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Tuesday 7am - 8pm Wednesday 7am - 8pm Thursday 7am - 8pm Friday 7am - 8pm Saturday 7am - 7pm

Stepping Stone Farm

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United States
Carmel, ME
Stepping Stone Farm

Stepping Stone Farm is a full service equine facility located in Carmel, Maine Our lessons are extremely comparable in pricing and we teach ages from 4 up.
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Stepping Stone Farm is a full service equine facility conveniently located in Carmel, Maine. Stepping Stone is owned and operated by Kris Nicola, a horsewoman of over 60 years. Kris has a strong pony club background and keeps the pony club safety standards in all of her lessons and horse work. She has worked with all different breeds of horses (and was even raised riding donkeys, mules, and someti

mes cows!) and people of all ages and cultures. Kris offers both English and Western lessons, but the main focus of Stepping Stone is eventing. We offer private and group lessons, as well as clinics with other instructors and one clinic in both spring and fall with two instructors. Stepping Stone has both an indoor and outdoor arena that is larger than standard size, access to miles of trails and there is even a cross country course less than 10 minutes away! We have several pastures and paddocks, a 22 stall barn with three tack rooms and two floors for hay storage. Stepping Stone offers full board, including grain, hay, your choice of a large or small stall, pasturing, worming, and blanketing depending on weather. We have a farrier that comes in every other week and your horse can be added to the rotation, or you can use a farrier of your own choice. Stepping Stone competes heavily, eventing all through Maine. On quiet weekends, our riders can be found doing trail rides with T.R.O.T. or traveling around the state to expose our horses and riders to various things.

09/21/2024

Check out these two talented, versatile horses Rikki has for sale!

09/21/2024

Reminder - NO lessons tomorrow!!

09/17/2024

Some fun barn views today!

09/16/2024

🥕Rikki will not be teaching 9/21.
🥕There will also be no lessons 9/28, as our horses will be in the CARMEL DAYS 2024 parade!
🥕9/29 is Pony Play Day; there are openings! There is also limited availability for lessons this day.

09/16/2024

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the Hat & Mitten trail ride, from our riders to volunteers to the land owners that make the ride possible. We’d love to see your photos! 🥳

09/10/2024

Pony Play Day date is HERE 🥳

09/08/2024

Rikki has room for training horses and sale consignments, and we have stalls available for board. Come enjoy our indoor through winter! ❄️

09/06/2024

Friday feels 🤩

Reminders:
🐴 Our annual hat and mitten trail ride is 9/15!
🐴 No lessons 9/28 as our horses will be participating in the Carmel Days Parade
🐴 Pony Play Day is 9/29
🐴 We are accepting new boarders
🐴 We have two horses looking for new homes - both need experienced riders!

09/02/2024

Out of the 3 of us, I think Belle enjoyed this lesson the most. Great ride for Sully today!!

08/30/2024

Rikki and Kris both had a full day of lessons today, and what a great day it was 🥰

Here is Mikala during her awesome lesson on Belle - their first together here at SSF!

08/30/2024

Donny has had some phenomenal rides since moving with us to SSF. I am so grateful that his owner has trusted me with his training; I’m enjoying every ride! 🤩

08/25/2024

In addition to lessons, training, and boarding, Rikki will also be offering sale consignment services.

Selling horses can be a headache on top of the emotional turbulence that comes with finding someone new to love your horse. Rikki can alleviate some of the hassle by advertising, vetting buyers, and doing showings of your horse for you. Rikki is great at finding the right match, not just a buyer. Contact her at 207-735-3374 to discuss consignment!

08/22/2024

Our Hat & Mitten trail ride is EARLY this year - it is scheduled for September 15th!!!

Join us for a fun ride and lunch. Start time is 10am, trail typically has various length options under 12 miles. Please rsvp to Kris BY PHONE at 848-5310!

08/22/2024

UPDATED (as of 8/24) Lesson schedule beginning 8/27 - after school and weekend spots are tentatively filled but there is still space Wednesday and Friday mornings. Please send a message if there are errors!

I will also be doing occasional, irregular Sundays and will share those spots in advance.

Pony Play Day dates to come!

08/17/2024

Reminder that lessons with Rikki begin 8/27! 🤗

08/13/2024

Returning in September is ✨Pony Play Day✨

Pony play days are an informal, no-pressure way to get kiddos ages 3-12 introduced (or reintroduced) to horses. They are a great way to determine if your child would enjoy regular riding lessons. Kiddos start with grooming then get to ride while being taught the basics of horsemanship.

Pony play day sessions are 30 minutes long, shared between two children, and cost $35. Payment is non-refundable and due at scheduling. Keep an eye out for our September dates - to be announced the last week of August!

07/27/2024

We have a rider looking for a rental home (2-3 bedroom) in or near Carmel that allows pets - does anyone have any leads we can share?

01/12/2024

Rory colored a picture for Mitch and just had to show him and Lucky!

01/12/2024

Handsome boy Paco says happy Friday!!

12/10/2023

The horses are all inside and cozy… except ChaCha who has an uninvited visitor 🤪

10/23/2023

Kris, Sharon, and Mary have made it to their vacation spot - they are spending a week at a dude ranch in Wyoming!

Reminder that there are no lessons this week while Kris takes her second vacation since I can remember. Andie is holding down the fort… and all the horses are inside for the night so they don’t float away!

10/10/2023

Don’t forget - our T.R.O.T. affiliated Hat and Mitten trail ride is this Sunday at 10:00!

- 2 loops (10-12 miles or 4-5 mile option)
- donations accepted
- lunch included (and truthfully the best part of the ride so you don’t want to miss it!)

Call Kris with questions at 848-5310

09/24/2023

This morning we got together to celebrate a horse that touched the lives of a countless amount of riders.

Aspen arrived here at SSF 25+ years ago at the age of 2 (or maybe 3)… and then basically didn’t leave. He was started by Kris while owned by Stephanie, then used for lessons for a while before being put up for sale. SSF wouldn’t have been the same without him so Kris purchased him, and the rest has been history. Aspen was the first ride, first trot, first canter and first jump for almost every rider that began at Stepping Stone over the last couple decades. He knew how to keep a rider safe and also when it was time to humble someone.

This horse has been a staple here at the farm; a true legend. Soon it will be time to say “see ya later,” but today, we honor this horse for all he has done for the Maine riding community 💜

*edited to add Aspen’s cake, I can’t believe I forgot to post it this morning!*

09/14/2023

October 15th is the date of our annual Hat and Mitten Trail Ride 🥳

10:00 start time
Typically 2 routes varying in length and difficulty
Lunch to follow
Donations accepted to be given to a local club or organization - suggested donation $15
Helmets required by all under 18 and strongly recommended for adults
Proof of coggins and rabies required

Call Kris with questions at 848-5310

09/10/2023

Horses are good at humbling you and the reality is that this is a dangerous sport.

There was an incident today where a rider was injured at SSF as a lot of y’all know thanks to the scanner page - so many people have reached out, or stopped in, to check on us. The concern for our family is encouraging and endearing!

While we’ve all had our share of spills and tumbles, the rider injured today was not one of our staff. We are sending well wishes of a speedy recovery to her and we hope she’s able to trailer in to join us for another clinic soon.

Enjoy this old photo of Rikki eating dirt as a token of appreciation for the community’s concern 💛

09/09/2023

Don’t forget about our desensitizing/obstacle clinic Sunday with Dr. Stephanie Heikkinen - it begins at 10am with an in-hand session followed by lunch and wrapping up with an under saddle session. Contact Kris for more details at 848-5310.

08/30/2023

Rikki is opening up a couple lesson spots for this coming Sunday in Fairfield!

I have availability Sunday morning for a lesson or two - this is not a regular occurrence so hop on it while it’s available!

08/24/2023

Reminder: Rikki has cancelled lessons for 8/26. Monday, 8/28 will be her last day teaching here!

Address

287 Cook Road
Carmel, ME
04419

Opening Hours

Tuesday	7am - 8pm
Wednesday	7am - 8pm
Thursday	7am - 8pm
Friday	7am - 8pm
Saturday	7am - 7pm

Telephone

(207) 848-5310

Website

http://steppingstonefarm.org/

Alerts

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Videos

Saturday was spent with our horses in the Carmel Days Parade, followed by the drill team demonstration. Our riders have put in a lot of time working toward this - here is a short clip of the performance!