May 2020 Issue

Page 8 May 2020 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Commercial Stable Owners Make Tough Choices During Shutdown “Any money is going for hay and horse feed,” Bast said. Runaway Dream Farm In Kutztown, PA, AileenWil- liams, owner of Runaway Dream Farm, ended ship-ins for lessons and outside use of her facility, but has allowed her six boarders to see their horses with strict stable rules about distancing and regular cleaning of tack room doors and other high contact areas. She also forbade her boarders from bringing in guests, in- cluding extended family members. “We suddenly were busier than ever because people have nothing else to do,” she said. Williams said she watched all of her riding events and competitions disappear from her calendar, including the end of fox hunting season, spring dressage shows and clinics and mounted orienteering team competitions. “I don’t even want to use the trails because there are now so many pedestrians out,” she said. Williams, a retired para- medic, and her husband Dave, a firefighter, understand the seri- ousness of the disease. “It’s scary stuff,” she said. “I’m lucky I can still ride horses at home. I can shelter in place.” Sweet Rock Stables For Sweet Rock Stables in Manchester, MD, Gov. Hogan’s order to immediately halt recre- ational riding came as a serious blow. Sweet Rock has catered to young riders through lessons and summer camp for 25 years. With income from lessons gone, owner Roxy Baldwin de- cided to reach out to her commu- nity of horse lovers for help. For $60 they could sponsor their favorite lesson horse, get a T-shirt and shout out on Facebook. The goal was $400 and it was almost reached by earlyApril. Baldwin still has two part time em- ployees on the payroll but also relies on boarders to help feed. “It’s a struggle,” Baldwin said. “I’m happy the grass is coming in the pastures.” Baldwin has 16 horses in her barn, eight of them lesson horses. “When they don’t work, they still have to eat,” she said. The mas- sive job losses that have accom- panied the quarantine are a double whammy for stable owners, she said. “When choice is between putting fuel in your car and giving your kid a riding lesson, you know what they pick,” Baldwin said. Quiet Victory Farm Vicki Peters, who operates Quiet Victory Farm, a full-ser- vice hunter/equitation stable in Hopewell Township, NJ, said the mixed messages from the state have created difficulties in managing her nine boarders, several of whom are competitive hunter and equitation riders. Peters initially shut down her barn thinking that was the safest move for everyone, but soon par- ents of her young riders saw other stables open and complained. “They had kids home with nothing to do and they wanted to ride their horse that they’ve paid all this money for,” said Peters. “But I couldn’t let one person in and not others.” Almost immedi- ately two boarders left. She said she pleaded with one client to stay, saying she would keep their horse fit and take pictures of it. “I said, bear with me, I want to limit exposure,” she said. But the boarder left and she felt she had no choice but to open the barn to keep her remaining clients happy. “My hands were tied,” she said. “It’s been tough.” Peters said she started teaching again, stag- gering the lessons so there would be no socializing between rides, putting up a gate and sign asking parents to please stay in their cars. Peters also said she is limiting most of her lesson to flat work or ground pole exercises, because she doesn’t want to stress the hospital system should someone be injured. Peters said she’s painful- ly aware that New Jersey is a hot spot for COVID-19. Mer- cer County, where her farm is located, has had more than 1,700 positive cases and 71 deaths since the outbreak began in March. “My income dropped dramatically,” she said. “Now I wonder, am I going to be able to keep my barn help? I need horses in the stalls to pay rent.” Peters is wistful about the horse show she and her students attended on March 7. “Little did we know, that was our last show,” she said. “Everybody’s worrying about the future.” (Continued from page 4)