Holding the Reins
Story by Kimberley Broas
Photography by Casey Templeton
Four Shenandoah Valley women are dedicated to educating the public about the qualities of horsemanship — the skills involved in handling and riding horses.
Juggling families, careers, school and running a stable is a 24-hour-a-day commitment, but one they would never abandon. Though they are unique individuals, each shares a common bond — all are entrepreneurs in the equine
industry, driven by a passion for horses.
Starting a business is never an easy task, but for Ann Gardener, Maureen Waldron and Darlene and Brooke Kemper, owning their own farm is a dream come true. Together, the local properties of Oak Manor, Mill Creek and Kemper Knoll provide riding lessons to the Valley community.
Specializing in hunters and jumpers also unites these farms. Traditionally, a hunter is any breed of horse that might be suitable for fox hunting. A jumper is any horse that has the ability to jump a course of large, colorful fences without knocking them over.
Horse owners are a unique breed. Each has his or her own goals and plans for their barn, horses and themselves. Whether they own horses for the purpose of competition or for companionship, there is a rare bond that forms between horse and rider.
Back in the Saddle
Ann Gardner, owner of Oak Manor Farms, believes the bond between a horse and its owner is like a disease. “You are born with it, ” Gardner says with a laugh. “It doesn’t matter how hard you try to treat it, there is no cure. You might as well just not even try to fight it.”
A devoted mother, loving wife, veterinarian, stable owner, teacher and rider are just some of the roles Gardner plays. Since the age of five, when she took her first horseback-riding lesson, she knew that horses would always be a large part of her life.
Originally from South Carolina, Gardner grew up showing junior hunters and junior jumpers. Her passion for horses gave her the inspiration to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. “I thought I’d be a veterinarian my whole life, but I grew up in a time when they said women can’t be veterinarians,” Gardner says. Despite the odds, Gardner attended Virginia Tech for veterinary school. It was during her first year that she met her husband to whom she’s been married for 19 years, Dr. David Gardner. Both were graduates of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.
Together, she and her husband opened the Maple Lane Veterinary Clinic in Weyers Cave. The 200-acre property is not only where their family resides but also the home of their hay crop business.
For 13 years, Gardner owned the Harrisonburg Animal Hospital, but wanted to have more time to devote to raising her three children. With support from her husband, she sold her practice and decided her 23-year hiatus from riding was over — it was time to get back in the saddle.
In 1998, the Gardners purchased Oak Manor Farms located in Burketown, a “subsidiary” of Weyers Cave. When they purchased Oak Manor, only a few horses were there. “We bought it thinking that I’d have three or four horses and would start riding again,” Gardner says.
The Gardners knew they wanted to turn the farm into a business. The first thing they did was find a trainer. Sarah Irvine was suggested to them by friends. Irvine joined the team and helped the farm start riding lessons. “The first year we had six people from JMU that rode here, and the second year we had 26 and the next year we had 50,” Gardner says.
From dawn till dusk Gardner is on the grounds of the farm helping her staff take care of the horses. Duties range from making sure all the activities are planned to bringing in all the horses for lessons. She also makes sure the riders are on the right horses and the horses are ready for the ring. There are a lot of steps involved in preparing a rider for competition. Gardner teaches her students how to clean, tack, lead and blanket the horses. “I try to teach them horsemanship things,” Gardner says. Whether a rider is taking his or her first lesson or a more experienced rider is preparing for a competition, certain qualities are essential.
“When I ride it’s important to me that I be sensitive to what the horse is doing and that I am a little proactive rather than reactive,” Gardner says. She believes that compassion and sensitivity are the most important qualities a rider should have. “When I watch the kids ride our horses, I want that kind of rider on my horse.”
The farm has turned into a family affair for the Gardners. Ann and Dave, along with their three children, Trevor, Sydney and Tucker, are extremely involved in the activities that take place at Oak Manor. “We’ve built the businesses that we have together,” Gardner says. “I am really proud about this farm. Our goal is to make it a place where riders of all ages can come and love the horse.”
The 95 acres of pasture that make up Oak Manor Farms are home not only to the Gardners and the 50 horses that reside there, but also to all those who have walked through the old barn doors. “Ann’s dedication to her farm is visible in all that she does,” says Sarah Axelson, a member of the JMU equestrian team. “She not only provides me with a place to ride, but also with a place to call my second home.”
Gardner says, “When I was a little kid growing up, I told my dad one day that when I grew up I was going to have a farm, and my kids were going to go to school in the morning and I was going to spend all day with the horses. We were going to live on a farm with a creek running through it and live happily ever after — and we do.”
A Lifetime Pursuit
A winding dirt road leads to the entrance of Mill Creek Farm, where Maureen Waldron has lived for the past 15 years. A slight breeze blows a “Welcome Friends” flag that hangs from her front porch. Her country-style home overlooks the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains and the 89 acres of pasture she owns. While her roots are in West Orange, N.J., she is now firmly planted in the soil of the Shenandoah Valley. Since the age of 10, Waldron has had one goal in mind — to one day own her own farm and be surrounded by horses. This is a dream she now lives out every day.
“It’s the only thing I ever wanted to do,” Waldron says.
Waldron rode horses as a child and hoped that one day they would play a larger role in her life. Growing up in a town with four stables gave her the opportunity to learn about these majestic animals. The lessons she learned early in life taught her the basics of horsemanship and of the love and time that one must devote to animals. “When everyone else was having a job somewhere else, I was working at a barn,” Waldron says.
During her college years at James Madison University, Waldron devoted a lot of time to riding and participating in various competitions. While her love for horses grew stronger, she realized they were not her only passion in life — she also enjoyed teaching. It was not just about competition anymore; it was about teaching children the foundations of horsemanship and passing her passion along to them. “My parents couldn’t figure out why in the whole world I would want to do this,” Waldron says. But for her, there was no confusion. She always knew she would one day own and operate a barn.
After graduating college in 1972, Waldron returned to New Jersey where she taught lessons at different barns. During this time she met Debbie Forrest, who is now partial owner of Mill Creek Farm.
Waldron says she always knew she wanted to return to the Shenandoah Valley. In 1989, she and Forrest purchased the land that would become Mill Creek Farm. At the time its purpose was to raise different types of pasture grass for Virginia Tech.
Today, specialized grasses and cows have been replaced with horses. In fact, the view from the front yard of her farmhouse is dominated by horses.
Mill Creek Farm is dedicated to teaching children and adults about riding and horsemanship. “We work with the local people,” Waldron says. “Most people start on a recreational level and then they get more involved as they go on.” The mix of young riders and adults taking lessons at the farm is about half-and-half. The adults bring a different attitude,” Waldron says. “It’s very rewarding to teach them.”
“You shouldn’t become involved unless you are very interested and dedicated,” she continues. Being a stable owner is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week commitment. Every day begins with a morning ritual. At 7:30 a.m., the horses are fed, stalls are cleaned, medications are given and horses are turned out. Lessons are given all afternoon.
“You have to realize there’s the hard part too, and that doesn’t go away,” Waldron says. “You’re the one out there in the miserable weather, and no one else is. Even if I leave here they’ll call me when there’s something wrong.”
So much of her time is dedicated to running the barn that Waldron hardly has time to ride. But after all these years she is still enthusiastic about her job. “It’s very rewarding to see the kids do well,” she says. The many people who have left her program and continued working with horses are one of the things that makes her most proud.
“Most people get into this because they like horses and because they like the people,” Waldron says. “I can’t imagine anyone doing it for any other reason.”
Cowgirls
Portraits of her daughters and her horses line the walls of her country home. A basket full of ribbons sits beneath a window overlooking the 105 acres of pasture land that have been in the family since 1947.
There are not many true working farms left. The Kemper family home, Kemper Knoll Farm, is more than a place to rest a hat at the end of the day. It’s a farm that has turned into a family business.
The Kempers family business has evolved into a dynamic mother-daughter duo. Darlene Kemper and her daughter Brooke spend almost all of their time together taking care of their 40 other family members — their horses. “It is definitely a family thing,” Brooke says.
But as a child, owning her own farm was not what Darlene imagined she would do with her life. “I wanted to ride horses all my life, but my parents were afraid of them,” Darlene says. It wasn’t until she moved to the Shenandoah Valley to attend college at JMU that she realized she could follow her dreams of being a member of the equine community.
She started taking lessons at local barns during her sophomore year at JMU. “The more I got into the horse community and the more I got a chance to ride and do things with horses, the more I loved it,” Darlene says.
She started taking lessons once a week, but that quickly escalated — as did the beginnings of her own farm. She went from taking lessons to teaching them, which paved the way for the purchase of her first horse, then her second ... today she owns 25.
While obtaining a teaching position at JMU, Darlene continued riding and educating herself about horses. “I read every book that you could get your hands on, I watched every horse movie; anything that had to do with horses, I was there,” Darlene says.
In 1982, she and her husband moved to his family farm, Kemper Knoll. “When I came, the horses came with me,” Darlene says.
Over the years, the Kempers’ business has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to referrals from clients and friends. “My business has grown to the point now where if I go to a horse show and take 15 horses and 17 students, I don’t have much time to compete myself,” Darlene says.
While her competition days have slowed down, the rewards she receives from teaching her students are endless. “When you see a rider that can get on a horse, and it looks like the horse and rider are one — it is just a beautiful thing to watch,” she says. “It is rewarding to be there, and it’s rewarding to see it.”
Patience and organization are two of the most important qualities a stable owner should have, according to Darlene. “I don’t always think of myself as being patient,” she says. However, “If someone has a genuine desire to learn and a genuine fascination with the horse, I have all the patience in the world.”
According to Brooke Kemper, her mom is a lot more patient than she gives herself credit for. “She is very patient ... one of the most patient people I know,” Brooke says. “She is very good with kids and she is very good at getting things done.”
Brooke’s experiences with horses have been very different than her mother’s. She has been riding since the moment she could sit up. For her, with the exception of school, everything is horse-related. Running a farm has become a normal way of life for both Kemper women.
There is more that goes into running a family business than just providing riding lessons to the community. The entire process is a team effort. “You have to find people to help you that care about your horses, that are going to come whether the weather is good or bad,” Darlene says. “It is definitely a team effort.”
Brooke Kemper says she always had the urge to ride, and her mother helped her. With her mom being her only coach and trainer, the two women spend a lot of time together. Not only are they together when they travel to shows, but they constantly support one another. If Darlene is not around, then Brooke teaches lessons. If there are extra chores in the barn to be done, they work together. Both women are motivated to keep the farm a family business.
A great deal of background work is required to keep everything running. The duties include making phone calls, billing clients, lining up appointments with the vet and getting the horses ready for the farrier. “There are a lot of things that people don’t realize we have to do,” Brooke says. But they wouldn’t do it if they didn’t love it. Their horses are like children to them.
With interest in horses growing so much, Darlene decided that there needed to be more opportunities for beginners to learn the basics of horsemanship and have the chance to compete without the pressures of large groups.
Thirteen years ago she started a series called, “The Great Beginnings Show Series.” This local program is intended to give beginners a feel for what it is like to compete. Riders compete in smaller classes that are tailored to their skill level.
The program has become so popular that other local farms have teamed up with Kemper Knoll. Waldron was the first to join the program, extending the series to four shows each year. Another local barn, Hunters Edge, joined and extended the series to six shows a year, and now Gardner has joined the team, making the program a seven-show series beginning in May and running through October.
“Great Beginnings” is a great way for riders to get acclimated to competition and also is helpful for the horses. It gives young horses a chance to get exposed to the traveling and showing without having to start off at a larger competition.
The mother-daughter team of Darlene and Brooke Kemper is made up of two self-motivated women. “When you run your own business, nobody tells you this has to be done at this time,” Darlene says.
Unlike some businesses, there is no such thing as a day off when you run a farm. Any amount of farm work is very labor intensive, and great care needs to be taken when dealing with such large animals. “You have to be willing to cancel your personal plans to do what [the horses] need you to do,” Darlene says.
Brooke says not only are they mother and daughter, they are friends. And at the end of the day what it really comes down to for these four women is a passion and a love for their horses.