Tennessee Equestrian Real Estate : The Farm at Tralee : Knoxville Farm Land in Strawberry Plain, Knox County, TN

I have basically known that this day would come...the dreaded day when one of my "babies" needed to be sold. I am many things, but a horse-seller I am not. I tend to collect, and eventually bury, the horses I have known. I am what you call a "lifer". But there are times when selling a horse is not only a very legitimate choice, but the best choice, for both the seller and the horse. Such is the case with Archer. He belongs to Tralee, but he is loved by all. A total character and a barn favorite, he has been a blessing to the many riders in his life that he has taught. Like many talented horses, Archer has moved around a lot from show barn to show barn. He eventually ended up at Tralee to be rehabilitated after an injury. He recovered, and moreover he has taught many riders here a thing or two about riding. However, his size (18h.!) made him an awkward fit for most students. It was often the case that his talents were wasted away and he was only worked a day or two every week. I knew he deserved a real mommy, one who was devoted to only him. At Tralee, he was underused and taking up much needed space in our barn. I decided to sell him with much sadness. But the story gets interesting here...

Going through his file, I found an old letter from his former owner's mom. The mom was writing to a trainer buying Archer, who used to be known by the name Jake. In the letter she expressed how her teenaged daughter was terribly distressed that they had to sell "Jake" and hoped that they could stay in touch with him as he ages, and even purchase him back some day when life was more settled and the time was right. She mentioned how her daughter found a soul mate in "Archer". 

Well, I called the number on the letter and left a detailed message. A day later I got a phone call from his former owner Sarah. She was hysterical with joy to locate him, as the name change combined with serveral successive homes had caused her to lose track. She expressed her heartbreak over losing him, and as a successful career woman in her 20's, how she still felt like the loss of him had left an empty hole in her life. She came to see him here in Knoxville and brought him his favorite treat, Skittles--who knew! Archer is moving to Miami to live the rest of his life with Sarah in October. He is finally going home to be with his mom again, and while I am so incredibly sad to lose him I can't think of a better ending to his story. Congratulations to Sarah and Archer...or should I say Jake!

 

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Caren and her mare Tarny have been together many years, and have done many things together. But while her "past life" included some polo, some jumping, some trail riding, and more, her current days are filled with work and family. It has been several years since Caren last jumped. She has been working hard on her equitation since coming to Tralee, and the work has shown. Her communication is more clear and smooth with her horse, and this is a direct result of her body being more stable and controlled. So it was no surprise when she mentioned jumping in her last lesson. We agreed to take it slowly, but this lesson we did a few crossrails for the first time in our lessons. Tarny and Caren looked great, without a bobble or awkward moment between them. Not bad for a "several year" hiatus! It was all smiles this Sunday, but I chose to post this photo because I love the look of calm focus on both of their faces as they canter away from the jump. This look says volumes to someone who rides...it is the epitome of that place that we all go to when we ride. A place so focused and peaceful, that the whole world just melts away, and it is just you, your horse, and the wind in your face.

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We have some new faces--both horse and human--at the farm! Elizabeth and her Trakehner mare Maddie came to us last month from Newport, Tennessee. Elizabeth is going to be a freshman at UT this fall, and is planning on going to vet school. She and Maddie are currently shopping for a new saddle, which I'm sure many of you know is not easy to do! Saddle shopping is one of those things--the more you know, the more overwhelming and daunting it becomes. Still, knowledge is power, and the best hope you have for finding a saddle that fits both you and your horse is to educate yourself. A book that I really recommend for this job is titled "The Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book" by Dr. Joyce Harman.



Another new pair hails from New York. Clarice and her uber-gentleman Trakehner gelding Baron are resettling here in Tennessee. Clarice bought a farm and is designing her own private barn not far from Tralee. While construction occurs, we get the pleasure of Baron's sweet face every day. Clarice and Baron competed in the Adult Amateur hunter division, and are veterans of the HITS circuit in New York, so Clarice has seen many beautiful and functional barns in her life to prepare her for this design project. I can't wait to see the results!


   
Lastly, Caren and her husband Tom purchased a new horse--Tom's first! Thunder is a Shire/Irish Sport Horse cross. He is a whopping 18h and is the sweetest thing around. Tom and Thunder are planning on pleasure riding and trail riding, and maybe down the road a little fox hunting may happen. In the meantime, they have had to grin and bear it while us girls oooh and aaah over Thunder's big chocolatey eyes and long flowing mane. He looks like a fairy tale horse, and Caren summed it up as her daughters stared gleefully up at the new boy: "I have a feeling there is going to be some glitter in that mane some day". Sorry Tom! The least we can do is use a masculine colored glitter...

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This winter was filled with hard work and training for Gracie, and I decided it was time to test her skills at her first Eventing competition. I signed up for the spring Horse Trials at River Glen Equestrian Park, and I entered her in the beginner novice division for green horses. My student Kim has been riding Gracie a lot while her mare is laid up, so it was only fitting that Kim got to compete in her first event too!



We were both a bit out of our element, and joked the entire weekend about being Hunter/Jumpers without a clue...but Gracie was all business, as usual, set out to claim her place at the top. She knows when the show has begun, and she really turns on her "show pony" game face.



Her dressage was good enough to put her 4th out of 17, and we were more than happy about that. But her jumping is where she really excels, and after a double clear stadium jumping round and a clear cross country round, Gracie ended the weekend as she expected...in first place! I am so proud of her and Kim, and we all had a great time. Gracie is owned by The Farm at Tralee and she is currently for sale, ideally to a good eventer who wants a little horse with tons of heart. Check out our Sales and Leases page for more information.


 
The weekend after River Glen, a group of us went up to Lexington, KY to watch the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event--the pinnacle of eventing competition. It was an amazing display of athleticism and bravery, and we all had a great time. The highlight was watching Karen O'Connor compete on the famous "Teddy", a 14.2 hand pony! Teddy is the first pony to ever compete at Rolex, and he took 3rd last year, and 6th this year. He is the true definition of "pony power".

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As the sun gently kisses the western side of the model home, East Tennessee awakes!

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This week, Tralee student Susan and I chose to take advantage of the decidedly spring weather and go lesson in the field. The best field for riding is a large stretch of hilltop that overlooks the pond and pavilion, and due to its shape we riders call it “The Big L” field. The “L” is community space at Tralee, open for riding, picnicking, bird-watching…and most of all, for the simple serenity of gazing at vast stretches of rolling meadowland.



It’s a great place to pull all your riding skills together, because open space riding really requires an effective, confident, accurate, secure rider who can use her aids well. Susan was up to the task, and Gracie enjoyed the break from the arena as they practiced hand galloping over the rolling terrain and jumping the single fence I had brought out to the field. I personally always feel bolder jumping in the field, as if somehow the fences magically shrink against the blue horizon. I think this comes from that naturally more forward pace that most horses have in the open spaces, or maybe just because the tall grass makes the fence height look smaller.



Either way, the field can be a fun place for an experienced rider to get some confidence-boosting mileage over slightly bigger fences. By the end of the lesson, I dropped the 3’6” vertical down to 2’9” for one last jump, and Susan remarked that it looked positively puny at that point. This picture captures that happy moment, after a mind-opening lesson such as we had this day, where 2’9” will never look quite the same again!

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My husband bought a new digital camera that promises to take better action shots—a must for horse sports. The first day out of the box, he went out the front door to give it a test run. As he walked toward the mare field, Gracie the mooch started walking toward him. She is such an attention hound, and the look on her face generally demands to know what could be cuter or more important than her. He got a series of pictures as she approached and then nosed out to sniff the camera, which was clearly occupying Mark’s precious attention. This shot says it all…”icky camera”!

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Cross over the Burr Arch Bridge, veer left on Lot 26, and you will find the second home at Tralee. Paul Smiddy has started construction on  "The Cottage." At nearly 6,000 square feet, the second home in Tralee may be larger than you might imagine a cottage, but the novel plan is reminiscent of the English Country.

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One of the advantages of being in Tennessee is that we have relatively easy access to many major horse events in the southeast. Whether you want to watch jumpers in Florida, eventers in South Carolina, or thoroughbreds in Kentucky…it is never more than a day’s drive at most! Like most horse people, I love to watch competitions. So, today I am going to talk about some competitions in the area that might inspire you to get a group together and go watch the horses put on their best.

First, I can’t go much farther without mentioning the recent Nation’s Cup competition in Wellington. The U.S. team won the prestigious competition for the first time since 2003—go USA! A record number of countries were represented in this year’s competition, which is a great sign that show jumping is a sport that is continuing to grow and spread. Additionally, a locally owned horse “Utopia” took home 3rd place individually in the class, with Irish rider Edward Doyle on board. She is truly an incredible mare, owned by GK Performance Horses in Norris, TN. They are poised to produce some fabulous jumpers out of their barn, and I can’t wait to see what their bright future holds.

Some upcoming events are equally sure to be exciting. A group of us are making the annual pilgrimage to watch Rolex this year. It is one of only three 4-star rated event in the world (the other two are in the UK!). It is a spectacle not to be missed, and the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington is such a fabulous venue that it alone is worth the trip. In fact, the Horse Park was deemed worthy of hosting the first ever World Equestrian Games outside of Europe! In 2010, Lexington, KY will make history, and no doubt make us proud. Of course, Kentucky is truly most famous for whiskey and horse races, and you can get a good dose of both at the Kentucky Derby on May 3rd in Lousiville. Bring your hat, ladies…this event is all about tradition, from “The Song” to the Mint Julep, you’ve got to immerse yourself in the whole experience at the Run for the Roses.

Lastly, our own local show venue River Glen will host their spring Horse Trials on April 19-20. Tralee student Kim will be taking Gracie, so look for us there!

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