Weston Woman Seeks To Create Retreat

At Foxview Farm

By Andrew Gorosko

A Weston woman says she is seeking to establish a retreat for spiritual renewal at Foxview Farm at 25 Hundred Acres Road, which would be aimed at enhancing participants’ self-reliance and interconnectedness with others.

Equestrian Jane Strong wants to establish a retreat, which would be known as Equinox Farm, at the 75-acre farm situated on rolling hillsides in the heart of local horse country.

Foxview Farm owner Judith Holmes last month received Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approval to subdivide 72 acres at the farm into 18 residential building lots, 15 of which would contain new houses.

Ms Strong said her proposal for Equinox Farm would be an alternative to developing the property as a subdivision with new homes, thus allowing the site to remain in an essentially equine use.

Ms Strong is seeking to combine private and public funding for such a venture, which would involve acquiring the property. Ms Strong said she has discussed the retreat proposal with Robert Holmes, who is Judith Holmes’ husband.

In a statement, Ms Strong said Equinox Farm would teach people through “experiential” learning with horses in a farm setting. Participants would be trained in how to reconnect to their intuition, how to clarify their intentions, how to express their intentions, how to communicate well, and how to develop a sense of reverence and stewardship for the natural world, she said.

Ms Strong said that a retreat would offer workshops to enhance people’s “emotional fitness skills” and quality of life by working with horses and with the key elements of a farm environment.

A retreat would offer instruction for teenagers, young women, cancer survivors, people in positions of power, and people in transitional periods, she said. It also would involve therapeutic horseback riding.

The Newtown Bridle Lands Association (NBLA) will sponsor a session at which Ms Strong will discuss “The Way of The Horse,” a talk on how people can develop their intuition, increase their mind-body awareness, and develop better emotional balance. The session, which is open to the general public, is slated for Tuesday, November 16, at 7:30 pm at the Newtown Meeting House, lower level, at 31 Main Street.

In the talk, Ms Strong said she will explain how people can enhance personal and professional relationships, reduce stress, and clarify their intentions. Ms Strong also is expected to discuss her Equinox Farm proposal at that session.

When the P&Z approved the Foxview Farm Estates subdivision on October 21, it required that the developer blaze an equestrian trail across the property, with trail easements to be deeded to the NBLA. The development application had drawn scrutiny from members of the local equestrian community, which has boarded horses in stables at the farm for many years and has held equestrian events there.