MEADOWVALE, N.S. — A riding stable in the Annapolis Valley has found a creative way to get back in the saddle after the business was closed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amanda Burbidge and Greg Porter operate Winsome Blue Stables in Meadowvale, which boasts a 32-stall barn that’s home to 30 horses, two outdoor rings, a full-size indoor ring, a cross country course and 13 kilometres of trails on the property.
Burbidge, an English and hunter riding coach, offered 11 riding programs, including weekly lessons and a large show team that competed in horse shows across the province before provincial health restrictions severely limited the number of people entering the barn, as well as how individual and group riding lessons could take place.
"We have 80 to 90 kids coming to the barn every week who love their horses, and COVID restrictions meant we were no longer to have them in the barn, which took away our profit and put us in a position where we would normally have to sell horses," Burbidge said in a recent interview.
"But we didn't want to do that because, obviously, these kids are attached to the animals. We had to think of ways to support our business and keep it running.
“So, when COVID (restrictions started to ease) and allowed us to have our kids and our barn family back, we were able to say, ‘Your horse is still here, and you can still come love it.’"
But, Winsome Blue Stables, like many businesses in Nova Scotia and across the country, had to offset the loss of revenue incurred during the first shutdown.
"This business is tough in a normal year," Porter said. "When it comes to horses, you don't need any help to lose money."
The business suffered another setback when the number of COVID cases in the province spiked late in the year, curtailing plans for a series of outdoor riding events around the Christmas season. Porter said they had to give nearly 2,000 people refunds when the events had to be cancelled due to safety concerns.
The couple was determined to push ahead and came up with the idea to offer sleigh and wagon rides on the property to private groups made only of COVID bubbles.
“To make people comfortable, we do private sleigh and wagon rides for groups, so there is no intermingling with other families or participants being put in a position where they are uncomfortable. We can make sure everything is sanitized and is safe so we can follow Public Health safety protocols,” Porter said.
“Bring the people in your bubble and get outside. Have some fun and a different winter experience. And maybe forget what is going on in the world.”
Burbidge said mental health is a huge issue and working with the animals is transformative for almost everyone.
“Some people have been coming on the wagon rides and saying, ‘I have been feeling down, but now that I have been out in the fresh air and with the animals, I feel great. I’m happy again,’” she said.
Burbidge said the couple is pleased with how the public has responded to the bubble rides.
“We are having a lot of interaction with parents, grandparents and grandkids able to all get together and do something safe and fun for everybody,” she said.
“Our plan for 2021 is to keep spreading as much happiness and joy as we can.”
