Old Forge Hill Farm

12/08/2025

ATTENTION: After our move to WV in 2020 We can no longer conduct trail rides or lessons. When the property we purchased was advertised for sale it said that the surrounding property was also for sale. This is property we so desperately needed to continue our riding program. Basically it was FALSE advertising! The property is not for sale we have only been verbally given the right of first refusal, IF the owner ever decides to sell. I have extremely limited boarding available now and no openings at this time. This is extremely crushing and devastating! I'm so saddened to watch the fields that surround us turn to weeds every year when it could be the room we need to build a new arena and have more pasture for the horses. I'm always here for advice and will still assist anyone in finding a place that may be able to accommodate you. Nothing like moving over two hours away from EVERYTHING you've ever known to try to rebuild and being flat out lied to by the realtor! I would have NEVER purchased this farm had I known the other property would never be sold to us. I can only pray that watching fields turn to weeds is the worst of it. I'd hate it to be sold to a developer and have ugly cookie cutter homes put up in my backyard and loose my privacy. I guarantee if that happens I'll get the smelliest loudest farm animals you could EVER imagine! So, for those of you who have been wondering why OFHF has been so quite these past couple of years this is why! I've offered 3xs the amount to just lease the land and was turned down. I am trying! In the meantime we've been focusing on fixing up the 1795 circa home that we've grown to adore with all her antique charm. Even that has been difficult due to the loss of income from not being able to have a full working facility. I've held out for five years before making this announcement but feel it's now time. With an extremely sad heavy heart I guess having a working facility again may never happen. I'll probably be too old. I wish all the equestrians out there all the best of luck in their endeavors! I miss you all!! ❤️

11/25/2025

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has been made aware of a multi-state outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The outbreak is associated with several barrel racing and rodeo events in Texas and Oklahoma. Pennsylvania is working with other states to investigate traces.

What this means is, depending on how many horses were actively shedding virus at the event and therefore contagious, that will impact how many horses have since dispersed and returned to their origin states post-event and may now be becoming clinically neurological. It behooves everyone who owns, operates or manages a boarding or training facility in which clientele horses participate in organized competitive events whether local, regional or with national exposure. The Department recommends taking precautions and have a general biosecurity plan for dealing with clinical signs of EHM which are:

Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO)

Nasal discharge or coughing

Lethargy

Neurological signs, including stumbling or incoordination, loss of tail tone, hind-limb weakness, head tilt, recumbency, and urine dribbling

Other signs which are compatible with EHV-1/EHM.

Horses returning from organized events should be staged in a “quarantine area” at least for a few days following return so that re**al temperatures taken twice daily can be logged and monitored for any evidence of a fever (T > 101.5 F especially at this time of year when ambient temperatures aren’t nearly as extreme). Horses that are in the general population that develop a FUO should be moved to a quarantine area as soon as possible once a fever is detected to protect the rest of the barn population. This includes separate equipment to feed, muck stalls, PPE including coveralls, boots, a disinfection station, and designated personnel if feasible. Ideally this quarantine area would be at least 120 feet away from the nearest horse and downwind of any prevailing breeze. Contact your veterinarian and the State Veterinarians office if a horse develops FUO or other signs consistent with EHM.

For venue owners and managers, it is highly recommended that the contracted veterinarians they employ to provide coverage for equine emergencies also be highly involved in the planning and ex*****on of biosecurity strategies for these organized events. These may include such basic strategies as requiring a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued by a Category II Accredited Veterinarian with documentation of up-to-date vaccination status on the CVI regardless of whether the movement of that animal to that show is traveling interstate or intrastate. Please keep in mind the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is responsible for enforcing interstate animal movement requirements and other disease control measures. Venue owners and managers have all the power in which to implement as strict entry requirements to their show grounds as they see fit. Typically, the Department does NOT get involved in setting entry requirements to equine events though we will implement quarantine authority or prohibit movement to events if the disease risk is deemed too great. The Department is more than willing to collaborate and advise venue operators on best practices.

Horse owners are encouraged to visit the Equine Disease Communications Center for up-to-date information on this outbreak, as well as information to protect your horses. EHM is a reportable disease in Pennsylvania, and any suspect cases must be reported to the Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852.

Hayley Springer, MS, DVM, PhD
Veterinary Medical Field Officer

Department of Agriculture

Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services

08/11/2024

As a barn owner, the hardest line you'll ever draw is the boundary of who you allow in and who you allow to stay.

A friendly reminder to my fellow trainers (and any horse person in general)-

-Nobody is worth your peace of mind..if they cost you your peace, kick them out!

- No one can buy your trust, when you see their true actions...believe them.

- If they can't respect you or the facility, they need to leave.

- No amount of money is worth harboring negative energy in your work and play atmosphere.

I am done trying to hatch bad eggs. I am no longer willing to try to fix, help, slave or suffer for those not willing to give the same effort or at the least carry themselves with class and integrity.

Say it with me friends:

Your barn, your rules. And your happy place. If they don't like it, they can leave.

Customer service should not feel like slavery. You shouldn't feel uncomfortable when people pull into your barn driveway. Stick to your guts. And your boundaries. 💕

- Ian Baese O’Connor

📸 Kaly Madison Photography

06/22/2023

She's 14.2 HH and is the most quiet sweetest thing ever. She's great for beginner riders.

08/27/2022

Pretty good way to show what posture does for your horse.

01/16/2022

Wow!

Researchers in Siberia found a perfectly-preserved 42,000-year-old baby horse buried under the permafrost. It was in such good condition that its blood was still in a liquid state, allowing scientists to extract it. "Hopefully, the world will soon meet the clone of the ancient foal who lived 42,000 years ago."⁠

Read this and more of the most astounding science news stories you probably missed in 2019: http://bit.ly/34scghT