West Bloomfield residents Robin and Howard Schwartz recently connected in an unexpected and pleasant way, starting a new chapter in their lives.

Robin used to ride horses when he was young, but stopped riding in 35 years. Now, the 55-year-old recently decided to participate in this activity again. A few months later, Howard, a 65-year-old real estate agent and owner of Howard Schwartz Commercial Properties, received a call from a friend who thought he might be interested in Tristan Manor Farm, a horse farm in White Lake. Companies board the horse and conduct dressage training on site.

When the two saw this mountain, forest, and river property, they were fascinated. Within a week, they bought the property, renamed it Helin Farm, and planned to renovate it to turn it into an equestrian learning center, providing boarding services for horse owners, and planning to provide equestrian assisted learning for different groups .

The West Bloomfield couple look forward to turning White Lake Estate into a unique equestrian destination. (Photo courtesy of Alan Moffat)

Their goals for the first year as owners of the river forest farm were to renovate and expand the indoor and outdoor fields; replace the fences; and renovate the observation room. (Photo courtesy of Alan Moffat)

Helin Farm has 22 stalls for sending horses. (Photo courtesy of Alan Moffat)

When the two saw this mountain, forest, and river property, they were fascinated. (Photo courtesy of Alan Moffat)

"When we saw it, we immediately fell in love," Howard said. The property is a 9-minute drive from their home, with convenient transportation and far away from the main road. "It feels like it's in the north. It's only a mile and a half from the dairy queen," he joked.

But most importantly, the Schwartz family is very interested in health and rehabilitation, and the property will enable them to provide riders with a high-quality equestrian experience and some interesting programs. "We just bought our first therapeutic pony, Romy." Robin said that not only did he plan to add more horses-22 horses for boarding-but also plans to add smaller horses, such as ponies and Miniature horses, used for treatment planning. "They are not as scary as a big horse," she explained. "All treatments are done without installation." Some of the plans they are considering are corporate team building, 12-step recovery, serious illness, and goat yoga.

But first, the property needs some major renovations. Their goals for the first year as owners of the river forest farm were to renovate and expand the indoor and outdoor fields; replace the fences; and renovate the observation room. After these initial improvements, the new trail will be cut to 71 acres of newly acquired land next to the farm, which now has a total area of ​​110 acres.

"We are also studying alliances with trainers and therapists," Howard said. "This is a beautiful property, and we plan to turn it into a unique destination for equestrianism, team building, rehabilitation and rehabilitation."

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