Rags to Riches: Brittany and Chestnut

Rags to Riches: Brittany and ChestnutHooray for Brittany and Chestnut! As part of the Rags to Riches contest this weekend at the Equine Extravaganza in Richmond, 8-year old Brittany Bostic and her horse, Chestnut, will perform before judges. When the Bostic family bought Chestnut she had lost 250 pounds from neglect and underfeeding. Thanks to…

Attention Exercise Riders and Old Grooms: No Smoking in the Barn

Last Friday morning, I spent an hour or so out at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at James River. The drive from Richmond to Goochland is always uplifting and especially so on a crisp, cool autumn morning. Mary Martin, TRF Board member, and I got out to Barn 4 in the middle of Dr. Reid McLellan’s…

All Things New: Second Chances at James River

Behold For three straight mornings, I wake up with this word aglow in my mind. For three days running I’ve planned to spend the morning writing about the rehabilitation and reconciliation going on out at the James River Work Center in Goochland - out at the prison. Waking up with a single word or phrase…

Unwanted Horses

The Unwanted Horse Coalition says, "Tens of thousands of horses that could be classified as unwanted  are being sent to processing facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico each year." Horses are taking a hit from this economy just as we are. I hear terrible stories these days about folks  abandoning their horses at horse…