Home-Port Stables

06/12/2023

Home-Port Stables Equestrian Summer Camp is June 26 - 30th.

We are an equine assisted program that is designed to develop problem solving skills in participants.

We develop critical listening and thinking skills while learning about equine behavior, environmental influences and veterinarian needs.

Our eclectic program features:

Jump Building
Course Design &
Equine Veterinary medicine
Mounted riding theory
Reading terrain while riding
Unmounted Theory of Riding
Theories of Stable Management
Tack, equipment, and use.
Theories of hauling.
Horse trailer design and systems.
Truck vs. Trailer ratio.
Vehicle maintenance and management.
Farm equipment uses
Tractor implements and what they do.

That being said... we aren't completely void of silly fun stuff like painting glitter on pony. Watching movies during, "Mounted Movie Night" or Mounted scavenger hunt.

Price is 500.00 per week. Drop off 9am. Pick up 5pm (flexible times for working parents)

Student must bring their own snacks and lunch.

Call or text 434.987.0510 for more info.

06/12/2023

https://youtube.com/shorts/yb8euVHWTZo?feature=share

04/12/2023

YAY!!

In case you missed it, this past Monday the Chincoteague pony became the official state pony of Virginia!! 🎉

We want to extend a special thank you to Sophia Gullivan, of the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team, who came up with the idea and made it a reality!

https://shoredailynews.com/headlines/chincoteague-ponies-now-official-state-pony/?fbclid=IwAR18xLdd3XLrxlpKWbtTHHueWwGeGV2hM0A3RSGhZPSbspeJdPCGYnsnjz0&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BChrd_lDNLc

02/21/2023

We are currently looking for unicorn working student.

One person who wants to learn technical aspects of riding, horsemanship and teaching.

We are small and workload is manageable. Definately more riding than work.

Opportunity to attend: Fox Hunts. Trail Rides. Hunter paces, dressage shows, and Three-Day events.

Our program is often featured on social media including the youtube channel, 'Saddles & Sails' Thus it's important that working student understands and consents to appearing in photos and videos.

DM if interested.

01/10/2023

Scenes from Saturday. ❤️ Munckin gang.

12/12/2022

It's a partnership...

12/12/2022

Six horses at a facility in Thurston County, Washington, tested positive for EHV-4, and one tested positive for EHV-4 and strangles.

11/09/2022

A nineteenth Century Guide to Hunting Etiquette! How much of this is still observed?
Don't wear long spurs with sharp rowels.
Don't talk loudly at the covert side.
Don't ride a kicking horse in a crowd.
Don't wear the hunt button or uniform without first consulting the secretary or master, or both.
Don't speak to the huntsman, except at the meet, or at the end of the day.
Don't jump fences unnecessarily, or when hounds are not running.
Don't let a gate slam in the next riders face.
Don't gallop past people in a muddy lane, unless there is a necessity for it.
Don't speak to a lady unless you have been introduced to her, or she speaks to you first.
Don't push a blown horse.
Don't talk scandal.
Don't holloa, unless the circumstances of the sport call for it
Don't smoke a pipe, unless on the way home.
Don't head foxes or hounds.
Don't lose your temper.
Don't forget that the amount of your subscription should depend on the number of days you hunt, and the number of horses you have out.
There are, it is true, some matters of etiquette less easy to decide. For instance, many strangers do not like to wear their own button or uniform when out of their own country, and I will not say that they are wrong. Probably a black coat then becomes them best. Thus a stranger with the Badminton seldom wears pink, and a man with the Puckeridge button would hardly like to wear it with the Pytchley, it being almost identical. In a great many hunts the uniform is now confined to the Master and servants. This is so with the Berkeley, the Heythrop, and others. In Sir Watkin's countrv it is the ladies only who wear the uniform. At hunt balls it is a great charm to have a variety of uniforms worn. In Shropshire they have two hunt clubs, each with its distinctive dress, and each give a hunt ball annually in friendly rivalry. I do not know of any other county in this happy position.
The fashion of having hunt dinners has almost entirely died out, I regret to say, but happily we still think it the right thing to dine in pink during the winter months at private dinner-parties where hunting is to the fore.
The etiquette of the hunting field is not confined to the amateurs; the professionals, the huntsman and whip, have their etiquette to attend to. A huntsman visiting a hunting field in another country would not think of appearing in pink.

10/29/2022

We submitted his name to The Jockey Club.

Fingers crossed Soupy Doo is available.

Soup... Soupy Doo. Soup...
Soupy Doo 🎶🎤🎼

10/25/2022

Horsemanship isn't just about riding. It's the total package. Loving and caring for horses. Seeing them as equals... not vehicles for human egos. Stay humble.

In this picture a few of our students are washing grain buckets then stacking them in feed room.

10/11/2022

10/11/2022

It's almost midnight and he's back in soaking boots. So close. Can't wait to see him out of pain.

10/07/2022

The new guy... Kenosha. Very sweet OTTB. He's at Home-Port Stables for layup and rehab.

10/07/2022

When getting new neighbors...

10/04/2022

These two are really coming together. Maria ❤️ Ickle

09/26/2022

A little blip from today. Ickle & Maria

09/26/2022

09/19/2022

09/19/2022

“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” – T.S. Eliot

09/19/2022

This. ❤️

08/31/2022

Very excited about our new family member. Welcome Mia and her human Amanda. ❤️ ☺️

08/29/2022

Yeah. Been saying (and teaching) this for years.

Ellesse shares her tips, tricks and methods she’s learned by working with show jumpers on improving their the flatwork.

03/24/2022

Organizing a Toddler Session for Itty Bitty Kiddy's. Ages 2 - 5. Message for more info.

02/15/2022

Spring-Summer 2022 listing of Hunt Club affiliated events focused in the Charlottesville/Richmond areas and a few points beyond for sporting enthusiasts. Please email privately any events you wish to have included.

CLOSING HUNTS
March 12 Princess Anne Hunt
March 12 Keswick Hunt
March 13 Thornton Hill
March 19 Farmington Hunt
March 20 Caroline Hunt
March 26 Deep Run Hunt
March 26 Bull Run Hunt
March xx Rappahannock Hunt
March xx Oak Ridge
March xx Commonwealth Hunt
March xx Old Dominion
March xx Warrenton Hunt

HUNTER PACES
March 26 Piedmont Fox Hounds Hunter Pace
April 2 Orange County Hunter Pace
April 10 Old Dominion Hunter Pace
April 16 Rappahannock Hunt Hunter Pace
April 23 Blue Ridge Hunt Hunter Pace
April 30 Warrenton Hunt Hunter Pace
TBD Farmington Hunt Hunter Pace

HOUND SHOWS, PERFORMANCE & BEAGLE TRIALS
Feb 19-21 Western States PT at Tejon Ranch, CA
March 5-6 Wicomico Hunt PT
March 5-6 Belle Meade PT
March 26-27 PT Grand Championship in Hoffman NC
Mar 30 -April 3 Beagle Pack Spring Trials, The Institute, Aldie
April 7 Maryland Puppy Show
April 14-17 Bassett Pack Spring Trials, The Institute, Aldie
May 7 Carolina's Hound Show
May 28 VA Foxhound Dinner & Nat'l Horn Blowing Contest
May 29 VA Foxhound Show at Morven Park
June 4 Bryn Mawr Hound Show
June TBD Old Dominion Puppy Party

HUNT BALLS
March 19 Princess Anne Hunt at Commonwealth Club
March 26 Bull Run Hunt Ball at the Pavilion
June TBD Old Dominion Hunt Ball
Fall 2022 Rappahannock - post phoned until then

HUNT AUCTIONS, BENEFITS, SEMINARS, LANDOWNER EVENTS
Mar 20 Bull Run Oyster Roast to kick off March Madness
March 26 Charlotte Noland, VA Piedmont Heritage Area
April 2 Keswick 2nd Annual Sporting Clays Tournament

HUNT WEEKS
March 20-26 Bull Run Hunt March Madness
March 24-26 Shakerag 1st Open Invitational Hunt Week

SPRING TRAIL RIDES
April 6-8 Amelia Springs Trail Ride
April 7-10 Omni Homestead Spring Trail Ride
April TBD Crystal Crown Judged Pleasure Rides series
April 2-4 Fleetwood Trail Ride at Massie's Mill
April - June Old Dominion trail ride series begin
May TBD Deep Run rides begin
May TBD Old Dominion themed trail ride
June TBD Princess Anne Hunt rides begin

STEEPLECHASE RACES & POINT TO POINTS in VA & MD & PA
March 5 Rappahannock Hunt Point to Point
March 19 Warrenton Hunt Point to Point
March 26 Piedmont Fox Hounds Point to Point
March 25 Cheshire Races
April 3 Green Spring Valley Point to Point
April 9 Old Dominion Point to Point
April 10 Wicomico Point to Point
April 16 My Lady's Manor
April 17 Blue Ridge Hunt Point to Point
April 23 Grand National
April 23 Middleburg Spring Races
April 24 Loudoun Hunt Point to Point
April 30 Foxfield Races
April 30 Maryland Hunt Cup
May 1 Middleburg Hunt Point to Point
May 7 Virginia Gold Cup at Great Meadow, The Plains
May 8 Winterthur Races
May 21 Radnor Races
May 28 Fair Hill Races

MAJOR EVENTS & HORSE SHOWS
March 4 VA Steeplechase Association Awards Dinner
April 8-29 Keeneland Spring Racing Meet
April 28-May 1 Landrover KY Three Day Event
May 7 Kentucky Derby
May 26-June 5 Devon Horse Show
June 6-12 Upperville Horse Show
June 15-19 Loudoun Benefit HS at Upperville showgrounds
July 14-Sept 5 Saratoga Springs Summer Racing Meet
Aug 17-21 Dublin Horse Show
Aug 19-21 Newport Coaching Weekend

02/09/2022

02/06/2022

Melting snow. Slightly warmer temps and shedding horses can only mean one thing... spring spring spring.

Showing this summer? Start preparing now.

But what does that mean? Well... it means we get on.

Then start. I begin with equine focused yoga & palates. First at walk. And only walk. Bending. Stretching. Flexing. Developing core strength, flexibility and sought after top line. It's easy. Not scary. And amazingly beneficial.

Once rider learns biomechanics of bending and stretching we head to trails where we weave through trees. Up and down hills. First at walk. Then trot. Then canter. Slowly building confidence of horse and rider.

When ready...we start hopping logs. Creeks. Ditches. Building fitness.
Delving deeper into technical aspects of riding. Analyzing what we do & why we do it.

My program works.

Your dressage scores will improve by at least 2 points on each move.

Your confidence and fitness will glow.

Your horse will blossom and become the mount you always dreamed about.

In the process we will address: lameness. Stiffness. Short stride. Spooking. Inverted head. Resistance. Evading bit. Ear pinning. And general bad behaviors.

Horses have very few ways to communicate. We must let them speak. Accept "bad behavior" as attempts to communicate and hear them out.

No frills.
No drama.
No bu****it.
No short cuts.
And no excuses.

Horsemanship. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Build slow. Develop right. Be a better human.

Now accepting horses and humans.

Private lesson 60.00
Haul in lessons welcome and encouraged.

Keswick, Va. Near Zions Cross Roads.

I got you. Let's do it.

Nicole Black
www.homeportstables.com

Providing beginner - advanced riding lessons, eventing, hunter jumpers, foxhunting, hunter paces, dressage, horsemanship camps, horse training and boarding. Charlottesville Lake Monticello horseback riding lessons Zion Crossroads

12/26/2021

The art of looking where you're going. A quick review for beginners.

12/04/2021

Nicole Black teaching 4 year old horse crazy boy his very first lesson. ☺