Block Name: “Horse Over the Barn Door”
Host Name: Steven & Amy Brackenridge
Address: 1445 Carmel Line, Cavan Monaghan, Ontario L0A 1G0
The “Horse over the Barn Door” is an original design by Debra Jackson in the style of a foundation paper pieced block design.
The primary motif is a horse that reminds property owner Steve Brackenridge of his grandfather Ernest’s passion for Belgians, Clydesdales and Percherons.
This property has long been in the Brackenridge family, and Steven recalls his father’s tales of being sent to bring in the always crafty and elusive horses from the pasture and nearby woods.
Bordering the subject are stalks of wheat that record the long history of growing grain on what the Brackenridge family maintains is some of the best farmland in the township. Ernest, Steve says, was always proud of the wheat he grew, and rightly so. The Belgian horses that Ernest Brackenridge owned were used in the sugar bush on the farm right up until 1988. Nowadays, while maple syrup is still produced on the farm, Steve concedes that the horses he owns are pets. However, wheat is still a vital part of the crop rotation on what the family proudly claims is probably “the best dirt” around; well drained and sandy.
The Brackenridge family, originally from Ayeshire in Scotland, settled first in the Keene area, then Westwood and Wallace Point in South Monaghan before purchasing a 300 acre farm west of Bailieboro in 1918 on what is now the Carmel Line. Steve Brackenridge bought his grandfather’s farm from his own dad, David, in 2009. He also owns and operates Squirrel Creek Farm and serves as Provincial Director of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, representing Durham, Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes-Haliburton.
Block designed by Debra Jackson, Bonnie McQuarrie, Kate DeKlerck.
Block painted by Jeanne Moran, Maya deMaria.
Barn Quilt Trail Etiquette:
Please Respect Private Property. Most quilt blocks are installed on private property and should be viewed from the road.
Please do not trespass. In some cases - only where clearly indicated - the barn quilt may be located on a business and the property may be open to the public.
Please drive carefully. Stopping along busy roads can be dangerous and illegal. Use caution when slowing or stopping near a site
