Ardani Farm

04/08/2026

Track systems are one of the most talked-about approaches in natural horse care — but are you setting yours up based on science or guesswork?

Join us for a special webinar with Dr. Emily Kieson of Equine International, where she shares years of wild horse research and how you can apply it to your track system setup at home.

🌿 Donation-based | 100% goes to EI's research mission
📅 July 9 6:30-7:30 PM ET

https://www.ardanifarm.com/event-details/what-wild-horses-can-teach-us-designing-track-systems-that-put-horse-health-first

What if the key to your horses' health, happiness, and longevity was already written in the lives of wild horses — you just needed someone to decode it?

04/03/2026

Hi Friends, we are back in action with our webinar series kicking off this spring. I want to give you a sneak peek into our new model, which is bringing in experts across many fields (plants, herbal medicine, equine anatomy, and more) to keep you learning and growing!

We have some great speakers lined up (and always looking for more).

One class I'm really looking forward to will be lead by local Native Plant Nursery, Southern Branch Nursery's owner Trista! She will bring her native plant and landscape design expertise to those of us with enough land to really make an impact- Horse folk!

Trista Imrich
Owner & Landscape Designer, Wild Works of Whimsy / Southern Branch Nursery

Trista Imrich is the owner of Wild Works of Whimsy and Southern Branch Nursery, where she focuses on designing and growing native plant landscapes for real-world conditions across coastal Virginia.

A former Navy Surface Warfare Officer with a Master’s in Environmental Policy and Management, Trista brings a practical, systems-based approach to her work—helping landowners balance ecological goals with how they actually use their property.

She has extensive experience with conservation-focused projects including living shorelines, rain gardens, and native planting design, and is actively involved with Lynnhaven River NOW, where she worked for six years. Trista is a Virginia Certified Horticulturist (VCH), VSLD-certified designer, and a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP-ID).

Through her nursery and design work, Trista works closely with homeowners, landowners, and increasingly horse property owners to establish native plantings that are functional, resilient, and manageable over time. She is also a contributor to the Native Plants for Southeast Virginia guide and a frequent speaker for local groups and organizations.

12/14/2025

So much of what we know about horses comes from performance-driven or industry-funded research. What’s harder to find and deeply needed is independent research that looks at horses as companions, partners, and sentient beings with complex social, emotional, and physical needs.

That’s why I so deeply appreciate the work of Equine International. Their research helps expand our understanding of equines beyond use-based models and into what it really means to support their welfare, wellbeing, and quality of life especially for horses living as companions.

If their work resonates with you, I encourage you to learn more and, if you’re able, consider making a donation.

Independent research relies on community support, and even small contributions help keep this work accessible and unbiased.

https://equineintl.org/donate

12/12/2025

We asked Aoife and Finn how they felt about the recent weather… yeah, we agree.

10/19/2025

Starting to see the fruits 🙈 of our labor 😏

We are harvesting goji and rose hips for the first time. Hopefully next year we will have enough to dehydrate. Slowly we are diversifying the horses’ diets and adding to their enrichment.

09/18/2025

Week two of our Fall Dragonfly Explorer Series! Today we finished our nature dragonflies we learned about last week and dove into our farm ecosystem through food chains and food webs! After a book read in the barn, the kids made actual paper chains to make a food chain with animals they cut out. Then we went on a nature walk to see how many critters we could find on our farm! We found 24 unique critters this week! Once back, we enjoyed using our new circle of stumps in the barnyard to talk about what we discovered today. Next week we will make an interactive food web using yarn! The kids are excited and so are Jennifer and I. :) Till next week, keep learning and growing in nature!

09/12/2025

Good morning. ☀️ I see you! You are doing a great job today! Have a fantastic Friday from the horses at Ardani. ❤️

09/11/2025

Today was the first day of our six week Dragonfly Explorer fall series. We had an introduction to the farm, fed the horses and chickens, learned about dragonflies and took a nature walk. We did not let the constant drizzle stop us from having fun in nature!🌻 We ended our class reflecting in our journals and creating a dragonfly nature craft using items we collected on our walk. Looking forward to seeing these sweet families again next week! Bring some sunshine!☀️

09/04/2025

Do you own a horse or work with horses? If yes, then these webinars would be of interest for you! Join Kristen and Marissa as they meet you online for a monthly webinar discussing equine related topics. Check out what is coming up this Fall Season below. See you online!

08/30/2025

After our Pollinator Gardening Webinar today one of our guests went to check their yard for host plants for the butterflies. They found common milkweed and looked under a leaf to find a caterpillar!!!

The adventure is right outside. Go and explore your surroundings! What new and exciting things do you have in your yard that helps our pollinators?

08/29/2025

We are a little less than two weeks away from our second session of Dragonfly Explorers on the farm! There are still spots available so don’t wait!