Malabar Farm offers a private, tranquil setting for you and your horse to enjoy while enhancing your equine skills in the ring, on the trail, or with groundwork.
* Full or working board * Safe summer or year round boarding * 10 x 12′ stalls with individual paddocks for all day turnout * Post and board fencing * 2 pastures for grazing * Knowledgable care with 30 years experience * Excellent veterinary and blacksmith support * Total care and schooling available
Ring: * Regulation dressage ring with mirrors * Footing: sand and rubber * Lessons/schooling available with USDF Bronze medalist and retired teacher * Monthly clinicsTrails and Cross training
* Farm adjacent to many Land Bank trails: Wapatiqua Woods (click on #16), Whipporwill Farm CSA * Easy access to Tisbury Meadow and Corellus State Forest. * Cross training on hills on and off Malabar Farm * Trail photos by Betsy Corsiglia
Testimonials:
Angela Jasper, DVM:”Malabar Farm has always been able to provide excellent veterinary care and has years of great horse knowledge.It is always a pleasure to pull into Malabar and know that we can work together to get the job done. The horses at Malabar Farm have access to some of the island’s best trails, riding ring, turnout, and veterinary care.”
Megan Gadd, past boarder of Opus, Emma & Wonder:”Malabar Farm is Ginny Lobdell and if you get lucky enough to find a stall, take it! I have had three horses with Ginny over the years: a yearling until he was 7; his dam through her twilight years; and an event horse in his prime. Ginny encouraged me through all aspects of training my horses, celebrated with me through the triumphs and was a dear friend when the going was a trial. Ginny is a professional horsewoman and pays close attention to the horses she boards. And while she stays current on things like nutrition and supplements, she truly shines as an experienced and generous teacher (she knows endless training drills!). Ginny values cross training and has beautiful trails out her back 40, but if you want to learn the subtleties of riding a through, connected horse, take her up on a lesson. Your horse will reward you! All in all, Malabar is a lovely quiet farm with beautiful grassy pastures, and a well-kept barn. Your horses will have all their needs attended to on a punctual schedule (just the way they like it) and Ginny will respect your privacy or be there for you when you need her – either way, pretty perfect!”
Brooks Robards, boarder:
“I am returning to Malabar Farm for the fifth year during my annual four-month stay on the Vineyard. I have boarded at numerous barns on-Island over the years and, as a journalist, written about a number of others. Malabar has provided the best experience for both me and my horse. The Vineyard Haven setting offers an excellent mix of accessibility, good turnout, a high-quality arena and proximity to the State Forest for trail riding. Ginny Lobdell is a highly knowledgeable horsewoman who runs her barn with just the right blend of expertise and friendliness. She creates a warm, safe environment and pays close attention to the needs of both horse and owner. Her skill at instruction is exceptional, and I always relish the opportunity to train with her.”
Ginny’s Bio:
Virginia Lobdell is a lifelong student of riding and horse management. Her passion was kindled as a toddler watching the flashing red coats of the Thanksgiving Day Hunt pass through the field next to her bedroom window with the hounds coursing through her yard all to the thin wail of the horn beckoning the dogs. In grammar school, she began working at a local stable for the opportunity to ride. She began by being ponied on young sale thoroughbreds right off the track. Later, she began to catch ride at local hunter shows in Fairfield County, CT
After college, she and her husband Jim had two children and sailed into Martha‘s Vineyard. They fell in love with it and made it their home. Shortly thereafter, in the 70‘s, she was offered a 5 yr. old race broke horse from her CT roots. She made arrangements to keep the horse at Tashmoo Farm, where she at that time had revitalized their riding program. She also developed the first all island handicapped riding program, in conjunction with the Martha‘s Vineyard Schools at Featherstone Farm.
Malabar Farm was founded in 1986. Ginny has had numerous horses, has been through an eventing phase of competing and then finally specialized in dressage. As an eventer at heart, she maintains that all horses enjoy being ridden outdoors, cross-country and on the trails. She has earned her USDF Bronze medal and has a goal for her Silver.
Ginny is now a retired teacher, was formerly a certified Centered Riding instructor, and has ridden with many professional clinicians, including Chris Hickey, Shannon Dueck, Lynn Kimball Davis and presently, Lucy MacLennan and Beatrice Bennett. She is a member of the Martha‘s Vineyard Horse Council and has been a member of the MVHC scholarship committee for many years. She is a lifelong learner and horsewoman who invites anyone to join her!
