Featured Article (May 2006)
Horse owners are rarely bored. However, we can find ourselves in the proverbial "rut." This article is an attempt to "spice up" your horse activities. We have found some unique horse events that you may want to explore to expand your equine experience. We hope these opportunities provide you with many enjoyable days and new adventures.
Behind The Scenes With Horses Of Gettysburg
Event Slated For June 10, 2006
Have you ever watched a movie and wanted to ask the director some questions about it? On Saturday, June 10, 2006 you'll have a chance to do just that. Narrator Ronald F. Maxwell (director of the epic films Gettysburg and Gods and Generals) and Director Mark Bussler will show clips and discuss their new DVD, Horses of Gettysburg in historic Leesburg, Virginia. The event Behind the Scenes with Horses of Gettysburg will give audiences an inside look at the documentary, a chance to learn about producing films including a discussion about working with live animals in films.
Horses of Gettysburg celebrates the honor and courage of the 72,000 horses and mules that fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. Bussler says, "The film appeals to anyone who is passionate about horses or wants to learn more about the Civil War and American History."
Admission is free and seating is limited so reserve your ticket by contacting Leesburg Bookstore or All the King's Horses today. For the most up-to-date information about this event, visit www.HorsesofGettysburg.com/events.
Event details are as follows:
Tally Ho Theatre 10:00 11:30 am
Film highlights and discussion with narrator Ronald F. Maxwell and director Mark Bussler
19 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176
Leesburg Bookstore Immediately following Film Highlights/Discussion
Meet the moviemakers and have them sign your copy of Horses of Gettysburg
13 Wirt Street SW, Leesburg, Virginia 20175
(571) 258-0012 or www.leesburgbookstore.com
All the King's Horses 2:00 4:00 pm
Meet Civil War reenactors and their horses
24 South King Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20175
(703) 777-7989 or www.allkingshorses.com
Currently available for preorder, the special edition Horses of Gettysburg 2-DVD Box Set will be released on May 2, 2006 and will be available for purchase at each venue during the event. The box set contains the 116-minute Director's Cut from the high-definition master with more than 3 hours of additional DVD features that capture the relationship between soldiers and their horses during the Battle of Gettysburg and throughout the Civil War. One special feature is an exclusive interview with Ronald F. Maxwell on working with horses in movies and another is a 60-minute personal interview about his history in filmmaking.
Cattle Drive and More at Marriott Ranch
If you don't have a horse or your horse needs a rest, then you may be interested in some of the activities offered at Marriott Ranch. Just 45 miles west of the northern Virginia beltway, the Marriott Ranch is about the best for Western trail riding this side of the Mississippi. The Marriott is set on a beautiful 4,200 acre working cattle ranch nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This is a stress free getaway as Marriott provides the horses, and a great way to ride with your horseless friends.
For the experienced rider Marriott offers a full day of driving cattle for $175 per person. The dates are May 28th and September 3rd.
All you need is a sleeping bag for an overnight ride which leaves at 2:00 p.m. and returns at 11:00 a.m. the next day. The cost is $175 per person and rides are scheduled for May 19-20, June 9-10, September 15-16 and October 20-21.
If you have a reluctant friend or spouse who is not sure about the horse experience, sign them up for a City Slicker day $379. Experience a day in the life of a cowpoke as you learn horsemanship skills and cattle handling techniques. Arrangements can be made for groups of 12 to 15 people also - a great Team Building Experience. October 8th & 9th (Sunday & Monday) arriving 1:00 p.m. on the first day.
For the ultimate getaway you can try the Western Vacation Adventure. Available: May 22nd - 25th; July 10th - 13th; August 7th - 10th. The Three Day - Three Night Package for Adult, Double Occupancy is $795 per person. Accommodations are in the three bedroom, two bath, Baroness Cottage or single rooms in the Carriage House. Three Ranch Style meals per day, dry snacks and beverages are continuously available. Activities include experienced and knowledgeable guides, a horse and tack for the week, trail rides, cattle round ups, roping lessons, fence mending, riding arena games, hayrides, campfires, and cowboy sing-a-longs.
Other activities include use of the firing range for marksmanship instruction, unlimited fishing in our two stocked Ranch ponds (tackle is not provided), volleyball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, hiking, photography, wildlife watching, and rest and relaxation. Also, rafting trip on the beautiful Shenandoah River and a tour and tasting at a neighboring Virginia Winery. For more information on these activities visit www.marriottranch.com or call 877-278-4574.
Virginia Horse Center's May Event Schedule Features a Diverse Array of Events
With a diverse array of events scheduled in May including hunter-jumper competition, Grand Prix show jumping, a Saddlebred horse show, an antique show, international three-day eventing, horse trials, an agriculture safety day, plus desensitization and search and rescue clinics and barrel racing, the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington is the place to be this spring for great equestrian entertainment and educational opportunities.
Hunters
The month of May opens at the Virginia Horse Center with the Lexington Spring Encore, a United States Equestrian Federation AA-rated hunter and jumper show that will begin Wednesday, May 3 and continue through Sunday, May 7. Held in the Horse Center's Anderson Coliseum, East Complex, Wiley, and Fletcher arenas, the Lexington Spring Encore will include a full line-up of hunter and jumper classes daily and the $25,000 Encore Grand Prix jumping competition at 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening. The show will begin at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.horsecenter.org, email birnamfarm@direcway.com, or call 540-258-2537.
Saddlebreds
The Virginia Horse Center Foundation's Bonnie Blue National Horse Show on May 10 13 will feature a variety of crowd-pleasing classes for Saddlebreds and Hackneys, plus driving and Friesian horse division classes. Show sessions in the Horse Center's Anderson Coliseum will begin Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. each day. Special events will include the popular children's stick horse races on Saturday evening. For more information, visit www.horsecenter.org or call 540-464-2950.
Antiques
Held in conjunction with the Bonnie Blue National Horse Show, the Bonnie Blue Antique Show will be held in the Horse Center's Anderson Coliseum on Thursday, May 11 through Saturday, May 13. Featuring numerous vendors, the antique show will offer buyers and viewers alike a wide selection of fine antique furniture, estate jewelry and collectibles. For more information, visit www.horsecenter.org, email dwork@horsecenter.org, or call 540-464-2953.
Eventing
The Virginia International Concours Complet Internationale One Star (CCI*) will bring three-day eventing action to the Horse Center beginning Wednesday, May 17 and continuing through Sunday, May 21. This year's Virginia International CCI* will draw over one hundred riders including Olympic medalists, World Equestrian Games long-list team members, and North American Young Riders' Championships hopefuls (who will compete at the Horse Center August 2 6). The Virginia International CCI* will include opening ceremonies on Wednesday, followed by Fιdιration Equestre Internationale dressage competition beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, cross-country competition including roads and tracks, steeplechase, and cross-country jumping beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, and show jumping beginning at 12:00 Noon on Sunday, followed by awards presentations and victory gallops. For more information, visit www.vahorsetrials.com, email vht@cfw.com, or call 540-348-1152.
Held concurrently with the CCI*, the Virginia Horse Trials will begin Friday, May 19 and continue through Sunday, May 21. Several hundred eventing riders from around the country are expected to compete during the horse trials, which is an abbreviated version of a three-day eventing competition. Friday's schedule will include intermediate-level dressage followed by intermediate cross-country competition. Intermediate show jumping, novice, training and preliminary dressage, novice and training show jumping, and preliminary cross-country will be held on Saturday. The Virginia Horse Trials will finish on Sunday with novice and training cross-country and preliminary show jumping. For more information, visit www.vahorsetrials.com, email vht@cfw.com, or call 540-348-1152.
Agriculture Safety Day
On Saturday, May 20, children and adults alike may learn how to avoid the hazards of living on farms and in rural areas during the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day, which will be held in the Horse Center's Bent Tree Barn. The day will include first aid, TV, electrical, firearms, fire and food safety, plus a Virginia Wildlife Center program and tractor rollover and PTO entan
glement demonstrations. Registration will be at 8:30 a.m. and the program will last until around 2:00 p.m. The $5 fee includes lunch and a goody bag to take home. The safety day is open to all, but pre-registration is suggested. For information, call 540-463-7551 or 540-463-4056, or email yankee5504@yahoo.com.Desensitization Clinic
Riders may learn to work as a team with their horses using instruction on the flat and through obstacles during the Desensitization Clinic held in the Horse Center's East Complex Arena on Friday, May 26. Taught by Dan Guldan, former trainer of the Daytona Beach Police Department mounted unit, the clinic will include basic and intermediate desensitization drills along with the Horse Center's mounted patrol horses. Clinic participants must be 18 and over, but auditors of all ages are welcome. The $75 clinic fee includes a boxed lunch. Advanced registration is required. For more information, visit www.horsecenter.org, email dwork@horsecenter.org, or call 540-464-2953.
Pony Club Games, Mounted Search and Rescue Clinic, and Speed Horse Bonanza
Wrapping up the month of May at the Horse Center will be the Old Dominion Region Pony Club Games, the Introduction to Mounted Search and Rescue Clinic, and the Speed Horse Bonanza, all held over Memorial Day weekend on Saturday and Sunday, May 27 and 28. Mounted Search and Rescue Clinic participants will receive a solid introduction to mounted search and rescue techniques. The clinic will include both classroom instruction and field training. Topics covered will include grid searches, map reading, crime scene preservation, orienteering, search and recovery techniques, first aid for humans and horses, and more. The $295 clinic fee includes dinner Saturday evening. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. For more information, visit www.horsecenter.org, email dwork@horsecenter.org, or call 540-464-2953.
During the Speed Horse Bonanza, 350 horses from twelve states and around 900 entries are expected to compete in youth, senior and open division barrel races, which will be run in four-division format giving all levels of riders the opportunity to win. The barrel racing will begin daily at 9:00 a.m. with youth and open divisions running Saturday and senior and open divisions running Sunday. For more Speed Horse Bonanza information, call 410-693-2767.
Old Dominion Endurance Rides Fall Training Serie
sHave you ever wondered if you or our horse would like endurance riding? The Old Dominion Endurance Ride, Inc. has scheduled a series of three training rides to introduce riders to endurance riding. The series is designed to build your knowledge and confidence in the ability of your horse and you to "go the distance" on the scenic and challenging trails of the George Washington National Forest. You will ride the trails used by the Old Dominion in the 100 mile endurance ride. The series dates and distances are: August 12, 6 & 12 miles guided; August 26, 12 & 25 miles guided; September 16-17, 15 miles mock endurance ride and the September 30-October 1 Peace Point Ride in West Virginia. For more information visit www.olddominionrides.org.
Hunter's Rest
Horse Hunting? Fox Hunting? House Hunting? Chasing Steeples? Chasing Points?
Hunter's Rest can be your northern Virginia horse country base for just about any equine activity. Hunter's Rest is situated in Flint Hill, Virginia, which is within one hour of 12 Virginia hunt clubs, and near Commonwealth Park, Great Meadow and Morven Park.
Hunter's Rest is owned by Betsy Parker, the award-winning Fauquier Times Democrat equestrian writer and trainer. The facility is expertly designed to be a "Home Away from Home" for the discriminating equestrian. It offers a modern stable and facilities for traveling horses.
The stable has all modern conveniences, including wash stall, concrete aisle, and large airy stalls. It is easily accessible with a circle driveway - plenty of room for trailers and vans of all sizes. The house, just steps away, is a modern version of a traditional Virginia farmhouse, complete with country kitchen, formal dining room, stone fireplace in the Fox's Den library and a variety of rooms. Accommodations are available for the day, weekend, week, and month.
Hunter's Rest has a wide range of well-trained school horses to suit all levels of rider for summer camps, weekend or week-long riding clinics and for the farm's regular lesson program. Riding instruction with emphasis on fun and good, solid, classic position. Specialties include hunt seat, dressage, cross-country, trail riding, foxhunting, jumping and more.
At Hunter's Rest, horses can be broken, started, trained, conditioned, rehabbed, taught to jump and more. The farm specializes in a gentle introduction for riders used to riding in the arena to cross-country riding (and galloping!) Green, novice and even experienced riders can learn more about foxhunting, racing and hunter pacing by taking advantage of Parker's lifetime of experience in the hunt field, on the racetrack and on the trail. For more information contact Betsy Parker at 540-364-2929 or visit www.huntersrest.net.
The National Sporting LibraryIf you are a history fan or researcher or like most of us, just love books, the National Sporting Library (NSL), Middleburg, Virginia, is a treat for the book lover and history buff. A visit to the NSL is a wonderful educational experience for the individual as well as for youth groups or associations. The Library and its collection are open to the public, and NSL invites students, journalists, sportsmen and other researchers to visit the collection. If you plan to visit the Library, please call ahead at 540-687-6542. The NSL is a research facility, and, as such, the collection does not circulate.
The National Sporting Library collection includes over 12,000 volumes on horse and field sports. The main collection covers horse racing, sporting art, foxhunting and horsemanship. Also represented are such specialized topics as angling, beagling, falconry, sport shooting and steeplechasing.
The Library also has collections of related fiction, such as the works of Will James, R.S. Surtees, and Irish lady writers Somerville and Ross.
The Library offers stimulating sporting art and rare book exhibitions in the Forrest E. Mars Sr. Exhibit Hall, fascinating and educational lectures on sporting topics, and the opportunity to view screenings of films and live equestrian events in the Founders' Room.
A special exhibit opened on April 21 and will be on view until the spring of 2007 of "Masterpieces of European and American Sporting Art: 19th- and 20th- Century." This exhibit is a collection of exceptional paintings and sculpture on loan from Joan Irvine Smith. It includes an array of works by John F. Herring Sr. and Jr., Henry Alken, John Ferneley, Sir Alfred J. Munnings, and others. Other artists represented in the exhibition include Raoul Millais, Charles Towne, Abbot Henderson Thayer, John Lewis Brown, John Wainwright, Arthur Wardle, James Pollard, Samuel Raven, William J. Shayer, J.W. Snow, Sawrey Gilpin, Charles Cooper Henderson, and E.A.S. Douglas.
Nineteenth-century French and American bronzes are also a highlight, including the American Charles Russell's Will Rogers Mounted on a Horse and French sculptor I.J. Bonheur's Racehorse and Jockey.
The National Sporting Library is located in Middleburg, Virginia. Visit www.nsl.org. for more information or call 540-687-6542.
Thoroughbred Retirement Farm at Montpelier Station and James Madison's Montpelier
This lovely trip could include a tour of Montpelier which is a 2,750-acre estate that includes farmland, racecourses, two-acre formal garden panoramic landscape, a National Landmark Forest, active archaeological sites, and more than 130 buildings, including the main house.
Montpelier, the home of James and Dolly Madison, has a new attraction for the thousands of tourists who visit each year. A 200-acre portion of the estate is now home to a Thoroughbred Retirement Farm. The first TRF horses arrived at Montpelier in the fall of 2003 and the farm will eventually be home to as many as 50 horses. The equine residents include Correggio, the 1996 Eclipse Award winner as the nation's outstanding jumper.
Founded over two decades ago, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's mission is clear and simply stated: To save Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter.
If you are thinking about adopting, the TRF Farm will hold an Open House on May 13. The event will be held at the Black Barn on the Montpelier Estate. It is highly recommended that you go to www.trfinc.org and fill out the adoption paperwork ahead of time and get pre-approved. Should you find your perfect horse, this would allow you to take him home immediately.
TRF Farm welcomes visitors anytime, just call ahead to 540-672-3986. A tour of Montpelier and TRF Farm is a full day of enjoying history and horses. For more information about Montpelier visit www.montpelier.org. For information about TRF Farm at Montpelier Station visit www.trfinc.org.