Freedom Woods

10/29/2024

Our team spent last week training with Jan Symons ( ) - incredibly thankful for Jan sharing his knowledge and understanding with us. Feeling refreshed and motivated after an inspirational week 😊 - Maclay Finals 🔜 - then WEC Midwest Indoors ➡️ (📸cred- )

09/26/2024

To my dear friend Little Miss Sunshine ☀️ Amber

Thank you for spending your life along side me teaching young riders the ropes. For many you helped shape their riding career.

I’m so thankful for Melissa and Chase for taking care of you in your final years and letting you have a beautiful retirement ❤️

Rest in peace beautiful girl. I hope you get all the candy canes you deserve ❤️

09/19/2024

🌟Thank you for helping us streamline our supplements! We love their high quality, all natural supplements to help keep our horses feeling their best! 🌟Not going to lie, I spent all of Monday reorganizing and labeling our feed room 🤪😊

09/11/2024

The one and only Red Sky. Showing no signs of aging at 22.

If you asked him, I am not his owner. He has dubbed me his keeper. But only because I’m smart enough to know to be kind and listen to him, and to never to try to control him.

He is kind and generous, and to this day will win if the best company if he chooses to. But only if he chooses to.

In the last ten years, this horse has taught me more than most people in my life. Respect, compromise, and compassion.

09/03/2024

Sneak Peak 📸 from our photo shoot today, a glimpse of what’s to come… revamping our social media and website. Huge thank you to our incredibly talented friend ❤️who has a knack for capturing moments and ensuring we look our best ☺️

09/02/2024

Happy Labor Day! Barn is closed for lessons and riding. But we will all be here hanging out and taking care of our friends ❤️

08/28/2024

Incredibly thankful for Jan Symons coming in to work with our team this last weekend!

08/24/2024

🌟FLO APPRECIATION POST 🌟

We’ve been homies since she was 6, coming to take lessons on Marshmallow in her hip hop shoes. Took forever for us to get diagonals down. Then through the pony days, to the Children’s Hunters. To her first National Derby. Not to mention she works hard in the barn everyday scrubbing buckets, riding and taking care of the horses and ponies. They all matter to her, and that makes her even more awesome.

Flo’s the best. I have nothing but admiration and love for this girl. ❤️ Watch out hunter world, here she comes ❤️

07/29/2024

Our excellent student Caroline Bridgeman really getting the hang of double lunging her junior jumper Cassius. We’re so lucky to have students eager to learn horsemanship, and can understand not everyday is for jumping and schooling but that putting the horses needs first will bring you the best return in the long run!

06/16/2024

Daphne Meadows’ Soho finishing 4th both weeks in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby - Open at the Split Rock Jumping Tour in Kentucky!

06/09/2024

One, two, three… 3 new partnerships on our team in the last couple weeks. 🌟 Congratulations to Kaila on her new lease of Pepijn van het Gavershof! What a lovely horse to bring your riding to the next level🌟 Congratulations to Margaux on her lease of Temple Lucky Kiss! A great partner for the equitation 🌟 Congratulations to Morgan on your lease of Cocktail Hour! We are happy to have him back home and to continue your experience in the jumper ring!! 🌸Thank you to everyone who helped facilitate these partnerships

05/18/2024

Omg… we were so busy we both forgot. Which probably would have made me sad years ago, but today I think it’s great. I think it’s great that we love each other and we were so busy doing what we love, that it didn’t even matter

Yesterday marked 7 years together. I love you every day. And I love spending our lives together doing what we love.

You always know how to pick me up on the bad days, and cheer with me on the good ones. And I do my best to do the same for you. Sure, not everyday is perfect, but I’d never want to spend one without you.

I know most of our days are long, but thank you for waking up early every morning and making me breakfast so I don’t turn into a dragon. And never letting a week go by that I don’t have fresh flowers 🌸.

I’m forever thankful for you and the life we’ve made together. ❤️

04/27/2024

Please donate and help our friends at Quail Run and the Urban Family. Their facility was hit by a tornado.

Hi, my name is Marjory and I'm fundraising on behalf of Quail Run H… marjory berkache needs your support for Qail Run Horse Center destroyed by an EF5 tornado

02/19/2024

Another great week in the books WEC Ocala Spectacular VII and HITS Ocala VI. Some of our highlights included

- Emmett and Henriette Morris Champion in the Crossrails Equitation
- Sterling Moon Champion in the Training Hunters
- Ivana Jump and Morgan Diamond Reserve Champion in the 0.80m
- Sterling Moon and Zoe Lindgren moved up to the Low Children’s Hunters this week and won an over fence class out of 25
- Alika de Laume and Valyn Frank’s moved up to the 0.90m and jumped double clear
- Compis with Kaila Burns moved up to the 1.05m and took 7th in a competitive low jr classic at WEC.
- Margaux Manuel and Bristol de Tuileries moved up to the 3’3” eq and placed 5th in the NHS medal
- VDL It’s Andiamo and Stephen Foran had great rounds in the 1.20m at WEC and placed 3rd.

02/13/2024

Our team had a great time last week at WEC Ocala VI and HITS Ocala IV. Some of our highlights include:

At WEC…

- Hadley Mcbreen and Luchadora won the 0.95m Novice Junior Jumper Classic

- Caroline Bridgeman and Cassius 74 ended up 6th in the Modified 1.15m Jr/Am Classic

- Caroline Bridgeman and her newest mount Roqui, placed 8th of 65 entries in the open 1.10m

At HITS…

- Daphne Meadow’s Soho was Champion in the 3’6” Performance and got good ribbons in the 3’6” Junior Hunters

- Gillian Rees’ Speak for Yourself was Champion in the 3’3” Performance Hunters.

- Emilie Welles’ Newspeak was Reserve Champion in the 3’3” Green Hunters and scored a 92 in the first round of the USHJA National Derby

- Flo Waite and her horse Cobalt placed in the top 3 in the Low Children’s Hunters, and were 2nd in the classic with a first round score of 84

- Margaux Manuel and Bristol de Tuileries placed 4th in the THIS Children’s Medal with a score of 83.

- Pria Malhotra and VDL It’s Andiamo moved back to the 1.10m with a clear round, and took 4th in the 1.05m classic out of 26 entries.

- Avary Cheung and Goldrush had great rounds and top 4 placings in the 0.80m

Thank you to our staff, clients, and everyone else who keeps things running smoothly so we can be successful in the ring. Looking forward to another great week!

02/12/2024

02/05/2024

Super first outing for Zoe and her new horse Sterling Moon! Excited for the rest of circuit .zo_bozo

01/02/2024

2023? Is it over already? I just got used to writing that on my checks… yes I said checks. I enjoy penmanship. (I was born in the wrong era, honest mistake)

I feel like maybe I’m missing something here. It wasn’t amazing. It wasn’t terrible either. Lots of cool stuff happened, memories were made. I’m sure 2024 will be great. But not hating on 2023 or any other year.

Just keeping at it. Trying to be better at being a trainer, professional and barn owner. And honestly, just trying to be a decent human. I’ve gained a year of experience, possibly more because I don’t sleep much. Maybe, I accidentally got better at being a therapist because that’s what some of my clients think I am.

Life is what you make of it. I feel very lucky that on my worst day, I’m more than okay. I’m always thankful for my family, Stephen and his family, and our entire barn family and friends.

So cheers to 2024. I’m ready to keep growing. Keep building. Keep making things happen.

12/21/2023

Colour Your Day’s transformation. First photo is from Summer of 2022. In September of 2022 he had kissing spine surgery. Second photo is from today, 14 months post surgery. As you can see his muscle tone is completely transformed. He is comfortable using his entire body and that has changed how he looks and his mannerisms. We are so thankful that we did this for him, and are able to watch him fly again 🥰

12/16/2023

Congratulations to Caroline on a 1,2 finish with her horses in the 1.25m Junior/ Amateur Jumper Classic at week II of the Ledges Winter Series

🏆 Freedom Woods

📸 Showplace Productions

12/06/2023

Our Freedom Woods annual Holiday Party is Sunday December 17th from 6:30-10:00pm! Hope to see you all there in your best Holiday attire! As always there will be food, drinks, games, and contests!

11/24/2023

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our horse friends and barn family! So much to be thankful for!… Stephen and I spent most of the day in the barn turning out and putting horses on the walker so the guys could enjoy their day. And then topped it off with a great dinner with our families and friends. ❤️

11/09/2023

Front page of British Show Jumping magazine.

'When I was young I spent my time at shows watching those in higher classes, watching what they did, how many strides they took, how they warmed up. Now I see the next generations of jumpers spending their down time at shows with their head in their phones, missing out on valuable lessons.
Remember this, greatness will not come to you, seek it out, be hungry to learn. Those at the top never stop learning from their peers'.

Very well said Mr John Whitaker! 🇬🇧 you're a proper role model and a true Hero👏
Long May It Rein!

11/01/2023

Happiest of birthdays to the best! The original ring leader of the circus. The one you want in your corner when things get difficult. He can fix it, he can break it, and everything in between. So thankful to call myself your daughter. Thanks for keeping it real ❤️ Happy Birthday Dad! And happy birthday Dr Lee from everyone at Freedom Woods!

10/26/2023

Congratulations Mia on your purchase of Tiggertastic! We love hearing about all of your success this season and look forward to the seasons to come! We are so happy he has such a great home with you