When two Skidmore College students met at the Van Lennep Stables on Daniels Road in 1991, they never knew how close to home they actually were. When they began to date and rode on horseback down Bloomfield Road, they could only see that the old dirt road and the fields that lined it were overgrown and littered with trash.

Tabitha LeClair (Tab), was a Vermont-raised horse-crazy little girl, who was able to eventually persuade her “non-horsey” parents to let her indulge and eventually compete in 4-H, Pony Club and Hunter/Jumper shows. Will Orthwein, on the other hand, grew up on a horse farm in Georgia, in a polo family. His childhood was filled with traveling and hosting polo events with his father and brother. Will was later named the “Collegiate Polo Player of the Year” in 1992.

When Skidmore’s Polo Program brought the two students together it led to a coincidental and very interesting future in Greenfield.

The two bonded over a love of horses and more. When they married in 1994 they enjoyed a 12-horse farm in Stillwater. In 1999, when Will discovered that same 100-acre piece of land they one explored on horseback was on the market, it seemed like too meaningful of a property to overlook. The fact that it was adjacent to the Saratoga Polo Association fields, where both professionally competed, was the icing on the cake.

Bit by bit they cleared the property. Tab remembers Will and her father building the four-rail fence along Bloomfield Road while awaiting the birth of their first child. Next, they sat with an architect, Tom Frost, with a baby in tow. A few years and a whole lot of work later, their new Greenfield home was built.

The property has become a gorgeous equine kingdom visible to anyone passing on Daniels Road, with its 30-stall, 7,000-square foot horse barn, multiple storage barns and beautiful long driveway. The couple built a family of five, with children Owen, Oliver and Vivian. During the summer, the farm is home to nearly 100 horses, including the entire herd used by Skidmore’s Polo team. In winter months that number reduces, as many horses are relocated south during the harsh winters. About ten horses stay on property for the winter, including Tonya, a retired all-time favorite of Will’s and Clarita, who Tab retired from the collegiate polo string. These two grand dames are super special horses the Orthweins consider a part of the family.

On their own property, Will and Tab started Bloomfield Polo Club and host arena polo for community, intercollegiate and interscholastic teams in the spring and fall. They remain faithful volunteers to their alma mater Skidmore, helping with its polo program since 1992. In 2016, the Orthweins founded the nonprofit organization Equine Polo Instruction Center (EPIC) to provide educational and equestrian opportunities, including lessons and clinics, to students and adults in the community.  EPIC hosts arena matches for Skidmore Polo and other educational programs. Tab is the executive director and Will is a board member at large.

In 2020, the locally owned Saratoga Polo Association closed its doors for financial reasons and went through a foreclosure process. This prompted the Orthweins to adapt their property to include a full-size regulation grass polo field, bordering Bloomfield Road. This year, Bloomfield Polo Club held approximately 10 professional matches on Sundays from the end of June until September. They offered season-long “tailgate” spaces to friends and family to recreate the summertime polo atmosphere so many were missing since the loss of Saratoga Polo.

They have plans to start offering general admission hopefully next summer. “So many people and families are missing the polo tailgating experience,” said Tab. “It isn’t a Saratoga summer without it.”

They eventually sold land down the street to Dr. Axel Sondhof, a renowned equine vet, who built a state-of-the-art equine veterinary clinic and surgery center, The Equine Clinic of Saratoga. Sondhof serves as a veterinary advisor to the EPIC board.

“It’s difficult to find a town or city who will allow land to be zoned for a vet clinic,” said Will. “Greenfield was happy to have him and now we have an incredible advantage to be so close to great equine care.”

As the Orthweins pondered how to expand Bloomfield Polo to larger audiences, another bit of good fortune came along last spring. Saratoga NFL Flag Football had outgrown fields in Wilton and the PBA on Weibel Ave. in Saratoga and approached them about whether they might consider allowing the organization to hold its weekend tournaments in Greenfield.

“We had been struggling with how to go about expanding our property so that we could safely host larger events without having a negative impact on the farm and the neighborhood,” Will said. “Saratoga Polo had such a large following and we were afraid we’d be overwhelmed.”

Bloomfield Farm then entered a partnership with the flag football group, who offered as part of the lease agreement to help them obtain a special use permit from the Town of Greenfield and all that it entailed.

“We are so appreciative and thankful to the Town of Greenfield for how helpful they were,” Will said. “It was a great learning experience. They provided really great thoughts for improving traffic, emergency access and developing a more functional design plan. The people at Town Hall were very positive about our concept from the start and put so much time and thought into the entire project.”

“Families like the Orthweins make an incredible impact on Greenfield,” said Town Supervisor Kevin Veitch. “We are happy to support them in any way we can. Their contributions will touch many residents in our town and the county overall.”

The special use permit was granted and Bloomfield Farm hosted approximately ten weekends of tournaments this fall. These events each featured more than 500 kids and parking for 300 cars.

“The Saratoga NFL Flag Football community is beyond grateful,” said Chairman of the Board Dan Warren. “Without this venue we would not have been able to continue to grow our program. Our community loves this location with its expansive fields and beauty.  Without the Orthweins, our program may have been lost.”

“We were overwhelmed at how successful it was,” said Tab. “We have no connection to this sport, but it is so joyful to look outside and see children from preschool to middle school out in the fresh air doing something social and healthy.”

Greenfield pride is evident when speaking to this pair. “It is a wonderful place to live with its proximity to the southern Adirondacks, rural countryside and open spaces,” said Will. “All of this with the modern conveniences of living near the City of Saratoga Springs.”

Tab added, “Having grown up in a small town, I love that you know your neighbor, can be involved with town government and can make a difference in your community.”

The Orthweins don’t seem to “horse around” when it comes to community involvement. Will served on the Saratoga Plan board for nine years and still is a member of its emeritus board. Tab has been involved with the Palamountain Scholarship, Skidmore’s fundraiser for need-based scholarships, since 1992. She was involved with Saratoga Reads for many years and served on the Saratoga Rowing Association board. She remains active with the Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation in addition to her role with EPIC.

Sadly, the family also endured an unthinkable tragedy, when an accidental fire burned their home to the ground in the wee hours of the morning in 2020. The family escaped safely, losing nearly all their personal belongings and home. The Orthweins recalled the event with heaviness, but also gave much credit to our local emergency team and the community.

“The community was incredible,” Tab said. “They were generous and supportive and it felt great to feel that kindness during such a horrible time,” she said. She explained how so many people came to their rescue, even many they didn’t even know. “They offered trailers, tools, coffee, and places to stay.” The Orthweins persevered and rebuilt the home in its exact location. They now hope to give something back to this community they call home.

Their oldest child a grown adult living in New York City and their youngest children away at college, they are now diving into the dream of bringing back the concept of “Saratoga Polo.”

“We want to bring the history and tradition of the sport we love back to this special community and want it to make a truly meaningful impact,” Will said.

It seems the family is committed to this notion and has proven time and time again that, as the classic movie once said, “If you build it, they will come.” Our community will come to the Orthweins’ Bloomfield Farm, their very own field of dreams.