When Kathy Ellerbeck, owner of Northwest Austin horse farm Tri-Star Farm, saw the property it is located on for lease in early 2018, she knew she had to act fast. “I was so excited I couldn’t sleep,” she said. The farm, located at 6648 Spicewood Springs Road, Austin, is owned by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and is where Ellerbeck got her first job in high school. When she secured the lease in January 2018, Ellerbeck had already spent over a decade operating a horse farm with classes and camps in Round Rock. Tri-Star’s Northwest Austin location, however, has given her the chance to expand her reach throughout the Austin area, she said. “I remember my childhood being here, and this location is just wonderful,” she said. Now one year in to the lease, Ellerbeck said she has no trouble maintaining clientele, whether they are children attending summer camp, boarders looking for a place to keep their horses or adults hoping to find refuge from a hectic schedule. Ellerbeck said her programs include everything from communicating with horses and brushing and cleaning them to setting up their saddles, bits and reins properly. For riders who choose to enter shows, she said she helps them prepare by having them spend as much time as possible with a horse and building a connection. “I love parts of the competition where it’s more about how well you communicate with your horse versus how much money did you spend on your horse,” Ellerbeck said. “... I don’t like the kind of place where you go buy something that’s really expensive, they train it and the trainer rides it all week and then you plop on there at the beginning of a show.” For Ellerbeck, whether a rider is competing or not, learning to ride is about the process and the opportunity to get out of a daily routine. “[Horseback riding] teaches [riders] a little bit more about themselves and life and what’s important,” she said. “We certainly weren’t put here to just work all day. Let’s be outside, and let’s enjoy ourselves.”

Tri-Star Farm

6648 Spicewood Springs Road, Austin 512-775-7978 www.tristarfarm.com Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily