Canter — Horse Leasing & Sharing for Families

Seven-year-old girl laughing with cheek pressed against a gray mare nose

Dad holding a lead rope for the first time with visible uncertainty and joy

Teenager in muddy half-chaps carrying a grooming bucket toward the stall

Grandmother brushing a horse tail while toddler watches from mounting block

Young girl getting a riding lesson in a sunlit paddock

Family standing together beside their leased horse at the fence

Child in riding helmet sitting tall on horseback with proud smile

Mom watching daughter trot for the first time hands covering her mouth

Horse and rider cantering through a field at golden hour

Open for 2026 Leases

Half-leases, weekend shares, and junior programs for families who want the full horse experience — without buying the whole barn.

Meet the Herd Our Story

Scroll to meet the families

Chapter 01

It started with a question I couldn't answer honestly.

My daughter Maya was seven. We'd stopped at a farm stand and she spotted a horse in the paddock. She didn't even look at the strawberries.

"Mom, can we get a horse?"

I said "not exactly." Which is the honest version of no when you live in a suburb and your garage is already full.

But I kept thinking: the joy on her face wasn't asking for ownership. It was asking for access. To the smell, the weight, the relationship. The whole thing.

That fall I found a barn that let us come on Saturdays. By spring, Maya was mucking stalls before the sun was fully up. Two years later, I leased the barn and built the program I wished had existed.

— Sarah OkonkwoFounder, Canter · Mom of two · Former 4-H kid

Meet the Herd

Founder Sarah Okonkwo with her daughter Maya beside their leased horse at Canter barn

"First Saturday. Maya didn't want to leave."

6 yrs

Running since 2019

140+

Families, so far

Horses in the herd

Lease tiers available

Active lease families

Show ribbons this season

Chapter 02 · First Visit

The Nakamura-Perez Family

Westchester County, NY

Lily pressed her forehead against Biscuit's nose and didn't move for four minutes.

We showed up not knowing what to expect. Lily, age 9, had been horse-obsessed since she could hold a crayon. Her dad Marco held the lead rope with two hands and looked like he was defusing something. By noon they were both relaxed. By the third Saturday, Marco was asking about half-leases.

See our horses →

Lily pressing her forehead against Biscuit the palomino horse nose first visit

"She didn't want lunch. She wanted to stay." — Keiko N.

Marco Perez holding lead rope for the first time with two hands concentrating

"My dad held on like the horse might escape." — Lily, age 9

Lily brushing Biscuit mane with big smile on her face

"Third visit. Already knows where the brushes live." — Keiko N.

Chapter 03 · First Trot

The Williams-Chen Family

Fairfield County, CT

Amara trotted for the first time and looked back at us with the biggest eyes.

Amara is 11. She'd been in the junior program for six weeks — mucking stalls, learning to groom, memorizing every horse's name and personality. The day she trotted, she didn't scream or grab the saddle horn. She just sat tall and grinned. Her grandmother, who rode as a teenager in Lagos, was crying before the lap was done.

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Amara Williams-Chen sitting tall in saddle during first trot lesson with big smile

"She sat so tall. I couldn't believe it was my kid." — Diane W.

Grandmother watching granddaughter ride from fence rail wiping tears

"My mother rode as a girl. She didn't expect to cry." — Diane W.

Amara cantering through paddock at golden hour with instructor alongside

"Six weeks in. She knows the horse better than I know my own car." — James C.

Chapter 04 · First Ribbon

The O'Brien Family

Bergen County, NJ

Fiona won fourth place. She taped the ribbon to her bedroom ceiling.

Fiona started on the weekend share program at age eight, just for fun. Three years in, she asked to enter the local schooling show. She placed fourth in her division. She didn't ask about first place. She said, "I want to do it again." The ribbon is taped to her ceiling so she sees it before she goes to sleep.

See our horses →

Fiona O'Brien holding blue ribbon beside her horse after schooling show class

"Fourth place. She said 'I want to do it again' before we even left the ring." — Tom O.

Fiona with parents and horse at show grounds family photo

"We drove two hours for a local schooling show. Worth every minute." — Bridget O.

Ribbon taped to bedroom ceiling above bed visible from below

"It's on her ceiling. She sees it every night." — Tom O.

Chapter 05

Three ways to make a horse feel like yours.

No hidden fees. No equipment requirements to start. Just show up on Saturday morning with boots you don't mind getting dirty.

In their own words.

These aren't testimonials. They're photo captions — written by the families, about the moments that mattered.

"I grew up riding and stopped for twenty years. The half-lease brought me back. I didn't expect to cry the first time I cantered again."

Ellen Marchetti

Half-lease rider · Empty-nester

"My son is not a 'horse kid.' He's a video game kid. He mucked his first stall and came home and said 'I want to go back tomorrow.' I almost fell over."

David Kowalski

Weekend Share parent · Ridgewood, NJ

"We tried three different lesson programs. Canter is the first place where my daughter talks about the horse by name, not 'the horse I rode.'"

Priya Agarwal

Junior Program parent · White Plains, NY

"I promised my daughter a pony when she was four. She's twelve. This is the honest version of keeping that promise."

Greg Tanner

Half-lease parent · Stamford, CT

"The junior program taught my daughter more responsibility in ten weeks than I managed in ten years of trying. She sets an alarm now. Voluntarily."

Naomi Osei

Junior Program parent · Westchester, NY

"I didn't expect to end up at the barn every single Saturday. I go for her. I stay because I love it too."

Cynthia Park

Weekend Share parent · Fairfield, CT

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Ready to meet the herd?

Come on a Saturday morning. No commitment. Just boots, a kid who's curious, and maybe a parent who used to ride.

Meet the Herd

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