By Steven Hoffman
Staff Writer

Megan D’Amico’s love of horses serves as the foundation for the Spur Run Farm. 

D’Amico first began riding horses when she was 10 years old, and she hasn’t stopped riding, training, and caring for them ever since. Today, at her farm on Flint Hill Road in Landenberg, Megan trains and sells hunter ponies, utilizing her experience and a love of horses to spread joy to others who want to interact with the beautiful equines.

Megan grew up in the Harrisburg area. She can recall wanting a horse at a very early age. Her mother insisted that if she were going to get a horse, she would need to learn how to ride properly first. As soon as Megan rode her first horse, she knew that she had a real connection to the majestic animals.

“I always loved horses,” Megan said. “It was such a big passion of mine. I would choose to ride horses over trying any other sport.”

While she was growing up, Megan loved to compete in horse shows. She also enjoyed training and caring for them. She majored in equine science at Delaware Valley College, and when it became time for Megan to start her career, she opened the Spur Run Farm in Landenberg. The community offered a peaceful setting for a small farm, and there was already a large horse community in place. One of Megan’s goals was to help others discover the same love of horses that she had. Her farm quickly became a perfect place for children and adults to interact with a horse or a pony to determine the right fit for them.

The Spur Run Farm sells horses of various breeds, all of them high-quality. Many of the ponies are award-winning champions in East Coast competitions like the Swan Lake and Capital Challenge.

When a new pony arrives at the farm, Megan begins to evaluate how much training it will need in order to be ready to be sold to a new owner. Some ponies only need a few weeks of training, while others will need much more.

Megan takes pride in the level of care that is provided to the horses. She is very selective about the breeds of horses that are sold on the farm, and if she doesn’t have a particular breed that a person is looking for, she will try to get it for that person.

One of the things that she enjoys about the farm is pairing up a horse or pony with the right adult or child. Because of her experience, she is very good at making sure that the rider and a pony are a good match for each other, based on things like temperament and experience.

Running a farm takes a high level of commitment, but Megan said that she loves it.

“It is a lot of work, and there is always something that needs to be done,” she said.

It helps that Megan’s daughter, Tiara, shares the love of horses. Tiara has shown horses all over the East Coast and Lexington, Kentucky. Like her mother, she is a natural rider.

Megan joked that her daughter loves horses so much that she keeps claiming new horses as her own—which is a problem, of course, since Spur Run Farm is in the business of selling them.

Megan said that the farm focuses very much on the quality of the horses, rather than the quantity. She also would like to offer a small riding program in the future. It’s another way for her to help others enjoy horses.

Megan’s farm is the perfect place to do that. Landenberg is an equestrian paradise.

“Chester County is huge for horses,” Megan said. “And I love Landenberg. It’s out in the country, and there’s plenty of farms, but you’re still close enough to things.”

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email [email protected].