by Cassidy Nunn | photos by Nunn Other Photography – 

Bonnie Brae Farm is situated in Central Saanich on close to 30 idyllic acres, and has a storied history dating back to the early 1900s. Although it’s now home to a large equestrian estate – including an indoor arena, 40-stall barn, large outdoor arena, paddocks and a hay field – the original 1911 farmhouse still stands on the property.

While the farm has been run as an equestrian centre for many years, since Bonnie Campbell and Frank Wright purchased the property in 2021 they’ve put in a lot of work to continue to expand and improve the facilities. Although Bonnie describes herself as an animal lover, and while she did some horseback riding while growing up, she laughs as she admits that she never really thought “Oh, one day we’ll own a farm!” But when her daughter Alison’s riding career began to take off, Bonnie and her husband Frank began to think more seriously about purchasing a farm. Brittney Eastgate of Eastgate Dressage had been coaching Alison for a few years and as Brittney’s coaching and training business was steadily growing, the need for an indoor arena to continue riding year-round became more apparent. Bonnie says she “really liked the environment had created” with a “good, committed group of parents and riders.”

Brittney moved her horses and clients to the new farm and runs the operations along with her team of coaches and staff. The facility has seen many upgrades over the past couple of years. New performance footing was added to the indoor arena, and the outdoor arena was completely redone. New lighting was added to the outdoor arena and is set up in such a way that there are no shadows (which sometimes scare or spook the horses) for riding at night. The watering systems for the arenas were updated, new mirrors installed in the indoor arena, drainage improved, more outdoor paddocks built, as well as shelters and the old red barn updated with enlarged stalls. The large field at the back of the property is hayed each year and a trail is cut around the edge of it so riders can cool their horses out after they ride along the trail. Bonnie cites her goal of creating a “safe, clean barn – something we’d be proud of.”

Recently, coach and trainer Katie Hourigan of Coastal Equestrian has moved her clients and horses to Bonnie Brae Farm to offer a high-performance show jumping training and sales program. Brittney and Katie, though both local to Victoria, hadn’t met until they both found themselves taking their High Performance Coaching Certificate training through Equine Canada; when the opportunity to bring their businesses together at the same facility came up, they saw how having both dressage and show jumping training could work well alongside, and even complement, each discipline with cross training. Katie saw the move to the new facility as a great fit with a more central location and “bigger rings for us than what we previously had,” she says.

In collaboration with Eastgate Dressage, Bonnie Brae Farm has begun hosting dressage schooling shows over the past year. “Getting off the Island is not the easiest to do,” says Brittney, and often it’s a big financial undertaking, especially with transporting horses and then having to find accommodation etc. The local schooling shows have allowed for more students to compete on the Island and they’ve even seen riders and horses travelling from up-Island to compete at the farm. “Hopefully we’ll host some gold shows in the future,” adds Brittney.
Both coaches have plans to head south to California with some of their students and horses over the winter for shows and training. “We have a big team approach at the barn,” says Brittney, and while she’s away she relies on her team of coaches at the farm to continue teaching her students.

The property’s legacy continues on as the team at Bonnie Brae Farm looks forward to continuing to make improvements and offer a state-of-the-art equestrian experience. For more information visit www.bonniebraefarm.ca.