Born to Ride

When Bryn Redman Walsh enrolled at the University of Maine, she needed a place to board her horse. Puckerbrush Farm in Newburgh seemed perfect: 89 acres of rolling woods, fields, and trails off Route 202 less than 20 miles from Bangor, and a huge barn that enclosed Maine’s largest indoor riding arena. Little did she know that within a couple of years she would be running the place.

Ten years later, she can’t imagine being anywhere else.

“They told me they were shutting down the barn within the next few months,” she recalls. The owners were looking to sell and Walsh, whose family owns a real estate business in the Belfast area, happened to be in the right place at the right time.

“This place sort of fell into my lap during my sophomore year in college,” she says. “Sometimes fate hits you in the face, and you have to take advantage of it.”

Today, 28-year-old Walsh boards 28 horses and runs a full schedule of shows, lessons, and events throughout the year, including a popular camp for children interested in horsemanship and horse care, held at the farm every summer. She coaches the University of Maine’s equestrian team in dressage, which she describes as “ballet on horses.” She’s an award-winning rider herself, and vice president of the Maine Dressage Society.

She also finds herself putting her University of Maine degree in social work to unexpected use. “We have a lot of doctors, lawyers, guidance counselors, and teachers who board their horses here,” she says. “When people come here, it’s like their therapy. Their horses are like their kids. I am caring for their kids, and I know much more about their kids than they do, because I’m spending 24 hours a day with them.”

Puckerbrush Farm provides a full range of health services for the horses, including veterinary and dental care, diet, visits from a farrier, and regular fly-spraying in the summer. “There’s no point of care that we don’t manage for the boarders,” Walsh says.

Walsh is on the job by 7 in the morning. By 8, the horses have all been fed and taken outside, and by 11, “the barn is impeccable.” Ten to 13 people (depending on the season) keep the operation moving. The workday frequently lasts into the evening and someone has to be there all the time, which makes scheduling social events a little tricky for Walsh. “You can’t just go camping for a weekend in the summertime without planning it months in advance,” she says. “On the other hand, I have a beautiful place to live, I get to walk to work, and I can go home for lunch if I want.”

She’s quick to credit her family for making her chosen lifestyle possible. She hired her father and brother to build an extension to the barn, which enabled her to board more horses. Her husband, Jasper, while not an employee at the farm, lends his support. From fixing floorboards and fences to pitching in when the staff is short-handed, Jasper is a familiar face in the barn.

Despite her long workdays, Walsh still finds time to compete in shows and to pass on her skills to her students. “It’s really important to me as an instructor that I continue to compete,” she says. “I would never take lessons or ride with someone who wasn’t active themselves.”

At times, her young age has been an obstacle. “Everything in the horse profession is steeped in years of tradition,” she says. “A lot of people don’t expect someone my age to be doing what I’m doing.”

But all the hard work is leavened by a ready sense of humor. “We have a blast around here, especially in the summer,” she says. “If you’re going to work this hard, you better have fun.”