Hello there! I’m Susan Corbett, and I’d love to tell you about our little corner of the racing world here in the North-East. It’s quite a journey we’ve been on, and honestly, sometimes I can hardly believe how far we’ve come.
I grew up in the small village of Burnopfield, and like most kids, I was absolutely horse-mad. Every Christmas I’d ask for a pony, and every year my mother would tell me it would never happen because “only rich people had ponies” and my dad worked at the factory – he didn’t own it! But you know what? Sometimes the best things come from the most unlikely places. My father was a spray painter, my grandad was a deputy in the local pit, and between the three of us, we got ourselves a paper round. They helped me deliver papers in all weather, and when I was thirteen, I finally had enough saved to buy my first pony – a little mare called Melka. That moment changed everything.
I trained as a teacher, but life has a funny way of taking you down unexpected paths. When I was looking for a job after college, I completely changed direction and ended up working for the Journal Newspaper for seventeen years, eventually becoming their advertising manager. It was a brilliant job, but when I met and married Frank and we had our two boys, Richard and Jamie, I was determined to find something that would let me stay at home with them.
That’s when the dream of having a stud farm was born. It all started back in 1999 when Frank and I had this mad idea to create something special – an affordable thoroughbred stud farm that Northern breeders could actually use without breaking the bank. We were probably a bit naive, but we had buckets of enthusiasm and a dream. Looking back now, I’m so glad we took that leap of faith.
What began as a simple stud farm has somehow transformed into this buzzing racing yard, and I have to pinch myself some days. We’ve got modern facilities now for both our National Hunt and Flat horses, but what I’m most proud of is that we’ve never lost that family feel we started with. And speaking of family, it’s stayed truly that way – our eldest son Richard works as a civil servant and does our website, while Jamie was our yard conditional jockey and is now my assistant trainer. Every morning when I walk into the yard, I still get that same excitement I had on day one with little Melka. The thing is, we’re not just about the horses – though goodness knows they’re the stars of the show! We’re about the people too. Our clients aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet; they’re part of our extended family. We love having them visit the yard, sharing a cup of tea and a chat about how their horses are getting on. Regular get-togethers have become a tradition, and honestly, some of my best friends are people who started as clients.
What you’ll find in these pages is the real, unvarnished story of stable life. The 5 AM starts, the muddy boots, the heart-stopping moments when your horse crosses the line first, and yes, the disappointments too. It’s the daily grind and the glorious highs, the staff who become like family, and the horses who steal your heart. This is our world, and I’m thrilled to share it with you.