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Sharing A Passion For Horses: Talking With Kelli Cole Of Kingsland Bay Stables, LLC

photo provided With boarding, riding, lessons and training, Kingsland Bay Stables LLC is a family run and family oriented barn.

Tuesday May 22, 2012

By Cookie Steponaitis

     One of the great joys of traveling the back roads of Addison County, Vermont are the small treasures that appear just around the bend and beckon people in to investigate what is the story behind the business. Around one such bend in Ferrisburgh is Kingsland Bay Stables and Kelli Cole, both instructor and trainer.

      Kelli started riding when she was eight and knew horses were not only her passion, but her dream when she was riding as a youngster in Louisville, Kentucky. A quarter horse named Kelly was her mount and when she least expected it she fell off and under the sizable horse. Kelli looked up to find the horse staring down at her with his foot raised, frozen in motion, so as not to step on her. When she quickly gained her wits about her and rolled out from under the horse, then and only then did the quarter horse put his foot back down and patiently stand there waiting to see what came next.

     “I got bit by the horse bug right then,” shared Kelli. “I kept thinking about how smart, capable and caring these animals were and what was possible to do with them. I began to dream and every field we drove by with my parents I would announce how good a barn would look there, with horses grazing in pastures, and what a place it would be for people to come and learn about horses.” While Kelli grew and moved to Vermont, the dream never faded.

       “We started very small,” recollected Ms. Cole. “My first ring, we cleared by hand. When we could afford it later, a bulldozer came in and so on it went. My husband has done most of the excavation work and he built the smaller barn in 1997. In 2000, we expanded to start taking on borders and Doc built the addition onto the barn. This year we are taking the next step and began construction on our indoor arena in November of 2011. It is now open and ready for our borders and our students and increases the offerings we have as well as the length of our riding season.”

         With a background in natural horsemanship and balance seat, Kelli and Kingsland Bay Stables is a family barn where the emphasis is learning to work with horses and to have a safe and long term relationship with animals. Kelli teaches lessons on Saturdays and Sundays and specializes in beginning to advanced western and English riding. She also offers a 4-H program and has a group called the Kingsland Bay Riders. “Not big into showing, but big into horses and riding,” Kingsland Bay Stables welcomes both young and old alike. They also teach trail riding and have trail courses in the fields and woods for use by students.

         While the focus is and always will be on individual focus and attention, Kelli is excited to see where the new indoor facility takes her students, her programs and her horses. As you enter Kingsland Bay Stables there is a sign on the wall that immediately focuses the visitor to where the attention is placed. ‘Horses have the legal right of way on Vermont Roads’ states the sign and quotes Vermont law T231127 for proof. At Kingsland Bay Stables, as it was since she was eight, Kelli Cole is sharing a dream and a passion with now her second generation of students. She has and never will grow out of that bond that began when she was young and continues to define her life and focus today. So, call her at (802)-877-6914, or better yet, take a turn off Route Seven and drive on down to her stables, near the entrance to Kingsland Bay State Park. You will be glad you did!

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