BRIDPORT, Vt. (WFFF) — In spite of the pandemic, one young woman set out to achieve her dream in her hometown of Bridport: operating her very own horse farm.
"My dad always said to me, don't let this crisis go to waste. Do something with it and make the most of it," said Anna Willenbaker.
The 24-year-old from Addison County followed her father's advice and opened "Better Days Ranch" in September alongside her fiancée. "Especially when we first got the place, we were here 80 hours a week," said Anna's fiancée, Bradley Gero.
Eighty hours and a 7,000-dollar price tag to repair stalls and fix fences and the fields, in addition to boarding, lessons, and training. "But being in it my whole life—rescuing horses when I was 12-years-old—I was ready for it," said Anna.
Anna says she was determined to provide what she calls a "happy place" for riders. "I said I'm going to start this year, and I'm going to go strong. And we started the year with around five lesson kids," said Anna. "We're up to 30."
She says her experiences as a student at Saint Michael's College ignited her passion for horses after taking a horses and healing course. Soon, she hopes to get her therapy certification in order to provide additional therapeutic services.
But Anna says she wouldn't be operating her indoor riding ring if it weren't for her friends, family and volunteers. "I come anywhere between one to three or four days," said 14-year-old volunteer Natalie Jackman.
Another finds solace in the aptly named Better Days Ranch. "It's very fun and social interaction really helps out," said 13-year-old Marianna Webb.
Anna's horse farm is a short, five-minute commute from home, where she operates an outdoor riding ring. But with help from the community, she is breathing life back into a decades-old farm.
"There are thousands of people that that farm has touched, and all those people have been reaching out and saying thank you for reviving my old childhood happy place," said Anna.
