S & S Equestrian Stables

01/03/2026

Time to make the post I’ve been delaying making.

Yes S & S Equestrian Stables is now closed due to the owner selling. I knew it would come one day & I’m thankful Mr King gave me 20 years there!

After 20 years in Forsyth County, hundreds of students, so many horses I can’t count them all, thousands of hours in lessons, 3 seasons of shows, countless horses trained, 4 tenants, 2 barn managers, my own engagement to my fabulous husband Kevin, the start of the James Soares Memorial Barrel races, a year of Austin’s “senior bon fires”, and a wedding we have to close the gates.

20 years ago I managed Windy Hill Farms. It was a hundred acre farm with 52 horses. The owner was forced to sell to the county so they could put a school up.
I needed a location for a boarding facility of my own to run. Jb Bader showed me the property that was available & the rest happened like I had planned from day one.
With the startup funding loaned to me by my friend Brenda Myers I was able to build my business.
From an over grown-run down-neglected property I made S & S (which for those wondering stands for Sherri Soares, my maiden name, - Or if you ask Austin it’s for Sherri & son) place of learning, lots of love & laughter and of course all centered around horses.
There was no running water as the well didn’t even have a pump in it. The first month I hand walked 3 horses 3 times a day down to the stream for water.
There was absolutely no
fencing. I personally tapped in so many T-posts my arms, shoulders, & abs were so cut they looked like a lady body builder.
The house needed 2 roll off dumpsters to hold the left behind trash from the previous renter. The barn needed a roll off dumpster as well.
From only 8 stalls i made 21.
From a 75x100 arena I made a 150x200 arena.
From zero pastured I made 12.
From 3 horses the first month I housed 42 at my busiest time.
I want to thank Mr. Jim Grogan for always keeping me in shavings….with open credit.
Mr. Nathan Turner for making sure I never went without hay….with open credit.
Mr. Doug & Francis Grizzle of (Southwind farm and feed)& now Larry McBrayer for being my grain store the whole time….with open credit. Without the three of them allowing me open credit I could not have made it in the first 2 years.
For that I am grateful & had always had a zero balance by Dec 31st.
My first farrier Jeff Davis & then Russell Phillips for over 15 years. Russel showed up every Tuesday for 20 years do take care of all the clients needs.
Dr. Nash, Dr. Carley, & Dr. Megan have been our main vets with also Dr. Marcella from time to time in the early years.
The office of Horner & Nash have serviced my clients with the best of care, never ending knowledge & love without fail! From routine shots, emergencies, and euthanasia they are the best of the best!

Clients over the years have been interesting. I like to say “I like all my clients, some when they come & some when they go”.
Luckily for me I have only had to “ask” three to leave over the years. I’m sure by the time I did they were ready to go anyway.

I cannot thank the parents enough for allowing me to be part of their child’s lives.
Other than swearing I tried to be the best roll model I could be.
I am so proud of their accomplishments in the arena and how far a few of them have been able to take their riding! And out if the atena when they would share with me reports, grades, graduations, college, jobs, marriages, & even some with children now!!!
Was I perfect? No I wasn’t and far from it at times.
Was I soft & gentle?
That’s a big NO I wasn’t.
Was I hard on them? Yes & at times probably more than I needed to be. Sometimes I needed to be harder.
Did I make them cry? Sometimes, & sometimes I cried FOR them.
Did I love them? YES! Every stinking cute, awkward, bratty, back talking, shy, dyslexic, emotional, tuff, complicated, poor & rich one of them!!!!
Through friendships, periods, boyfriends, drugs, birth control, alcohol, s*x, college, jobs, responsibilities, & even parenting, we talked about it all. I hope I have given them good advice along the way. Believe it or not they have taught me many things along the way as well! And with the boy students it was the same except change “boys” with girls & condoms.

I hope they have the courage to stand up for themselves. I hope they always feel worthy.
I hope they ask for what the need.
And above all I hope they take NO S**T as they go through life. Not one ounce!
Being a mom of one boy I feel as tho I’m now a mom of so many girls and I will cherish all of them. Some I no longer talk to and that’s ok. Whether or not they know it I still hold them in my heart. I have a handful that I still see at shows, connect with on FB, still call, send cards, & texts from time to time. I even have one that I hold very dear & consider her a grown-up adult friend now.

Along the way my husband Kevin has supported my desire to be away from home with “barn girls” year after year, between the last 12 years of the week at NBHA youth world, countless three day weekends away from home, building anything I needed at
S & S, putting up or repairing more fence than any man should have had to.
I am forever grateful to my mother for having horses before I was born & even in times of hardship we always had horses when I was growing up. She started a love in me that grew into a knowledge that I could support myself & Austin with when I had no higher education to fall back on.

I cannot even begin to put into words what Debi Wood has done for & how she has been to the success of S & S over the last 13 of my 20 years!
She is the backbone that kept it all running! She was the one setting her alarm for two and four in the morning to go check up on Horses that needed attention.
She was the first one the horses saw in the morning and the last one they saw in the evening. She took care of them as if every one of them were her own. In a few cases she took better care of a clients horse then they actually did. She always went above & beyond what her responsibilities were to make sure the horses were taken well cared of.
She was our barn manager, emergency vet, start up instructor, security guard, (her husband was our lawn care man), horse holder, vet scheduler, dog rescuer, and DUCK wrangler. That last one she wasn’t to happy about tho!
There isn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t greatful for her. Especially the cold rainy days when I stayed home & she held down the fort!! I already miss our daily calls!

I thank God my & Austins lives were spent there. I took care of the property as tho it was my own & LOVED being there. It was privileged to be there but now it has sadly come to an end.
If you have ever spent time at S & S I hope you enjoyed being there as much as we enjoyed having you!es

12/24/2025

12/21/2025

12/12/2025

very interesting perspective

Dr. Meagan Peats with McBurney Vet Services explains everything GELDING SCARS, how it has benefited her as a Performance Horse Vet & how horses have shown im...

12/12/2025

Turnout is one of the most polarizing topics in modern horse keeping. So, let’s skip the debate. We’ve gathered some results from veterinary science, peer-reviewed journals, and international welfare assessments. These are real numbers, from real studies, so you can make strategic decisions rooted in evidence, not tradition.

-A 25% reduction in soft tissue injuries was found in adult horses turned out for at least 12 hours daily, compared to those kept in stalls greater than 12 hours daily. (Reilly & Bryk-Lucy, 2021)

-Comparing turnout duration, a study found that horses with only 2 hours of turnout exhibited significantly higher energy levels, anxiety, and behaviors such as rearing, bucking, and fence running, whereas horses receiving over 12 hours of turnout were more likely to walk, graze, and remain calm. (Hockenhull & Creighton, 2010)

-Foals receiving inconsistent turnout (9 to 23 hours per day) had 4.6 times more musculoskeletal injuries than those with 24/7 access to turnout. Furthermore, for every extra acre of turnout, there was a 24% reduction in injury risk. (Brown-Douglas et al., 2022)

-A study on 2-year-old horses found that those kept in individual stalls required more time to get used to training activities and showed more unwanted behaviors, like resistance or agitation, than horses kept on pasture. The stalled horses needed an average of 26 minutes of training time, while the pastured horses needed only 19 minutes, to complete the same task. Additionally, the stalled horses were more likely to show unwanted behaviors during training (8 instances on average compared to just 2 for pastured horses). (Rivera et al., 2002)

-Stall-kept livestock experience a higher incidence of hoof-related issues, including uneven hoof growth and lameness, while those with access to turnout demonstrated healthier, more balanced hoof development. (Black, R.A. et al., 2017)

-A European welfare study using the AWIN protocol assessed 315 horses in group-housing turnout systems. Only 2.3% of these horses exhibited signs of lameness, compared to lameness rates as high as 33% in stalled horses across various studies. (AWIN Welfare Assessment, 2023)

-Within just one day of moving from group turnout to individual stalling, equine cortisol levels spike, and their white blood cell count shows significant changes, including a 25% increase in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) and a decrease in infection-fighting cells like monocytes and T cells. Additionally, behaviors indicative of stress, such as oral manipulation, neighing, pawing, and apathy, became evident in most horses within a week. (Schmucker et al., 2022)

-Horses with regular turnout showed higher heart rate variability, indicating improved balance in their autonomic nervous system and greater stress resilience. (Rietmann et al., 2004)

-Welsh ponies who received daily pasture turnout in a herd exhibited fewer stress-related behaviors, were significantly calmer, less fearful, less reactive, more interactive with humans, and more adaptable in learning tasks compared to ponies housed in impoverished environments (stalls with limited turnout). Even three months after the study, ponies in the enriched group retained these positive behaviors and demonstrated higher curiosity and superior learning performance. (Lansade et al., 2014)

Can you find a single peer-reviewed study that shows horses kept stabled 24/7 are sounder, healthier, or happier than those with regular turnout? Even the most finely tuned, performance-focused horses are still horses. Just like any other, they require room to roam, stretch their legs, and engage in natural behaviors such as grazing and socializing.

It’s important to recognize that no horse truly dislikes turnout. If a horse resists going outside, it’s due to improper conditioning, previous negative experiences, or being overwhelmed by a sudden change in environment: what’s known as "flooding." Horses who’ve been confined for extended periods or who’ve never had proper exposure to outdoor spaces may react with anxiety or reluctance. These reactions stem from fear, not from an inherent dislike of turnout. With patience and gradual exposure, every horse can be reconditioned to embrace the outdoors. After all, instincts tell them to roam, graze, and move, it's in their nature.

Of course, there are times when limiting a horse's movement is necessary, such as during health issues or transportation. In these instances, it’s crucial to understand the physiological and psychological changes that occur so we can minimize stress and discomfort.

Turnout is a biological necessity. To support our horses’ overall health and well-being, we must prioritize their freedom to move. After all, a healthy, happy horse is one that has the opportunity to be just that: a horse.

12/08/2025