Horses and People brief items
By Betsy Parker
Foxhunting clinic
An Oct. 21-23 foxhunting clinic will be held at Hilltop in The Plains. Irish trainer Aidan O'Connell will teach horses and riders at all levels how to improve balance and accuracy cross country and over fences.
O'Connell has hunted with more than 100 packs of hounds, ridden in 150 jump races in Ireland, England, Germany and South Africa — including three times in the Grand National at Aintree. He won a show jumping class at the Royal Dublin Horse Show.
Call (540) 364-3706 to sign up.
Orange County team event
The Orange Count Hunt will host its annual cross-country team event Oct. 26 beginning at 9 a.m. at Old Whitewood in The Plains. Divisions for hilltoppers, limit and genuine hunters are planned. Details are available at (540) 253-5356.
Trailblazers to meet
The Trailblazers Trail Club will meet Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Denny's restaurant in Warrenton. Guest speakers will be David and Anita Hasbury, a British couple who rode across America last year, riding trails in 40 states. New and prospective members are invited to attend the free event. For more information, call (540) 341-4992.
'Thinking horse' clinic
Jan Snodgrass will teach a "thinking horse" clinic Oct. 25 at Sunny's Corner near Middleburg. Snodgrass will teach participants "how to improve their ability to work with horses by learning to understand both their behavior and the ways they learn best."
Snodgrass will teach the ways horses learn, including associative learning, habituation, operant conditioning and whole-brain learning, and how a rider can use them to change or develop behavior.
The clinic runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Call (540) 364-7673 or visit online www.theexcellenthorse.com.
Equine Series
The Southern States Winter Equine Series of lectures starts Oct. 28, with other lectures Dec. 2 and Jan. 13 at the Middleburg Community Center. Details are at (410) 259-2990.
Horse health seminar
The fourth annual equine educational seminar will be held Friday, Oct. 17 at the Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center The program runs 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event is coordinated by Virginia Cooperative Extension and the MARE center with additional support from the Virginia Horse Industry Board.
The program includes a selection of topics relevant to the horse owner or breeder.
Invited speakers from the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and veterinary specialists in Virginia will join representatives of Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension in discussing current trends and research in equine health care, including hoof and dental care, diseases and parasites, alternative therapies, and biosecurity.
Pre-register by calling (540) 687-3521.
Reuter book released
Turner Reuter Jr., Curator of Fine Arts at the National Sporting Library, will sign copies of his book, "Animal and Sporting Artists in America" at the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28 and on Saturday, Dec. 6. The second signing will be held on the day of Middleburg’s annual Christmas Parade.
Reuter’s book, published by the NSL, is the first comprehensive, scholarly reference work devoted solely to American sporting painters and sculptors, chronicling the activities of artists in this country over a period of almost 400 years.
Presented alphabetically, 2,384 artist biographies tell the story through the sporting artist's eye. Many of the 400 images were previously unpublished.
Books may also be pre-ordered at www.redfoxfineart.com or call (540) 687-5780.
Join the Trailblazers
The Trailblazers riding club is sponsoring a benefit trail ride on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. at the Marriott Ranch in Hume. The ride will be approximately two hours over hilly terrain with a potluck lunch to follow. For information call (540) 341-7943.
Fundraiser rally
A Nov. 1 "road apple rally" will benefit the Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation. The event, in which participants "buy" a parcel of land in a grid patterned pasture — and then wait to see where a horse makes a deposit — is at the Harper farm in Round Hill Call for details: (703) 771-2689.
Stewart to teach
Daniel Stewart — an author, sports psychology consultant and riding clinician — will teach in Haymarket on Friday, Oct. 17. The event benefits the Virginia Region Pony Clubs.
Stewart is considered a leading authority on equestrian biomechanics, conditioning and sports psychology.
Call (540) 687-7015 to reserve space.
Fall conservation lecture series
The Smithsonian's Conservation Research Center in Front Royal will host a free fall lecture series running Wednesdays Oct. 22-Nov. 12. Talks begin at 7 p.m.
Lectures include: Oct. 22: Weddell seals and an Antarctica Adventure; Oct. 29: Amphibian crisis — saving the Shenandoah Salamander; Nov. 5: Saving the Cheetah; and Nov. 12: Saving the corals and underwater ecosystem.
Visit the Smithsonian Zoo Web site at www.NationalZoo.si.edu or contact the CRC Education Office at (540) 635-6540.
Cinnamon Ridge Fall Festival
Cinnamon Ridge Farm in Amissville will host a Fall Festival and horse show Oct. 25. A variety of costume classes will be held in addition to the regular hunter and pleasure classes.
Log onto www.CinnamonRidgeFarm1.com for details.
New trails assembled for riders, hikers
Riding trails through privately owned property in northern Fauquier County were unveiled last week when the Orlean Snipe Club held its third annual community ride, hike and picnic last Saturday at Southwood Farm. Despite the threat of inclement weather, riders and hikers explored miles of contiguous trails that have been assembled after several dozen property owners granted permission for public access.
The event provided an opportunity for area landowners to learn about designating specific revocable passage corridors for riders. A large aerial map was displayed so that attendees could learn about the trail system, which runs through private properties between Orlean and the Free State area of Marshall.
For more information about the trail system, and to sign up for E-mail updates, call (540) 364-1919.
Congressional Cavalry to ride
The American Horse Council continues to expand its grassroots Congressional Cavalry program. With a new Congress to take office in January, officials of the equestrian lobby urge riders, landowners and horse lovers to get involved.
"The horse community is very diverse and has agricultural, sporting, gaming, entertainment and recreation components," explained AHC president Jay Hickey. "Some national issues affect the entire community and some just a particular segment or discipline. However, it is true that, taken as a whole, the horse community is a much larger and more powerful constituency than any one of its individual parts. When the horse community speaks with one voice, its diversity is a strength, not a weakness, and it is a force to be reckoned with. All segments of the community enjoy the benefits this bring in federal legislation and regulation that keep opportunities open to expand our businesses and enjoy our horses."
The Congressional Cavalry is comprised of individuals who will contact federal elected officials when national issues that impact the horse community arise. Cavalry members are placed on an e-mail or fax list so they can be contacted and activated quickly.
When action is needed, the AHC provides each cavalry member with whatever is necessary to lobby his or her elected official, including background information, talking points and sample letters.
AHC’s goal is to have Cavalry from all segments of the horse industry and in every Congressional district to guarantee the horse community is heard in Washington.
To sign up, log onto wwwHorseCouncil.org or call (202) 296-4031.
Horse trials set Saturday
The Commonwealth Dressage and Combined Training Association will host its fall horse trials this Sunday, Oct. 19 at Locust Hill Preserve near Culpeper. The one-day format includes divisions for beginner novice, novice and training.
The CDCTA dressage championship show is Nov. 2 at Morven Park in Leesburg.
CDCTA will host a jumping clinic for eventers and show jumpers with U.S. Hunter Jumper Association President, judge, trainer, clinician and active competitor Bill Moroney Nov. 22-23 at Fox Chase Farm in Middleburg.
There is a Lendon Gray dressage clinic Dec. 13-14 at Sprieser Sporthorses near Marshall.
For details, visit www.CDCTA.com.
Team penning returns
Shilo Bates will teach a team penning clinic this Saturday, Oct. 18 at Andora Farm in Culpeper. All levels of team penner — from advanced to rank beginner — are invited, even first-timers. Call for more details: (703) 815-6758.