What this Chesapeake horseman can teach you - Virginia Horse ...

What this Chesapeake
horseman can teach you
A MEDIA GENERAL MAGAZINE
Fall 2009
V I R G I N I A H O R S E P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S
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A Special Advertising Supplement Sponsored by the Virginia Horse Industry Board

WELCOME 2
With this fall edition of The Post, we continue to
provide informative and entertaining insights
into the individuals involved in Virginia’s
equine industry.
We have received several compliments so far — which
we sincerely appreciate.
The Virginia Horse Industry Board and Media General’s
goal is to produce a high-caliber publication that delights
and offers a positive behind-the-curtain look at some not
so famous, but dedicated, Virginia horse people.
In this issue we are highlighting women in our industry
— individuals with varied backgrounds. Go to any horse
event and see firsthand that females generally outnumber
their male counterparts.
The mystique of the horse seems to grab hold of the
young girl’s imagination, and while many of life’s phases
intercede — dating, college, career, marriage, children —
there seems to be that ever present need to return to Oz, a
desire to recapture the magic and wonder of horses. Some
return through their children and some reach that midlife
point where a four-legged steed that can do shoulder-ins,
sliding stops or piaffes means more than a new red convertible
or a shiny Harley.
In tHIs Issue we are
HIgHlIgHtIng
women In our
InDustry —
InDIvIDuals
wItH varIeD
backgrounDs.
Horse industry statistics show that women dominate the
equine arena. The U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Equestrian
Magazine reaches 90,000 readers — representing 28
breeds and disciplines — who spend $1.4 billion a year on
horse products.
Some 85 percent of these readers are women; 40 percent
own a farm and an average of four horses. Equisearch.com
reports that, by 2018, most veterinarians will be women
and that 81 percent of the American Association of Equine
Practitioners’ current members are women.
So, please enjoy reading about these many talented female
members of, and participants in, the Virginia equine
industry. Whether protecting people as a member of a
mounted squad, conducting critical research that will benefit
all equines and their owners, taking an every-race risk
riding steeplechase horses or creating masterful equine
works of art, these women make major contributions to the
industry. We recognize their significant accomplishments
and are grateful for them.
You can also read this issue, and previous issues of The
www.horsenation.us
Photo by Luis Leche
Virginia Horse Industry Board Program Manager Andrea Heid
shows off her horse Poquita, a purebred Andalusian mare.
Post, on the Virginia Horse Industry Board’s Web site,
www.vhib.org. While there, visit the newest section on
Famous Virginia Horses — a virtual museum of Virginia’s
notable equines and their claims to fame.
As we step back into the routines of the fall, we hope
you are excited about the start of another season, filled
with opportunities to enjoy your horses. Whatever activity
you choose, we hope your trip back to Oz is memorable.
andrea Heid
Program Manager
Virginia Horse Industry Board
the complete equine community
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My Day at Deep Run
Fall 2009
Mid-June in Richmond ushers in the first real heat and
humidity of summer. June also brings a time-honored
tradition to the Deep Run Hunt Club – the competition
for the Bryan Trophy. The trophy, originally presented to
Mr. and Mrs. Lamont S. Bryan by the Deep Run Juniors,
recognizes excellence in horsemanship in junior competitors.
This year's winner was Annie Cosby. Her name will
be engraved, as was the names of past proud recipients,
on the perpetual trophy.
Doug Forshey
Publisher
The Bryan Trophy has been awarded since 1962.
Jumping ability is a key criteria to winning the Bryan Trophy.
Peter Walls and Jennifer Khoury of Merrill Lynch present the 2009 Bryan
Trophy.

LETTERS
To The Post:
I have been wanting to write you and congratulate
your team on an excellent supplement to the humdrum
of a non-horsey newspaper. I thoroughly enjoyed reading
The Post, and had an idea for the next article for “A day
in the life of . . .” section.
My name is Shannon Carner and I am an equine
podiatrist. I differ from a traditional farrier and even a
barefoot trimmer in many ways. I do not apply traditional
metal horse shoes but do a form of “non-cast” material; I
actually make shoes out of a fiberglass-like material and
form it to horses’ feet. I also make “shoes” with epoxies
and glues. My passion lies with foundered horses and
animals suffering from navicular syndrome, but I have
many clients that simply have maintenance trimming.
Much of my work is centered in the rural areas
of Buckingham and Farmville where there is so much
need and so many neglected horses, but I do travel to
Richmond, and Florida as well. I thought an article about
equine podiatry would help inform horse owners that
there is help for their foundered and lame [horses] that
defies traditional thinking and that their horses can gallop
sound without the need and expense of a metal shoe.
Shannon Carner
To the Post
I have really enjoyed reading The Post! I am always
on the lookout for interesting horse info and I am always
pleased to read about other fellow equinuts. It’s a pleasure
to see your publication in print!
That said, I would like to submit an idea for a possible
story. Every year, Fleetwood Community Center, a
former elementary school in Nelson County, holds two
weekend-long benefit trail rides: one in October and one
in April.
Riders come from all over the state to ride in the
mountains. In fact, for this past spring ride, we had riders
from Maryland, Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia as
well.
As all profits go toward the upkeep of the center and
the grounds, and as gas prices climb and the economy
continues to sucker-punch us all, I thought perhaps you
might be interested in highlighting a local riding option
that supports a good cause.
In addition, the Montebello Volunteer Fire Department
and Rescue Squad, also in Nelson, just off of the Blue
Ridge Parkway, also holds two weekend-long benefit
trail rides. Their fall ride is also in October (dates do not
conflict with Fleetwood’s ride) and the spring ride is in
May. All of their profits benefit those vital services, and
again, the ride is within easy driving distance of your
readership.
Audrey Diane Evans
More letters on page 14
THE POST
VIRGINIA HORSE PEOPLE AND PLACES
Vol. 2 FALL 2009 No. 3
The Post is a publication of Media General Operations Inc.
Douglas A. Forshey
Publisher
(804) 649-6998
dforshey@mediageneral.com
Joan Hughes
Editor
(804) 512-4373
ThePost@mediageneral.com
Send your editorial comments and story ideas to Joan.
Skip Rowland
Staff Photographer
(804) 512-2402
skip@skippix.biz
Contributing Writers
Deborah Rider Allen
Rex Bowman
Andrea Heid
Joan Hughes
Carlos Santos
Janet Showalter
Pamela Stallsmith
Andy Taylor
Advertising Sales
Pam Sanders
Sales Manager
(804) 380-8011
psanders@mediageneral.com
The Post will be published quarterly in 2009 by Media General Operations, Inc., 333
East Franklin St., Richmond, VA 23219. The magazine is distributed free of charge in
central and western Virginia. This publication is copyright 2009 Media General Operations,
Inc. All editorial materials are fully protected and may not be reproduced in any
manner without our written consent. Questions regarding the content should be directed
to the publisher.
The Post is published in partnership with the Virginia Horse Industry Board. For more
information about the Virginia horse industry, the VHIB or to read The Post online visit
www.vhib.org.
On the cover: On the job (clockwise from top left): Photo of steeplechase
jockey Danielle Hodsdon in blue silks courtesy of Douglas Lees/Virginia Gold Cup Association;
photo of mounted police officer Amy Bailey on the now-retired GQ courtesy
of Linda House/Foxwoodphotography.com; photo of equine artist Gail Guirreri-Maslyk
courtesy of Gail Guirreri-Maslyk; photo of Dr. Virginia Buechner-Maxwell (left) and associate
courtesy of Dr. Virginia Buechner-Maxwell.
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ON THE COVER 4 Fall 2009
SteeplechaSe jockey
Shenandoah University grad embraces sport of kings
By Pamela Stallsmith
Danielle Hodsdon grew up riding, participating in
three-day-eventing and showing.
When she went to college at Shenandoah University
in Winchester, she sold her event horse and made money
waitressing. During her junior year, she soon found a
better way to earn a paycheck: riding for a trainer outside
of Middleburg. A friend put her in touch with someone
who trained racehorses, “and it was new for me to be paid
to ride.”
So Hodsdon began a career that now finds her as a
steeplechase jockey. In her native state of New Hampshire,
there was no steeplechase racing, where Thoroughbreds
race over jumps.
“I really enjoy what I’m doing,” she said in a telephone
interview from her home in Kennett Square, Pa., a few
days after racing at Colonial Downs in New Kent County.
It’s a seven-day-a-week job when she’s not racing, one
that’s both physically and mentally challenging.
“That’s the horse business, and you have people who
don’t understand that. They’re animals, and they require
care and exercise every day. I take a day off when I want to
do something.” Racing on weekends gives her a break, and
www.horsenation.us
Photo courtesy of Douglas Lees/Virginia Gold Cup Association
Danielle Hodsdon receives a trophy for her win on The Manner Born in the sixth race at the Virginia Gold Cup in May 2009
on days she finishes early she has some free time.
Hodsdon works as an assistant and exercise rider for
trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who has a farm in West Grove,
Pa. “It’s a little more hands-on than other jockeys. What I
would like to do when I finish is to become a trainer.”
On a typical day, she’s at the barn by 7 a.m. to take care
of the horses, turning them out and exercising them. She
finishes around 2 p.m.
Best part of the job: “Getting to travel. It’s a fun
perk. I work hard during the week, but during the
weekend I get to go play.”
Worst part of the job: “Probably the same —
sometimes the traveling is tough. Some weekends
it’s leisurely and I might get to fly someplace and
stay in a nice hotel. Other times you’re in Pennsylvania
on Saturday, then Kentucky the next day,
and sometimes traveling can be a nightmare.”
She spends most of the year in Pennsylvania, though
she stays about four months during the spring in Camden,
S.C., and six weeks during the summer at Saratoga, N.Y.,
“which is a treat.”
Hodsdon started racing in 2000, and made it a full-time
job six years ago. To prepare for a race, she starts to think
about it throughout the week. “You try to have a general
game plan for how you’d like things to unfold, how you
would run a different horse, what you think they need . . .
When you get out there, everything happens very quickly
and you have to deal with things unfolding. It’s easier to do
if you’ve thought about things in advance.”
Weight is an issue, but Hodsdon — who as a female is
a rarity among steeplechase jockeys — has to make sure
she keeps hers up. At 5-feet 5-inches and 117 pounds, she
weighs a good 30 pounds less than her typical colleague.
One dream she would love to realize is winning the
Breeders’ Cup Grand National Steeplechase, where she’s
placed second and third. Some of the bigger races she’s
won include the Royal Chase for the Sport of Kings at
Keeneland, winning in 2007 and 2008, the last two years
it was run. She won the New York Turf Riders Cup in
Saratoga in 2006.
She’s run a bunch in Virginia including at Colonial
Downs and in the Virginia Gold Cup.
“I can see doing this a couple more years,” Hodsdon
said. “It varies a lot on your injuries. I’ve been pretty lucky
health-wise. When your body starts telling you it’s had
enough, it’s smart to walk away healthy. I’m going to do it
as long as I enjoy it.”
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan Hughes
at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373.
more on DanIelle HoDsDon
born: New Hampshire, October 1976.
residence: Kennett Square, Pa.
Family: Single; one brother, parents.
Pets: Britches, a Jack Russell terrier; Smock, a cat.
occupation: Steeplechase jockey.
education: Shenandoah University, Bachelor
of Science in kinesiology.
Hobbies: “If I ever have time, I enjoy
downhill skiing, reading and shopping,
which is a bad habit more than a hobby.”
Horse highlights: In 2000, she went to
Japan with a horse that ran in the Japan
Cup. In 2008, she traveled to Santa Anita
with a horse, Forever Together, who won
the Filly and Mare Breeders’ Cup Turf race.
Philosophy on life: “You have to work hard to
get what you want in life.”
best horse advice: “Patience and hard work.”

Fall 2009
5 ON THE COVER
Mounted police oFFicer
Chesapeake resident patrols Virginia Beach
Amy Bailey at a special function at the mounted police facility.
By Andy Taylor
Waves crashing onto the shore, gulls squawking
overhead, the occasional shrill from a lifeguard’s whistle
and horses clop, clop, clopping.
Aah, the summer sounds of the beach.
Horses clopping? That’s right, Amy Bailey aboard
Nightwatch, and other mounted police officers, patrol the
Virginia Beach oceanfront and resort area on a nightly basis.
Bailey is a master police officer with the Virginia Beach
Police Department and one of 14 officers and 16 horses in
the mounted patrol unit.
Her horse, Nightwatch, is a dark-bay Thoroughbred
gelding, standing 16 hands high. He was on the show
jumping circuit before he was given to the police
department. All of the horses in the mounted patrol are
donated, Bailey said.
Nightwatch and Bailey work the 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. shift
during the summer months. Bailey said their mission is to
provide a visible presence and to look for trouble before
it happens.
Bailey said officers on horseback are in a better position
to see problems brewing because they sit high above the
crowd. This gives them an edge that officers on foot or in
patrol cars don’t have, she said.
Photo courtesy of Linda House/Foxwoodphotography.com
“On horseback you are able to see stuff start to develop
before it happens,” she said. “I can see a group of people
starting to make trouble from a block or two away.
Sometimes it’s gang activity and sometimes it’s jerks, call
it what you will.”
A lot of what the mounted police squad does is crowd
control but the evenings are often consumed with arresting
people for being drunk in public, fighting, disturbing the
peace and traffic enforcement, she said.
Best part of the job: Riding my horse anywhere I want.
Worst part of the job: Having to deal with arrogant,
rude people.
It’s a delicate balance when patrolling by horseback,
Bailey said.
“You can’t become a spectacle.” By that she means you
can’t go trotting up to every situation you see because
when the horses speed up it gets people’s attention and
draws a crowd.
Bailey finds 16-year-old Nightwatch perfectly suited to
the beat he works.
“Put him in the median and he’s just as chilled as he can
be,” Bailey said. “Put him on a trail ride and everything
spooks him, any little noise like a branch snapping.
“Maybe that says something about the rider,” jokes
Bailey, who never rode before joining the mounted patrol
unit in 1997. She stayed in the unit for five years but
decided she needed to get more experience in other areas
of policing.
So she tried other police jobs in the department.
But she found she missed working with the horses and
after three years she returned to mounted patrol.
There is a strenuous selection process to get into the
mounted unit, Bailey said. A selection board determines if
an officer is a good candidate. There is an agility test for
officers and months of horseback training, she said.
Bailey said that on average she’s in the saddle four or
five hours a night, but there are times when it’s as many
as 10 hours.
Bailey said that the officers check their horses each day
to make sure the animal looks good and doesn’t have any
obvious injuries. Officers also do basic maintenance such
as cleaning stalls. And the unit also has a full-time groom
for the horses.
An animal lover, Bailey has three dogs and numerous
fish but has never owned a horse even though she grew
up on a farm.
“We had cows, no horses,” Bailey said. “Horses were
for rich people.”
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan
Hughes at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373.
more on amy baIley
born: 1965, Lynchburg.
residence: Chesapeake.
Family: Boyfriend, David.
Pets: Bulldogs Norton and Buster and deaf
pit-bull mix from the local shelter, Dixon; lots of
tropical fish.
occupation: Mounted police officer.
Hobbies: Kayaking, gardening, cooking, auctions.
Horse highlight: Participating in the inaugural
parade for President George W. Bush, 2001, and
assisting in security detail for Queen Elizabeth in
Williamsburg, 2007.
Philosophy on life: Life is always better with a
dog by your side.
best horse advice ever received: Ask nice the first
time . . .
www.horsenation.us

ON THE COVER
www.horsenation.us
6
equine artiSt
Rectortown woman has a passion for painting and horses
This painting by Gail Guirreri-Maslyk was to be raffled to benefit Blue Ridge Hospice. Photo courtesy of Gail Guirreri-Maslyk
By Deborah Rider Allen
When a back injury sidelined equestrian-horse breeder
Gail Guirreri-Maslyk, she traded her days in the saddle for
another passion — painting.
“While recovering I have been able to focus on my
artwork. So the art has taken over in the place I would
have been riding,” said
Guirreri-Maslyk, who
owns 20 Holsteiner
horses and boards
others in Rectortown in
Fauquier County.
Her horse business
is called Cloverlone.
Her artwork focuses
on paintings of horses
GUIRRERI-MASLYK
racing, hunting, jumping and playing as well as animal
portraits.
Guirreri-Maslyk’s painting was really a step back to one
of her first passions. An art major at Virginia Tech, she
first used her skills doing graphic design. “I had worked
for another horse breeder and did her national ads. But the
ads were getting boring so I started adding paint images in
them. The more I was painting to do these ads the more I
was painting to just paint,” she said.
Best part of the job: I am my own boss and each
day is different.
Worst part of the job: The inconsistency of the work
and having to get used to that.
While painting for herself, she decided she could use
it as a vehicle to stay current in the horse business. “I
decided if I ever did want to ride again I would have to
keep myself in with the horse show crowd so my name
would not disappear from the show arena,” she said.
Guirreri-Maslyk took her paintings to the Virginia
Horse Center in Lexington. She sold one the first weekend
Fall 2009
it was there to a designer who was working on two houses
in the area. “After that happened, I was really motivated,”
she said.
Guirreri-Maslyk describes her paintings as postimpressionist
fauve which is similar to the style and
technique of Matisse and Van Gogh. “Where before,
purple and yellow and blue and orange were used in the
sky, they brought red and green as light into the paintings
that did not exist in the real world,” she explains. Her
medium is oil paint.
There is no typical day at work for this equine artist. She
may start the day checking e-mails and calls before going
to the barn, or paint in the morning while drinking her
coffee. But part of each day is spent in the studio and part
is spent with her horses. And on a nice day she is usually
outside taking photos to add to the collection she uses to
create her art.
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan Hughes
at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373
more on gaIl guIrrerI-maslyk
born: 1968 in Missouri.
residence: Rectortown in Fauquier County.
Pets: 20 horses, nine cats and various stray
cats every now and then.
occupations: Interior landscaping, graphics
design business, horse breeding, artist.
education: Art major from Virginia Tech.
Hobbies: Used to cycle and hike — now
follow the hunts and do gardening.
Horse highlight: I had my first horse
Champagne (a Holsteiner) when I went to
college at age 18. He was the only one of
his kind of stallion in the country and was
from a stallion that went to the Olympics.
He was a dream come true but as time went
on people kept offering me more and more
money for him and I sold him after a couple
of years.
Philosophy on life: Be happy every day. You
can always look to the positive side to find
something to be happy about.
best horse advice ever received: When I
had Champagne, because I did not know
how to ride this special horse, I felt guilty.
But I was told to remember that he was my
horse and I was lucky to own him. So go for
it and do not worry about the rest of the world.

Fall 2009 7 ON THE COVER
reSearcher
Virginia Tech vet-professor to study round bales
By Rex Bowman
Giant round bales of hay make for beautiful scenery on
farmland slopes and pastures but horse lovers, worried
about dust and mold in the round bales, are often reluctant
to feed them to their animals, choosing instead to serve up
more expensive square bales.
But as horse owners know, the cost of hay has been
harrowingly high over the past few years, so Dr. Virginia
Buechner-Maxwell, a professor and veterinarian at the
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, is
hoping to determine if the cheaper round bales do or do not
increase horses’ risk of developing respiratory problems. If
they don’t, horse owners could save a bundle.
The Virginia Horse Industry Board, also keen to know
the answer, has funded Buechner-Maxwell’s research with
a grant of more than $14,500. Buechner-Maxwell hopes to
begin her study this fall.
“As a veterinarian practicing in southwest Virginia, I
hear about a number of horse owners struggling to feed
their animals,” said Buechner-Maxwell, who has been riding
since she was 3 and owns 10 horses. “In some cases,
people have been forced to get rid of many or all of the
horses that they have had for years. Feeding round bales
could save horse owners in the state of Virginia a great
deal of money, but most owners want to ensure that they
are not putting their horse’s health at risk by choosing to
use round bales.”
Buechner-Maxwell, who lives in Fairlawn, admits she
herself is reluctant to feed her horses round bales of hay.
It’s not uncommon, she said, to see horses with their noses
completely buried in round bales, potentially exposing
their airways to hay dust and mold; meanwhile, horses that
feed on square bale hay off the ground “seem to experience
much less exposure.”
Buechner-Maxwell said she recently began searching
for studies that examined any link between round bale
feeding and respiratory problems in horses but found no
published research. She said she found only studies aimed
partly at reducing mold in round bale hay.
“It was especially surprising to me to learn that when
round bales are packaged and stored properly, there is little
risk of mold and the hay retains its nutritional value as well
as square bale hay,” she said. “However, I could not find
studies which directly examine the relationship between
feeding round bale hay and risk of respiratory disease in
horses.”
So, to find the answer herself, Buechner-Maxwell and
a team of other researchers at the college plan to feed hay
from the same pasture to two groups of 20 horses this fall.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Virginia Buechner-Maxwell
Best part of the job: “The best part of my job is the
diversity — no two days are the same. The other best
part of my job is that I can spend part of every day
with animals, and the other best part of my job is
problem solving — whenever I can diagnose a problem
or cure a sick horse, that’s a truly good day.”
Worst part of the job: “Any time I lose a patient, I
spend a lot of time wondering what I could have done
better. So losing the patient is hard, and thinking
about the loss is harder. I also hate that I can’t treat
every animal without having to consider money. I’m
not saying that I think people who can’t pay for their
animal’s care are bad, I am just saying it is hard ending
the life of an animal that I might have been able to
help, especially when the animal is young.”
Half the horses will be fed hay in round bales; the other
half will receive hay in square bales. The hay and the horses
will both be evaluated before feeding begins and at the
end of the study, two months later.
The hay will be studied to determine its mold and bacterial
content, while the horses will be looked at for evidence
of airway disease, such as coughing and nasal discharge.
On any given day during the two-month study, at least 10
of the horses will be examined for respiratory problems.
“The goal of this study is to determine if there is a risk
associated with feeding round bales,” Buechner-Maxwell
said. “If such a risk exists, then we hope to better define
it so that horse owners will have information available to
assist them in deciding if round bale hay is a good source
of nutrition for their horses.”
Dr. Iveta Becvarova, a nutrition specialist at the veterinary
college, will oversee the analysis of the hay for its
nutritional content, while Dr. David Schmale, a specialist
in environmental molds and fungi at Virginia Tech, will
also take part in the study. Three veterinarians from Tech
will also assist.
Buechner-Maxwell said she hopes to have the project
finished and the results published by next summer.
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan Hughes
at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373.
more on Dr. vIrgInIa buecHner-maxwell
born: Greenville, S.C.
residence: Fairlawn.
Family: Husband Robert Wayne Maxwell;
stepson Nathan Maxwell, 29.
Pets: Nine cats (Oscar, Annie, Baby, Lucky,
Tiger, Smokey, Gordon, Honey and Halie),
two dogs (Jack and Russ), 10 horses
(Pebbles, Dillon, Moe, Lady, Panda, Rudy,
The Baroness, Saran, Autumn and Jangles).
occupation: Professor and specialist in
large animal internal medicine at the
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine.
education: Masters of Science in Veterinary
Clinical Medicine, Virginia-Maryland
Regional College of Veterinary Medicine,
1991; Doctor of Veterinary Medicine,
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine, 1987; Masters of
Science in cell and molecular biology,
University of Pennsylvania, 1987; Bachelor
of Arts in biology and secondary education,
Goucher College, 1976.
Hobbies: Horse-related activities like trail
riding, swimming, photography, hiking.
Philosophy of life: “I am not sure of the source
of this quote but ‘Leap and the net will appear’
pretty much summarizes the way I look at life.”
www.horsenation.us

AT THE FAIR 8 Fall 2009
danceS with horSeS
Accomack County 4-H drill team to try to score another win
By Carlos Santos
One thing Stephanie Fox knows how to do is dance with
horses.
Fox, 18, was on the six-person Hoof Beats by the Beach
4-H drill team from Accomack County that won the state
championship last year at the Virginia State 4-H Championship
Horse and Pony Show.
It was a big win, garnering praise even from the Virginia
General Assembly which passed a resolution noting
“the Hoof Beats members and their horses impressed the
judges and an enthusiastic crowd of supporters with a brilliant
performance.”
Unsure what a drill team of horses actually does? Fox
said it isn’t easy to describe. “It’s when you get a bunch of
horseback riders riding in the same movement to the same
music with lyrics or without lyrics.
“It’s a dance of horse riders and horses,’’ she said. “It’s a
whole bunch of horses doing the same thing to music. It’s
really fun to watch.”
Last year, 18 teams competed for the championship.
Fox said lots of practice and the right choreography helped
the Hoof Beats win.
The music certainly was lively enough. The Hoof Beats
entered the ring to the sound of the Beach Boys’ song
“Wipe Out.”
“We had a beach theme — a surfer theme,” Fox said.
“That was our opening song.”
www.horsenation.us
2009 Drill Team Competition
When: Sept. 27.
Where: the Virginia 4-h State Fair horse Show at the
Meadow event park in doswell.
Details: State Fair 4-h horse Show Manager eleszabeth
Mcneel at e7aquila@aol.com.
The team, riding English, walked and trotted in sync to a
routine choreographed by Kendy Allen, who also coached
the team. Members of the winning drill team besides Fox,
were Kenneth Allen, Sara Miles, Brittany Kemp, Chris
Reeder and Elizabeth Snyder.
Kenneth Allen, now 20, was club president last year.
“The closer the competition got, the more we crammed
in the practice,” he said. The team practiced at the nearby
Pony Pines Farm and worked together almost flawlessly.
“This is a small 4-H club,” said Allen, now a National
Guardsman. “We’re all close anyway.”
The team had six to eight minutes to show its stuff. That
stuff — including deftly handled synchronized turns and
lines — was good enough for the state championship.
The point of the competition, however, is more than just
winning a title. “It makes you a better rider,” Fox said. “It
Photo courtesy of Kendy Allen
Hoof Beats by the Beach 4-H drill team members in the 2008 state finals were Brittany Kemp (from left), Sara Miles, Kenneth Allen, Chris Reeder,
Stephanie Fox and Elizabeth Snyder.
teaches you and your horse how you can become a team
. . . and it teaches you how to work together with other
riders.”
Fox, president of the Hoof Beats club this year, just
graduated from Holly Grove Christian School in Westover,
Md., and is set to attend Eastern Shore Community College
for two years before moving on to a four-year college.
“I plan to keep riding and I plan to go to the state show
this year and next year,” she said.
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan Hughes
at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373.
kendy allen’s account of the 2008 finals
I don’t know how much of that drill team story you
were told, but the whole thing could be made into a
Disney movie. It was that incredible.
The club that it originated from is a young club,
with only its second drill team ever entered in
competition. We started with 10 members at the
beginning of the summer, and it dwindled down to
seven throughout the summer. The seventh one quit
due to stress in her personal life the night before we
left for states [The Virginia State 4-H Championship
Horse and Pony Show].
The next day at states we were allowed one
practice — and because everyone had a new position
due to now only having six riders, the entire drill
crashed and fell apart in the big arena with all the
other teams watching. You could just see the other
teams cross Hoofbeats by the Beach off their list to
worry about.
But that incredible team of six riders, the youngest
(Lizzie) being 10 years old, and on the waiting list
to even go to states for the longest time, Kenneth
being in basic Army training all summer in Missouri
and only getting home three weeks before states and
learning the drill then, to Sara who was a natural
leader and kept them moving no matter what, to
Stephanie who overcame a tremendous attack of
nerves, to Chris who couldn’t tell his left from his
right, to Brittany who was in her first year of 4-H at
18 and really worked hard to learn to ride.
It was an incredible joy to coach them and teach
them drills through all the frustrations. Their story
really is huge at what they overcame and learned and
how that hard work paid off.

Fall 2009
tips for success
Photo courtesy of Kendy Allen
Standing from left: Kenneth Allen, Sara Miles, Brittany Kemp
and Chris Reeder. Kneeling from left: Elizabeth Snyder and
Stephanie Fox.
Kenneth Allen was president of the Hoof Beats
by the Beach 4-H club of Accomack County when
the drill team won last year’s state competition.
His secrets for success include:
▪ Practice a lot. The team started practicing one year
before the competition and at least once a week. As
the contest approached, the team practiced as often
as it could.
▪ Each team member knew the other members well,
leading to a unique cohesion and a cooperation fostered
by friendship.
▪ Ride experienced horses.
▪ Use lively music so the crowd gets behind you.
▪ Foster team spirit because without it you’re not
going to win anything.
Behind the SceneS
Blacksburg woman oversees Virginia’s 4-H horse program
By Carlos Santos
Celeste Crisman teaches kids how to successfully
handle life through handling horses.
“I truly believe that much of their success is due to
the life skills they have learned through the 4-H horse
program,” said Crisman, equine
extension specialist for youth
based at Virginia Tech. “The best
part of my job is seeing Virginia’s
youth learn, mature and excel, not
only in relation to the 4-H horse
program but in all facets of their
lives.”
Crisman has plenty of horse
experience to bring to her Virginia CRISMAN
Cooperative Extension job. The
47-year-old horsewoman, whose husband Mark is an
equine veterinarian at the Virginia-Maryland Regional
College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, has been
riding horses since she was 12.
“I’ve been riding all my life,” she said. She and her
husband have five horses on their farm in Blacksburg. “We
trail ride and do a lot of camping.”
The overall thrust of her job — though focused on
youth — is to promote the horse industry in Virginia.
That promotion has been successful from all evidence.
The state is the fifth largest equine state (by number of
horses) in the country and horses are its seventh largest
agricultural commodity (according to the 2001 Virginia
Equine Survey), she said.
“There’s more people involved in the horse industry
than ever before,” said Crisman, who is also a Virginia
Horse Council director and a Virginia Horse Industry
Board member.
As equine extension specialist for youth, one of her key
jobs is organizing all state-level 4-H (head, heart, hands
and health) horse programs including the Virginia 4-H
State Fair Horse Show in September at The Meadow Event
Park in Doswell.
Her biggest task, however, is to oversee one of the
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9
AT THE FAIR
Photo courtesy of Celeste Crisman
Celeste Crisman, on the bay horse turning left, led 4-H’ers on a 50-mile
ride at Mount Rogers in 2008.
largest 4-H horse shows in the country — the Virginia State
4-H Championship Horse and Pony Show set for Sept. 17-
20 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. “We have
600 youths that bring their horses to compete and another
250 that compete in the educational competitions and, in
all, we bring about 2,500 people to the Lexington area for
the weekend,” Crisman said.
The show features almost every kind of riding including
pleasure, equitation, dressage and jumping.
Crisman also coordinates all state-level horseless
competitions for those who don’t own horses but still love
them. One example of such a competition is Hippology, a
four-phase competition that includes horse judging and a
written exam.
“I have been in this position for 4½ years and many of
the youth that were just becoming seniors in the program
are now finished as 4-H’ers — they are moving in to
college or careers and realize the value of their hard work
in the program,” Crisman said. “Many continue with the
program — giving back by volunteering and mentoring
the younger 4-H’ers. It doesn’t get much more rewarding
than that.”
www.horsenation.us

ON THE MONEY
www.horsenation.us
10
LESSONS FROM LuRAY
Horsewoman shares
money-saving tips
By Joan Hughes
Aude Bauserman was well-prepared for today’s economic
crisis.
“My parents are divorced now but before that we were
very affluent. I was basically living every dressage girl’s
dream,” said Bauserman who, at the time of the divorce,
was a freshman at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton.
“After the divorce I had to make ends meet.”
And she had to figure out how to maintain what was
now her only horse — she had four before her parents
divorced — and her lifestyle. “What did I need to do to
make things work and still provide the same care [for her
horse] I did before?” she wondered.
Bauserman said she taught French classes in an afterschool
program for elementary school students, served as
a teaching assistant and worked as a cashier at Wal-Mart.
In addition, she said she became a professional clipper
and braider to earn money for entry fees for horse shows.
It was while providing these services at the barns of clients
that she first started collecting ways to save money.
Then in 2003 she married a “recycle junkie.”
“Everything has another purpose so I kind of piggybacked
off his ideas as well,” the 29-year-old Luray
resident said.
Bauserman said that in January, when the poor state
of the economy became even more apparent, she put
together a list of ways horse people could save money.
The list was posted on virginiaequestrian.com and sent to
the Shenandoah Valley Dressage Association, of which
Bauserman is a member.
“Many people find themselves unable to continue
feeding their horse and in some cases themselves. I have
been blessed with the ability to keep my horses and
continue to care for them as I always have but I have
revaluated what I can do to make it through the long haul
if needed,” she said in her news release.
“I have found a few small alternatives that I thought I
would pass along that may help some of you save a few
dollars. I know for many people cutting even just a few
dollars can make all the difference between being able
to keep your horse and having to sell it. Over the years
I have done many of the things on this list, and shared
them with my students,” she continued.
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan
Hughes at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373.
Aude Bauserman with Gage, her Hanoverian gelding.
Aude Bauserman’s tips:
▪ Switch from shavings to pellet bedding.
▪ Weed out your unused tack and sell it.
▪ Find someone to do a partial lease if you own a horse
and want to share expenses.
▪ Switch from stall board to field board.
▪ Buy shower caps from the dollar store and use them
to cover pre-set-up feed buckets so mice/birds can’t eat
the feed.
▪ Switch from individual lessons to group lessons.
▪ Take biweekly lessons. Think of it as more time to
practice what you’ve learned.
▪ Videotape yourself during lessons so you can go over
key points. Videotape yourself at other times to see things
you might need to work on.
▪ Find a volunteer at your barn to host even a small
clinic to help out financially. Be creative in finding ways
to get people involved.
▪ Have your horses teeth floated. Regular equine dental
care helps your horse chew food efficiently. A horse with
sore teeth will drop and waste a lot of food. The cost of a
visit from an equine dentist is offset in feed savings.
▪ Repair instead of replace. Learn to do your own
Fall 2009
Photo courtesy of Aude Bauserman
repairs. A great deal of equipment can be hand-sewn.
▪ Talk with you farrier and vet to see if your horse can
go barefoot or only have shoes in the front. And check to
see if you can stretch out your farrier visits.
▪ Clean your horse blankets with a water hose, car
brush, a little livestock shampoo and some elbow grease.
▪ Organize a tack swap.
▪ Make your own polish with salt and baking soda and
vinegar to shine brass on harnesses, bridles and halters.
▪ A hay net will save hay and keep your horse busy if
he is in the stall a lot.
▪ Clean your tack. Well-cared for tack lasts much longer
and you will look sharp.
▪ If you own a farm, grab a hammer and wire cutter
and take a stroll around your fences. Nails and stray bits
of wire are just waiting to tear a hole in your expensive
blankets or cut your horse.
▪ Do a little branding to increase the chances of your
tack and accessories eventually becoming family heirlooms.
▪ Create a compost pile for manure and used bedding.
Gardeners love manure compost and will remove it for
free. Advertise on free Web sites or contact your local
garden club.

Fall 2009
(804) 598-6095
contact@hobbyhillfarm.com
www.hobbyhillfarm.com
Photo courtesy of Aude Bauserman
▪ You do not need expensive stall toys. Clean out a
milk bottle and fill with molasses. Poke a few holes in it
and tie it to a tree or rafter. Your horse will spend hours
licking the jug to get the molasses out.
▪ A small football or round ball placed in a water
bucket overnight can help prevent freezing. If the water
does freeze over, push the ball through to break the ice. If
you put an apple in the bucket, the horse may play with it
enough to prevent the water from freezing. Cheaper than
a de-icer and safer.
▪ Old broom handles can be tied up with string to support
blankets.
▪ Old condiment bottles are convenient for storing
small amounts of creams or lotions and just squirting out
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the amount needed.
▪ Volunteer at a clinic or show so you can attend without
paying.
▪ Buying tack and supplements online is almost always
cheaper than buying them in a tack store.
▪ Evaluate the supplements your horse is on. Does he
need all of them? Ask your vet.
▪ Swap horse magazines and horse books with a friend.
▪ Buy a big bag of horse treats and then split it and the
cost with the barn.
▪ Water Babies sunscreen works wonders on horses’
white noses and is much cheaper than the horse version
and has the same ingredients.
▪ If you have a talent such as braiding or body clipping,
see if you can swap with others at your barn for talents
they may have.
▪ Save old dish towels and blankets to use around the barn.
▪ Save feed bags to use as trash bags in the barn.
▪ Visit a farm store for buckets, rakes and pitchforks.
Generally much cheaper than tack stores.
▪ Clean out your trailer. Prevent rusting by removing
urine and feces. Fix small damages before they get larger.
After cleaning out the trailer and letting it dry, sprinkle
baking soda on the floor to pick up the rest of the moisture
and help neutralize any ammonia. Sweep it out in a
few days.
▪ Buy a step stool at a discount store. It’s cheaper than
a mounting block.
▪ Check out the sports aisle at a discount store for
unbreakable orange cones to set up patterns to ride.
▪ Make your own arena markers and cover them with
contact paper. This is cheaper than buying them from the
tack shop.
▪ Start a communal first aid box. Anytime someone
sees something at a great price, add it to the box. We also
get bottles of Banamine and Bute (medications) from the
vet and all the boarders split the cost.
▪ Pack a cooler with snacks and drinks if going to a
horse show where the food can be very expensive.
▪ To save the costs of going to a clinic, organize a horse
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11
ON THE MONEY
video evening and have people bring snacks and watch
and comment on a horse video or tutorial.
▪ Fly spray is expensive. Buy a bottle of citronella
shampoo and wash your horse with it once or twice a
week. Use it full strength and let the suds stay on for
10 to 15 minutes and then rinse. I was amazed at how
the bath alone reduced the flies on my horse by about 50
percent.
more on auDe bauserman
born: April 19, 1980 in Tours, France.
residence: Luray.
Family: Husband Mark Andrew Bauserman, a
teacher at Stanley Elementary School.
Pets: Chihuahuas Lilly, Godiva and Little Girl
and cats Cracker, Bisou and Navaho.
Horses: Prince, a Belgian stallion; Gage, a
Hanoverian gelding; Princess, a Belgian.
education: Bachelor’s degree in biology
from Mary Baldwin College.
occupation: French and biology teacher
at Luray High School. Freelance dressage
instructor.
Philosophy on life: “When God shuts a
door he always opens a window.” Also,
“Function in disaster, finish in style.” “I
definitely have lived my life sort of by that,”
Bauserman said, adding that was a saying
at The Madeira School, the girls’ school she
attended in McLean.
best horse advice ever received: “Take
your time and do the basics well and the
advanced movements will come.”
what she won’t skimp on: “One place I
would never cut corners on is lessons. I
would rather have one lesson every three
months but have it from someone who can
give me enough information for me to work
on for a couple of weeks.”
Jockey Colors-Flat/Steeplechase • Blinkers
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P:(800) 464-3840/(410) 770-3357 www.stitchesbychloe.com www.horsenation.us

HORSE RACING 12 Fall 2009
hooked on harneSS racinG
Mechanicsville doctor is
a globe-trotting reins man
By Andy Taylor
They call him “The Driving Doctor.”
It’s pretty amazing that Scott Woogen, a gastroenterologist
and Hall of Fame amateur harness racing driver,
achieved either part of that nickname considering his
background.
He grew up poor in the Bronx, a place where Woogen
acknowledges “there weren’t a lot of horses.”
On closer inspection, though, his background might
say a lot about his success in both fields.
As a kid he played competitive sports on the gritty
streets and parks of the borough that is home to the New
York Yankees. And he was always willing to work hard to
earn a little money and better his life.
That’s how he learned about harness racing.
One day when he was playing a pickup basketball
game on outdoor courts, a New York City policeman approached
the group and asked who wanted a job.
Woogen, 14 at the time, said he was probably a little
more aggressive than the other guys so the officer picked
him. The job involved going to the last train station before
the Yonkers Raceway stop and selling programs and
handicap sheets for $5 a night. The policeman’s side job
was handicapping the horses.
By the time he was 16, Woogen was going to the track
and doing his job from the parking lot. From there he
landed a job cleaning horse stalls and by that time, Woogen
said, he was hooked on harness racing.
From money he made at the track, a part-time job in
the garment district and scholarships, he was able to
enroll in Columbia University. As a sophomore he represented
Columbia in the Intercollegiate Driving Championship
at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, N.Y., and took
the first-place trophy.
His racing days, however, would soon come to a temporary
halt. He enrolled in medical school at New York
University and decided that his focus needed to be on his
career.
He came to Richmond to do his residency at Medical
College of Virginia (Virginia Commonwealth University)
and now practices with Richmond Gastroenterology Associates.
“About 10 years ago I decided to get back to driving,”
Woogen said. That meant qualifying for a license. After
making 16 drives, the judges awarded him his license.
There are various permits, such as a “matinee license”
that allows drivers to compete in qualifying or county
fairs; a “provisional license” for apprentices and a “Class
www.horsenation.us
Dr. Scott Woogen and the No. 3 horse, Electrifying King, won this race in Goshen, N.Y., on July 3.
A” license for proven reins men.
Woogen has a “Class A” license which permits him to
race at any track in the world.
It’s a good thing because he travels around the U.S.
and to foreign countries to race, usually for other horse
owners. He has raced in Virginia, New York, California,
Florida, Canada, Finland, Estonia, Italy, Russia, New
Zealand and Spain.
Woogen said he has won 81 Standardbred races in the
U.S., two in Canada and one in Europe as an amateur
driver.
The only thing the amateur designation means is that
he doesn’t accept the prize money, Woogen said. Drivers
earn 5 percent of the winnings from each race and he donates
his earnings to charity. Two of his favorite charities
are Crossover Clinic and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral
Care.
To offset the cost of his expensive hobby, the tracks he
goes to usually provide lodging and meals and he usually
only has to pay for airfare.
Woogen, though, is not only a driver, he also owns
outright or in partnership 40 Standardbreds, the breed
used in harness racing.
His greatest success as a horse owner is with Lolique, a
6-year-old he purchased with co-owners John and Pamela
Wagner of New York for $6,000. To date, Lolique has
earned about $480,000, Woogen said.
He said it’s not that much of a stretch for a doctor to be
involved in harness racing. He jokingly sums up the similarities
of being a gastroenterologist and a harness driver:
Photo courtesy of Dr. Scott Woogen
“My position in life is behind the rear end. It’s the
same view.”
Still, being a full-time doctor and globe-trotting harness
driver creates a demanding schedule.
Woogen is in the office five days a week at CJW Medical
Center — Chippenham Campus, diagnosing and treating
patients for diseases of the digestive system.
In addition to racing at Colonial Downs in New Kent
County and Rosecroft in Maryland, Woogen travels 15
weekends a year to other states and countries.
To keep up with the schedule and the physical demands,
Woogen said he goes to the gym and lifts weights.
At 54, that is becoming more of a must, he said.
“Some of these horses, as I get older they get stronger,”
he said with a laugh.
So why does he continue to race, considering the
demands and the potential danger?
“I’m competitive by nature,” Woogen said. “It’s kind
of like golf, you’re competitive with yourself. It’s getting
more out of the horse, driving to the best of my ability.”
A harness-racing friend, Dr. Scott Leaf, said Woogen
is incredibly competitive. Leaf is the director of the Capital
Area Amateur Drivers Association, an organization of
harness drivers from the Virginia and Maryland tracks.
“If you’re in a race with Scott, he is not going to do
anything to help you in any way,” Leaf said. “The only
way you can beat him is if you’ve got a better horse.
Before and after the race he’s your best friend.”
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan
Hughes at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373.

Fall 2009
ShootinG Star?
Manakin-Sabot woman guns for success in sporting event
By Janet Showalter
On a whim, Anne Allen tried her hand at shooting a gun
from horseback. Little did she know she would soon be
hooked on a sport growing in popularity. She has three
horses, her own trainer and a competitive spirit that takes
her to at least one competition a month.
A relative newcomer to Cowboy Mounted Shooting, the
Manakin-Sabot woman will bring her game to the Virginia
State Fair on Sept. 26 and 27. The Post chatted with Allen
to find out what attracts her to this fast-paced sport.
Q: What is Cowboy Mounted Shooting?
A: It takes place in an arena. There are 10 balloons
mounted on traffic cones. You have two guns. You use
the first to shoot at the first five cones and the second for
the next five. There’s a certain sequence you have to follow,
and it’s a timed event, so speed counts. While racing
around the course, you have to shoot at the balloons and
hopefully hit them. You get penalized if you go off course
or if you miss your target.
Q: Is it a sport?
A: It’s definitely a sport. There’s so much skill involved.
You can’t be a passenger. You really have to ride the horse.
And you have to be able to combine that with shooting on
target.
Q: How did you get interested in the sport?
A: I had a friend who was starting in the sport in May
2008, and she needed a buddy to do it with. I went to her
Anne Allen participated in a Cowboy Mounted Shooting event in mid-July at Calfpasture Farms in Louisa.
2009 Cowboy Mounted Shooting
Virginia State Championship
When: Sept. 26-27
Where: the Meadow event park in doswell
Details: http://1stvirginiacmsa.com/; www.statefair.
com; (804) 569-3200
house and shot a pistol. It was something so different — I
enjoyed it.
Q: How many people do you typically compete
against?
A: It depends. I’ve gone to a shoot where there were
88 people. I’ve gone to another where there were only 20.
Q: How have you fared in competition?
A: I advanced in July from Level 1 to Level 2. Riders
compete in Level 1 through Level 6. You need two wins in
your class to move to the next level.
Q: What’s needed to participate?
A: A horse, of course, guns (45-caliber), holsters, Western-attire
clothes. What’s nice is you can come to shows
and try it. Competitors with highly trained horses will often
let you try it out.
Q: What is your riding experience?
A: I rode English a little as a kid. Then as an adult I
began riding again. Mostly trail riding, some hunters and
Photo by Skip Rowland
13 AT THE FAIR
jumping. I switched to Western two years ago when my
trainer, Doug Sloan, suggested it. I liked it. I feel more
secure in the saddle.
Q: You have three horses. Do you use them all for
Cowboy Mounted Shooting?
A: I primarily compete with Tinker, a 12-year-old Irish
Gypsy. We are learning together.
Q: What do you enjoy about the sport?
A: I especially like the bond you have with your animal.
I feel my horse and I have evolved. We have become much
closer than I feel we would have if we were just trail riding.
He trusts me much more. And I have to admit there’s
just something special about wielding a gun on a horse.
When it’s done right … what a feeling!
▪The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail Joan Hughes
at jchruby@msn.com or call (804) 512-4373.
Photo by Skip Rowland
more on anne allen
name: Anne Allen.
born: Lier, Belgium.
residence: Manakin-Sabot.
Family: Husband, Coleman; children, Sean,
27, Kara, 25.
Pets: Three dogs (Little Bean, Billie and
Gus); one cat (Butch); three horses (Tinker,
Talifsman and Pistol).
occupation: Co-owner of Scarab
Productions.
education: Bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in linguistics from Leuven College
in Belgium.
Hobbies: Horseback riding. “There’s no
time for anything else.”
Horse highlight: Deciding to compete in
Cowboy Mounted Shooting.
Best horse advice received: “Go see Doug
Sloan. He’s the best trainer.”
Philosophy on life: “Live life to the fullest.”
www.horsenation.us

14
Continued from page 3
To The Post:
www.horsenation.us
LETTERS Fall 2009
Have you ever seen on TV, horses and mules traveling
through the countryside, with big bags hanging from their
backs, tied tail-to-nose?
Do you wonder where they are going or what they are
doing? What is in those bags anyway?
Packers are equestrians who love the backcountry and
pack their horses and or mules with all they will need to
survive for how ever many days they will be gone.
We are volunteers with the U.S. Forest Service and
Back Country Horsemen. Twice a year in the George
Washington and Jefferson National Forests from Roanoke
to Arnold’s Valley in Rockbridge County we work on a
trail called the Glenwood Horse Trail. This trail is 60-plus
miles with waterfalls, mountain peaks, ferns, mountain
laurels, rhododendron, hawks, deer with fawns and, yes,
sometimes a bear or snake.
To ride all day, eat a meal, and sleep under the stars in
the middle of nowhere with miles of wilderness around
you is like nothing you can imagine. It is a lot like the
pioneer and cowboy days. In colder months we do not use
tents. We sleep in the open on top of our saddle pads.
Everything to survive is on your packhorse or mule
or mustang. You have to have first aid kits for you and
your horses, tools for fixing your horse’s shoes or a lost
shoe, extra clothes, toiletries, tarps, food for you and your
horses, saws, axes, and the list goes on.
You wake up after a good night’s sleep, crawl out of
your bed, feed your animals, fix breakfast and sit around
and talk.
After milling around while the animals eat, we saddle up
and pack our gear. Off we go, riding for about five to six
hours. We really get to know each other, living with each
other for a week, swapping stories, jokes and experiences.
Along comes lunch. We turn the horses loose if there
is grass to eat. If not, we tie them. With no grass they will
wonder farther and farther away. Getting out of the saddle
for a while and a potty break are always refreshing. We
always use our leave-no-trace ethics. Then we mount up
for the last half of the day. Again, more sights, sounds
and things to experience. Then evening creeps up and we
arrive at our next place to pitch camp.
The first thing is to unload the animals, feed and water
them. Then, we set up camp, and eat supper. With a full
stomach, our eyelids grow heavy and we call it a night.
Kenny rides his bay quarter horse, Buddy, and packs his
mule, Mandy. I ride my mule, Susie Q, and pack Kenny’s
mustang, Sally. She was born in Wyoming and is 16 years
old.
Bernard and Toni Irby from Halifax and Skeeter and
Cindy Wisecarver from Nathalia are our partners on most
of our rides. Kenny and Leah Lovell are from Naola.
Kenny and Leah Lovell
To The Post:
Bravo! It is about time someone dedicated a section of
the newspaper to the horse industry. We all know Virginia
is horse country. And, Albemarle County is in the thick
of it. From the blessing of the hounds to one of the oldest
horse shows in the country, Keswick, we have it all.
Having read both issues so far, I wanted to make an
addition to one of your articles on trail riding in the area. I
am the general manager for Brookhill Farm located just
outside of Charlottesville. We are now offering trail rides
with a little history. The farm was built in 1803 and has
ties to Thomas Jefferson and Monticello. We offer a little
history on horseback. We also have quite a facility that
many horse lovers would enjoy seeing.
The owner of the farm, Lynne Beegle Gebhard, has
quite a résumé. Her mother was the riding instructor for
Ohio State University. The family moved to Brookhill in
1969. Lynne has followed her mother’s love for horses and
has established quite a name for herself. She has competed
all over the country, has played polo, fox-hunted and, to
top it off, has ridden across Mongolia with a Mongolian
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tribe. This in itself is quite a story. The story of this ride
was featured in GQ magazine several years ago. I could
go on and on about Lynne and Brookhill farm . . . please
take a look at our Web site: www.bhf-inc.com. Keep up
the good work!
Kim Tirrell Vanderploeg
To The Post:
I enjoyed The Post, Virginia Horse People and Places,
and was looking forward to the article “Ready to Ride?”
hoping it would unfold some new trails we could take our
horses to ride.
Although it was not the article I was hoping for, I was
glad to learn of the trails available for the general public.
With this in mind, I would like to suggest a spread on trails
that horse owners can take their horses to ride. We live
in Hanover County near Scotchtown (home of Patrick
Henry) and are always looking for new trails to trailer our
horses to and ride. We are familiar with Lake Anna, Sandy
Point and Heritage trails to name a few. I would love to
learn of any nearby trails (1- to 1½-hours by trailer) that
we can trailer to and ride.
On a separate note, horse owners need to be informed
that riding trails are a privilege. Some trails (Lake Anna
State Park to name one) are posted with a Pack Out Your
Waste sign. However, every time we go there to ride I
am appalled at the amount of waste that people have just
swept out of their trailers and tracked out of their trailers
on their horses’ feet without bothering to clean it up.
I have run into the Park Rangers left to clean up the
mess and they are extremely frustrated and disgusted. I do
not understand the problem. We carry a muck bucket in
our trailer and pack out every time we trailer. Once it is
filled we put it in the truck bed for the return and it works
out great. I have spoken to park officials and fear the trails
will be closed to horseback riding if it does not stop. Not
only do these individuals risk the closure of much needed
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Fall 2009
horse trails for us all, they give all horse owners a black
eye in the public view.
Thank you for your publication. Keep it coming.
Claudia Swietnicki
To The Post:
I enjoyed your stories on the queens in the summer
edition and want to suggest you do a story on Casey
Chapman, an acquaintance here in Mechanicsville.
Casey played softball well enough to be named to the
first team of the girls all-state softball team four years ago
when she was starting shortstop at Lee-Davis High School
in Mechanicsville. She played well enough to be offered a
softball scholarship, but she had a deeper love: horses. As
well as she played softball, she rode even better. She has
ridden horses all her life and competed in numerous events
as a teenager.
So instead of softball, she accepted a rodeo scholarship
and was off to West Alabama State College with three
Kilby’s Equine
Smile Restoration, Inc.
ErnESt Kilby, Edt-iaEd CErtifiEd
Instructor - American School of Equine Dentistry
dOUGlaS SiEGriSt, Edt
horses and her dog. Last year she
transferred to the rodeo program at
Missouri Valley College where she
earned championships in such events
as barrel racing, roping and goat tying.
She is a senior at MV and is on-target
to graduate this December after just
3½ years of college. Her plans are
to return to Mechanicsville to teach,
with a longer range ambition to open
an equine rehabilitation facility.
Thank you for The Post. I have
enjoyed the issues, and I truly
believe Casey would be an excellent
feature in that she projects such a
positive image of the Virginia horse
industry.
Martin Wilson
Editor’s note: Send letters to The Post to
jchruby@msn.com. The Post reserves the
right to edit all letters.
Member: International Association of Equine Dentistry
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