PHOTO : WIB MIDDLETON
Greener Pastures
The eco-friendly design of Wyndham Oaks II
By Jane Thery
If you take a little road trip in Montgomery County ’ s Agricultural Reserve and drive slowly along Moore Road between Peachtree and Bucklodge Roads , you just might catch a glimpse of Wyndham Oaks II through the trees . On this rolling , beautifully designed horse farm you ’ ll find horses grazing in pastures with dark fences , small barns with green roofs , trees and waterways . The land was first farmed by European settlers as a dairy operation , then as corn and soybean fields . Its conversion to a modern “ green ” horse farm began when Lori Larson , owner of the original Wyndham Oaks , a large , successful horse farm on Bucklodge Road , purchased the fifty-five acres . Her concept was to take an environmentally sensitive design approach to first-rate care of horses living in open pastures that would also provide a wonderful place for owners and riders to enjoy them .
The farm ’ s overall plan takes into account the best science for horse health and protection of the natural environment . With its careful site planning , water runoff is filtered through healthy pastures and stream areas with natural vegetation . Small ponds slow the water down and provide wildlife habitat . An added advantage to this design approach is that healthy soils , pastures and woodlots are great for carbon fixing . And the farm is home to plentiful wildlife and native plants .
The overall design for Wyndham Oaks II is the vision of preeminent stable architect John Blackburn . It features a decentralized horse farm of small barns with stalls connected to 4 to 5-acre pastures . This allows small herds of horses to have access to pasture and their own barn right in their pasture , creating a quiet environment without having to move the horses into a central large barn during inclement weather or for
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