The Roanoke Valley horse community is mourning the death of local horseman L.M. “Sandy” Gerald, head coach of the Hollins University riding team.
Besides his work at Hollins, Gerald was a well respected course designer and USEF “R” judge; was awarded the Virginia Horse Show Association’s Susan H. Hagan Memorial Trophy; was a seven-time ODAC Coach of the Year; was inducted into the Southwest Virginia Hunter/Jumper Association Hall of Fame in 2006; was the VHSA Horseman of the Year in 2006 and 1992 (making him only the second person in the history of the VHSA to earn the honor a second time) and also was inducted into the Roanoke Valley Horse Show Hall of Fame in 2015.
Gerald also served as hunter/jumper manager for the Roanoke Valley Horse Show from 2009 – 2014. The Roanoke Valley Horsemen’s Association released this statement today:
“The Roanoke Valley Horsemen’s Association along with the Roanoke Valley Horse Show were shocked and greatly saddened by the sudden loss of our very dear friend LM Sandy Gerald. He has been a great asset to our association and show for many many years, but more importantly he was a very dear friend who was above all else a true Southern Gentleman. His absence will be felt for many years to come. Out thoughts and prayers are with His family, His Hollins family, his friends, and the hundreds of riding students he has impacted over the years.”
He is reported to have fallen while decorating a jump at Hollins and later died while in surgery to repair a broken hip.
The Great American Trail Horse Sale offered a variety of horses, from quarter horses and mules, to Friesian Sport Horses and Percheron crosses and ponies. There were horses with star-studded pedigrees, and ones with no pedigrees at all. Polka-dotted appaloosas and multiple shades of buckskin, dun, palomino and roan colored the choices. But for all their differences, what they did have in common is that they were broke, broke, broke. And because of their training, registration papers or not, several horses sold for more than $10,000.
Touched by Treasure sold for $16,000.
Some of the sale’s top sellers included:
Touched by Treasure, a 2006 AQHA gelding who was a grandson of Zips Chocolate Chip and Radical Rodder, sold for $16,000.
A 2008 APHA gelding, Firstrate Cutter Bug, sold for $13,000. He was also the winner of the obstacle challenge and it’s $1,000 grand prize.
A 2010 AQHA buckskin gelding, Sparetime Smokin Doc who had points in ARHA competition, sold for $15,000.
Bo, a 2008 Bay Roan pony gelding who would ride and drive sold for $15,000
JK Pat, an AQHA gelding, sold for $14,200.
Buckeye’s Dream, a 2012 buckskin Percheron/QH cross who rides and drives sold for $12,600.
Torned Hearts, a 2002 grey mare, sold for $9,500. She has been shown English, Western, over fences and in games.
This palomino did not sell.
An Appy mule sold for $3,700.
Children ride a pinto pony.
A roan pony lies on the ground while a horse was sidepassed over him and a bullwhip cracked over his body.
A pinto pony.
The sale was filled with sellers trying to demonstrate just how broke their horses were. Some had the help of children to ride their horses around the arena. Some stood up in the saddle. Others got the horses to lie down while cracking bullwhips around their heads. At this sale, being broke was much more impressive to the crowd than having good breeding.
Bidding for this 2011 AQHA buckskin gelding, High Brow’s Ace, reached $17,000 but it was not enough. He was also the Reserve Champion of the obstacle challenge competition.
While the sale captured good prices for many horses, there were also a large number that didn’t sell. One buckskin gelding reached a bid of more than $17,000 but the owner said they were no where close to what the horse was worth and shook their head for a “no sale.” Every mule except one that went through the sale didn’t reach the reserve set by the owner. The one that did sell went for $3,700.
This AQHA Cremello mare sold for $2,400.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t deals to be had. A sweet, quiet Cremello AQHA mare sold for $2,400. And a really nicely made Mustang mare who had placed fifth in a Mustang Makeover event, sold for $1,900.
Despite it being a trail horse sale, and the popularity of gaited horses among trail riders, there were only a few gaited horses in the sale and they didn’t sell for as high a price as the ranch-type horses. A little chestnut Rocky Mountain Horse sold for $700, and a “Single Footing Horse” sold for $2,800. A bay Kentucky Mountain Horse who was the crowd favorite in the rack-off the night before sold for $5,200.
If the Great American Trail Horse Sale shows horse owners anything, it should be that investment in training and giving your horse a job is worth it. Broke horses are needed and wanted.
An Appy mule sold for $3,700.FQHR Poco Cackles Bar, a 2012 AQHA mare, sold for $12,000.This mule did not sell after bidding reached $3,400. The owner was looking for $5,000.Bidding for this leopard Appaloosa did not meet the reserve of $6,500.A bullwhip is cracked next to quarter horse JK Pat, a 2010 Grulla gelding, as bidding continues. The 6-year-old sold for $14,200.A roan pony lies on the ground while a horse was sidepassed over him and a bullwhip cracked over his body.Bolena San, a 2002 palomino quarter horse gelding who was built like a tank, was seeking a bid of $4,000 but did not reach it.This palomino did not meet the reserve.This mule did not meet the reserve.This Friesian Sport Horse sold for $9,700.A pinto pony lies down on command. He sold for $6,000.Children ride a pinto pony who sold for $6,000.A 1999 Connemara/TB Cross mare sold for $2,300.A pinto gelding sold for $1,950.A palominoA greyhound sleeps through the bidding.A young new owner gets a hug after having her photo taken with her new horse.
The Franklin County Equestrian Club was presented the award for Equine Club of the Year at the Virginia Horse Festival on April 2. Pictured, from left, Terri Bentley, former club secretary; Michaela Bentley, member; Emma Brubaker, member; Nancy Brubaker, DVM, member; Patricia Wray, club co-founder and president; Tim Wray, club co-founder; Charles Brubaker, member.
The award was presented at the Virginia Horse Council’s annual meeting and luncheon during the Virginia Horse Festival in Doswell, Va., on April 2.
“The Virginia Horse Council received nominations throughout Virginia and FCEC is honored to have received this award,” said FCEC Founder and President Patricia Wray. “FCEC is proud to be a part of the Virginia Horse Industry and the Virginia Horse Council. Not only is it a great honor for our club and its members, but it’s a great honor for our county. Without the dedication of its members and the support of our local businesses and community, this would not have been possible.”
The club, which is open to all riders and disciplines, hosts many horse shows and activities throughout the year and has more than 100 members. On April 30, the club will holdits Spring Fling Horse Show (re-scheduled from April 9). Jeff Cox is the judge for the open show that includes classes for Hunter, Western, Games and Gaited horses. It will be held at the Ginther Farm (3128 Sontag Road, Rocky Mount) in Rocky Mount, Va., and begins at 9 a.m.
The club holds competitive trail rides as one of its many events through the year.
The club, which is going on its sixth year, also has scheduled in 2016 a Turn and Burn Series, a competitive trail ride at Fairy Stone Park in July, an annual open horse show in August and the Franklin County Fair Horse Show in September plus much more.They also sanction other shows such as the Cross View Show Series at Green Hill Park near Salem.
While for now the club uses Ginther Farm and other venues for its events, the club has been working to develop an arena in Franklin County. Earlier this year, the Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted to contribute up to $5,000 toward the club’s efforts to build a new arena on county-owned property along Sontag Road in Rocky Mount. That money is expected to pay for an application for a commercial driveway permit as required by the Virginia Department of Transportation and determining whether a turn lane should be installed based on traffic patterns in the area. The club said it will pay for the construction of the arena on the property.
The Amercian Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA), which has been going through financial difficulty for some time but has promised they were back on track and would have rides again this spring, has taken down their website and disconnected their phones.
One member says on Facebook: “According to the buzz on the FaceBook, ACTHA Ride Host Network Group, the website is gone, the people are gone and right up to the last minute they were automatically renewing memberships and taking people’s money for rides that were still on the books, but never going to happen. A class-action suit is possibly coming. An organization that is 8,000 strong would survive if the people in charge had been up front about the problems. Word on the street is that ACTHA tried to sue Equine Trail Sports and lost, costing them a fortune. I don’t know if this is true, but that is gross mismanagement of funds, as members were never told about it, and we thought funds were going to pay the ride hosts and the horse charities. Money, pride, and corruption, once again ruins a very good organization.”
While those rumors are not confirmed, the organization’s Facebook page, which has more than 50,000 “likes,” or people following it, shows post after post of people complaining that their credit cards were being charged for canceled rides and for annual membership fees. Many were also complaining of their inability to get in touch with anyone at the organization.
Another member posts on the ACTHA Facebook page: “Total Scam. They have charged my credit card two times without my authorization. I had a one year membership. I have emailed them and called them. Now their phone is disconnected.
I bet there are more people that they have done this too.”
The website’s disappearance and disconnected phones leave little hope that the organization will be returning to the trails anytime soon.
Two great Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) equestrian team coaches will be recognized for their service and contributions to college riding and the horse industry on Saturday during the 44th IHSA National Championships, May 5-8, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington: the late James T. ‘JT’ Tallon (Southern Seminary, Randolph Colleges) and Lori Cramer (Miami University of Ohio).
JT Tallon is remembered as a pioneer in the development of college riding in Virginia, spending two decades coaching at Randolph-Macon Women’s College before retiring in 2011, and after nearly a decade coaching Southern Seminary (for Women) became the winningest hunt seat coach in its IHSA history. IHSA executive director Bob Cacchione has pledged a Zone 4 scholarship in the name of the former equestrian director, who will be remembered for coaching perhaps the most successful IHSA team of all time – Southern Seminary for Women in Buena Vista, VA, first as assistant to Russ Walther and later as head coach, taking ‘Sem’ to eight IHSA National Champion team titles in the 1980s, a streak that remains unmatched to this day. Tallon was a true fixture of the Virginia and college horse industries as a coach, trainer, course designer and judge. “Hunter courses are like Muzak in an elevator,” the posthumous recipient of the 2016 IHSA Pioneer Award once said. “You know it’s there but it should never call attention to itself.”
Cramer will become the 23rd recipient of the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award, presented since 1993 to recognize the longstanding commitment of its coaches. Cramer is an IHSA alum of the University of Findlay who went on to coach Findlay to the IHSA Collegiate Cup team national title in 2001. Originally from New Jersey, she graduated from University of Findlay with an undergraduate degree in Business and Equine Studies and Master’s in Business Administration and later became director of English Equestrian Studies there, coaching the University of Findlay team during her four years there to the national title and two reserve national titles, as well as never finishing out of the Top Five. She coached the Ohio State IHSA hunt seat team to first in their Region and a rally at Zones; and served (for the first six years of her tenure) as head coach for the Miami Equestrian Team before currently serving as adviser to its coaches in addition to heading renovations and building projects at the stables. She is an IHSA Zone 6 Chair, sits on the USHJA Board of Directors and in December was recognized with the USHJA Presidents Distinguished Service Award.
Groundshaker is a great-great-granddaughter of Secretariat and the last racehorse bred by Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery. Photo by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation
The second annual Virginia Horse Festival is being held April 1-3 near Richmond, Virginia, at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell, and this year the festival will welcome a equine guest with a special tie to the park.
Groundshaker, a great-great-granddaughter of the legendary Secretariat, will be on hand for a special birthday celebration for the Triple Crown winner, who was born at The Meadow Event Park in 1970. Efforts are underway to eventually welcome Groundshaker as a permanent resident at The Meadow.
Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner and daughter of Meadow Stable’s founder Christopher T. Chenery, said it was only fitting for Groundshaker to play this role in the ongoing preservation of The Meadow’s heritage.
“Groundshaker needed a new job and a new home,” said Chenery. “She is the last horse I
bred and raced, so her stay at The Meadow will bring our story full circle. As we mark the 80th anniversary of my father’s founding of Meadow Stable in 1936, Groundshaker will be a living, breathing, beautiful thread to that treasured past.”
Her link to Secretariat comes through her dam, Cotton Anne, who is a granddaughter of Terlingua, one of Secretariat’s best daughters and the dam of Storm Cat. Groundshaker is 5 years old.
The Secretariat birthday celebration will include autograph signings with Secretariat’s biographer, Bill Nack; Otto Thorwarth, who portrayed Secretariat’s jockey Ron Turcotte in the Disney movie; former exercise rider Charlie Davis; and Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery, who owned Secretariat. There also will be narrated tram tours of the farm, a “Paddock Party” to welcome Groundshaker and a “Memories of The Meadow” anniversary party with the Secretariat team.
The paddock party and Meadow anniversary event require separate tickets, which can be purchased on the horse festival website until 11:59 p.m. March 27.
The Meadow will soon launch a fundraising campaign to build a functional barn and pasture fencing for Groundshaker, and to eventually restore the 1930s-era Meadow Stable barns listed on the state and national historic registers.
Other notable events during the horse festival include a Colt Starting Challenge, during which eight trainers will gentle and ride a previously unridden horse. As they work with the horses Friday and Saturday, they will explain to audiences how they are gentling the colts. On Saturday night during the finale, the trainers and horses will navigate a judged obstacle course to determine the winner.
The festival will also include the Southern States Parade of Breeds, which highlights different breeds of horses, including draft horses, mules, Paint horses, Paso Finos, Rocky Mountain horses, Tennessee Walkers and Thoroughbreds. The parade will be held Friday night.
The festival features more than 100 clinics, demonstrations and seminars, and over 60 retail vendors offering shopping and food.
Festival hours are 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County, Va., is the birthplace of Secretariat and home to the State Fair of Virginia. The Meadow is owned by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, which is committed to preserving Virginia’s rich agricultural heritage and ensuring that the property thrives as a regional event and equine venue.
Taft Dickerson and Best on the Rocks accept the Dave Higgins Memorial trophy.
Taft Dickerson and Best on the Rocks won more than a Green Western Pleasure class on Sunday at the Virginia Quarter Horse Association’s Spring Breakout horse show at the Virginia Horse Center. They also won the chance to be part of honoring the late Dave Higgins, a VQHA hall of fame member who died last year after a car crash.
Taft Dickerson and Best on the Rocks lopes down the rail during the Green Western Pleasure class.
The VQHA honored the former show manager by awarding the Dave Higgins Memorial Trophy to the winner of the Green Western Pleasure class.
Dave Higgins, show manager of the association’s annual Virginia Classic horse show, died last year after being involved in a wreck on the way home from the April show. He later died of his injuries.
Best on the Rocks performed with a good cadence and pleasant expression throughout the class to unanimously win the class of eight under all four judges. He later that afternoon would also tie to win the Sr. Western Pleasure class.
Each competitor was asked to drop their horse’s bit for inspection by the judges.The Green Western Pleasure lineup.Horses lope down the rail.A roan lopes on the rail.
Ranch riding has become one of the most popular classes at AQHA shows and it’s no different at the Spring Breakout in Lexington, Virginia in March. The more natural gaits, and emphasis on working tack instead of silver and sparkles seems to be attracting a new group of riders to AQHA shows.
Steve Meadows and KR Justa Spark were Circuit Champions in the All Age Ranch Pleasure class. The Novice Amateur Circuit Championship went to Dun Resolved It All and Dana Laney, while the Amateur Circuit Championship went to Julie Rogers and Gunner Got Out.
Julie Rogers and Gunner Got Out were Circuit Champions in Amateur Ranch Riding.
Saturday also included Hunter classes including Hunt Seat Equitation.
If you’re going to the Bonnie Blue National Horse Show on May 11-14 at the Virginia Horse Center, leave your camera at home. The prize book for the USEF-rated show states that commercial photographers are limited to press photographers only. How do you know if you are a commercial photographer? The prize list states that “cameras with detachable lenses or lenses of more than two inches are prohibited. Any lenses greater than two inches is considered professional equipment and is not permitted in the arena buildings or into the competition arenas to include seating areas.”
Press passes will be issued by the horse show office after press photographers sign an agreement stating that they won’t sell the photographs under any circumstances.
Professional photographers may not record the event with any kind of camera, or video
equipment. (I’m not certain how they decide that you are a professional photographer using your iPhone illegally.) This policy will be strictly enforced. Violation of the policy may result in removal from the show grounds. Commercial photographers found violating this policy will be accessed a $1,000 fee and escorted off the grounds.
The show is celebrating its 30th year. The policy is not unique is just this show but to all AHA national shows.
Here is the policy as it was written and published in the show’s Prize List:
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO Photographs will be taken by Doug Shiflet during the sessions and will be available directly through him. Video will be provided by Richfield Video. Arrangements may be made before the session or by calling 1-800-345-2429. Commercial Photographers at all national shows are limited to PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ONLY. Press photographers (anyone taking pictures for newspapers or periodic publications ) will be required to sign an agreement stating that they will abide by official Bonnie Blue Nationals Horse Show rules and any photographs they take are to be used for editorial purposes only and are NOT TO BE SOLD under any circumstances. Only one press pass will be issued per publication. Once an agreement has been signed, an official BBN Press Pass will be issued. Press passes can only be obtained from the horse show office. Cameras with detachable lenses or lenses of more than two inches are prohibited. Any lenses greater than two inches is considered professional equipment and is not permitted in the arena buildings or into the competition arenas to include seating areas. The official show photographers are exempt from this policy. Professional photographers may not record the event with any kind of camera, or video equipment. This policy will be strictly enforced. Violation of the policy may result in removal from the show grounds. Commercial photographers found violating this policy will be accessed a $1000 fee and escorted off the grounds.
Looking for Bonnie Blue National photos? Visit Doug Shiflet’s page by clicking here.
Roanoke Equestrian 
