Barn Mascots:

Maggie, Lionel, Lucy, Mickey, and Maddie

Kristina Vine

Alan Vine is the business and management mind behind Wild Wind Stables. He also takes on the daunting task of farm maintenance and can be found happily playing with his "toys" around the farm. Patty Vine is the creative mind behind the entire existence of the farm. It was her vision to turn the abandoned property into a working horse farm. She also enjoys helping run camps and crafting with the kids. Together, they combine their skills with their passion for horses to help the farm succeed in day to day activities.

Kristina has been riding since age four and has competed throughout New England at the local, state, and regional level. She  has also competed in Oklahoma City at the Morgan Grand National World Championship show. Kristina enjoys teaching riders of all ages and abilities, organizing camps and clinics, and spending time sharing her passion for horses with young riders. She is an active board member on the Connecticut Morgan Horse Association and has a degree in Management & Information System Management from Quinnipiac University

 Wild Wind Stables is probably the most unique horse boarding facility in New England. The walls of each building ooze with character, history, and charm. Our family bought the property after it was foreclosed on in September of 2002. We then spent 6 years renovating what we now call the main barn so that we could bring our horse’s home. The first owners bought the property in the 1938 and over the next 50 years they established Restland Farms, a very successful outing/banquet facility. In that time period, the facility grew from being able to accommodate 25 people in a ‘tea room’ to 3,000 people in a ballroom, pavilion, and two dining halls. The facility also featured an Olympic sized pool, shuffle boards, basketball courts, and a small golf course.

When we bought Restland Farms, the property had been abandoned for at least 5 years. The property was run down and looked like a ghost town. Our family’s proudest accomplishment is the fact that we were able to look though the mess, dirt, and clutter to see the potential of the facility. Another accomplishment was being able to keep the charm and history of the property but still appeal to its new guests; horses. Restland Farms was visited by over 200,000 people and spent almost 60 years as an essential part of the Northford/North Branford community so it was crucial that we kept as much of the original structures of the building as we could.