Enjoying one of the Otford Horse Riding Farm experiences. Photos: Supplied.
For more than 60 years, Otford Horse Riding Farm has been a cherished escape for horse lovers across the Illawarra and beyond.
Now under the stewardship of Emma O’Brien and Carley McCarthy, the historic farm continues to offer unforgettable equine experiences — welcoming new generations while keeping its rich legacy alive.
Originally established in 1961 by the Lloyd family, Emma and Carley bought the farm-based business in 2018.
“We aren’t exactly family, but Carley has been doing the camp since she was about eight-years-old, so we’re pretty much non-blood related family,” Emma said.
“I started with it while I was studying at university and just got lost in the place. I didn’t want to leave.”
She said it was a long-held dream to take over the 350-acre property, with its diverse range of coastal bushland experiences that catered from first-time riders to seasoned equestrians.
“We worked under Tim for years and years before the opportunity arose to take over, so it was a dream come true, really,” she said.
“It’s not an opportunity that presents itself often, so we were very lucky.”
Emma said the farm was nestled along the Illawarra escarpment, boasting a stunning natural landscape, encompassing coastal areas, rainforests, and native Australian flora.
She said it was that diversity of the terrain that allowed them to create three levels of trail rides, tailored one-on-one horse-riding lessons and holiday camps, including for children and people with a disability.
“We start off with complete first-time, never-even-seen-a-horse-before interaction, all the way through to more experienced riders,” she said.
Emma said that during the five-day school holiday camps, children experienced being able to “almost own a horse for the week”.
“They get given their particular horse, and they learn all about the trials and tribulations of what it’s like to manage a horse yourself,” she said.
“Everything’s from the fun riding aspect, all the way through to the more tedious cleaning up the poo and feeding it every morning before you eat yourself.
“It’s all part of the experience.”
She said often the children that took part in those camps, along with the lessons, returned with the next generation years later.
“That’s the nice thing, we do get past camp children and past customers that now bring their children,” she said.
“You sort of get stuck in a little time capsule here, because one of the nice things about it is it hasn’t changed too much.”
While the farm has faced its share of challenges in recent years, Emma and Carley remain committed to preserving that nostalgic charm that has drawn generations of visitors.
“We’re rebuilding. It has been tough in the last few years – we had COVID, we had fires and we had floods and now we’ve got the financial aspects, so it has been hard,” she said.
“We’re hoping that things pick up this year.
“At the moment, we’ve got such big overheads with the horses. They don’t stop eating just because we’re not working them.
“We want to keep the money coming in to be able to offer the experience to people that aren’t fortunate to be able to own a horse.”
Emma said the three main trails as part of their riding experiences, included a one-hour rainforest ride, two-hour mountain ride and a half-day ride taking in Bald Hill Lookout.
She said not much had changed with the rides, other than no longer doing overnight rides that used to take in the national park, due to laws and regulations changing.
“Other than that aspect, we always give everybody a fair go, get them on the horses and teach them a little bit about our life,” she said.
Now, their own children are beside them as they work the 42 horses they run daily, along with a variety of other farm and wild animals.
“We’ve got our little ones that join us at work every day now, so it really is a little family-orientated thing,” she said.
Learn more about Otford Horse Riding Farm.
Loading ...
