Equestrian news Archives

Horseracing in Virginia

Judging from yesterday's turnout at Colonial Downs horseracing is very much "alive and well" in Virginia.

I drove down to Colonial Downs from Charlottesville to see the running of the Virginia Derby. It was good to see the crowds of people enjoying the racing. I arrived well into the race card after showing Charlottesville horse farms for sale in the morning. The parking lots were full and they were parking cars on the grass. Having a broken foot at the moment, I was very happy that one of the valets took pity on me and went off to park my car despite the valet parking being full.

The feature race, the Virginia Derby, did not disappoint. There was a large field of quality horses many of whom had the ability to win. The race was exciting, with a closely bunched field. Battle of Hastings was the ultimate victor, winning in a photo finish.

Colonial Downs is only about a 90 minute drive from Charlottesville. If you are a horseracing lover, take advantage of the proximity of quality thoroughbred racing so close to Charlottesville and drive down for an enjoyable afternoon's sport. You will be glad you did!

Contact

Pam Dent

, e-PRO, SRES, NHD, REALTOR®, Real Estate III, Charlottesville, Virginia at 434 960-0161 to buy a property in the following areas in Central Virginia: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Keswick, Glenmore, Ivy, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Cismont, Scottsville, Fluvanna County, Palmyra, Lake Monticello, Louisa County, Louisa, Mineral, Spring Creek, Orange County, Gordonsville, Orange, Barboursville, Greene County, Ruckersville. Email Pam Dent.

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms or visit my blogs Charlottesville Real Estate Talk and Charlottesville Horse Farms and Country Homes for more information on

Charlottesville

Virginia

horse farms, homes, events and real estate.

Counting Down For The Belmont

We are in the final days and counting down for the Belmont Stakes.

Like many Virginia equestrians I have been eagerly following the Triple Crown races this year. The Kentucky Derby was spectacular with Mine That Bird's dash from behind and up the rail to win by a substancial margin piloted by his colorful jockey Calvin Borrel.

The excitment built further with the leadup to the Preakness. Rachael Alexandra was added to the field and Calvin gave up the ride on Mine That Bird to be her jockey. Imagine giving up the ride on the Derby winner. The race answered the questions of whether a filly could run against the colts and whether Mine That Bird was truly a contender or was his win a fluke. All of us who watched will remember the excitement as the filly led the whole way and Mine That Bird raced up from last place to challenge her at the end only to not have quite enough room.

Now we are left with the questions leading into the Belmont of will Rachael Alexander run. After all she has proved that she can beat the colts. And who will ride Mine That Bird? If the filly runs Borrel will be aboard her, but what if she doesn't. Preakness jockey Mike Smith will honor a previous commitment and ride in California. Who could imagine that a Derby winner would have such a hard time deeping his jockey.

If you are eager for information and behind the scenes color on the Triple Crown races, horses and trainers, the place to go is Joe Drape's blog The Rail. Joe Drape is the New York Times horse racing reporter and he has five guest bloggers contributing to this blog. One of these is Alex Brown who is one of my facebook friends and happens to be an exercise rider for Steve Asmussen who is now the trainer of Rachael Alexander.

However it plays out all of this year's hoopla has been good for racing. The Belmont should turn out to be a very interesting race. I can't wait!

Contact

Pam Dent

, e-PRO, SRES, NHD, REALTOR®, Real Estate III, Charlottesville, Virginia at 434 960-0161 to buy a property in the following areas in Central Virginia: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Keswick, Glenmore, Ivy, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Cismont, Scottsville, Fluvanna County, Troy, Palmyra, Lake Monticello, Louisa County, Louisa, Mineral, Spring Creek, Orange County, Gordonsville, Orange, Barboursville, Greene County, Ruckersville.

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms or visit my other blog Charlottesville Real Estate Talk for more information on

Charlottesville

Virginia

horse farms, homes, events and real estate.

May in the Virginia Horse Country Means The Keswick Horse Show

For as long as I can remember May in the Virginia Horse Country means the Keswick Horse Show. Traditionally the second week in May has been the date for the Keswick Horse Show. This years show began on this Wednesday and will continue through Sunday afternoon. Some of the top show hunters, jumpers and ponies on the east coast are competing. The riders range from top professionals to tiny leadline riders on their precious ponies.

The show grounds are located at the Keswick Hunt Club show grounds in Keswick Virginia just a few minutes east of Charlottesville Virginia. The beautiful ring with its old trees and flower decorated jumps is the perfect backdrop for the elegant equine athletes. Among the riders and spectators "Keswick" is known for its hospitality.

The picture is of my daughter Baily Dent showing a the Keswick Horse Show when she was a teenager. Baily is now a professional rider running Shadowfax LLC at the Glenmore Equestrian Center. She still looks forward to riding at Keswick every year.

Take some time this week to stop by the horse show, enjoy watching the horses from the picturesque old grandstand while sipping some Keswick tea. Enjoy this Virginia horse country tradition.

Contact

Pam Dent

, e-PRO, SRES, NHD, REALTOR®, Real Estate
III, Charlottesville, Virginia at 434
960-0161 to buy a property in the following areas in Central Virginia: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Keswick, Glenmore,
Ivy, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Cismont, Scottsville, Fluvanna County,
Troy, Palmyra, Lake Monticello, Louisa County, Louisa, Mineral, Spring Creek,
Orange County, Gordonsville, Orange, Barboursville, Greene County,
Ruckersville.

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia
homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms
or visit my other blog Charlottesville
Real Estate Talk for more information on

Charlottesville

Virginia

horse farms, homes, events and real estate.

My Top 8 Ways To Get Ready For Spring On A Virginia Horse Farm

This post will share my 8 top ways to get ready for spring on a Virginia horse farm.

Each season of the year brings its own particular set of chores to anyone who has a Virginia horse farm. While the rest of the Charlottesville community is busy spring cleaning their homes, Virginia horse property owners are doing a little spring cleaning of their own. I will list the main items on my spring to do list for my Charlottesville Virginia horse farm. If you have additional items that are musts on your equestrian property, please share them with us.

Spring Vaccinations – On any Charlottesville Virginia horse farm the first priority is the horses. Like most horse owners I vaccinate my horses in the spring and the fall. There are some shots that are only given once a year and others are given more often. Also certain shots such as the Potomac horse fever vaccination are most effective when given in a certain season. Chaec with your veterinarian to set up a vaccination program to suit your horses.
Take ponies and easy keepers off of the lush pastures. Rich spring grass can be harmful for ponies and overweight horses. Too rich pasture can cause certain horses to "founder" which is a potentially life threatening disease. Prevention is key. Either removing at risk equines to paddocks with less grass or limiting their turnout time is important.
Spring can be a good time to fertilize and seed your fields. Your extension agent will be able to assess your pastures and help you determine the best plan to maintain them.
If you did not service your tractor and bushhog in the fall, now is the time to perform this maintainance. Having this equiptment in prime working order is crucial with all of the mowing that you will be doing throughout the growing season on your Charlottesville Virginia horse farm.
Now is the time to send off your horse blankets to be washed and repaired. Then when they come back they will be ready to be stored for the remainder of the summer until they are needed in the fall.
Get out turnout sheets, stable sheets, and fly scrims. While it is not cold enough to need heavy blankets anymore, we are still seeing cool nights and some cool days. This is the perfect weather for sheets.
Get the fans out of storage and put them on the stalls. Make sure that all are in working order and that you have enough for each horse. It seems like box fans don't have a very long working life in the environment of a stable, so it is a good idea to have several extra.
Plant Flowers – This is my favorite task. My barn always has whiskey barrels of flowers out front, hanging baskets on the shed row and window baskets on the office windows. I love picking out combinations of annuals for these planters to dress up my barn.

Once I am finished with all of these tasks, I know that my Virginia horse farm is ready for spring. Now its time to ride, train horses and focus on this year's show season. Happy riding!

Virginia Horse Farms In The Spring Real Estate Market

So You're Selling Your Virginia Horse Farm

Contact

Pam Dent

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia
homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms
or visit my blogs Charlottesville
Real Estate Talk and Charlottesville
Horse Farms and Country Homes for more information on

Charlottesville

Virginia

horse farms, homes, events and real estate.

Virginia Horse Boarding – Shadowfax LLC

Virginia horse boarding stables offer many options for boarding your horse. Shadowfax LLC at the Glenmore Equestrian Center is one of the premier facilities in the Charlottesville Virginia horse country.

Shadowfax LLC is a full care facility based at the Glenmore Equestrian Center conveiniently located in Keswick Virginia just 5 minutes east of Charlottesville. This Virginia horse boarding stable is managed by Baily Dent offers the best of care for your horse, training, and instruction for horse and rider. There is always a select group of horses for sale as well.

On Saturday despite the wet weather the Shadowfax group headed off the the Four Oaks Horseshow. What a successful day for all. Student Layna Jansen and her pony Magic Rain, Silver Shadow and Sunday Surprise, two young horses offered for sale by Shadowfax and Desert Fling, owned by a client all were entered. Each horse won a Championship or a reserve championship.

The Glenmore Equestrian center is located just inside the gates of the Glenmore community. What a wonderful opportunity to keep your horse in the neighborhood where you live. Glenmore also offers a country club with excellent dining, an 18 hole golf course, tennis, pool, fitness center and walking and riding trails.

Glenmore homes come in a variety of styles and price ranges. As of March 2009 there are homes for sale in Glenmore ranging from $409,000 – $1,488,000.

If you are looking for a Virginia horse boarding stable and a Charlottesville golf home, Glenmore is a definate choice for your house hunting tour.

Contact

Pam Dent

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia
homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms
or visit my other blog Charlottesville
Real Estate Talk for more information on

Charlottesville

Virginia

horse farms, homes, events and real estate.

Virginia Horse Farms Are A Prime Destination For Horse Buyers

Virginia horse farms are a prime destination for horse buyers. I have written a lot about how Central Virginia horse farms are some of the finest horse properties in the United States, but we must not forget that many of these exquisite horse farms are also the home to some of the best horses in the United States.

Virginia has long been a favorite horse shopping destination for the hunter-jumper set. Not only are first class horses bred on Virginia horse farms but also many horses are sent to Virginia from other parts of the United States to be trained, marketed and sold by the top Virginia professional riders. Top eventing and dressage riders have also made their base in the Virginia horse country.

For many years before I became a REALTOR I was a sales agent for show hunters. Clients would call me and tell me what kind of a horse they were looking for, how well they rode and what price range they were in. I would put together a group of horses that they might be interested in. They would fly to Virginia,and we would spend a day going around to Virginia horse farms and trying horses. Hopefully they would find a horse that was the perfect match. They would fly home and I would handle the negotiation on price, the prepurchase exam and arrangements for payment and shipping. Sounds a lot like real estate, doesn't it.

Often these same people who origonally came to Virginia looking at horses, fell in love with the Virginia countryside in the process. More than one has come back looking for Virginia horse properties to buy.

Virginia horse farms and Virginia horses – what a winning combination!

Charlottesville Horse Farms – the Keswick Hunt Country

Charlottesville Virginia Horse Farms

Contact

Pam Dent

View all of the Charlottesville Virginia
homes for sale.

View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms
or visit my other blog Charlottesville
Real Estate Talk for more information on

Charlottesville

Virginia

horse farms, homes, events and real estate.

Virginia Spring Steeplechase Racing Begins

Everyone has their favorite harbinger of spring. For some it is spying the first robin, for others it is the first daffodil blooming and for still others it is seeing the trees with new buds. For me the beginning of spring has always been the start of the Virginia steeplechase season. The Virginia Spring Steepechase season starts this Saturday with the Cassanova Hunt Point to Point. Listed below is the schedule of Virginia Steeplechase Racing for the spring season:

Saturday, February 21, 12:30 pm
Cassanova Hunt Point to Point
Buckland Farm, Warrenton, VA
540 788-4806

Saturday, March 7, 12:00 noon
Blue Ridge Hunt Point to Point
Woodley Farm, Berryville, VA
540 53-1577

Saturday, March 14, 12:30 pm
Warrenton Hunt Point to Point
Airlie Race Course, Warrenton, VA
540 219-1400

Saturday, March 21, 1:00 pm
Piedmont Fox Hounds Point to Point
Salem Course, Upperville, VA
540 592-7100

Sunday, March 29, 1:00 pm
Orange County Hunt Point to Point
Locust Hill Farm, Middleburg, VA
540 687-3529
703 727-2357
ochpointtopoint@verizon.net

Saturday, April 4, 12:00 noon
Old Dominion Hounds Point to Point
Ben Venue Farm, Ben Venue, Virginia
540 364-4573
540 636-1507

Saturday, April 11, 1:30 pm
Strawberry Hill Races
Colonial Downs, New Kent County, VA
804 228-3238

Sunday, April 12, 12:30 pm
Loudon Hunt Point to Point
Oatlands Plantation, Leesburg, VA
703 777-8480
540 338-4031

Saturday, April 18, 1:30 pm
Middleburg Spring Races
Glenwood Park, Middleburg, VA
540 687-6545
504 687-6595

Sunday, April 19, 12:0 noon
Fairfax Hunt Point to Point
Morven Park, Leesburg, VA
540 687-0611
information@fairfaxhaunraces.org

Saturday, April 25, 1:00 pm
Foxfield Spring Races
Charlottesville, VA
434 293-9501

Saturday, May 2, 1:00 pm
Virginia Gold Cup Races
Great Meadow, The Plains, Va
540 347-2612

Saturday, May 3, 1:30 pm
Bull Run Hunt Point to Point
Brandywine Park, Culpeper, VA
540 832-2726
540 937-2510

Saturday, May 9, 1:00 pm
Bedford Countiy Hunt Point to Point & Hunter Pace
Wolf Branch Farm, Forses, VA
540 297-3419

For additional information and the fall racing calendar visit the Virginia Steeplechase Website.

Contact

Pam Dent

, e-PRO, SRES, NHD, REALTOR®, Real Estate III, Charlottesville, Virginia at 434 960-0161, pam@JumpintoGreenerPastures.com, to list your property for sale or to buy a property in the following areas in Central Virginia: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Keswick, Glenmore, Ivy, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Cismont, Scottsville, Fluvanna County, Troy, Palmyra, Lake Monticello, Louisa County, Louisa, Mineral, Spring Creek, Orange County, Gordonsville, Orange, Barboursville, Greene County, Ruckersville.

To view all of the Charlottesville, Virginia and Central Virginia Homes for Sale click here and click on the mls search button.

Visit my website Jump into Greener Pastures or read my other blog Charlottesville Real Estate Talk for more information on Charlottesville and Central Virginia homes, events and real estate.

A Virginia Horse Goes To Boston

Everyone who has had horses for a long time has probably had occasion to use a commercial shipper at least once. Friday night my daughter Gwynn's horse nicknamed Chunky left Virginia in route to his new home outside of Boston, Mass. Gwynn and Andy got married in December and will be in Boston for at least the next four years. Chunky, a three year old thoroughbred will have quite an adjustment getting used to living in an urban area with much less turnout. Although his Massachusettes barn has more turnout that most it will definately be very different than the Virginia acreage that he is used to.

The van was scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. Friday morning. Chunky had been fed a bran mash in preparation for the long trip and was in his stall dressed and waiting for the van. As is often the case when dealing with commercial shippers there can be delays and Chunky's trip was no exception. If you are lucky the firm you decide to hire will have a good dispatcher who will keep you updated regarding the progress of the truck as it picks up and drops off horses on its way to you. We were notified of a delay and the pick up time was readjusted to 4:30. Lucky Chunky got a second bran mash when the rest of the horses were fed dinner. The van finally arrived at 8:00 p.m. and thank goodness Chunky did not mind loading in the dark, walking right on to the four horse head to head trailer with only a little hesitation.

Unfortunately Chunky was the last horse to be dropped off necessitating a route way to the west of Boston. Finally after nineteen hours of traveling Chunky arrived at his new home at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. A clean roomy stall with several buckets of fresh water was waiting for him. The knowledgeable barn staff immediately dressed him in an additional layer of blankets to keep him warm in the subzero weather. Welcome to the north.

Chunky will be handwalked and free lounged in the indoor for the next few days until the farrier can arrive to put borium on his shoes. Until then he will have to stay inside since it is way to icy to venture outside without borium on his shoes to help prevent a fall on the ice.

We wish Chunky and Gwynn many happy rides at their new barn, but I am sure that they will miss the beauty of the Virginia countryside. There is nothing to compare with a Central Virginia or Charlottesville horse farm. Of course, I am slightly prejudiced. 🙂

Contact

Pam Dent

To view all of the Charlottesville, Virginia and Central Virginia Homes for Sale click here and click on the mls search button.

Visit my website Jump into Greener Pastures or read my other blog Charlottesville Real Estate Talk for more information on Central Virginia homes, events and real estate.

Winterizing Your Stable

In Central Virginia, one of the attractions is that we have 4 distinct seasons. We’re lucky that our weather is rarely severe; however we might see an occasional snowfall and very cold temperatures. This kind of weather presents special challenges for Charlottesville horse farm owners.

For many years I had a Charlottesville horse farm, and these are some of my winter preparations.

IN THE BARN

We made sure that there were lights on the spigot in the wash stall and also turned on the lamp aimed at the pipes to the hot water heater in the feed room. Next an extra space heater was installed in the bath room and laundry room.

Winter Horse Blanket If you are lucky you will have heaters on the outside water troughs or better yet have frost free automatic waterers. Otherwise it is necessary to make sure to disconnect and drain the hoses, and you will be faced with breaking ice every morning and shoveling out the ice chunks so that the horses will have water to drink in the paddocks. In the winter time it is most important to make sure that the horses drink plenty of water or you run the risk of an impaction colic.

Another thing to note is…. some horses do not like to drink cold water, hence the importance of heated water troughs.

THE COMFORT OF YOUR HORSE

Horse owners spend a lot of time in the cold weather changing blankets, adding or subtracting layers depending on the temperature and how much coat the particular horse has. It is just as important that your horse does not get too hot as it is to protect from the cold. If your horse lives outdoors, you’ll want to make sure he has some sort of shelter to protect him from the wind and wet.

Horse in Snow Then there is the problem of riding and frozen footing. Sometimes there is a small window of opportunity in the middle of the day when it has just warmed up enough and the sun has been on the ring for the footing to thaw for a couple of hours so that you can get in a quick ride before it refreezes.

In winter horses may expend more energy keeping warm. You will want to carefully monitor their weight. If your horse is unclipped and has grown a thick coat, you will do that by “feel” because they may appear fatter than they really are. You should adjust their feed accordingly and you’ll almost certainly need to feed additional amounts of hay. In the winter when the grass has little nutrition, you’ll also need to feed hay to the horses that live out in the fields.

Sunday was a special day in the winter for my horses. On Sunday night all of the horses were treated to a hot bran mash with carrots and oats.

VIRGINIA WINTER HORSE FARM

You may be comfortable if each horse has its personal stall and it is turned out for only a few hours a day; or you may prefer that your horse lives outdoors with access to a run-in shelter to get out of the worst weather. If you are coming to Charlottesville from the north, you may be surprised to find that very few farms have an indoor arena. In this area there really are not very many days when you are not able to ride outside.

In Charlottesville and Central Virginia we are lucky that the bitter cold weather is generally short lived. Usually after a few days or a week at the most, temperatures moderate and we get a break before another cold blast; by March the worst is over.

Pam Dent

Merry Christmas To All Of My Friends And Clients

I wish all of my friends and clients the happiest of holidays and the merriest of Christmases.

Horseracing in Virginia

Counting Down For The Belmont

May in the Virginia Horse Country Means The Keswick Horse Show

My Top 8 Ways To Get Ready For Spring On A Virginia Horse Farm

Virginia Horse Boarding – Shadowfax LLC

Virginia Horse Farms Are A Prime Destination For Horse Buyers

Virginia Spring Steeplechase Racing Begins

A Virginia Horse Goes To Boston