Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2017 | Page 85

Equestrian Family equestrian business is riding high! A family-owned equestrian business has certainly galloped along since it was bought as farmland back in 2005. Initially, the Norris family installed an American barn housing four stables for their personal use – but 10 years on and having gained permission for commercial development, Kingates Equestrian now has 21 stables following its latest major expansion. Business has grown massively and according to Dawn Norris, the latest stable development has cleared the waiting list that had been in place for the past couple of years. The set up is run by Dawn and Mike who have put in many hours of hard graft all year round and lots of reinvestment. Dawn, a BHSAI & UKCC 2 accredited professional coach, was formerly a freelance rider and instructor travelling around the Island before setting up at Kingates Equestrian. She is assisted by her mum Sonia Norris and Ellen Tosdevin, who holds her BHS level 3 qualification in Riding and Horse Care. She says Kingates Equestrian has literally been built from scratch, with most of the construction work being undertaken by her father John Norris, brother Wayne and more recently, her fiancé Mike Hanley. “We pride ourselves on delivering an excellent service to owners and their horses” says Dawn, “and to date have never had a customer leave the yard for any other reason than relocation off the Island!” Kingates offers a full range of Inclusive full livery and training services to suit owners’ requirements and pr