Brandon Twp.- On a sunny, chilly, quiet fall morning, almost two dozen quarter horses are grazing in green fenced-in pastures at Briar Ridge Farm, 1156 Briar Ridge Lane.
Debbi Wiesner leads a visitor on a tour of the tranquil facility, which includes two barns with heated or cold stalls, two indoor arenas (one heated), five private pastures and eight group pastures, all on 54 acres.
‘People say it’s like Disneyland for their horse because we take such good care of them,? says Weisner, who is the trainer and manager at Briar Ridge Farm. ‘We have more personal care and give more attention than other places and we’re an open-discipline barn– we train in more than one riding style. We’re like a big family here.?
Weisner, 39, began riding horses as a child and says she has been training all her life. It was always her goal to train horses for a living and she has been training professionally for 12 years. She has been bucked off, kicked, stepped on and bit, but says it is part of the job.
‘They give a lot of love back,? she says. ‘There are no bad horses, just bad training. It’s like a child. They are how they are because of training or lack of.?
Weisner is certified in the Charles Wilhelm training technique, which specializes in lowering the emotional level of the horse. The technique works with all performance levels in English and Western disciplines. Weisner trains horses in both styles. She also trains clients in training and maintaining their horse, which she describes as ‘giving them the owner’s manual to the car.?
Besides training and boarding horses, Briar Ridge Farm also offers trailering to shows and coaching at shows. They are a full-service barn, with grooming services including bathing, banding, braiding and clipping. Stalls are cleaned daily and the horses go out every day, unless the weather is bad.
Winter is the farm’s busiest season, when they are getting colts started in training and preparing older horses for the next show season. Briar Ridge has one stall available for boarding and one for training. After those spots fill, a waiting list will be started.
Briar Ridge has four full-time employees besides Weisner (who works 12-hour days) and two part-time employees.
‘I can honestly say I wake up every day and love to go to work,? says Weisner. ‘Especially when I get a facility like this to work out of. Not many people get this opportunity. I feel fortunate.?
Briar Ridge Farm’s barn house are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call (248) 431-7161.