About

I live in the south-central area of Virginia, work full time at a university and I am chipping away at my Bachelor of Arts degree in English. I still live in the old farmhouse we bought twenty years ago with my husband, two dogs and currently, three horses in the pasture. My daughter serves in the Air Force and son lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I hope the FAQ below will answer any other questions.

So, you are the Northern Girl. How did you end up in Virginia?

I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and moved the lower tri-states area as a teenager. There, I met my husband and began our family. But, living in New York was expensive and when my husband’s brother moved to Virginia, we heard how living was easier, land was cheap and winters mild. On a look-see visit, we stumbled on an old farmhouse on twenty-five overgrown acres with a barn and falling over tobacco sheds. We walked through the grey dusty rooms, stepping over carcasses of dead ladybugs and I felt the house pull at me. Just as I thought there was no way husband would like it, he turned to me and said, “What do you think?” A year later we were moving in.

Who is was your first horse?

Cora. She arrived only a few months after we moved to Virginia. She was a thirteen-year-old Appaloosa mare idling away in a local farmer’s cow pasture, bossing the cows around. He needed her out and we wanted a horse for Alaina. When she stepped off the trailer, I don’t think any of us, Cora included, knew what we were getting into. We learned so much from her, like don’t put a freshly washed, sparkling white horse in a pasture and not expect her to immediately find the closest dirt patch to roll in. Alaina learned to ride dressage on her. She was a great horse and lived happy and healthy until age thirty-three. She is buried on our farm.

So, she was the Southern Horse?

Yes, but Southern Horse means so much more. She was not our only horse and through the horses of Virginia, we met so many wonderful, talented people who opened their stables and lives to us. It changed the course of my life.

Tell us about your riding?

I am not an expert rider by any means. Learning to ride as an older adult has many challenges. I joke that older riders don’t bounce like the kids. I’ve always been a cautious rider. I started taking dressage lessons along with Alaina whenever I could. But after she joined the service, I filled my empty nest in the saddle. I found a stable close to home and began to ride weekly. Most of the students were teenagers, but they were great and put up with me. And the owner had some great school horses. I tried a little hunter jumping. After all, I figured if I can jump, I’d improve my skills. I did a tiny bit of local shows, but mostly I just wanted to ride.

Who are your horses now?

 Currently, I have three horses in my barn. One is a boarder. Star is an Arabian bay mare, and Mae is a bay quarterhorse. Mae is my primary horse to ride. They originated from the stable I rode at and I have had them for two years.

Why did you start this blog?

There are several factors that urged me to start this. First, I wanted to focus on the local area that has been so good to me. Time and again, I see horse people get together and there is a special bond they share with each other and their horses. I love to hear the stories and ask them questions. I also wanted an outlet for my creative writing and for other artists. So that has led me here.