Timber Dream Farm, LLC, is an idyllic place to achieve success, spanning more than 40 rolling acres beautifully set in the heart of Purcellville, Virginia. Owner and life-long equestrian Jackie Patch has an entrepreneurial spirt and focus on achievement.  She offers a well-rounded board and training program and has added Working Equitation (WE) to her offerings.

After over 20 years of teaching and training, Patch alongside her husband George, designed and built the state-of-the-art full-service boarding and training facility Timber Dream Farm, with plenty of space, paddocks, and top notch, experienced care. Spectators enjoy the well-equipped club room complete with kitchen, comfy couches, and a full view of the amazing insulated  indoor. Across the indoor, expansive windows open to beautiful tree-lined views overlooking the conditioning fields and tree lined pastures. Two barns with over sized aisles and stalls, two arenas, indoor and outdoor, private tack cabinets, and wash stalls are a few of the impressive accommodations for board and sport.

As of January 2020, Timber Dream is home to eight ponies and eight horses.  Many are owned by Patch, who has never outgrown her love of the Welsh/Connemara ponies she has bred and campaigns as show hunters.   She offers select warmbloods and quiet Throughbreds for lease for dressage, show jumping and show hunters. Patch is a well-rounded equestrian and caters lessons to both children and adults.

In 2019, the Patches built some amazing WE obstacles, including a big sturdy bridge and a wonderful bull. They offered two Working Equitation Clinics taught by NOVAWE member and clinician Allison Reed.  Timber Dream’s Halloween Clinic was amazingly decorated. (Photos here).

Patch recalls that she was introduced to Working Equitation at a training clinic in Hamilton, VA more than 6 years ago. She found the obstacle work synced well with her own training methods while offering a fun way to teach and practice skills that demand mental focus, physical strength and precise movements. She started utilizing the WE obstacles as a cross-training tool and has introduced them to her own students. She said, “Everyone loves the bull! Obstacles are a fun way to desensitize, an interesting way to bomb-proof young horses. The flat work and dressage movements are important.” Patch summarized, “Working Equitation is fun, it’s precise and it’s something different.”

Patch’s equestrian journey started at the tender age of 8 while her father was stationed in England with the U.S. Air Force. When the family returned to the U.S., they settled in Clifton, VA. As a youngster her accomplishments included bringing up three Preliminary eventing horses herself; she was successful in numerous Pony Club competitions as well as successfully attaining her Pony Club A rating.  Patch continued to work hard and was successful in the  local  jumpers up to 4 feet and competed at a CCI* (long format Preliminary event which includes Steeplechase) at Radnor Hunt in PA.

Jackie Patch and Timber Dream Farm have plans to build more WE obstacles (designs for a water complex are underway) and to participate in NOVAWE’s 2020 Partner Show program.

Support Timber Dream and visit their Facebook page or website. Also Jackie can be reached at [email protected]

Contributed by Kristin Mango

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