“Refine and develop your skills with a master”
5 Day Developing and Refining Fundamental Dressage Skills Riding Package in Merrimac, Massachusetts
Sons of the Wind Farm - School of Equestrian Arts 84 Birch Meadow Road, Merrimac, 01860 Massachusetts, USA
USA Dressage Program
For an optimum riding and learning experience, Sons of the Wind Farm offers this FIVE-day instructional riding package. This riding package includes multiple instructional rides per day conducted by Master Vitor Silva and private overnight accommodations at the exquisite guest house. The five-day riding package is designed to continue developing and refining fundamental skills.
Key Information
- Rider Weight Limit: 185 pounds / 83 kilograms
- Tack Type: Dressage Saddle
- Horse Breed: Lusitano
Meet the instructors
Vitor
Read more
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Highlights
- 10 Dressage training sessions
- Individual skills and expertise assessment
- Be trained by an internationally known master
- A full kitchen for guests to prepare meals
- Daily breakfast is included
- 4 nights accommodation
Styles
5 days with instruction
Airport transfer available:
Logan International Airport (US$100 per person)
Logan International Airport (US$100 per person)
Airport transfer available:
Palm Beach International Airport (US$50 per person)
Palm Beach International Airport (US$50 per person)
Accommodation
Facilities
- Gym
- Barbeque facilities
- Dining area
- Kitchen
- Lounge
- Free parking
- Free Wi-Fi
- Meeting room
Guesthouse
Down a narrow dirt road in a small New England town, through iron gates, you are transported to a magical place that is reminiscent of the European countryside. Sons of the Wind Farm is a picture-perfect view of 28 acres of rolling hills, 200 acres of adjacent conservation land, immaculate barns, arenas and pastures, and a magnificent Baroque-style guesthouse.
The Sons of the Wind guesthouse is comprised of four well-appointed guest rooms, a gym, a master suite, an apartment, a state of the art kitchen, and numerous sitting areas both inside and out. All rooms have stunning views of the farm and are tastefully decorated in European style. The Baroque style guesthouse provides a calm, peaceful, and comfortable ambiance, allowing visitors to feel relaxed and focused on their training sessions. Sons of the Wind is a one of a kind, unique European classical dressage experience!
Guest Amenities
- Guest-friendly 5,800 square foot Baroque style house where all guests can quickly and easily “make themselves at home”.
- Several sitting areas that are airy, bright, welcoming, and warm where anyone at any time can relax in a casual and comfortable environment.
- Four well-appointed and comfortable European style single and double guest rooms all located on one floor.
- Two modern full baths that are easily accessible from the bedrooms with an additional full bathroom nearby.
- Full modern kitchen with all amenities and cooking necessities which will satisfy the culinary needs of any chef.
- Media and multiple lounging rooms with luxuriously comfortable furniture for those post-ride reflective moments where you can be by yourself or share your unique experiences with other guests.
- Wi-Fi throughout the house including all bedrooms, common areas, and the patio.
- Fitness center and work out room with a variety of equipment to help you stay in shape.
- Large outdoor patio for grilling, relaxing, enjoying the grazing Lusitanos, watching the fountain, or viewing a memorable sunset as well as experiencing an occasional rainbow.
- The farm has 28 acres of well-groomed equestrian grounds, equipment, arenas, and stables and abuts over 200 acres of town forest and conservation land with a trail system creating a tranquil, peaceful, serene environment. This is a hidden gem that is only 45 minutes from Boston and conveniently located just off several major highways.
- A fountain is centrally located on the property and the surrounding buildings re-create the ambiance of a small European village with easy access to the arenas, barns, an old Tack Shop now used for supplies, the former snack bar, the viewing area, and short walks to turnout areas, a round pen, and horse exercise equipment. With a few short steps, a guest can quickly transition from the fountain area into a full-working horse farm to start their riding lesson or just enjoy all the activities of the farm.
Onsite Equestrian Fitness Center Amenities
- Spinning bike
- Elliptical-stepper machine with heart rate monitor
- Treadmill with incline and heart rate monitor
- Free weights and circuit weight equipment
- TV and videos for routine-based workout also available
- Available 24 hours a day, every day
Rider and Student Amenities
- All lessons and instruction will personally be conducted by the Master, Vitor Silva.
- A library of approximately 50 horses and Schoolmasters managed and trained by Vitor Silva.
- Progressive learning environment for building a good foundation of classical equestrian art.
- Professional and skilled staff for grooming and caring for your horse in clean, well-maintained stables.
- A large indoor arena (178′ X 70′) with full kickboards, mirrors, and is well-heated for winter instruction and training.
- Spacious viewing area annexed to the indoor arena for viewing lessons and special events.
- A former snack bar that now serves as a meeting room or an informal gathering area to discuss lessons and personal experiences with other riders and guests. This room has kitchen facilities and is adjacent to the viewing area.
- A large outdoor arena with a separate jumping area and regulation-size dressage arena (100′ X 240′).
- Each arena has full German Geo Textile (GGT) footing and is maintained daily. GGT is a dust-free footing that offers remarkable cushion and traction, does not contain any toxic or hazardous substances, and is the footing of choice by many international and prestigious dressage arenas.
- Conveniently located restrooms throughout the facilities.
- Several golf carts are available to help guests facilitate transportation needs.
- Panoramic views of the farm from many vantage points where you can enjoy the tranquil Merrimac and New England countryside during all four seasons.
Horse and Boarder Amenities
- Eighty matted, well-ventilated stalls divided into six separate barns with some stalls as large as 12 x 12.
- Each barn has an independent heated tack room and a grooming area.
- The facilities have a 64-foot diameter covered round pen.
- Stalls are maintained and cleaned thoroughly every day. A full-time staff meticulously cleans all barn and arena areas on a regular basis, including fly control treatments.
- Six horse wash bay areas.
- Twenty-two individual or partner Paddocks for daily turnout.
- Convenient scheduling for Farm Vet and Farrier visits and consultations.
- TheraPlate™ Treatment: To help your horse with minor rehabilitation through a body vibratory system for relaxing muscles and relieving minor aches and pains. The TheraPlate™ is also used to assist in warm-ups and cooldowns.
- Kraft™ six-horse walker is available for exercising your horse with controlled walking or trotting.
- Equine Treadmill
- Daily Turn Out 3-4 hrs/day (weather permitting),
- Four feedings per day.
- Blue Seal Feeds and Timothy Hay are the primary choices for quality and health.
- Quality supplements daily (provided by farm personnel).
- Storage area for trunks.
- Farm and management personnel are on the property 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a security gate that is closed during the evening hours.
Program
Individual Training
By engaging the guidance of a Master, a rider will gain a proper grounding in the movements of Classical Dressage as the means for a more rapid progression through the levels. After an initial assessment of your riding skills and a candid discussion of your goals, Vitor will customize a training program designed specifically for your skill level and riding objectives.
Considering your time and monetary investments, a training regimen will be created uniquely for you. For local area riders, a weekly riding program can be conveniently scheduled. For out-of-the-area riders, a monthly program can be established whereby a serious rider can reserve their time at the guest house. For more information about these setups, please send Sons of the Wind an inquiry.
Group Training
Group classes are conducted when it is beneficial for the riders or if riders come in pairs or groups. Group lessons are tailored to the goals of each rider just as with an individual lesson. Even though a rider is part of a group, each rider is still treated as an individual and will experience individual instruction during the program.
Depending upon the size of the group, a group lesson will last much longer than an individual lesson as each rider will receive approximately the same amount of individual attention as they would during an individual lesson.
Riding Levels
During a rider’s first lesson at Sons of the Wind Farm, Vitor assesses the individual's skills and expertise to appropriately place the individual in one of the following categories:
- Intro Riding Level
Explore the possibilities of classical riding. Students new to classical training will experience developing the seat and the aids through lunge and long-line lessons. Vitor will also demonstrate the process of work in hand and the schooling of upper-level horses.
- Professional Riding Level
This level is an intensive program for upper-level riders and trainers. Students will experience the process of working with and training the upper-level horses. This package also includes the study of work in hand and long lining as well as parallel to the work under saddle.
- Competitive Riding Level
This level includes a complete evaluation of the rider from the lunge up through the levels. Each rider can expect a complete study of the preparation and precision necessary for successful competition experiences at any level.
Each class is conducted using the finely trained schoolmasters or on the horse you decide to bring. Rider fees are the same for both individual and group programs.
Dressage School and Training
Sons of the Wind Farm was established in the fall of 1997 by Portugal’s Vitor J. Silva, an internationally known Master. Located in the rolling hills of Merrimac, Massachusetts in scenic New England, the School of Equestrian Arts provides every rider a venue in which to expand their abilities in a progressive manner on equine schoolmasters, many of which perform to the Grand Prix level.
With his passion for classical dressage, Vitor Silva shares his intuitive horsemanship and his finely trained Lusitano schoolmasters with students from amateur enthusiasts to instructors to competitive riders, who come to the Sons of the Wind Farm from across the United States and represent a diverse range of interests and riding disciplines.
Sons of the Wind Farm is a European Classical Dressage School providing a rider the opportunity to experience and understand the correctness of all the movements of classical dressage. The school offers expert training and schooling to horses and riders of all levels.
Sons of the Wind also operates a full-service breeding facility in Brazil for the talented Lusitano breed as it is very important for the growth of the school to keep training horses that are great mounts and prospects for lessons. For the serious rider who is ready to commit to a Lusitano partner, the farm has horses for sale that have been specially prepared and trained in Brazil under Vitor’s guidance and instruction.
Sons of the Wind Schoolmasters
Vitor Silva is a native of Portugal; his studies combined with his great passion for horses, helped him develop remarkable ability and finesse in communicating with his equine partners with the aim of becoming living art in motion. Vitor is a master trainer who has the ability to carefully select and train the “library” of talented schoolmasters that are available at Sons of the Wind School of Equestrian Art.
Without using any shortcuts in his training methods, he devotes many hundreds of hours to each Lusitano so that it achieves the highest level of training.
- Zodiaco - Chestnut Stallion, 2004
Zodiaco is a fiery red stallion schooled through the FEI levels with the talent and training to teach visitors with aspirations to ride at the higher levels.
- Zico - Gray Gelding, 2004
Zico is a steady gelding that teaches rhythm, consistency, and use of seat for riders of all levels.
- Quando - Gray Stallion, 1997
Quando is the prince of the barn with his flowing mane and kind eye. From piaffing on a piano during performances to teaching riders how to feel the upper-level movements on the long lines, Quando has the ability to teach riders the Spanish walk, Spanish trot, piaffe, and passage.
- Rivoli - Chestnut Stallion, 1998
Rivoli, an animated chestnut stallion is one of the farm's performance horses that can teach all levels of riders from beginner through advanced.
- Viscoso - Cremello Gelding, 2002
Viscoso is a beautiful mover with an incredible work ethic. Viscoso is a horse that can help riders accomplish their first lead changes or help more experienced riders work on their tempi changes.
- Amoroso - Black Gelding, 2005
Amoroso is an honest, kind-hearted horse that can take riders from the lunge line to independent riding and working on lead changes and piaffe.
- Xairel - Gray Gelding, 2003
Xairel is trained through Grand Prix and is a sensitive and talented horse who has performed with Vitor around the country. Xairel is a horse able to teach the most advanced students wanting to work on their timing and feel of the upper-level movements.
Instructors
Vitor Silva
With his passion for classical dressage, Vitor shares his intuitive horsemanship and his Lusitano schoolmasters with students that include amateur enthusiasts, instructors, and competitive riders. Desiring to share his passion and knowledge, Vitor conducts many clinics and forums as well as touring all over the United States to teach and perform in a variety of venues that include universities such as Cornell and the University of Iowa, numerous prominent equine expositions and fairs, and many prestigious private barns and farms, as well as Equitana USA and Equine Affaire.
Location
The Sons of the Wind Farm is situated within beautiful rolling hill valleys and includes six barns housing talented schoolmasters, large indoor and outdoor arenas, a busy staff of professional horsemen, a large Baroque-style home, and more.
Features
Activities
- Gym
- Horse riding
General
- Barbeque facilities
- Dining area
- Kitchen
- Lounge
- Patio
Services
- Free Wi-Fi
- Meeting room
- Parking lot
Food
Daily breakfast is included. Lunches and dinners will be on your own; there is a full kitchen for you to prepare meals.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
Things to do (optional)
In addition to Sons of the Wind Farm, the New England area offers a variety of activities to take part in. Local area attractions include Professional sports teams like the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins, theatre and opera in nearby Boston, Manchester NH, Concord NH, and Portland ME, art and science museums, antique shops, outlet malls, fine dining, unique boutique shops in Portsmouth NH, Newburyport MA, Newbury Street in Boston, local area college sports, art, music, theatre, and lecture events, craft fairs, and many other local area activities while staying in unique country inns or bed and breakfast lodges located in quaint small towns throughout the area. There is a venue that will satisfy anyone’s interests!
What's included
- 10 Dressage training sessions
- Daily breakfast
- 4 nights accommodation
What's not included
- Lunches and dinners
- Airport transfers
- Airfare
- Personal expenses
How to get there
Recommended Airports
BOS
Logan International Airport
52 km
Transfer available for additional US$100 per person
PBI
Palm Beach International Airport
1975 km
Transfer available for additional US$50 per person
Arrival by airplane
Pleasea arrange your flight to arrive at Logan International Airport (BOS) or Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). Transfers from these airports are not yet included but are available at additional costs.
Arrival at the farm
As you pass through the iron gates of Sons of the Wind Farm and take in the beauty of the stone walls, rolling hills, and majestic horses, there is a sense of the old world. The European style riding school is situated in a valley on 28 acres of scenic New England rolling hills and is adjacent to 200 acres of conservation land making for a beautiful and peaceful farm. As you reach the top of the driveway, you will come to a large Baroque-style home.
If you arrive during the daylight hours, Vitor is most likely in the barn or in the arena. On the path down the driveway toward the fountain area, you can capture a magnificent view of the rolling hills and several beautiful Lusitanos either playing or grazing in the pastures. Conveniently park in the fountain area where you’ll see a large barn, an old renovated tack shop and a former snack bar.
Enjoy a walk to the snack bar and upon entering, turn right, and move to the arena’s viewing area. You’ll potentially find Vitor conducting a class or practicing a routine with his Schoolmasters, a quick preview of your training for the next few days. If Vitor is conducting a class or practicing a routine, please feel free to watch for a while and be both entertained and intrigued by the graceful movements of the Lusitanos and a rider practicing their lesson.
Further, take a walk around the grounds to explore all the special features of this full working horse farm, picture-perfect views, 80 stalls in 6 barns that house 50 amazing well-trained horses, a busy staff of professional horsemen attending to these horses with meticulous care, and all featured amenities you’ll enjoy while creating your fulfilling classical dressage experience.
Airport: Logan International Airport
Airport transfer available:
Logan International Airport (US$100 per person)
Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.
Airport: Palm Beach International Airport
Airport transfer available:
Palm Beach International Airport (US$50 per person)
Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.
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