SKYSTONE FARM
our story
The Legend of the Sky Stone
At the end of the 4th Century, Rome under siege on all fronts, receded from the British Isles. With the legions no longer available to protect the borders of the frontier, raiders on all sides renewed their vigor to plunder the wealth created under the order of Rome. A visionary Briton-born commander Caius of the legions foresaw this epochal inevitability and made plans to gather artisans, craftsmen, and resources. With the help of loyal officers from his cohorts, they established a colony that would protect all that was good about Rome so that these Britons could continue to flourish while managing their own defenses against the coming decline.
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His most trusted officer and friend, Varus, returned to the trade of his father, a blacksmith, and began the work of providing tools for the colony. Intrigued by a dagger of unique brilliance and hardness his father left him, he sought the source of this superior ore. It was on this quest he learned the story of the Red Dragon where locals told of a night when dragon fire exploded in the “iron hills”.
Exploring a villa-sized crater near a lake in the mountains Varus uncovered a small dense rock he suspected contained some of the ore of his dagger. He became certain of this as he studied the qualities of this ore, however the quantity was insufficient to create anything useful.
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Returning to the iron hills in search of more rocks, Varus realized the lake was itself formed in a vast crater. With the resources of Legion engineers, they drained the lake and unearthed a large “sky stone” as he referred to it that would yield sufficient ore multiple times the amount of his dagger. Compelled to make something beautiful rather than leave the sky stone as a lump of ore, he fashioned “The Lady of the Lake” while he contemplated the best purpose for this limited and extraordinary metal.
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As the exigencies of the colony became dire, that purpose revealed itself. The sky stone in the form of the Lady of the Lake was forged into “Excalibur” and the colony became known in the legends as "Camelot".
The Skystone Farm name and logo spawned from the telling of this Arthurian legend penned by the late Scottish-Canadian author, Jack Whyte.
The Symbolism in the Skystone Farm Logo
The Sword and shield together protect the virtues that allow us to flourish.
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The 4 quadrants represent the distinct attributes embodied by professionals in the horse industry - rider, trainer, teacher, and coach.
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The colour offsets in the quadrants represent the pairing of rider-trainer as horse skills and teacher-coach as human skills versus the alternate pairing of rider-coach as competitive skills and trainer-teacher as developmental skills.
The Celtic knot in the core of the “S” depicts the intertwining of wisdom and method. It is an infinity knot with no beginning or end symbolizing the eternal pursuit of improvement.
The Skystone “S” beginning and ending with the horse, represents the interconnectedness of horse as free spirit and horse as servant. The opposing forces of freedom and capture are joined inextricably through the Celtic knot so that we may respect this natural condition and strive to form true partnerships guided by our horses’ willing participation.
Linking Skystone Farm to the Legend of the Sky Stone as conceived and told by Jack Whyte reminds us daily of the efforts and vigilance required on our journey to mastery so that we may not fall victim to the vanities that creep in and corrupt our relationships with our horses. Our purpose is to contribute to the development of horsemanship for all communities engaged in the noble pursuit of excellence and this being the reason Skystone Farm was created.