By STEPHANIE JONES
High up in the North Carolina mountains, there’s a swath of land that was once mined and logged. Today, it’s called Balsam Mountain Preserve, a 4,400-acre nature preserve gated community.
About an hour from the bustling showgrounds of Tryon, NC, the laid-back luxury community boasts a collection of amenities, including a gathering house and tavern, a world-class golf course, fitness center, spa, nature center, and a welcoming equestrian community that is all about kicking back and having fun. The average home on the property boasts 2,500 square feet of living space, with some smaller homes and some larger—up to 6,000 square feet. There are also fractional ownership opportunities for equestrians to spend up to 56 days a year on the property.
Make your way to the equestrian corner of Balsam, and you’ll be greeted by Goose, the barn dog and unofficial mascot, eagerly awaiting the chance to show you around the barn at the equestrian facility. The equestrian center is managed by Goose’s owner and equestrian director, Lila Kilby.
Despite the proximity to Tryon, Balsam’s vibe is decidedly low-key and no pressure, with equestrian activities galore and pristinely maintained barns and fields. The property features 40 miles of old logging trails for endless riding opportunities, and Balsam even has horses available to borrow and ponies available to give pony rides to kids. The equestrian center includes a riding arena, a 14-stall barn, and plans to expand.
After a horsey photo shoot on the mountain, complete with a shower of yellow autumn leaves, Kilby sat down with The Plaid Horse to share more about Balsam.
A Greenville, SC, native, she describes her upbringing as a “total barn rat. I rode horses wherever my mom would drop me off. She would say, ‘Work hard, and maybe they will let you ride a horse.’ I started in a hunter/jumper barn, but I was never competitive with others. I was just competitive with myself.”
For as long as she can remember, Kilby says she has always loved the combination of horses and the mountains. “In elementary school, we had the classic ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ paper. I wrote: ‘I want to live in the mountains and take care of the horses.’
Kilby had a Quarter horse growing up, Maserati, who “quickly became the love of my life,” she says. “It was just me and my dude, Maserati, out there against the world together.” After her junior year at Clemson University, Kilby’s aunt called her about an immediate opening back home at a barn with 10 boarders on site. She and a friend managed the barn for the summer. When Kilby graduated from Clemson with a degree in Animal Science, she knew she wanted to work with horses from then on.
Balsam developer David Southworth also grew up around horses in the Scottsdale, AZ area. “It was the West’s most western town,” he jokes. “Horses were always around, everywhere. I would walk by horse stables on the way to school every morning.”
Southworth studied hotel administration and was always interested in hospitality, which led to luxury resorts, which led to development. So, why the North Carolina mountains for this particular development?
“In the early 2000s, I was working on a project with an Arnold Palmer golf course in Scottsdale, and some of the people I worked with were fascinated with this North Carolina Mountain project they kept talking about. Their excitement became my own, and I began following the project as well.”
Community manager Sean McLaughlin says that growing up, his parents had about 45 rental homes, which piqued his interest as an adult. After college, he moved to the Adirondacks “and fell in love with the mountains.” Soon after, he moved to New Hampshire and started selling real estate at a ski resort.
And the equestrian corner of Balsam, McLaughlin says, rounds out the special experience that the property provides its residents.
Adds Southworth, “I love everything about the equestrian community and the audience it attracts.”
An Industry Standout
Few communities of this caliber offer equestrian programs, and even fewer offer such dedication to its offerings.
- 40+ Miles of maintained trails
- Youth training camps and graduation programs
- Year-round boarding with Daily Equine Care
With a brand-new stable in the works, Members can expect…
- State-of-the-art facilities
- Continued investment in equine loved ones
