At Barb Beaton’s farm in Campbell Valley, the preparations for a farm market fundraiser she’s hosting for the New Stride Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation have reached a fevered pitch.

The barn where a host of artisan food producers and artists will sell their wares has been pressure washed, the trees that line the driveway and dot the rolling pastures have been pruned and Barb’s much-adored horses are basking in a flurry of brushing and polishing.

The Farm Market fundraiser will be held indoors, rain or shine, on Oct. 3 and 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, at 900 232 St. in Langley, also known as the Fields and Flowers Farm Gate store.

The $2 admission to the event will be given to New Stride, as well as a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the apples from Annie’s Orchard, from the natural cheeses from Farmhouse in Agassiz, pickled and canned specialty preserves from Goodies by Thelma, to name a few of the gourmet offerings from participating Fraser Valley farms.

Then there’s the lemony shortbread cookies sprinkled with edible flower petals made by Barb’s company, Langford Foods.

In addition to fine edibles, there will be hand-made soaps, exotic teas and hand-woven garments. New Stride volunteers will be bringing a few of their adoptable horses for petting and nuzzling.

The hard-working volunteers at New Stride are delighted that Barb is hosting what may prove to be an annual event to help pay for the ever-escalating costs of feed and hay.

“We have empty stalls, boarding facilities and acreage waiting for horses but we can’t care for and feed as many as we would like because we don’t have the money.

“We have a growing list of horses unable to get our help,” said New Stride president Kim Inglis.

The Foundation, started in 2002, provides care and retraining for non-competitive and injured thoroughbreds and places them in carefully screened forever homes.

Barb, on the other hand, is delighted to be able to help a versatile breed of horse she has come to admire as a breeder and as a rider.

“Supporting New Stride is a very personal thing. Our grand old stallion Musing, who is 22, is a thoroughbred who did not want to be a race horse. We basically built our farm upon his success as a hunter and sport sire, and his winning two national CSHA stallion achievement awards. If this event can help to raise money to provide a better life for less fortunate thoroughbred horses, I will be absolutely thrilled,” said Barb.

For more information on New Stride, go to www.newstride.com.