Charlottesville Horse Farms and Country Homes

Deck The Barn - Christmas On A Charlottesville Horse Farm

While the rest of the world is busy "decking the halls" and decorating their homes, horse lovers may be concentrating on their barns as well. This is Christmas on a Charlottesville horse farm. 

My barn always had wreaths on the double doors.  Inside many of the stalls had stockings hanging on the doors filled with treats for each particular horse.  Some lucky horses had wreaths of pepermint candies, although the ponies often had to share with the children and my favorite veterinarian.  The were usually treats for the barn kitties so that none of the critters was left out.  And there might be a tree decorated outside with edible ornaments for the birds.

Of course Christmas wasn't complete without riders from the neighboring stable caroling on horseback around the farms in the area.  There was usually a group of about ten riders of all ages on horses and ponies sharing music, laughter and Christmas cheer.

When you live on a Charlottesville VA horse farm the holidays are the perfect time to gather with friends who all share the love of these wonderful animals.  If your barn has any special holiday traditions, we would love to hear from you.

Charlottesville Real Estate Lady At The new England Medal Finals - Part 2

As a Charlottesville Real Estate Lady at the New England Medal Finals, I divided my time between watching horses jump around the course and talking real estate.  Since my area of specialty is Virginia horse farms it is easy to combine horses and real estate. One thing about traveling to a horse show in a different state people are still ready to talk horses and real estate and as a result you end up making many new friends.

As you know when you are selling a Charlottesville home curb appeal is of paramount importance.  No matter how nice your home is on the inside if the outside does not present an attractive appearance clients will never get in to view all of the special features that your home may possess.

In the stabling area of any large horseshow, you see another form of curb appeal.  Most of the horse farms represented at the show have tack stalls and many of these are decorated.  At the New England Medal Finals we saw tackroom decorations with an autumn theme.

After seeing New England fall foliage all last week, I am home in Virginia where the leaves are changing as well.  The Charlottesville real estate market is ready for fall and this is one of the prettiest times of year to hunt for a Virginia horse farm. 

Charlottesville Real Estate Lady Goes To The New England Medal Finals - Day 1

As a Charlottesville real estate lady who specializes in Virginia horse farms and Charlottesville country homes I enjoyed going to the New England Medal Finals.

What do horse people do when they go on vacation?  Chances are it is something horsey.  And this week I was no exception.  I traveled to West Springfield Mass. to watch my daughter Gwynn ride in her first New England Medal Finals. It was a fun trip, meeting horse people from the northeast, watching horses go and hanging out with my daughter.

The first day was like any other set up day: shipping in, setting up stalls, organizing the tack stall and schooling horses.  The Springtide Farm group was all pitching in.

Of course no matter where I end up the talk seems to roll around to horses, Charlottesville real estate and Virginia horse farms.  In fact standing in the barn area I received a call from a lady who lives in Boston who will be coming to Charlottesville in two weeks to search for the perfect Virginia horse farm.  She was surprised when I told her I was standing at the horseshow in Mass.

Opportunities For Riding Lessons Abound in Charlottesville VA

There are lots of opportunities for quality riding instruction on many of the Charlottesville horse farms.

The above video shows one of the students at Shadowfax LLC jumping her pony in her lesson.  Whether you own a Charlottesville VA horse farm or take lessons at one ofthe area stables there are many options for instruction.

Movie On Secretariat Has Started Filming

A movie on the great racehorse Secretariat has started filming. 

"Big Red", considered by many to be the greatest racehorse ever was born on a Virginia horse farm in Doswell about 20 miles outside of Richmond.  The chesnut horse with the huge heart went on to win the Triple Crown and captured the hearts of millions in the process.  I remember eagerly following this amazing equine athlete's career.

The movie which is set amid the back drop of the Vietnam War and Watergate will focus on how Penny Chenery was able to breed and race this amazing horse in what was a male dominated sport at the time.  Secretariat gave Americans something to cheer about at a difficult time in the country's history.

The movie is projected to come out in the fall of 2010.  I know that I can't wait!

Read more about the movie.

If horses are your passion, whether it is racehorses, hunters or any of the other equestrian disciplines, Virginia is the perfect place to live.  There are many Virginia horse farms for sale in a wide range of price ranges and the fall is the perfect time to come home to Virginia.

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. 

Copyright © 2009 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved, "Horseracing in Virginia".

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. 

 

Copyright © 2009 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved, "Counting Down For The Belmont".

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.

 

Copyright © 2009 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved, "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

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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

, 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 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. 

 

Copyright © 2009 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved, "My Top 8 Ways To Get Ready For Spring On A Virginia Horse Farm".

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

, 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. 

 

Copyright © 2009 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved, "Virginia Horse boarding - Shadowfax LLC".