It’s All About The Horses
I have loved horses my entire life, even as a small child who was out-sized by those amazing creatures! Being from Kentucky, I vividly remember many visits to Lexington and seeing the rolling fields of white fences, with horses everywhere. During the Spring, it was especially lovely to see the new foals finding their legs alongside their mothers, and romping and playing in the pastures. I was so enamored of the farms and the majesty of the horses who lived there that I told my family that one day, I would own Calumet Farm!
Now, owning and operating Calumet Farm has not happened and likely will not, but I sure have been able to embed horses into all seasons of my life. From my first trail ride at Kentucky Lake State Park as a five-year old (and I will always remember that horse’s name: Hamburger! IKR? Ugh!) and then taking riding lessons as a little girl, learning first to ride Western and then moving on to hunter/jumper; to spending summers at horse camp; to having my own horse – Patsy’s Pride - as a teenager and competing with her and outriding with her at big shows at the Kentucky Horse Park; to riding with the William & Mary Equestrian Club; to later leasing and showing Rivelle and being transformed by the dressage universe; owning and training my incredible Thoroughbred gelding, Tricky Coletrane, a descendant of Northern Dancer; and now, to having my own two amazing Oldenburg geldings, Fallston and Bon, and working toward our 2026 dressage show season. More to come later on my specific horse journeys and equine experiences from around the world!
I always was that Barn Rat who, once there, just never wanted to leave. My mother would drop me off, and I would stay all day. I would ride and take lessons, but I also loved to do the barn chores: mucking, feeding, turning in and out, throwing hay, repairing and painting jumps and fences, organizing show days, etc. The smell, the noises, the sounds, the feel of a nuzzle and then the feel of sitting on the back of a horse…it all was just captivating to me. And it was my place of solace that offered calm, focus, relaxation and utter joy, as in the joy that is found in a unique connection that brings true peace. I could breathe easier and only talk to the horses; that feeling of peace from my barn and my horses remains so powerful for me even today.
But in addition to working with and spending time with my own horses, I also can be found at Colonial Downs watching a live thoroughbred flat track race, attending a steeplechase at Great Meadow for Spring and Fall Gold Cup and hosting a big tailgate at the Montpelier Hunt Races, walking the course post-jump race, sitting in the stands watching a harness race at Shenandoah Downs (or better yet, driving one of the sulkies in the warm-up!), showing at the Virginia Horse Center or watching a polo match in Virginia Beach.
The point is that Virginia has a dynamic and growing horse industry and equine economy that cut across ALL disciplines and breeds. We have it all here – racing, driving, harness, flat track, jump courses, high stakes shows and international competitions, fox hunting, polo, trail rides, junior riders, hunter/jumper, dressage, gaited, Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred, Warmblood, etc. Every sector of the industry can grow and thrive, and should receive attention from policy makers who can assist in that growth and economic development opportunity to support the native Virginian horse industry and the economies it creates to generate local jobs, local revenue and local community connections. There should be a collective desire to protect, educate, sustain and maintain the entire horse industry in Virginia.
Fetlock Consulting, LLC is the advocate for ALL of the industry. We advocate for ALL OF THE HORSES. After all, it is for the love of the horse that we do this.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HORSES!