Continuing to Improve – Year by Year
After building the basics – a house, barn and simple riding ring – Evergreen Farm has continued to make additional improvements each year in order to enrich the lives of both the horses and their people.  Below is a list of improvements and enrichments – year by year:

2000
The barn was built in 2000.  Evergreen is very proud of its barn, due in part to the innovative airflow pattern it encourages. With cross ventilation and vertical ventilation the horses are kept cool in the summer as well as comfortable without stale air in the winter. In 2000, the farm was also fenced and cross-fenced and one run-in shed and a temporary round pen was built

2001
Three more pastures were fenced and another two run-in sheds were built to better realize the benefits of rotational grazing. The round pen was also made permanent with solid oak walls with sand footing. Larger parking areas and trailer parking areas were added.

2002
The horses were better protected with an automatic gate opener to safely contain all horses on the property, while allowing boarders to enter and exit the farm without leaving the warm dry comfort of their cars!  Automatic waterers were also added in three fields.

2003
This was a busy year!  A new climate contolled tack room with heat and humidity controls and was added, in addition to new storage for blankets, flymasks and all the other equipment horse people are known to accumulate.  The heated wash stall with excellent lighting, clean fiberglass paneling (easy to clean and disinfect if necessary!), blanket drying racks and hot and cold water was also added.  The feedroom was also upgraded to include new cabinets, additional counter space, and excellent feed storage.

In the barn, blanket racks were added to the front of each stall, and the packed dirt flooring in each stall was covered with rubber mats.  Dusty wood shavings were also eliminated in favor of virtually dust-free pelleted bedding.

2004
While 2003 was busy, 2004 was the busiest year yet.  Rubber crumb footing was added to the round pen to give joints a break from the circular pounding of roundpenning and lunging.  Its also an excellent place to start youngsters!  A docking area and ramp for the manure spreader was built to keep it close and accessible to the barn, while keeping the area safe for people and animals.  Three additional fields were fenced bringing the total to ten and making rotational grazing a reality from early April through late October.

By far the biggest physical enrichment was the addition of a new indoor arena. After careful consideration and a year of researching, the farm opted to install a “Cover-All” arena. Its natural light and lofty feeling is a welcome addition to the indoor experience. The ceiling height, at twenty-nine feet, gives an almost outdoor feeling. The footing in the indoor is a sand mixture over a 4-inch layer of compressed mulch. With non-harsh additives mixed into the sand combined with the mulch sub-footing we have found a way to keep the dust away.  The indoor was complete with the addition of lights. 

Since the indoor ring was built on the site of the old outdoor ring, a bigger and better outdoor ring was also constructed.  Built by 4 Points Excavating, the ring has a very precise rise that is unnoticeable to the horse and rider, but which drains very well.  A limited amount of rubber crumb was also added to the ring.

Trailer parking and turn-around was also made easier with the addition of a gravel turn-around.  The 80-foot plus radius is a boon to all trailer drivers, as well as our farm owners and boarders when they arrive home late, weary from traveling or showing!  Finally, a new hay and storage building was constructed to protect the farm’s high quality hay. 

2005-2006
Although the major efforts were all in 2004, in 2005 and 2006, Evergreen Farm made minor, but important improvements to the farm.  The aisle was fully matted with rubber mats to decrease dust and give professionals such as farriers and vets a level, dust-free area to work.  Additional lighting was placed on the barn and in strategic locations around the farm. 

Looking Ahead…

After all of this, Evergreen Farm isn’t done yet.  Plans are in the works to add 7 more stalls to the barn, add new footing to the outdoor ring, light the round pen, and add a lounge and trophy room for the boarders with a TV/DVD player, additional refrigerator, and plenty of comfy chairs.   

Evergreen Farm. LLC
131 Allegheny Ridge Lane • Berryville, VA 22611
(540) 955-0529
evergreendors@juno.com

© All images/materials/text contained herein are copyright protected and are the property of Evergreen Farm, LLC
and cannot be used without written permission from Evergreen Farm, LLC.