Stone Horse Farm

How nice would it be if John and Jamie Seldorff adopted me! These parents of 2 precocious girls not only supported them in their riding, but also literally bought them the farm. And a beautiful farm it is. The Seldorffs transformed a local stable in slight disrepair into an elegant show barn. It is hardly recognizable from its former self. Where to begin…..

Stonehorse is down a steep driveway off route 202 near the Bantam-Litchfied border (repaving the driveway was one of the first things the Seldorffs tackled when they arrived).

As you walk into the barn on the left there is a wood paneled tack room with a chandelier and large table and upholstered chairs. Throughout the barn are framed pictures – mostly of the Seldorff girls – all with matching frames.

To the right is a lounge with a full kitchen and a bathroom, equally as lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then another door takes you to the stalls. Most of the 50 stalls have been redone with black iron, cedar boards and fitted with brass finial. Inside they are deeply bedded. There’s a heated, well-lit wash stall and pavers covering the floors.

After the driveway, one of the first projects the owners took on was transforming a tiny indoor and doubling it in size. It’s still not huge, but quite ride-able.

Next the footing in the indoor and outdoor ring was replaced with polytrac. A brand new additional barn was built with more stalls and an apartment above. All of it was done in good taste and high quality.

Riders at Stonehorse either lease or own nice horses and all can afford the cost, which starts at $1,250 for basic board. It’s not the kind of place you go and expect to ride school horses, although there are plenty of options for a lease or sale horse.

The grooms at Stonehorse are well schooled in the care of horses. The Seldorffs are pretty demanding when it comes to their expectations of how the barn should be presented and run. Ramon, the head groom/barn manager lives on the property and has been there since the beginning. You can feel pretty comfortable with the care he gives the horses. And if you are inclined to have a groom tack up for you (another level of board that puts you at the $2K mark), he knows what he’s doing.

The Seldorff’s own 15 of the 27 horses that are boarded at Stonehorse and even with 50 stalls, that takes up some space that could be occupied by paying boarders.  With the Seldorff girls both off to college and not competing during the winter months, one could speculate that there will be more of a push to sell off some of their horses. But even though the barn is still only a little more than half filled, according to the current trainer, “they’re at a good place” with more than enough horses to manage.

Jimmy Fairclough II

There have been quite a few trainers who’ve tested the waters at Stonehorse, but none seem to stay afloat for much more than a year – even with the nice apartment. Since its inception just over five years ago, Stonehorse has had four trainers.

The current head trainer is Jimmy Fairclough II. He’s worked for Candice King, the Chapots, and Anne Kursinski. But his claim to fame is his stint on the History Channels Full Medal Jousting. Kind of cool. He’s enthusiastic about his upcoming plans for Stonehorse. He’s already made his mark by having the Seldorffs upgrade the exhaust system and has bought some huge, fancy new jumps designed to replicate the jumps from the Seoul Olympics.

He’s working on sponsorship and is hoping it’ll allow him to acquire some horses that can tackle the new Olympic size jumps. Recently Katie Miele has come on board as assistant trainer.

All in all – Stonehorse seems to look at itself as a show barn and the immediate Seldorff family had done exactly that. Now, without the full time presence of the Seldorff girls, it’s heading into slightly uncharted territory.  But with Jimmy’s presence and upgraded facilities beautifully maintained, it remains an attractive prospect for the right riders.  And if John and Jamie ever want to expand their family, I’d make myself available for adoptions,  Hey – just putting it out there.

stonehorsefarmct.com / 1231 Bantam Road, Bantam, CT 06750 / 860 686-0203

Fox Crossing Equestrian

Walk into Fox Crossing, especially on a summer morning, you know you’re in a kid-friendly world. Fox Crossing has had a number of transformations over the years but seems to be currently at its happiest.  Every weekend and after school during the week, the barn is filled with children of various ages.

Owner Cindy Italiaander’s path to Fox Crossing may have been a bit circuitous. A New Jersey suburban girl who became a NY city woman with a career in the fashion industry is  now a country gal surrounded with barn life – mud, manure and frequent mayhem associated with horses. Cindy takes it all in stride.  Her competitive nature has served her well and she’s created a successful business at Fox Crossing.

Cindy set her sights on creating a family friendly atmosphere and clearly she has succeeded. Young girls who learned walk/trot at Fox Crossing continue on into their teens to nurture the new kids and their ponies. This is a family kind of barn with local kids participating in local shows and school horses that can march kids around without too many worries from parents. There is little or no divide between boarders and lesson folk. Cindy told me she “caters to people not worried about what they wear.” Goodbye fashion career for good! Yet even with all this down home ambience– don’t be mistaken – the kids that ride at Fox Crossing are a big presence in the show ring and are starting to branch out beyond the CHJA boundaries.

In the five years that Fox Crossing Equestrian has been in existence they’ve tackled quite a few upgrades and renovations. The roof has been redone, new cupolas were built, rubber pavers now line the aisle between the stalls, a new outdoor dressage ring was added, the footing was replaced in the indoor, the barn was painted, dutch windows were installed and new fencing and paddocks were added and upgraded.

The facility itself is comfortable with Cindy always adding some decorative touches. Christmas is especially festive with a tree, big-boxed presents and lights decorating the area near the indoor.  A boarder’s lounge with a comfy couch and chairs is situated with a big glass window that looks into the indoor ring.  Pictures of Fox Crossing clients are proudly displayed on its walls. It’s a place of reprieve in the winter. A small kitchen area that includes a sink, fridge and microwave is available for boarders. There’s also an upstairs viewing room for lesson clients and their siblings that is well heated. Cindy goes out of her way to keep the lounges and bathrooms clean – a challenge, but one she manages to conquer.

The indoor ring is a decent size ring with some nice jumps. Some riders arrange to board there for only a few months just to have access to the ring during the winter.  As a result, as the weather gets colder, it can get a bit crowded in the indoor. Cindy does her best to keep people abreast of the schedule. Lessons are given priority. But it’s a congenial atmosphere and things have a way of working out.

The outdoor is a good size ring.  It’s a sand footing with long-term plans for an upgrade. Also on the list for future work is landscaping.  The current surroundings are pleasant, with grassy areas for parents to watch. The ring is up the hill from a somewhat busy road. Traffic can be an occasional distraction. Also – a neighbor is in close proximity and their cat has been known to wander over to the ring with the occasional horse acting out with much more drama than the situation warrants. The lesson horses – there are 12 school horses – are pretty much immune to any of this though. And other than when the Bethlehem Fair is going on (at which point everyone’s at the fair anyway) the distractions are few and far between.  25 acres surround the barn allowing for some trail rides behind the paddocks.

The dressage ring is regulation size. Since there’s a separate dressage ring, there’s an understanding of who belongs where.  Many of the dressage riders are ship-ins,  and are equally welcomed.  Liz Braverman trains the dressage riders. She’s charming, kind and competent. She seems equally able and willing to work with adults and children.

Cheryl Weller-Lemoine trains hunter/jumpers and as a mother of two girls who are prominent fixtures at the barn, has found her niche training kids from grade school up. She’s created a strong IEA team and those that don’t compete in IEA are often at CHJA shows on the weekends. She is a down to business type of trainer and doesn’t seem to engage in any of the gossip and drama that sometimes goes along with barn life. This also makes her seem aloof, but the kids figure out pretty quickly that she’s truly caring and kind and she understands them as only moms do.

Cheryl and Liz often school the horses in tandem to make sure the horses are well rounded on the flat as well as over fences.

Katie Sutton-Eagleston is the barn manager, and without her the barn would not run. She lives on the property and knows each horse often better than even the owners.  Katie has been there from the inception of Fox Crossing and has helped shape the barn into what it is today. Katie graduated from Post University with a BS in Equine Management.  Since then she’s managed barns, taught lessons, run camps… she’s pretty much done it all. An extra plus – her husband is a state trooper. You feel pretty safe at Fox Crossing knowing they live on the property. To round out the staff there’s a groom and 2 part time help to do stalls.

The stalls are an ample 10×12 and are bedded well enough.  There is all day turnout and the horses are hayed four times a day.  The horses are fed Poulin grain unless specified and of course SmarPaks are included when requested.

You can’t beat the price of board at Fox Crossing – $875. Probably the best bang for your buck in Litchfield County– but beware of extra charges. If your horse needs any special care, i.e. handwalks, wrapping, wound care, handling for the vet – it’s an add-on.

Fox Crossing is a busy place and as summer approaches (oh please, please. It can’t come soon enough) a new crop of young riders will appear, ready for camp and the cycle begins yet again.