Hilton Head will be losing a unique equine experience. ‘One of the last little gems’
After five years, Driftwood Stable on Hilton Head is being forced to relocate due to development — a move the owner says reflects a negative trend on the island.
Located at 200 Jonesville Road, stable volunteer Jada Saba said the area is “one of the last little gems” on Hilton Head. Live Oaks still thrive along the road, Saba said, and the space is a uniquely tranquil and spacious environment for the horses unmatched elsewhere on the island.
Sondra Makowski, the stable’s owner and head riding instructor, said she learned last week the land was being rezoned for residential use. Makowski said surveyors have been on the property already. Sondra and her sister, Marlene Makowski, have until December to find new arrangements for their business — and the 17 horses the stable owns or boards.
“I always knew when I took over this place that, yes, it could be sold and probably eventually be developed, but I was hoping not for another 20 or 30 years,” Sondra Makowski said. “The landlord did at least give us the 60-day notice. We’re actually just coming up on our fifth anniversary ... so it’s a little bittersweet.”
The stable has been well-loved by Lowcountry residents since arriving from its original Georgia location. It was recently voted as the best horseback riding location in the Lowcountry, and Makowski said there are few places that offer the wide array of services Driftwood does.
The stable is one of the few places to offer horse riding lessons on the island.
Aside from teaching riding lessons year-round, Driftwood boards horses and has a team that competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association. One of the stables riders even made it to the 2022 IEA national competition in Pennsylvania.
“IEA is great because the kids don’t have to have an expensive horse or expensive equipment. We go to the horse shows, and you pull a random horse that’s suitable for your division,” Makowski said. “I really love that program because it levels the playing field and gives opportunities for kids that may not have access to six-figure horses.”
‘It’s my livelihood’
Saba said the stable has offered many children, including her own, an irreplaceable activity they are attached to.
“My daughter on Friday night went to her room and made a video that broke my heart of her riding in the barn, and everything that the barn meant to her,” Saba said.
Driftwood also hosts non-competitive events that teach children how to take care of horses by shadowing Makowski.
“This place, it’s more than my home. It’s my livelihood,” Makowski said.
The marshland around Jonesville Road has been at the forefront of redevelopment in recent months, Saba said, with a new plot at the corner of Jonesville and Spanish Wells Road being prepared for housing as well.
Makowski said the redevelopment of the barn property would be another “concerning” loss of green space on Hilton Head.
Some early leads have emerged for relocation, Makowski said, but an ideal location with the space and facilities needed to continue all of Driftwood’s services is difficult to find and pay for. She’s hoping to launch fundraising efforts to help with the relocation and potentially connect with interested landowners.
“I want to stay as close as possible, just so I don’t lose a lot of my students,” Makowski said. “I started some of them from the ground up and they’re special to me. They’re like my kids, too.”
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 12:53 PM.
