Storm’s Haven Farm

11/04/2024

Love this Mark Jump Photography shot of DW and Grey from this past Saturday’s opening hunt❤️so glad Meghan Bynum Fields enjoyed DW!

10/15/2024

So happy to see Rain, now Penny, doing so well!❤️

Goshen Hounds

10/10/2024

We're excited to kick off our 68th season with the annual Opening Hunt & Blesssing of the Hounds at beautiful Thrailkill Farm on 11/2. Guests are welcome - both riding & non-riding! Wagon spots are limited, please RSVP as soon as possible. Contact us for additional details.

10/07/2024

Thank you so much to Carolina Horse Park for such a fun weekend at the horse trials! So proud of Jackson for jumping clean around Novice! Also a big congratulations to Wiles Austin and Obi and Meghan Fields and Grey for adding only time penalties to their dressage scored! Thanks to the great volunteers, officials and staff for a wonderful weekend❤️

09/06/2024

Just gutted, Lefreda was a consummate horsewoman, someone who I strive to be like one day. She will be greatly missed❤️

“Lefreda was a founding member of the Carolina Horse Park and remained a steady presence at the Park since its inception. We are forever grateful for her time and dedication. The Carolina Horse Park would not be the special place that it is today without Lefreda and her contributions. As she has said many times, “We had a dream and this is it.” Her presence and her wisdom will be sorely missed by all. She was a guiding force and a champion of the Carolina Horse Park. We will miss her wisdom and enthusiasm. Our thoughts are with her family at this time.”
- Bryan Rosenberg (Carolina Horse Park Board of Directors, Chair)

Remembering Lefreda Williams (1937 - 2024): A True Equestrian Icon

A pillar of the North Carolina equestrian community and a founding member of the Carolina Horse Park, Lefreda’s legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of our sport and community.

For over 50 years, Lefreda dedicated her life to eventing and fox hunting. Her passion for the sport led her to become a Horse Trials Organizer in 1970 and to serve on the Board of Governors for the USCTA for 13 years. She played a crucial role in shaping the Carolina Horse Park Foundation, where she served as vice president, president, and, most recently, as a dedicated director on the board.

Lefreda's impact stretched far beyond her titles and accolades. She was named one of the Ten Most Influential People in Moore County in 2000, and her influence only grew with time. From organizing the inaugural USEA American Eventing Championships to personally ensuring the cross-country courses were impeccably prepared, Lefreda never stopped giving back to the sport she loved.

Those who knew Lefreda remember her as more than just a volunteer or competitor. She was a constant presence at the Carolina Horse Park, tending to every detail with care and dedication, from roping cross-country courses to leading caravans of jump judges, always with a smile on her face and her beloved dogs by her side.

Lefreda’s contributions have been recognized by countless honors, including the prestigious USEA Governors Cup and the Andrew H. Popiel Memorial Award. Yet, beyond these accolades, her greatest legacy is the lasting impact she made on everyone around her—competitors, volunteers, and equestrian enthusiasts alike.

Her tireless work and passion for the sport will continue to live on in the Carolina Horse Park and the hearts of those she touched. As we reflect on her incredible life, let us honor her by continuing the work she was so passionate about, ensuring that the horse, sport and community she cherished continue to thrive.

“We had a dream and this is it.” – Lefreda Williams

Photography: Pam Jensen Photography

08/23/2024

Heads up for any younger riders, this is such a great opportunity! Please reach out if you have anyone who might be interested!

*****Update****

We are certainly thrilled beyond words at the amount of young ladies who are interested in trying Side-Saddle. We were hoping to have something for September, however, will need more time to make it happen! Thank you to the group of lovely volunteers that are working hard to make it happen now that we know there is interest! Please follow the page to keep up to date on future events!

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Calling all junior horse enthusiasts! We are looking to do a give it a go event for junior riders only! Time is to be determined as we want to see if there is any real interest. If you have or know of a young lady who wants to give riding aside a try, we would love to help make that happen! We have some members who have generously offered made ponies and tiny Sidesaddle tack to make a little girls dream come true!

Please send us a private message, as comments may be missed, if you know of someone who would be interested in trying sidesaddle under the age of 18. We will continue with adult give it a goes this fall.

This adorable photo is of Teagan riding “Piccadilly K” (owned by Isabel Ambrosini) at the Horse Show in the Woods showing side saddle in the lead line division with Carrie Wehle.

08/22/2024

08/18/2024

Ever diligent DW was very happy to be out for the first hunt of the season with Mecklenburg Hounds Inc yesterday! He never misses a thing and is always paying very close attention to everything happening!😂

08/12/2024

What a great and busy weekend Stable View Academy HT! Very proud of Obi and Wiles for completing their very first horse trial! Big congratulations to Zoie Sitton and Nova for their lowest dressage score ever and Ava Shiflett and Ticket for placing 4th at their first BN! and Jackson both had great weekends too, Grey only dropping one rail in SJ and Jackson finishing 5th. So very lucky to be able to get him out again❤️ Thank you to all of the volunteers, officials and staff Stable Viewfor a great weekend!

08/04/2024

Five years. Five years is how long I have waited for this moment. Five years ago was the last time this horse jumped and galloped around an event. Five years ago the last event he did, I made a very stupid mistake, missed a jump an easy jump on cross country and was eliminated. Little did I know that that was supposed to be his last run. Diagnosed with multiple soft tissue injuries and bone cysts, his future was bleak. My vet said he would be lucky to be pasture sound and treatments were limited to none. I was going through one of the roughest parts of my life and this just compounded everything. All I could do was just let him live the most comfortable life he could, whatever that was. Hung up hopes, shelved dreams. But as time passed he healed and grew sounder. We had a failed re-start, he still wasn’t quit right, threw him back out to the wait. Finally last year he was able to be re-started and stayed sound! Got better, could jump again, felt great! Made some plans but of course injuries, thankfully minor and continued. This is the culmination of five years of patience. Most would have given up and sent him along but I just couldn’t do that to him. He deserved more than that. I finally was able to make it up to him, my silly mistake five years ago and ride him through the finish. I had no idea that day walking off course, that could have been the last time. Thankfully I was given another chance to make it up to him and ride him home again. You just never know when it could be the last time❤️

08/02/2024

Heads up those interested!

We’re excited to share our tentative 2024 Schedule! We’ll have a lot more information to come as we finalize the details, so please make sure to follow us & join our email list!

Our first two mounted hound walks will be at Larkspur Ranch in Lancaster, SC on Saturdays August 17 & 24th. These early morning outings are a great opportunity to beat the heat & start conditioning yourself & your horse for the upcoming season. It’s also a low-stress environment to introduce new horses to a hunt format.
Remember guests are always welcome!

For additional information or to be added to our email list, please message us or contact: Tracy Tripp, Hunt Secretary [email protected] / (980) 833-5574 or Sherry Cantrell, MFH [email protected] / (704) 905-0133

08/01/2024

Very proud of Obi and Wiles for completing their first CT ever at Heather Ridge Farm schooling show last week, even placing 4th! Congratulations to both!!!

07/26/2024

28 years ago I was introduced to eventing, the sport that would change my whole world and life trajectory. My Mom took my friends and myself to go see the Olympics in Atlanta in 96. Tickets were assigned by lottery and we got a eventing instead of what my friends and I really wanted at the time which was show jumping since we all rode hunter/jumper at the time. We received tickets for the individual eventing but still got to see the teams final show jumping and medal ceremony. It was so exciting to watch riders like Bruce Davidson and David O’Connor on their legendary horses and I even got David’s autograph! Even then I loved the cross country, we walked a good majority of the course and I spent the day running between these 2 amazing water complexes watching all of the amazing riders. My 12yo self couldn’t imagine that one day she would be working along side the people she admired that day and would even call some of them a friend now.❤️

07/14/2024

I just love this♥️Finn loves his hounds and hanging out with them! Lots of fun down at the Tally Ho Fox pens yesterday evening. Finn escorted Shelby Austin’s Eggo out for his first hound experience who had an absolute blast! It’s so much fun riding horses who are so interested and eager to experience new things, best 3yo ever!

06/24/2024

What a fantastic weekend! I was so happy to share how much fun Aiken can be with friends this weekend! Thank you to Full Gallop Farm for hosting our ponies and starting our weekend off with some fun cross country schooling! Then we headed over to Stable View to watch the Olympic Eventing Team’s final cross country outing before 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games we even had a Boyd Martin spotting! We followed that up with some great tack shopping at both Aiken Saddlery and Oak Manor Saddlery Caught just the end of the Sidelines Grand Prix at the Aiken Summer Classic at Bruce's Field, Aiken, SC before heading over to THE WILLCOX for a delicious dinner. We concluded Sunday with a trail ride through historic Hitchcock Woods before departing homeward. Thank you to everyone who came out and had a great time! This weekend really spotlighted what a wonderful equestrian area Aiken is and how many amazing activities there are for equestrians! I can’t wait to organize more trips like this so please keep any eye on my social media for more trips like these!