Hello! We love taking care of animals; four-legged and fuzzy or two-footed and feathery, the critters make life enjoyably interesting. Horses are our main focus, but we’ve had alpacas, pigs, rabbits, goats, and sheep here as well. Oh, and chickens. There’s always chickens. And barn cats. Plenty of barn cats (want one? LOL, just kidding…sort of). And doggos. Definitely can’t forget the doggos. There are also some wild critters that visit us frequently. The deer are ubiquitous, but there are wild turkeys and ducks that visit us seasonally and every once in a while, you’ll see a fox, raccoon, and/or skunk. We try to keep those types out, but it’s their planet too so there’s only so much we can do.
We offer full board for horses. We are non-denominational, meaning all types of riders and horses are welcome here, however we are not a show barn. We have some equipment for those who like to jump, but not enough to see committed jumpers through to their full potential. Dressage and western riders make good use of the arena and we have many acres of trails on and off property. We also love senior horses. After many years of service, our aging friends deserve to hang out and enjoy their remaining years. They usually have extra requirements and we work with you to provide for them as they need.
About the humans: Gabe Matthews, owner and manager, grew up along the shore, but moved to the property in 2011 after 21 years in Colorado. She had a successful boarding facility just outside of Boulder, CO as well as a fulfilling job as the assistant, then barn manager at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center (http://www.ctrcinc.org ) taking care of 30+ members of their amazing therapy horse herd. Currently, she runs the farm and 1st Choice Air Comfort (http://www.1stchoiceaircomfort.com), an HVAC business, with her partner Christopher.
Matt Trainor, assistant barn manager, grew up spending many summers at his aunt and uncle’s farm in Connecticut. His love and compassion for nature and the planet make him a perfect fit for Deer Brook Farm and we are so very lucky to have him. The horses love his calm and gentle demeanor and often call out to him when he arrives on property
About the property: Created from a land grant in the 1600s, the property has always been a farm of one sort or another. Not much work had been done on it for a long time before we took it over, so it was in need of an overhaul. We’ve been making improvements over the past few years (new fencing, arena, outbuildings) with more exciting renovations coming soon (new barn-yay!)!
