Farm A Continuing Evolution Heritage Farm

The lore of Heritage Farm runs deep in western Massachusetts; talk to any local horseperson and chances are they have some dusty memory or vague connection with the Easthampton stable. Established in 1972 by the Raucher family, Heritage Farm had served generations of horse folk with boarding opportunities, riding lessons, horse shows, clinics, horse sales, pony

Horsewoman Meg Deitner is the proud new owner of the 30-acre property, and she’s looking forward to building upon the rich history of horsemanship that has persisted at the facility over time. She received the keys to the front gate in June, immediately strapped on her muck boots, and jumped into restoring the farm. Chicken manure-coated stalls were scraped and scrubbed top to bottom, camps, trail riding, auctions — anything that had to do with horses, you could find it at Heritage. It was perhaps one of the last remaining horse farms in this area operating with such breadth and accessibility. The farm was also well known for having cultivated one of the Pioneer Valley’s largest packs of “barn rats” (that’s horse-crazy youth, of course). turnout fences were mended and elongated, and the hay loft was once again full of sweet smelling first-cut hay. The place was buzzing with renewal and Meg was at the center of it all, smiling as her own dreams took shape before her eyes.

For all these reasons and more, the local equine community felt a collective twinge of sadness when the property sold to non-horse folk in 2019. It was thereafter used as a pet-boarding facility, so at least animals were still the focus — but still, the void was felt. Hope rekindled when the facility was relisted for sale earlier this year; perhaps the stalls could be filled with horses once again?

CH: Tell us a little about yourself and your background with horses.

Meg: I grew up riding here in western Massachusetts and developed as a horsewoman at local farms. As a kid I volunteered at AJ Stables in Westfield, where I really got to know horses and formed an understanding of how to care for them.

When I got my first horse at the age of 16, I kept him at Coggins Creek Stables in Westfield, and trained him myself. He was only five months old. Everyone told my parents they were crazy for letting a kid train a baby horse, but it worked out great. As a kid, you approach horses in ways we just can’t replicate as adults. That horse just turned 21, and he’s still the best horse I’ve ever had the pleasure of training. We call him the "perfect pony."

From there, I showed Quarter Horses, Paints, and pintos. In 2017, I heard on the radio that an Extreme Mustang Makeover competition was being held at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield and thought that it might be something fun and different to try. Since then, I’ve started 52 Mustangs — so I’d say it was a success!

Mustangs are primarily what I focus on now with my own business, and I love working with them. I get the horses out of holding and train them to the point where the average horseperson can handle them. Some clients prefer to finish the training themselves; others work with me to fully train the horse; and still others are looking to purchase fully trained Mustangs, ready for the trails or show ring. I take on about six training horses a month and do liberty and trick training as well.

CH: What sparked your interest in Heritage Farm?

Meg: For five years, I’d been leasing a barn in Holyoke where I kept my horses and ran my training business. We quickly outgrew that facility, and I was casually looking for the next step. The news that Heritage Farm was back up for sale popped up in my Facebook newsfeed one day, and it sparked my curiosity. I thought maybe I could check it out and just see what might happen.

I went into the [farm] visit with low expectations, thinking it might be out of my reach at that point. But when I arrived, I immediately fell in love with the farm and saw so much opportunity there. My partner loved it too, and we decided it was time to make a move. It all felt like we were in the right place at the right time and needed to seize the opportunity. I’m so glad we did.

CH: What do you love about the facility? What would you like to change?

Meg: I’ve always loved this property, having grown up locally. It’s pretty perfect. The location is ideal, there’s plenty of room, the indoor and outdoor arenas are some of the largest in the area, and the barn is well established. It provides us the perfect foundation for building our own business here.

Heritage Farm already has such a wonderful history and community surrounding it, and we really want to build on that and create a legacy. Gracie Raucher is our farrier and Doug Raucher is our dentist, so we are still connected to the original family and are glad to have them involved.

As for changes ahead, the turnout area is our priority. We want to reorganize the paddocks and expand on them so that our horses have plenty of space. We’re also establishing some Mustang pens so I can expand my training program. We’re hoping to establish a trail course out back with lots of obstacles, and improved spaces to hold clinics and lessons. Overall, we just want to get the place back to the lively, friendly equine destination that it always was. It will take some work, but we’ve been doing a lot of cleaning, mending, and preparation so that we can get it all back to its former glory.

CH: What kind of programs, services, and opportunities will you be offering the local equestrian community?

Meg: First and foremost, we will be offering boarding and training opportunities to clients. I’ll be taking on training clients, and we are pleased to be partnering with Cathy Drumm in offering lessons and training as well. Cathy is renowned throughout the area for her expertise in western dressage and her dynamic interdisciplinary training. We’re thrilled to be working with her, and we’re planning on bringing on additional trainers to offer lessons across a variety of disciplines.

We’re also hoping to offer a range of clinics throughout the year; everything from liberty and trick training to mounted shooting to dressage, trails, obstacles, and beyond. We’d like to remain open to anything and see what’s of interest to the community. If there’s a particular discipline or area that folks want to learn more about with their horses, we’ll find a clinician willing to come here and share their knowledge. We want there to be a big focus on learning and further developing skills.

Lise Krieger, who owns New England Saddle Fit, has opened an on-site saddle shop, an excellent resource for our community. Lise offers saddle fittings and saddle fitting clinics, which is a huge asset for the farm. Lise brings a lot of expertise as to how proper tack fit can create better partnership with our horses.

And finally, we are happy to be continuing our program for veterans at Heritage Farm, which we established at our former location. I’m very excited to expand this work; we only had so much room to operate previously, but now we’ll be able to accommodate many more participants.

In training Mustangs, I’ve found they have clear boundaries and help people to learn to regulate their own emotions making them particularly good at working in a therapeutic setting. For this reason, they are therapeutic to humans, and I’ve found them especially helpful with veterans and post-traumatic stress (PTSD) survivors. We work with veterans in all stages of recovery; some just like to come sit with horses and find a lot of peace in their presence; some might want to brush them and interact with them; and some want to be active and get in the pen with the Mustangs, learning how to train them. A wild horse is something so special, and it’s been rewarding to see how this program brings our veterans a sense of connection and purpose. We’re excited to expand that initiative here at Heritage Farm.

Boarding • Lessons Training • Showing

Specializing in starting young horses for riding and driving.

Devin Burdick

USDF Bronze Medalist Trainer/Manager/Instructor

25 Queen Lake Rd., Phillipston, MA (978) 696-1269 (text/voice) stonebrookfarmdb.com facebook.com/stonebrookfarmdb stonebrookfarm.db@gmail.com

CH: What do you think makes Heritage Farm unique?

Meg: This convergence of so many qualified, capable equine professionals and a variety of equine activities and learning opportunities will create something special in our area. It’s the community that sets this farm apart, and after operating on my own for the last few years that barn family is what I’m most excited to be a part of and build up. We want to create a welcoming, happy, and balanced environment here at Heritage Farm, and create space where we can all learn from each other and enjoy our horses together.

Alessandra Corbett is a freelance writer and designer in Wilbraham. She enjoys spending time with the horses on her family’s farm, especially riding her Quarter Horse, JoJo. To see more of her work, visit thehomegrownstudio.com.

7 English and western tack and equipment

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7 Farm & stable supplies: Feeders, stall mats, shelters, fencing, and more

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