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

, 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 Central Virginia homes, events and real estate.

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Having been a horse person as well as a Realtor in the Charlottesville, Virginia area I know how rarely small horse properties with all of the amenities that an equestrian buyer is looking for comes on the market.  New Forest Farm is one such offering.  It is truly a turnkey horse property.  All you need are the horses!  Plus it is perfectly located in the Keswick horse country.

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This week we are predicted to see the coldest weather we have had yet this winter.  Lows into the single digets are predicted later in the week.  This kind of weather presents special challenges for Charlottesville horse farm owners.

Last night I helped my daughter Baily who runs Shadowfax LLC at the Glenmore Equestrian Center do some final preparations to get ready for the cold weather.  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.  Finally the water was turned off at the source to the upper barn.

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 get plenty of water or you run the risk of an impaction colic.

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.

Then there is the problem of riding and frozen footing.  Sometimes there is a small window of oportunity 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.  At Glenmore we are lucky to have a barn that we are able to ride in when the weather is bad or the ring is frozen.

Sunday is the special day in the winter for the horses at Shadowfax.  On Sunday night all of the horses are treated to a hot bran mash, with cut up apples and carrots.

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.  In this area there really are not very many days when you are not able to ride outside. 

Contact

, 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 Central Virginia homes, events and real estate.

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Don't miss this stunning 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath contemporary in South Keswick on 11.14 gorgeous acres with waterviews of its own private pond. You can steal this home for $87,000 below assessment.

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The Charlottesville Virginia Association of Realtors has just published its 2008 year end market report discussing home sales in the Central Virginia area over the past year.  It does not paint a pretty picture.  2008 has been a rough year both for the national and the local real estate market.  October and November were especially difficult months due to the worsening ecconomic crisis and the uncertainty regarding the election.  December saw an increase in activity which we hope will continue on into the new year.  All in all we are glad to see the end of 2008.

Click here to read the market report.

Please contact me if you would like to discuss the local real estate market or see how it affects you individual property.

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