Full Text:

B Y B ILL B RASSARD, J R.

Bruce Travis grew up on a farm in Georgia and although he left it a long time

ago to pursue a career in business, that childhood experience made a strong

impression on him.

Mr Travis, who is 53, has climbed the corporate ladder and today is president

of Duracell North America, yet always in the back of his mind was a desire to

own a farm, and luckily his wife, Kimberly, shared that passion.

On July 1, the Travises became owners of Newtown's largest equestrian

facility, Norfield Farm. They have renamed it RedGate Farm and have many plans

for it.

On a vist to RedGate last Friday, both Mr and Mrs Travis, who are novice

pleasure riders and admittedly not horse people, were in the office answering

phones, taking hay orders, and discussing an endless list of items with their

new staff.

Mr Travis spent a week's vacation from Duracell working on farm matters and

seemed energized by the undertaking. "I've never had as much fun in my entire

life," he said. "The other morning I was here at 5:30 am and the other night

we were driving back home at 10 and we stopped to check on the horses. This is

really something we wanted to do."

The Travises paid $1.2 million for the farm and plan about $250,000 in

improvements. The facility's infrastructure is in good shape, they said, but

there are signs of wear and tear that need to be fixed.

Renovations will be made to all the buildings. There will be new fencing, a

security/sprinkler system, and new footing material put down in the indoor and

outdoor arenas. The show barn - the one nearest Poverty Hollow Road - will be

the first building to receive attention.

The most obvious change to passersby will be the re-siding of the buildings in

natural cedar. Cupolas will be added to the barns. "We want to bring it to a

new standard," said Mr Travis.

If the new owners have experience any frustrations so far, it's been finding

carpenters and other workmen to return their phone calls.

The Travises are a handsome couple who exude enthusiasm and seem to enjoy the

challenge of large business dealings. They are candid but choose their words

carefully.

Before purchasing RedGate, they visited working stables in Florida and

elsewhere. "Not knowing anything about horses, I did my due diligence as much

as I could," said Mr Travis, noting, "These are not batteries."

They have brought in a group of professionals to handle the farm's day-to-day

operations. Mrs Travis, the managing partner, will oversee the business.

RedGate

Sitting in the office, Mrs Travis noticed something out the window and said,

"The red gates are in!" She came up with the name RedGate Farm after

dismissing such pretentious suggestions as Ferrari Farm (Mr Travis owns a red

Ferrari) and Devonshire Farm."That's not the image we wanted to project," she

said.

Mr Travis is quick to point out that there will not be bright red gates

scattered throughout the property. "They will be discreet and in keeping with

the environment," he said.

The Travises understand the value of being a good neighbor, perhaps because

they are one themselves. They live on Stonewall Ridge Road near the farm, and

before long they will be even closer than that. In addition to purchasing the

41-acre property, they bought seven additional acres connected to RedGate and

plan to build a house there. "It was always our intention to build next to

whatever farm we bought," said Mr Travis.

The Travises lived in Redding before moving to Newtown six years ago. They

have three grown children - two daughters living in Dallas and a son in

Atlanta. "We have two grandchildren on the way," said Mrs Travis with a smile.

In addition to liking horses, the Travises are avid golfers and play at

Redding Country Club. At first their friends could hardly believe they "bought

the farm," but Mr Travis said, "They see how happy we are to have it and

support what we're doing because it makes us happy."

Open Space

RedGate Farm is the remaining agricultural parcel of land from a tract that,

according to Mr Travis, was once a dairy farm and then became the 400-acre

Lufkin Farm, where Arabian horses were bred.

When the Lufkin Farm was sold to the Newtown Development Company, the land was

subdivided for residential development and the farm was reduced in size. It

became Nimrod Farm and then Norfield Farm, which was owned by George Lauinger

who sold it to the Travises.

The Travises are advocates of open space preservation, and they realize what

the rolling meadows of RedGate Farm mean to the rural nature of the Poverty

Hollow area. "We heard there were developers looking at subdividing the land,"

said Mr Travis. "We're glad we could prevent that from happening. That's one

of our priorities, preserving the land. I wish we could create a consortium in

town to preserve open space."

The Travises consider RedGate Farm to be one of the jewels of horse farms in

the area. It has has three horse barns and approximately 70 stalls, several

outbuildings, a 100-by- 200-foot indoor arena with heated and air-conditioned

lounge (and fieldstone fireplace), plus a grand prix field and other riding

rings, a pond, and trails leading into Huntington State Park.

"There are not many of these farms left," said the Travises, who looked at

other horse properties, including Daybreak Farm in Westchester and stables in

Kentucky, before deciding on RedGate. It took a while to do the deal, though.

"There were some tough negotiations," they said.

Professionals

One of the first things the Travises did was find professionals to run a

diverse lesson and training program.

Two of the trainers come out of well-known show jumper Margie

Goldstein-Engle's stable in West Palm Beach, Fla. The jumper program will be

under the guidance of Ben Flynn, 29, who is a native of Freagh Castle,

Ireland, and has worked at stables in Germany and Kentucky. Mike Check, a

staffer for Goldstein-Engle for five years, will handle hunter, junior, and

children riders.

Scott Chipps, from Australia, will manage the lesson program for combined

training and dressage.

All three are certified British Horse Society instructors.

Mr Chipps, 45, was a candidate for the Australian Olympic squad on several

occasions. The Travises are considering building a cross-country course, which

would attract combined training clients.

Rose Crofutt, a manager, and Steve Heinecke, a trainer, will continue in their

duties at the farm, said Mr Travis.

In the future the Travises may consider purchasing a top-notch show horse such

as grand prix jumper, but for now improving the facility, attracting new

boarders, and building up the lesson programs are a priority.

Prospective boarders and lesson riders are welcome to come inspect the farm,

said the new owners.

"We want to make a beautiful facility and combine professionalism, `A' circuit

instruction, and local atmosphere. We don't want the pleasure rider to feel

second class," Mr Travis said.

The `A' circuit is where top-level riders and horses compete.

Some things won't change at RedGate. There still won't be any open horse shows

at the farm because of zoning regulations, but in-house shows for boarders are

allowed.

The Travises hope their renovations go well enough to have an open house

sometime in the fall.

Now, if they could only find a carpenter.