Photo courtesy of Davis Ranch
By Allison Taylor
A growing equestrian business, Davis Ranch specializes in horse boarding, training, horse shows, clinics and arena rentals. At all of its locations in Fletcher, Leicester and Mills River, Davis Ranch offers pasture, pasture with run-in, and stalls that are available for boarding. Mills River and Leicester have various clinics throughout the year for boarders and other equestrians, as well as outdoor arenas, round pens, trails and a jump course. Its Fletcher location is perfect for retired horses, with larger and flatter pastures with a round pen. All disciplines are welcome at all locations.
New this year, Davis Ranch has partnered with Etowah Riding Club to present an open show series with championship classes and high point end of year awards in both youth and adult divisions. These shows are open to any equestrians in the community and are great for beginner riders and kids. The spring Open Horse Show will take place on Saturday, May 6, during the Mills River Day celebration at North River Farms. The fall show is scheduled for October 21 at the Leicester location, and the Championship Classes will be held with a ceremony afterwards. Class lists and more information will be available on the Davis Ranch and Etowah Riding Club websites, with updates being shared on Facebook pages as well.
“We are so excited to see Davis Ranch grow,” says owner Jason Davis. “We’ve been working to add space and resources for boarding at all of our locations, and we have an all-star team of trainers that bring a wealth of experience to our equestrian programs. As we continue to grow our programming, we are actively searching to add more experienced trainers to our farm.”
Current Trainers
• Anna Toomey manages Davis Ranch’s Leicester location. She is an Equine Science UDSF Bronze Medalist & USDF L Grad, and has spent the past 20 years running her own training/lesson/boarding business. By focusing on adult amateurs and young riders, she has developed the skills to help all levels of riders and horses achieve their goals.
• Amanda Justice, of Justice Equestrian at the Leicester location of Davis Ranch, focuses on beginner riders, helping them feel confident both on the horse and with daily care. By creating fun learning exercises in a controlled and safe environment, Amanda has developed a program that all students will feel accomplished in as they begin to understand horse theory.
• Elexa Moyers has ridden and trained horses for 11 years, working previously as a vet tech and with a few farriers. Her passion for horses drives her to improve and learn wherever she can, and to share her knowledge. Her goal is teaching people of all ages how to ride, training horses and teaching the all-around method (horse anatomy, saddle fitting, tacking, grooming and horse nutrition) so that her students are well-rounded enough to have a horse of their own in the future.
• A lifelong horse lover and owner, Katrena Pace is the barn manager at the Mills River location. Her 21 years of horse management experience include 10 years of Western pleasure showing at national and world levels, and four years as a riding instructor and barn manager with Camp Rockmont. As an experienced horsewoman, and long-time local resident, Pace enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge of local equine service providers to assist newcomers to the area.
The Mills River and Leicester locations of Davis Ranch both offer arena rentals at $15/rider and require negative Coggins tests for horses coming in. At the Leicester location, contact Anna at 828.220.1491, and at the Mills River location, contact Katrena at 828.301.4729.
For more information on Davis Ranch, visit DavisRanchWNC.com or visit on Facebook at Davis Ranch LLC. For more information on Etowah Riding Club, visit EtowahRidingClub.com.
