Elevating Equestrian on
Vancouver Island
Bonnie Brae Farm has been a mainstay of the Central Saanich agricultural community for generations and its history is as rich as it is long. According to the Hallmark Heritage Society, the farmhouse that still stands on the property today had been built by 1911. Lynda Farmer says that in fact, the old barn and the original portion of the farmhouse were built by the original owners in 1890.
According to the Doug Gents History Pages George Stewart, a Scottish author, poet, philanthropist, artist and businessman, migrated to Vancouver Island in 1892 and lived on Bonnie Brae Farm. In 1911 when Stewart tried to sell the land it was declared that the majority of the land was under cultivation. An additional thirteen acres was orchard and seven acres pasture, with an eight-bedroom house and large barn on the property that is still used today to house the school horses. Lynda Farmer also explains that a right-of-way for a short-lived electric railway was created on the western boundary of the property in the early 1900s, which took passengers rumbling through to Sidney town.
The property was later owned by Norman Grieve who purchased the property and moved his family out of town in 1946 just after the end of the Second World War. Grieve farmed the land for about 12 years, raising cattle and producing dairy and berries. “It was an absolutely marvellous place to grow up,” explains Daphne Panter, Norman Grieve’s daughter. “It was an idyllic life. There was a period when I rode to school.”
Today Bonnie Brae Farm is run as an equestrian estate.
6404 Central Saanich Rd. Saanichton, BC V8M 1Z4 www.bonniebraefarm.ca @bonniebraefarm
Bonnie Brae Farm has a total of 40 spots for boarders. We can accomodate the needs of each horse based on our flexible boarding solutions. Boarding inquiries must be directed to Eastgate Dressage, our current lessee.
Bonnie Brae offers the space for trainers and riders to operate their business from a well established, top-quality facility.
Bonnie Brae offers ample space for multiple lessons and training programs on the same property.