Forrestel opens indoor riding arena
Medina site aims to be top riding camp in Northeast
Photos by Tom Rivers – Mary Herbert, owner of Forrestel Riding and Sports Camp, opens the doors to the new indoor riding arena today after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Margaret Darroch, Forrestel’s operations director the past six years, said the new indoor arena will help make Forrestel a year-end center.
MEDINA – Forrestel, a riding and sports camp on Main Street in Shelby, showed off its new indoor arena today.
The farm also is opening its original farmhouse from 1825 as a bed and breakfast with two rooms. Forrestel will soon kick off its 33rd season of English horseback riding camps. It draws campers from all over the world. Half of the 20 camp counselors come from Britain and spend the summer in Shelby.
The site has a mix of modern amenities and it’s steeped in history, with buildings from Shelby’s mill days in the 1800s.
“We are transitioning to a year-round business,” said Margaret Darroch, the Forrestel manager. “I can really envision this place bring the place for horse people in the Northeast.”
The arena is 148 feet by 68 feet and includes a viewing area that’s 64 feet by 12 feet.
Forrestel leaders believe the camp offers a riding, sports and outdoor adventure program that is among the finest in the country.
Forrestel owner Mary Herbert led a ribbon-cutting celebration for the new arena this afternoon. She exuded enthusiasm about the improvements at Forrestel, saying the arena will make for the best camp season ever.
The new arena is 148 feet by 68 feet, and includes a 64 by 12 foot viewing area for parents and spectators to watch the action.
Forrestel also is open for receptions, parties and historic tours. Forrestel has a kitchen and the facilities to feed a crowd.
“We’re adding more, but we’re primarily about the horses,” Darroch said.
The original farmhouse from 1825 now has two rooms open as a bed and breakfast.
One of the guest rooms in the bed and breakfast.
