A Stable Visit with Kent Farrington Presented by Rolex

It was a crisp Thursday morning and WE were greeted by neatly groomed chauffeurs, Rolex representatives, and a staff dressed to the nines at Kent Farrington’s 13-acre custom built barn in Palm Beach Point, a gated subdivision of Wellington, Florida. Though barns of this caliber are not out of the ordinary in the backdrop of Wellington, Florida, the Winter Equestrian Capitol of the World, it was a rarity that the media was allowed a glimpse behind the scenes at a barn that is run by the Top-Ranked United States Show Jumper and Number Two Ranked Show Jumper in the World.

Farrington chose the area of Palm Beach Point years before it grew into the booming gated subdivision it is today. He explained that it was “far enough away that it feels quiet, but close enough to the show” to not create an inconvenience. Farrington decided to design the barn from scratch, from his own knowledge of how a barn operates and functions on a daily basis. He explained that he wanted what was best for not only his horses, but for his staff as well. He compares his team to “A Formula One Team”, he says they’re like “having a pit crew” and he puts extreme emphasis on “always being organized”. Also keeping safety in mind, he explained that you would not find any hay or shavings in the same building as the horses.

Everything about the barn was impeccably organized, from what Farrington referred to as “his own tack store” of a bit closet, down to the cleaned, labeled tack for each of his horses. He explained that the purpose for the overwhelming amount of bits was that he wanted to have one of every kind on hand for every situation or horse, never having to worry about being without. Each of the 20 horses housed at his stable has its own saddle, one show bridle, one working bridle, its own boots, and even its own labeled bin for traveling which holds shipping necessities for when they travel.

WE had the opportunity to meet Farrington’s top mount, Voyeur, or “Froggy” as Farrington calls him. “I call him ‘Froggy’ because when he first arrived, his eyes were so big, he looked like a tree frog,” he said candidly while posing for photos in front of the infamous Rolex time clock. It was obvious that Farrington had a true relationship with Voyeur, as they posed for photos, Voyeur showed nothing but affection for the accomplished rider. Farrington expressed his gratitude for being a part of the Rolex team, as Rolex has been in the equestrian industry for over 50 years and hosts a plethora of top-ranked events around the world. He sported a Rolex baseball hat and his perfectly dragged area boasted three beautifully painted jumps with the signature green and gold Rolex colors.

Farrington attributes the successes he has experienced in his career to never giving up being a student. “I think anybody that really excels in a sport or a field is always a student, because they are always looking to improve. One thing that is unique to our sport is that you can do it for a long time,” he said. “You must continue to work as hard as you did before, like Ian Miller, who still works just as hard as he did 20 years ago.”

His advice to aspiring beginners and young riders? Three things:

1. Resilience. You must be able to ride out the down times, because this sport has a lot of factors you can’t control.

2. Surround yourself with the best people. An amazing team will make all the difference.

3. Don’t forget the hard work and the rules you followed to get where you are and do not give them up. Fundamentals are key, and you must keep striving to improve, to learn, and to be a true student, no matter your level.

 

For more photos of our visit, click A Stable Visit with Kent Farrington 

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Written by Cat Allen, Editing Contributor to Wellington Elite

Photos by ©Hillary Oswald