WELCOME TO LEDGEWOOD
At Tamarack Farm
SERVICES
BOARDING
We know choosing a barn for your horse is a big deal. That's why when you board with us, you become like part of the family. We offer a small, private setting that's has a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. We really care about the health and safety of your horse, and they always come first. The knowledgeable owner lives on site and has a lot of experience managing top barns and elite show horses throughout the last 25 years, so your horse will be receiving only the best of care. Should your horse need any individualized care due to a health issue, we can work closely with you, your vet or farrier to create a program that will help give them a leg up on the healing process. We also offer retirement and layup board as well. Extra services such a grooming, body clipping, mane pulling and desensitizing training are available for an additional fee.
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-Large & airy 12x12 stalls
-Attached in & outs with covered porch
-All day grass turnout, weather permitting
-Indoor wash stall with hot & cold water
-Heated lounge and tack room
-Indoor bathroom
-Direct access to miles of trails
-Ten minute trailer ride to beaches for seasonal riding
-Water buckets & feed pans scrubbed daily, disinfected weekly
-Bedding added as needed
-Quality feed & hay
-Stalls and In & Outs picked throughout the day
-Pastures picked at least once a week
-Metered fly spray in In & Outs and stall area (seasonally)
-Night Check
-24/7 Video monitoring
$675
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GALLERY
The Grounds & Barn
OUR HISTORY
Tamarack Farm – Past and Present
Ledgewood Farm sits on the beautiful land more commonly known as Tamarack Farm, founded by Virginia Mann. A great article by Kristal Pooler helps us stay connected to our roots:
Virginia D. Mann was recently honored at ECTA’s Tribute to Our Founders, a fundraiser held at Don Curiale’s and Arthur Finkelstein’s home on Waldingfield Road in Ipswich. Ginny moved to Tamarack Farm in 1954. Tamarack Farm is located at 494 Essex Street in Hamilton. The farmhouse was built in the 1740s.
Ginny was devoted to the preservation of the trails and open space. Ginny and her husband, John, watchdogged the trail system daily. Ginny loved to go on long rides. It was not unusual for Ginny and her friend, Sally Soucy, to hack from Tamarack Farm to Bradley Palmer and back on one day, and to ride off to Manchester the next. Ginny bred Morgans at Tamarack Farm. She also had a passion for Springer Spaniels. There were 101 litters of Springer Spaniels born at the farm! Ginny stayed on at the farm after her husband passed on.
It was her intention to put a conservation restriction on her property so that Tamarack Farm would stay intact. Ginny was disturbed by the erosion of open space to new development and every trail lost made her more determined to keep Tamarack Farm open to riders and walkers. At the beginning of 2000, Ginny was told that she had a severe heart condition and that the best that she could hope for was to live for three to five more years. It was at this time that she became very proactive and began to put her affairs in order. Unfortunately, less than six months after her initial diagnosis, Ginny had a stroke.
When Ginny passed away in March of 2001, her final wishes were not complete and her desire to preserve her beloved Tamarack Farm in its original form was in jeopardy. Sally Soucy and George Andrews were named executors of Virginia Mann’s will. There were eleven charities and two people named as benefactors of the will. In order to meet Ginny’s final wish, everyone had to agree to put conservation restrictions on the property.
The property was subdividable and conservation restrictions decreased the value of the property. With the help of the Hamilton Conservation Committee and various others, Ginny’s wishes were finally realized and Tamarack Farm was sold with conservation restrictions in place to Kevin Donovan and Michele Stecyk. Kevin and Michele fell in love with the property at first sight. They put a bid on it the day that they saw it. Preserving Tamarack Farm was as important to them as it was to Ginny.
The trails connect to other trails leadingout behind Whipple Street and out to Bridge Street and the old Clark property. It is an intricate part of our trail system. The trail will be open to the public for horses, walkers, and cross-country skiers. Please do not use the main driveway. Dogs must be on leashes at all times.
Please be conscious of the trails during mud season and make sure to display your ECTA tags. The ashes of Virginia Mann and her husband John are buried in the back of Tamarack Farm. Through the efforts of many people, Ginny can rest knowing that her final wish was met.