Hill of Dreams Equestrian Center

12/06/2023

More great pictures of our holiday fun!!

12/06/2023

Happy Holidays from our barn fam! Sunday was a great day of fun competition and good food!
🎅 🎄 ☃️

11/11/2023

11/06/2023

I'll be in the barn.
When people have come to visit over the years
they commonly hear from me "I'll be in the barn."
When life gets hard I'll be in the barn.
When things are just right I'll be in the barn.
When the sun shines
The rain falls
Or snow covers the ground
I'll be in the barn.
If things seem to be falling apart or if I'm
celebrating the simple things, I'll be in the barn.
When I'm looking for answers or trying to clear my mind, I'll be in the barn.
When I'm looking for myself, I'll be in the barn.
If I'm working or trying to relax, I'll be in the barn.
Even when I'm not in the barn my mind drifts there, I find myself thinking about being in the barn...
It's where I keep my riches
All my wins and my failures
Every one of my hopes, dreams, hardships and
memories.
You can find them all in the barn, buried in the hay, hiding under a halter, spilling out of the feed bins,or glimmering with dust in the evening light.
I may be covered in dust, dirt, feed, hair, and hay, smell of sweat and manure, and sometimes there may be blood or tears but I'll be there. I'll be in the barn.
So if your wondering where to find me, I'll be in the barn. If I'm not there I promise I'm on my way.

Author Unknown

Photo by Jordan Blackstone

11/01/2023

Thank you so much to everyone who came out for our Halloween fun show! We had beautiful weather and great rides!!

10/31/2023

Happy Halloween! 🎃

10/26/2023

Ride times have been emailed for Saturday’s show. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone!!

10/16/2023

What a great day for Hill Of Dreams at the SWVADA/BREA show! Such an amazing group of horses and riders. Everyone had super rides and it was lovely to have so much support from family and friends. 💕

10/10/2023

If you enjoy trails with your horses, please complete this quick survey to share your opinion!

Hey, Virginia! The State Trails Office invites you to participate in the Statewide Trails planning process. Your feedback will help lay the groundwork for a network of multi-use trails in the Commonwealth.

Take this 5 minute survey to share your input: https://bit.ly/3tshBIb

10/08/2023

Day 2 of competition in the books with Nikki and Taylor completing their championship rides! Day 3 brings Jr/YR Championship classes for Sydney and Riley!

10/06/2023

Day 1 of competition complete!! Everyone looked amazing and it was so great to see all of their hard work from this past year coming together. 🎉 First set of Finals tomorrow, good luck to Nikki Haber and Taylor Crush!

10/03/2023

09/11/2023

Here’s to another great show this summer. The weather was crazy, from boiling hot on Saturday to rain all day Sunday, but still some super rides! Congratulations to both Nikki Haber and Sydney Anderson for a super successful weekend.
Looking forward to all of our friends who will be heading to GAIGs next month:
Taylor Crush
Nikki Habor
Sydney Anderson
Riley Carr
Here’s to a an amazing time at Lexington!

09/01/2023

Flyer, Entry form and Waivers

08/24/2023

Another great day at ERAHC! Congratulations to Nikki Haber and Taylor Crush both with super rides. Can’t wait to see them at GAIGs in October!

08/23/2023

Great start to the ERAHC show in Lexington! Congratulations to Taylor Crush and Watercolor scoring her first 70% and Nikki Haber with GDaddyT getting a 66% and their second qualifying score for GAIGS. Looking forward to tomorrow!

07/21/2023

Please take a few minutes and complete this survey, the results show our legislators the impact equestrians have on the economy!!

Who doesn't like a little competition among friends?

As of June 30, here are the top 10 State Horse Councils by Response to the 2023 AHC Equine Economic Impact Survey. Let's see if some of the lower ranked councils can bump up their numbers by the end of July to crack the top 10, or another state can overtake the Maryland Horse Council from the top spot. Do your part to get your state, your horse & your industry counted: https://horsecouncil.org/economic-impact-study/

Who's it going to be?
NC Horse Council
Wisconsin Horse Council
Monroe County Chapter of the Ohio Horsemens Council
New York State Horse Council
Kentucky Horse Council
Pennsylvania Equine Council
Michigan Horse Council
Colorado Horse Council
Virginia Horse Council

07/14/2023

Good luck 🍀 to all showing in Lexington this weekend as well as to the Dream Team who are heading to Pinehurst!

07/05/2023

Happy 4th of July 🇺🇸

07/01/2023

Congratulations to Amanda and Nova on their Reserve Champion placing in the Novice Amateur Ranch Trail class at the ARHA World Championship Show in Ocala!!

06/28/2023

Sending lots of good luck to Dream Team member, Amanda Roberts, as she competes with her baby horse, Nova, at the ARHA World Championship show in Ocala, FL! 🍀

06/27/2023

Congratulations to the Dream Team on their Reserve Champion placing at this weekend’s Region 1 Youth Dressage Team Championship. Thank you to the HOD family for the support of our young riders!!

06/26/2023

Our team is almost home from the Region 1 Youth Championship. More pics to follow!!

06/25/2023

    For Immediate Release: June 24, 2023 Virginia Horse Center Foundation Media Contact: Lisa Davis Engel 908.310.6248 [email protected] VHC STATUS UPDATE ON EHV-1 ANNOUNCEMENT LEXINGTON, VA— As

06/24/2023

Day 1 of the Youth Challenge is wrapped and all our riders had an excellent time! Looking forward to Day 2!!

06/23/2023

    For Immediate Release: June 22, 2023 Virginia Horse Center Foundation Media Contact: Lisa Davis Engel 908.310.6248 [email protected] OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM VHC LEXINGTON, VA— On June 22, th

06/23/2023

Good luck to the Dream Team competing in the Region 1 Youth Team Challenge!

06/18/2023

The last salute has occurred as we wrap up a lovely 3 day show at Tryon. We’re coming home with two tired horses, riders, and our awesome support crew! Thank you Katie for all your hard work with our riders! Thank you Bonnie for the support!!

05/24/2023

Recipe for raising a “horse girl”…….

You bring them home from the hospital and instead of keeping them home you let them breathe in the smell of horses every chance you get….

Then at a few months old you prop them up in the saddle and hold them there to just sit in the saddle….

When they are 3 they say they can’t pick up the horse’s hoof …you help them but then tell them they need to finish themselves…..

You let them lead the 23 yr old faithful gelding because leading the big horse makes them feel so proud….

At 4 yrs old you teach them that the horse depends on them for water, hay, grain….Dinner might be almost ready in the house, but ponies eat first …..

At 5 years old, when she falls off for the first time, you check to make sure nothings broken, wipe her tears, then you give her a leg up and tell her to get it done, because you KNOW she’s a great rider…..

At 10 years old when she doesn’t place in her class at the horse show and she’s falling apart, you ask her if her horse worked hard for her, and then you tell her that to her horse she is #1, and to keep riding, because her horse depends on her……

At 12 years old she comes home from school and tells you another kid said something mean at school to someone she knows. She then tells you she told that kid to shut their mouth and keep it to themselves…. Then she walked off with the kid that was being made fun of……

At 13 years old her friends at the barn are as close as siblings……they support her in her wins and her falls…..the barn has created relationships that are thicker than blood….

At 15 years old her first “boyfriend” breaks up with her ….. you can tell she is upset so you both head to the barn. She wraps her arms around her horse’s neck, breathes him in, and the tears flow. But you can see that resolve emerge when she’s cantering around the ring…. She tells you her horse is better than that boy any day.

You heard others say over the years…..

“Horses are too expensive!”
“She’s going to get sick from all the germs.”
“She’s going to fall off and get hurt.”
“She spends too much time at the barn.”

When she is a young woman and leaves your home, off on her next adventure, you head out to the barn. You thank her horses, you breathe them in, you wrap your arms around them because ….

Horses helped you to create a confident, self-assured, responsible, kind, nurturing, outdoors-loving, tough as nails, throws her shoulders back and stands tall, strong woman.

To all the parents raising “horse girls” keep going, you are giving them more than just riding lessons…..
Written by Kara LaBrie❤️

05/21/2023

Day 2 of MADFest was more fun, excellent rides, and perfect ponies!

05/20/2023

Day 1 MADFest was a great success. Good rides, good friends and lots of laughs.

05/17/2023

Reiner Klimke told us:
"Contact does not mean that by pulling the reins we will have it. The horse should step into the contact and establish an outline corresponding to the respective pace; an outline within which it can best develop its power. This is the aim of stepping into the contact. The rider's legs, weight and hands bring the horse into a form within which it can carry itself so that it can move most comfortably. Then it will be able to move, when it is muscled up, to the best of its ability." Pic taken by Werner Ernst Read more on good contact:
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/10/contact-what-is-good-contact/

05/14/2023

Happy Mother’s Day!

04/17/2023

Chatham Hall hosted a wonderful schooling jumper show yesterday!! Congratulations to Sydney Anderson and Fennec Fox on winning two of their classes and shrinking the time allowed after a smoking fast jump off round! 💨 Riley Carr and Grace jumped three clear rounds, placing 4th in their class. Taylor Crush and Kirby enjoyed a day offsite to re-acclimate Kirby to show life! Thank you Katie for the coaching and support!!

03/21/2023

Happy Spring!!

03/08/2023

Happy International Women’s Day to all of our fantastic, fierce equestrians!

03/03/2023

When an Employee Appreciation post turns into an awkward JCP photo shoot, you post the outcome for all to enjoy! We have the best staff at HOD and are so thankful for all they do!! Thank you Lori, Riley, Amanda, Hannah, Nikki, Nora, Sydney, Katie, Pat, Hannah, Ethan and Morgan. We couldn’t do it with you all!! 💚🤍💚🤍💚

02/27/2023

Congratulations to the Dream Team on your 2022 SWVADA awards! We have the BEST barn family!!
💚🤍