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

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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 FALL HARNESS RACING at Colonial Downs • Sept. 8 – Nov. 7 RACE DAYS & POST TIMES Saturdays – 5 PM Sundays – 1 PM Tuesdays – 5 PM Wednesdays – 5 PM 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 • 10 horse races every day! • Bet your favorite horses, cheer them on & try to win big! • NEW THIS YEAR – reduced priced wagers! Play 10¢ Superfectas 50¢ Trifectas 50¢ Pick-3’s & Pick-4’s Visit colonialdowns.com to download a Sunday FAMILY 4-PACK COUPON– a $58 value for only $16 Virginia’s most affordable family outing this fall. Exit 214 off I-64 in beautiful New Kent! • 804-966-7223 or colonialdowns.com
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 True wealth is about more than money. It’s about achieving life. ® Dream of Owning Horses? Stop Dreaming It and Start Living It!! For you, a life well lived means more than money. It means supporting the things you care about. As part of that philosophy, we’re proud to salute the organizations who help make a difference in our community. Thank you, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation for your dedication. FREE Educational Seminar Saturday, NOVEMBER 7th, 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. AA1 2/16/09 2/04/09 YOU WILL LEARN: How to Profi t with Horses * Tax Advantages Business Potential * Lifestyle Benefi ts Call or e-mail for our FREE DVD “Consider the Possibilities” 540.254.1017 * deb@amethystacres.com www.amethystacres.com Proud to salute The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Jennifer L. Khoury, CFP® Peter C. Walls, CFP® Financial Advisors Merrill Lynch 707 E. Main Street, 1st Floor Richmond, VA 23219 Direct# (804) 780-1420 http://fa.ml.com/walls_khoury It’s about achieving life and Total Merrill (design) are registered service marks of Merrill Lynch & Co., © 2008 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. Member SIPC. Amethyst Acres Equine, 9195 Springwood Road, Buchanan, VA 24066 30 minutes south of the Virginia Horse Center LETTERS Full Mouth Equilibration & Maintenance In order to make sure your ad is printed correctly, please review this proof for accuracy. Media General Inc. will proceed with the printing of this ad, and will no longer be held responsible for mistakes to the ad once it has been approved. phone 717.244.1724 www.KilbyEquineSmile.com Va. license no. 0309000011 15 www.horsenation.us
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