Tag: Virginia Horse Center

House Mountain Horse Show provides spring warm-up

A week of perfect March weather led into the House Mountain Horse Show on March 12-13 at the Virginia Horse Center. On Sunday afternoon classes were full, if not overflowing, with entries. Here’s a slideshow of photos from Sunday afternoon in the horse center’s Coliseum where Intermediate and Academy Hunters were competing.

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Support Virginia Horse Center on Amazon

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The Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia, sits on 600 acres and includes a 4,000 seat coliseum, eight barns, 19 show rings and cross country and carriage driving courses.
If you want to support the Virginia Horse Center and shop via Amazon, be sure to sign up for the Amazon Smile program.
The program donates 0.5 percent of all eligible purchases to the charity of your choosing.
To shop in support of the horse center click here, or visit Smile.Amazon.com and select the Virginia Horse Center Foundation as your supported non-profit.

Virginia Horse Center hires consultant, welcomes back board member

Development consultant hired

The Virginia Horse Center has hired Jennifer Donovan recently joined the Virginia Horse Center team as development consultant with the center’s goal to create a permanent, full-time development officer role. Donovan was recruited from The Nature Conservancy after serving 4 years as Associate Director of Philanthropy.

Prior to fundraising for The Nature Conservancy, Donovan was the co-founder, principal and visionary for Equestrian Services, LLC and Equestrian Management, LLC for
13 years.

Donovan has extensive knowledge of equestrian facilities,including riding arenas, footing,
fencing, and pasture renovation, as well as all horse-related care and equine management
activities. Her excellent communication, planning, organizational and follow-up skills enable her to develop relationships with clients, staff and community organizations.
After 40 years of involvement in the equestrian industry, Donovan has a vision of raising the bar in the equestrian services industry. This vision encompassed creating a professional standard for quality design that focuses on safety and efficiency of care, all
the while creating an equine profession built on sound business practices, customer service, and quality management, training and instruction.
Raised in an equestrian family, Donovan was an avid pony clubber and hunter/jumper competitor growing up in Maryland. As an adult, upper level dressage is Donovan’s riding passion. She earned the USDF Bronze Medal and worked on qualifications for the Silver Medal until her Dutch Warmblood, Renard, was retired from competition. She also enjoys trail riding when her schedule allows.

Mullins joins board of directors

Patrick Mullins, who has been involved with the Horse Center since ground was first broken 30 years ago, has rejoined the board of directors.
“I remember I came with Bob Reel to look at the Horse Center about possible insurance on it. Bob and I stood up at the top of the hill where those three flagpoles are. That was the only thing there – those three flag poles. Bob was showing me what the dream was and what the goal was – which is very much where we are now,” Mullins said.
Mullins comes to the Horse Center with a more than 30 year career with Markel Equine Insurance, having put together insurance programs for leading equestrian organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association, the American Paint Horse Association and much, much more.
Mullins also most recently served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from 2009 to 2015.

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Western Pleasure comes with big stakes at Virginia Classic

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A big-stakes western pleasure class will be at the Virginia Horse Center on April 9 as part of the Virginia Quarter Horse Association’s Virginia Classic Horse Show.

The Hylton Maiden 3-year-old and Over class takes place each year at the AQHA show and provides an incentive to wait for outstanding pleasure prospects to mature.

In 2015, the Hylton Maiden paid out $91,500. This year, $50,000 in added money will be put into the jackpot, making the projected payout for 2016 to be $31,500 to the winner, $11,570 for reserve and $8,455 for third. When calculated on a 20-entry average, even 10th place will recoup the $1,500 entry fee. (Click here to download an entry form for the 2016 Hylton Maiden. Click here to use the new online entry system for the 2016 Hylton Maiden.)

In addition to the jackpot, a $6,000 bonus will be awarded to the Highest Placing Intermediate Rider in the class and a $4,000 bonus will be awarded to the Highest Placing Limited Rider.

Judges for the Virginia Classic are Casey and April Devitt, Brad Kearns, Jeff Allen, Rick Christy, and Ryan Kail.

Entries are due by March 12; however, horses may be entered up until Friday, April 8 at 5 p.m. for a $500 late fee.

Past champions have included Taft Dickerson with Made By J (2015), Randy Wilson with Certainly On Sundi (2014), Jay Starnes with Zip By Machine (2013) and Kristy Starnes with Zippin Hot Machine (2012).

 

Virginia Horse Center to host first USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship

The Virginia Horse Trials in May at the Virginia Horse Center will host the inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship in 2016, the United States Eventing Association recently announced in a news release.

The championship will take place May 26-29 as part of the Virginia Horse Trials. Beginner Novice through Advanced/Intermediate levels will be offered as well as CCI1* and CIC2* divisions. All affiliated schools are encouraged to attend and compete for the title of Intercollegiate Champion.

“The Virginia Horse Trials have hosted challenges that include colleges and universities for a number of years.  First under the leadership of Brian and Penny Ross, and now under Andy Bowles,” USEA CEO Rob Burk said.  “As the birthplace of Intercollegiate Eventing Team Competition it only seemed fitting to award the inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship to this top-class facility and event.”

Each team in the Championship will consist of three or four members. Only three individual scores will count toward the collective team score, so teams of four will have one a “drop” score. Schools may send multiple teams, and each team may consist of riders competing at different levels. To account for differences in level difficulty, a coefficient system has been put in place.

The team with the lowest collective score wins. Top teams will be recognized and presented with prizes in a collegiate awards ceremony at the end of the competition.

“I am very honored to have been chosen as the inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship, as part of our ongoing commitment to team competitions we will be adding a dedicated member of staff during the Event, to assist in the smooth running from entries to results and the overall experience of the teams,” said Virginia Horse Trials Organizer Andy Bowles.

Although this Championship Event will determine which college or university team will be named the 2016 Intercollegiate Champions, collegiate individuals will still be recognized for year-end points accumulated throughout the season.

Related:

 

Roanoke Valley Horse Show returns in 2016!

 

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The Roanoke Valley Horse Show, which was canceled last summer, is back on the schedule for June 20-25. But you won’t find it by looking at the calendar for the Salem Civic Center. This year, the Roanoke Valley Horse Show is scheduled to be held at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia.

The show has just recently received approval to be held by the required horse show associations and can now move forward with planning and fundraising for the event, Roanoke Valley Horsemen’s Association board member Lynda McGarry told the Botetourt County Horsemen’s Assocation on Jan. 5 at its monthly meeting.

McGarry said there are plenty of changes in the works for the horse show, including dropping admission charges for spectators. The show will continue to be a multi-breed event.

The Roanoke Valley Horse Show facebook page also announced the new show location on Jan. 3: “New Year- New Location! The RVHA is excited to announce that the 2016 Roanoke Valley Horse Show will be held at the Virginia Horse Center June 20-25 2016! This could not have been possible without the help and dedication of our Show Chairman, Stacey Wright, managers Steve Kildow and Andrew Ellis and other members of the show committee. Although we will be at a new location, the Roanoke Valley Horsemen’s Association is committed to keeping this horse show’s charitable contributions coming back to the Roanoke Valley and traditions of southern hospitality at the top of our priority lists! Please mark your calendars to join us!”

 

 

Extreme Mustang Makeover coming to Virginia Horse Center

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Courtesy BLM

 

The Extreme Mustang Makeover is scheduled at the Virginia Horse Center on August 26-28.

This wild horse training competition will offer two divisions: Youth, ages 8-17, will compete with a mustang in-hand and adults, ages 18 and over, will ride their assigned mustang in preliminary classes to compete for a spot in the top 10 freestyle finals.

After being selected to compete at an Extreme Mustang Makeover event, a trainer picks up a Mustang that has been virtually untouched by humans. With approximately 100 days to gentle, halter break and saddle train the Mustang before the competition.

Horse and rider teams compete in preliminary classes that include evaluating the horse’s ability to maneuver through patterns and/or trail courses.

After the preliminary scores are tallied, the highest-placing horses are chosen to compete in the finals. Trainers have 4 minutes to present a freestyle performance to showcase their Mustangs’ abilities and talents.

Mustang Makeover
The winner of last year’s Mustang Makeover at the Virginia Horse Festival.

The event will award $25,000 in cash and prizes. All adult mustangs will be available for adoption via auction. Bureau of Land Management representatives will be on site to approve interested adopters.

The entry deadline is March 28. Mustangs will be picked up April 29-30 in  Knoxville, TN

A Mustang Makeover competition was held last year at the Virginia Horse Festival at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Virginia.

The Mustang Makeover competition’s is an effort by the the Mustang Heritage Foundation to promote the Mustang’s versatility, trainability, and worth as an equine companion. Over 5,000 American Mustangs have been adopted through the Mustang Heritage Foundation since 2007. The foundation will hold 10 Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions this year.

From Lexington to Lexington, Nicholson officially named CEO of Virginia Horse Center

John Nicholson has been working the the Virginia Horse Center since May 2014 as a consultant and then interim CEO. He has now been named CEO.
John Nicholson has been working the the Virginia Horse Center
since May 2014 as a consultant and then interim CEO. He has
now been named CEO.

The Virginia Horse Center announced Wednesday, April 8, that the Foundation Board of Directors has ratified John Nicholson as the new chief executive officer of the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia.

Following his 17-year tenure as the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, Nicholson joined the Virginia Horse Center management team in May 2014, first as a consultant and most recently as the interim CEO, before officially assuming the CEO office.
“I’m honored to have been asked to increase my involvement and leadership of the Horse Center as the full-time CEO,” Nicholson said. “Over the past year, the management team has made significant strides in reversing the challenges faced by the horse center, and this is just the beginning. I’m confident in a bright future.”
For the past 10 months, Nicholson has been an active force in executing the Virginia Horse Center’s short-term and long-term business plans and in facilitating the launch of a new era for the facility. Together with Virginia Horse Center Foundation President and Chairman Ernie Oare, Nicholson has been instrumental in assembling a “dream team” of staff to continue the recent turnaround efforts for the facility.
“It was clearly identified about a year ago that if the direction at the Horse Center was not changed, the ship would sink,” said Oare. “We now have a team of unbelievable people, including Leigh Anne Claywell as the Chief Operating Officer and John Nicholson as the Chief Executive Officer, to help steer the ship in the correct direction and into a bright future. Nicholson brings to the table incredible experience and expertise in this capacity that is completely unmatched.”
Prior to making the shift from Lexington, Kentucky, to Lexington, Virginia, Nicholson led the Kentucky Horse Park during its rise to prominence on the global equestrian stage, including hosting the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games and procuring the prestigious National Horse Show. The Kentucky Horse Park also bid for the 2018 World Equestrian Games, however lost out to Bromont/Montreal as host city.
“Similar to the incredible transformation that John headed at the Kentucky Horse Park, we strive to transform the Virginia Horse Center into a first-class venue capable of hosting events the likes of the World Equestrian Games,” Oare said. “John knows, perhaps better than anyone, what it takes to get that done, and we are thrilled to have him as part of our team.”
Under Nicholson’s leadership, the horse park steadily transformed into one of the finest equestrian competition facilities in the world. Nicholson oversaw its expansion that included approximately $80 million in capital improvement projects, including the 5,500-seat Alltech Arena, the 7,300-seat Rolex Stadium, new barns, a new $10 million, 8,500-square-foot museum wing; and numerous new buildings within the park’s National Horse Center that are home to an impressive collection of national, regional and state equine organizations.
In addition to expanding the park, Nicholson concentrated on improving its public perception and increasing private sector support.

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Equestrian events this weekend near Roanoke, Va. (April 11-12)

We’ve got the Easter holiday behind us and Spring has taken hold in the region (thank goodness!). Now it’s time for the horse shows to really get into full swing. This weekend is headlined by a horse auction.

VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER

  • The Great American Trail Horse competition and horse sale is this weekend in Anderson Coliseum. The annual auction will be at noon on Saturday and is held for trail horses of all breeds and budgets.  Find a catalog here. Photos/Videos of many of the sale horses can be found here. The unique feature of this sale is the $2,000 added, trail horse competition starting at 7 p.m. on Friday. The competition is open only to the horses consigned in the sale. The top 10 horses will be selected to come back Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. for the finals. Friday will also include demonstrations. See a schedule here.
  • In the center’s East Complex, The Lee Jackson Classic (APHC) will be hosted by the Senandoah-Blue Ridge Appaloosa Association. Judges are Tony Burris, David Johnson, & Gayle Matson-Kozak. The Lee Jackson is the only regional Appaloosa show held in Virginia and offers classes for youth, non-pro, games, heritage, over fences and non-pro walk-trot and ranch pleasure. Find a class schedule here. 

FRANKLIN COUNTY

The Franklin County Equestrian Club will host its Spring Fling Horse Show at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ginther Farm in Sontag. The show is Blue Ride Horse Force sanctioned. Get a class schedule here. Chuck Nifong will judge.

A LOOK AHEAD

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Equestrian events Feb. 14-15 near Roanoke

A deep plunge of cold air is coming just in time for Valentine’s Day this year, which may not make you enjoy heading out with the horses quite so much. But if your heart yearns only for horses, no matter the weather, you can still feed that hunger.

VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER

The Polar Bear Horse Show is a very aptly named event this year. The hunter schooling show will be held in the East Complex at the center. The event includes classes on the flat and over fences and begins at 8:30 both Saturday and Sunday. Casual attire is permitted except in the equitation classes. Find the schedule of classes here.

TAKE A ROAD TRIP

  • Clinic:  Lana Affemann Performance-Horses and Stark Performance Horses will be holding a clinic on grooming your horse and showing in halter and showmanship Feb. 14-15 in Smithfield, Va. (4-hour drive from Roanoke.) For more information or to RSVP, contact Hillary Stark at Hrstark184@yahoo.com or (757)705-3648.
  • Gymnastics Clinic with Paul Ebersole at Morven Park’s indoor arena in Leesburg, Va. (3-hour drive). Lessons will last one hour for groups of three or four riders, for all levels from Green horses and going up through the Eventing levels (Baby BN, BN, N,T,P,I)  Ebersole will also offer a cross country clinic Feb 28-Mar 1st at Morven. Cost is $90 per horse which includes Morven’s ring fee. Auditors are welcome to watch at no charge. To sign up, please email Pat Palmer at ppalmerwheatland@aol.com.

ONLINE

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The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is the largest all-Arabian horse show in the world.

If you’d rather just stay wrapped up in a blanket inside during this bitter weekend, thankfully these days you can do so and still be at the horse show.

A LOOK AHEAD