Windridge Farm

My friend and I rode here for 2 years, a year when it was still Fox Meadow, and a year at Windridge. We were appalled by the horrendous care of not only lesson horses but the boarded horses as well. These horses spent all day in stalls of pee covered bedding and when they were turned out they spent their time in limestone paddocks with almost no room or grass to eat. Along with that i’ve been around horses for a number of years to know this is not acceptable. The horses were feed bland plain pellets and when the owners where confronted they used the excuse that their horses could not handle other feed. They are stick skinny and get almost no hay and when asked for an increase in my horses hay amount they asked for a outrages amount of money for a small amount of hay. i once took my first lesson and one of the barn helpers tacked me up the wrong horse with a wrong bridle which was too small causing obvious discomfort. Once the trainer (patrick) was notified he did nothing and continued to teach the lesson when this horse was in pain. The barn helpers are extremely ignorant little girls who think they know everything but really stand around these neglected horses consumed in their technology. This barn is all money and nothing to do with horse wellfare, they asked 700 $ to use one of their horses at a small b circuit show. The footing in arenas is terrible and rock solid. You could hear the horse trotting from the aisle. the owners are vain and i completely agree with most of these other commenters and these people only care aboutthe outside of their barn DO NOT GO HERE!

My daughter has been taking lessons with Staci for a month. I was hesitant after reading the reviews, but I couldn’t be happier. Staci is awesome. She pushes with a lot of positive energy. Safety is always obvious. The horses are great. The groomers are very helpful and they teach the girls how to tack with a very nice tone. I see at least two men feeding and cleaning stalls each week.

I came back to riding as an adult. I had been at Fox Meadow before it became Windridge Farm. I went thru two changes in ownership and by far the last one was the worst. The feed times were changed but the quality of the hay was not. On several occasions when I got to the barn at night after work my horse had no or very little water. The new owners came in making statements about improving the conditions but the care for the horses did not change. That’s all I really cared about. I trusted and paid them to take care of my horse. After I gave notice that I would be leaving it seemed that my horse got even less hay and his stall appeared to go without cleaning. I actually feared for his well being and spent as much time as possible at the barn to care for him myself. Please go visit and see for yourself before putting your beloved equine in the care of this barn.

My daughter just started riding at Windridge Farm and absolutely loves it. The trainers are the best she has ever had. This is the third barn she has been riding at over the course of 5 years, and we have to say it is the best. The stalls are clean, the horses are very well trained, and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.

I am glad to see those who actually own and have boarded horses at Windridge are coming forward about the deplorable conditions of this barn. My kids wanted to take lessons here, actually took one and did not return because of many things that we were just not comfortable with.
I can tell you that I personally saw the neglect that these other reviewers have claimed. In fact, the condition of the barn had me leaving in tears, filthy stalls, horses that had mud caked on them for God only knows how long, dirty, filthy water, and they appeared to be very hungry.
I believe that along with posting reviews online, the posters should report this barn. While it’s good to remove your horse, think about the «school» horses that are there who don’t have a voice. I know I’ll be calling during a business day. someone has to speak up for these beautiful animals.

I will preface this review by telling readers to be cautious in consideration of the positive reviews left here. Taylor and her mother went around asking boarders to leave positive reviews after others left negative reviews. We were even told this by an old boarder who left, as we did, and by folks at the local tack shop who were encouraged to say positive things about Windridge to offset the negative reviews left by dissatisfied customers.
I have been riding for 17 years and have boarded my horses at many barns of various types and this is by far the worst I have ever encountered. I think back to my short time boarding at Windridge and am still appalled that these people are selfish enough to put their clients’ horses at risk solely to cushion their own wallets. I could write a novella detailing all of the examples of deceit, ignorance, and just general woefully poor horsemanship I saw Taylor and her mother exhibit, but suffice it to say that these people do not deserve to have anything to do with horses.
My horses never had hay or water, and spent all day in their stalls standing in urine-​drenched shavings. When they were allowed to be turned out, it was in a limestone paddock with no grass, no water, and no shelter from the heat or flies. There are acres upon acres of beautiful grass pastures that only Taylor’s horses have access to. Not to mention that I rarely got to take advantage of the riding facilities, as both indoors were constantly reserved for group lessons.
The most troubling part about all of this is that the inadequate and irresponsible treatment of the horses here was not the result of ignorance, but rather willful neglect motivated purely by greed. Instead of being receptive and understanding to my simple request that my horses be given the very basic necessities of hay, water, and turn-​out time, Taylor and Jennifer first stated that these amenities would cost extra money. When I countered their assertion by pointing out that I already paid $ 700+ a month for board, which at every other farm includes these basic requirements, they became combative and defensive. In short, they will not take proper care of your horses without nickeling and diming you along the way, and even if you paid them through the nose, it’s clear that they don’t care at all about the wellbeing of their boarders’ horses.
If this review can discourage a single person from putting their beloved horse’s welfare at risk by boarding them at Windridge, then I will consider it a success.

I was tremendously dissatisfied with my experience with Windridge Farm & new ownership. A long-​time boarder under prior ownership, I took my business (and my horse) elsewhere due to my displeasure with management and the level of care.
New ownership took over the business in ¹²⁄₂₀₁₄ and spoke of making improvements to the facility. However, implementation of these projects proved disruptive or unsatisfactory. They powerwashed the main (heated) barn’s indoor arena in December, soaking the footing and blowing out the lights. Riders were all forced to share the other (unheated) arena. Arena traffic was a major issue, rendering productive riding challenging. Furthermore, the powerwashing forced water into boarders’ tack rooms, damaging tack items. No one had been warned ahead of time that this was going to happen and had no time to remove items (tack rooms are not solidly constructed, fairly apparent they wouldn’t hold up to the pressure of a powerwasher).
In the aftermath of being soaked, the main arena’s footing was rock solid. In the months I was there, it was very poorly maintained. A hard track on the outside and unpredictable deep spots led to issues riding (this occurred in both arenas). Dust was a serious concern as well — there were days when the main arena was so dusty you couldn’t more than halfway down the arena. (Not exaggeration: I couldn’t see my reflection in the mirror due to dust.)
Windridge Farm’s new waivers required all riders to wear helmets but the owner’s daughter never did. As a young woman touted for her experience, expertise, and professionalism, I find this a dubious example to set for clients. Furthermore, when she was riding in an arena I periodically struggled with staying out of her way. Arena etiquette went by the wayside even if I was in a lesson I had paid for.
Other things I was dissatisfied with: stall cleaning (they reduced shavings to the point where my horse developed hock sores, never actually removed urine-​soaked shavings, it reeked of ammonia), quantity of feed (I struggled to keep weight on my horse, even with a weight supplement from smartpak and beet pulp. They «improved» feeding by changing when they fed, but ultimately did not feed more), and fence repair. Cracked or broken boards were slow to be fixed, to a degree that it hindered the ability to use spaces for turn out. Several times I arrived at the barn to see my horse with an empty (or nearly empty) bucket of water and when I checked, it happened to more than just my horse.
Billing discrepancies occurred in the final month, and resolving them was more challenging than it should have been. I had written two checks for board (double paid). I wouldn’t have noticed, except when I was given my final invoice (a note about that: I had given my notice 30 days in advance, but did not get my final invoice until 6 days prior to my announced day of departure) I realized I had been charged for a lesson I had not taken. Going over checks I had written, I realized that I had paid twice for board. Resolving this with the owner was more complicated than it should have been. At one point, a phone call to her number didn’t go through at all, not even to a voice mail. (I did end up getting my money back the day my horse was trailered out.)
My experience with Windridge Farm & ownership was deeply unsatisfactory. The promised improvements would have been nice but the implementation of projects was poorly done and poorly prioritized — instead of seeing a flatscreen TV installed, I would rather see more hay being fed: when compounded with challenging ownership (sending out an entire batch of faulty invoices was a huge red flag, especially when resolving mine was so problematic) I decided I would be much happier taking my horse, and my business, elsewhere.

My daughter and I have been riding at Windridge farm since last summer and really love it here. We’ve had a lot of fun and have learned so much from our trainer Julie who is fantastic! The staff is very knowledgable and welcoming to beginners. My daughter and I have really bonded over our love of horses. I would encourage all the moms who are watching their daughters from the sidelines to join in as it is terrific exercise and also very enjoyable. My daughter is very inspired by Taylor McMurty, who is an amazing rider and a great role model for young horse riders everywhere !
The barn and property are beautiful and very well maintained. the horses are healthy and happy. Windridge farms is really a special place!

I rode hunter/​jumpers competitively for 15 years in Ohio and am so excited to be back in the saddle at Windridge. The trainers are highly knowledgeable and the horses are great! I’ve gotten so much out of my lessons with Stacie during the last few months and feel like I’m growing leaps and bounds each time I mount up. The horse I’ve been riding lately has been a fantastic challenge and is great for my level of riding.
The trainers are wonderful at pairing riders of every skill level to their school horses and the gals in the tack areas are always around to help, coach and encourage. This is a great barn for kids, they have plenty of really well cared for ponies (which are absolutely adorable).
Every time I show up for a weekly lesson, I see a new improvement. Last time, it was a new outdoor wash stall. It would appear to me that the owners are working hard to revive the stable. I’m looking forward to see what’s next.
Giddy up.

Before I explain why everyone should beware of this farm, I would like to say that I posted my negative review on Facebook but they changed their Facebook
Page to a «just for fun» page so that reviews were removed because they did not want potential clients to see my scathing review. Just shows how dishonest and unprofessional the McMurtry’s are. My first bad experience there was on the first day I arrived when I caught one of the trainers (Serafina) smoking directly against the barn building. This is obviously dangerous as it could result in a barn fire. The second major red flag was Taylor McMurtry’s blatant flouncing of her own barn rules which state that while mounted all riders must wear ASTM-​SEI approved helmets. She schools her horses and clients horses during lessons for demonstration without a helmet, as though she is above her own rules and above falling off. What a terrible example to set for the next generation of riders! Third, after I sold the horse I owned and approached Taylor (head trainer) about potentially helping me find another horse, she attempted to sell me an unsound animal. She told me she knew a horse named Johnny Hott who was in KY that she had ridden and was very familiar with. What she did not tell me was that he had a serious hind end ailment (later diagnosed as shivers, per Taylor’s admission after she managed to sell the horse on to someone else). She did tell us when we asked about his hind end that she knew he had had it for years but «that’s just Johnny» as though it was a non-​issue. We were not fooled, obviously, and passed on purchasing him. It was bad enough for her to misrepresent the horse (we never would have paid to have him shipped for a trial had she been honest with us), but then later informed us that we would have to pay her 12% of his sale price. This is not the way that horse purchases are typically conducted. The trainer’s commission is taken out of the sale price and then the previous owner receives the remainder. After this occurrence, we chose to go
East to horse shop and ended up purchasing two horses from a former Olympic event rider. Upon returning with said horses, both Taylor and her mother Jennifer became very rude and difficult to work with. The horses were never offered water during turn out, and hay was fed at a set amount regardless of what the horses nutritional needs were. When we attempted to express our concerns, both Taylor and her mother were so incredibly rude we were astounded. We were already paying them for subpar care, and they offered to give an additional flake of hay to each horse for an extra $ 65 a month per horse! When we explained that the lack of water on hot days plus the lack of hay had us concerned, Jennifer became irate and even went so far as to insult us, telling us we were fools who didn’t know what we were doing. I work in veterinary medicine so I know well what a horse’s nutritional needs are. I also had a friend of mine who is an equine vet visit the farm and my horses, and she concurred that the care of the animals was greatly lacking and bordering on neglect. They also only feed a basic pellet under the premise that THEIR horses can’t handle a standard 10% feed and that the lesson kids would «get bucked off» if their horses received any. There was no other option for feeding, so we purchased our own grain and fed our own horses to supplement the shoddy quality food the barn provided. The manner in which Taylor and Jennifer both address their boarders is abhorrent. They are two of the most condescending, disrespectful, arrogant people
I have ever encountered. Their barn charges a high price for poor care. Taylor’s resume
may boast of show ring success, but she is just an arrogant 22 year old girl who isn’t capable of conducting honest business. Her mother is equally culpable. Neither of these ladies has the knowledge or dedication to run a barn, much less the high end show stable they portray themselves as. My experiences here have been so bad that I feel the need to warn people away from this business. I will continue to share with everyone I know in the local horse community whether it be at my new barn (where myself and my horses are already MUCH happier), the tack shops, clinics, or shows. Do yourself and your horse a favor and stay away from
these ignorant and dishonest folks!

Previously called Fox Meadow Farm. Taken over by current owners December 2014.
We recently moved our horse from there. It is a nice facility with great potential and we were sad to leave. That said, there were problems that developed after the new management took over.
We had serious problems with their bookkeeping that continued through our final invoice which was calculated over $ 640 in their favor & required us to email copies of all of our board checks to correct.
The footing in the main arena was not well maintained. It was choppy in the center & had a hard track along the rail. The dust in the air in the final week we were there was unbelievable.
The new owners have lots of projects planned which is great. But the first project they tackled didn’t go smoothly. They power washed the ceiling of the main barn — which was needed. But they ended up flooding one of the tack rooms — damaging boarder tack — and blowing out the lights in the main arena. So it was out of commission for a good chunk of the Christmas holidays, forcing all riders into the second barn. We had serious concerns about their project management skills — how disruptive the upcoming projects would be for us.
We also had lots of other concerns about turnout time, condition of paddock fencing, quality of hay & feed, stall bedding (which had improved initially but had declined in the weeks leading up to our departure) etc.
I would recommend giving the new owners some time. See how they manage the next few months.