The Aiken Horse Oct-Nov 2017 by Aiken Horse Productions

Volume 13 â&#x20AC;˘ Number 2

October-November 2017

Deirdre Stoker Vaillancourt

803.640.4591

THIS IS MY NEIGHBORHOOD Aiken, South Carolina — Southern Charm and Equestrian Sport 785 GRACE

• 10 Acres in Historic Horse District • Across from Aiken Training Track • 2 barns totaling 14 stalls - lots of turnout

MLS # 71716

• Main residence 3200 sq. ft. + guest cottage • Near Bruce’s Field • $3,100,000

525 LAURENS ST. SW

• Historic Hitchcock Stables • 11.5 acres adjoins The Woods • 27 12X12 stall barn

147 STAG DRIVE

• • • •

503 CHIME BELL CHURCH ROAD

MLS # 97065

2 carriage houses 3BR 2 BA bunk house 8 large paddocks $2,952,500

• Ideal setting for equestrian barn & paddocks • 6327 sq. ft. main house, 4 bdrms, 3.5 baths • 1972 sq. ft. GUEST/POOL house

258 BECK ROAD

OLD TORY TRAIL

MLS # 99533

MLS # 92056

MLS # 99504

• • • • • •

• 10.16 Acres with 11 stall center aisle barn • 5 paddocks and large sand ring • 2BR 2BA well appointed mobile home • Groom’s or guest studio cottage • Turnkey sale including furniture, appliances, etc. $179,000

• • • • •

42 acres • Total of 10 stalls Fenced jump field with excellent footing 2 large fenced pastures with shade 1932 sq. ft. Cape Cod 3BR 2.5 BA 2BR 2 BA mobile home Farm has excellent rental history • $495,500

103 TRENTON PLACE

900 NEW BRIDGE

MLS # 96148

MLS # 80132

2086 sq. ft. 4BR 2.5 BA town home Master bedroom 1st floor 3 very spacious rooms up Maintenance free living $182,500

1064 GRAND PRIX DR

• • • •

• Salt water pool & hot tub • 20 acres • MLS #90390 • $1,995,000

20+ acres 4 paddocks 8 stall courtyard barn 3 BR 2.5 BA 1730 Sq. Ft. house $875,000

• 25 acres on the ridge overlooking the 302 Valley • Part of The Vista Training Center • Established coastal pasture • Level area for barn & residence

MLS # 73833

• Significant gentle rolling terrain for gallops • Buyer to survey; property may be subdivided once • $325,000

304 FOX TAIL COURT

• • • • •

9.49 acres in Hollow Creek Equestrian 4 matted 12x12 stalls 2 large x fenced paddocks 650 sq. ft. hunt box above barn $370,000

MLS # 93678

• LA PROMESA • 12+ acres • 8 Stall barn + apt. • $400,000

120 DUPREE PLACE

• • • • •

MLS # 97653

Historic 3.64 acre Red Top Estate Easy access to Hitchcock Woods Main house, Hope Cottage & Carriage House 6 stall barn & paddocks $2,295,000

www.AikenSCProperties.com WORLD CLASS SPORTING AND LUXURY PROPERTIES

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October-November 2017

RISEN STAR

$409,000

KILLARA

$1.29 MILLION

TWIN LANES FARM

$785,000

NEW

REDUCED Working 30 acre horse farm perfect for the eventer, fox hunter or any professional. Lovely 4 bedroom home, extra mobile for help, 1/2 mile sand training track, 4 stall barn, 3 run-ins, 11 pastures & round pen. Mostly cleared with good pasture and fencing.

Gated Horse District 4 BR/3.5 BA home built in 1996 on 5.35 acres w/3 car garage, inground pool, 3 paddocks & 10 stall barn w/apartment, wash stall, tack/feed room and lounge. Recent updates include new roof & HVAC. Easy hack to Hitchcock Woods on the clay roads of Aiken.

Turnkey equestrian property in gated Fox Hollow w/hardiplank 4 BR/3.5BA two story home w/pine floors, 2 fireplaces & chef's kitchen. 3 stall barn w/wash stall & storage, 4 paddocks & in-ground pool. Amenities include cross country course, fabulous trails & irrigated show rings. HOA fees only $970.

DANCING MEADOWS

AIKEN HORSE DISTRICT $1.9 MILLION

HORSE’N AROUND FARM $599,000

Opportunity to own one of the largest properties in Aiken’s Horse District, adjacent to the new Bruce’s Field. 3 parcels totaling 8.24 acres; including 2 barns (43 total stalls), bunkhouse, eurociser, breaking pen & 6 grass paddocks. Brick ranch w/4BR/2.5BA, newer roof, 2 car garage, hardwood floors, fireplace & cathedral ceiling.

In 3 Runs Plantation this new Elite Construction 6 stall barn has owners apartment & extra living quarters for guests. Over 11 acres of fabulous pasture, run-in shed & 4 bay 40 x 36 garage w/rear overhang for trailer. 5 irrigated paddocks beautifully landscaped and gated! Miles of trails & amenities.

$595,000

Hopeland Farms turn key property with 9+ acres and a 3BR/2BA home featuring a fireplace, sunroom, and wood & tile floors. Property includes a 36 x 72 barn with 4 stalls and storage for carriages. Miles of groomed trails to hack or drive on.

SUMMERDAY FARM

$625,000

Horse farm w/lovely 3 BR Cape Cod on over 53 acres in Ridge Spring area just 15 minutes from downtown Aiken. Home has 2 car garage, hardwood floors, screened porch & fabulous deck w/dock leading to a 4 acre spring fed pond. Miles of riding trails, fabulous pastures, 3 stall barn & equipment shed.

BRIARWOOD FARM

$549,000

Like new Mitch Johnson built 3 BR/2 BA home on 6 acres. Beautiful heart pine floors, built ins, fireplace, honed granite counters, and cathedral ceiling. Large center aisle barn w/3 stalls, wash stall, feed room, & tack room. Storage/equipment building, 4 paddocks w/water & 2 run-ins, includes barn apartment w/tile floors, laundry & patio. Add’l 6 acres available.

SOLD $

WILD OAKS

$1.37 MILLION

Lewis Lane 62 A horse farm w/12 stall center aisle barn, 3 BR/2 BA apartment w/granite & hardwood floors, paneled tack room w/half bath & laundry. Gorgeous pasture dotted with live oaks & stick and ball/jumping field. Conveniently located close to downtown Aiken. Available for winter lease.

2500/Acre

59,000

3.8 ACRES

FOUR BAY FARM

599,000

Veterans Road

Fabulous land & lots available: Twin Silos Farms, Mt. Vintage, Fox Hollow, & Windsor

803-215-0153 • www.AikenHorseRealty.com October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

BRIDLE CREEK FARM is a 44.72-acre equestrian paradise

for riders and trainers, a professional eventing center with topquality amenities. This farm contains a mirrored dressage arena, a jumping arena, a superb cross-country course, a 9-stall centeraisle barn with two elegant 2-bedroom apartments, two large run-in sheds and a shed-row barn (for a total for 14 stalls). Both arenas and the X-country course are irrigated. The farm is located in Bridle Creek community, a planned and gated equestrian neighborhood with riding arenas and trails for homeowners. The owner’s apartment features an open floor plan, wood floors, two fireplaces (living room & master bedroom), and two en suite bedrooms. The living room offers superb views of the dressage arena and the south paddocks. The guest apartment has a great room, two large bedrooms, and a bathroom. $1,475,000 Call 803-640-0123

WOOD’S END is Aiken’s new equestrian community on Hitchcock Woods. A 3 BR 3BA luxury residence with 3-stall barn and carport. Fireplace in great room. Granite counters, wood floors and beautiful finishes. Ride in the Hitchcock Woods everyday! $698,000

THE BALCONY

“The Balcony” is a prestigious equestrian estate in Aiken’s famed Historic District. The property was designed by Julian Peabody to be a comfortable and sophisticated showplace in the heart of Aiken’s “Winter Colony.” Located within three blocks of Whitney Polo Field, Winthrop Polo Field, Hitchcock Woods, Palmetto Golf Club, Green Boundary Club, and Aiken Steeplechase/Bruce’s Field. The landscaped 5.85-acre compound is a peaceful sanctuary within tall masonry walls and automatic gates. The elegant slate-roofed residence shows refined craftsmanship in every architectural detail, from stamped copper gutters to intricate wood mouldings. Two large master suites plus four more en suite bedrooms, all with fireplaces. The kitchen, laundry, pool, and utilities are completely updated. The manicured grounds include an 18-stall stable, a 3-bedroom cottage, a swimming pool with fountains, large paddocks, and ample parking for cars & carriages. Offered for $2,995,000. For details see www.FineHomesOfAiken.com

ADNAMA PLACE

4200 sq.ft. luxury residence on 18.8 acres in posh Chime Bell Chase equestrian community. Everything is absolutely first class: 3-stall barn, 3-car garage, 3-bay workshop, and salt pool with cabana. Community arenas and trails. A bit of heaven for the serious equestrian! $1,250,000

MAGNIFICENT RENOVATION of an 1895 masterpiece of architecture on 46 acres in the rolling equestrian countryside NE of Aiken. 4 BR, 3.5 BA, high ceilings, wood floors and all of the amenities you’d expect in a grand country estate. Fenced pastures. Additional acreage available. $895,000

SOLD UNCLE JOHN’S CABIN One of the great historic estates of downtown Aiken, this remarkable property is graced with exceptional architecture and floorpan. Lap swimming pool. Workshop. Formal gardens. Log cabin garden house. Sorry, but it’s already under contract… $1,600,000

BLACK RIVER FARM

130-acre horse farm with gorgeous 2900 sq.ft. contemporary residence, guest house, 11-stall barn, and large tractor barn or warehouse. Cleared and in mature grass with fencing. Exquisite horse farm bordering the hypnotic Salkahatchee River. Barnwell County. $800,000

The finest farms in Aiken, South Carolina. Call 803-640-0123 for estates, farms, homes & land. 142 Laurens Street, NW Aiken SC 29801

www.FineHomesOfAiken.com your best friend in real-estate

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

SECTION

10 12 18 24 30

Fields of Dreams News & Notes Horse Show in Pictures Naria: Driving Champ Ask the Judge

Our cover shows Mike Ward driving his Shire horses Pride and JJ at Fields of Dreams Farm. Mike is moving his whole operation, including his private carriage museum, to Todâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hill in Aiken. Read about it on page 10. Photography by Pam Gleason.

40 44 48 52 54 56

Stable View Advanced Secret Lives: Mr. P Stable View in Pictures Road to Opening Meet Hunt Directory Foals of 2017: Scorz

Boyd Martin on Blackfoot Mystery negotiating one of the impressive obstacles at the Stable View Oktoberfest Advanced Horse Trials. Read about the event on page 40 and see more pictures on page 48. Photography by Gary Knoll

SECTION 64 66 68 69 70 72 74 77 86

Monetta Farrier Unique Products Dancing with Equestrians Pony Club at the Vista Directory & Classifieds In Memoriam Polo in Pictures Calendar Index

Geoff Cameron and Alex Lopez in a hard ride-off in the season opener at Aiken Polo Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Whitney Field. Find more polo pictures on page 74. Photography by Gary Knoll

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

Aiken

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Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication P.O. Box 332 • Montmorenci, SC 29839-0332 • 803.643.9960 •

www.TheAikenHorse.com • Editor@TheAikenHorse.com

Time Dated Material • Periodicals • Volume 13 • Number 2

elcome to the October/November issue of The Aiken Horse. As we publish this issue, fall polo is in full swing, the foxhunters are gearing up for their formal season and the eventers have already had their first major outing at the Stable View Advanced Oktoberfest horse trial. We also had two successful weeks of horse shows at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park and we are looking forward to more shows over the fall and winter at Highfields Event center, not to mention the Katydid CDE, now in its 14th year, which will attract the top competitive driving competitors to Windsor in early November Summer in Aiken is often under-rated, and this summer was especially beautiful. It was somewhat cooler and wetter than usual, making for grass that grew abundantly and for some fantastic misty mornings for riding and enjoying the outdoors. For whatever reason, there seemed to be more interesting migratory birds summering here than ever before. The frog pond on our farm attracted several new species. We had a juvenile ibis for about six weeks, a shy green heron for about a month and occasional visits from a pair of wood storks and a great blue heron. We miss these birds now that they have moved on, but we hope they will be back next summer. After all, we will have plenty of frogs if that is what is attracting them. The most amazing event this summer was the total eclipse of the sun on August 21. If you were in eastern Aiken County, you were directly in the path of totality,

October-November 2017

and it was a spectacular show. The day dawned sunny, with a brilliant blue sky, but there were banks of clouds ringing the horizon that threatened to obscure the view. But when the moon approached the sun at about 1:15 pm, the clouds started to dissipate. They say that the eclipse can create its own weather, and in this case that seemed to be true. As the moon progressed across the sun’s face, the light on our farm took on a peculiar, flat quality. Our dogs and horses, watching us as we watched it, seemed slightly curious but unperturbed. It got dark suddenly as the moon’s disk obscured the sun. Then it seemed very still. The eclipse was clear and perfect and beautiful and we gazed up at it, taking pictures, filled with a sense of awe and excitement. And then the sun peaked out, creating a diamond ring of light, and we heard birds and frogs chirping and croaking, and our elusive green heron flew back to the pond, unsure whether it was night or day. The moon continued its journey and the sun’s light was soon full force again. By the time the eclipse was completely over, all the clouds had disappeared and it seemed to be a new day. Sitting down to write this, I wondered if there was a connection between the eclipse experience and anything to do with horses. It seemed to me that there was. The eclipse was a perfect beautiful moment, but one that was, by its very nature, evanescent. When it was over, everything went back to normal, but the day seemed somehow different, somehow better than an ordinary day. What we pursue with horses are also perfect moments: the trot stride in the dressage ring when the horse and rider are totally engaged and at one; a balanced jump, an ideally timed polo swing. We don’t achieve perfection with our horses very often or for very long periods. But when we do, those moments are transcendent. Like the eclipse, they change something. Our rides may go back to ordinary, but we have achieved something higher for those fleeting moments, and that changes everything. We hope you enjoy this issue. Here’s to finding those perfect moments with our horses.

The Aiken Horse EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pam Gleason

ART DIRECTOR Gary Knoll

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jean Berko Gleason

LAYOUT & DESIGN Gary Knoll

PHOTOGRAPHERS Pam Gleason Gary Knoll

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803.643.9960 editor@theaikenhorse.com

Going Out Of Town? Don’t miss future issues of The Aiken Horse. We will send you a one year subscription (6 issues) for $24.00. Send check or CC # & your mailing address: P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 Or sign up on the web at www.TheAikenHorse.

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Aiken’s Horse Publication

Pam Gleason Editor & Publisher

The Aiken Horse Policies: The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers, editors, or the policies of The Aiken Horse, LLC. The Aiken Horse is owned by The Aiken Horse, LLC.

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Fields of Dreams in Aiken Mike Ward Comes to Tod’s Hill Story and Photography by Pam Gleason

“I was born in the wrong century,” says Mike Ward, standing at the doorway to his private carriage museum on his farm, Fields of Dreams, in North Stonington, Connecticut. “I should have been born in the 1800s. I love carriages and horses: they give me a feeling like nothing else.” Mike, who owns and runs a landscaping company in southern New England, is devoted to his herd of Shire horses, and has a passion for 19th century horse-drawn vehicles that borders on obsession. Fields of Dreams Farm includes not one but two buildings filled with them. The carriages, some 35 in all, are housed in a new structure where Mike’s brother Bobby, who is the farm manager, often holds fundraisers or gives tours to private groups. There is also a separate building for sleighs, which is where the carriages lived until they outgrew their space. It is a good-sized stone-sided barn, but the sleighs are packed in with little room to spare – there are even a few suspended from the ceiling. Each carriage in Mike’s collection is special. There are landaus, roof seat breaks, and picnic wagons. There is a Long Island carriage (called a barge) that was used to bring people from the train station to their hotels and then from the hotels to the beaches. (“It has no brakes, because Long Island is so flat,” says Mike.) There is a sightseeing wagon made by the Abbot-Downing Company that was used in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at a grand tourist hotel called the Fairview House. There is a bread wagon with cabinets in the back, and there is a peddler’s wagon. Then there is a rare coach from Yellowstone Park, and a buckboard and a Studebaker surrey. There are five Wells Fargo stagecoaches, including one that is in completely original condition. There are small sleighs made for children with ponies, and massive ones made for commercial transport, and sleighs with interesting names (Did you ever hear of a Booby Hut?) Each vehicle is accompanied by a sign giving its name, and what it was used for. Each one has a story to tell. Although Mike refers to this space as his carriage museum, the carriages themselves might more properly be called a collection, since he still actually uses many of them, sometimes for parades and special occasions, but other times just for the joy of the experience. “I might get up on a weekend morning and say ‘I think I’m going to take out the Hansom cab, and then I hitch up and I go,” he says. He walks across the room to a large carriage. “This roof seat break was used by President Eisenhower in 1955. A couple of years ago, we used it to climb Mount Washington,” he says, referring to the highest peak in the Northeast. “It was to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the road going to the top. We had a four-in-hand to pull it and there were four other wagons that went. It took us five hours to go up and about an hour and half to go down. It was the most exhilarating thing I have ever done.” Mike grew up in Ashaway, Rhode Island, on a farm called Pony Hill. The family was not equestrian, but Mike and his older brother Bobby were attracted to horses from the time they were very young. They both joined the local 4-H, which provided them with an outlet for their passion, and they pitched in to help at local horse farms. Mike bought his first horse, an Arabian foal, for $40. Eventually, their father built a barn on the property and both boys owned horses, rode and did some showing around New England. Life took them both away from horses, first to college and then to work. Bobby went into the automobile business, while Mike started his

own landscaping company. Meanwhile, he worked as the caretaker for a farm that housed horses and hounds from a local hunt. After he bought Fields of Dreams Farm, a spacious 114 acre historic property established in 1740, he got a few of his own horses for pleasure riding. Then 20 years ago, he was bitten by the carriage bug. His wife at the time bought him a Belgian mare named Duchy. Duchy could be ridden or driven, and so he decided he needed to buy a carriage and learn to

drive. One thing led to another, and soon he found himself collecting historic carriages. “Now I don’t buy anything unless it is really prime,” he says. “Back then I had no idea what I was doing. Now it is a disease.” He saw his first Shire horses at Equine Affaire, an equestrian trade show that comes to Springfield, Massachusetts each November. “There were two Shires there one year and I just absolutely loved them. I loved their size; their black coats and white socks, but the greatest thing about them was their temperament. They are like no other horse I have ever been around. They are so friendly, like a big dog. They have a different energy.” And so Mike started to acquire Shires, at one point owning a dozen of them. A few years ago, Bobby left his job at the automobile dealership and came to be the farm manager at Fields of Dreams and to work with

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

the horses and carriages full time. Today, Fields of Dreams houses seven Shires and one young Friesian cross that will become a carriage horse. The horses drive single, as pairs and as four-in-hands, and they are spectacular: strong and powerful with abundant white feathers that accentuate their smooth, floating trots. Bobby drives every day, but Mike, whose landscaping services are in high demand, does not get to be with his horses nearly as much as he would like. “My phone just keeps ringing,” he says. “The only way I can get away from work is to totally leave the farm.” And so, last winter, that is what he did. He and his wife Chris-Ann took a week off and came down to Aiken where they stayed at The Willcox. Mike has a close friend who had already come to Aiken and bought property, and Mike intended to buy something if he liked the area. “I love Aiken,” he says. “First I love that there are so many horses and the people are so friendly. Also, there is a sense of history: I like that, obviously.” While they were in town, Mike and Chris-Ann shopped for property with a realtor all over the county but didn’t see what they were looking for. But then they were out driving around on their own and came upon Tod’s Hill, an equestrian development about ten minutes outside of town. They drove through the gates and soon came to a property with a spectacular view over the rolling hills. They knew they had found their spot. Mike called Karl McMillan, who markets Tod’s Hill out of his RE/MAX office downtown, and it wasn’t long before they had struck a deal. Mike ended up buying three parcels on which he plans to build a house, a guest house, a barn and a carriage museum. “I bought the best piece of property in all of Aiken, in my opinion,” says Mike. “I love it. I love that it is close to town; I love the views. We can’t wait to spend time there.” Mike’s future plans include moving his entire operation, horses, carriage collection and all, to Tod’s Hill. Although he is involved in a

major project that will keep him tied to the Northeast for the next two years, he anticipates spending time in Aiken in the coming months and he is looking forward to seeing more of the area from the back of a carriage behind his big black horses. Opposite page:One of Mike’s five authentic stage coaches in his private carriage museum Above: Bobby Ward with the Shires, Pride and JJ at Fields of Dreams Farm in Connecticut. Left: Mike and Chris-Ann Ward at Tod’s Hill, surveying their new property. ABOUT TOD’S HILL: Tod’s Hill is an equestrian development in Aiken that boasts rolling hills and large lots. For more information, please visit www.todshill.com or call Karl McMillan at 843-693-6115.

October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

News and Notes by Pam Gleason

Disaster Relief

In late August, Hurricane Harvey inundated Southeast Texas with over 50 inches of rain. The city of Houston flooded, roads were washed out and people and their animals lost their homes. In the countryside, barns and pastures were under water, and horses and other livestock were in danger of drowning. Animals that were rescued from the floods faced new problems: feed, hay and medical supplies were scarce. The horses of Texas needed help. Here in the Aiken area, concerned horse people wondered what they could do. As the disaster unfolded, Dianne Lemmon, a local farrier, teamed up with Mitch Lowrey an equine veterinarian from Estill, S.C. and Jim Rhodes of Equine Rescue of Aiken to put together several tractor-trailer truckloads of feed, hay and veterinary supplies to ship down to Texas. “We got donations from Aiken Saddlery, Aiken County Farm Supply, Performance Equine Vets, Dr. Sarah Thompson, Dr. Mitch Lowrey and their supporters,” says Jim Rhodes. “So we had three loads pretty quickly. Then we asked for donations to help with the shipping cost, and it came in almost immediately. So we sent three loads and it was fantastic.” But it turned out that these three loads were just the beginning. “The money and supplies kept coming in,” says Jim. “And so we sent more: we ended up sending nine truckloads of feed, hay, shavings and veterinarian supplies to Texas.” Equine Rescue of Aiken is accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, an organization that has very strict standards on what rescues it will certify. Wanting to make sure that the donated supplies would get to animals that were truly in need, Jim Rhodes contacted Lynn Reardon, who runs LOPE, another TAA accredited facility in Driftwood, Texas. Lynn put Jim in contact with a veterinary clinic that was working with several different groups to bring supplies to distribution centers and shelters for displaced horses. After the rescue’s first few trips, representatives from the Humane Society of the United States, who were working on disaster relief throughout the flooded area, got in touch with Jim and asked how they could help. Soon Equine Rescue’s much needed supplies became part of a massive rescue operation. “We couldn’t get the stuff unloaded fast enough,” says Jim, who drove down to Texas in his truck. “The Air National Guard came with Chinook choppers and loaded them up with hay. Then they would actually fly out over the rangeland where a lot of horses and cows would be stranded on islands surrounded by flood waters, and they would drop the hay down to them.”

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Not only did the Air National Guard drop hay, they also supplied the stranded animals with fresh water. “Our military has some amazing tools that I was never aware of,” says Jim. “They have huge rubber water tanks that they can drop to the ground – they are self inflating, and then they can pour the water right into them. It was unbelievable.” And greatly appreciated. “These ranchers were coming up and hugging us,” says Jim. “They care for their animals. Plus this is their livelihood.” After their success in Texas, the Equine Rescue team was ready to go again when Hurricane Irma hit Florida shortly afterwards. They sent down more hay, grain and medical items, and Jim drove down with a 16,000 gallon water truck (a Water Buffalo) to enable him to bring fresh water to livestock that needed it. “The Naples area looked like a war zone,” says Jim. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” In Florida, Jim once again worked in conjunction with HSUS staff, who impressed him with their passion and their dedication to helping animals in need. “They slept in their pickup trucks,” he says. “They got up at 3 o’clock in the morning. I gained so much respect for the love that they have for animals. I learned a lot.” Today, Equine Rescue is in the process of trying to help the horses of Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria. They have shipped hay and medical supplies to the island, and are working with the HSUS to try to provide aid to the smaller farmers and private horse owners who need help. Although Equine Rescue of Aiken’s mission is to help any horse in need, this is the first time that the organization has been involved in disaster relief on this scale, and it seems to be a good fit. Since Equine Rescue is small and private, it is a nimble organization and can respond immediately without jumping through a lot of bureaucratic hoops. This means that it is able to get needed supplies out faster than many larger charities. Continued BodyClipping 4 OctNov17_1 8 Ad AikenHorse 10/1/2017 5:18 PM Page 1 on page 26

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October-November 2017

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Courtney Conger Randy Wolcott

Lee Hedlund

Mike Hosang

Frank Starcher

Jack Roth

803.645.3308 803.507.1142 803.221.6831 803.270.6358 803.270.6623 803.341.8787 TOLL FREE

Alex Tyrteos

Suzan McHugh Thomas Bossard Brian Cavanaugh Jane Page Thompson

800.880.0108 203.249.3071 803.292.8525 803.640.2845 803.624.6072 803.215.8232

.648.8660

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The Gamekeeper’s Lodge . Classic brick Georgian 5 bedroom residence, 3-bay garage with apartment above, sparkling in ground pool, gazebo with pool bath, 7stall brick stable, and board-fenced paddocks on 4 acres. Borders Hitchcock Woods, over 2,100 acres with 65 miles of sandy trails. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $1,395,000

Three Runs Plantation . Delightfully decorated cottage in Three Runs Plantation offers over 3000 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, great room, formal dining room, kitchen with breakfast bay & island and screened porch overlooking established pastures and center-aisle barn on nearly 6 acres. Community amenities include riding rings, clubhouse, pool & cabana, and miles of groomed trails. Call Courtney Conger $725,000

Bass Pond Farm . This 38.49 acre farm located in Aiken’s

Equestrian Corridor offers it all! The 3 bedroom, 2 bath residence overlooks 3-acre spring-fed pond. Property includes 1BR, 1BA guest house, groom's cottage, and the 20-stall barn with tack & feed rooms, laundry and small apartment. Grand prix or stick-and-ball field, exercise track, fenced sand arena and 3-board fenced paddocks complete this very private facility close to town. Call Alex Tyrteos $775,000

WAGENER

CEDAR

Acreage

Meadows

Greener Pastures . Located in the Highway 302 east

side Horse Corridor, this turn key equestrian property offers over 41 acres of board fenced pasture & woods. Custom brick residence with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths, 3-stall center aisle barn with hay storage and tack room, 8-acre pasture with 4 feeding pens and run-in shed, 4 paddocks, 2 more run-in sheds, and 40x50 Hoover work shop. Miles of riding on groomed trails and adjoining dirt roads! Call Courtney Conger $642,000

Several equestrian lots available, ranging from 6.14 to 11.97 acres of established coastal Bermuda grass with beautiful views. Equestrian amenities include community riding ring and trails. Call Courtney Conger ~ pricing starts at just $105,000

Tinker Creek Wonderful recreational and timber tract encompasses 349 acres with 2 excellent ponds. Improvements include large center-aisle barn (84' x 36') currently configured with 5 stalls, tack room, wash stall and hound kennels and storage. Also there is a manufactured home serving as a caretaker's or hunting cabin. This multipurpose property has some open areas as well as a good stand of mature timber. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $1,185,000

Wit’s End Farm . Delightful contemporary home overlooks

12 acre lake. The nearly 3000 square foot residence features great room with fireplace opening to updated kitchen and dining area, 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths with master suite that includes media room or office. Includes attached 2-car garage, separate garage on approximately 55 acres. For horses there are 2 fenced paddocks, one with a run in shed. Additional acreage and large equipment barn available, entire property encompassing 140 acres. Call Courtney Conger $695,000

Polo Vista Cottage . Comfort and crafts-

manship are the hallmarks of this delightful cottage with 2929 square feet. Features include open floor plan with 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, cathedral ceilings, stone fireplace, wood floors and window walls overlooking one of New Bridge Polo’s beautifully maintained polo fields. Call Courtney Conger $499,000

55 acre parcel has pond, 30 acres established Bermuda grass hay field, beautiful wetlands and mixed woodlands. Located on Highway 302 in Aiken’s east side equestrian corridor, close to eventing, polo and fox hunting

$535,000

Call JANE PAGE THOMPSON

Polo Vista Stables This beautifully constructed center aisle barn is in like new condition and offers 18 large, matted stalls on 22.47 acres overlooking polo field. Included are wash stall, spacious tack room/lounge combo, 2 bunk rooms, laundry room and full bath. There is also an 1800 square foot, insulated equipment shed and 13 four-board fenced paddocks and pastures. Amenities include riding trails, clubhouse and pool. May be purchased in conjunction with 4bedroom residence across the polo field (see left). Call Courtney Conger $999,000

NEW BRIDGE

Acreage

Pottery Mill Place . Delightful residence on 12

wooded acres bordering a lovely lake. Home features 2100 square feet, wide rocking chair porches front & back and open floor plan. Formal living room with fireplace, dining room, kitchen with breakfast bay, master bedroom with bath en suite. Attached 2-car garage with unfinished bonus room above. Call Courtney Conger $380,000

Three Runs Plantation . Turn key horse farm in

Aiken’s premier equestrian community has 3 bedroom, 3 bath home with custom details, mud room/laundry and 2-bay garage. Barn has 2 stalls with room for more, tack room and feed storage. Includes separate equipment building, fenced paddocks with established grass. Call Frank Starcher or Jack Roth $539,000

Beautiful 27.82 acre parcel close to town and equestrian venues. Perfect for horses, with cleared pasture space plus timber. Level to gently rolling land with lovely home sites may be subdivided.

$165,000

Call MIKE HOSANG

Bridle Creek . New Phase II now open

at Bridle Creek! Lots range from 5 acres to 11.77 acres. Community amenities include miles of trails, gallop, stadium jumps, cross-country jump field, and dressage ring. New community green space added at the entrance of Phase II. Call Frank Starcher or Jack Roth $16,000 per acre

NEW BRIDGE

Polo Club

Solstice Meadow . Two partly cleared tracts

ready for you to have horses at home! Direct access to trail system with miles of dedicated trails, including the 61 acre Freeman preserve, which has a wonderful pond. Call Randy Wolcott and ask about owner financing! May be divided into 5-acre parcels. Tract 4 is 28.38 acres offered at just $449,000, and Tract 5 is 28.89 wooded acres at $375,000

Exquisite 11.35 acre building site in a prime location at New Bridge Polo Club. Direct access to polo fields, clubhouse, tennis and swimming pool. Complete with plenty of fencing and 3HP well!

$217,000

Call JACK ROTH

Hutto Pond Acreage . Planted in loblolly

and longleaf pine timber, this 265.97 acre tract offers opportunities for many uses including horses and hunting. Located off Wire Road in Aiken County, with creek, pond and 72 acres planted in 2 year old loblolly pines. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $800,000

Freestone Farm Comfortable 3 bedroom brick ranch offers over 2600 square feet with formal living & dining rooms, country kitchen, 2 fireplaces and huge unfinished basement. Property includes 12 acres established pasture with several outbuildings ~ large metal storage building easily converts to barn. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $225,000

NEW BRIDGE

Polo Club

Hidden Field . Unseen

from the entrance, this 21 acre tract offers approximately 12 acres of cleared pasture with the remainder in woods. Riding trails available in equestrian community. Call Courtney Conger NOW JUST $3,900 per acre

Oak Tree Farm . Country contemporary with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths is nestled in a grove of beautiful old live oaks on over 48 acres of board fenced Bermuda pastures and woods. The sunlit great room and master bedroom both feature cathedral ceilings and window walls with sweeping views of extensive coastal fields. Inground pool with new liner. Center aisle barn has 3 stalls with room for more, tack/ feed room, run-in space and hay storage. Call Courtney Conger $699,000

The Aiken Horse

Large lot (8.71 acres) complete with fencing, well & septic across from endline of Field 2. World class polo community with polo fields, clubhouse, tennis & swimming pool. Well priced at

$115,000

Call MIKE HOSANG

Red Coat Cottage Adorable and affordable 2 bedroom huntbox on Old Tory Trail is open & airy with hardwood floors, 2 full baths, and 2 living areas. For horses, there is a 3-stall shed-row barn with tack & feed room and storage area, plus 3 large pastures on 2.78 fenced acres. Priced to sell! Call Lee Hedlund $249,900

October-November 2017

aikenhorseRIGHT10-17_aikenhorseRIGHT 10/5/2017 7:47 PM Page 1

Calvary Training Center . Picture-perfect property with a host of potential uses in Bluffton, SC includes 43+ acres, beautiful lake, Low Country home with 7 bedrooms and 4.5 baths, education center with offices and classrooms, and extensive infrastructure that could handle a 100-unit development. The world class equestrian facility includes 25 stalls, tack rooms, grooms’ lounge and baths, wash stalls, storage and 42,000 square foot covered arena. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $4,900,000

Steeplechase Cottage . Beautiful 3-acre parcel in Aiken's Horse District has magnificent views of the steeplechase track and horse show grounds. The 3458 square foot main residence has open floor plan that includes 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths. Kitchen boasts top of the line appliances, and gracious screened porch overlooks salt water pool. Charming guest house has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Call Thomas Bossard $1,599,000

Jumping Branch Farm . Aiken's premiere Eventing venue

offers the opportunity to continue operating an established farm and business or enjoy your own private farm with fantastic amenities in sought after location. Four bedroom log home, 51 stalls, 5/8 mile galloping track, cross country jumps, large turnout fields, pond and producing hay fields. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $2,190,000

HATCHAWAY

Bridge Farms The Stables at Cowdray Park . Equestrian facility designed to accommodate multiple disciplines presently includes regulation size polo field with underground sprinkler system, 5/8 mile training track, covered arena and dressage arena both with underground sprinkler systems, jump field, groom's cottages, office club house, riding trails, hot walker and 3 barns totaling 150 stalls. Also available at Cowdray Park: luxury residence with guest cottage (below), and several large building lots. Call Mike Hosang or Jack Roth $1,500,000

Stunning lots in one of Aiken's most beautiful equestrian communities! Open grassy hillside, select trees & pine grove. Walk to community Derby/Grand Prix jump field & Olympic-sized dressage arena.

Shellhouse Lake Farm .

Sportsman's retreat and more located less than 10 miles from downtown Aiken! Sparkling 11 acre lake centers approximately 77 acres mostly cleared and grassed with frontage on Shaw's Creek and Highway 302. Brick 2 bedroom, 1 bath country cabin has spacious kitchen/family room, fireplace and porch overlooking lake. Large outdoor grilling & barbeque area. Call Mike Hosang $895,000

Call JACK ROTH Lot 5A 5.2 acres $78,000 Lot 5B 9.2 acres $138,000

Indigo Cottage . Amazing brand new custom home on an acre in New Bridge Polo & Country Club features 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, large kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, luxurious main level master suite, fireplace, finished bonus room with bath, with oak & tile flooring throughout. Entertain outdoors with wrap-around porches and deck overlooking polo field. Call Jack Roth $489,000

THREE RUNS

Plantation

Cowdray Park . Custom built 3 bedroom/3 bath

main residence has 2536 square feet of luxury living space with attached 2-bay garage. Separate 1062 square foot guest cottage has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, all on 8.5 acres in Cowdray Park equestrian center. Distinctive details include hardwood and travertine marble flooring, crown molding, coffered ceilings, quality fixtures, gourmet kitchen and gas fireplace. Call Jack Roth or Mike Hosang $625,000

Beautiful 9.68 acre lot in Phase II of Three Runs has established Bermuda grass. Fenced and cross-fenced and ready for your house and barn. The lot borders riding trail and has access to more than 30 miles of groomed trails, jump rings, dressage arenas and cross country fences. Other amenities include club house, pool and fitness center.

Three Runs Plantation . Beautiful home on

5 fenced acres with salt water pool features open floor plan with high ceilings, wood floors and custom millwork. Included are keeping room & living room with fireplaces, gourmet kitchen with granite, 4 bedrooms, theater room/5th bedroom, 5 baths, covered porch with fireplace, pool, 3-bay garage, finished bonus. Jack Roth or Frank Starcher $815,000

Call COURTNEY CONGER

$222,640

Whispering Pines Horse farm has over 41 acres of open fields and woods including fenced arena, 25 acres of fenced pastures, 10-stall barn with full apartment, tack room and laundry. Custom home is over 4,000 square feet with 2 spacious master suites, gourmet chef’s kitchen, 4 bedrooms total, 4 full bathrooms, 2 family rooms (one on each floor), and oak & tile flooring throughout. Call Jack Roth $869,000

CHIME BELL

Chase

19.67 acres of beautiful gently rolling pasture planted in well established coastal Bermuda grass. Community cross country course, dressage arena, stadium jump arena and miles of riding trails.

Three Runs Plantation . Beautiful prop-

Call THOMAS BOSSARD ONLY $245,000

erty in Three Runs Plantation has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on main floor, with bedroom and full bath upstairs. All 5 acres are fenced and gated. Two car garage, includes all appliances including refrigerator, dishwasher, oven etc, washer/ dryer. Quality oak hardwood, ceramic tile or carpet throughout. Call Jack Roth or Frank Starcher $549,000

Two Lanterns Cottage . Renovated Old

Aiken cottage adjacent to Hitchcock Woods! Walk downtown from this spiffy 2 bedroom, 2 bath cottage with downstairs master, gourmet kitchen with granite counters, hardwood & tile floors throughout. Space for 3rd bedroom. Lovely private gardens and gated entrance. Call Randy Wolcott $425,000

Cottage at New Bridge Polo .

Amazing custom home on 4 acres in New Bridge Polo & Country Club features 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, expansive deck with wood fireplace/grill. Open floor plan. Great home for entertaining with the best view of the main polo field! Plenty of space for horses. Adjoining 6 acres available. Call Jack Roth $399,999

BLUFFWOOD

East

Large trees abound on these TWO adjoining level lots, approximately 16 acres each, with plenty of road frontage and beautiful home sites. Many horse farms and large estates surround this east side horse country community.

Call RANDY WOLCOTT JUST $3,200 per acre!

Three Runs Plantation

FRANK STARCHER 803.270.6623 . JACK ROTH 803.341.8787

FINAL PHASE of building lots now available in Aiken’s premier equestrian community, with over 2,400 acres of rolling fields, woods and creeks! Amenities include clubhouse jump ring, dressage arena, pool & cabana, schooling ring, fitness center and over 30 miles of groomed trails.

Sanctuary Lodge . Serene, seclud-

ed, and situated on 70 acres with stocked pond & dock, this home features 4 bedrooms (2 down, 2 up), spectacular 2story great room featuring soaring natural timbers, brick fireplace, large kitchen, separate laundry and spacious formal dining room. Screened back porch, covered front porch and upstairs balcony. Call Mike Hosang $375,000

Three Runs Plantation Spectacular nearly new home with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths on 6 perfect acres of grass, irrigated and fenced. The barn has room for 4 horses with heated and air conditioned tack room. The bonus room over the garage is roughed in for another bedroom or office and a full bath and a kitchen. Call Jack Roth or Frank Starcher $769,000

CHIME BELL

TIMSHEL

Chase

Gardens

Old Buckland Barn Historic training facility in Aiken’s downtown Horse District has spacious 2,787 square foot main residence, combining 2 original cottages with central great room. Cottage is delightfully renovated with wood floors, granite countertops and all appliances. There are 2 converted race barns with 15 expanded stalls total, board fenced paddocks, grooms’ apartment, dressage arena with mirror. Call Courtney Conger $1, 425,000

Level, partially cleared lots in developing equestrian area with easy access to Aiken, Edgefield and I-20. Riding rings and trails are underway, and homeowners with interests in eventing, hunter jumpers, driving and trail riding are in residence. Best of all, lots from 12.25 to over 14 acres are available for only $4,500 per acre!

Call COURTNEY CONGER

Courtney Conger Randy Wolcott

Lee Hedlund

Annie’s Inn . Meticulously maintained Bed & Breakfast built in the

1800s in Aiken’s Equestrian Corridor! A successful B&B for 38 years, this marvelous property includes 8185 elegant square feet main residence with 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths and 8 fireplaces. Includes 6 separate cottages with excellent rental history, in ground pool, greenhouse. Contents convey! Call Suzan McHugh $1,500,000

Mike Hosang

Frank Starcher

Beautiful 16.31 acre lot, already cleared, in a wonderful equestrian community that offers top notch amenities, including a dressage ring, hunter/jumper ring, and cross-country course.

Call MIKE HOSANG

$158,200

Jack Roth

803.645.3308 803.507.1142 803.221.6831 803.270.6358 803.270.6623 803.341.8787 TOLL FREE

Alex Tyrteos

Suzan McHugh Thomas Bossard Brian Cavanaugh Jane Page Thompson

800.880.0108 203.249.3071 803.292.8525 803.640.2845 803.624.6072 803.215.8232

.648.8660

www CarolinaHorseProperties com . 803

October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

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October-November 2017

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The Aiken Horse

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The Aiken Horse

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The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

Naria: Driving Champion A Haflinger with Heart

by Ragan Morehouse, photography by Gary Knoll

BW6, a 14-year-old Haflinger pony mare, has come a long Naria way. From her humble beginnings as an Amish cart horse in the

Midwest, she rose to be a world-class driving champion living and competing in Aiken, S.C. Her biography reads a bit like an equine fairytale. Naria’s story begins near Tecumseh, Michigan where she was raised on a farm in the Amish community. She is royally bred: Her sire, Norseman Wulf, is a Gold Classified Haflinger stallion who stands in Quebec. Her dam, equally impressive, was sired by the famous Gold Classified stallion, Aristocrat TOF, who was immortalized as a Breyer model in 1999. Details of Naria’s first few years with the Amish are unknown, but when she was 5 years old, she showed up at the Troyer Colorado Horse, Mule and Carriage Auction in Brighton, Colorado, with a 3-month-old filly by her side. Her current owners, Mary-Anne Mitchell and R. John Olson, found her there. Mary-Anne remembers a girl of about 12 driving Naria into the sales ring hitched to a Meadowbrook cart. “She had her filly tied to her side and was also being ridden by a young boy. Naria was unfazed by the very small ring, the noise, the confusion of the horses outside, and the large crowd in front of her. There was some bidding on her but we were able to buy Naria and her daughter for $2,000.” Naria and Nettie (her daughter) returned with Mary-Anne and John to Edgewood, New Mexico. John enjoyed driving Naria for pleasure but she had a few issues that needed to be worked out. So Mary-Anne and John decided to send her for training to Drew Callahan in Scottsdale, Ariz. Drew, a well-known professional driver and competitor, recognized her potential as a Combined Driving Event (CDE) pony, and soon started competing her. After two and a half years under his tutelage, Naria was successfully competing at the Advanced level. Then he returned her to her owners. “When Naria came home, we didn’t have any great goals for her. We were very happy and proud of what she had done with Drew,” recalls Mary. “But she is a pony that likes to work and when we mentioned to our friend, Rebecca [Gutierrez], that it would be nice if someone could use her for more than our quiet drives, she was interested.” Rebecca Gutierrez, an amateur driver who had competed in CDEs through the Preliminary level, moved to Aiken from Roswell, New Mexico in the Spring of 2013. That summer, Naria came to Aiken to join her, and the two spent the rest of 2013 getting to know one another. “There was a huge learning curve for me coming as a Prelim level driver,” says Rebecca. “And as Naria had gone from Training to Advanced in just a couple of years, there were some holes in her training that I needed to work on with her.” With help from Muffy Seaton and Lisa Singer, both international level competitors, Rebecca and Naria began showing at the Intermediate level in 2014. A successful show season culminated that fall in a first place finish at the Katydid CDE in Windsor, S.C., where Naria was crowned the American Driving Society’s Intermediate National Champion Single Pony. “It was a huge accomplishment,” Rebecca says. “Afterwards, my trainer, Lisa Singer, said it was time to step it up and move up to Advanced.” Rebecca and Naria had already been schooling Advanced level movements so it was not long before they were ready to show at the highest level. Their first Advanced outing was at the Live Oak International Driving Show in Ocala, Florida, one of the biggest and most prestigious combined driving shows in the nation. There, they finished fourth, then went back home to train and fine tune their performance. Rebecca’s primary focus that year was on increasing the accuracy with which she could negotiate the cones phase. “Cones is my nemesis,” she says. “It’s the phase I struggle with the most.”

October-November 2017

By the end of the year, Rebecca and Naria were performing consistently at the Advanced level. In 2016, their season once again began at Live Oak, where they finished third. At their next show, the Southern Pines CDE 2 Star, Naria was awarded Best Overall Advanced Pony and placed first in the Advanced Single Pony division. Advanced was not offered at the Katydid CDE that November, so Naria and Rebecca competed in the Intermediate II division. They won and were named Best Dressage Intermediate II. Their season concluded in Lexington, Kentucky at the Kentucky Classic CDE 2 Star where they received the USEF Bronze Medal and third place in the National Championships. This year, Rebecca and Naria have been working hard on their dressage. “My good friend, Carol Funderburgh, who is a driver with a huge dressage background, helped me break through some issues that I had been having,” says Rebecca. “We had been doing well but we weren’t quite there. She really helped get me over that hump in dressage.” Carol is not only Rebecca’s dressage coach but her navigator as well. At the Advanced level, a navigator is required for all three phases of the event. “You have to have a person on the back for dressage and cones. It’s part of your whole look of your presentation vehicle. In marathon, their job is to jump around and be ballast going around curves. They keep things balanced.” This February, Rebecca, Carol and Naria headed back to Live Oak. The competition had special significance: it served as a qualifier for the FEI World Pony Driving Championships held in August in MindenKutenhausen, Germany. Team Naria had a fantastic show. “Everyone said that was probably the best dressage test we have ever done,” says Rebecca. Rebecca and Naria won second place and the Reserve National Championship, and they qualified to be on the US Driving Team. But like most fairytales, this story has a twist. “I was really hoping we would qualify,” Rebecca says. “The trainers and the different people I have been working with have been telling me that Naria is “world” material, so I would talk to her owners every now and then and ask “Would you let her go [to Germany]?” and they would reply something like “We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” After Live Oak, Rebecca and Naria were looking at that bridge: they had qualified for the team and Thorsten Zarembowicz, the USEF Team coach was excited about their competing in Europe. But Naria’s owners back in New Mexico had significant reservations. First, they were concerned about Naria flying overseas, and second they worried that international level competition would be too much for their pony, much as they were thrilled with the success she and Rebecca had had competing in the United States. Finally, there was the question of the cost: if Rebecca and Naria were to compete in Europe, it would be very expensive to transport the pony along with her two 500 pound carriages all the way to Germany. In addition, because horses need about two weeks to acclimate to an overseas environment, it would have to be a fairly long trip, adding even more to the expense. “It would be, most likely, $50,000,” says Rebecca. “That’s a lot of money.” In the end, Naria stayed home while Rebecca went to Germany as a spectator and a reporter for Driving Digest magazine. Although she was disappointed not to be competing, she enjoyed the experience immensely and hopes to compete internationally some day with a horse of her own. In the meantime, Rebecca plans to continue to compete with Naria in the U.S. “My goal this year….what’s my goal this year?” she asks. “I would love to win at Katydid. This year it is an FEI 2-Star and there will be people coming from all over the country which will make it fun for spectators to watch. It’s a fun event. I think I will focus on that. Left: Rebecca Gutierrez with Naria. The Katydid CDE, held at Katydid Farm in Windsor, runs from November 2-5. Visit www.katydidcde.com for more information

The Aiken Horse

News & Notes from page 12 “Our rescue efforts morphed into something much bigger than I expected,” says Jim. “We can’t help long term, and I hate to say that. But we can get in there quickly.” While Jim was concentrating on disaster relief, life went on as usual at Haven Hills, the rescue’s home base in Aiken. “While all this was going on, we adopted out six horses,” says Jim. “We also had 12 veterans go through the Saratoga WarHorse program, 10 youth go through the juvenile justice program, six community service workers out to do their community service; we had the Super Smart Girls Club and Target come out to do volunteer work, and we were accepted as a United Way charity.” Equine Rescue of Aiken is a 501c3 charity established in 2006 and based on a 90 acre farm on Aiken’s Southside. To learn more, visit the website at www.aikenequinerescue.org. There is a new page for disaster relief (under “What’s Happening”) and you can make a donation to further the cause at the Donate tab.

Irma’s Aiken Effects

This fall’s hurricanes did not make a direct hit on Aiken, but on September 11, Hurricane Irma did bring about eight hours of steady rain. There were also sustained winds in the neighborhood of 30 mph, with gusts as high as 75 mph in some parts of the county. Not surprisingly, all this wild weather caused a number of trees to come

compete on Whitney often found themselves in an intense competition to arrive at the field first so as to claim the coveted spot. As a general rule, most players bring their trailers to the field about an hour to an hour and a half before the scheduled start time of a match. At Whitney, however, players often arrived two or even three hours early – that is how much everyone wanted the shade. For this reason, some players, paradoxically, saw losing the tree as a bit of a relief. The rivalry for the shade is over. Another big polo tree that was lost over the summer was a huge water oak that stood on the edge of Winthrop Field, just across the street from Whitney. This tree was also about 70, and it had some additional problems. Not only did it have a hollow trunk, it also had several other trees of different species growing out of it. Katie Roth, who is the executive director of the Aiken Land Conservancy which owns Winthrop, says that an arborist was called in to assess the tree’s health, and it was decided that it could not be saved and was potentially quite dangerous, especially in the event of bad weather. That tree was taken down about two weeks before Irma hit. The City of Aiken is currently in the process of doing an inventory of all the trees in the city with an eye to developing a comprehensive tree plan. Aiken’s streets and parkways are known for their majestic trees, many of which are 100 or more years old and nearing the end of their lifespans. One of the goals is to create a succession plan of sorts for the trees so that new trees can be planted to take the place of those that have to go, ensuring that Aiken retains its park-like character. There is currently no plan, however, to replace the Whitney Field tree. There is a wooded area near the entrance to the field where some players park when it is especially hot. It would be possible to do a little bit of work on that area to make it a better place for players to park, and, perhaps, that will be looked into in the future.

Bridles, Birdies and the Aiken Fall Festival

Bridles and Birdies, a relay challenge involving teams of five golfers and one showjumping rider, returned to the Aiken Horse Park on September 8 during the Aiken Fall Festival Horse Show. The event is a fundraiser for the First Tee of Aiken youth development program which provides “golf and life skills instruction” for Aiken County young people ages 5-18. down, including a few well known ones in the historic horse district Players at Aiken Polo Club were surprised this September when they came to Whitney Field for the first Sunday game of the fall season and discovered that the gigantic oak that stood in the corner adjacent to the scoreboard was no more. Instead of a shady canopy in that corner, there was just a sad pile of sawdust. The Whitney Field tree, estimated to be about 70 years old, was a water oak, which is a very fast growing species that is also, unfortunately, not very long lived with an average lifespan of 30-50 years. Its wood is known for being weak, and most water oaks end up with hollow trunks by the time they are 40, making them prone to splitting. When Irma came to Aiken, this is exactly what happened to the Whitney tree. According to Charlie Bostwick, who is the president of Aiken Polo Club, the trunk of the immense tree was hollow, and members of the Whitney Trust, which owns the field, had been concerned about its health for some time. “When it came down, you could see how much rot there was in the trunk,” he said. “We are just very fortunate it didn’t fall on anyone.” The loss of the Whitney tree is a blow to Aiken players, since it provided abundant shade for horses and players alike. There are no other trees on that end of the field, which is where most players park their trailers and tack up their horses. On still, sunny days, the heat can be quite intense. Under the tree, however, the shade was always deep and the temperature was much pleasanter. In fact, because only one or two trailers could fit under the tree (three, if someone had a smaller trailer and got inventive) players scheduled to

Nine teams participated year. Showjumpers went first, completing a course following standard showjumping rules. Then the teams of golfers entered the arena to compete over a golf obstacle course. Teams raced against the clock, with the fastest team winning. The First Tee of Aiken home team emerged the winner, headlined by Cara Jones in the irons. According to its mission statement, the First Tee of Aiken is a local, 501c3 nonprofit organization whose goal is to “impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.” This year’s event, which was produced by Gillian Valiente, a nonprofit consulting firm, raised $42,000, over four times the amount raised last year. In other Aiken Fall Festival news, it was a successful show for local professionals, especially Daniel Geitner, the trainer at DFG Stables, who

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won the $5,000 Welcome Stake both weeks of the two-week show, riding two different horses, while just missing the top prize in the $25,000 American Fall Premier Grand Prix. Daniel also picked up the red ribbon in the $25,000 R. Bruce Duchossois Grand Prix, won for the second year in a row by Maryann Charles aboard FVF Sailor Man. The Grand Prix at the Aiken Horse Park tends to be quite challenging, with, seemingly, many immense fences set in tight quarters, making for few clear rounds with exciting jump-offs. Other local winners included Celia Cram, whose parents, Cathy and Rick, own PSJ Shows. Celia won the South Carolina Hunter Jumpers Association Governor’s Cup Medal Finals, an equitation class for junior riders, aboard Internet II.

Food Desert No More

Downtown Aiken is known for having many interesting restaurants that attract throngs of horse people during the high horse season here. But horse people out in the countryside, especially in the 302 polo corridor leading into Wagener, have often found themselves going hungry. If you are busy riding, training, jumping or playing polo during the day, it can be hard to find the time to drive all the way to town just to get lunch, and, let’s face it, most equestrians are better at feeding their horses than themselves. But now that the food truck craze has hit, all of that is changing. This fall, Aiken’s horse world is enjoying several new culinary establishments that have set up shop right in the middle of the former food desert. If you are driving out towards polo and eventing on the Wagener side of town, stop by the Feed Bag, which is set up at the corner of 302 and New Holland Road in the parking lot of the former Puddin’s Place gas station and convenience store. The Feed Bag is owned and managed by Peter Bach, who is better known as a polo professional. Peter has been working on his food truck concept for quite some time. This fall he has teamed up with the professional chef, Will Sutton, to develop a menu specifically designed for the equestrian set. Will, whose resume includes stints as the chef at Magnolia Natural Market, cooks food that is delicious and filling, with some healthy choices to please even picky palates. Stop by for lunch to sample a

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gourmet chipotle marinated salmon taco, or have a club sandwich or a Philly cheesesteak. The Feed Bag, which is open for breakfast or lunch Tuesday through Sunday, also caters events, and was a big hit at the horse show at Paradise Farm this September. Out in Wagener, fans of barbecue are thrilled that Smokin’ Guns Handcrafted BBQ and Meats has set up their food trailer at the corner of Church and Main Street across from the First Baptist Church downtown. Smokin’ Guns is owned and run by Kelly and Jim Patterson, who have deep ties in the horse world here. Kelly Sigler Patterson is a natural horsemanship guru and a licensed Parelli professional. She is also a chef and has been running a catering business, the Hungry Horseman, for a couple of years. The Hungry Horseman is based on healthy, natural food with an emphasis on fresh, locally sourced meats and vegetables. Smokin’ Guns BBQ is a bit of a departure in that its focus is mostly meat. Kelly is originally from Texas and she grew up around Texas

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barbecue, which is beef-based. Smokin’ Guns, however, serves porkbased, South Carolina barbecue, and they have their own proprietary spices, rubs and sauces. Kelly and Jim have an immense smoker in which they prepare all kinds of meats, as well as smoked macaroni and cheese for those whose appetites are less carnivorous – they also have home made pimento cheese, perfect on a cheeseburger.

The Smokin’ Guns trailer can be transported to special events, or patrons can visit on location in Wagener. The trailer is parked in the backyard of the Claridge House, a Victorian bed and breakfast, where there is an outdoor eating area called Virginia’s Back Porch. Lunch will be served there on Sundays and Kelly is also planning to open a dinner club to serve meals several nights a week. In addition, she and Jim are offering barbecue by the pound, as well as brisket, chicken and smoked sirloin tip roasts. “You got it, we’ll smoke it,” says Jim. A third mobile food vendor that is making a splash in Aiken is the Feel Good Food truck, owned and run by Christian and Molly Schaumann. The Schaumanns bought their truck from the Willcox this summer and have created a menu that focuses on comfort food. This includes steak sandwiches, pork belly BLTs, grilled cheese and fried mac and cheese balls.

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The Feel Good Food Truck can be found parked outside its commissary at 1031 Richland Avenue west, and they have also been catering festivals and happenings all over Aiken. Most recently, they were at the Oktoberfest Advanced Horse Trials at Stable View, where they fed hungry horse folks throughout the three day event.

Poop Power

This year, the Helsinki International Horse show, held from October 18-22 in Helsinki, Finland, will be using an alternative energy source for 100% of its electric power. The source will be provided by the competitors themselves. That’s right. The horse show will run on horse poop. The Finnish energy company Fortum will produce the electricity through its HorsePower division. Fortum HorsePower “is a bedding and manure management service for stables, with the manure generated at the stables transported for use in energy production,” according to the website. Fortum will provide wood-based bedding to the horses stabled at the show. After the stalls are cleaned, the used bedding will be transported back to the Järvenpää power plant nearby to be converted into electricity. “I am really proud that electricity produced with horse manure can be utilized for an event that is important to equestrian fans and the horse sector. It is great that Finland’s biggest and best-known horse show is a forerunner in energy and environmental issues,” said Anssi Paalanen in a press release. Paalanen is the Vice President of Fortum’s HorsePower division. “It’s great to participate in electrifying the pilot event of the Fortum HorsePower concept with horse manure,” added Tom Gordin the director of the show. “Overall, the concept is fascinating and creates tremendous opportunities for the entire horse sector in Europe.” Fortum estimates that 135 metric tons of bedding and manure will be delivered to the power plant during the event. This will generate enough electricity to keep all the lights on.

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Ask the Judge

Questions about Dressage With Amy McElroy

Amy McElroy is an FEI competitor, and a USEF S judge. She is qualified to officiate at any USEF recognized national show at all dressage levels. She rides, trains and teaches at Fair Lane Farm in Aiken and judges between 15 and 20 dressage shows and events each year. In her popular Ask the Judge column, she answers readers’ questions about dressage. Do you have a question for Amy? Send her an email at McElroyDRM@aol.com, or visit her website: www.amymcelroy.com.

Dear Amy,

I am qualified to ride at the USDF Regionals this fall. I have never been to the Regionals before. How is this show different from a standard dressage show?

Qualified Dear Qualified,

First I want to congratulate you for qualifying for this year’s Regionals. This is a real accomplishment. For those who don’t know, the country is divided into nine regions; South Carolina is a part of Region 3, which also includes Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. Most riders compete for their home region, but it is possible to participate in another region if you declare that it is your intention. In order to qualify for Regionals, first your horse has to have all of the appropriate registrations: a USEF number, a declared region and so on. (Check the USEF rulebook for more details). Then you have to have competed at two USEF open dressage shows at the highest test of the level you are qualifying for. For example; Training level has three tests, so the qualifying test is test 3. Each level and each category of rider has a different required minimum percentage needed for the score to count. For example, in Training level, an Open rider needs a 68 percent. Junior/Young Riders and Adult Amateurs need 63 percent. You must earn these two scores in the same competition year and they must be under two different judges. Once you have these two scores, you are eligible to compete in your region. The Regionals are not just a bigger dressage show. There are a number of differences between competing at an open show and competing in the Regionals, and knowing these differences is very important – not knowing them could get you eliminated or deprive you of your placing. Here are some of the main differences: 1. At an open show, you may carry a dressage whip in your test. At the regionals, whips are forbidden in your test, and if you were to carry one into the arena by accident, you would be eliminated. (You are permitted to use a whip in the warm-up ring: just be sure you hand it off before presenting yourself for your test.) 2. At an open show, you may have a caller or a reader for your test. At a Regionals, callers are forbidden. You must do your test by memory or you will be eliminated. 3. At an open show, you usually have one judge at C (on the short side directly opposite the opening.) At a Regionals, you will have one judge at C and a second judge on the long side, for example, at B. In your entry and exit, you should only salute the judge at C. Your final score will be an average of the two judges’ scores. Both the test sheets are yours to take home after the class has been posted. 4. At an open show, your trainer may get on and school your horse in the warm-up. At a Regionals, it is forbidden to have anyone other than the competitor ride the horse. There is one exception: A groom may walk only on a loose rein; any other riding will entail elimination. (People do get eliminated for this, so be sure to follow this rule.) 5. At an open show, ribbons are usually awarded for first through sixth place. At a regionals, ribbons go to the top eight scores. If you are pinned at a regionals, it is mandatory to be dressed and mounted for the awards ceremony, or your placing will be forfeited. Make sure you find out when your awards ceremony will take place and be ready for it. You will lose your ribbon and your placing if you are not there; this

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does happen! (If you have a legitimate conflict and you have cleared it with the management, you can obtain an exception to this rule.) 6. At an open show, you might have the opportunity to ride the same test more than once. For instance, at a two day show, you might be able to perform the same test on consecutive days. At a Regionals, you have one chance: it is one ride, one time. The test you ride at the Regionals will be the same test for which you received your qualifying scores (the highest test of the level at which you are competing.) 7. At an open show, you would not expect to receive any cash awards. At a Regionals, the champion and reserve win money in a 60/40 split. 8. At an open show, the entry gate remains open throughout your ride. At a Regionals, the gate remains closed until the judge signals and is opened only to allow riders to enter and exit the arena. 9. At an open show, you are permitted to take your horse off the showgrounds during the competition – for instance, if you live nearby, you could take him home. At a Regionals, your horse may not leave the showgrounds during the competition. If he does, you will be eliminated. This year’s Regional Three championships are held in Wellington Florida, and Aiken has many riders qualified who will proudly represent South Carolina. My advice in preparation for this competition is to practice riding without your whip and learn your test thoroughly so that you can ride it smoothly and confidently without a caller. Don’t forget the small details that will help you gain points: use your corners, present a confident, professional picture – boots shining, clean tack, tidy braids on your horse, neat, well-fitted attire. Good luck to you and all the other qualified Aiken dressage riders!

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Stable View Oktoberfest Advanced Boyd Martin and Aiken: Both Winners by Pam Gleason, photography by Gary Knoll

Right: Heather Morris with Charlie Tango

oyd Martin is not one to mince words.

“If you’re afraid of this jump, you don’t belong here,” he said, standing in front of Fence 1 on Stable View’s Advanced cross-country course in Aiken. It was Saturday, September 30, the day before Boyd would tackle this course on horseback. He had already competed in stadium jumping that day aboard seven horses (three in the Intermediate division and four in Advanced) and would have a long day ahead of himself with seven cross-country rides on Sunday. But he volunteered his time to give a guided course walk to anyone who was interested and willing to give a $10 donation to the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons, a nonprofit organization in Aiken. About 25 people showed up to walk around the course, which took an hour and a half, since Boyd generously explained how he would ride to each fence and why. Dressed in shorts and flip-flops, he was relaxed, accessible and down-to-earth, belying his status as one of the world’s best event riders and an established member of the United States international eventing team. It’s true that Fence 1 was not that intimidating, at least compared to the other obstacles on the course. It was a wide log box with an angled top, decorated with yellow flowers. It looked big, but eminently jumpable. “It’s a very inviting fence,” said Boyd. “This course was designed by Captain Mark Phillips, and I think he’s just trying to get the horses jumping well. It has a nice sloping face, and we’re going to try to jump that at a good gallop and really set out strong.” As the group walked through the course, Boyd discussed striding, angles and geometry, stressing that good planning and using the terrain to your advantage can make a big difference, not just in how quickly and safely you jump, but also in how smooth you can make your performance. Setting things up so that you are never in an argument with your horse can save a tremendous amount of energy. “It would be really tempting to cut the turn here,” he said, approaching Fence 3, a rail fence that led into the Attwood arena, where the horses would be more accustomed to performing a dressage test. “But my feeling is that I am going to come around wide, like a Formula One racecar driver. It’s actually quicker and more efficient if you can stay out wider on the approach to the fence so that the wider turn will help balance your horse and slow yourself down. You’re trying to get to the fence without pulling back and fighting with the horse, and the arcs on the turns to the fences are a great tool that you can use, rather than getting into a wrestling match with the horse, because that can get quite tiring after a while.” The beginning of the course was somewhat technical, with a few tight turns as well as some very impressive fences: a hay bale and John Deere Tractor fence sponsored by Blanchard Equipment (“It wouldn’t look out of place at Burghley,”) leading up to Fences 7A and B, on either side of the first of three water complexes. Here, Boyd’s shorts and choice of footwear suddenly made sense: While the rest of the group watched, he strode matter-of-factly into the water, counting the strides between the jump “in” and the jump “out,” and likely assessing the firmness of the footing through his flimsy soles. The course moved on to Fence 8, a large jump called the Elephant Trap (“It looks daunting, but it’s really an easy fence to jump,”) and then a brush jump at 9. Fence 10 was a difficult one: a brush jump with a drop into water on the landing side. “Do you ride it like a ditch palisade, or do you ride it like a drop into water, or do you ride it like a steeplechase jump?” asked Boyd. “You always have to imagine when you are walking a course that what you are seeing for the first time is what your horse will be seeing for the first

time. I don’t think as you are coming up to this fence the horse will know there is water. So what I think you have to do is halfway between the two fences, sit up and put a bit of leg on them and kick up a bit. You want to come at it strongly, but you don’t want to come running at it like a lunatic. You want to attack it in the last couple of strides, so that the green ones that might back off the water are accelerating while they are backing off, and then by the laws of physics you meet somewhere in the middle.” The next few fences (a skinny, a brush fence, an oxer) were fairly straightforward, designed, according to Boyd, to give the horse a break. Then came the most difficult group of jumps on the course: a set of rails (13A) leading to a drop (13B) and then down the hill to fence 14, described in the program innocuously enough as a “corner.” “It’s a bloody wide corner,” said Boyd standing in front of it. “Last year this caused a lot of trouble.” The notorious fence 14 consisted of two upright log jumps set at an angle to one another, forming a V. The horse had to jump over the V near its middle, where the gap between the two halves of the jump seemed almost impossibly big. “That is a proper, proper corner. It’s a test of commitment and trust. But I really do think that the horses just see the rails: they don’t see the degree of difficulty the way we do.” Then it was on to a nice galloping lane punctuated by immense jumps, including a ditch surmounted by a flying cross made of logs donated by Pine Top, an eventing farm in Thomson, Georgia that also boasts an Advanced course. “It looks horrendous, but I think it will jump quite well,” said Boyd There were some other difficult combinations: a bank jump (16A) on top of a steep hillock, leading down to a sharp turn and a pair of brush jumps (16B and 17); Fence 22A, another massive corner, leading to 22B, a narrow skinny, with a higher degree of difficulty because there was a tree in the direct line between the two fences (“It’s also trickier because it’s so late in the course.”) Finally there were a few easier, galloping fences, leading to the grand finale, Fence 26, the Stable View keyhole. “Riders who have more than one horse are at a real advantage here,” said Boyd, “Because they will know how the course rides. I think you will see that those riders who have more than one horse will go a bit faster on their second horse or their third horse. It’s a really first class course, but it is going to be hard to make the time.” The next day proved that Boyd was right about pretty much everything. Thirty horses were presented at the cross country start box. Riders included well-known professionals from both the East and the West Coasts: many were using Stable View as a preparatory outing for Fair Hill International in New Jersey, coming up two weekends later. Horses went onto the course in reverse order of their standing, with exceptions for riders with multiple horses, whose start times were staggered to give them a chance to change horses. Optimum time was 6 minutes, 11 seconds. It was an open question whether anyone could gallop and jump fast enough to make it. Boyd went first riding Tsetserleg a 10-year-old black gelding, one of his two younger horses that he had promised to push for a faster time. Tsetserleg had been sitting in eighth place. He jumped clean and he didn’t do himself much harm when he finished in 6 minutes, 26 seconds, incurring 6 penalty points. But he did prove that it would, indeed, be very difficult to make the time. Boyd, who bases his operation at Stable View from January through March, was probably the rider with the most familiarity with the course, and he was also the

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one with the most success. He was the only rider to make the time over a similar Advanced course in 2016, the event’s inaugural year. Then, he was riding Steady Eddie, who is among the fastest cross-country horses in the world. If Boyd didn’t make the time on Tsetserleg, it was clearly going to be very difficult for everyone else. And it was. Of the 30 horses that galloped through the starting box, just 15 made it around with no jumping penalties, and no one avoided time penalties. Boyd on his second ride, Crackerjack, and Ellen Doughty-Hume aboard Sir Oberon were the closest, coming through the final gate in 6 minutes, 20 seconds for 3.6 penalty points. Four horses were retired or eliminated after too many run-outs, mostly related to fences 14 and 22, the difficult “corners.” Then there were three falls, which necessitated holds on the course while the horses were caught. (No horses or riders were seriously injured.) Although the fences that looked most difficult in the course walk were the ones that caused the most problems, there were a few surprises and many bitter disappointments. Tamra (Tamie) Smith’s second ride through the course, Wembley, an excellent jumper and a seasoned three star horse, had an uncharacteristic run-out at Fence 3 leading into the Attwood arena, dashing their chances for a ribbon and a check (They had started the day in fifth place.) Heather Morris, who rides and trains with Tamie at Next Level Eventing in Temecula, California, rode out of the start box in first place on Charlie Tango with her eyes firmly on the prize. Charlie, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse with incredible talent, sped fast and flawless through all the most difficult obstacles, only to have a run-out four jumps from the finish line. When the final scores were tallied, Boyd Martin finished first, third, fifth and sixth riding Crackerjack, Tsetserleg, Blackfoot Mystery and Shamwari 4, respectively. Katie Ruppel was second with Houdini, and Clayton Fredericks fourth with FE Ophelia.

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Did the course ride the way Boyd expected? “Pretty much,” he said afterward. “It was a challenging course; it felt like a championship course. But I knew what I was in for. It was a good preparation event for all of the horses going on to Fair Hill and other places.” After his win, Boyd returned to his home base in Pennsylvania to prepare for the rest of his season, which includes Fair Hill in New Jersey and then a trip overseas to Etoiles de Pau, a prestigious FEI fourstar in the French Pyrenees. That is where Crackerjack, a 13-year-old grey Thoroughbred gelding will make his next outing. Boyd plans to compete seriously through November and then take December off to go foxhunting with the Cheshire Foxhounds in Coatesville, Penn: “It’s a bit of a break for me to have some fun.” January will see him back at Stable View for winter training. The Stable View Advanced Event also included levels from Beginner-Novice on up, giving competitors of all levels a chance to run over Captain Mark Phillips’s course. Although the course was challenging for everyone, it received near universal raves from riders who appreciated the attention to detail, the beautiful decorations and the care that has gone into creating the entire facility. Riders were also appreciative of the fact that the event awarded prize money at all levels, a total of $65,000 in all, $15,000 of which went to the Advanced winner. Stable View, just half a decade old, has already become one of Aiken’s top equestrian attractions and it is still being developed, with a viewing pavilion under construction along with a second cross country course and a cross country schooling complex. Boyd Martin may have won the Advanced event here this October, but it seems that there are a lot of winners at Stable View, including the city of Aiken itself, which has gained a world class facility and equestrian destination.

October-November 2017

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Secret Lives of Horses “Mr. P,” for Perfect

by Ragan Morehouse, photography by Gary Knoll

r. P got his nickname, which is short for Mr. Perfect, from his M owner, Laura Bagwell, because, as she says, “that’s what he really is for me.” Originally known as Sagebrush, Mr. P is a 28-year-oldQuarter Horse/Walking horse cross born in Oklahoma who now lives in Aiken. He is remarkable for his steadiness and his even temperament - things horsemen, especially older ones, value above all else. Such horses are rare enough, but Mr. P has something that distinguishes him further: he has his own Facebook page where he writes about his everyday adventures in the first person. Mr. P found his voice about two and a half years ago. Most of his posts detail rides through the Hitchcock Woods from his home base at Freddie Gilligan’s Foxchase Stables. “I ride with a GPS, or I did when I started the posts, so I could keep track of all of our trail rides,” Laura says. “I started the Facebook thing as a way to share our rides in the Woods with other people, particularly people who are also acquainted with the Woods, so that they can shut their eyes and ride along with us. We have lots of engagement and reach lots of people through the page.” Laura typically mounts up twice a week and she and Mr. P have ridden most, if not every, trail in Hitchcock Woods in the nine years they have been at Freddie’s barn. “Mr. P describes all the landmarks that we go through or pass and all of the things that we meet along the way,” says Laura. “He calls me She with a capital S,” adds Laura with a laugh. “I try to write things from his point of view.” A Facebook post from June of this year is a good example: “I enjoyed my ‘happy hour’ ride last night. It was still warm and muggy at 6:30. Our people had to have a beer before heading out, but we’re horses and we’re used to the heat! We wandered over to Tea Cottage via the Robinson’s Pond dam path, then back along the tunnel ride to Frolic’s Corner, across the bridge and home. I used my ground-covering jig and I even got in a little easy canter at the Tea Cottage. Age is just a number. More grain please.” Laura Bagwell is not the typical horse owner; aside from being a ghostwriter for her horse, she was 45 years old when she decided that she wanted a horse. “I had never really been on a horse before,” she admits. “I felt that since I live in Aiken, if I am ever going to ride, I should do it while I am here. I felt like I was missing out on something by not doing horse things. Wisely, my friend, David Rosier, recognized that I didn’t really know what I was doing and he matched me up with Sagebrush. Knowing now what I didn’t know then, boy am I glad he did!” David had heard about Sagebrush from his friend, James ‘Bobo’ Richardson. Bobo, who is the former manager of the Hippodrome in North Augusta, bought Sagebrush as a 4-year-old roping prospect from his late friend, Walter Shropshire. “Walter was from Oklahoma and would make trips to go see his family there,” says Bobo. “One time, he took a horse trailer with him and brought six horses back. I bought two of them. One was a little 12-year-old quarter horse for my daughter and the other was Sage, a huge 4-year-old. Walter took me under his wing and helped me train and learn to rope. Sage and I liked to trail ride and do team ropings. That’s all we did. Sage was just for fun.” “I only went to one bonafide rodeo,” continues Bobo. “It was in Walterboro and I was the header. They had this rope across the line and

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would drop it when your time started. Well, we had never used that in our local stuff and when that cow was released, Sagebrush jumped the rope. I sure wasn’t expecting that. I hung on but I ran around and around the arena for a bit chasing that cow. We usually took about 10 seconds and it took 30 seconds that day. That’s the last time I went to a real rodeo.” Bobo and Sagebrush roped for 12 years until Bobo stopped working at the Hippodrome and decided to pursue farming on a larger scale. “It got to be all day, seven days a week,” Bobo says with a sigh. “I didn’t have time to ride and rope anymore.” Hearing that David Rosier was looking for a horse for a friend, Bobo told him about Sagebrush. A few days later, Laura and David went to try Sage out. “We rode around in a cow pasture for a little bit and we rode around in the arena where I bounced up and and down in a western saddle with those long panels and stirrups,” Laura recalls. “We then went on a little trail ride and I didn’t fall off. He seemed like a good boy and I didn’t pay much money for him so it was a good match.” David trailered the horse to The Stable on Two Notch in Aiken, where he lived for a few months before moving to a new barn. Mr. P posted about this move on his page: “When the owner of the Two Notch barn wanted it to be a racing barn (I never saw it move an inch, much less win a race), we moved to a new barn. We just walked right through the Woods - no trailer needed - and we were at our new home.” But all was not well in the new accommodations. “She and I had troubles here. I was brave but She became timid. We only rode a little bit and soon, we were not riding at all. She would come brush me and feed me carrots but no riding,” Mr. P. posted. Initially, Laura had some health issues that were responsible for keeping her out of the saddle, but fear also crept into the equation. Weeks of not riding turned into months. “That went on for more months than it should have,” says Laura. “Eight to ten months, I regret to say. But then I moved him to the country, to Pine Ridge Stables. At that point, the barn was being run by Kim Davies of Radway Eventing. Kim rode him and she said, “Laura, he’s not going to kill you. Just get on him and ride.” And I did. I got my confidence back. We stayed with Miss Kim at Pine Ridge and then moved with her to her new place for about two years. And then one day I got a telephone call from a friend who told me there was an opening at Freddie’s and didn’t I want to come check it out. That was nine years ago and we have been at Freddie’s ever since.” “Mr. P has taught me a lot,” continues Laura. “He has taught me great balance and bravery, and that quiet time in the Woods can solve just about any problem. I’m fortunate that I don’t have any problems - a girl gets to live in Aiken, have a horse on Hitchcock Woods - what kind of problems could I possibly have?”

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October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

The Road to Opening Meet Hunt Season Preparations

by Ragan Morehouse, photography by Gary Knoll

he gleam of well polished boots; the beauty of tight, precise braids; the chuffs of the horses and the occasional bay of a hound. These are some of the the sights and sounds that make up the pageantry of the Aiken Hounds Opening Meet. Advertised by the city’s tourism council as a must-see event, the Opening Meet is always held on Thanksgiving day and embodies all that is Aiken; it is traditional, it is equestrian, and it is beautiful. But what the tourist cannot see is the months of preparation, training, and planning that precede this elegant event. Hunt seasons in the South tend to run through the coolest monthsusually November through April. After the season, there is a period of

mornings. “Taking the hounds out with horses does two things,” explains Larry. “One, it gets the young ones used to seeing horses and people. Many times you will see a puppy off to the side because he doesn’t have a clear path back to the pack without these people and horses in between. Hound walking helps to teach them how to deal with this. Secondly, hound walking with horses starts to exercise the hounds and keep them in the pack.” Although mostly attended by members of the Aiken Hounds, hound walking is open to non-members if they contact the hunt secretary, Linda Hickey, beforehand. Riders meet at 9 a.m. in the Hitchcock

relative inactivity in the heat of the summer. During the off months, many people take a break from riding, turning their horses out to pasture. Others keep them in work but with less strenuous exercise regimens. “My mother lived to 103 and her thing was ‘you gotta keep moving,’” says Betty Alexander who is the social secretary for The Aiken Hounds. “At the end of the season, my horses continue to work. I don’t turn them out. I just think it is better for them, and me, to keep moving and keep doing stuff. Not stuff as strenuous as hunting; we do lessons, we do trail rides and we do little competitions. Things like that.” The hounds also get a bit of a rest in the off-season, but their break is shorter. “After hunting season, we sort of of let them down for a bit. They go to the kennel and get out during the day but they are not really under any instruction or guidance,” says Larry Byers, who is one of the Masters of Foxhounds for the Aiken Hounds. “About mid-summer, we start hound-walking on foot to get the old guys in shape. We are also looking at the young guys to see who’s going to fit in or what we have to do to get them ready. These unmounted walks are really where we get to know them.” Mounted hound walks begin in August on Tuesday and Saturday

Woods, usually at the power line above the Stable in the Woods, and are joined shortly thereafter by the hounds and the staff. Many people use hound walking as a way to introduce novice horses and riders to hunting. “Hound walking lets green horses get used to being in a large group and lets us see how they are going to react,” says Betty. “It is mostly a slow pace; mostly walking, maybe a little bit of trotting. It gets the riders legged up physically, too, to be out there in a group and hunting.” Hound walking usually prompts hunt members to check over their tack and hunt attire in preparation for the next season. “You start wondering if your clothes are going to fit after having not worn them all summer,” Betty says with a laugh. “I don’t know what happens over the summertime but somehow there’s always a few extra pounds...maybe it’s the ice cream.” In September, the Aiken Hounds meet for pre-season trail rides. Riders convene on Saturday mornings at the Stable on the Woods parking lot and head off into the Hitchcock Woods for about an hour to an hour and a half of riding. “The trail rides are a little bit more like a hunt because we have three groups,” explains Betty. “One will go over fences; one will go faster with

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

no jumping; and one will do mostly walk, trot, and maybe a little bit of canter.” Each group is led by a staff member or an experienced member of the hunt. Riders decide for themselves with which group they would like to ride. “By then you should know how your horse is going to react in a group, if it’s going to be a kicker or have any issues,” adds Betty. The hounds do not join the riders on the trail rides. “Once they are working well, which is usually after the hound walking, we will start them following a little scent,” Larry says. “With some of the puppies, we

start laying a little line at the kennels and let them follow it. This is when they find out what’s going on. And then, of course, that’s getting into when they really learn, and that is going cubbing.” Cubbing is the prelude to the formal hunt season. Members of the hunt go out twice a week; visitors, with the permission of a master, are invited to cap. This year, cubbing begins on October 17th and run until Opening Meet. “Cubbing is really about teaching the young hounds,

October-November 2017

especially the first year entries, to hunt,” explains Larry. “The field is not important. We do have the field come out, but the most important thing is to see how the hounds follow the line.” The Aiken Hounds is a drag hunt, meaning they do not hunt live prey; instead the staff lays a scent line of fox urine for the hounds to follow. “When we lay the line in the Woods during cubbing, it’s not just done helter-skelter,” Larry continues. “We have a specific route that we want to take so that when they follow it we can look at the terrain they are going through and see how well they handle the puzzle that we lay for them. We’ll increase the difficulty as we get closer and closer to opening hunt. By the time we come to opening day, we have asked most of the questions we want to ask and have seen how they answer them.” For the field, cubbing is the last step towards getting horse and rider fit for the season to come. Some riders rely on cubbing entirely to get their horses fit, while others add endurance work to their regime. “I probably ride 3 or 4 times a week, including the twice a week we go cubbing,” says Betty. “I don’t do formal trot or canter sets but I like to come to the Woods and go up and down the hills because I think the hill work is really good for the horses. I try to jump a couple times a week because I’m older and if I don’t keep doing it I could get backed off like a lot of older riders do.” As cubbing season comes to a close and the formal season begins; hounds, horses, and hunters, now fit and ready, spruce up for Opening Day. Horses are clipped, groomed to a sheen, and braided. Boots are shined, jackets pressed, and stock ties bleached. Tack is cleaned and conditioned, buckles polished, and saddle pads laundered. Even the hounds get beautified; traditionally, the Aiken County Pony Club bathes the hounds the day before Opening Meet. “It’s all about the turnout and the pictures at Opening Meet! Everyone wants to look good,” says Betty. “It’s a lot of work but it is worth it.” Don’t miss Opening Meet, when seemingly half of Aiken gathers at Memorial Gate in the Hitchcock Woods for the traditional blessing of the hounds. Thursday, November 23.

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Aiken Hunt Directory 2017-2018 Aiken Hounds Drag Hunt

Hitchcock Woods, Aiken, SC. Hunt attire: Green coat with a chamois collar. Evening: Scarlet with green facings, chamois collar. Master of Foxhounds: Mrs. Linda Knox McLean, Mr. Larry Byers, Mrs. Joann Peace Contact: Hon. Sec. Dr. Linda C. Hickey, 803.270.7392, lchickey63@ gmail.com. Hotline 803.643.3724. www.facebook.com/aikenhounds. Season: Mid-October through mid-March (the annual Thanksgiving Day Blessing of the Hounds at Memorial Gate in the Hitchcock Woods is an Aiken tradition. Don't miss it!) Hunt days: Tuesdays and Saturdays and some Thursdays and Sundays Opening Meet: Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, 2017 The Aiken Hounds, established in 1914 by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hitchcock and recognized by the MFHA in 1916, hunts the 2,200 acres of the Hitchcock Woods. The Aiken Hounds is the only drag hunt in the area. Ideal for riders on a tight schedule, Aiken Hounds outings are most often completed in a few hours. The Aiken Hounds typically hosts three flights: first flight, for fast moving, jumping horses; second flight, which follows first flight but does not jump; and hilltoppers, who ride at a slower pace and take various short cuts to meet the rest of the field at the checks. The Aiken Hounds keep American and Penn-Marydel foxhounds. For information about events, contact the hotline or visit The Aiken Hounds Facebook page.

Camden Hunt Live Hunt

Kershaw County, SC Hunt attire: Black Melton or Oxford gray coat with scarlet-orange collar and charcoal piping. Evening: Scarlet with orange lapels. Masters of Foxhounds: Ms. Sue Sensor, Ms. Joanne Schwartz, Ms. Amy Cantey Contact: Hon. Sec. Ms. Lea Schwartz Edwards: 803-669-1590, thecamdenhunt@yahoo.com; www.camdenhunt.com Season: October thru mid-March Opening Meet: Thanksgiving, November 23, 2017 Junior North American Field Hunter Championship Qualifier: October 17, 2017 Hunt days: Wednesdays and Saturdays The Camden Hunt is the second oldest hunt in South Carolina and was recognized by the Master of Foxhounds Association in 1926. The hunt maintains a professional huntsman, a kennel, and between 20 to 25 couple of crossbred hounds. The terrain in hunt country is a mix of lush swamps, hardwood forests and mature pine woods. Hunt country is well paneled with coops, Aikens and Camdens. The footing is mostly sandy and very horse friendly. There are two fields: the first, which jumps; and

Belle Meade Hunt Live Hunt

Thomson and McDuffie Counties, GA. Hunt attire: Scarlet coat with a Confederate Cavalry yellow collar. Evening: Same with red satin lapels. Master of Foxhounds: Mr. Epp Wilson, Mr. Charles W. Lewis, Dr. Gary Wilkes Contact: Hon. Sec. Mrs. Angela Smith, 706.833.3104, ke4nnr@ classicsouth.net, www.bellemeadehounds.com. Hunt Office: 706.595.2525 Season: November through March Opening Meet: Saturday, November 4, 2017 Junior North American Field Hunter Championship: November 10-12, 2017 Foxhounds Performance Trials: January 18-20, 2018 Hunt Week: February 11-18, 2018 Hunt days: Wednesdays, Saturdays and some Sundays and Fridays The Belle Meade Hunt was established in 1966 and recognized by the MFHA in 1970. Belle Meade is a large, fast moving hunt that takes riders through the hills, fields and woodlands of northwestern Georgia. The hunts, which boast 40,000 acres of contiguous hunt country, often have fields of 50 to 75, which are divided into four flights including two jumping and two non-jumping flights. Belle Meade boasts a well-attended opening meet with over 100 riders and 500 spectators, described on its website as "an exquisite combination of the glory that was Greece, the grandeur that was Rome and the excitement of a Confederate Cavalry's charge." Belle Meade welcomes visitors all season long.

the second, which goes at a slower pace and can avoid jumping. Game consists of red and gray foxes as well as coyote.

Lowcountry Hunt Live Hunt

Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, and Jasper counties, SC Hunt attire: Black coat with gold piped indigo collar (representing indigo and Carolina Gold rice) Master of Foxhounds: Ms. Melinda F. Shambley, Mr. Mark O. Shambley, Ms. Hollace Evans, Ms. Kim Z Ackerman Huntsman: Martyn Blackmore Contact: Hon. Sec. Holly Evans, 843.505.4475, hollacevans141@ gmail.com; www.thelowcountryhunt.com Season: mid-November thru mid-March Opening Meet: November 18, 2017 at Airy Hall Plantation Hunt Weekend: January 11-14, 2018 Hunt days: Tuesdays and Saturdays The Lowcountry Hunt was founded in the spring of 2006. Hunt country includes some of the oldest and most beautiful plantations in the state with terrain ranging from freshwater marshes and tidal creeks to ancient live oak groves and hardwood forests. Fox and coyote are hunted with frequent sightings of alligators, bald eagles, and many types of waterfowl.

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

Middleton Place Hounds Drag Hunt

Charleston and Dorchester counties, SC. Hunt attire: Scarlet coat with Charleston green collar piped in light gray. Evening: same. Master of Foxhounds: Kathy Wall, Chalmers W. Poston, Jr., Donald L. Milton, Joe Bills Huntsman: William Dunn Contact: Hunt Secretary Grace Stelling 843-442-9136, gmstelling@ comcast.net www.middletonplacehounds.com Season: October through mid-March Opening Meet: November 26, 2017 Closing Hunt: mid-March Hunt days: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Middleton Place Hounds was recognized as a member of the MFHA in January 1977. It is primarily a drag hunt whose hunt country consists of land in Charleston and Dorchester Counties, including over 7,000 acres on Middleton Place and Millbrook Plantation. Terrain includes

miles of sandy roads, trails and drag lines through pine and mixed hardwood forest that is extensively paneled with Aikens, timber, and coops. MPH maintains a kennel of approximately 50 foxhounds, including Crossbred and English foxhounds. Visitors are welcome and should contact the Secretary or any Joint Master.

Shakerag Hounds Live Hunt

Madison, Franklin, and Wilkes counties, GA. Hunt attire: Black coat with Confederate Gray collar with Byzantine Gold piping. Formal attire on weekends; ratcatcher on week days, Master of Foxhounds: Mr. Daryl Buffenstein, Mr. West Hamryka, Mr. Jim O'Callaghan Contact: Hon. Sec. Ms. Tara Stricko Myers: 770.312-3438, huntsecretary@shakeraghounds.com Season: Labor Day thru mid-March Opening Meet: October 28, 2017 Hunt days: Tuesdays and Saturdays The Shakerag Hounds is the oldest recognized hunt in Georgia. It was established in 1943, when a group of horse and hunting enthusiasts at Atlantaís historic Chastain Park started the Atlanta Hunt Club, the precursor of the Shakerag Hounds of today. In 1950, the hunt was officially recognized by the MFHA. Facilities include a large clubhouse, kennels, a barn for staff horses, and a home for the professional huntsman. Shakerag Hounds typically has three fields. First flight rides at speed over typical hunting obstacles including coops. Second field also gallops and jumps, but does not take the coops. Third field moves at a strong hacking pace and is ideal for novices. Guests by invitation only; contact the Masters or the hunt secretary.

October-November 2017

Whiskey Road Foxhounds Live Hunt

Aiken, Bamberg, Lexington, Saluda, Hampton and Allendale counties, SC. Hunt attire: Scarlet with Aiken green velvet collar. Evening: Same with scarlet facings. Master of Foxhounds: Mr. David Smith, Ms. Barbara Nelson, Mrs. Frederica Davis. Huntsman: Mr. Joseph Hardiman Contact: Hon. Sec. Ms. Cornelia Henderson, 561.309.6636, corneliacorfax@earthlink.net, www.whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com Season: October thru mid-March Opening Meet: November 5, 2017 (9 am at Chime Bell Chase) Hunter Paces: December 18, 2017; February 12, 2018 MFHA Foxhunter Qualifier at Stable View: October 15, 2018 Hunt Week: Feb. 7-12, 2018 Hunt days: Thursdays and Sundays

Established in 1976 and registered with the MFHA in 1977, the Whiskey Road Foxhounds is probably the largest foxhunting group in Aiken. The WRFH regularly hunt large tracts in Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Lexington, Saluda and Hampton Counties. Best known for its February Hunt Week, which brings foxhunters to the area from all over the country and Canada, WRFH fields exceed 100 riders during the height of the season. Whiskey Road hunts English and Crossbred hounds. Guests are invited to wear their colors.

Why Worry Beagles Foot Pack

Aiken County Hunt attire: Comfortable, walking, casual Masters: Helen Dellacroce, MB; Jeanie Thomas MB, MFHA retired Contact: Helen Dellacroce: 803-260-2680 Season: September through March Hunt Days: Sundays at 3pm, followed by a tailgate Why Worry Beagles is a registered foot pack that hunts rabbits on foot in the foxhunting style. This is a slow pack with excellent voice that allows for easy following. No cap for children makes it a great family activity. Important information for those who wish to participate in a live hunt in South Carolina and Georgia: you may think of this as a riding adventure, but the states of South Carolina and Georgia consider it to be hunting. If you wish to participate, you must obtain South Carolina or Georgia hunting licenses for small game. You can do this online at the Department of Natural Resources for South Carolina (www.dnr.sc.gov) or the Wildlife Resources division of the Georgia DNR (www.georgiawildlife.com).

The Aiken Horse

Foals of 2017

Head of the Class: Scorz

(My Intention out of Pick Me A Cowboy) by Pam Gleason

“H

e’s like a little horse already,” says Jeffrey Pait, referring to Scorz, a Quarter Horse gelding born in Aiken on January 7, 2017. Bred for the halter ring, Scorz is owned by Ina Ginsberg who also lives in Aiken. Jeffrey Pait, the head trainer at Pait Quarter Horses on Aiken’s Southside, is conditioning him for Ina. The oldest of the horses we are following in our “Foals of 2017” feature, Scorz spent the summer growing, playing and learning how to be a halter horse. He has proven himself to be a quick study and an all around stellar prospect for the show ring. The second week of September, he even shipped to Des Moines, Iowa for his very first show, the national Breeders Halter Futurity. There, he placed third in the weanling class, showing mostly against colts. He was the top placed gelding in his group. “I can’t say enough good things about him,” says Jeffrey, who has been bringing him along slowly and carefully. “We spent a lot of time handling him this summer. You got to take it real easy with the babies, but he learned to stand up like a strong horse and he squares up really good. He gets some free exercise, but we also jog him a little bit and he’s learned how to lunge a little bit. He’s handling his early stages of training really well, and he’s conditioning up and fitting up and handling really nice right now.”

The Aiken Horse

Breeding horses is always something of a gamble, and, even with the best care and planning, you never know what you are going to get. This is especially true for horses destined for performance careers that won’t really show you too much until they are old enough to be ridden. One of the nice things about breeding halter horses is that you do find out a little sooner what kind of horse you might have. In Scorz’s case, it’s beginning to look as if his owner Ina Ginsberg may have hit a jackpot. “He’s the nicest colt we’ve had in a while,” says Jeffrey. “He carries a lot of quality and every day he gets a little better and a little stronger. He’s turning into exactly what Ina wanted. He’s a good baby and he sure gives us every indication that he is going to continue to grow and turn into a very nice horse as he gets older. We’re very pleased with him and I anticipate him doing a lot.” This October, Scorz and his team will head to Columbus, Ohio for the Quarter Horse Congress. Then in November, they will ship to Oklahoma City for the World Championship shows. “He’s getting a lot of road mileage on him already,” says Jeffrey with a laugh. “But he handles it great: he eats well, drinks well, travels well. He’s got a lot of heart; you can tell that already. I love him to death and I’m tickled to have him. He’s pretty amazing.”

October-November 2017

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October-November 2017

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October-November 2017

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October-November 2017

Monetta Farrier Specialties The Farrier’s Friend by Pam Gleason

n July 4 of this year, Monetta Farrier Specialties moved from its hit the equestrian market shortly after their move, and so Collins went original location on Route 23 in Monetta to the former Aiken back to school to become a nurse, while Alan found himself shoeing Lumber office on Park Avenue in Aiken. in as many as 11 states. When Collins was offered a coaching position It was a stiflingly hot day, but the crew forged ahead, loading up box for the NCAA riding team at Fresno State College, they went back to after box of horse shoes and nails, as well as hammers, anvils, rasps, California where they lived near Alan’s parents. hoof knives and nippers, clinchers, hoof stands and anything else that a Meanwhile, they had had a daughter, Cady, and began to think farrier needs to do the job. The movers included Collins Daye and her seriously about where they wanted to establish their family. They still husband Alan Berardo, who own the company. They were joined by had the farm in Edgefield and still wanted to be in the South, so after their employees, Christie Gray and Loni Fleming, two years in Fresno, they came home along with their husbands and children. A few to the Aiken area and bought Monetta of the store’s faithful customers showed up, too, Farrier Specialties not long afterward. including Ben Gregoncza and Matt Cogan who They also bought Georgia Farrier loaned their trucks and trailers to help with the Supply, which is a separate company, transport. and in June 2016, they opened a That’s the kind of business Monetta Farrier second Monetta Farrier Specialties Specialties is: a company that people care about, store in Columbus, N.C. not far from where everyone is ready to pitch in to help, even the Tryon International Horse Park. on a hot Fourth of July day. “It’s a lot different being on this side “It’s amazing to be surrounded by people of the counter,” says Alan. “It’s a lot who are willing to care that much about your harder to do this job well than I ever business,” says Collins. “We are really fortunate.” imagined. When your supply house Monetta Farrier Specialties was started in makes it look easy – when a farrier can 1985 by Jack and Sarah Schwartz, who live in walk in and get what he needs every Monetta, where Jack worked as a farrier. As the time – they are doing a very good job.” only farrier supply in South Carolina, it grew “It has been an interesting journey rapidly, especially as the horse world in the Aiken coming from the horse trainer side of area expanded. The Schwartzes ran the business the business,” agrees Collins. “I never with integrity and expertise, and they were as knew how many horse shoes were devoted to the art of horse shoeing as they were out there.” She adds that they stock to selling horse shoes and farrier supplies. After 2700 different products, including their daughter Emily graduated from Clemson more kinds of shoe than you can University, she joined the business as general name. There are shoes for every sport Above: Everything a farrier needs; Left: Collins Daye & Alan Berardo manager, while also serving as the secretary of the and type of horse, and often several South Carolina Farrier’s Association. varieties of each sourced from various countries. “It’s not that different In 2014, Jack and Sarah were ready to retire, while Emily had married from walking into a women’s shoe store. You have stilettos, flip flops and and grown busy with her family, and so the business was quietly for sneakers. And the sneakers come in various brands – Keds and Nikes – sale. Meanwhile, Collins Daye and Alan Berardo were looking around they’re all different.” for a business to purchase. They had a farm in Edgefield and they went Today, Alan is still working as a farrier while Collins is in charge of to church with Jack and Sarah and knew them well. So Collins called the stores and does all the planning and ordering. There are several Sarah and asked her if it was true that Monetta was for sale. The answer other people who make the business run smoothly, especially Christie was yes, and before long the farrier shop had new proprietors. Gray who is the manager and Loni Fleming who is in charge of billing. When it comes to the farrier supply business, Collins Daye and Alan Emily Bull (formerly Schwartz) still works at Monetta part time doing Berardo were originally from the other side of the counter, so to speak. all the marketing. Alan’s parents, who moved East from California, are Alan, who was born in California and raised on the West Coast decided involved with the North Carolina branch of the store. The move from to become a farrier after college, and spent four years at Chester County Monetta to Aiken has made the store more convenient for many farriers Farrier Associates in Unionville, Pennsylvania where he learned the art to get their supplies, but it has not changed the business significantly. and craft of shoeing from the top farriers in the country. Collins, born “We have all the same customers,” says Collins. “What is nice about in South Georgia, was a hunter/jumper rider and trainer who rode on the business is that it’s not a very big profession, so what we do is a small the NCAA jumping team at the University of Georgia and became niche business. We know all our customers. It’s like a family. their team coach after graduation. “We have been very fortunate, because we got involved through Jack The couple originally met at a horse show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Sarah,” she continues. “They are people who have a really high where Collins was exhibiting and Alan was shoeing. Not much came level of integrity, and they have been amazing guides and life mentors. of that meeting, but later on, when Collins went out to California for It’s also an industry that has really great customers, and we are really a job interview at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, the first person grateful to them for their business and their friendship, and we have she met when she got out of the taxi was Alan. He had returned to his an incredible group of people we work with. We are so grateful for the California roots and was the farrier for one of Collins’s best friends in relationships that this business has brought us.” Los Angeles. The couple started dating and eventually married. In 2007, wanting to return to the South, they bought a farm in Visit Monetta Farrier Specialties at their new Aiken location at 1755 Park Edgefield, S.C., near Aiken, where the plan was for Alan to continue Avenue SE or on the web (www.monettafarrier.com). You can find them on shoeing and for Collins to train and sell horses. But bad economic times Facebook, too.

October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

Things you didn’t know you needed Unique items for horse folks by Diana Hunt

Sweat free vision

Ever experience sweat running down your forehead and dripping into your eyes in South Carolina’s hot, humid summers, stinging your eyes and blurring your vision so you can’t see the next jump or the dressage letters? There is a solution: Wicks Wicks are, perhaps, the silliest looking piece of equipment you can find. The idea came from a mountain biker who was tired of crashing after getting sweat in his eyes and was unable to fit a sweatband under his helmet. He invented small adhesive strips of absorbent material that you apply directly above your eyebrows to channel sweat away from your eyes. Unlike unreliable sweat bands, Wicks provides a comfortable and cutting edge design that actually works. Although made for cyclists, Wicks are perfect for anyone who wears a helmet or cap and perspires, or for any physically demanding activity where “Sweat Free Vision” is a must. Made from surgical grade bandaging materials that are durable enough for extended use; Wicks are comfortable, lightweight, inexpensive and they do not interfere with a helmet. Best of all, for those who want to make a fashion statement (or who are just plain crazy) Wicks come in a variety of colors. You can choose from a range of skin tones that blend in with the color of your skin, or choose maroon, neon blue, orange, red, shocking pink and yellow. (Coming soon: neon and Kelly green!) (www.eyewicks.com/. $7.99 for a set of 12.)

Easy Applicator

After a day of riding, your shoulders and upper back can take a pounding! If you don’t have a friend to give you an expert massage, use the Easy Applicator to massage your pain away yourself. Designed with a curved handle, the Easy Applicator allows you to apply your favorite topical pain relief lotion or gel through the massager’s rollerball. It’s mess-free and specifically targets those hard-to-reach places to relieve shoulder and upper back pain and all areas of the neck. Apply as little or as much pressure as you need. ($16.99 Available at CVS stores and online at www.backpainhelp.com/easy-applicator.html)

on the market, they easily pick up loose hair. HandsOn Gloves help massage and stimulate circulation, improving skin and coat and they are gentle enough to the touch on sensitive areas of the body. They are carefully designed with hypoallergenic, bio-friendly components, clinically proven to be safe for use with humans and their animals. Available in a range of sizes (junior, and adult small, medium, large and extra large.) They come in green or black. (www.HandsOnGloves.com)

Horse won’t stand still?

If your horse won’t stand for the farrier or vet, there is an old-fashioned trick you can try. Just put a strip of duct tape on his nose. (Don’t believe it? Give it a try. Or Google it in online forums and search YouTube. It’s amazing what you can learn on the Internet)

Calling all Divas

For those “Diva” moments: Swarovski Crystals jewelry bands for horse show braids are the ultimate in “show-off-manship.” Check iconadeironchi. com or Diamante Horse Plaiting Band Dressage at EsemmeDesign.com

Unicorns

HandsOn Gloves

Give your horse TLC at grooming time with HandsOn Gloves that work wet or dry. HandsOn Gloves have the perfect combination of scrubbing nodules on the fingers and palms. The gloves stay on your hands throughout your care for your horse and, as the best shedder

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Now anyone can satisfy that childhood desire to have a Unicorn. Get this White and platinum contoured natural look Unicorn Horn from Etsy.com/unicorn corner. Your horse’s friends will probably laugh at him, but it can be fun for you!

October-November 2017

We offer a wide range of fencing, including equestrian properties and residential privacy fencing. Run in and storage sheds are also available.

Free estimates and design assistance Contact John at (803) 292-5161

October-November 2017

The Aiken Horse

Dancing With Equestrians Moving Off the Horse by Ragan Morehouse

he man cues his partner with a slight pressure as he establishes his lead, posture perfect, his movements precisely defined. Music swells in the background as the crowd hushes. The performance begins. I am not at a dressage show; I am at the Odell Weeks Activity Center observing Dancing With Equestrians, a class designed to teach people who ride how to ballroom dance. Students trickle in, many of them apparently straight from the stable and still wearing their paddock boots. Teena Marie, the owner and director of Ballroom in Motion, a dance studio in Augusta, is the instructor for Dancing With Equestrians. She explains that there is a strong connection between riding and dancing. “A lot of the same things that horse people deal with, we have in ballroom. For instance, posture and engaging your core, knowing the cues and the steps; these are important to both. Also, horse and rider is very much like a man and a woman dancing because it is two separate units moving together as one.” The impetus behind the group, Kay George, combined both of her loves when she created Dancing With Equestrians. Kay moved to Aiken from Ohio in 2013. A rider who had also been a dancer for 11 years, she was dismayed to learn that the only ballroom dance studio in Aiken had closed its doors years prior to her arrival in the city. “I absolutely love Aiken but I missed ballroom dancing,” she says. She observed that some of Aiken’s equine events host formal parties (for instance, the Aiken Steeplechase Ball or the hunt balls held by Aiken Hounds and Whiskey Road Foxhounds.) These are elegant affairs where patrons in gowns and tuxedos mingle over cocktails while listening to music from live orchestras. As a rule, guests crowd the tables and bars around the dance floor’s edges, but the floor itself is left vacant. Hoping to change this situation, Kay decided to organize ballroom classes. She searched online for an instructor, and that is how she discovered Ballroom in Motion and Teena Marie. “I am a third generation ballroom dancer,” says Teena. “It all started with my grandmother who taught dance. Both of my parents owned and operated Arthur Murray studios. I started teaching before I was 18 years old. The gentleman who is teaching in there right now is the fourth generation, my son,” she says as she points to a young man teaching a private lesson. “A student that we had for a very long time, Betsy Cowperthwaite, partnered with my son. She would invite us to go to the Steeplechase Ball, or whichever ball was happening, and she would get so annoyed because no one was up really dancing. She would hit me and go ‘These people need to learn how to dance; they need to be dancing!’ I hope this class series will finally get people on the dance floor at the next ball.” Kay acquired participants in the classes by word of mouth. “It started when I went to a polo game and asked people if they would like to learn to dance. A lot of people said yes,” she says. “The group kind of evolved from that day. We had 21 people in the first class. They were people from the polo game, people from the Aiken Hounds, people who drive, people who trail ride, people who do all kinds of things. It is wonderful to see all the different types of equestrians dancing together. I can’t wait to see them dancing at the next ball!” Michael Stern, a member of the class and of the Aiken Hounds, is excited to shed his wallflower status at the next hunt ball. “I feel like a klutz on the dance floor normally and I thought this would be a great opportunity to get some smooth moves going,” he says. “There are usually two or three occasions during the year when a person is called on to dance, and instead of lurking in the corner hoping I don’t have to, this way I can do it. I love it; it’s really fun. I mean aside from learning a few things, it’s actually a really fun thing to do.”

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As I watch the riders, now dancers, pair up to begin the class, everyone seems a bit reserved; backs are tight, arms are rigid, and faces are serious, just as they would be before entering the ring at a show. But Teena breaks the mood. “Box step everyone…..quick, quick, slow….no, don’t watch me! Look at your partner...Stay in your box!” Within moments, everyone is relaxed and engaged. Laughter percolates as Teena calls for everyone to change partners. Many of the women playfully curtsy as the men bow. They are having fun. I catch Helen Dellacroce, a member of the Aiken Hounds, between dances. “Kay invited me and I told her I am the worst dancer in the world,” she admits. “She said that she had a way to make me a better dancer. She was right. We have just had a ton of fun. It gets better and better. The fact that we are all horsey people and have the same mindset, it makes it extra fun.” Helen heads back to the dance line as the music begins again. In her ratcatcher and boots, she looks confident and graceful as she executes an underarm turn. “Helen scheduled her vacation so she wouldn’t miss dance class,” says Kay. “Helen! That was some happy, happy feet!” exclaims Teena from the other side of the room. Everyone laughs. “I love working with the equestrians because I can take the ballroom and give it to them in a way that they understand,” says Teena. “Last week, I was teaching a turn and they weren’t quite getting what I was saying. One of the ladies in the class got it and said “Oh! So we need to do a 15 meter circle” and everyone else went “Ohhhhhh!” and then they knew exactly what it was. I use that in all the classes now.” As the music breaks for the next piece, Teena calls for the class to trade partners again. The men stay where they are as the women move down the line. “We trade partners like you learn to ride different horses. It’s just like trading horses; it’s fun and it makes you a better dancer. At first, they were terrified when I told them this. Now they love it because they get to dance with some of the better men dancers. They get to ride the fancier horse!” Kay explains. We watch as Teena demonstrates the next set of steps. “I use my back to lift my arms,” she explains. “Lift your ribcage. There is a string through your head just like when you are riding.” The dancers nod, understanding this reference. As they attempt the new moves, one of the women anticipates her partner’s lead, causing the couple to go off rhythm and eliciting laughter from the group. “Hold your horses girl!” says Teena to the dancer. It is evident that this group enjoys a bond. “We ride together; now we can dance together,” says Kay, “This is one more way we can exercise, develop rhythm, develop poise, strengthen our backs, strengthen our legs, and have a good time. Then we can go to an event and feel good. We show off our horses; it’s time we show off ourselves.” Teena has organized the schedule so that each one of the 12 classic ballroom dances will be taught in a three-week series. This summer, dancers learned the Rumba and the Salsa. The next series, scheduled for September 27, October 4, and October 11th, will teach the East Coast Swing. The Cha Cha, the Waltz, and the Tango will be taught this fall and winter. The classes are held from 7:30 to 8:30 pm at Odell Weeks and are $30 for the series. “Right now, what we are starting to see is that we are getting a group of people who are really solid,” says Kay. “They are becoming excellent dancers in a very short period of time. Then there are people who come in to learn a specific dance or come in before a ball and catch up. It’s all good. I like to say that ‘the riders are evolving from up-down posting to dancing to the beat of slow slow quick quick.’ They’re like our children... we’ve watched them grow up. These guys will be in the advanced class soon and then we will have a new beginner class. You should come join us!” she says to me. Despite my inherent introversion, I am almost convinced. It does look like fun and it would help my riding. For questions or to make a reservation visit www.ballroominmotion.com.

October-November 2017

ACPC Visits the Vista Dressage and Games by Henry Labuschange

n September 16, the Aiken County Pony Club met at The Vista O Schooling and Event Center for a day of fun. Once we unloaded our horses from the trailers, we headed to the dressage arena to meet

very, very close but Hope’s horse, Dreamer, was a bit more coordinated than Helaina’s horse, Gertrude, and was able to make much tighter turns around the poles and the bucket. Tom gave Hope a huge ribbon that reached her horse’s hooves when it was hooked on the bridle. Tom let the rest of us race for fun after that.

arrived, Valerie was giving us the schedule for the day: we would have individual lessons with her in the morning and then we would do games in the afternoon. Valerie then gave us information about showing in dressage competitions. I liked it when she told us that the judge doesn’t always see everything that we do in the ring. When the meeting was over, we went back to the trailers to tack up. My brother and I played football on horseback while we were waiting for my lesson with Valerie. Hope and Sydney joined in when they were done with their lessons. It made the waiting not so bad. Finally, it was my turn at 12:30. I had never been in a dressage arena before so I was very nervous. Valerie made me trot around the arena a few times. Terzzi, my horse, was very fast which didn’t help. Valerie taught me how to turn up the centerline (I almost ran her over), how to make a 20 meter circle, and how to salute. She taught me what “tracking up” means and said that my horse moved well. I am not sure I will enter in any shows, but I liked Valerie. We got to have lunch and water our horses after the last lesson finished. We were all excited to start the games. The first game was a quiz. Tom Caniglia, the co-owner and managing partner of The Vista, asked us about the parts of the horse and the tack. I knew where the skirt on the saddle is and where the coronet band is and I won by one point. After the quiz, Tom told us to follow the path to the stadium arena. Once we were all in the arena, Tom told us to drop our reins and stand up in our stirrups. He said this was an exercise to improve our strength and balance and reinforce an independent seat. It was hard. Emma fell off because her girth wasn’t tight enough and her saddle rolled underneath, but no one got hurt. Next, we got to race. Tom announced that we would be doing a “Trophy Race.” I was in a group with my brother, Harrison, and Hope (three H’s). We walk-raced down the arena and grabbed a “trophy” off of the top of the fence (it was really a jump cup) and then walk-raced back to the start and dropped the trophy in a bucket. When the trophy made it into the bucket (I dropped mine in the sand and had to get off Terzzi, put it in the bucket, and then get back on), we trotted down the arena to get the second trophy and then trotted back to the bucket. When we got that one in the bucket, we were allowed to go any speed we wanted. Hope galloped and won our race. Poor Harrison couldn’t even get his pony Stormy to trot (Stormy is 29 years old) but everyone was really nice and cheered him on. I cantered but couldn’t beat Hope. After everyone had a chance to race, we headed over to do the same challenge, but in the water complex on the cross country course. When we were all at the water complex, Tom said that the winners from each of the heats would race against each other. The trophies were on top of a pole across the water and the buckets were at the starting line. Hope, the winner of my race, went against Helaina and Dominique. The race was

Everyone is so excited for the next games day on October 7. Thanks to Valerie Swygert and Tom Caniglia for all their much appreciated help.

Valerie Swygert, an “r” rated judge from Lexington, SC. My family was a little late so we missed the very beginning of the meeting. When we

October-November 2017

Participants in the ACPC Vista outing: Hope Wienholt, Sydney Gutierrez, Helaina Pemberton, Dominique Mate, Madison Anderson, Jessica Smith, Emma Davidson, Henry and Harrison Labuschagne Henry Labuschange is in the sixth grade at Mead Hall Episcopal School in Aiken. He has been a member of the Aiken County Pony Club since April. If you are a young person who is interested in joining the Aiken County Pony Club, please call Kim Wienholt: 803-574-2707 or email aikencountyponyclub@gmail.com. Follow them on Facebook, too.

The Aiken Horse

Directory of Services BARNS, CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING Cooper Home and Stable. For Equestrians by Equestrians. A unique design and build general contractor specializing in equestrian construction and farm development, architecturally designed custom homes, historic renovations, remodeling and additions. Contact J. D. Cooper, cell 502-4172307, office 803-335-3527, www.cooperhs.com. Joshua Jackson Builders. Building custom homes, barns, and estates in and around the Aiken area. Acreage available for sale. www. JoshuaJacksonBuilders.com 803-642-2790 Larlee Construction, LLC. Fine Equestrian Facilities. 1096 Toolebeck Road, Aiken SC 29803. 803.642.9096. www.larleeconstruction.com. BLANKET CLEANING & REPAIR Aiken Horse Blanket. Servicing equestrians with high quality horse blanket repair, wash and waterproof. or your convenience, drop off locations are; Aiken Saddlery, 1044 E. Pine Log Rd, Aiken, 29803 or the 302 General Store, 4746 Wagener Rd. Wagener, 29164. www.aikenhorseblanket.com; on fb Aiken Horse Blanket Group. Contact Elisa @803-640-3211. BOARDING/TURNOUT/TRAINING/SALES Chime Ridge Stables. Stalls available, full, partial or self care. Fun, friendly, adult atmosphere. Convenient to town, South Aiken 803-508-3760. The Stable On The Woods: Elite boarding & training facility and home to trainers Darrell and Melissa Vaughn. With access to Hitchcock Woods, our barn sits on 70 acres and boasts a full size dressage arena with mirrors, show jumping arena and high-quality grass pastures making this the ideal place for you and your horse. Training program to meet your needs, whether your discipline is Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers or Foxhunting. www. thestableonthewoods.com 603.785.0435 Vaughn Equestrian: offering training, sales, and boarding. Professionalism is the guiding principle of owners Darrell and Melissa Vaughn in shaping every component of Vaughn Equestrian. Dressage, Jumpers, Eventing & Young Horses. training and sales. www.vaughnequestrian.com (603)-785-0435 COMPANION ANIMALS, CARE & SERVICES Horses & Hounds Aiken, Pet & Horse-Sitting. Reasonable Rates, Bonded & Insured, Vet Assistant. 803-643-9972/803-443-8303. horsesandhoundsaiken@gmail.com; www.horsesandhoundsaiken.com. Palmetto Dog Club. Training classes, puppy socialization, obedience, rally & agility. 803-262-9686. www.palmettodogclub.org. Trinity Farms Terriers: Norfolk Terriers & Russell Terriers. Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions. Generations of great temperaments. Health/dispositions guaranteed. Breeder of terriers for 30+ years. Donna Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. www.easyjacks.com & www.trinityfarmskennel. com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com. FEED, SUPPLEMENTS & SUPPLIES Aiken County Farm Supply. 1933 Park Ave., Aiken. 803.649.2987. Aiken Saddlery & Supply. Full service tack & feed store. 1044 E. Pine Log Rd., Aiken. 803.649.6583. www.aikensaddlery.com HAY Hoss Luva Hay! Exceptional quality Coastal Bermuda. Real fertilizer and lime to Clemson specs, not chicken litter. Never rained on. Square and round bales. Competitively priced. Can deliver state-wide. Fully enclosed truck. Satisfaction guaranteed. Jim McClain. 803.247.4803. HOME & FARM SERVICES A & A Septic Service. Pump septic system, build and repair leach lines and septic systems. Serving Aiken, Edgefield and Lexington counties. 803.507.1024 Be Fly Free. Automatic fly systems for barns and sheds. No unpleasant odor, no synthetic insecticides, no petroleum distillates. Call Carlos: 803-6450361. www.beflyfree.com; carlos@beflyfree.com. INSURANCE Betsy Minton, Dietrich Insurance Company, 803. 617. 8353. Providing competitive comprehensive insurance for horses and farms. Excellent professional and personal service always delivered with a smile. www. betsyminton.com. 800 942 4258 Hutson-Etherredge Company. Insuring Aiken farms since 1876. Your hometown independent insurance agency can customize your equine property coverage by choosing the best company to fit your needs. We are a full service insurance agency. Call Sandi Vogus for a quote! 803-649-5141 INSTRUCTION/LESSONS Amy McElroy. USDF Gold Medalist and USEF S judge. Instruction and training at all levels. Visit www.amymcelroy.com or call 803.640-4207. Aiken Horsemanship Academy. Your naturally inspired adult learning

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resource! Offering Clinics, Courses, Starting Young Horses, Evaluations, and Lessons. www.JulieRobins.com 803-641-4715. Hunter/Jumper Trainer with winners at WEF, Indoors and Big Eq Finals. Will come to you. Cindy Purcell. 802-649-0990. Jodi Hemry Eventing. Three-Star Eventer offering professional training, sales, boarding, instruction, horse shows, located in the heart of Aiken, SC. 803-640-6691 JodiHemryEventing@gmail.com www.JodiHemryEventing. com PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN SERVICES Fraulein-Design is committed to providing equestrian professionals and all industry professionals with marketing designs in a perfect balance of professionalism and visual aesthetics. Each project is designed to fit the needs of the client & to solve the visual communication problem effectively and efficiently from conceptualization to publication. Lynsey Ekema. 858208-6027. Lynsey.Steinberg.Ekema@gmail.com. www.fraulein-design.com Gary Knoll Photography.com. Commercial, portrait, weddings, advertising. Pet portraits. Complete wide-format video service. 803.643.9960 410.812.4037. www.garyknollphotography.com REAL ESTATE/ RENTALS Aiken Fine Homes and Land. Specializing in selling or renting homes, farms, land & barns for short or long term leases. 28 years experience in helping people find the property of their dreams, even if it takes building it! Call Barbara Lawrence, 803-439-0778 for honest & realistic answers to your real estate questions. Aiken Luxury Rentals. Distinctive accommodations for horse & rider in beautiful Aiken, SC. Downtown fully furnished cottages, historic stables. Executive relocation; corporate housing. Short & long term. www. aikenluxuryrentals.com; info@aikenluxuryrentals.com. 803.648.2804. Carolina Real Estate Company. Fine homes, estates and horse properties in Aiken, South Carolina. Let us welcome you home to AIKEN, Home of Horses, History & Hospitality! www.carolinahorseproperties.com. (803) 648-8660 Black Sheep Farm. Unfurnished 3 Bed/ 2 bath cottages for long term rental and small furnished loft apartment, small guest house for short term 2 night to seasonal rental, charming pastoral setting yet proximate to downtown Aiken, and Hitchcock Woods. Horses and pets welcome. 904-234-9596 Magnolia Shadows Equestrian Retreat: Where European hospitality meets Southern charm. Offering horse boarding and bed & breakfast with the traveling horseman in mind. Charming 1895 plantation house, guest cottage, barn apartment, RV sites, matted stalls, 7 paddocks with run-in sheds, arena & riding trails for long- and short-term stays. 20 minutes from historic downtown Aiken in Ridge Spring. Dog boarding also available. www.magnoliashadows.com / 803-522-1226 / info@magnoliashadows. com. Sharer Dale, RE/MAX, Tattersall Group. “Where town meets country.” sharerdale@gmail.com. www.sharerdale.remax-carolina.com 803.522.3648. Suzy Haslup, Meybohm. “Your Aiken Horse Real Estate Specialist.” Buying or selling in the most celebrated equine community in the South. ww.aikenhorserealty.com; 803-215-0153 Tracey Kenworthy Turner, Meybohm. Specializing in marketing & selling Aiken’s horse country properties for 15+ years. www.southernhorsefarms. com 803-215-4734. TACK & TACK CLEANING/REPAIR Tack and harness cleaning and conditioning. Will come to your farm Reasonable rates, $15 per hour. Call Bernadette: 910-639-3115. Finally Found it Equestrian has some of the horse world’s favorite brands & products. Specialized attention. Place orders from your phone! Specializing in JPC and Equine Couture products. Also stocking gently loved items. I will buy used tack ,bits ,bridles etc. No consignment items. Tack shack at 3914 Wagener Rd. Aiken, S.C. Appointments preferred or by chance. www. finallyfounditequestrian.com. 803-640-2339 for monthly specials. The Saddle Doctor. Saddlery and harness repair. 538 Two Notch Rd. HollyMacSpencer@aol.com. 803.642.5166. YOGA/FITNESS Aiken Yoga. At Aiken Yoga we are passionate about sharing the benefits that regular Yoga practice has on one’s wellbeing, energy level and state of mind. In addition to Yoga classes, including Yoga for Equestrians, we offer Pilates, Barre and Teacher Certification. Sarah Acord, RN, 116B Pendleton St. Aiken. 803-524-8833, sarah@aikenyoga.com; www.aikenyoga.com for schedule.

October-November 2017

Classifieds From Canada, circa mid to late 1800’s child’s push sleigh.

Original condition including paint, striping, and tufted horsehair upholstery. A nice decorative accent or for your baby’s or grandchild’s Christmas photos. Email for more pictures or information. $650.00 redpony7250@gmail.com

Land For Sale 10 ac off 78 in Aiken. Fenced, in grass and horse shelter. Karenphillis@yahoo.com 803 646-8606

803-645-7538

Magnolia Shadows Equestrian Retreat Where European hospitality meets Southern charm. Offering Horse Boarding and Bed & Breakfast Services with the traveling horseman in mind. Charming 1895 plantation house, guest cottage, barn apartment, RV sites, matted stalls, 7 paddocks with run-in sheds, arena and riding trails for long- and short-term stays. 20 minutes from historic downtown Aiken in Ridge Spring. Dog boarding also available on the premises. www.magnoliashadows.com / 803-522-1226 / info@magnoliashadows.com.

BOARDING/TURNOUT Training, Lessons, Boarding: Beautiful facility just 3 miles from downtown Aiken. Eventing, Dressage, Show Jumping. sarahkuhnequestrian.com or (617) 999-2150 Almost Heaven Stables. Pasture board with run-in shelters; Private trails, sand arena, obstacle course, round pen. Feed, hay, shavings and cleaning provided. Private pasture $500 monthly. Shared pasture $400 monthly. Quiet family farm located just 5 miles from Hitchcock Woods. Call Valeria at 803-663-3001 for more info Chime Ridge Stables. Stalls available, full, partial or self care. Fun, friendly, adult atmosphere. Convenient to town, South Aiken 803-508-3760. BUILDING/REPAIRS/PAINT Building & Repair: Carpentry, Doors, Windows, Decks, Cabinets, Trim, Stairs, Railings, Gates, Wood Siding, Floors, Framing, Repairs. Licensed, bonded, insured. Contact Paul Dyches. paul.t.dyches@gmail. com. 803-645-6645.

Interior/Exterior Painting. Fast, affordable service. One room or entire house; decks, sheds, barns. Great local references. Call Mitzi Brownlee, Georgia/Carolina Local Painter. 803-450-8872. HAY Round and Square Bales. Oakwood Farms: 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803. $60 per bale round hay bales. $70 per bale round bales kept inside. Square bales at $7.00 per bale. Will deliver for a small fee. Please call 706-830-2600 or 803827-0864. email garymcelmurray@ glmconstruction.net PETS&SERVICES Horses & Hounds Aiken, Pet & Horse-Sitting. Reasonable Rates, Bonded & Insured, Vet Assistant. 803-643-9972/803-443-8303. horsesandhoundsaiken@gmail.com; www.horsesandhoundsaiken.com. Black Russian Terrier Puppies available now. Call Karen. 803-6468606; karenphillis@yahoo.com Trinity Farms Terriers: Norfolk Terriers & Russell Terriers. Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions. Generations of great temperaments. Health/dispositions

A Rare Find. Unique “Sulky Ciclo” pedal toy. c.1950. Made in Argentina. All original condition, slight wear consistent to it’s age. Horse is genuine horsehide, horsehair tail, alpaca mane. Email me with questions or for more photos. $2,800. 803-645-7538 / redpony7250@gmail.com

guaranteed. Breeder of terriers for 30+ years. Donna Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. www.easyjacks.com & www.trinityfarmskennel.com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com. Palmetto Dog Club. Training, obedience, rally, agility. 803-262-9686. www.palmettodogclub.org. REAL ESTATE & RENTALS For Sale: Brick house, single garage, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath , living room, kitchen, laundry connections. Garage door opener, HVAC, dishwasher & well pump all new in last four years. 2.2981 acres horses allowed. Off Vaucluse Road & Gregg Avenue. $108,000.marchant. bonnie@gmail.com 864-287-0544. Luxury barn and apartment for rent. 4 stalls, 2 wash stalls, tack & feed rooms, feed room, 1600 sq ft furnished & equipped apartment. Five ½ acres irrigated paddocks & irrigated full-sized arena w/ observation hut. 302 corridor near Full Gallop, Paradise Farm & 13 miles from Hitchcock Woods. Apt.: $1200/mo Stalls: $400/mo. Pets considered. Pat: 484-888-1135. SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 22.

Black Sheep Farm. Unfurnished 3 Bed/ 2 bath cottages for long term rental and small furnished loft apartment, small guest house for short term 2 night to seasonal rental, charming pastoral setting yet proximate to downtown Aiken, and Hitchcock Woods. Horses and pets welcome. 904-234-9596 For Rent: 10 acres, 10 stalls. 2-bedroom, 2-bath. Close-in to town. $2,000 per month. 803-4745194 TRAILERS 1999 4-Star Polo Trailer fits 6 horses; has partition & extra large dressing / tack room. Water tank with pump. Excellent condition & ready to pull. 803646-8606. karenphillis@yahoo.com

Advertising in The Aiken Horse

CLASSIFIED ADS are $25 for the first 30 DIRECTORY LISTING ADS: $25 per issue words & 40 cents for every word or $90 for the year (6 issues.) thereafter. BUSINESS CARDS: $60 per issue or $240 PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for horses: $35; for the year (6 issues.) Limit 30 words & one picture DISPLAY ADS are available in a range of PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for real estate, etc. sizes. For a detailed rate sheet and $45; Limit 60 words & one picture. publication schedule, visit our website: BOXED CLASSIFIEDS: add $5 to your total www.TheAikenHorse.com

October-November 2017

MAILING ADDRESS: The Aiken Horse, P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 EMAIL: theAikenHorse@gmail.com We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Pay online: www.TheAikenHorse.com or call us: 803.643.9960

Advertise in the Dec/Jan issue! Deadline: November 10, 2017 Publication date: December 1, 2017

The Aiken Horse

In Memoriam: Lynn Kramp

ynn Kramp, known throughout Aiken for creating the Memory Ride Hunter Show and silent auction to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of America, died on August 8. Lynn, 67, was born in Chicago and was a lifelong equestrian. A “B” rated pony clubber, she continued riding through college in Missouri, where she represented the William Woods University equestrian team. After she graduated and married, her riding career went on hiatus while she raised her family, but when her children were older she came back to horses. Lynn and her husband Joseph Kramp came to Aiken in 2005 where Lynn became active in the horse community. She also volunteered at HarborChase, an assisted living facility in Aiken, where she worked with Alzheimer’s patients and became involved in efforts to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research and treatment. Convinced that the local equestrian community could help out, she started the Memory Ride in 2010. Usually held at Three Runs Plantation, over the years the Memory Ride included a hunter pace, a hunter show, a luncheon and a silent auction. It became an eagerly anticipated annual event. Not only did horse people enjoy the low-key atmosphere and family-friendly competitions, they also knew they were helping a good cause. Over the past seven years, the event raised over $70,000 for the South Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association of America. When she died, Lynn was in the midst of planning the eighth annual Memory Ride, scheduled for September 23. It had been very much a one-woman show, and so, with Lynn gone, other organizers made the difficult decision to call it off, at least for this year. Lellie Ward, the owner of Paradise Farm, put on a show on the scheduled date, which she dedicated to Lynn, and the silent auction was moved to the Oktoberfest Advanced Event at Stable View on the weekend of October 1. Lynn is survived by her husband, Joseph Kramp, daughters, Katherine Dickinson Goldman and Carolyn Chapman McKenzie-Bush as well as five grandchildren.

Ed Bernard

d Bernard, who was a well-known member of the Aiken equestrian community for a dozen years, died on August 19, just a few weeks shy of his 94th birthday. Ed, a former oil executive from Point Clear, Alabama, bought a home in Aiken in 2005 and was instrumental in developing polo properties at Wire Road and Storm Branch Polo Clubs. “He loved polo more than almost anything,” wrote his daughter, Cornelia Bernard Henderson, who lives in Aiken where she is the secretary of the Whiskey Road Foxhounds. “He was first bitten by the bug when Jack Brooks, founder of Sugar Oaks Polo in New Iberia, Louisiana introduced him to the game. There was no looking back. Ed founded the Mobile Polo Club with the late Willson Green. That club later morphed into Mobile Point Clear Polo, which is still going strong today. He was governor of the Southeastern Circuit during the early 1980s, and on the board of Gulfstream Polo Club, where he played for over 20 years. “While his polo-playing days were coming to an end by the time Ed moved to Aiken, he and his wife Judy, and his fuzzy white dog, Harry, were regulars fieldside at both Aiken and New Bridge Polo. “Ed hated funerals, and was adamant that he did not want one. He preferred that we remember him when we are beside a polo field or sitting on a horse, or at the dinner table, telling tales of his extraordinary life. He is survived by his wife, Judy Livingston Bernard and his three children, Cornelia Bernard Henderson, Jeffrey Bernard and Odelie Bartmettler, and two grandchildren, Sarah Townsley and Sergio Muris.”

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

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The Aiken Horse

Fall Polo: Aiken Polo Club & New Bridge Polo Club

Photography by Gary Knoll

The Aiken Horse

October-November 2017

Aiken Area Calendar of Events

Horses & egrets grazing out the hurricane 2017

OCTOBER

Sept 28 -15 USPA Officers Cup 6 Goal. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org Sept 29- Oct 15 USPA Copper Cup 12 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org 4 Jumper Night. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com 4-8 Tryon Fall III – USEF AA/CSI 2* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 5-6 5th Annual Saddle Creek Rodeo. Hat & Spur Ranch 250 Peacock Road, Waynesboro, GA. www.ipra-rodeo.com 5-8 Fjord and Friend Festival II. Broyhill Equestrian Preserve, Blowing Rock, NC. www.brchs.org 5-22 USPA Officer’s Cup 6 Goal. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org 6-8 PSJ HJ Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 6-29 USPA Players Cup 4 Goal. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org 7 Aiken County Pony Club Games Day at The Vista. The Vista, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. aikencounty.ponyclub.org 7 Barn Party and Tour to Benefit Great Oak Therapeutic Riding Center. 1-5pm. Clubhouse, Three Runs Plantation Drive, Aiken. info@greatoakatrc.org, www.greatoakatrc. networkforgood.com 7 Southeast Schooling Show Championships. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www.chatthillseventing.com 7 Rolling Hills Saddle Club Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143,

October-November 2017

7 7 7-8 7-8

10-28 10 11 11-15 11-29 12-14 13-14 13-15 14

www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar CHP Derby Cross. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com Saturday Night Lights – $86,000 Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com PSJ Oktoberfest. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows. com Horse Show Ventures - The Southeastern Hunter/Jumper Series. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www. georgiahorsepark.com USPA Constitution Cup 6 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken.Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.newbridgepolo.com Purina Demonstration. Three Runs Plantation, 125 Three Runs Road, Aiken. Gina Greer, islandcreations@att.net. Schooling Dressage Show. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com Tryon Fall IV – USEF AA/CSI 3* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com USPA Presidents Cup 8 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.newbridgepolo.com Aiken Women’s Challenge. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org Carl Black Classic. Jim Miller Park, Marietta, GA. www.iprarodeo.com Robbie Ready Memorial Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden. www.scequinepark.com Joint Meet: WRFH and Shakerag Hounds. Party that

The Aiken Horse

evening. Fixture TBA. www.whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Test, 3-Phase, CrossCountry Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 14 WHES Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark. com 14 Saturday Night Lights –$130,000 CSI 3* Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 14 Backstretch experience. Rye Patch, 100 Berrie Road, Aiken, 803.643.2121, halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov, www. aikenracinghalloffame.com 14-15 PSJ Aiken Fall Classic. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 14-15 USEF/USEA Recognized Horse Trials. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com 14-15 Put Your Breast Hoof Forward Trail Ride, A Charity Breast Cancer Ride. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www. georgiahorsepark.com 14-15 Elite Show Jumping Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 14-15 GDCTA Atlanta National Fall Dressage Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 14-15 Hunter-Jumper Show. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www. chatthillseventing.com 15 MFHA Foxhunter Qualifier. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com 15 WHES Horse Trials. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark. com 18-22 Tryon Fall V – USEF AA/CSI 5* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 18-Nov 5 USPA Bronze Trophy 12 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www. newbridgepolo.com 20-22 Four Beats for Pleasure Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden. www.scequinepark.com 21 Saturday Night Lights – $380,000 CSI 5* Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 21 Derby Cross. The Vista Schooling at Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. www.schoolthevista.com 21-22 Stepping Stone IV PSJ HJ Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www. psjshows.com 21-22 TRHC Horse Trials. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 21-22 Brownwood Farms Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 21-22 H. J. Fox Halloween Classics I & II. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 22 Western Carolina Fair Bulls & Broncs. 1566 Columbia Highway North, Aiken. www.ipra-rodeo.org 22 Aiken County Pony Club Annual Meeting. . The Vista, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. aikencounty.ponyclub.org 24-Nov 5 Aiken Fall Cup 2 Goal. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org 14

25-29 Tryon Fall VI – USEF AA/CSI 3* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 27-28 SC Walking Horse Championship. T. Ed Garrison Arena, 1101 W Queen Street, Pendleton. 864.646.2717, www. clemson.edu/public/garrison/calendar 27-29 SCQHA Spooktacular. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden. www.scequinepark.com 27-29 Lendon Gray’s Dressage4Kids & Atlanta Youth Festival. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 28 Aiken Fall Steeplechase. Aiken Horse Park, Aiken. www. aikensteeplechase.com 28 Running Start Derby Cross Championship. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www. carolinahorsepark.com 28 Saturday Night Lights – $130,000 CSI 3* Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 28 Pine Tree Stables HJ Show. Pine Tree Stables, 1265 Sanders Creek Road, Cassatt. 803.424.1952, www. camdenequinecircuit.com 28-29 2017 Conyers Peach State Autumn Grand Prix. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 28-29 Athens Area Hunter/Jumper Association Fall Classic and 2017 Medal Finals. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www. georgiahorsepark.com 28-29 BRHJA Classic Horse Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 28-29 USEF/USDF Dressage Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 28-29 Brownwood Farms Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 28-29 USEF/USEA Recognized Horse Trials. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www.chatthillseventing.com 28-29 NCDCTA Dressage Championships. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www. carolinahorsepark.com 29 Just for Fun Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 29 Full Gallop CT and Open Show. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www. fullgallopfarm.com 29 Camden Equine Circuit Local HJ Show. Pine Tree Stables, Camden. www.camdenequinecircuit.com

NOVEMBER 1

1-3 2 2-5 2-5 3-5 3-5

The Aiken Horse

Jumper Night. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com 6 Goal Championship. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org Coastal Carolina Fair Bulls & Broncs. Ladson. www.iprarodeo.com 14th Annual Katydid CDE 2*. Katydid Farm, 359 State Park Road, Windsor. Peggy Dils 803.295.6785, dilsailken@gmail. com, www.katydidcde.com TIEC Indoors I– USEF Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com PSJ Medal Finals. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com Palmetto Paint Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park,

October-November 2017

4 4

4 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5

4-6 5 5 7-12 7-12 8 8-12 6-9 10-11 10-11 10-12

11 11 11

443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden. Anne Louise Miller, millawayranch@windstream.net, www.scequinepark.com Competitive Trail Ride and Challenge. The Vista Schooling at Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. www.schoolthevista. com Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Test, 3-Phase, CrossCountry Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com Calloway Steeplechase. The Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens, 1747 Warm Springs Road, Columbus, GA. 706.324.6252, theresa@outdoorevents.com, www.steeplechaseatcallaway.org Ride Better Clinic. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com Tack Sale To Benefit God It Made Ranch. 8a-6p. Three Runs Activity Center, 125 Three Runs Road, Aiken. Samantha Grove, samantha.grove@att.net Horseshow Ventures Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. Morgan Taylor 770.827.0175, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar WCAHA Arabian Horse Show. T. Ed Garrison Arena, 1101 W Queen Street, Pendleton. 864.646.2717, www.clemson. edu/public/garrison/calendar King Show Horses Equestrian Team Presents “The Fall Classic Western Challenge.” The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www. georgiahorsepark.com Showjumping Show. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www. chatthillseventing.com Whiskey Road Foxhounds Opening Meet. Chime Bell Chase, Chime Bell Church Road, Aiken. www. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com USEA/USEF Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www. fullgallopfarm.com Young Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com Family Tournament. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Polo Hotline 803.643.3611, www.aikenpolo.org Schooling Dressage Show. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com The Atlanta Fall Classic I. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.classiccompany.com. TIEC Indoors II– USEF Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com WHES Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark. com WCAHA Arabian Horse Show. T. Ed Garrison Arena, 1101 W Queen Street, Pendleton. 864.646.2717, www.clemson. edu/public/garrison/calendar Camden Fall Classic Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden. Janet Black 828.606.0708, threesprings@windstream.net, www. scequinepark.com Just for Fun Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com Hoof Trimming Seminar. 8a-noon. Three Runs Activity Center, 125 Three Runs Road, Aiken. Antionette Calabrase, antcall@outlook.com Historic Stables Experience. Rye Patch, 100 Berrie Road, Aiken. 803.643.2121, halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov, www.

October-November 2017

aikenracinghalloffame.com 11-12 Lucinda Green Clinic. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www.fullgallopfarm.com 11-12 Nona Garson Clinic. Aiken Horse Park, 931 Powderhouse Road, Aiken. 803.226.0121, info@aikenhorsepark.org, www. aikenhorsepark.org 11-12 WHES Championships and November Horse Trials. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com 11-12 Elite Showjumping Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. Vic Russell 678.858.7192, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 11-12 Schooling Show. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills. www.chatthillseventing.com 11-12 USEF/USEA Recognized Horse Trials. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 12 Stono Ferry Steeplechase. The Plantation at Stono Ferry Racetrack, 5000 Old York Course, Hollywood. 877.332.7804, info@steeplechaseofcharleston.com, www. steeplechaseofcharleston.com 15-19 The Atlanta Fall Classic II. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.classiccompany.com. 16-19 GHJA Finals Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. www.willspark.com/ equestrian-calendar 17-18 Easy Bend IPRA World Championship Rodeo. T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena, 1101 West Queen Street, Pendleton. www.ipra-rodeo.com 18 MFHA Field Hunter Championships. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 18 Ralph Hill Clinic. The Vista Schooling at Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. www.schoolthevista.com 18 TROT Horse Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 18-19 USEF/USDF Dressage Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 18-9 Stepping Stone V USEF Horse Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 20-21 Dressage Clinic with Lilo Fore. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 22 Aiken County Pony Club Washing of the Hounds. Aiken Hounds kennels, Aiken. www.aikencounty.ponyclub.org 23 The Blessing of the Hounds. Hitchcock Woods, Aiken. www. hitchcockwoods.org 25 Aiken County Pony Club Mounted XC Day. The Vista Schooling at Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. www. schoolthevista.com 25 USEF/USEA Recognized Thanksgiving Horse Trials. Pine Top Farm, 1432 Augusta Hwy, Thomson, GA. pinetopeventing@ gmail.com, www.pinetopfarm.com 30-Dec 3 Aiken Holiday Premier by Equus Events. Aiken Horse Park, 931 Powderhouse Road, Aiken. 803.226.0121, info@ aikenhorsepark.org, www.aikenhorsepark.org

DECEMBER 1-3 1-3

Equus Events USEF Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. JP Goddard 803.643.5698, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar SCHJA Palmetto Finals. South Carolina Equine Park, 443

The Aiken Horse

2 2 2-3 2-3 6 6-10 7-10 9 9-10 9-10 9-10

Cleveland School Rd, Camden. www.scequinepark.com Fourth Annual Southeast Hunter Trials. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com Just for Fun Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com Trotting â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Round the Tree Horse Show. T. Ed Garrison Arena, 1101 W Queen Street, Pendleton. 864.646.2717, www. clemson.edu/public/garrison/calendar USEF/USEA Recognized Horse Trial. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Lisa Hall 803.979.2323, sdaikenht@aol.com, www.useventing.com Jumper Night. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com Equus Events Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. JP Goddard 803.643.5698, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar Triangle Sandhills Holiday Classic. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www. carolinahorsepark.com Holiday on a Horse Dressage Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. www.carolinadressage.com Tye Sturgeon Clinic. Aiken Horse Park, 931 Powderhouse Road, Aiken. 803.226.0121, info@aikenhorsepark.org, www. aikenhorsepark.org USEF/USDF Dressage Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com Palmetto Paint Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden. Anne Louise Miller, millawayranch@windstream.net, www.scequinepark.com

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Tri-Meet: WRFH, AH, and Middleton. Aiken. www. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com 10 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www.fullgallopfarm. com 13 Schooling Dressage Show. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. www.stableviewfarm.com 13-17 Equus Events Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. JP Goddard 803.643.5698, www.willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 16 Derby Cross. The Vista Schooling at Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. www.schoolthevista.com 16 Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Test, 3-Phase, CrossCountry Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 16-17 Stepping Stone I USEF Horse Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 18 Whiskey Road Foxhounds Hunter Pace. Oakwood Plantation, Firetower Road, Aiken. www.whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com

October-November 2017

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Index of Advertisers Advertiser

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Adams Horse & Pet Supplies

Just Hope Farm

Aiken County Farm Supply

Keller Williams (Gutierrez/Israel)

Aiken Fine Homes & Land

Kem's Power Pro

Aiken Horse Show

Larlee Construction

Aiken Horsemanship Academy

Legacy Fence

Aiken Luxury Rentals

Lightning Protection Systems

Aiken Pest Control

Mark Lexton

Aiken Polo Club

Marrinson Stables

Aiken Real Estate Co.

Matrix Corporate Park

Aiken Saddlery, Inc.

Meybohm RE (Haslup)

Aiken Tack Exchange

Meybohm RE (Stinson)

Auto Tech

Meybohm RE (Turner/Sullivan)

Barnware

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Bridlewood Farm

Riding School

Carolina Real Estate Co.

Riding with Reason

Christina Power Photography

Scribble Horse

Clint Bertalan Farms LLC

Seminole Feeds

Coldwell Banker

Shadow Trailer World Inc.

Cooper Home & Stable

Smoking Gun Barbecue

Deceased Pet Care, inc.

South Carolina Equine Park

Southern Equine Service

Earthmuffin/Hairknowledgy

Southern States Cooperative, Inc.

Epona

Stable View Farm, LLC

Equine Divine

Susan Parry, DVM

Equine Rescue of Aiken

Sweet PDZ

Estancia La Victoria

The Feed Bag

Estrella Equine

The Stables at New Bridge

Farm for Rent

The Stables Restaurant

Farm for Rent

The Tack Room

Fencing Solutions

The Willcox

Foy Insurance

Three Runs Plantation

Gary Knoll Photography

Tod's Hill/ReMax

Happily Ever After Dressage

Trinity Custom Homes

HarborChase of Aiken

Triple Crown Feeds

Warneke Cleaners

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DFG Stables

Johnson's Farm & Garden Julia Kubicek Training

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Volume 6 â&#x20AC;¢ Number 4

Fall 2017

The Dog & Hound

Fall 2017

P.O. Box 332 • Montmorenci, SC 29839-0332 • 803.643.9960 •

www.TheDogAndHound.com • Editor@TheDogAndHound.com

Time Dated Material • Periodicals • Volume 6 • Number 4

elcome to our Fall issue. After a long, hot summer, we are looking forward to autumn days and taking walks with the dogs on the wilder parts of the farm. Although I am not normally an early riser, glorious fall mornings can tempt even me to get up at dawn to take my dogs for a run. Autumn is a special time of year for our dogs and for us, especially in the mornings. We humans are mostly visual creatures, and for us there are red and gold leaves on the trees, grass that is still green, and the silvery magic of the early morning mist. For our dogs, living deeply in the world of scent, the scene is equally complex and intriguing. I love to watch my dogs run, especially my Pointers. They gallop in wide arcs, noses to the ground and tails wagging as they decipher whatever hieroglyphics they find in the scent trails on the fallen leaves and across the cool damp earth. I don’t know exactly what they read there, but I know that whatever it is, they find it fascinating. We have a variety of stories for you in this issue. Our cover story is on Lee Lee Milner, who is the founder of Girls with Gundogs,

a new organization devoted to empowering women by teaching them how to train their own gundogs. One of Lee Lee’s other goals is to get people (and especially women) away from technology, off their cell phones and out into nature, which she believes has healing properties. We met Lee Lee this summer when she came through Aiken, and we think she is onto something. We also went back to Spartanburg to visit Chaser the Border Collie. Chaser is known as the smartest dog in the world, and we got to spend time with her along with her human family, John and Sally Pilley and their two daughters Robin and Pilley Bianchi. Dr. John Pilley says he trained Chaser entirely through play, and he and Chaser are in agreement that it is important to incorporate play into our lives, and into our dogs’ lives. Not only do dogs learn best through playing, play can keep our dogs, and us, youthful and engaged. We think they are onto something too! We also have various other stories, including one about the rescue efforts during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and dog news from Aiken and around the country. Of course, we have our regular features too: Silver Paws, our series that profiles canine senior citizens, and an essay by Michael Ford about life with dogs. We hope you enjoy this issue. As ever, if you have a story we might be interested in, send us an email and let us know. We want to continue to be your dog newspaper.

Pam Gleason Editor & Publisher

Winner of the Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America: Best Canine or All Animal Newspaper Fall 2017

The Dog and Hound EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pam Gleason ART DIRECTOR Gary Knoll ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jean Berko Gleason LAYOUT & DESIGN Gary Knoll ADVERTISING 803.643.9960 editor@thedogandhound.com PHOTOGRAPHERS Pam Gleason Gary Knoll

Going Out Of Town? Don’t miss future issues of The Dog and Hound. We will send you a one year subscription (4 issues) for $14.00. Just send us a check or credit card & your mailing address: P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 editor@thedogandhound.com Or sign up on the web at www.TheDogandHound.com

About the Cover

Our cover shows Lee Lee Milner, the founder of Girls with Gundogs with Grace, a Boykin Spaniel in training at Sarahsetter Kennels in Aiken. Lee Lee, who is based in Tennessee, is promoting women’s participation in dog training. Read more about her and her program on page 12. Photography by Pam Gleason

The Dog and Hound Policies: The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers, editors, or the policies of The Aiken Horse, LLC. The Dog and Hound is owned by The Aiken Horse, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Dog & Hound

Table of Contents 6 12 15 16 18 20 22

Dog News Girls and Gundogs Storm Dogs Chaser the Border Collie Silver Paws Regional Calendar Lie Down with Dogs

The Dog & Hound

Fall 2017

The Dog & Hound

Dog News by Pam Gleason

Walks, Parties, Polo, Golf

Aiken, South Carolina has no shortage of animal welfare organizations that are dedicated to improving the quality of life for dogs and cats in Aiken and throughout the Southeast region. Saving animals from bad situations, finding homes for unwanted animals, treating the sick and the injured and helping pet owners who are down on their luck to care for their companions is expensive. To raise funds for their missions, several of Aiken’s canine nonprofits are having fundraising parties and events this fall, especially in October. In Aiken, the month started out with Pup-A-Pawloosa in the parking lot of the HIC Indoor Skate Park on Laurens Street to raise money for Saving the Chain Dogs. This is an organization that lobbied for Aiken’s new anti-tethering law. Its representatives travel around the county providing many types of assistance to dogs that have lived in chains. Not only do they give out free dog houses, trolley systems and dog food to animals in need, they also provide free spay and neuter, medical assistance and rescue and rehoming services. Pup-A-Pawloosa featured food, a bouncy house and rock hunt for children, two different bands, vendors, and a Chinese auction. Next, Friends of the Animal Shelter, Aiken (FOTAS) had two major fundraisers. First came Polo Under the Stars at the Firestar arena in Wagener on October 6. The event included a polo match followed by an after game party and dance with music, an open bar and other refreshments. Then, on October 9, the fourth annual Playing Fore the Pets golf tournament came to Woodside Plantation Country Club. This event also included a helicopter ball-drop raffle: pre-numbered balls were dropped over a designated hole on the golf course. The person holding the number of the ball that dropped into the hole (or the closest ball to the hole) won $1,000.

and the United States War Dogs Association. Shelter Animal Advocates focuses on providing treatment and arranging rescue or adoption of dogs in local shelters who have heartworm disease. The United States War Dog Association donates free medicine and some medical care for retired Military War Dogs (MWDs) and sends every active duty or retired MWD a Christmas care package each year.

Too Much Kibble?

According to most veterinarians and canine health experts, we are currently in the midst of a dog obesity epidemic. In fact, Banfield Veterinary Hospital’s 2017 State of Pet Health report, released over the summer, says that the rate of dog obesity seen in Banfield clinics has gone up 158 percent since 2007. According to the report, about one out of every three dogs is now overweight or obese. Banfield is a national veterinary chain with hospitals in 42 different states. The report based

The “new normal.” Ruby does not see herself as overweight.

The band at Barkaritaville, SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare

On October 21, Barkaritaville returns to the SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare. This is the biggest party and fundraiser of the year for the organization, which is the oldest and most established in Aiken. (It was founded back in the days of the Aiken Winter Colony by Mrs. Fitch Gilbert who was the mother of the famous polo player Pete Bostwick.) Barkaritaville features a live band, with themed booths providing food and drink, and competition for various prizes. This is the fifth annual Barkaritaville event. During the warmer part of the year, the SPCA also holds monthly Wednesday afternoon Yappy Hours at the facility, which have gotten more and more popular. The last one of the year was held on October 4. Closing out the month, there is a dog walk on October 28 at Slade Lake in Edgefield. This will be a benefit for Shelter Animal Advocates

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its statistics on just over 2.5 million dogs that came into a Banfield clinic last year. There are some other organizations with even higher estimates. For instance, the Association for the Prevention of Pet Obesity estimated that a full 53.9 percent of American dogs were overweight or obese in 2016. Dog obesity is a nationwide problem, but the Banfield report suggests that dogs in some states are more prone to obesity than dogs in other states. Doctors see a similar pattern in human obesity, with residents of some states being markedly slimmer, fitter and healthier than others. According to various studies, about 35 percent of adult Americans are obese, a rate just slightly higher than that of their dogs if the Banfield estimates are accurate. It would stand to reason that veterinarians should find stouter dogs in the same states where doctors find heavier humans. This is not, however, the case. The state with the highest level of human obesity in 2017 is West Virginia, with 37.7 percent of adults classified as obese, followed closely by Mississippi and Arkansas, with rates of 37.3 and 35.7 respectively. West Virginia has no Banfield hospitals and thus no canine statistics. But Mississippi and Arkansas have some of the slimmest dogs, with only 17 percent (Mississippi) and 20 percent (Arkansas) obesity rates. Colorado has the fittest humans (22.3 percent obese) followed by Massachusetts (23.6 percent). But those two states have very fat dogs, with 33 percent obese in Colorado and 32 percent in Massachusetts. South Carolina and Georgia are both states with high obesity rates for humans (32.3 for South Carolina and 31.4 for Georgia.) Pets in Georgia score reasonably well with a 26 percent obesity rate, while South Carolina’s dogs creep towards the heaver end of the scale at a

Fall 2017

31 percent obesity rate. The fattest dogs live in Minnesota. A full 41 percent of dogs in that state are obese, compared to 27.8 percent of humans. Veterinarians believe that there are many reasons why our pets are getting fatter. The most obvious one is that they are getting too much food and too little exercise. Other reasons include the fact that people are getting used to seeing fatter dogs, so that now overweight pets are the “new normal.” Because of this, people often don’t recognize that their pets are overweight and don’t do anything about it. Why fit humans and fat dogs seem to go together (and vice versa) is still an open question. Do people who take better care of themselves overfeed their pets? What exactly is going on? One thing that is clear is that it is more expensive to have a fat dog. People with overweight dogs spend an average of 17% more at the vet than people with dogs of normal weight.

whose mothers lie down for them, and that might set the puppies up to be more tenacious as adults. “A hypothesis might be that you have to provide your offspring with minor obstacles that they can overcome for them to succeed later in life because, as we know, life as an adult involves obstacles,” said Robert Seyfarth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania who is the study’s co-author. Although Bray’s research will be useful at the Seeing Eye, possibly helping to identify the puppies most likely to succeed, it is not clear

Canine Helicopter Parents

Everyone knows someone who is a helicopter parent. These are parents who are so concerned with their children’s happiness and well-being that they try to shield them from any possible discomfort, distress or harm. They hover over them, like a helicopter. According to many observers, helicopter parenting is widespread in America today. Professionals in contact with young people (university professors, job recruiters) have often expressed the opinion that helicopter parenting is keeping today’s young people from becoming responsible, productive adults. There is some research that backs up these opinions, mostly showing that the children of helicopter parents have higher levels of anxiety and depression than children with a more free-range upbringing. Some new research focused on dogs came up with similar results. A study conducted by Emily Bray, a postdoctoral researcher at the Arizona Canine Cognition Center at the University of Arizona’s School of Anthropology in Tucson, concluded that canine “helicopter parents” have a long lasting and negative effect on their puppies’ success later in life. Bray and her colleagues conducted their study at The Seeing Eye, an organization in Morristown, New Jersey, that breeds, raises and trains dogs to guide people with visual impairments. The results were published this August in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Doting mothers seem to handicap their puppies, in this case reducing their likelihood of successfully completing a training program to become guide dogs,” according to materials provided by the University of Arizona. “You need your mom, but moms that are too attentive don’t give their puppies a chance to respond to small challenges on their own,” said Emily Bray. “Puppies need opportunities to deal with obstacles without their mom always being there.” To gather data for the study, Bray and her team of undergraduate research assistants set up shop at the Seeing Eye where they observed and videotaped 23 mothers and 98 puppies from birth until the puppies were weaned. They were able to identify different mothering styles among the group of dogs, with some mothers being more attentive to their puppies than others. “We documented things like nursing position, how much time the mom spent looking away from the puppies and how much time she spent in close proximity to her puppies or licking and grooming them,” said Bray. A few years later, when the team followed up with the dogs, they found that the ones with more attentive mothers were more likely to wash out from Seeing Eye dog school, while those that had to be a little more independent as young puppies were more likely to be successful. Nursing position made a big difference. Mothers could nurse their puppies lying down or standing up. Puppies that nursed lying down were less likely to graduate from Seeing Eye school than those that nursed standing up. One possible explanation for this is that puppies that nurse standing up have to work harder for their meal than puppies

Fall 2017

whether the difference between successful and unsuccessful guide dog candidates actually comes from parenting style, or if there could be other factors at work, such as genetics. “With mothering, it seems like it’s a delicate balance,” Bray said. “It’s easy to be like, ‘Oh, smothering moms are the worst,’ but we aren’t exactly sure of the mechanisms yet and we don’t want to tip too far in the other direction, either.” Continued on page 10

Sybil Davis DVM: Rehab & Acupuncture Certified 307 Willow Run Rd. Aiken SC 29801 info@petfitnessandrehab.com

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Fall 2017

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To complicate matters further, from the dog’s point of view, it is not clear how we really ought to measure success. The puppies in this study were purposely bred as seeing eye dogs and that is what, obviously, the Seeing Eye wants them to become. But the puppies don’t know that, and there is not necessarily any reason why the puppies should have any ambition to graduate from their training class and go to work for the rest of their lives. Being a service dog is hard. Although dogs with the right mentality probably do find it to be satisfying and are probably happy, pet dogs that are doted upon by their owners and get to spend more time playing and sleeping might be even happier. At the Seeing Eye, dogs that don’t qualify to become guide dogs are first offered to the volunteer that raised them from 8 weeks to about a year old. If that volunteer does not want them and they have the potential to do service such as police work, they are then offered to a police department or other organization. After that, they are available to be adopted as pets. The dogs are highly desirable, highly socialized Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Labradors and Lab/Golden mixes. The standard adoption fee is $1000 (it can be less for an older, retired dog) and the waiting list is between one and four years long. (www.seeingeye.org)

Rumor is a Mom

The winner of Best In Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February, a German Shepherd named Rumor, had a litter of eight puppies right before Labor Day. After a show career that included over 100 Best in Show wins, capped off by her triumph at Madison Square Garden just after Valentine’s Day, Rumor is officially retired from the show ring and enjoying her new role as a mom. This is actually the second time that Rumor has been officially retired. She had been heavily favored to win at Westminster in 2016. Her owner, Kent Boyles, a professional breeder, trainer and handler who owns Kenlyn German Shepherds in Edgerton, Wisconsin, had planned to retire her and breed her after that show. When she didn’t win (the

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honors went to a German Shorthaired Pointer named CJ), Kent did retire her and then tried to get her bred. She didn’t take, however, and so, itching to help her to the most historic and prestigious “Best in Show” of all, Kent brought her back to the ring, got her qualified, went to New York, and the rest is history. According to an interview he gave to Channel 3000 in Madison, Rumor was bred to two different sires. One was a shepherd imported from Germany named Milo. The second was a dog that Kent owns, Peabo, who is actually sired by Milo. When the puppies are a little older, Kent will do DNA tests on them to determine which dog is their sire. He thinks it is likely that the litter will turn out to be dual-sired. All the puppies are healthy and Rumor,America’s top show dog, with her new litter happy and Kent is currently evaluating them to determine whether or not they will have a future as show dogs. As for Rumor, as soon as her puppies are weaned, she will return to doing therapy work at children’s hospitals around the country. She will be 6 years old on November 6, and Kent says he probably won’t breed her again.

Fall 2017

The Dog & Hound

Girls and Gundogs Lee Lee Milner’s Plan by Pam Gleason

ee Lee Milner grew up hunting with gundogs, and it is in her blood. Her father, Robert Milner, is a well known dog trainer and the owner of Duckhill Kennels, which specializes in British Labradors. She doesn’t remember how old she was when she first hunted herself, but she has early memories of being out in the duck blinds with her father and her brother long before she was old enough to handle a gun. The family has a farm in Grand Junction, Tennessee, and hunting with dogs seemed a normal part of life. After high school in Memphis, Lee Lee left Tennessee to go to Colorado College, and from there she ended up in New York, where she attended nursing school. She stayed on in the city to pursue a graduate degree, becoming a board certified psychiatric nurse practitioner. Then she lived in Brooklyn where she had her own counseling practice. Her life and her career had taken her away from her roots, but she always kept a connection to the outdoors. “I lived near Prospect Park and I walked there every morning with my dog for an hour, and I had to do that,” she said. “And then I went into the country every weekend. It took me about two years to adjust to being in the city, and it was really overwhelming at first.” Lee Lee had been away from hunting for a while, but then she found a group of women who hunted in upstate New York near Millbrook, and she started joining them on weekends. It was a bit of a revelation. “When you go out hunting with men, it always ends up being a competition,” she said. “But when you go hunting with women, it’s not like that at all. It’s just fun.” At the time she had a 7-year-old Lab that did not have any hunting training. She decided to train that dog to be a gundog using the positive training methods promoted by her father, and she was successful, While working with her dog, she began to think about how therapeutic training a dog can be. “You get a huge benefit from training your own dog,” she said. “Training a dog gives you discipline, patience and satisfaction. It also gives you self-awareness. If you are frustrated or having a bad day, the dog isn’t going to respond well to you, so you know you have to do something different.” Counseling her patients in her work, she often felt that many of them would benefit from more contact with the outdoors. “We are so attached to technology, and people are indoors and stressed and overstimulated all the time. I firmly believe that the less time you spend outdoors the worse it is for your mental health.” Thinking about all of those things and feeling so much more at home out of the city than she did in it, she finally decided to move back to Tennessee in 2016. While still maintaining her counseling practice via teleconferencing, she is now in the process of developing a new business called Girls with Gundogs. This new project has taken her on a journey through Southeastern hunting country to consult with various professionals, including her friend, Elizabeth Lanier, who owns and runs Lanier Shooting Sports in Providence Forge, Virginia. Elizabeth, who is a professional shooting instructor, has a group called G.R.I.T. (Girls Really Into Shooting), which provides shooting instruction and adventure vacations for women who enjoy using guns. This summer, Lee Lee’s journey took her through Aiken to consult with Mark Fulmer, the owner of Sarahsetter Kennels, an established training facility on Aiken’s Southside specializing in training Setters. “I’m here to see what Mark does,” said, as she watched Mark introduce a young English Pointer to clicker training, teaching him to jump onto a bench and go into a crate. Lee Lee also uses clicker training and positive reinforcement, following principles laid out by her father, who wrote

the influential book Absolutely Positive Gundog Training. “My father used to train bomb detection dogs,” she said. “When they started using positive training they had much better outcomes. He decided to use those same principles to train gundogs and then he switched over from more traditional methods. When I started with positive training, I found it to be much more fun, much more like a game.” She also believes that positive training is more suited to the way women like to handle their dogs. “I think women communicate differently from men,” she said. “They are more diplomatic and compassionate. In the dog-training world, everybody is very opinionated about how you are supposed to be doing things. I don’t want to be that way; I want to keep an open mind. There is no one right way to do things.

“My ultimate goal is to get more women out hunting,” she continued. “I am planning to have a training-based retreat just for women to teach them how to train their own dogs to hunt – training dogs has been a boys club for far too long.” Not only does she believe that encouraging more women to get out hunting will be good for them, she also believes that having more women involved will be good for the sport itself. “We need more people to get into hunting to keep it going,” she said. “If you get women out there, pretty soon they are going to take their kids out, and then you are going to raise a whole new generation of hunters. If we don’t get women out there, that won’t happen.” Lee Lee is currently planning to offer two-day training retreats at Duckhill Kennels that will be open to any women who are interested in learning more about hunting dog training. She is also planning to do a clinic with Mark Fulmer in conjunction with the National Field Trial Championship in Grand Junction, Tennessee in February. In the future she hopes to expand into holding clinics at various different sites, organizing hunting trips for women, and possibly holding some clinics in conjunction with Elizabeth Lanier’s shooting group. What about women who are interested in training their dogs but do not want to hunt ducks or upland fowl? “It’s all about having fun and being outside with your dog,” said Lee Lee. “You don’t have to hunt. You have to figure out what you like and do it. You can train your dog to be a field trial dog if that is what you want to do. And if you want to shoot, you can shoot sporting clays. You don’t have to shoot a bird.” “There is a lot of interest among women in learning how to hunt,” continued Lee Lee. “It’s not just among people who have a hunting background or whose husbands hunt. I have a lot of professional friends who live in New York, and when I tell them about Girls with Gundogs they get really interested. They say, wait, you mean I can do this? And I say yes, you can.”

Left: Lee Lee with her dog Goose, photo by John David Santi; Above: Training a retrieve, photo by Pepper Taylor

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Fall 2017

Storm Dogs

Hurricane Survivors by Pam Gleason

n many ways, America’s modern animal rescue movement was reborn during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. When Katrina blew in from the Gulf of Mexico late that August, the rain, wind and storm surge overwhelmed coastal areas of Louisiana, and led to the flooding of New Orleans. Over 80 percent of the city was underwater and both people and animals were stranded in the rising waters. The rescue of the human residents of New Orleans did not go smoothly. But things were much worse for the animals. At the time, FEMA did not include pets in their disaster plans, and people who were rescued were not allowed to bring their animals with them. Shelters would not allow pets, either. This led to heart-rending scenes and horrific stories. It also led to unnecessary human deaths when people would not get on the rescue boats without their pets. There are documented cases of some of these people dying as a result. After Katrina, America’s animal loving public jumped into action. Humane groups from across the U.S. descended on Louisiana, determined to help save as many animals as they could. Dogs were rescued by national groups and by smaller local organizations from near and far. Humane groups set up temporary shelters and worked hard to reunite people with their lost pets, a task that was complicated by the sheer size of the disaster and the fact that there was no centralized organization to keep track of all the found pets. Although many volunteers worked for weeks scouring the flooded city, often by boat, it is estimated that over half a million dogs and cats died in the storm and in its aftermath. Two major things happened after Katrina. As a result of the uproar caused by the official FEMA policy to force people to abandon their animals, Congress passed the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS) which stipulated that pets needed to be included in emergency plans and also gave FEMA the authority to provide for their essential needs. This bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2006, and it was a major step forward in animal welfare. Aside from its practical effects, it also officially codified the reality that people in America now overwhelmingly consider their pets to be part of their families. The second thing that happened was that humane groups, after their success relocating displaced animals from New Orleans, realized that the transport model of animal rescue did not need a natural disaster to make it work. If you were a rescue in a state with more potential adopters than there were adoptable dogs, it was perfectly possible to go to a part of the country with the opposite problem and bring unwanted dogs back to your state for adoption. The concept of rescue transports was born. In the 12 years that have passed since Katrina, there have been a number of natural disasters that have called upon the resources of the animal welfare community nationwide, and the response has been getting more coordinated and effective year by year. This summer and early fall, with two massive hurricanes hitting the continental U.S., (Harvey in Texas, Irma on the Southeast coast) animal rescues and national organizations were stretched to capacity. Rescuing animals affected by natural disasters has three main components. The first is helping owned animals along with their owners. In an evacuation, dog people with ample resources are often able to find a pet friendly hotel somewhere safe, and many hotels that are not normally pet friendly will make exceptions if the situation is really dire. People who are not as wealthy often need to find free, government or church-run shelters. Since the passage of the PETS act, there are some official evacuation centers that are pet friendly and also some designated official pet shelters. However, Internet rumors to the contrary, it is not true that the PETS act requires hotels and motels to accept pets during times of natural disaster. Nor is it true that every official evacuation shelter is required to allow you to bring your dog. When there is an evacuation, there are generally more pets that need shelter than there are official places for them to go. To remedy this situation, private rescue groups often set up their own shelters to care for people’s pets during evacuations. Last year, when

Fall 2017

A Hurricane Irma puppy in temporary housing at the SPCA Albrecht Center in Aiken.

coastal South Carolina residents evacuated during Hurricane Matthew, many evacuees came to Aiken where there were shelters for them. There were also two temporary shelters in Aiken where pets could find refuge. One was at the SPCA Albrecht Center on Willow Run Road. The other was at the Aiken County Fairgrounds on Columbia Highway. The shelter at the fairgrounds was set up by members of Team Stinkykiss, an Aiken-based private rescue, and volunteers from that organization were on hand 24-7 to care for the animals. During Hurricane Irma, the Team Stinkykiss shelter was opened again, providing safe harbor for about 85 animals of all types for more than a week. “At the end we were as tired as we could possibly be,” said Gretchen Iakovidis, who is a director for the charity. The second component of animal rescue in a natural disaster is going out and finding animals that were actually caught in the storm. Again, many private organizations pitch in to help with this, along with major national groups such as the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. These big organizations can be very helpful with logistics and they tend to have more funds available to assist on a larger scale. Animals rescued during the floods need to be brought somewhere nearby so that their owners can find them if they are owned. Temporary shelters can be set up, but the most usual thing is for these animals to enter the existing local shelter system which is already staffed and ready to help them. This is where transports come in. Shelters near the disaster area need to be cleared out to make room for newly displaced dogs. Several local rescues stepped in to help clear the shelters in Texas and Florida before and after Harvey and Irma. For instance, Danny and Ron’s Rescue, based in Camden, went down to the area outside Houston, where the situation was dire after Harvey, and took in 19 dogs from shelters there. “We were lucky enough to find someone that donated a plane, since the roads were flooded,” said Ron Danta, one of the organization’s founders. “Then we found someone to donate $10,000 in fuel costs. We flew the 19 dogs from Texas to Camden, unloaded the dogs, then loaded the plane up with $30,000 worth of medical supplies to fly back to Texas. We got all the dogs spayed and neutered, and the majority of them got adopted right away.” During Hurricane Irma, the SPCA Albrecht Center also accepted dogs from shelters on the Southeast coast. The SPCA partners with the Charleston Animal Society, which worked throughout the Southeast to rescue animals displaced by the hurricanes. The Albrecht Center accepted 34 of these dogs in September, housing some of them temporarily in their education center until they could be placed on the adoption floor. A lot has changed since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. For many of the animals living in disaster areas, these changes have meant the difference between life and death. Aside the from legal effects of the PETS act, there is also a major cultural change in the world of animal welfare. Since Katrina, there has been a new sense of purpose and of community among animal advocates, a conviction that when we work together, animals can be saved, in the best of times, and even in the worst of times.

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Fall 2017

Keep on Playing

Life with Chaser the Border Collie by Pam Gleason

r. John Pilley is convinced he is that the best way for a dog to learn is through play. Dr. Pilley is a professor emeritus at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. and he is the owner and trainer of Chaser, a Border Collie who knows the names of over 1000 different objects. Chaser gained worldwide acclaim in December 2010 when Dr. Pilley and his colleague Dr. Alliston Reid published a scientific paper detailing her amazing abilities in the British academic journal Behavioral Processes. The paper was released online before it came out in print, and Chaser’s story was quickly picked up by the international press. Everyone wanted to meet the little dog from South Carolina who could correctly identify and retrieve 1022 different toys by their names alone. By Christmas, Chaser had gone viral, and she was featured on major television shows from PBS’s Nova to Fox’s “Fox and Friends,” 60 Minutes, and more. Dr. Pilley soon had a book deal, and in 2013, Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog that Knows 1000 Words was published, immediately hitting the New York Times Best Seller List. The book was translated into a number of languages, and Chaser was a worldwide celebrity. When Chaser first became famous, she was 6-and-a-half years old and still in the prime of her life. Dr. Pilley, who had gotten Chaser as a Christmas present from his wife Sally, was retired from his teaching job and was 82. After Chaser became famous, Dr. Pilley continued to teach her new things. Instead of teaching her the names of more objects, however, (Dr. Pilley himself couldn’t remember all the names of Chaser’s toys) he worked on improving her understanding of grammar and on teaching her to watch what he did and imitate it. It was fun for both man and dog because it was all play. “Everything she learned, she learned through play,” said Dr. Pilley at his home in Spartanburg this August. “I never used treats. She has always loved to play and using play takes advantage of her natural instincts as a Border Collie.” Although Chaser is now 13 and has had some age related health problems, she is still play motivated – extremely so. Chaser is a medium sized, fluffy, black and white dog who is always smiling. She is friendly and gregarious with a sunny personality and she loves people. One of the things that she likes best about them is that she knows how to get them to throw her ball. “She cons people into playing with her,” said Pilley Bianchi, Dr. Pilley’s daughter, who was visiting from New York. “And she is good at it.” Back in the spring, Wofford College gave Dr. Pilley an honorary doctorate and he was the keynote speaker at graduation. Of course, Chaser came to the ceremony too, and was seated near the area where students waited before being called on stage to receive their diplomas. Chaser had a toy with her, and she came up to each waiting student in turn and dropped her toy at the student’s foot. Then she looked up with expectant eyes until the student threw the toy. Chaser’s game became an unofficial part of the graduation ceremony. “Almost all of them threw it,” said Pilley Bianchi, who was sitting with Chaser at the time. After the ceremony, the whole family went to a luncheon, Chaser included. She even had her own place card at the table. “She made out like a bandit, with prime rib,” said Pilley Bianchi. “When she was younger she wasn’t that interested in food. But she is now, and after the meal she went around like a vacuum cleaner.” Back when she was first learning her amazing vocabulary, Dr. Pilley and Chaser worked and played for five or six hours every day. In recent

Fall 2017

times, however, as both have gotten older, both man and dog are more focused on enjoying themselves. Early every morning, they take a walk around the neighborhood, and then on some days they head over to Wofford to play in the gym. Other days they stay home and Chaser makes sure that both Dr. Pilley and Mrs. Pilley (“Pop-pop” and “Nanny” to Chaser) get in some play time. According to the Pilleys, Chaser has always been a dog with a mind of her own who is not afraid to assert her personality and let her family know what she wants. As she has gotten older, she has gotten more communicative. “She has always been assertive, but she has become even more assertive expressing herself,” says Pilley Bianchi. “If she wants to play and if my dad isn’t playing with her, she’ll jump right up on the couch and nudge him or throw her toy in his lap. Another thing is that she never was a barker, but she barks now. It used to be if she barked to go out, it would mean she was having an emergency. But now she has learned that if she goes to the door and barks, she gets let out, so she barks at the door to go play. She’s using her bark now as her voice, to get our attention.” When it comes to playing, these days the game is usually fetch. Chaser has some favorite toys, such as her blue lacrosse ball (“Blue”) and she also enjoys carrying around large pine cones and sticks that she finds in the yard. Dr. Pilley says he can’t do as much as he used to, now that he is 89. “I can throw a ball for her,” he says. “Sometimes she can catch it. It is enjoyable for both of us.” Dr. Pilley, Pilley Bianchi and the science writer Julie Hecht are currently working on a proposal for another book, called Beyond Fetch, a how-to book for people who want to train their dogs using the same play-based reward principles that Dr. Pilley used to train Chaser. “We hope that people will want to teach their dogs language because communication is always a good thing,” says Pilley Bianchi. “ We feel that Chaser’s life has been incredibly enriched because of her understanding of language and her ability to communicate. But the biggest thing is to spend time with your dog, doing whatever engages both of you. What is important is getting to know who your dog is. It will enhance their life and yours, it’s a reciprocal thing.” At 89 and 13, Dr. Pilley and Chaser are growing older together. Neither does as much as they used to, and Dr. Pilley, who is very sensitive to Chaser’s desires, feels that she has worked hard and done a lot in her life and she deserves to do what she wants now. Whereas in the beginning, Dr. Pilley was the one who set the agenda, now Chaser has more say in what goes on, and both are happy that way. And what does she want? She picks up her blue ball and drops it at a visitor’s foot. Then she looks up expectantly, encouragingly. It couldn’t be more clear.

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Silver Paws

Bob and Precious: Mighty Chihuahuas Story and Photography by Pam Gleason

t 18-and-a-half a 19 years of age, Bob and Precious are definitely canine senior citizens. But they don’t let their advanced age slow them down too much: both are still active and vigorous, even if their coats are mixed with grey and they don’t hear as well as they used to. Both are Chihuahuas, with different mothers but the same father, and both live in Aiken with their master, Jan Fleetwood. “We used to walk downtown and back every day, but now we only go a block or a block and a half,” says Jan. “They are old. But they are doing well. Precious still wants to play with her squeaky toys, and they still play fight up on the bed. They are pretty cool little dogs.” Before she got Precious and Bob, Jan had Great Danes. “When I was younger, having a big dog was pretty cool,” she says. “I had horses then, too, and they all went together.” Great Danes don’t live very long, and after Jan no longer had horses, she became interested in smaller dogs with more extended lifespans. She had seen Chihuahuas, the longest-lived breed of dog, and was intrigued by them and so she started researching the breed. The dogs come originally from Mexico, where they were prized by the Aztecs. Jan read that one particular color, chocolate, was especially valued because when the dogs get excited, their eyes turn fire red. According to her reading, the Aztecs believed that the red-eyed dogs had a special ability to guide dead people’s souls to the next life. After much research and study, Jan found a breeder in Camden, S.C. who had a litter of chocolate puppies, and she bought Precious back in 1998. Thinking that Precious needed a companion, she returned to the same breeder about six months later to buy Bob, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Although Precious and Bob look very much alike and they have the same father, their personalities are quite distinct. “Precious is the gladiator,” says Jan. “We call her the gladiator because she is so fit and nothing ever affects her. When we used to live in Charleston, she would go out on the beach and just run in circles. She would have done it for an hour if I let her; just to keep fit. In addition to being a true athlete, Precious is also a dog with a special kind of charisma. “It’s the weirdest thing. You can put her in a room with a bunch of other dogs – male dogs, big dogs, whatever kind of dogs – and they will end up all following her. I don’t know what there is about her, but there is something.” Bob, on the other hand, is a more gentle soul. “He’s ‘undercover Bob,’ says Jan. “He’s so sweet and such a momma’s boy. He sleeps in bed with me under the covers. Everybody loves Bob. He’s funny though. When he was younger, he would go out in the yard and spend a whole hour just following a single ant.” When they were young, both dogs lived with Jan at Lake Murray. They loved being out on the water in the boat and they became excellent swimmers, unusual for Chihuahuas. They are still strong swimmers today, and often swim laps in Jan’s Aiken pool. “In the summer we do races with them,” says Jan with a laugh. “You can bet on them. Of course, you always know Precious is going to win, so the betting is about how much distance you give Bob.” Twelve-pound Precious may be the gladiator, but when it comes to doing battle, 7-pound Bob is the one with the resume. When he was about 10 years old and the family was in Charleston, he went outside to do his business and there was a rabid raccoon in the yard. For whatever reason, he went after it and got in a fight. Jan went out to rescue him, and he ended up having to get stitches, but was otherwise okay. Fortunately, his rabies vaccination was up-to-date and he recovered completely and without any complications. Jan, on the other hand, had to go to the hospital for rabies shots, since she had been exposed. It turns out that Bob’s first experience with a rabid raccoon didn’t

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teach him any permanent lessons. In fact, a few years ago, the same thing happened again. “I had to go back to the hospital for more rabies shots,” says Jan. “I figured it was time to sell the house in Charleston.” In addition to living at Lake Murray and in Aiken and Charleston, Precious and Bob have done quite a bit of travelling in their lives, including a recent month-long trip out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where Jan’s daughter lives. After Jackson Hole, they visited the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe. “They’ve had a pretty good life,” says Jan, smiling at them. How is it that these two dogs are in such good shape at their age? It could be genetics or luck, but it might also have to do with the special care they receive. “I’m very holistic. They don’t eat dog food,” says Jan. “Never. I cook their food for them once a month. I put a pound of hamburger, a pound of ground turkey, a pound of ground pork, kidney beans, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, carrots, a cup of brown rice, coconut oil and herbs. I cook it in a huge pot and freeze it and that is all they eat. I hate to even say it, but they drink distilled water. “They also have great vets, both here and in Charleston. With the fabulous vets we have now and the knowledge they have, and the medicines we have access to, our dogs can live so much longer now, and healthier. People should realize that: just because they are old, it doesn’t mean that they can’t have a good life, they can’t keep on going. I figure I’m going to get five more years out of these two. That’s what I am planning on.”

It’s dinner time and Precious and Bob trot happily back to the house for their meal. They are accompanied by Kitty, a 4-year-old tabby that was rescued off of Fort Gordon Highway near Augusta when he was a little kitten. “I think Kitty keeps them younger too,” says Jan. “He loves them – he’s always playing with them. I don’t know what he would do without them.” “The best thing about them is their love and their companionship,” she continues. “They’re the easiest dogs on the earth. They have been so much fun. They are so smart, too. I think people forget about how smart they are. When I had Great Danes I had to train them, but I never had to train these two. They are so smart they just pick things up the first time you tell them. And what about their eyes? Do they really turn red? Jan laughs. “Well, not any more, now that they are older. But all of my friends can tell you they have seen it. If they were having a blast playing, or they got real excited about something, or they got mad, it’s true, their eyes turned red. I remember it. ”

Fall 2017

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Fall Calendar OCTOBER 1 Dog Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www.willspark.com 4 Yappy Hour. 6-8pm. SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare, 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.648.6863, www.letlovelive. org/calendar 4 Basic Dog Training. Odell Weeks Activity Center, 1700 Whiskey Road, Aiken, SC. 803.642.7631. Offered by Take the Lead Dog Training Services. www.k9leader.com. Every Wednesday evening until November 8. 6-7 pm. 4 Puppy Class. Odell Weeks Activity Center, 1700 Whiskey Road, Aiken, SC. 803.642.7631. Offered by Take the Lead Dog Training Services. www.k9leader.com. Every Wednesday evening until November 8. 7:15 - 8:15 pm 6 Polo Under the Stars. 7:30pm. A benefit for FOTAS Aiken. Firestar Polo Club, 3298 Camp Rawls Road, Wagener, SC. www. forasaiken.org 6-8 The Brightside Diving Dogs Event. The Brightside, 2032 Jones Phillips Road, Dacula, GA. 770.685.1989 or 404.998.9382, northamericadivingdogs.com 7 Dog Obedience Class. Every Saturday - contact Kirby before coming. Three Runs Plantation, 125 Three Runs Plantation Drive, Aiken, SC. Kirby Hill, quebec3@att.net 7-8 Augusta Dog Show. North Augusta River Park, 100 Riverview Dr, North Augusta, SC. www.augustakennelclub.org 9 FOTASâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Playing Fore the Pets Golf Tournament + Helicopter Ball Drop. 8am. Woodside Plantation Golf Club, Aiken, SC. 603.533.4111, golf@fotasaiken.org, www.fotasaiken.org 14 Dog Obedience Class. Every Saturday. Contact Kirby before coming. Three Runs Plantation, 125 Three Runs Plantation Drive, Aiken, SC. Kirby Hill, quebec3@att.net 14-15 AKC Rally and Obedience Trial. Simpsonville Senior and Activity Center, 310 West Curtis St, Simpsonville, SC. www.akc.org 20-22 AKC Cartersville K9 Kick Off Diving Dog Event. Dellinger Park, 100 Pine Grove Road, Cartersville, GA. 706.351.2980, 20-22 AKC Agility Trial. T. Ed Garrison Arena, 1101 W Queen Street, Pendleton, SC. 864.646.2717, www.clemson.edu/public/ garrison/calendar 21 Barkaritaville. 5-8pm. SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare, 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.648.6863, www.letlovelive. org/calendar 21 Foundation Skills for Open & Utility Taught by Gail Puzon. Augusta Kennel Club, 3970 East White Oak Road, Appling, GA. www.augustakennelclub.org 21 Dog Obedience Class. Every Saturday - contact Kirby before coming. Three Runs Plantation, 125 Three Runs Plantation Drive, Aiken, SC. Kirby Hill, quebec3@att.net 25 Novice & Beyond Taught by Georgia Smelser. Augusta Kennel Club, 3970 East White Oak Road, Appling, GA. www. augustakennelclub.org 27-29 Bulldog Show. Piedmont Kennel Club Showplace, 13607 Choate Circle, Charlotte, NC. www.akc.org

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27-29 Atlanta Obedience Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. Lisa Miller 770.361.1773, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 28 Second Annual Dog Walk to benefit Shelter Animal Advocates and the United States War Dog Association. Slade Lake, Edgefield, SC. 10am-2pm. Registration at 9 am. Halloween Theme with orizes for best costume. Kim Walker (803-553-9448) Mary Lou Seymour (803-334-1219) 28 Dog Obedience Class. Every Saturday - contact Kirby before coming. Three Runs Plantation, 125 Three Runs Plantation Drive, Aiken, SC. Kirby Hill, quebec3@att.net 28 Foundation Skills for Open & Utility Taught by Gail Puzon. Augusta Kennel Club, 3970 East White Oak Road, Appling, GA. www.augustakennelclub.org

NOVEMBER

1 Novice & Beyond Taught by Georgia Smelser. Augusta Kennel Club, 3970 East White Oak Road, Appling, GA. www. augustakennelclub.org. Every Wednesday through December 13. 2-4 AKC Field Dog Trials. Iodine State Beagle Club, Doc Stoddard Farm, Pelzer, SC. Wayne Plemmons 828.667.5184, plemmonsw@ bellsouth.net 4-5 AKC Obedience Novice-Only and All-Level Rally Trial. 947 S Stadium Drive, Columbia SC. www.gcoc.net 11 Foundation Skills for Open & Utility Taught by Gail Puzon. Augusta Kennel Club, 3970 East White Oak Road, Appling, GA. www.augustakennelclub.org. Every Saturday. 17-19 AKC Dog Show. Greater Monroe Kennel Club, Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, 4751 Highway 49 North, Concord, NC. Ruth Hoffman 704.784.3900, rhoff.main@gmail.com, www. greatermonroekc.org 24-26 Canaan Dog Club of America All Breed Agility Trial. T. Ed Garrison Arena, 1101 W Queen Street, Pendleton, SC. 864.646.2717, www.clemson.edu/public/garrison/calendar

DECEMBER

1 AKC Field Dog Trials. Foothills Beagle Club, 417 Oakhill Road, Belton, SC. Lewis Wilson 864.915.7973, www.akc.org 1-3 Circle of Friends Dog Agility Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 2-3 C-wags Obedience And Rally Trial. Greater Columbia Obedience Club Training Facility, 947 S Stadium Road, Suite #10, Columbia, SC. www.c-wags.org 8 AKC Field Dog Trials. Palmetto Retriever Club, Becker Sand & Gravel, 620 Marlboro Road, Bennettsville, SC. Joanna Lewis 704.965.3084, jlewis1119@gmail.com 9-10 Nosework and Obedience Seminars with Julie Symons. Greater Columbia Obedience Club Training Facility, 947 S Stadium Road, Suite #10, Columbia, SC. www.gcoc.net

Fall 2017

Classifieds ADOPTIONS/PUPPIES Black Russian Terrier Puppies now available. Good pedigree. 803-646-8606, karenphillis@ yahoo.com Trinity Farms Terriers: Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions. Generations of gre.at temperaments. Health/dispositions guaranteed. Breeders of terriers for 30+ years. Donna Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. www.easyjacks.

com & trinityfarmskennel.com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com. Albrecht Aiken SPCA. Dogs, puppies, cats and kittens for adoption. 199 Willow Run Road, Aiken. Hours of operation: MonSat. 11 am - 5 pm., Sat 10 am- 3 pm; Sun 1:30 pm - 6:30 pm. www. LetLoveLive.org 803.643.0564 Adopt a Shelter Dog or Cat from the Aiken County Animal Shelter. Many beautiful, healthy, friendly

animals to choose from. 333 Wire Road, Aiken. See the pets at www. fotasaiken.org. 803.642.1537. Pointers! Many beautiful purebred Pointers of all ages available for pets or hunting. www.pointerrescue.org. ANIMAL CARE Horses And Hounds Aiken. Pet & Horse-Sitting. Reasonable Rates, Bonded and Insured, Vet Assistant. 803-643-9972/803-443-8303.

horsesandhoundsaiken@gmail. com. www.horsesandhoundsaiken. com TRAINING Palmetto Dog Club. Training classes, puppy socialization, obedience, rally & agility. Check out the website for class schedules and more information. Join us! 803-262-9686. www. palmettodogclub.org.

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Fall 2017

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Lie Down with Dogs by Michael Thomas Ford

have a confession to make: I haven’t washed my sheets in six months. To be fair, it’s because I haven’t slept on them in six months. Actually, I haven’t slept on them in going on seven years. Perhaps I should back up a bit. For ten years I was in a relationship with someone who did not think dogs belonged on the bed. During that time, the various dogs who came and went slept in individual dog beds and crates placed around the bedroom. Occasionally, one would complain loudly or long enough that they would be snuck into the bed, but this was always met with disapproval when my partner woke up and realized that there was a furry body between us.

When the relationship ended and I found myself with my own bedroom for the first time in a decade, things changed. That first night in the new house, all four dogs who came with me piled onto the bed. As if they had been doing it their whole lives, they almost immediately settled into a pattern, each one choosing a spot based on size or favored manner of sleeping. Greta, the largest, took the foot of the bed and stretched out. Andy, the oldest, slept on one side of me. Lillie, ever anxious, slept curled up tight to my other side. And George, the smallest and least social, made a nest in the pillow beside my head and burrowed beneath a fleece blanket, a hermit in a cave of his own making. At first, I attempted to sleep like a normal person, beneath a sheet and bedspread. But it quickly became apparent that turning over while pinned down by several sleeping bodies was not only difficult, but disturbed the dogs. Also, it was really, really hot. And so I started sleeping on top of the bedspread, beneath only a blanket. Each dog also got a blanket. Then more blankets. Like George, Lillie displayed a fondness for making nests. Andy liked to be wrapped up like a burrito. And Greta, like me, slept most comfortably when lightly blanketed so that she could turn several times during the night. I started collecting fleeces, the cheap, brightly-patterned ones that you find at big box stores for a couple of dollars. They’re the perfect size for small dogs. Soon, the bed was covered with them. Still, I kept adding to the collection. “This camouflage one is perfect for Andy,” I found myself saying as I tossed it into the cart. “Oh, and Lillie will love this one with the polar bears.”

The Dog & Hound

I didn’t really notice exactly how many fleeces had accumulated until the first time I decided to wash them all at once. It was when I was on the third load that I considered that, possibly, I had gone a little overboard. When finally they were all washed and dried, I counted. There were 16 fleeces on the bed. That was in addition to my own blanket and the two other blankets I’d spread over the bed to keep the bedspread from getting dirty. Well, the bedspread is indeed still clean. Covered in blankets and fleeces, it’s like all of the furniture in my aunts’ houses when I was growing up, hidden so deeply beneath layers of protective wrapping that it’s difficult to remember what it actually looks like. If pressed, I would say that I think it has stripes, but my memory of it is hazy. The thing about sleeping in a dog pile is that, eventually, everything smells like dog. Also, there’s a lot of hair. Which is why periodically, I strip everything off the top layer of the bed and wash it. This is an all-day process, and the dogs hate it. As load after load of fleeces and blankets goes into the washer and comes out again, they watch the proceedings with expressions of horror and betrayal. Gone are the familiar scents, replaced by the ghastly freshness of Alpine Breeze. Remaking the bed takes almost as long as the washing, as every blanket and fleece has to be returned to its rightful spot. Heaven forbid George’s reindeer-and-holly fleece is accidentally swapped with Greta’s foxes-and-autumn leaves one, or that Lillie’s favorite blue blanket ends up in someone else’s pile. My own purple plush blanket goes in a narrow strip down one side, which has become my designated space since Andy passed earlier this year and his territory was willed to me. “Is that really where you sleep?” my sister asked, walking into the bedroom while I was making the bed up. “You have a queen-size bed and that’s all the room you get?” The dogs, all of whom had piled onto the bed as soon as their blankets were back in place, relaxed into their standard sleeping positions. “Oh, wow” my sister said. “How do such small dogs take up so much room?” This, of course, is one of the mysteries of the universe that will never be solved. It’s something I ponder every night as I lie on my side, an arm around Lillie while I bend my knees and angle my legs so I don’t interfere with Greta’s slumber. George continues to occupy the entire upper right quadrant, where his aerie has expanded to include two pillows and half a dozen blankets. I, like tiny San Marino, cling to the coastal edge, in perpetual danger of tumbling off in to the Adriatic. Occasionally, I think about how nice it would be to have a bed all to myself, to sleep under actual sheets and not have everything constantly covered in hair. The reality, though, is that I don’t sleep well any other way. A few months ago, I attended a conference, the first time I’d been away for more than a night in years. The first night, I stretched out under the duvet, luxuriating in the acreage that was all mine. But the novelty was quickly replaced by a profound feeling of absence. I missed Lillie’s body pressed against mine. I missed reaching out and feeling George sleeping on his back, feet in the air and snoring. I missed Greta lying across my legs. I slept poorly the next three nights, waking up every quarter hour or so and reaching for the dogs. I don’t know if the dogs also slept fitfully. Possibly they did. My first night back, they all seemed to be a little more eager to snuggle. At one point I woke up and thought for a moment that I was still in a hotel. Then I rolled over and found my face buried in George’s fur. He apparently had rolled in horse poop while I was gone, and the scent lingered. It smelled like home.

Fall 2017

The Dog & Hound