Sutherland Farm derives its name from the horse breeding and racing operation which began at this location.  The family who operated the horse farm prior to development of the subdivision were Paul and Kay Girdner. Their address was 3895 Girdner Lane Meridian.

The operation boasted the following categories of business: After School Programs, Boarding Stables, Health Care Professionals, Horse Breeders and Dealers, Horse Riding Schools and Instruction, Horseback Riding, Large Animal Physical Therapists, Sports and Fitness Instruction

 

As the story was told to me by Grant Knapp, a neighboring land owner, Mr. Girdner held a position with a company which caused him to travel frequently.  Mr. Knapp said Mr. Girdner kept two bags packed on the back porch… one packed for travel to the northern Hemisphere and one for traveling to the Southern Hemisphere.  The Girdner’s spent the majority of their lifetimes in the horse business.  At its peak, Sutherland Farm boasted a state of the art breeding barn facility and a full length racing track.  The former location of the race track is the space just south of the Citi Building, next to the north side of the canal.

 

As the story goes, many of the horses bred at Sutherland Farm went onto racing careers far beyond Idaho.  Prodigy were said to have raced at Santa Anita, Del Mar, Hollywood Park and other major horse tracks throughout the United States.  The horse operation continued to be operated at this location even after phases one and two were built by the developer. 

In fact, this excerpt was printed on the “Daily Racing Forum” website in 2009,

 

“Girdner, who lives in Boise, Idaho, added to his Thoroughbred holdings when he paid $120,000 for a California-bred Chief Seattle filly at the Barretts May sale of 2-year-olds in training.

The Chief Seattle filly was the most expensive California-bred at the one-day sale. She will be Girdner's hope on the racetrack in the second half of the year, and is expected to make her career debut at Del Mar this summer.

 

About the time phase three was began, the horse operation was moved to Melba, Idaho in Canyon County.  Also around this time the Girdner family finally moved out of their home which sat on the eastern edge of the pond in what is now our park.  Several feet below the sand lot where children frequently play is where the family pool of the Girdner home once existed.

 

As you may have guessed, almost every street in the Sutherland Farm Subdivision is named after a horse either raised or owned by Sutherland Farm.  The only streets named after people are Girdner Street and Knapp Avenue.