Heidi A. Lord-King - Owner and Trainer of Fast First Farm

I was born and raised in Westport, CT and has always been involved with horses. My mother, Barbara, was an avid horsewoman and started my riding career at the age of two. Riding was always a big part of my family’s life.

My first riding instructor was Margaret Campbell Self. Margaret was an extremely knowledgeable horsewoman was written many non-fictional and fictional books about horses and horsemanship. Her books still hold true to this day. Margaret also started the famous New Canaan Mounted troop in Connecticut which introduced English Riding to hundreds of children in Connecticut no matter what their financial background.

I had the opportunity to be influenced by several great riders as a child including Emerson Burr and Tony Depalmer who still is a part of my life today. I started riding in the hunters and Equitation and as I moved into my later teens I was introduced to the jumpers. I rode in the jumpers for over fifteen years bringing many horses along in the process.

In my early twenties, after graduating College, I had the luck in finding my horse, Tia (Fast First). Tia had been badly abused and was a challenge to ride. Tia distrusted everyone and had several bad habits that included rearing and not loading into a horse trailer. I used to have to include 2 hours each direction to get her to a show! (I called it Tia time!).I started showing her in the hunters as a 4 y.o. and rode and showed her for almost a year in the low level hunters. Although she was fearless over fences, she definitely was not going to be hunter for her show career! It was at this point that I took her down to Hamilton, MA (I lived in Vermont at the time) and rode with David Boley and James North. This is where Tia found her true calling, the Jumpers! After training with David and James, Tia and I set out to show in the jumpers throughout New England. She was champion every time out! She won a speed class once by over 7 seconds. I rode her in the jumpers for over 112 years and some of her titles include New England Open Jumper Champion and Vermont Jumper Champion for several years. Tia is now retired at my farm in NC but continues to teach some of my students on a regular basis.

I lived in Vermont and competed in New England for many years. I also worked as an Epidemiologist (Infectious disease specialist) for the Vermont Department of Health. In 1997, I met my husband on a flight back from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. The following year we were married and I moved to North Carolina where my husband owned a Computer Software Company. My husband Jon, had always lived on a farm in Vermont so we decided to build our farm in Richlands, NC. There was a true need for good riding instruction in this area. It was also during this time that I moved into the world of Eventing. I had always ridden with a dressage instructor since my late teens and I am always looking to challenge myself in new ways. I started working with Denny Emerson in Southern Pines, NC when I moved to NC.

Our farm has grown into quite the operation. We have over 20 horses at the farm at any one time. My students range in age from 4 years to over 70. We go to both recognized shows as well many schooling shows. We strive to have a competitive but friendly environment at the farm. Our farm sits on over 100 acres and includes an all-weather lighted jump ring, dressage ring and cross-country course. We board, train and teach lesson’s at the farm.

I truly enjoy teaching all types of people and training all types of horses. I truly believe that using positive reinforcement is the only way to train both humans and horses. In my opinion, there are no bad horses, just bad training! Please give us a call to discuss you needs or your horses! We look forward to hearing from you!