Burkland Farm Established in 1951
About us: Celebrating the Past & Embracing the Future!
The Past...
Burkland Farm possesses a history that extends to the very beginning of the Morgan breed. Franklin Orcutt, great-grandfather to Burkland Farm's current owner/trainer Joshua Noble, was instrumental in the early days of the Morgan breed. Franklin's son Dr. Bob Orcutt worked for his uncle Wallace Orcutt training Morgans in West Newbury, Massachusetts. After becoming a veterinarian, he purchased a farm in Rowley, MA in 1951. The farm was given the name Burkland from Dr. Bob's roots in East Burke, VT. Life was busy with a booming veterinary practice in addtion to a full service horse training operation. In 1956 Pat Tataronis joined Burkland Farm, and together her and "Doc" made a formidiable team. Doc and Pat trained horses for many of the "who's who" in the Morgan show community including Green Meads Farm, the Jones Family, Rum Brook Farm, Tommy Caisse, Dr. & Mrs. Rice and many others. Horses that shown under the Burkland banner included Ulendon, Gay Cavalier, Westwold Dona Resa, Vigilda Burkland, Command Performance, Orcland Leader, Gay Dancer, and the renown pair Windcrest Ben Beau & Windcrest Showgirl.
Burkland Farm was also very involved in local horsemanship, including the Rowley Riding & Driving Club, of which Pat was the chairperson for many years in addtion to chairing the NorthShore Horseman's Association. Burkland was also known for supporting the Green Mountain Horse Association 100 Mile Ride every year in VT. Doc gave back to the show community by serving on the AMHA Board of Directors, and also on the Morgan Judging Standards Committee which is responsible for the judging standards in use today. Dr. Bob has been recognized by the show community by induction into the UPHA Hall of Fame, AMHA Hall of Fame, and Northampton Horseman's Hall of Fame. He and Pat were both recepients of the AMHA Golden Reins Award. Burkland Farm was inducted into the AMHA Breeders Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Future...
Raised in the shadows of his grandfather Dr. Bob Orcutt, Joshua Noble grew into a talented and respected horseman. While earning a business degree at Kentucky Wesleyan College, Josh worked for one of the top saddlebred farms in the country. During this time he also worked for Rob Turner of LM Turner stables, one of most respected Saddlebred trainers on the East Coast. After Pat's passing in 2005, Josh returned to Burkland Farm. Josh was able to enjoy many late night talks about breeding, judging, and training techniques with his mentor and grandfather Dr. Bob. After Doc's passing in 2006, Joshua assumed responsibility to carry on the Burkland Farm tradition. One of those traditions is to seek the silver lining of every horse by placing them in a role best suited for their personality and athletic ability. Josh is a licensed Massachusetts equine instructor, as well as the 2014 YAA Judging Scholarship recipient and currently holds a USEF 'R' judging card for Morgans. Josh is also a member of the New England Morgan Horse Show Committee and is on the Rowley Riding and Driving Club board of directors.
Burkland Farm is not only a family tradition but also a team effort. Day to day operations are carried out by Dr. Bob's youngest grandson Caleb Noble along with Josh's wife, Melanie. When daily work at Burkland is done, Caleb heads out shoeing horses.
At Burkland Farm, we take our time to put a polished show horse in the ring and also to ensure that horses for pleasure are truly broke so they can be safely enjoyed by their owners at home.
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