About Us
Bobby Murray
Bobby Murray, a USDF bronze and silver medal holder, grew up in southeast Virginia and started riding competitively in college at Averett University. There, he studied Equestrian Studies and focused under saddle on eventing, with a strong focus on dressage. Additionally, he gained valuable experience with young horses doing in-hand work with Bob Orton. His strength with in-hand work would continue well into the future, with Bobby becoming an important bridge between many breeders and riders. After college, Bobby headed to Europe where he was part of the International Academy for Equestrian Studies in Warendorf, Germany. Riding with Stall Böckmann and Ralf Hannover he honed his foundation in dressage before returning to the states.
A draw for Bobby to return was to work in Wellington FL with Susie Dutta. After spending some time back in Virginia, he moved to Maine and became the Young Horse Manager at Pineland Farms. Oak Hill Ranch in Louisiana was his next stop as head trainer where he rode with Leif Sørensen and Mary Wanless. Returning to Maine, he opened Freeport Equestrian Center with Sarah Watson. Here, he enjoys training horses, teaching and coaching students, and competing. He has been trained in Maine and Florida by Mikala Münter and Ernst Hoyas and is currently with Evi Strasser. In the last two years he made his CDI debut in Wellington and was Region 8 champion in Intermediare I and 7th at the 2022 USDF Nationals at that same level.
Sarah Watson
Sarah grew up in the small fishing community of South Harpswell, Maine. There were only a few horses in this town, and there were no opportunities for dressage lessons. At age 8, her first Pinto pony, Lolly Pop, arrived. This little mare was the perfect kid’s pony. Together, Sarah and Lolly Pop spent hours discovering the shoreline of Casco Bay. It was magical, and unsurprisingly, these experiences confirmed Sarah’s love of horses. Sarah spent her teenage years going to local fun shows, which revealed a little piece of cowgirl in her.
After owning a successful cable TV construction company in the 90’s, she switched careers so that she could recapture her lifelong love of horses. Training multiple horses with many European trainers, her dream shifted, and she decided that she wanted to become an FEI trainer and competitor. In 2008 she opened her first stable where she provided training and lessons to amateur riders of all ages. Additionally, Sarah trained and competed her Danish Warmblood Sherman from first level through PSG throughout New England, and she earned her USDF bronze and silver medals.
In 2010 Sarah made a huge jump and moved to Freeport, Maine, where she and Bobby Murray opened Freeport Equestrian Center. This stable is the home base where she and Bobby spend most of their time training clients’ horses and teaching adult amateurs and a lovely group of younger riders of varying levels.
