History of Rattlewood Farms

One of the great things about living in a community like Oxford is the history. It seems like everywhere you go, there's a piece of the past just waiting to be explored, uncovered or rediscovered.

Before it became Rattlewood Farms, the magnificent spread located at 1935 Ray Rd. was known as RedBob Farms. At one point, it was Michigan’s leading breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.

RedBob Farms was established in the mid-1950s by Irving A. “Red” Duffy, a Ford Motor Company executive, and Major Robert “Bob” Borg, a retired U.S. Army cavalry officer and skilled equestrian. Borg made a name for himself by coaching and competing in the Olympic Games three times.

It was Duffy’s need for a riding instructor for his son, Frank, that led Borg to Michigan. “Soon after that, Duffy and Borg were [making] plans for a grand entrance into Michigan’s then-infant thoroughbred breeding business.” – Lansing State Journal (LSJ), May 1969.

Borg told the LSJ reporter, “I knew that Kentucky’s bluegrass country was supposed to be great for horses and that Florida was coming up in a big way, but there were only two places I seriously considered. One was the country around Oxford here in Michigan and the other was Chester County near Philadelphia, PA.”

One of RedBob Farms’ top sires was a horse named Rattle Dancer, who was related to Majestic Prince, winner of the 1969 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Both horses were related to the legendary Native Dancer (1950-67), who became horse racing’s first television star. Nicknamed “The Grey Ghost,” Native Dancer had a career record of 21 wins in 22 starts. The only race Native Dancer ever lost was the 1953 Kentucky Derby. He finished in second place.

In June 1972, The Cutter, a 3-year-old colt from RedBob Farms, became the first Michigan-bred horse to win the Michigan Derby held at the Hazel Park Raceway.

Today, the RedBob property is known as Rattlewood Farms. Owned by Lynne and Gary Wood since August 2010, the 260-acre horse farm offers boarding and training services and caters to the hunter/jumper and dressage disciplines. Hunter/jumper training at Rattlewood is conducted by Jessica M. Filiatrault, who moved her business, Matador Farm, to Oxford in 2016. “She’s doing a wonderful job,” Gary Wood said.

Major Robert “Bob” Borg
During World War II, Borg joined the U.S. Army and became the last enlisted man ever assigned to the horse-mounted cavalry. He eventually rose to the rank of major. When the mounted cavalry was disbanded in 1950, it was Borg who was ordered to undertake the sad task of selling the last of the Army’s horses.

Following the war, Borg trained horses and riders in the disciplines of dressage and eventing for the 1948 Olympics in London. Under his leadership, the U.S. team captured its first-ever silver medal in dressage. Since then, no U.S. Olympic dressage team has placed higher. He also coached the U.S. Eventing Team to a gold medal that year. In addition to coaching, Borg competed in dressage and placed fourth individually.

Borg went on to coach the newly formed United States Equestrian Team in the 1952 Olympics (Helsinki) and 1956 Olympics (Stockholm). He also continued to compete in the Games. At the 1952 Olympics, Borg coached the U.S. three-day eventing team to a bronze medal. Individually, he rode to a sixth-place finish in dressage.

Borg holds the distinction of being the only equestrian in history to have coached and ridden on the same Olympic team.

During the 1955 Pan American Games, Borg competed and won a silver medal in dressage. A fellow rider, Walter Staley, won a gold medal in eventing thanks to Borg’s coaching.

In October 1959, the Oxford Leader reported Borg was “thrown from a horse” while riding at RedBob Farms. The May 1969 LSJ story about Borg and RedBob provided more details. The retired cavalry officer was “schooling a one-time race horse in dressage . . . when the animal reared, flinging Borg to the ground.” The horse then “toppled on him.” According to the LSJ, “it was several hours before the accident was discovered” because “the farm crew was away at the time.”

Borg spent four months in the hospital and lost the use of his legs. However, he didn’t let his paralysis prevent him from pursuing his passion. He invented a device dubbed “the roundtable” that allowed him to continue training horses.

When Borg was inducted into the United States Dressage Federation Hall of Fame in 2003, a speech given in his honor described “the roundtable” as “a wooden box, much like the driver’s area of a chariot, on a wheel hub.” The roundtable “pivoted 360 degrees in either direction” and “served as the center of (Borg’s) lunging circle.” Lunging is a method of training that involves a handler driving a horse in a circle while the animal is on the end of a rope known as a lunge line. Lunging teaches obedience and allows horses to burn off excess energy.

Following his accident, Borg spent the next four and a half decades training more than 600 horses at RedBob Farms. Borg continued doing what he loved right up until his death in April 2005 at age 91.

Irving A. “Red” Duffy
Duffy, who was born in 1904, served with the U.S. Cavalry after graduating from West Point. In the years that followed, he served as a law instructor at West Point, obtained his law degree, joined the Judge Advocate General’s Department and was assigned to the Army Ordnance Department where he served as chief of the legal division and special assistant to the chief of ordnance. Duffy retired from the Army as a full colonel in 1946.

Following his military career, Duffy joined the Ford Motor Company in 1949 as director of purchasing. He became a vice president that same year. Four years later, he was elected to Ford's board of directors.

In January 1954, Duffy was appointed vice president and general manager of Ford’s Tractor and Implement Division. In January 1957, he was made vice president over various manufacturing operations.

Duffy passed away in August 1980 at the age of 76. His wife, Helga, a veterinarian, continued to run the farm after his death. In addition to thoroughbred breeding and training, RedBob housed a veterinary clinic, offered dog boarding services and grew hay.

Sources: 1) Lansing State Journal; 2) The Oxford Leader; 3) Detroit Free Press; 4) United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Hall of Fame Induction speech (2003); 5) July/August 2016 USDF Connection magazine