This page will be updated frequently with news about our farm and our produce.

Last Update:  January 14, 2006

Our horses:

Our involvement with the Hackney Horse began in 1991.  Since that time we have had the opportunity to train and work with a variety of bloodlines.  Our horses have competed in many disciplines, including english (hunt seat) pleasure, stadium jumping, ridden and driven dressage, hunter paces, and of course, carriage driving.  We regularly trail ride and drive them on the beautiful Brookfield Trail System and on our farm.

We have three main goals with our breeding program: 

¨       to preserve as many of the foundation genes as possible;

¨       maintain the traditional conformation of the Hackney horse, which lends itself to natural high stepping ability;

¨       ensure workable/trainable temperaments and athletic ability by performance testing of all of our breeding stock.

Genetic preservation means crossing foundation lines back together again, which can maintain or reproduce something closer to the original population of horses.  This ensures genetic diversity (a big concern with any rare breed), which we believe is essential to buffer against loss of those characteristics which made this great breed what it is.  In short, the goal of preservation breeding is the maintenance of genetic diversity.  We are preserving the genes which influence major traits, including disposition, soundness, athletic ability and type of movement.

While the stallion is certainly important, we believe the key to preservation may be found in the dam lines.  Rare and uncommon genes tend to be carried through the bottom of the pedigree.  With this in mind, each of our mares has been carefully chosen for what they may give back to this breed in future generations.

The type of movement that is our goal is not just front leg action; it is hock action to match.  It is not just height, it is reach.  “Sewing machine” action is NOT a desired characteristic of this breed!  Below is the standard of excellence from the Hackney Horse Society in England:

“The front action should be lofty and well rounded with no tendency to brush the elbows. It must also be straight and true and the front feet must be placed squarely on the ground. Dropping on the heels is faulty. The hind legs should be well flexed and brought forward under the body with a piston like action. Dwelling of the hocks in a flexed position is undesirable. Excessive speed at the trot is not wanted, the aim being to give a well-balanced performance presenting a pleasing picture of poise and elegance.”

What sets the Hackney apart from other breeds is the unique flexibility of all of its joints.  In its extreme, one has the ultimate Park horse.  When less extreme, one has a very flashy/expressive horse, which will excel in the disciplines of carriage and combined driving, dressage and jumping.  The immense power from the hindquarters provides tremendous lift off over fences while their unequaled ability to rotate the shoulder and fold both the front and hind legs provides more than enough scope to clear the highest fences.  Their suspension and superior ability to step far underneath themselves results in a ground covering trot quite unlike any other breed we have seen.  Their uphill and expressive canter is joy to ride.

No matter which end of the movement spectrum the Hackney falls on, it is ALWAYS well-balanced, graceful, elegant and spine tingling to watch!

Our hay:

Our goal since purchasing this farm was to produce hay that is highly nutritious yet safe for equines with Equine Metabolic Syndrome.  After 2 years of trial and error, we believe we have succeeded!  We have experimented on our own horses – one 30 yr old Hackney with Cushing’s syndrome/Insulin Resistance and a TB belonging to a friend, who is extremely Insulin Sensitive (hypoglycemic), prone to seizures and extreme weight loss.  The other eight horses are “normal”.  All have thrived on our hay.  With the exception of the TB, who is a "hard keeper" to the extreme, we have been able to drastically cut down on the amount of grain they are fed in winter.  All but the TB get no grain from April to November thanks to our nutritious pasture land.  Our “elder statesman” Hackney has suffered none of the complications of Cushing’s syndrome.  The TB has not had a single seizure plus has gained and maintained a healthy weight.

Our hay is a timothy/alfalfa/grass mix.  It is harvested as early in the morning as possible, when sugar content is lowest.  We have each crop analyzed by Equi-Analytical Laboratories (http://www.equi-analytical.com/), a copy of which is supplied to each of our customers.  Our round bales are harvested specifically FOR horses and are stored inside so there is absolutely NO hay loss/wastage.

Our farm:

We have always been interested in sustainable agriculture.  IOW – giving back to the land what one removes.  We adhere to the principles of organic farming because we believe it is healthier for humans, animals and the environment.  This year we will pursue certified organic status as proof of our committment to these principles.