Dun-Pikin Farm

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United States
Pasadena, MD
Dun-Pikin Farm

Riding Lessons, Pony Parties, Petting Animals, Horse Boarding Dun-Pikin Farm is a small family operated horse boarding and lesson barn in Pasadena, Maryland.

We offer beginner and intermediate riding lessons for children and adults. Horse training. Boarding. Pony Pal program. Pony parties. Pony rides. Stop by and see us some time (visit by appointment only.) We'll see you 'Down on the Farm!"

Dun-Pikin Farm is a Maryland Horse Industry Board Certified Horse Discovery Center.

09/06/2026

Our barn aisles will have a colorful little upgrade! Katie and Kiley broke out the paintbrushes to craft some personalized name plaques for the stalls. Between Lily the "Garden Wrecker," Tammy's "Spots n' Spice," and True Class (if you know, you know) and old man Tic Toc our Rock Star every horse’s personality is officially on full display. There is also a designated "VIP Room" in the barn. You must know the secret password, the special handshake and sign an NDA to enter there. A little color and creativity always make barn life brighter, and our herd is ready to welcome you to their newly decorated quarters—so Come Ride With Us!

Cindy🐴

09/05/2026

Today the flies were HORRIBLE! It is so disheartening to me. I spend a fortune on fly predators, fly spray, fly traps and a feed thru fly control. Some days we have barely any flies but then there are days like today. Not only do they drive the horses crazy but us too. It can make being around the horses dangerous when they are being driven crazy by the flies. All day long I have pondered why God would have created flies. I can’t take all the credit for this poem but here goes:

The Lord looked down on paradise, complete in every way,
With rolling hills and noble steeds that munched upon their hay.

He made the dog, the barn owl, the gentle morning breeze,
Then paused and scratched His heavenly chin: “They look too much at ease.”

“The horses need some cardio, the humans need some grit,
A test of pure endurance while they shovel out the $hit.”
And so with one swift flick of wrist, He forged the housefly clan,
To test the faith and sanity of barn-maintaining man.

Today they brought their cousins, their aunties, and their peers,
To orchestrate a symphony inside my horse’s ears.
They mocked the spinning fan blades, they laughed at every tail,
While I stood by bewildered with an empty supplement pail.
For every morning without fail, the horses get a scoop
Of fancy feed-through fly control to sanitize the p**p.
It promises to break the cycle, halt them in the muck,
Yet here they come in squadrons, completely out of luck.

Beneath the fence I scattered bags of tiny allies, too—
The mini fly predators that eat them before they brew.
I paid good cash for wasps so small they barely can be seen,
Who swore to wage a stealthy war behind the stable screen.

Along the rafters hanging low, the yellow jars reside,
Those rank, fermenting fly trap bags where millions go and died.
A swamp of doom that reeks so foul it makes a grown man cry,
Yet for every dozen trapped within, a hundred buzz on by!

Three lines of high-tech warfare, a budget blown to bits,
Against a tiny, brainless bug that’s driving me to fits.

Perhaps the Lord just giggled as He set the swarm in motion,
To show that even barn managers can't master earth and ocean.
So take a breath, adjust the spray, and swing the trusty bat—
God made the fly for humble pie, and brother, this is that.

Come Ride With Us!
Cindy 🐴

09/04/2026

Welcome to Dun-Pikin! Durango arrived this morning. At 3 years old his trip to Dun-Pikin was his first time ever off the farm he was born at. Considering his age and all the new things he saw today, not to mention his first ever trailer ride I think Durango got off to a great start at Dun-Pikin. Roxanne hand walked him around the farm. He spent some time grazing in the field and the rest of the day in his stall. Before I left for the night I threw him a couple more flakes of hay and refilled his water bucket. He looked happy enough munching on his hay and looking out the window.

I always feel sorry for a new horse at the barn. Though I know Durango will get excellent care and he couldn’t ask for a more attentive and loving new owner than Roxanne, without understanding why he was taken away from everything familiar to him. Everything is strange to him and new to him. New stall, new owner, new people, new horses, new routine, you have to admit it’s a lot.

I’m really excited for Roxanne. She’s waited a long time for this, and it won't take long before Dun-Pikin feels like home to Durango, too. It’s always a treat to watch a bond like this grow right from the beginning. Join us in wishing Roxanne and Durango the very best, and Come Ride With Us!

Cindy🐴

09/03/2026

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day at Dun-Pikin as we welcome a new boarder and horse to the farm! Roxanne, the boarder, is certainly not new to our community. She’s been riding with us for several years, serves as an Equine Assistant for our therapy partner, assists Aleta with lessons, and recently signed on to help with morning barn chores. Roxanne wears many hats around here!

She has been searching for the right horse for quite a while and first met this gelding back in May. It took some time, but the stars finally aligned, and tomorrow he makes the trip to his new home. While I’m thrilled for Roxanne, I have to admit that bringing in a new horse always makes me a little nervous. It always causes a stir across the farm—once the herd senses there’s a new face in town, everyone gets vocal and excited, and it doesn't take them long to notice!

I’m still working out the details, but we will likely do a major field shuffle. At just 3 years old, he’ll need pasture mates who match his energy, so we think he’ll fit best with Arlo and Percy, who are also young and always looking to play. Our other geldings are grumpy old men who wouldn't appreciate a 3-year-old pestering them to wrestle. Because Percy is draft-sized, that trio will need the bottom field with the larger run-in shed, while Marley, Cash, and Shine take the middle field. Shuffling pastures always shakes things up, so it should be an interesting couple of days.

Before any herd introductions happen, he’ll spend time settling into his own paddock. That gives him a chance to catch his breath, learn our daily routine, and watch farm life from a comfortable distance. Once we know he’s healthy and completely relaxed, we’ll take the next steps to ensure introductions go safely and smoothly.

It’s always a joy watching our farm family grow, and we can’t wait to see Roxanne and her new partner settle in together. Be sure to give them both a warm welcome next time you Come Ride With Us!

Cindy🐴

09/02/2026

If you have horses you tend to pay attention to manure. Manure is a good indicator of what’s going on with your horse, so we’re always looking for it and at it. We even tend to talk about it. Honestly If you were to scroll through the pictures on my phone you would definitly find pictures of manure. Yup, horse people are kinda obsessed with the stuff.

Every morning after we’re finished in the barn we go out to pick up the manure out of the fields. We always talk about the manure as we pick it up. We’ve noticed the mares never seem to move from the round at night. When we go into their field most of the manure is in a circle around the hay hut. Very few piles are found randomly around the field and in the run-in, but the majority is right around where they stand munching on hay. Obviously they can’t be bothered to move even when they get the urge to, well you know…

Now the geldings … they seem to be the exact opposite. Very little manure is around where they stand to eat. They seem to be a bit more conscious of where they p**p. Maybe they don’t like to stand in it, or maybe they don’t like to smell it. Whatever the reason their manure is always scattered over the field. They seem much more civilized to me. Though It is more work picking up manure that is scattered across the field.

Today we made another observation about horses and manure, or at least one horse and her manure. Recently we began sweeping a bare spot on the mat in the corner of Ruby’s stall to put her feed pan on. She tends to pick through the sawdust to get her dinner crumbs. We didn’t want her eating the sawdust and thought this was a good solution. It worked like a charm. She now cleans up her whole breakfast without the sawdust. We’ve noticed though she now uses that spot for something else. It’s now her preferred spot to p**p in.

It’s kinda funny that she has picked to use this spot. She has always been in the running with Kate for having the messiest stall in the barn. She still goes in other places in her stall, but it’s so much better. With Ruby out of the running, Kate now definitly gets the award for having the messiest stall in the barn. Maybe tomorrow I’ll sweep her a spot and see what happens.

I used to see bumper stickers, t-shirts and decals that said “Manure Happens.” And around here, it happens with impeccable, pinpoint aim. If you want to talk horse habits (or just skip the scooping and enjoy the horses), Come Ride With Us!

Cindy🐴

09/01/2026

Like Mother, Like Daughter...

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but around here, maybe the farm doors just have a sense of humor! Years ago, I managed to get myself completely trapped inside the pitch-black hay trailer down at High Tide Farm when the sliding door came crashing down. Luckily, my quick-thinking little grandson was nearby to run and fetch Miss Madelaine to stage my rescue.

Fast forward to earlier this month, and Katie found herself in her own little pickle—accidentally locked inside the chicken coop with a crowing audience and no way to reach the outside latch! Farm life always keeps you humble, but thankfully, we both lived to laugh about our great escapes.

We promise the arena gates are much easier to navigate, so come out and Come Ride With Us!

Cindy🐴

08/31/2026

Who left the lights on?

Pulling into High Tide in the wee hours yesterday morning, the whole place was lit up from top to bottom. Between our little solar lights doing overtime on the ground and that moon beaming down from above, the trees didn't stand a chance of staying in the dark.
Nature and solar power sure make a pretty good team to start the day. There’s nothing quite like the farm before sunrise, so grab your boots and Come Ride With Us!

Cindy🐴

08/30/2026

Busy, busy day today! The priority today was not the farm—it was party time. Our reason to celebrate this evening was Katie’s 42nd birthday. Neither farm was neglected, but our time was at a premium, so we just got ’er done. Then we prepared the river house for family, barn family, and friends for some good food and good fun. I’ll leave the details to your imagination!

I will mention one real farm mystery, though. For months—about six months, really—the exterior light on the east end of the barn has been completely out of commission. Inexplicably (and very much appreciated!), that light suddenly decided to start working again today. Can’t explain it. Won’t try. As the days get shorter, having that light shining bright will make morning chores before sunrise and evening lessons after dark a whole lot easier.

We’ll brighten your day when you Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

08/29/2026

It seems like when we solve one issue with the horses another one always seems to come up. The other morning when I checked on Percy and Arlo’s water it was filled about 6 inches from the top. I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for less water because the trough was really dirty and needed to be dumped and scrubbed. Even though it needed a good cleaning I did not want to waste all that water by dumping it. Against my better judgement I decide to let it go until feeding time in the afternoon. I knew by then they would have drunk it down considerably. Less water waste, and less mud to be made on the ground. After all, I’m pretty sure they really don’t care that much about dirty water.

I suppose I was wrong. Rick went up to the farm to load a truck with manure. When he got there he saw that the water trough had been dumped over. Percy and Arlo looked a bit forlorn, they had no water. Hmmm … Now who’s fault was that? Not mine. They had plenty of water when I left. They only had themselves to blame. I’ve seen them on more than one occasion literally rock it with their knees. I have even seen Percy move it around with his head. Percy is kinda famous for his huge head. His huge head is attached to an enormous thick neck. The two used together make for a very powerful weapon, or maybe even a tool to knock over a water trough? In this case my bet would be on Percy.

Thankfully no real harm was done. Rick discovered the empty water trough and refilled it. Once again all was well in Percy and Arlo’s world. No it wasn’t really a big deal, but I’m sure hoping it doesn’t become a habit. I’ve found over the years bad habits in horses are many times hard to break.

Looking at the two of them acting casual in the mud, you’d almost believe the trough tipped itself over. If you enjoy a barn full of big personalities (and even bigger heads), Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

08/28/2026

The other day, Dr Mende was out. Just as she was leaving, the vet tech she had with her saw Olive in her stall. She immediately went over to say hello. She said to the vet you have to come and see Olive. She actually has her ears up. She told Dr Mende that Olive had let her touch her face, that she was even able to give her a little scratch behind the ears. After spending a couple of minutes together I think they both agreed it was a miracle.

I was surprised that Dana, the vet tech, even remembered Olive. After all it had been at least 4 years since she had spent a week or so at their clinic being treated for summer sores. When I asked about her remembering Olive, she quickly said that she would NEVER forget Olive. Evidently she made an impression, and not in a good way.

Olive had every reason to behave badly. She was being treated for very bad summer sores, the worst one being on her face. Evidently Olive was not a very good patient, but evidently she was a memorable one.

Olive is very far from perfect but has made great strides when it comes to her behavior. This is the first summer she has been able to turn out. She has been able to tolerate the flies with no signs of any sores at all. She was able to be ridden in all three of our summer camps and the whole week of fun days. Olive has finally learned what it’s like to be a lesson pony, and from what I can see, she’s turning into a nice one too.

Olive has finally learned what it feels like to be a happy, trusted lesson pony—and she’s turning into a great one. We’d love to have you meet her, so Come Ride With Us!

Cindy🐴

Address

4808 Mountain Road
Pasadena, MD
21122

Website

https://www.dun-pikin.com/

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