will know.

Thanks Janet, I’ve heard good things about Molly Flaherty and Patricia Peckham, and the eventing/Pony Club background would help with this “fish out of water” feeling. Anything within 30 minutes is probably OK, I was driving over an hour north to my former barn and I could live without that. Joiedevie 99, I saw that there are a number of programs out of Sunnyfield–South Horse is one of them, Courtyard looks beautiful but kid-centered. Lionshare I thought had moved to Fairfield County, Bexley I don’t know anything about. When I go over to check out South Horse I’ll look at the other programs running out of Sunnyfields as well. It’s really about finding someone whose good with adult riders at my non-exalted level, so if anyone knows of someone who is, by all means let me know!

I think Shannon Stables is privately owned now

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