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

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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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