Sam and Michael Pegg’s passion for the horse industry came naturally: the brothers grew up on their family’s farm in Keswick where their mother, Janet, ran a riding school and bred horses. As youngsters, they rode, helped out at horse shows and went on to become competitive riders and course designers.
“I always wanted to be a rider and have a farm, and it was always on the radar I’d do that with Mike,” said Sam, 30, who is five years younger than Michael.
Early adult life took them on different paths, but in February 2016 their goal became a reality when the Pegg brothers, along with partner Basheer Khan, bought a 102-acre farm at 1060 Scugog Line 12 in Uxbridge Township and established Ten Sixty Stables.
While studying engineering at the University of Toronto, Michael had continued to compete in hunter and jumper classes throughout Canada and the U.S., including some small grand prix. He continued course designing – he’s a senior national and FEI show jumping designer – and started a business that included horse sales.
Sam attended York University’s business school for a year and had the opportunity to go to California as a working student for John French. The following year, he moved to Kris Cheyne’s Kirin Farm in Kansas City, Missouri, where he spent six years on an international athlete’s visa.
When he returned home, the time was right for the brothers to go into business together, along with Khan, who competed in eventing, show jumping and tent pegging in his native India and was winner of a 1988 National Equestrian Championship of India Gold Medal. The Peggs met Khan in 2008 when he wanted to get back into horses, purchased one and kept it with them.
Their search for a suitable property for their business took them to Uxbridge in Durham Region where they found what they were looking for at an existing farm. The area was in need of another “serious training stable,” according to Sam, and local businesses could benefit from a venue such as one the partners wanted to create.
The first order of business was renovating the indoor arena, replacing the footing and adding three more outdoor rings. This summer, they installed an eight-horse Equisizer and are in the process of having the farm rezoned as an equine event facility. The farm includes two 20-stall barns and a separate six-stall barn for quarantine. Kelsey Currie of Eastwood Equestrian Services leases some of the facilities for her own hunter-jumper business.
Since 2017, they have been running shows on the property including Show Jump for Heart, a charity event they founded that benefits the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation (Khan had heart surgery at Southlake). In 2021, they plan to host two Gold shows, two Trillium shows, one Silver Series show and the Dreamcrest Horse Trials. The partners plan to help Dreamcrest’s Ian Roberts, eventing Olympian and well-known coach of eventers and hunter/jumper riders, eventually develop the horse trials into an FEI event. Michael also manages four Trillium shows at another venue.
A grand prix jumper the Peggs co-own with Khan, the 16 h. Belgian warmblood mare Shai de Macheco, has helped build Ten Sixty’s reputation as a competitive stable. Michael saw the mare competing in Europe and purchased her with Sam and Khan. She’s won close to 20 grand prix and open jumper classes with Sam in the irons, including a 2018 grand prix at the Caledon Equestrian Park and at the World Equestrian Center in Ohio in 2016 and 2018, where she was leading money-earner on the winter circuit both years.
Other promising jumpers in their barn include Cronos L, a horse that competed in Germany to the 1.45 metre level, Bonzai, a former mount of Jonathan Millar’s that’s earned good results with the Peggs, and QEH Ocean Voyage, a former event horse owned by Madison Penfound that has successfully made the transition to show jumping. There is also coming seven-year-old future grand prix star Gluckskeks, owned by Caroline Eracles Investments.
Ten Sixty welcomes outside coaches and riders for schooling at reasonable cost. Roberts often brings his students over, and Canadian Eventing Team member Jessica Phoenix and her students have also been regulars.
“Our goal is to keep our facility accessible to all in our horse community to support local horse businesses and strengthen all levels of horse sport in our area, from grassroots to small grand prix competitions,” says Sam. “We want to keep a ‘good neighbour’ feel about it. That is important to all three of us.”
The Peggs do the training, showing and handle the day-to-day running of Ten Sixty, along with their staff. As well as their show and sales equines and horses in training, they get 50 to 75 horses for quarantine a year. Khan is taking the lead on getting the property rezoned to carry out their expansions plans. He also helps with business strategy and his wife Reem handles Ten Sixty’s social media.
In 2021, Michael will split his time between course designing and being at the shows with Sam, travelling across North America where Sam will be showing horses along with their clients.
“I’m in California course-designing for three weeks in December, then Florida and California again before returning home in spring,” says Michael. “In summer, I do all our own shows and Bromont, Palgrave and Angelstone.”
Being in business as brothers has its advantages, plus they enjoy working together.
“Without each other and the way we do it, we would be a lot more average at what we do. We have a big operation at home, with six to eight quarantine horses at any one time and 30 horses in work,” says Michael. “You need a good staff, and we have that, but it’s nice to be able to bounce things off each other.”
“I wouldn’t want to do this by myself,” admits Sam. “I really enjoy working with my brother. We couldn’t operate at the level we are without each other.”
