Premiere Equestrian Facility
Back Bay Farm is private and spacious equestrian facility adjacent to the newly acquired Green Belt, Sagamore Hill. We are just minutes away from Crane’s Beach and Bradley Palmer State Forest and a short drive from downtown Ipswich. We provide quality hunter and equitation instruction for riders of all levels.
Meet The Team
Owner + Head Trainer
Robin Petersen
Robin Petersen, owner and head trainer at Back Bay Farm, has been riding and competing since she was just ten years old. Robin’s specialty is in Hunters and Equitation and she is a USHJA certified trainer. She has over 40 years of experience teaching, training, and riding. Robin attended the Palock Vale Riding School in England where she received her license from the British Horse Society. Since opening Back Bay Farm in 1994, Robin and BBF have become an integral part of the North Shore horse showing community.
Robin’s unparalleled work ethic and attention to detail radiates through her accomplished students and healthy, happy horses. She instills great horsemanship in her show and riding school clients alike, placing importance on not just blue ribbons but also care and respect for their horses. She has instructed winning combinations of horse and rider at shows such as Zone 1 Finals, MHC Finals, and NEHC Finals. Annually, she has clients who qualify for Year-End Awards for NSHA, MHC, NEHC, and USEF. Several of her students have qualified and been invited to prestigious finals such as National Children’s Medals, Ariat National Adult Medal, USEF Finals, and the ASPCA Maclay Championships.
Barn Manager
Carrie Spence
Carrie is currently our barn manager and oversees the care of every horse at BBF. She competed as a junior and has ridden with Robin for over 30 years. Carrie has had many roles here at BBF: lead groom for horse shows, assistant barn manager and has always helped with the training of young ponies. Carrie has a passion for the horses and we are so happy to have her as our barn manager.
PR Manager
Lauren Dillow
Lauren is the social media manager and assistant to Robin. She’s been riding and working at BBF for 9 years. Over the years she’s filled many roles in the barn, including grooming and managing horse care.
Assistant Trainer
Director of the Riding School
Anna cove
Anna has been enamored with horses since she was a little girl. She began taking lessons at her local stable and from there fully immersed herself in becoming an equestrian. She was lucky enough to buy the mare she leased and competed on the local and AA circuit in both hunters and jumpers. After years of volunteering and taking lessons, she started to apprentice as an instructor and began running horse camp and teaching lessons. From there she got the opportunity to manage and travel on the road with a hunter jumper barn before starting college.
She graduated from Simmons University with her bachelor’s of science in nursing in 2019. After working through the pandemic as an RN and only teaching lessons on her days off, she finally decided to listen to her gut and make instructing her full time career. She acquired her Massachusetts Instructors License and hasn’t looked back since. She emphasizes safety, horsemanship, and enjoyment of the sport in her lessons. She hopes to cultivate an exciting and open learning environment for her students to grow. We are thrilled to have her on the team at Back Bay Farm!
Tour the Farm
