Rides & Events 

Always remember to bring a copy of your current coggins papers to any trail ride or equestrian event.  The Va. Dept. of Agriculture has been known to spot check the rides for the proper papers.

Be kind to the trails or where ever you go "If you pack it in, please pack it out."  

 (SVSC Rides are in Blue)  

  • August 30 - 31 Lonesome River Walkers in Scottsville, Va will have a park and ride weekend. Gate will open at 9 am. Must have coggins and sign liability waiver at registration. " SILVER CREEK " band on Sat. night. No meals included. $25.00 per person. For more info contact Natalie Brown at Lriverwalkers@aol.com.
  • Sept. 13th: “Save a Horse Day Ride” Sponsored by: Prince George Riding Club -Part of the proceeds will benefit the White Bird Appaloosa Horse Rescue - Rain date: Saturday, September 20th - Location: 4413 Tavern Rd., Disputanta, VA 23842 - Prince George County - Donation of $20 per rider. Open and wooded trails will be well marked and will be approximately 4 hours long (short ride also available) 50/50 Raffle. Contacts: Kim Harvanek 804-731-4276 - Kim Trout 804-898-2102 - Sharon Slusser 804-919-0448 click here  for flyer
  • Sept. 20-21st: 5th Annual Gene R. Poythress Memorial Trail Ride. An American Cancer Society Benefit sponsored by Southside Virginia Saddle Club. Ride,Dinner & Music is included. Primitive camping avalible Fri-Sun. Trail is 18 +/- miles (short ride also) $25.00 adult rider Pre-registered, children 12 and under $20.00 pre-registered.  At gate $30/$25.  Please make checks payable to SVSC and mail registration to: SVSC  39671 Hwy 58. LaCrosse, Va. 23950 or e-mail questions to kim01@southsidevasasddle.com  . For flyer/registration form  click here  & waiver. Call Betty Ann Poythress @ 434-757-7351 for more info.
  • September 19 - 21 Deerfield Ruritans Ride. $75 incl 5 meals, 3 rides, door prizes & camping in Deerfield (VA) Valley in the beautiful George Washington National Forest . For info, contact Pat O'Neil at pjoneil1@mgwnet.com or go to: http://web.infoave.net/~deerfieldtr.
  • September 26 - 28 Ride with Pride in Augusta, VA. Sponsored by RWP Therapeutic Riding program. $25 day ride; $45 weekend; $5/rig/nite camping. Campers must pre-reg. 3 trails: 5 mis.,10 mis. & 15-20 mis. Call Gigi Kelly at 540-997-9399 or go to: caveushr@cfw.com  for details.
  • September 26 - 28 Amelia Springs Fall Ride. Gates open at 10:00 A.M. Fri for primitive camping. Water, showers & horse wash at the barn. 10, 15 & 25 mi trails. May ride out Fri aft 2PM. Mandatory meeting Sat at 9AM. in front of the house. Ride starts 10AM. Fri nite all-you-can-eat spaghetti @$5. Sat brkfst buffet, hot lunch on the trail & dinner w/ music at 8; Sun brkfst buffet. $60/Adult; $30 for 11 - 16 yo; U10 free & $40 for Amelia residents. Part of the proceeds donated to local Churches.
  • October 4th, 2008: SVSC Annual St. Jude Children's Hospital Benefit Ride. This year we hope to have  forms enabling you to get sponsors/donations for this ride. We would like to get creative in getting sponsors and raising as much money for St. Jude as possible. If you have any suggestions please e-mail Kim Perry @ kim01@southsidevasaddle.com.
  • October 4th - Franklin County Trailblazers’ Fall Ride - Alert, NC, 10 AM -  $20 / rider - 18 mile ride - Bar-B-Que dinner - Overnight camping available - Call Lonnie Hunt  919-496-4545 for more information.
  • October 7 Judged Trail Ride to benefit Breast Cancer at Livingston Manor Arabians, 10012 Robert E. Lee Dr, Spotsylvania, VA. Contact: Liz Jones at 540-854-0591
  • October 12 Tidewater Horse Council Ride at Wildwood in Moyock. Click here for more information.
  • October 10-12: Montebello Fall Trail Ride $45.00 per rider includes camping facilities and great trails. MVFD P.O.Box 96 Montebello, Va. 24464 or www.nelsoncounty.com/emergencyservices/montebello or britemtn@cfw.com
  • October 10-12: Easternshore Fall Trail Ride  www.easternshoretrailride.com
  • October 11th - Hicksboro Annual Fall Trail Ride 10am $20/rider Bar-B-Que dinner - Overnight camping available. For info. Call Danny 252-492-6590 Joe 252-492-6815 Craig 919-846-7094
  • October 18th: Genito Trails Ride Benefit for Brodnax United Methodist Church. Call Nelson Baird at 434.729.9141 or 434.774.1332 for info. $20 pre-reg. $25 at gate. Time of ride is 11 am. 15 miles of scenic trails in LaCrosse, Va. Dinner included. Lunch availalble on trail at additional cost. Primitive camping avail. Fri-Sun.

Trail Rider magazine offers free posting of events. Go to www.MyHorse.com

Virginia Horse Council will also list events.                                 

Randy Perry's horse Woodhill Tom. Almost all the Standardbreds off of Woodhill Doc have the same soft eyes. picture was taken by Kim Perry.

Thought you might enjoy this!
Mina 
For my friends who ride...
I ride. That seems like such a simple statement. However as many women who ride know it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability.
     I have considered this as I shoveled manure, filled water barrels in the cold rain, waited for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, changed a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cooled a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold b__r after a long ride.
     The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands called it 'the sickness'. It's a sickness I've had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of 'the sickness'. It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings. I ride.
     I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trail head somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust.
     Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.
     I consider the simple statement; I ride. I think of all I do because I ride . Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride, no matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt. I ride. And I feel better for doing so.
     The beauty I've seen because I ride amazes me. I've ridden out to find lakes that remain, for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart.
     I think of the people, mostly women, I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch. We haul 40ft rigs, we back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel with out makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably, when you were a small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.
"The path to your horse's heart lies through your own.
"The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God cannot protect you..."