Old Bear Farm

Growing up, I was like any horse crazy kid.  I begged for a pony, went for occasional trail rides with my dad, and then begged some more.  My parent’s answer was always that we would see, maybe if they got a pony at the ARL.  We were having this conversation at a restaurant one night and of course, an officer from the ARL was sitting at the table behind us.  That’s how we came to have Blackie.  We knew nothing at that point (not the best way to start out with a new pony) but they had the sense to send me to a local farm (Nick Rodday’s Moby Dick Farm in Brewster) to learn how to ride and care for the pony.  While we learned, my dad would help around the farm with carpentry and the draft horses.  When it came time to take him home, my instructor Nick informed my parents that horses were herd animals and don’t do well living on their own.  Enter Sandy, a large hunter that Nick wanted to semi retire (who wanted nothing to do with retiring and I was still out jumping with years later).  And Black Sand Stable was born.  Within a few months I think, my parents had taken in boarders, and they eventually hired an instructor to teach at our small farm a few days a week, and my father started offering hay and carriage rides.  My mom (from her wheelchair no less) ran an afterschool program for local kids.  The farm kept growing as much as it was able, and when I returned from a stint in the army, I took over teaching and running the stable.  As my mom has since passed and my dad has now retired, we felt it was time for a new beginning – somewhere closer to my full time job and with enough land to do more of what I’d like with the horse business.  It’s been sad, scary, and at times, enfuriating, but we were lucky enough to find my new place here in Carver, and after about a year and a half of conquering road blocks, clearing land, and rehabbing the house, we are ready to go!  I am hopeful that it will become home for me and my boys, and feel like a second home to anyone who wants to come learn to ride with us.

Thanks for visiting and taking the time to read!

Micki Quinn