Bramblewood Stables is a community of brilliant riders who are changing the dialogue of what it means to approach a horse. Though this has been long considered the sport of kings, we believe that everyone has a right to experience the gifts of the horse in a community free of facades. We allow the horse to inspire us with their honesty by honoring where we are and respecting where we’ve been. At Bramblewood we create knowledgeable horse people who know what it is to work with a horse rather than simply sitting on top of one.
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Being a person of too many words, it’s nearly impossible for me to condense what we do at Bramblewood into a proper paragraph. I’ve been trying to write a mission statement for ten years.
Granted, the past two years have been spent shaving of the excess and redefining our space into the place it was always supposed to be. When anyone calls the farm looking for boarding or they don’t have a horse but have spent some time away from riding and are ready to come back, I always spend a long time explaining the atmosphere at Bramblewood, what they will find when they arrive down the barn drive.
Our facilities are rustic, no hermetically sealed barn aisles here, but my horses have been happier and healthier here than any farm I had the privilege of working for. Their diets stay the same throughout the year; they’re peaceful in their turn-outs; the water, which comes deep from an underground aquifer, is amazing. Plus, we’re close to the world with Starbucks and Target down the street and an easy commute from just about anywhere in Greenville or Spartanburg counties.
The roof has leaked for forty years and erosion is a constant battle. Nothing made me happier than the day Jennifer Jones walked down the drive and gave us her seal of approval. She built this place and if anyone knows how hard it is to keep clean, it’s her. Her eyes were as blue and bright as I remember when I rode with her as a child and she had just stopped riding at the age of 80 plus. Anything we do in Jennifer’s footsteps is an honor. I love it when her riders stop by to walk around and reminisce, which happens all the time.
What is Bramblewood about? Often it’s easier to write what we are not than it is to define what we are.
We are not a show barn, though we show. We are not a sales barn, though we love being horse matchmakers to the right owner. We are not a lesson barn, though we give lessons. We are not a boarding barn, though we board.
Our atmosphere is perfect for some, but not for others. Our worst experiences in the past have been when someone tries to make the farm into something it is not – which just leads to anger and frustration for everyone, the horses included.
Our mission statement is always evolving because the horses are evolving, the seasons are ever changing, the humans are never the same from day to day. The only constant is our core values and strengths and our ability to admit our weaknesses and work through them.
So, help us define who we are – tell me what you think Bramblewood Stables is all about in your own words! Leave a comment, send me a message, write a letter – tell me what the barn looks like from your perspective . . . or what you’d like to see.
Bramblewood Stables 