Manor Hill Farm

Manor Hill Farm Manor Hill Farm is a private, family run Horse Boarding Facility located in Chester Springs- Spring City, PA.

Manor Hill Farm is horse boarding facility located in Chester Springs, Pa on 40 acres. Amenities: (10) 12x12 stalls, automatic heated water, fans, infrared heated wash stalls, heated tack room, heated and climate controlled tack room, 5 grooming bays, 2 wash stalls, private turnout, outdoor sand arena with lights, 60' round pen, bathroom with washing machine, personal storage, trailer parking, dre

ssage, mounted games, and jump supplies.
*Boutique boarding available to the seasoned rider.
-accepting wait list boarders March of 2023.

07/15/2025

Rant: How are you weathering the storm?

When we chose this land the first thing I said was… “we won’t have flooding problems or mud”. Our previous farms were all in low areas and our first house was next to a giant pond that would flood. The town people always spoke about one summer where the dam broke and all the houses flooded.
One summer while living there the pond flooded so bad that horses were up to their bellies in water and were prancing around and playing in the deep water. That was when I agreed with Mr. Luke that it was time to move.
At our second farm the barn was built in an area where everytime we had bad rain water would flood into the barn. We had to put in giant drains and block the doors with sandbags- we tried everything. Mud was terrible- the paddocks were all floating on top of natural springs. Hence the name- spring city. Again… we moved.

Now, on top of a hill that is built of rocks and deep rooted trees… with paddocks all on a slope our flooding and mud issues are minimal. Sure our gravel driveway washes away each time but even then the water has plenty of places to go. The township forced us to put in a rain garden to catch the gutter water from our barn roof. What a pain… to clean the gutters out before every massive storm on the radar. Worth it though- to have dry stalls.

If you are ever considering buying a horse farm… I urge you to really consider flooding. Low lying flat areas are prone to it and at this point in global warming it’s going to be a common factor. Everything we built here has many considerations around worse case scenario with weather. Blizzards? Can you open barn doors if snow drifts come or snow falls off your roof? Which direction does the wind blow? Do you have natural wind barriers? What about Sunlight direction- is your building facing south with no shade? Do you have Rain catchment systems for droughts to water your plants and animals? Do you have fans, misting systems, shaded shelters for heatwaves? Greenhouses to grow food. Solar power, or generators for power outages. Fire protection, sprinklers, fire extinguishers and emergency evacuation plans. Lightning rods. Salt and chains for ice….
The list is endless.
You don’t need the farmers almanac to know the weather is getting more severe each year. Are you ready for the next natural disaster because… I hate to say it but things are only going to get more extreme.
You wonder why farms are disappearing…it could very well be because of the weather.

Where does the extra income we make go? It goes directly into upgrades. This month our upgrade is installing Stall Saver...
07/14/2025

Where does the extra income we make go? It goes directly into upgrades. This month our upgrade is installing Stall Savers also known as stall skins. We installed these at our old farm and loved them.
Basically, they are permeable heavy duty geo textile mats that cover the entire floor of the stall. We already have french drains in our stalls and so this was a breeze to install. We added more screenings and leveled the entire stall and put the fabric down and installed a heavy duty plastic barrier around the edge. When the horse urinates- its drains into the french drains saving us on wet shavings. The fabric traps odor, if and that is if ammonia is detected we dump lysol on the wet areas and air it out. We never had a problem with odor in the past. The drains are deep.

Stall mats are a pain if they aren’t installed properly. So we will take out the floating stall mats in 5 stalls and replace with stall savers and will redo the five stalls on the other side, level them and lock them in with the extra mats.

I’ll give an update on which side wins. Fully matted stalls or stall skins.

https://stallsavers.com/

Blog: how you doing? I just feel like writing and telling y’all some things that are going on in our neck of the woods. ...
07/10/2025

Blog: how you doing?
I just feel like writing and telling y’all some things that are going on in our neck of the woods.
To start we are having a great summer despite the extreme weather. One minute it’s hot and humid and the next we have black clouds, extreme wind, and a dump of rain. Our grass has never looked better. Our hay guys however- can’t catch a break. No second cutting yet because it rains every other night.
I’m sure farmers everywhere are rejoicing or crying depending on the crop.

The horses have been incredible through schooling changes, new horses, changes in routine and paddocks, heat waves, down pours, flies, and for some…boredom.

We had the honor of having Michael Battenfield come for an entire week to help the Moss family break their 4yr old pony Jade. She’s a sweet little palomino. It’s really fun to see her grow just in basic handling.

We have been trailering Grace to all sorts of places. She has been tasked with pony camp and teaching Ava all sorts of new skills. Ava said today: “I don’t think I would have gotten this far without Grace- she has taught me everything I know!”
Yes- Grace has been to many of the best places and seen it all. This week they went to the Laurels, and will go to French Creek tomorrow to go swimming ba****ck. All of Avas “firsts” have been with Grace. There is something to be said about finding a horse like that.

Jet and Cloud seem to have made friends with a fox and two bucks. Often times we will see wildlife grazing with them. I have to wonder why do the wildlife always follow the hardy boys around? Perhaps Jet and Cloud speak several languages. They are peacekeepers and sometimes protectors of this land. Cloud has been seen escorting them outside the fence. It’s questionable if he is doing that as a curtesy.

Marco and Reese hold a special place for Ava and I. Tonight during turnout they didnt walk off… instead they wanted our attention. It is nice when the horses prefer company over grass. Reese had the both of us rubbing his face, telling him how handsome he is, and kept coming in for one more kiss. He would close his eyes, bow his head into our arms, licking and chewing as we whispered into his ear… “we know you are the fastest horse on this farm”. Marco would nuzzle us… with a “but what about me” and we would tell him that he too was also the fastest and most brave horse we ever laid eyes on. They are very much like giant puppies. We trust them 100% even though we shouldnt…. Because they are both fast in movement. Ava had the honor of test riding Marco tonight and getting a mini lesson from Lynne. Our boarders are so supportive and Ava grew up gleaning as much as she can from them. I think that is why she is a glorified true barn rat. She wants to learn from the masters.

Coco came home this week. She is a sweet easy to handle little pony. Dixie was not thrilled to see her old roomate and so Jade ended up being her new pasture buddy. Jade seems to be fine with anyone as long as they teach her the ropes and have good stories to tell. It’s good to have coco home- I missed her little face peeking over the door.

Dixie is kinda like the mean girl at school. She steals your food and wont let you eat at her table unless you are popular. Tonight, she is eating for one and finds this to be a true honor. Shes queen of the mountain. Little does she know she is going to be the third wheel tomorrow. She is an awesome little pony under saddle but her paddock behavior is… “thats mine- all of this too- shoe”.

And last but not least you have my sweet girl mystery. Shes on layup at the moment healing a ligament injury. She loves to be pampered and loved on. Her favorite time of day is when she gets her udders and belly groomed. I swear she rolls her body in odd places just to get attention. She sighs when you brush her face and falls asleep while currying. Ava is working her from the ground up so they have a special bond when they are ready for each other.

As bad as the weather has been… I dont mind it so much. It is just proving that we have a barn full of horses that are amazing in their own way. Bring it- we will have a fabulous summer anyway.

Rant of the day: comparing gets you nowhere. Why do people ride horses? There is no real need for horses anymore. We don...
07/06/2025

Rant of the day: comparing gets you nowhere.

Why do people ride horses? There is no real need for horses anymore. We don’t need them for transportation or plowing fields. Horses are for sport and fun. The real answer is because they are addictive and we love them.
There is something new to learn everyday and with each day you are around a horse- you improve as a handler, rider, caretaker, passion-ista etc.

I get asked hundreds of questions from my ten year old horse crazy kid on a daily basis. She often gets a little jealous of the sport. She often forgets to have fun, and I often forget that she is only ten.
I have learned more in these ten years of watching her learn than I have in all my years of riding.
She asks hard questions. “Why is that girl that is younger than me a better rider?” “Why can’t I do that? Or when can I do that?”
“Will I ever be as good as that person?”
“Why did that horse do that?”, “What am I doing wrong?” , “What is wrong with that horse?”, “When can I ride that horse?” .

When you are faced with a borage of inner thought questions and have to answer them in a scholarly way, you tend to rewire your brain.
I know for me personally- I answer my own personal thought questions harshly. “Why cant I get this horse to do A,B,C” and my inner voice will scream at me with the answers that aren’t nice.

My advice to anyone is… be nice to yourself. Inside all of us is that little girl- just trying to learn something new. Don’t compare, avoid envy and jealousy, and just keep trucking forward at your own pace. No story is the same.
When the time, place, and situation is right it will be your turn. Everyone is on their own path of achievement. The tortoise and the hare- quick doesn’t mean you win. Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Point A to B has many different paths.
Watch and learn. Don’t repeat the same mistake, change it for a different result. Work hard, play hard.
Those are the general answers I usually use.

Stay in your lane and carry on, love your horse and the trail it takes you on. Good things will come of it.
(Photos of fun and why we do it- posted below.)

Rant: how to prep for fireworks. Happy Fourth of July. Or as we call it the apocalyptic day for animals. We have lived w...
07/04/2025

Rant: how to prep for fireworks.
Happy Fourth of July. Or as we call it the apocalyptic day for animals.
We have lived with horses in an open field in New Jersey where fireworks exploded directly over us. The horses were completely unfazed as embers landed around them. I sum it up to the fact that the field was on the side of a busy road and they had seen it all. Loud trucks. Trucks with flags flapping out the tail gate, parades, old cars coughing out fumes and backfiring, kids on bikes- you name it- these horses had seen it all.
They even lived through a mini hurricane with lightening and massive thunder. They stood still in the middle of the field away from trees and shelter. These horses did not like being trapped in a stall which is why they lived in a field 24/7.

When we moved to a quieter barn in spring city, the horses were kept in stalls the first year. The fireworks went off and the horses lost their minds bolting and rearing up in their stalls with each boom. They couldn’t see what or where the sounds were coming from. I turned them out into the field. When they saw what it was they huddled together in the middle of the field watching in disbelief as booms of colors startled them. The older horses that had seen it before stood stoically as the new horses galloped around them in a panic. It took maybe 5 minutes for them to settle and soon they were all fine and eating grass. It didnt take long for the alphas of the herd to calm the rest.

Now, at this location in chester springs we cant see the fireworks but can hear and feel the percussion. Again- we keep the horses out and watch them closely. They are normally unphased. They are used to hearing gunshots and blasts from the neighboring farms. They still get startled at first but settle down midway through the show.
We have never sedated a horse or dog… I find that if you are calm and give them a safe space that comforts them they will reassure themselves. If we have a young horse we might put protective boots on them to protect their legs. Some horses do well with earplugs. I find it best to give them options of their own free will. Run in shed, stall or field.
Tucker our bassadore does not like fireworks. We usually find him asleep under our guest bedroom bed. It has a dust ruffle and I suppose he finds comfort in having a hiding place. Bella our chiweenie loves fireworks… I think she might be deaf. She actually needs to be on a leash because she will walk up to a firework as it’s going off to maybe see what it tastes like. Shes not too bright.
In any case every animal and location is a bit different. Stay safe tonight… and make sure your animals have plenty of room to run safely, hiding places, and fresh water to drink when they calm down. Please be considerate of your neighbors and at least warn them first if you plan to have some fun.

Rant: old vs. newI am a huge fan of Denny Emerson. He often posts photos from the good old days- and brings up thoughtfu...
07/03/2025

Rant: old vs. new
I am a huge fan of Denny Emerson. He often posts photos from the good old days- and brings up thoughtful conversation pieces. I often feel like I missed something- a great era of horsemanship, grit, determination. The comments are often “things have changed a lot and this is why”.

Don’t get mad at me for saying “old school” because that can be a bad term but- I am going to use this saying with love.
We have a few “old school” riders at my barn. They have taught us so much about how to care for their horse- and how to do things the correct way. They have no fear, have answers to hard questions, and have the best stories full of history and thought.
They have been there and done that- and have devoted their lives to learning about horses all the while trying to keep up with new innovations and new ways. Many of them are amazed at some of the new items and are quick to try them.

I too have seen many changes since I started riding. Many people argue the past was better- in many ways it was. More land, affordable events, less ego, slower pace of life, and more of a group effort. The playing ground wasn’t so critically divided. I think there were a lot of backyard ponies that had a fair chance of competing against the elite wealthy riders.

Some would argue that the kids have changed. Some would argue the trainers got soft. Some would argue that cell phones destroyed the hard workers. Nobody wants to work for it- they all want fast results is the biggest complaint.

Meanwhile, I could say that things are better now for the horses. The jumps are safer, the footing is enhanced, we have all sorts of technology- red light therapy, chiropractors, acupuncture, cat scans, hiberberic chambers, ice boots, salt rooms, special boots, custom saddles, a variety of feeds, special fabrics, comfortable clothing, real helmets, the list is endless.

Horses are living longer because of all of these enhancements.
I would like to argue that it was the old school riders that changed the horse world as we know it. The new riders are just riding on the coat tails of innovation. Did you know they make a pitch fork that vibrates so you don’t have to bounce it? I mean- talk about luxury. Whoever invented a wheelbarrow with two wheels? I love you.
That to me is being spoiled.

I don’t worry about the future of horses - I worry about the people. If anything… I fear that the backyard warriors won’t stand a chance. Not many people can afford 2 acres anymore… which is where most of the magic once started. The bare minimum is disappearing and thats where most of the best horseman started back in the day. Learning things the hard way with just a $50 pony and lots of passion. It’s not affordable- for the ones that truly want it.

Pony Club camp at Firefly farm has been in full swing this week for our kiddos. Early drop off of horses and pick up eac...
06/26/2025

Pony Club camp at Firefly farm has been in full swing this week for our kiddos. Early drop off of horses and pick up each day to beat the heat. I can’t believe how good these ponies have been for the kids loading into the trailer. Each girl loads their own pony and backs them into a stall. It’s nice to drop the ramp and have three horses loaded in a jiffy.
I call it the party boat. This is definitely one of those trailers that is like a party pontoon boat on a lake. It’s old, dinged up, reliable, comfortably large, and hauls like a tank. The passengers are having a blast, I haven’t met a horse yet that didnt load onto this rig.
The first time I loaded my horse on this trailer was when I was 11 years old at horse camp in Virginia at New Meadow Farm. It brings back so many great memories. This trailer has seen many kids and horses in its hay day.

Had to share: We are so fortunate to live in this area. I don’t know what we would do without Firefly Farm. They have en...
06/13/2025

Had to share:
We are so fortunate to live in this area. I don’t know what we would do without Firefly Farm. They have enhanced our experience with kids, horses and ponies to a whole new level.
We only provide boarding with personal trainers of choice and leave the coaching and fun up to the proffesional experience to Firefly who run the Pickering Hunt pony club.
We trailer to their farm down the road weekly with our kids to have the most fun and learn under the guidance of a master A pony club graduate Nicole Ligon.
Here is a lovely photo that our fellow mom and boarder Lisa took of our girls with their pony club friends after a trail ride with Nicole leading them under her wing.
They were glowing with excitement and stories when they were done. Huge Thankyou to Nicole for making learning fun and Lisa for often trailering both ponies and taking beautiful photographs of our girls.
Keep an eye out for these future pony club stars. They were taught the ropes early from the best and are becoming fantastic horsewomen.

06/11/2025

The new grass paddock.

It’s our four year anniversary of when we officially owned this farm. Here are a few before and after photos of this day...
06/04/2025

It’s our four year anniversary of when we officially owned this farm. Here are a few before and after photos of this day and today from four years ago.

We had a great time at the pony club show jumping rally at radnor hunt today! Pickering hunt definitely got the award fo...
06/02/2025

We had a great time at the pony club show jumping rally at radnor hunt today! Pickering hunt definitely got the award for having the most fun. Riley went clear on all three phases on Dixie. They were fabulous! Ava and Grace went clear but knocked a rail with a lazy hind toe in the jump off. Grace was pretty tired by the end, she fell asleep in her hay bag kind of tired. Huge Thankyou to Nicole Ligon for coaching and all of the Pickering girls for the thrilling entertainment and fun.

Address

Spring City, PA

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 8pm
Sunday 8am - 8pm

Telephone

+14845743925

Website

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