The horses at Shadowfax LLC at the Glenmore Equestrian Center in Keswick, Virginia are all snug in their stalls as we wait to see which way tropical storm Hannah will go.  Early today the storm was predicted to head up the coast and Albemarle County was forecast to get a total of about an inch of rain.  However things have changed, the storm is tracking further west, and as of 6:00 p.m. the forecast was for 4-7 inches of rain with maybe 3 inches in a hour.  Needless to say we made sure that all of the horses stayed in their stalls for the night. 

Luckily the Glenmore Equestrian Center is on publick water.  This is very important because if the storm knocks out the power there is still water for the horses.  Most farms are farther out in the country and are on a well.  Wells need power for the pump; so if the power is out for several days there is no way to pump the water.  One of the things that I used to do whenever a bad storm was forecast was to fill up every spare bucket, tub and water trough so that there would be a supply of water for the horses.  That works okay if you don't have a very large barn, but since Shadowfax has 26 stalls it would be hard to store enough water to tide the horses over for very long.

The horses at Glenmore are safely tucked in for the night with plenty of water, a supply of feed and bedding, and since Baily who owns the business lives in the barn appartment, there is always someone on site to make sure that all is well.

The Glenmore Equestrian Center which is run by Shadowfax LLC is a full care facility offering boarding, training, instruction and horse sales.  It adjoins the Glenmore Community located in Keswick Virginia just east of Charlottesville, Virginia. 

If you are looking for an equestrian community which offers elegant Charlottesville homes and all the amenities of a gated, golf development, I would love to show you Glenmore.

Or perform your own search of all of the Glenmore and Albemarle County homes on the market.

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You are moving to an Albemarle County horse farm, but where do you go in Central Virginia for all the necessary supplies for your horse and farm?  Listed below is a selection of area saddleries and tack shops.

The Gifted Horse – 1417 Emmet St., Charlottesville, VA  434-979-0965

Dover Saddlery – 242 Zan Rd., Charlottesville, VA  434-964-1301

Boot'Vil – 8633 Seminole Trail, Ruckersville, VA  434-985-4574

Crawford Saddlery -  8629 Seminole Trail, Ruckersville, VA  434-985-4262

Scottsville Saddlery – 975 Valley St., Scottsville, VA  434 286-2101

The Saddle Fitter Inc  –  2967 Dawaons Mill Rd., Esmont, VA  434-286-7000

Tad Coffin Performance Saddles Inc – 1151 Dairy Rd., Ruckersville, VA  434-985-8948

If you are looking for that perfect Albemarle County horse farm, I can help you.  As a REALTOR and a professional in the horse business I understand the wants and needs of the equestrian buyer and know the Central Virginia real estate market.  I am familar with the farms on the market in Albemarle County, Keswick Virginia, Fluvanna County, Orange County, Greener County and Louisa County.
If you would like to perform your own mls search click here.

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Keswick is located in Albemarle County just east of Charlottesville, Virginia.  This area has some of the most beautiful real estate in Central Virginia.  The countyside consists of rolling hills and fields bordered by the southwest mountains.  It is a residential area with farms, estates and country homes.  Many of the farms are in conservation easement with creates a large amount of contiguous open countryside.  Keswick is also the home of the Keswick Hunt and offers some of the best foxhunting country in Virginia.  If you are looking for the perfect Central Virginia horse farm or Charlottesville equestrian property, see what Keswick has to offer.

Two featured Keswick communities are Keswick Estates and Glenmore.  Both are gated communities with excellent golf courses, country clubs and exceptional homes.

If you are considering a move to Albemarle County, don't miss looking at Keswick.

Click here to search all of the homes for sale in Keswick.

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Its August in Central Virginia and once again we need rain.  In Albemarle County we have not had a significant rainfall for about a month and we are behind for the year.  We are not at the point yet where the county has had to mandate water restriction measures, but it is still important that we all work to conserve this important natural resource.

Are you aware of how much water you use?  How many times do you leave water running?  If you would like to calculate how much water you use go to http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html and get an estimate of how much water your household uses.

One easy way that we can all save water every day is to turn off the water when we brush our teeth.  Depending on how long you run the water while you brush you can save approximately 1/2 to 1 gallon of water each time you brush.  This could add up to 1,460 gallons of water saved in a year.  If each of us would do this, think of how much water we could save.

Lets all do our part to keep Charlottesville and Albemarle County green.

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We all have heard that it is healthier to eat organic produce.  In the past you had to go to a health food store in order to find organically grown fruits and vegetables.  Now most grocery stores, even including Walmart superstores, have an organic foods section.  However organic food is often priced 50-100% higher than conventionally grown produce. 

An option for keeping these costs down is to buy locally grown vegetables.  The Buy Fresh Buy Local program in the Charlottesville, Viginia is one way to buy fresh produce with out the added cost of trucking the fruit and vegetables across the country.

If you cannot afford to only buy organic, it helps to know which foods are most likely to contain pesticides.  Even after washing, these foods are likely to posess a pesticide residue.  The following are the most likely to be contaminated:  apples, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes and spinach.

Buying local may end up being more ecconomical, healthier, and since it is fresher, it will taste better.

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