Meadow Lark Farm

Meadow Lark Farm Meadow Lark Farm in The Plains, VA offers retiree board and amateur-focused dressage sales horses. Horses are fed concentrate feed up to two times daily.

Meadow Lark Farm in The Plains, VA is the vision of lifelong equestrians Marianne and Clay to create a state of the art, private facility in a safe, comfortable and beautiful environment. The farm is set among the rolling hills of Orange County Hunt Territory, yet convenient to I-66, Washington, DC and NOVA. The farm offers top notch care for your retiree that includes two wellness checks daily, a

mple pasture in carefully managed fields, or small turnout with limited grass for horses with metabolic issues. Each pasture is enclosed with three board fencing, contains heated automatic waterers and run-in sheds. Board includes routine vaccinations, Coggins tests, deworming, annual dental floating and hoof trimming every 6-8 weeks. About the Owners-
Clay Chilcoat is a second-generation horse veterinarian who grew up on a horse farm in northern Maryland caring for multi-million dollar brood mares. Starting in 4-H and Pony Club, he fox hunted, competed locally in hunter/jumpers, and regionally in dressage and eventing, where he was twice selected for the Maryland team to compete at the US Equestrian Team headquarters at Gladstone, New Jersey. While an undergrad at Virginia Tech, Clay was manager of the university’s Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team and co-founder of RadTech Equine Corporation, a non-profit organization created to maintain and foster equestrian education at Virginia Tech and Radford University. After earning his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, he completed an internship and residency in equine internal medicine at Colorado State and Purdue Universities, respectively, before attaining a PhD in Immunology from North Carolina State University. Clay is also a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. His 21 years of equine medicine experience gives him an educated perspective on how to optimize the health and well-being of the horses at the farm. Marianne Campano began riding and competing in North Carolina at age eight, and progressed from short stirrup, through junior hunters to amateur owners and eventing. While attending the University of North Carolina, she began to focus on dressage and was a working student for United States Equestrian Team Member, Kay Meredith, for 7 years. In this position, she began to ride and compete numerous horses through the FEI levels and in the FEI Young Riders Division. She was the recipient of the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) All Breeds Award National Champion at Prix St. George (PSG), and the North Carolina Young Rider Champion at Fourth level and PSG. In addition to classical riding, she learned the skills necessary to ensure success and optimal health and performance of world-class equine athletes. Marianne created and managed Rollingwood Farm, LLC, a successful dressage training farm, where she rode to numerous championships and coached her students to achieve their riding goals and excel in competition. From 2011-2014, Marianne and Clay trained with Grand Prix riders and Olympians in Germany. In 2014, Marianne won the USDF Region 5 FEI Prix St. George Championship on Degas, a 21-year-old horse that she trained. She credits the championship of her mature horse to the excellent management she and Clay employed to ensure Degas’ health, happiness, and performance.

We are hiring a part-time caretaker for our beloved retirees for 1 hour in the am and 1 hour in the pm. Are you a reliab...
09/29/2024

We are hiring a part-time caretaker for our beloved retirees for 1 hour in the am and 1 hour in the pm. Are you a reliable and experienced horse person with attention to detail and a love for horses? The job requires feed prep, feeding hay and grain, wellness inspections, light grooming, cleaning automatic waterers daily and putting on and removing fly masks and some blanketing. Competitive pay and a 5 day schedule.

As much as I love the snow, I must admit it's nice to see the retirees out grazing again.
01/24/2024

As much as I love the snow, I must admit it's nice to see the retirees out grazing again.

Christmas Eve 🌲 carrots 🥕 for all the boys and girls!!
12/24/2023

Christmas Eve 🌲 carrots 🥕 for all the boys and girls!!

I could not be more proud of my two boys at the GAIG Regional Championships in Lexington, VA!! My five year old, Freddie...
10/23/2023

I could not be more proud of my two boys at the GAIG Regional Championships in Lexington, VA!! My five year old, Freddie Fantastic finished 3rd at 1st level out of a very competitive field of 55 horses. This was only his second show of the season, and while he was nervous, he still managed to give me a great test!! Harvey was also a star, not only at this show, but all season, winning the majority of his fourth level tests and receiving the high score 4th level award at his last two shows. In his debut year as a dressage horse, he finished 7th out of 22 horses in the 4th level championships. No horse tries harder, and I'm excited about bringing him out at PSG and I1 next year. Onwards and upwards, sweet boy.

10/11/2023

Harvey sure does love a wither scratch!

What a treat it's been to watch my new friend and Olympian Tina Konyot train here in Northern Virginia this summer. Wat...
08/19/2023

What a treat it's been to watch my new friend and Olympian Tina Konyot train here in Northern Virginia this summer. Watching her light and harmonious training has been so educational and inspiring.To learn more about Tina or set up a lesson/ training, see her attached bio and information.

Looks like I have an inspector this morning making sure I thoroughly clean her run-in shed.
06/06/2023

Looks like I have an inspector this morning making sure I thoroughly clean her run-in shed.

Gerd Heuschmann – Dressage to improve not wreck your horse! | The Horse Magazine
05/25/2023

Gerd Heuschmann – Dressage to improve not wreck your horse! | The Horse Magazine

Gerd Heuschmann – Dressage to improve not wreck your horse! Posted on January 15, 2021 by horsemagazine   Story – Chris Hector Photos – Roz Neave Back in 2005, Australians were introduced to the philosophy and research of Gerd Heuschmann at the FEI VIII Regional Forum. It was an exciting firs...

05/04/2023

The information below is shared by work of Ann Baldwin, Ph.D. and Rollin McCraty, Ph.D.
Webinar and can be found at https://www.heartmath.org/resources/downloads/heart-heart-communication-horses/

"Recent studies conducted by the Institute of Heart-Math provide a clue to explain the two-way ′′ healing ′′ that occurs when we're close to horses.

According to researchers, the heart has an electromagnetic field larger than the brain: a magnetometer can measure the energy field of the heart that radiates from 2.4 meters to 3 meters around the human body.

While this is certainly significant, perhaps more impressive than the electromagnetic field projected by the heart of a horse is five times larger than that of a human being (imagine an electromagnetic sphere around the horse) and it can influence straight into our own heart rate.

Horses are also likely to have what science has identified as a ′′ coherent ′′ heart rate (heart rate pattern) that explains why we can ′′ feel better ′′ when we're close to them. Studies have found a coherent heart pattern or HRV to be a solid measure of well-being and consistent with emotional states of calm and joy-that is, we exhibit such patterns when we feel positive emotions.

A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adapt to stressful situations very efficiently. Many times, we just need to be in the presence of horses to feel a sense of well-being and peace.

In fact, research shows that people experience many physiological benefits by interacting with horses, including lower blood pressure and heart rate, higher beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters acting as pain suppressors), decreased stress levels, decreased feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, better social working; and greater feelings of empowerment, confidence, patience and self-efficacy."~ Picture credit goes to the artist, Valerie Eric

04/14/2023

Happy I'm not the only one excited about dinner.

Five time German Eventing Olympian, and one of my horseman heros, Ingrid Klimpke, has been selected to represent Germany...
02/21/2023

Five time German Eventing Olympian, and one of my horseman heros, Ingrid Klimpke, has been selected to represent Germany in dressage at the World Cup in Omaha!! She is amazing!!

Ingrid Klimke talks about Franziskus starting out:
“He is quite tall and he is really full of himself. I got him at the end of his five-year-old year, he was already determined to have his way, it took quite a while and some really big discussions, and he has realized that it is not only his choice, which way to go, which gait, what we do.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/08/franziskus-adds-medal-to-ingrids-collection/

Good information here.
02/20/2023

Good information here.

Research shows feeding horses alfalfa prior to riding can help buffer stomach acid and offers relief for ulcer-prone horses. But are hay or pellets better?

01/08/2023

Address

O'Bannon Road
The Plains, VA
20198

Telephone

+17197498967

Website

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Harvey sure does love a wither scratch!

Happy I'm not the only one excited about dinner.

Thanks to VADA NOVA for hosting such a great, well-organized show yesterday❤️!! Because they offered stabling, I was able to bring 2 horses. Harvey was a Rock Star at 3rd level earning a 66% with a few rider pilot errors and bobbles. He nailed his last halt and Clay captured it on video. Freddie, the 4yo was Fantastic earning a 73% and continues to gain confidence at every show.

HARVEY: 2012 16 h. Dutch warmblood. This Lovely and FUN, Amateur-friendly gelding is schooling 3rd level and movements in 4th level with FEI potential!! He is uncomplicated with a fantastic work ethic. Located in northern Virginia.

Last night was a blast watching world class showjumping at the Washington International Horse Show. The 1.50m speed class was a thrill, and the Puissance class was a hoot. In this class, speed is not a factor, and there are only a few jumps. One jump gets raised incrementally for those who cleared the previous round. Olympian McLain Ward and two other riders won the class by clearing the wall that was maxed out at a height of 6'10"!!!! When McLain finished clearing the 6' 10" wall he said it felt like his horse Catoki was just getting started. Oh, and did I mention, the horse is 15 hands. What a pocket rocket!!!

Zack loving his massage!! But who wouldn't love a massage with Mary Pat of Blue Moon Wellness.

Sneak peek of this beauty, a 16 hand, 10yo Dutch warmblood. He would make a great junior or adult amateur dressage horse. Wonderful rideability and nice in the contact. Three lovely gaits, easy flying changes and lateral work.

21 happy horses and this sunset!! #novahorse , #horseboardingfacility #dressage , #hunterjumpers

Beautiful, relaxing way to end a ride. Jennifer Sims riding her and Bob's lovely Morgan, Courage.

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