Capturing panoramic sunset and sunrise views, 630 Ogeechee Lane is a five-bedroom, six-bath home for sale overlooking the deepwater marina, marsh and Ogeechee River. Located just a stone’s throw away from the Clubhouse, Lake Dye Grill and Sports Barn, 85 Misty Morning Drive features five bedrooms, five baths and incredible long views of the first fairway of The Ford’s award-winning Pete Dye Golf Course. The Lowcountry carriage-style home at 220 Belted Kingfisher Lane features two bedrooms and two baths, surrounded by 2.13 acres of mature trees and views of the 5th Fairway. 

Located just 30 minutes from Savannah, The Ford’s five sprawling enclaves comprise a maximum of 400 homesites set along storied land and waterways, offering access to championship golf, a state-of-the-art equestrian center, deepwater marina, year-round member events and Henry Ford’s historic Main House as a community gathering place.

As the tale of horse ownership unfolds, Heather’s profound appreciation for The Ford and the unwavering care from our dedicated team shines through. This is where The Ford thrives—a sanctuary for horse lovers, offering state-of-the-art facilities and fostering a supportive community for riders of all levels.

Let’s start with the story of how Shiner came to be part of your family.

Shiner is actually the second horse I’ve owned here at The Ford. Before her, I leased a horse named Cooper to make sure horse ownership was for me. Shiner was my “dream horse.” I wanted a Palomino horse and looked at several before finding her. I just didn’t connect with them. Then, my trainer saw someone post a photo of Shiner on social media and knew I’d fall in love with her. She wasn’t for sale at the time, so we decided to negotiate for her. It turns out that her owner wanted to start her own horse training business. She used the payment for Shiner as seed money for her business. It all felt very serendipitous!

Witnessing the birth of Primrose must have been a profoundly emotional experience. Can you tell us about her birth? How did you and the team at The Ford handle the challenges?

Primrose’s birth was actually quite traumatic. She was her mom’s (Shiner) first foal. Shiner had an extremely difficult labor, and Prim was what is called a “red bag” baby. That means there was blood in the sac. She wasn’t breathing when she was born. Luckily, The Ford’s Equestrian Manager Lindsay was there to save the day. She jumped in right away and got that little filly breathing! I’m so thankful Lindsay and the rest of The Ford’s equestrian team were there to guide me through the process. They’ve taken such amazing care of both Primrose and Shiner.

Tell us about Primrose and her growth so far.

Primrose continues to grow and thrive here at The Ford. She has learned to wear a halter and lead. Right now, she’s learning manners, like not biting or putting things in her mouth. Essentially, she’s like a toddler — and she needs the same guidance and patience as one. Lindsay has been a tremendous help in that arena. Her expertise and nurturing spirit are truly invaluable.

Whether it’s embarking on scenic walks on one of our many trails or playing fetch in open green spaces, memorable experiences for you and your four-legged friend are easy to come by at The Ford.

Bluebird & Bat Boxes

Throughout The Ford’s 1,800-acre community, you can find more than 100 bird and bat boxes designed to foster a safe, sustainable environment for the native species while simultaneously enhancing the living experience for residents. The community – from young children to their grandparents – have worked in tandem with our Naturalists to build and install a variety of bird boxes that are elevated and protected with a metal ring around the entrance to fend off larger creatures like snakes and raccoons. “One of the commitments of Audubon Certification is to make sure that we’re nurturing the environment in sustainable and sympathetic ways,” said Valerie. “Locating bat boxes up in our tree canopy allows us to attract migrating bats passing through that feed on our mosquitos and midges here in the Low Country – one of the more natural solutions to pest management.  The migrating bats cycle through and return — it’s the rhythm of nature,” shared Valerie. 

Monarch’s in the Rough and Monarch Watch Site Designation

The Ford’s “Monarch’s in the Rough” program is the result of partnership between Audubon International, the Environmental Defense Fund and the United States Golf Association. The Program’s goal:   to reverse habitat loss for Monarchs by planting and seeding with butterfly weed vast expanses of “out of play” areas on golf courses that can act as migratory paths for Monarch butterflies throughout North America.  “We’re able to help reverse the decline of these important pollinators by planting designated areas along The Ford’s Pete Dye-designed golf course,” says Valerie. “We ended up with several acres worth of seed to put on our front and back nine that combined native wildflower seeds with seeds from this Program. Then, as part of our native plant sale, we’re able to install different kinds of Asclepias — the milkweeds that are native to this area, and the primary host plant for Monarchs.”  Annual butterfly counts lead by our Naturalists, help our citizen scientist residents contribute to databases tracked by many nature-based organizations including Monarch Watch that track migratory paths of pollinators. 

To learn more about The Ford Field & River Club or to arrange a Discovery Visit, call Danielle Hopper at 912.756.5614 or email [email protected].

As for the less-lively (but no less fascinating) parts of nature—most of the leaves retain their bright, dominant green, but if you take a closer look, there are pops of rainbow colors all around. We encourage you to take the naturalist challenge with us in the next few weeks of prime time: when outdoors, see how many of these fall colors you can spot!

Make time to walk outside today to find your own rainbow of colors, like the ones cited or others that catch your eye! There are many colors to feast your eyes upon right now! If you would like to take a guided nature walk with The Ford’s own Naturalist Brittany Dodge, please contact her at [email protected].