Denise Balla grew up in Chester County, PA, where she always had horses in her backyard. She was on her first horse by 9 months of age. Her parents and grandparents had horses that they pleasure rode and foxhunted all over Chester County. As a “backyard” horse person, Denise learned at the early age of 4 how to care for her first pony, a 9hh Shetland pony named Munchkin. Through the years, she became active in Cheshire Pony Club and was president of Saddle Up 4-H Club. She competed in local hunter/equitation shows with her palomino mare, Buttercup, but soon realized that wasn’t her style of riding. After purchasing her heart horse, Danny, at the age of 14, she began training with Dawn Corrado at Valley Hill Farm and competing in jumper shows.

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After high school, Denise began working at Melmark Inc. in their hippotherapy program. Realizing how much she enjoyed teaching, she then attended a program through the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) and received her Riding Instructor Certification.

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Denise always had a dream of owning her own horse business. In a high school entrepreneurship class, she designed a business plan that went on to win a regional award presented by then-Mayor Ed Rendell. In 2000, that dream came true when she was awarded the DCNR bid to lease the Marsh Creek State Park equestrian facility and opened Pheasant Hollow Farm. There, she boarded, trained, and taught various levels of horses and riders but specialized in adult riders, helping them achieve their goals of first-time horse ownership or getting back into riding after time off. Although not a highly competitive barn, the riders enjoyed competing in combined tests and local eventing. Pheasant Hollow also hosted paper chases, pace events, and ran adult horsemanship camps through DARC.

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Denise also provided lay-up care for the barn’s veterinary practice, taking in horses that needed extensive wound care and post-surgical care. This is where she found her passion and niche for horse health and rehabilitation. After closing Pheasant Hollow Farm in 2010, she went on to be a veterinary technician and office manager for that veterinary practice.

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Over the last few years, Denise has again focused on business management and horse health at Honey Brook Stables, and now as co-owner of Concordia Stables with Kaitlyn McGarvey and our wonderful team of instructors and trainers. Denise has a passion for Thoroughbreds and is enjoying riding and loving her TB mare, Kelly. When not at the farm, Denise enjoys spending time with her husband, kids, and the “zoo” they have at home.