By Jim Hannaford

For many people, arriving at Jordan Beech Farms and Venue is something like love at first sight. Donna Beech, one of the owners, understands that because she experienced it herself. 

An experienced equestrian for most of her life, Donna wasn't looking to run a horse farm, much less a place where people could gather for celebrations. But then she realized there was such a place already for sale in her own neighborhood, in the Belforest area of Daphne. From the photos online, it appeared to be a serious fixer-upper that was past its prime, but she was intrigued enough to take a look in person. That's when she discovered her diamond in the rough on Austin Road, just a little bit east of busy Highway 181.

"I pulled in the driveway and it immediately felt like home," says Donna, who now lives in part of the two-story structure that's a spacious family residence attached to a barn with 12 horse stalls. "If you go back and look at the pictures on Zillow, it was a dump, but it had been beautiful back in its day. I didn't know the history of it until after I'd bought it, but apparently, it was the old polo pony stables, and a breeding facility, too."

After a lot of time and labor sprucing it up, the farm is in full stride as a warm and inviting place where you can ride or board horses (and learn a lot about them) or enjoy a memorable outing with friends. Open for six months now, Jordan Beech Farms and Venue also plays host to special events such as weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, retirement receptions, and company retreats.

It's not unusual for guests to remark on how out of place it seems to find such a pastoral five-acre setting within a subdivision. In the distance beyond their riding arena and trails, a picturesque pond, and stately oak trees, you can see the steady stream of north-south traffic on the four-lane highway.

"It's conveniently located enough to be easily accessible," she says, "but it still gives that sense of peacefulness that people are looking for away from the hustle and bustle."

Donna grew up in Grand Bay, where her parents had a farm. Their weekends were all about horses.  

"We started in the mornings with halter shows and western pleasure and we ended the night running barrels and bending poles," Donna says. "I spent my teenage years in Mendenhall, Miss., with a cutting horse trainer, Ralph Little, who's a precious guy, and I learned to ride cutting horses."

Co-owner of the farm along with Buzz Jordan, she loves being able to pass her knowledge along to others, and so do their devoted employees. One of them, Alyssa Lowtharp, hit the rodeo circuit when she was just a girl in Arkansas. Recently, for the first time in her life, she went through an extended period where she wasn't around horses, and she didn't like it one bit. 

"I was miserable," says Alyssa. "It actually made me depressed. So I Iooked up boarding places and training places, and that's how I found Donna. I just had to be around horses and ride again because it's such a passion."

Those therapeutic benefits are just one aspect of the equestrian lifestyle that Donna, Alyssa, and others on the farm love to share. They enjoy showing the ropes to people of all ages, including the home-school students who visit a couple of days each week.

She describes Alyssa as her "partner in crime" but says she and the others on the close-knit staff are much more than employees. 

"I really think of us all as collaborators," says Donna. "I would never want to give the impression that I do or could do all of this alone. There are so many others, like Johnny, Ms. Paula, Alyssa, Kayla, Westin, and Shelby, that all work hard to make it what it is."

Riding is the ultimate reward, they say, but a lot goes into making that happen.

"Instead of 'riding lessons," we call them 'horse lessons' because there is so much to learn about these amazing animals," Donna says. "We teach them how to groom them and how to properly feed and care for them, and we also teach them about the horses' anatomy. And they don't leave until they clean a stall because they need to understand what all it entails."

Just half a year into their enterprise, Donna and the others on her team seem encouraged by the warm reception from the public, and they have lots of ideas to help build it further.

"It's developed a life of its own," she says. "At first, I was thinking that some kids might be interested in coming out to ride and I might do five or six lessons a week and maybe make enough to cover my food bills," she says. "It's turned out to be a lot more than that."