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Meet William Durden of Owl Ridge Equestrian Center in Woodstock

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Today we’d like to introduce you to William Durden.

William, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started at the age of 14 when I realized I had a love for horses. My parents bought me my first horse who I had for a solid 20 years. He got me through my lessons and training when I went to the No. 1 Equestrian School in the country, Meridith Manor located in Waverly, WV after graduating high school.

After graduating from Meridith Manor, I moved out to California where I began my training career and eventually found myself back on the East Coast working in the Orlando, FL area. This is truly where my successes and my career took off. I was not only providing my knowledge and education on Training, Hunter/Jumper, and Dressage disciplines to my students, but I also had opportunities presented to me to where I competed riding the No. 1 horse in the country at that time.

After 10 years of being in FL, I relocated back to Georgia due to a head on collision car accident that put me in a place financially to where I could not sustain my business any longer. I did not own the facilities I worked at and knew that one day, I would have a facility of my own, I just didn’t know when that was going to happen.

In 2016, wanting to get back to having a facility on my own, I approached the owner of the equestrian center which just happened to touch the property of my parents farm (Berry Patch Farms) and asked if they would rent their facility to me. The response I received was not what I was anticipating. They explained to me that they would not rent the facility to me, but they would sell it to me. This was the beginning of Owl Ridge Equestrian Center and we opened our doors February 12, 2017.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I can honestly say becoming a farm owner, home owner (my house is on the same property of Owl Ridge), and a small business owner at the same time is completely different than renting a facility. The paperwork involved, making sure you have all the proper licensing, bank accounts set up, insurance policies, etc. was a little overwhelming at times. One of the things we were blessed with is there was already a customer base here at the facility and once we took over, we started to grow and we continue to grow even today. It’s very much an exciting thing to have happen and we feel extremely blessed.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Owl Ridge Equestrian Center is the complete equestrian sport facility package offering hunter/jumper and dressage lessons for all ages, boarding, therapeutic riding, birthday parties, horse camps, and much more!

Here at our facility we have a total of 17 stalls for boarding horses, 12 paddocks, a covered riding arena, an uncovered jumping arena, birthday party room, and a lounge for our customers to relax and view the lesson being given in a climate controlled room.

When it comes to what we are most proud of as a company, there is no other thing we are more proud of than to see our students achieve their goals and watch them succeed when they are competing. It really is the most satisfying and rewarding part of our job here. I really feel our customer base is what sets us apart from everyone else. Sure you can have a fancier horse, you can have a nicer trailer to haul your horse around from show to show, but at the end of the day, it’s the customer who matters and I really feel we have the best of the best with us here at Owl Ridge Equestrian Center.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up in Cherokee County, GA, I was a pretty active kid. I spent a lot of time in the hospital when I was diagnosed to Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma at the age of 12, but I remained positive through my chemo treatments and truly believed I was going to be ok. Since I finished my chemo treatments, I have been in remission the whole time.

I grew up on a pick-your-own blueberries, pumpkins, and Christmas tree farm my parents own and went to private school up to the 9th grade. It wasn’t until my freshman year in high school that I really started to come out of my shell. I felt I was very outgoing, I definitely focused on my horse riding lessons and worked at the equestrian facility down the street from the one I own now to help with the cost of lessons.

Pricing:

  • Hunter Jumper/Dressage Single Lessons: 30 minutes – $55, 1 hour – $75
  • Hunter Jumper/Dressage Package Lessons: Set of 4, 30 minute lessons: $200, Set of 8, 30 minute lessons: $400 + 2 free
  • Therapeutic Riding Lessons: 30 minute private – $65, 1 hour group lesson – $65, 1 hour private lesson – $75
  • Boarding: $750/month
  • Birthday Parties: 2.5 hours for up to 12 children: $500, 1.5 hours for up to 6 children: $350

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Richard Imbeault

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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