Rivendell Farm A Welcoming Atmosphere

by Chrissy Marie Capacchione

Rivendell Farm is just a stone’s throw away from the Durham Fairgrounds in Connecticut. The farm boasts a meticulously maintained facility with dedicated owners and staff that provide a collaborative and progressive equine experience.

Nestled at the end of a hidden drive, Rivendell is David and Sage Stachowiak’s vision realized — a community where all in December 2022. The couple quickly realized what a treasure they had found. In addition to acquiring a beautiful equestrian property with a successful riding program, David and Sage immediately became part of the close-knit Rivendell horse community that they continue to build on.

Sage’s long-time trainer and friend, Dawne Wilson Jones, moved her business, are welcome and encouraged to pursue their equestrian aspirations. Rivendell’s unique culture, quirky animal residents, and dedication to its clients’ aspirations, no matter the height, is truly a breath of fresh air.

Rivendell’s 20-acre facility has the capacity to stable and pasture up to 40 horses. The farm operates a busy lesson program and has several successful show teams that make full use of the two outdoor arenas and an indoor arena. Those seeking trail riding opportunities can easily access nearby Cockaponset State Forest, just steps away from the farm, offering an additional 15,600 acres for equestrians.

David and Sage Stachowiak’s adventure began when they purchased the farm

Colonial Hill Quarter Horses, to the farm. In addition, Roger and Lisa Passavant, who owned and built Rivendell, remain involved with Roger staying on as barn manager. While touring the property Sage tells Community Horse that Roger was involved with the construction of the property and laid each brick of the main barn’s aisles with his own hands, except for the final one, put in place by Lisa.

Developing a strong, supportive community was a top priority for David and Sage upon their purchase of Rivendell. The friendly smiles and contagious laughter that filled the aisles on the day of my visit are evidence of the community spirit that runs throughout Rivendell.

“ ‘No one takes care of your horse like you do . . . except us,’ is the Rivendell motto,” says Sage. “The horses receive individual care because they all have different needs. Clients are first drawn to us because the facility is beautiful and clean, but they stay with us because the care their horses receive is unparalleled.”

A plethora of comical wildlife from the surrounding woodlands has also taken up residence at the farm, including two red-tailed hawks, a giant turkey, a camera-ready woodchuck family, and an opossum with an insatiable appetite. Their quirky behaviors add to the unique charm and atmosphere of Rivendell.

Sage recently spoke with Community Horse about the journey that led her and David to Rivendell.

CH: Have horses always been a part of your life?

Sage: I didn’t begin riding until I reached adulthood. In college I had the opportunity to ride a little and loved the experience. My goal became owning one horse by the time I turned 30, but instead of one horse I actually owned two by then.

CH: What discipline or disciplines do you ride? Do you also compete?

Sage: Mainly I ride western but have also ridden English. I do compete in American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) western disciplines. To me, showing has always been about having fun and spending time with your friends and horses and less about the ribbons.

CH: What made you decide to take on the challenge of farm ownership and what was the process of transitioning from your original home to Rivendell Farm like for you?

Sage: I had wanted to bring my horses home for a while, but I also didn’t want to leave Dawne, so David and I decided that we would buy a facility with 20 stalls and bring Dawne and her clients with us. When David found the listing for Rivendell, we knew it was all we wanted, and more. The "more” was the scary part. But once we decided [to purchase the farm] everything started happening quickly. We put our house on the market around Thanksgiving and had a cash offer, contingent on closing before the end of the year. From the offer on our former house to closing and moving was only around 14 days. We closed on the house and moved two days after Christmas. Needless to say, the holidays were a complete blur. Thankfully, Roger and Lisa were wonderful partners and we all dropped everything to pack and get everyone shuffled around with less than two weeks to get it all done.

CH: What is the biggest change or addition you have implemented since you purchased Rivendell?

Sage: That would be our addition of an AQHA western program including a western show team, in addition to our hunt seat program. There aren’t many facilities that offer both disciplines and that’s something we are proud of.

CH: Can you describe Rivendell’s riding and lesson programs?

Sage: We currently have two full-time riding instructors, Sara Hultgren and Dawne Wilson Jones. They head up our English and western divisions, and work wonderfully together on camps, our Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) team, and many farm activities for all our clients. In a typical week we teach about 100 lessons. We also offer a week-long camp for three weeks in the summer, which includes riding activities but also offers additional activities such as crafts, horseback riding games, and a special event to wrap up camp at the end of the week. In addition to our IEA program, we also have several successful show teams including an AQHA show team, an English Connecticut Horse Show Association (CHSA) rated show team, and two local English and western show teams.

CH: Since you both work full time what has your experience been between balancing your careers while simultaneously operating the facility?

Sage: We have a great group of staff and clients. We’re so grateful and without them none of this would be possible.

CH: As new farm owners what has been the biggest challenge for you?

Sage: The facility was already running smoothly so it was really us getting into the flow of things and finding our own rhythm in an established routine. David hadn’t been involved with horses so now he’s learning not only about horse care but also farm upkeep; things like equipment uses and mechanics along with maintenance and upkeep of the property.

CH: The facility has a contagiously uplifting atmosphere; can you talk about the social culture at Rivendell?

Sage: The most important thing for me was to create an environment in which everyone feels both welcome and safe. It’s important for clients to be able to leave their worries and struggles of the outside world at the door when they get to the barn and just be able to enjoy their horse and their time spent here. It’s a philosophy every member of the team supports and has helped to implement here.

While our show teams are very successful the most important thing is that the kids have fun, and that’s always the first thing I ask them about when they get back. We want them to know that we will clap for them regardless of ribbons or placing. If you want to compete, we do that, and we do it well. But if you just want to come and groom some of the older horses that’s fine too. There is so much pressure on kids today, and we didn’t want an environment that would put even more on our students.

SAGE COMPARES HER and David’s transition to farm ownership to the 2011 film We Bought a Zoo, based on a memoir by Benjamin Nee.

Sage: Rivendell Farm is my biggest adventure. At the end of the movie, Ben (played by Matt Damon) realizes he not only bought a zoo, but also found his fam- ily in it. Ben found his new family among the staff, caregivers, clients and the animals that called Rosemore Zoo home. Like the movie, our goal and dream here at Rivendell Farm is that we all find our family, our community, and we enjoy this crazy adventure together.

ROGER’S FAVORITE SAYING is, “Sixty days at Rivendell fixes everything.” After visiting this impeccably run equine operation and experiencing its welcoming atmosphere it’s easy to see why.

Chrissy Marie Capacchione is a freelance writer and assists in managing and operations at her parents’ Connecticut farm. She enjoys restarting off-the-track Thoroughbreds and continues to develop her riding and equine management skills.