The Work We Do: Kate Nickles, The Little Red Barn

I’m Kate Nickles and I own the Little Red Barn here in Jamesport. We have lessons for children. We teach ages 3 and up here. We also have birthday parties on and off the premises, we do pony rides and we have summer camps, which are really great for ages 5 and up. In the summer camps we have little baby goats, we have a mama donkey this year with a little baby donkey. We also have a set of miniature ponies that pull a cart. We have a little baby pig that does belly rubs back there. So they get a little bit of everything here, not just horses.

We like to have a little of everything for the children to have a nice unique experience. Basically our farm is a very beginner farm, although we do take them up through advanced. It’s a nice place for them to learn and to have hands-on and riding experiences as well. 

We have different brushes and a variety of bows and ribbons. Most little girls love, and boys, love to put different ribbons and different colors on their manes and tails and make the horses and ponies look really beautiful before the parents and grandparents take their pictures. 

We have children that come from all over. Particularly this summer, we had some children from the U.K. It’s very family-friendly here. 

People can sit at the picnic tables, they can relax, they can bring food and drinks. It’s very relaxing here on this beautiful 40-acre farm, where people can just get away from everything and just spend some time with their kids and their grandchildren. The farm also has a little bit of history to it. The barn was once where the Greenport carousel used to reside. When it went up for sale, I purchased it and had a builder I know take it apart and put it back together here.

Probably the most rewarding thing is when I have a parent tell me: “These are the most amazing memories,” “Your place is magical.” This is a very special place. After all, what good is it to be by yourself on this beautiful property of 40 acres and looking around and not being able to share it with anyone? I wanted to share it with everyone.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town. It is made possible by Peconic Landing in Greenport. See more photos on Instagram @riverheadnewsreview.