Wheatland Equestrian (Image Credit: Wheatland Equestrian)
In 1999, Mark and Muriel Forrest established the Faith & Family Foundation, laying the groundwork for what would become Wheatland Equestrian in Virginia. The Forrests founded the Faith & Family Foundation in 1999, drawing on their own family experiences and Muriel’s background with horses, according to Wheatland Equestrian. The organisation’s current programme has earned recognition as a USEF Para-Dressage Center of Excellence, while its former 43-acre Wheatland Farm property is being listed for approximately $8.4 million.
What began as a family’s search for meaningful opportunities for children with disabilities eventually grew into a nationally recognised equestrian programme. Their idea was built around a simple principle: riders with disabilities should have access to the same quality of coaching, competition and community as other riders. Over the years, the programme expanded from a small family-centred operation into an inclusive equestrian organisation serving riders with and without disabilities. Now, the historic property where that mission grew is taking on a different role, as its real estate value will support the organisation’s long-term future. The Forrests’ motivation came partly from seeing how few sports and recreational opportunities were available to families raising children with disabilities. Muriel, who grew up with horses in Ireland, saw the physical, emotional and confidence-building benefits riding could provide. Wheatland Equestrian was created to bring families together rather than separating riders by ability. Its programme combines therapeutic riding, adapted riding, para-dressage and traditional equestrian training. Riders with disabilities, their siblings and non-disabled members of the community can train alongside one another.
Turning property value into future services
The 43-acre farm that once provided the physical setting for Wheatland Equestrian’s growth is now being positioned as a financial asset for its next chapter. But for the Forrests and the Faith & Family Foundation, the property’s next chapter is intended to continue the same broader mission that began in 1999: creating opportunities, community and support for people with disabilities and their families.
The organisation has already moved to a new campus in Upperville, which it says is open and accepting students from Northern Virginia, Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area. The sale is intended to convert the former campus’s value into resources for the Faith & Family Foundation, according to Crexi. The decision to sell does not represent an end to Wheatland Equestrian’s work. The organisation sees the property as an appreciated asset that can provide an endowment and help support services for children and adults with disabilities and their families over the long term. That makes the sale more than a conventional real-estate transaction. Instead of keeping the organisation tied to a property that could limit future expansion, the proceeds can help sustain and potentially broaden its programmes. The farm’s next owner may use its arenas, barns, historic buildings and acreage for an entirely different purpose.