About Phillips Connell “Phil” Witter
breeder of Arabian and Half-Arabians, producing horses that earned more than 1,100 championships and numerous national and regional honors. Phil also became a respected Arabian-horse judge.
Phil later reestablished the farm’s historic cattle operation, exhibiting exceptional purebred Hereford and Angus cattle throughout the country. One of the farm’s most memorable Herefords was affectionately known as “Sitting Bull” because of his unusual habit of sitting upright like a dog. He achieved the extraordinary distinction of winning at the Houston Livestock Show in two consecutive years—particularly notable for an animal exhibited by a Louisiana cattle operation.
Philanthropy has long been central to Phil’s stewardship of Live Oak. He supported therapeutic riding programs, regularly opened the property to charitable organizations for fundraising events and, in 2021, gave a generous donation to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. That gift established the Eleanor Connell Witter of Live Oak at Cedar Lodge Farm Scholarship, honoring his mother, and named the Garig–Connell–Witter Exam Room. In recognition of his exceptional generosity and support, Phil was inducted into the 2023 Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana Hall of Fame. Through his commitment to animals, education, conservation, community service, and historic preservation, he continues a longstanding family tradition of service and generosity.
"Stewardship, to me, means understanding that although this is my home and property, it is also a part of the history of Baton Rouge. The best thing we can do is share it, recognizing this very special place has survived here for centuries. The land, buildings, trees, animals, and family stories are all part of that inheritance. Protecting them does not mean closing the gates, but welcoming visitors in ways that respect the land and allow it to thrive.” —PCW
Phillips Connell “Phil” Witter has been part of Live Oak at Cedar Lodge since childhood, when he learned to fish its waters, ride its horses, and work alongside the men who cared for the land. After earning his undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University and pursuing further study in international law in Europe, he returned to Baton Rouge in 1971 to manage his family’s agricultural interests and preserve the property he had always loved.
In 1972, Phil established Live Oak Arabians, bringing the farm’s horses into national competition. Under his leadership, Live Oak became an internationally acclaimed