ABOUT US

The owners of Wildwood Farm, Gregg Lanza and Heather Carder, made Wildwood Farm their home starting in 2002 and had a vision of creating a Center for Horsemanship on Whidbey Island. For the first few years they brought in clinicians from all over the world to teach and educate the riders in the area while they focused on their sport horse breeding program. With the economic downfall in the 2006-2008 time period they adjusted their focus to bring in more local trainers and welcomed the DesFountain training team in 2010 and Boyer Dressage in 2016. Through these trainers they met  Nola Butler who had a very successful teaching and lesson program in Snohomish County, and she was asked to help manage the Pacific NW Riding Academy at Wildwood Farm as a way for Heather & Gregg to share their love and commitment to horses with the local community.

With the goal of offering a variety of experiences – from admiring them from afar to up close with a grooming or riding session – they created programs that would assure this goal could be met. Today we offer so many ways to be involved with horses: from a B&B stay that offers pastoral views of the horses in their fields; leisurely trail rides that offer the beautiful views and terrain of the farm; riding lessons and instruction that offer an educational option; boarding and training options for the horse owner; leasing programs for those that want the horse-owning experience without the responsibility of an actual purchase; events and workshops that utilize the connection between horse and human; to a retail experience at Noble Horse Gallery, located on the property, that offers gifts, apparel and vintage/antique items that celebrate the horse.