1. THE POST
A MEDIA GENERAL MAGAZINE
At work
Horse sitter
Industry snapshot
See how Mechanicsville man
nailed his dream job
Who’ll watch
the farm?
Guess how many
horses Virginia
has now?
Page 10
Page 11
Page 8
Fall 2008
F O R H O R S E L O V E R S I N V I R G I N I A
3. 3FALL 2008 WELCOME
For Horse Lovers in Virginia
Vol. 1 Fall 2008 No. 1
The Post is a publication of Media General Operations Inc.
Douglas A. Forshey
Publisher
(804) 649-6998
dforshey@mediageneral.com
Joan Hughes
Editor
(804) 512-4373
ThePost@mediageneral.com
Send your editorial comments and story ideas to Joan.
Skip Rowland
Staff Photographer
(804) 512-2402
skip@skippix.biz
Contributing Writers
Andrea Heid
Joan Hughes
Roshun Povaiah
Aubrey Simpson
Toms Varghese
Saheem Wani
Advertising Sales
Pam Sanders
Sales Manager
(804) 380-8011
psanders@mediageneral.com
The Post will be published quarterly in 2009 by Media General Operations, Inc., 333
East Franklin St., Richmond, VA 23219. The magazine is distributed free of charge in
central and western Virginia. This publication is copyright 2008 Media General Opera-
tions, Inc. All editorial materials are fully protected and may not be reproduced in any
manner without our written consent. Questions regarding the content should be directed
to the publisher.
The Post is published in partnership with the Virginia Horse Industry Board. For more
information about the Virginia horse industry or the VHIB, visit www.vhib.org.
On the cover: In this July, 2007 Richmond Times-Dispatch
photo, Dreaming of Anna checks out her surroundings at
Colonial Downs in New Kent County while waiting to compete
in the Virginia Oaks. She won the race. (Photo by Bruce
Parker)
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THE POST
4. FALL 2008WELCOME 4
G
reetings to everyone attend-
ing the 2008 Virginia Equine
Extravaganza. On behalf of the
Virginia Horse Industry Board, I
hope your weekend here is both entertaining
and educational. Enjoy the beautiful exhibi-
tions, learn from the experienced clinicians
and seminar leaders, browse the vendors as
you look for tack and care innovations for
you and your horses, and network with other
members of the industry.
The Virginia Horse Industry Board (VHIB)
is pleased to return to the Extravaganza and
continues to work for you — a member of
Virginia’s vast equine industry. Supported by
funding from Coggins Test fees and equine
feed checkoff monies, the VHIB is committed
to the education and promotion of the indus-
try in the commonwealth. Since 1995, when
it was first created, the board has awarded
more than $1 million in grants — reinvesting
these monies back into Virginia’s $1.6 billion
equine industry.
We hope you find this first edition of The
Post informative and educational. The VHIB
is supporting this publication and is working
with Media General to have similar editions
produced and distributed with major newspa-
pers throughout the state in 2009.
The goal is to provide more information on
the industry — and the people in the industry
— and to encourage both adults and young
people to join and support Virginia’s equine
industry.
With some 215,000 horses and more than
41,000 horse operations, Virginia boasts a
diversity of breeds and disciplines. Virginia
also has a long-standing relationship with
horses — with the first horses arriving in
1610 — and that tradition continues. Owners
enjoy their horses whether trail riding, work-
ing in the dressage ring, helping their child
with the first pony, awaiting the birth of foals,
or numerous other equine activities. Virginia
owners are passionate about their horses. No
matter how many new technologies evolve,
or how quickly things change, one thing will
not — Virginia Is for Horse Lovers.
Enjoy the show and stop by the Virginia
Horse Industry Board booth (No. 215-217)
in Richmond Hall. Let us hear your opinion
about The Post or visit our
Web site, www.vhib.org.
Andrea Heid
Program Manager
Virginia Horse Industry Board
Virginia Horse Industry Board Program Manager Andrea Heid shows off her horse Poquita, a purebred Andalusian mare.
Virginia
owners are
passionate about
their horses
5. FALL 2008 PROFILE5
CATCHING UP WITH
GLENN PETTYWarrenton man’s world now revolves
around more than just horses
See page 6
By Roshun Povaiah
M
eet Glenn Petty. At 51, he’s done vir-
tually everything there is to do with
horses except, he said, ride them pro-
fessionally.
“We rode as kids in horse shows, but
that was probably it. My sister was a much better
rider,” Petty said.
Now he’s executive director of the Virginia Thor-
oughbred Association and chairman of the Virginia
Horse Industry Board.
Petty grew up on a horse farm in Fauquier County
and got into horses around age 6. “My father was in
the Army serving at the Pentagon. We had a couple
of broodmares and a few racehorses on our farm. We
did horse shows, 4-H, a little fox-hunting. We did
all the work from mending the fences to cutting the
grass.
6. FALL 2008PROFILE 6
PEOPLE WILL
SPEND MONEY ON
THE HORSE
BEFORE THEY FEED
THEMSELVES
From page 5
Glenn Petty shares a moment with
Merry Legs. Petty is Virginia Thorough-
bred Association executive director and
Virginia Horse Industry Board chairman.
“I got a lot of experience from the ground up,”
Petty said.
However, it wasn’t until Petty finished college
with a degree in journalism that he happened on a
career in horses. He used to announce horse shows
in the summer around Fauquier and Loudoun coun-
ties. He would also take pictures and compile show
results for the local community newspapers. This
landed him a job as horse sports editor for the Fau-
quier Times-Democrat.
“It was the perfect job. I knew the business and
I knew journalism. I made something like $6,000 a
year or something crazy back in 1980,” Petty said.
But it didn’t last too long.
After about 90 days, he walked into the office of
Ernest Oare. The well-known horseman was looking
for an executive director for the VTA in Warrenton,
where Petty was (and still is) living. He got the job.
Now he’s on his third stint as the organization’s
executive director, this latest beginning in 2001.
In between, he’s started a horse insurance agency,
worked as a bloodstock agent, managed racing,
broodmare and stallion share syndicates and worked
for the Maryland Jockey Club which owns Laurel
and Pimlico.
Though the horse industry has its fundraising
challenges, Petty said it remains somewhat insulated
from the current economic crisis.
“I think one of the won-
derful things about the
horse business is that peo-
ple will spend money on
the horse before they feed
themselves. It’s amazing
how passionate horse peo-
ple are. If we get stuck in a
three or four year period, it
will take a pretty good bite
out of the industry,” Petty
said. “It gives me another good reason for not buying
a pony for my daughter anytime soon,” he laughed.
In fact, it’s Petty’s 9-year-old daughter, Anna Ga-
lina, who’s the rider in the family, taking lessons to
complement her gymnastics. Her 6-year-old brother,
William Anatoly (called Toly), isn’t interested in
horses yet.
Petty got into fatherhood late, adopting both his
children from Russia with wife Amy, Fauquier
Health marketing director. He said he now has very
little time for horses, as he’s busy with his children’s
football, baseball, soccer, gymnastics, school and
other activities.
Petty says renowned
Virginia horseman Noel
Twyman gave him the best
horse advice he’s ever re-
ceived: “One time at a year-
ling sale, he told me to look
at a horse from the feet up
so as not to be influenced by
a pretty top line or a fancy
pedigree. He was absolutely
right,” Petty said.
Over the years, Petty has owned racehorses, syndi-
cated them and participated in various partnerships.
Petty said at one time, he and some associates owned
and managed about $12 million in horses.
“At one point I was in it up to my eyeballs. It’s
something I learned in the [19]80s. Misery loves
7. FALL 2008
Challenges facing the horse industry
Throughout Glenn Petty’s career with horses
the challenges have remained much the same.
“The interesting thing about the horse in-
dustry in Virginia is that the recreational horse
industry is growing extremely well. But the
business component of it is shrinking for a va-
riety of reasons. One of the biggest is competi-
tion from other states,” Petty said.
Neighboring states like Maryland, West
Virginia and Pennsylvania offer greater incen-
tives to breeders. Those respective states pay
generous bonuses when horses bred in their
states win. The key challenge, he said, is finding
resources to raise more money for the Virginia
Breeders Fund.
Finding resources is a common problem
throughout Virginia’s horse industry, accord-
ing to Petty. “There’s a lot of money spent on
the horses but not a lot of money spent on the
advocacy portion,” he said.
“There are 5.3 million people in Maryland,
who wager $400 million a year on Thorough-
bred racing. This gives their breeders’ group
1 percent of that money which is $4 million to
spend on breeding programs. In Virginia, we
have 7.5 million people who bet $120 million
a year on racing, giving us just $1.2 million to
spend on the program,” Petty said.
One problem is that there are just nine
satellite wagering facilities, and none north of
Richmond, for racing in Virginia compared to
more than 2,000 outlets for the state lottery,
Petty said.
“The horse-racing industry is a funny mar-
riage of agriculture, animal husbandry and
gambling. And it is the gambling that pays for
the agriculture and the animal husbandry. In
Virginia, we have had some issues getting our
arms around the gambling part of it,” Petty
said.
Amy, Toly, Anna Galina (on Merry Legs,
the horse she is learning to ride on), and
Glenn Petty.
PROFILE7
The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail
ThePost@mediageneral.com or call Joan Hughes at (804) 512-4373.
Contact Glenn Petty at vta@vabred.org or (540) 347-4313.
company and it’s great to celebrate when you win so
I’m an advocate of owning horses in partnerships,”
Petty said.
His most memorable moment in horseracing was
when Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. “It’s
a John Kennedy, space shuttle, 9/11 moment. You
can never forget that,” Petty said.
A career highlight was opening day at Colonial
Downs in September 1997. “I was speechless, and
that’s saying something. I had been working every
day for three months to help get it open and it was
very gratifying,” Petty said. He was working for the
Maryland Jockey Club and “everybody did every-
thing in the last three weeks.”
It’s his passion for horses that keeps Petty at the
VTA for the third time. “At the end of the day, it’s
probably just the horses that keep me going. It’s
the horses and the fact that I always want them to
here,” Petty said.
8. industry snapshot 8
By Toms Varghese
T
he equine industry plays a bigger role in
Virginia’s economy than people may real-
ize. Key to understanding the industry’s
significance is the 2006 Virginia Equine
Survey Report.
The survey report reveals that in 2006, 15,600
horses were sold in Virginia, generating $107.3 mil-
lion. These sales place horses as Virginia’s sixth larg-
est agricultural commodity based on cash receipts.
There were 41,000 equine operations throughout
the commonwealth in 2006, up 41 percent from 2001
(year of the last survey), and their value on Nov. 1,
2006 was $1.65 billion, up 13 percent from June 1,
2001, according to the report.
The Virginia Horse Industry Board, responsible
for promotion and economic development of Virgin-
ia’s horse industry, helped fund the survey. It was
conducted by the Virginia Field Office of the Na-
tional Agricultural Statistics Service.
Based on the survey results, Virginia Horse In-
dustry Board Program Manager Andrea Heid said
the board plans to explore new ways to promote
Virginia’s horse industry and to continue to spear-
head its growth.
She said the growth of the industry since the
first survey in 2001 is the most striking feature
of the new report. “We went from 170,000 hors-
es to 215,000 in five years. That’s a growth of
26 percent,” she said.
David Mueller, deputy director of the Vir-
ginia Field Office of the National Agricul-
tural Statistics Service, said the report will
be used by the state and local govern-
ments to make decisions that affect the
equine industry.
Those wanting to learn more about the
industry may find the report useful as
may equine associations.
Mueller said businesses that provide sup-
plies and services to the equine sector will also find
the survey very helpful.
Heid believes the survey will be used by all seg-
ments of the horse industry: “The individual busi-
ness owner who’s thinking about expanding his
business, a farmer who is growing hay for horses
gets to know there are good buyers for his hay in
the industry and horse owners may find it helpful in
working with their local government.”
However, conducting the survey was not easy.
“We constructed a list of horse owners that lived in
Virginia. Since we know that a list is never complete,
we also surveyed some 360 land areas in the state for
horse owners who were not on our list. We calculat-
ed the expansions from both sources to arrive at our
estimate. Horses accounted for by people on our list
2006 Equine Survey Report
shows them at 215,000
NUMBER OF HORSES
Virginia equine
operations spent
$783 million in 2006
caring for horses
FALL 2008
9. FALL 2008
IN VIRGINIA JUMPS
9
For a copy of the survey report:
Visit the Virginia Horse Industry Board Web
site at www.vhib.org or download it via www.
nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Virginia/
Publications/Equine/index.asp.
Or call the Virginia Field Office of the National
Agricultural Statistics Service at (804) 771-2493.
industry snapshot
The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail
ThePost@mediageneral.com or call Joan Hughes at (804) 512-4373.
To contact Andrea Heid at the Virginia Horse Industry Board call
(804) 786-5842 or visit www.vhib.org.
plus horses owned by people not on our list as found
in the area equals total horses,” Mueller said.
One notable finding of the survey was that spend-
ing on equine activities increased from 2001. Vir-
ginia equine operations spent $783 million during
2006 caring for horses, compared to $505 million
during 2001. The most money went toward feed and
bedding at $99.6 million. Equipment purchases were
at $92 million, followed by labor expenses at $74
million, capital improvements at $72.6 and equine
purchases at $63.6 million. Expenses covering up-
keep-related items accounted for 77 percent of all
expenses, according to the survey.
The next equine survey is scheduled to be con-
ducted in 2011 with the results expected in 2013.
“It would be ideal to have it [the survey] done on a
yearly or every two-year basis. But there’s an awful
lot of work involved, lots of data has to be gathered
getting people’s names and addresses. It has to be
checked, interpreted by the statistical service and the
real bottom-line is the cost. It is too cost-prohibi-
tive unless we get a corporate sponsor. We are really
grateful that we now have the support of the Gen-
eral Assembly in getting this done every five years,”
Heid said.
10. FALL 2008AT WORK 10
By Saheem Wani
H
is life is all about hands and feet; far-
rier hands shaping and trimming horses’
hoofs. Farriery, from the word ferrum or
iron, is an ancient art, and farrier Chat
Dodd is an artist of iron.
The 28-year-old Mechanicsville resident’s job pri-
marily consists of trimming a horse’s hoofs, balanc-
ing the foot at a correct angle from the ground, and
finally shoeing the hoofs.
It also includes dealing
with injured or diseased
hoofs.
“Many people have a
tough time selecting their
career, but luckily for me,
I always knew I had to be-
come a farrier. Ever since
I’ve known myself, I’ve
known horses,” he said.
After graduating high school, Dodd attended Ken-
tucky Horseshoeing School and then worked as an
apprentice in Virginia for four years. “For anyone as-
piring to become a farrier, both are necessary. While
school teaches you everything from basic horseshoe-
ing techniques to the advanced anatomy of equine
limbs and veterinary science, working as an appren-
tice gives you field experience, which you need be-
fore you can start your own business.”
After completing his apprenticeship, Dodd started
his own business. From racehorses and rodeo horses
to trail horses, Dodd can shoe them all. His fees gen-
erally range from around $110 per horse.
Dodd divides his time between work, his farm, his
22 horses (mostly quarter horses and some paints)
and his family (wife Roxanne, who trail rides, and
daughters ages 11 and 16 months). “Though it’s
sometimes hard to balance the personal and profes-
sional fronts, the feeling that someone is waiting for
you at home is awe-
some,” Dodd said.
Dodd’s job has its
highs and lows. He re-
called the time he shod
a horse expected to go
to the Olympics when
it had an accident and
died. “These are life’s
ways of teaching you
wisdom. There’s joy
when people love your work; in fact, word-of-mouth
has worked as the best advertisement for me. And
there is a dream of doing what I am doing, 20 years
from now, and loving it as much then as now.”
IF THE SHOE FITS...Mechanicsville man has always known he was going to be a farrier
In farriery, experience plays as important a role as learning
techniques and equine anatomy at the horseshoeing school.
FARRIER CHAT DODD
IS AN ARTIST OF IRON.
FROM RODEO HORSES
TO RACEHORSES, HE
CAN SHOE THEM ALL
The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail
ThePost@mediageneral.com or call Joan Hughes at (804) 512-4373.
To contact Chat Dodd call (804) 677-9651.
11. By Saheem Wani
T
he best horses are mothered into glory.
They are broken over time and need con-
stant care. Or else, thousands of dollars
and dreams could go to waste. So when
they want or need to get away, horse own-
ers worry who they can get to take care of their ani-
mals.
This can affect vacations and other outings.
But people like Paula Almond offer hope.
A year ago, the 36-year-old Powhatan resident
started Horse & Hound. Owner of three horses and
11 dogs, Almond believes in “treating thy horse as
thou wouldst treat thyself.”
“Love for horses is a prerequisite for this profes-
sion. This and your experience in handling various
types of horses are the criteria that determine your
horse-sitting worth. Unlike farriery or other horse-
related pursuits, there is no formal training or certi-
fied course for horse-sitting,” Almond said.
Almond started thinking about working in the
horse industry when she was 28.
“I would accompany my elder daughter when she
started riding at 6. I had some experience in dealing
with horses but this was different. Just being there
made me realize how much I wanted to be there
for good. My transformation from a passive [horse]
lover to an active participant in the equine
world had begun.”
The gap between hors-
ing around and starting
a business later closed.
“My family had
planned a vacation
and I had a terri-
ble time trying to
figure out who would take care of my horses. They
are large animals so people tend to get intimidated.
In such cases, one prefers a professional. After a ha-
rassing search stretching over several days, I was
unable to find any. I found that I wasn’t the lone suf-
ferer; many horse owners were in a similar fix.
“Naturally, the idea of starting a horse-sitting
business emerged,” she said. When her children
were in school and after contemplating a return
to a previous office job, she “realized the idea
and scope of a horse sitter.”
“Most of my friends envy me. They are ani-
mal lovers stuck in 9-to-6 jobs. Some, in-
cluding my daughter, plan to become
horse sitters. It is easy to start your own
business. All you have to do is apply
for a license [a business license from
the county] and get insured [for liabil-
ity and accidents]. You don’t even need
to be bonded. It is the appeal of being
around horses and getting paid for it at the
same time that makes horse-sitting irre-
sistible.”
Almond’s fees vary according to a client’s needs.
The basic fee is $23 per visit for feeding two horses.
That increases for extra horses or additional services
such as brushing and grooming or cleaning stalls.
“I stick to Powhatan and its surrounding counties
which include Chesterfield, Amelia, Goochland and
Cumberland,” Almond said.
Almond has support from her husband as she jug-
gles home, children (ages 14, 10 and 4) and horses.
He “shares half my chores. He takes care of the kids
when I’m away. Without my family rooting for me all
the time, I could not have come this far,” she said.
Powhatan woman can step in
when you want to step out
LOVE FOR HORSES IS
A PREREQUISITE FOR
THE PROFESSION OF
A HORSE SITTER
horse sitter11
WHO’LL WATCH
THE HORSES?
Tips on working with a horse sitter
Set up a consultation.
Provide instructions in writing.
Be prepared to provide contact and
veterinarian information.
Provide extra keys to the house and
“triple-check” that they work.
Check in with the horse sitter periodi-
cally when you are away.
Before leaving make sure there are am-
ple supplies of hay, feed and shavings and
other materials needed to do the work.
FALL 2008
The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail
ThePost@mediageneral.comorcallJoanHughesat(804)512-4373.
To contact Paula Almond call (804) 403-3463 or (804) 837-3517 or
e-mail her at pmalmond@verizon.net.
With the help of her daughter Erin, Paula Almond leads Smooch (from left), Slinger and Whiskey on her farm in
Powhatan. Below: Paula Almond and Slinger.
12. FALL 2008horse radio 12
By Toms Varghese
C
arol Holden couldn’t help laughing as she
recalled the first episode of “Trackside”
back in April 1988.
“I had done television interviews [but]
I had never done radio work before.
This was a little station in West Virginia. Someone
bumped on the leg of a table and the microphone and
all our notes were falling over. [Our guest] was the
only person with radio experience and he just kept
talking while we all tried to keep the show going.”
Twenty years later, Holden and co-host Sam Huff
are still going strong with the hour long show on
Thoroughbreds. “We’re glad we could keep going
with it,” Holden said. “It’s been great to have so
many top people from the industry coming for our
interviews, to see the industry progress and to do a
fine job getting knowledge and information out of
people interested in Thoroughbreds.”
The “Trackside” audience is “anybody that’s inter-
ested in horses,” Huff said.
Holden comes from a family that was in the horse
business and she developed her love of horses early
in life. Huff is from a coal-mining family. He is a
Pro Football Hall of Fame member who later became
interested in the horse industry.
Huff came up with idea for “Trackside,” Holden
said. “We put on the West Virginia Breeders Clas-
sics, which is a showcase for West Virginia horses.
Through Sam’s contact in radio and television in
Washington, Channel 9 came out to [cover] the first
year we did the Breeders Classics in 1987. They
interviewed me, and Sam saw the interview and
thought that I handled it very well. My whole life
revolves around horses and he came up with the idea
For many years, Sam Huff and Carol
Holden have been talking horse to
Northern Virginia-area radio listeners
RIGHT ON
TRACK
13. that if I talked about horses all the time, I might as
well get paid to do it.”
Holden and Huff started “Trackside” radio from a
small studio in Charles Town, W.Va. They also did
the show for a couple of years from Warrenton. This
continued until they got their own studio, Middleburg
Broadcasting Network, in Middleburg in 1995.
“Having our own studio, our own engineer and our
own equipment has been a great thing as we didn’t
have to deal with the idiosyncrasies of small private
stations,” Holden said.
“Trackside” isn’t just about handicapping races.
The show provides coverage on local, national and
international racing events, Holden said. “The ma-
jority of the programs about racing are about handi-
capping. We deal with industry issues and the people
[involved] and what is happening in the world of
racing.”
Holden has been to Dubai to cover the DubaiWorld
Cup and has done shows from England, France and
Ireland. (The international shows she does live by
phone.) “We’re trying to cover the entire racing in-
dustry,” Holden said.
A lot of preparation goes into every show. Holden
said she tries to keep in tune with the major happen-
ings in the industry.
“I do a lot of reading. I go through Thoroughbred
Daily News every day and Daily Racing Form and
all info on the Internet. If there is a major happening
I try to keep up with it.
“Sam and I are also involved in the industry. Like
we said, we do the West Virginia Breeders Classics
and we also breed and race horses. So we have a lot
of personal contacts also.”
“Nobody knows more about horses than Carol
Holden,” Huff said. “She can tell you the first one
that stepped off the boat from Europe. She is amaz-
ing. She has a great memory for horses. I’ve never
seen anybody like her.”
Running a show for 20 years can have its chal-
lenges, including maintaining listener interest.
“We try to have different guests and topics,” Hold-
en said. “We cover issues such as medication and
safety, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and
new careers for horses.” The show also gives infor-
mation about trainers running horses in major races.
“Trackside” has a casual approach that Holden
said comes naturally. “It’s something like sitting at
the kitchen table [and chatting]. It just kind of hap-
pened. Just kind of the way we are normally.”
13
We’RE TRYING
TO COVER THE
ENTIRE RACING
INDUSTRY
-CAROL HOLDEN
Nobody knows
more about
horses than Carol
Holden... She has a
great memory FOR
HORSES
-SAM HUFF
FALL 2008 horse radio
The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail
ThePost@mediageneral.comorcallJoanHughesat(804)512-4373.
Contact Carol Holden or Sam Huff via e-mail at wvbcmbn@verizon.
net or call (540) 687-8000.
To hear ‘Trackside’
The listening area for “Trackside” and “Track-
side Daily,” a two-minute show Carol Holden
hosts Monday through Friday, is Northern Vir-
ginia, the eastern panhandle of West Virginia
(Charles Town, Martinsburg, Berkeley Springs)
and up into Maryland, Holden said.
Listen to “Trackside” Saturdays on the
following stations:
WTFX-AM 610 (Winchester): 7-8 a.m.
WAGE-AM 1200 (Leesburg): 7:05-8 a.m.
WEPM-AM 1340 (Martinsburg, W.Va.):
6:05-7 a.m.
WRNR-AM 740 (Martinsburg, W.Va.): 7:05-8 a.m.
For audio downloads of current and recent “Trackside” and
“Trackside Daily” programs visit www.tracksideonradio.com.
14. FALL 2008SHOW TIME 14
By Aubrey Simpson
Courtesy of EquuSSource
A
s one of the few African-American train-
ers on the horse show circuit, Junior
Johnson has been a pioneer in bringing
diversity into the ring.
“I’ve been working with horses all my
life, basically ever since I was big enough to work
with them. My dad worked with horses and that’s
how I first got inter-
ested. You could say
that it’s part of our
family tradition. My
son DJ, 25, competes
as well as teaches les-
sons. He’s really good
and doing very well.
A grandson is com-
ing along and getting into horses like DJ did,” said
Johnson, 56.
When asked if his wife, Jackie, or his daughter
Tonya compete, the Goochland County resident
laughed. “No, neither of them ride. I guess it’s a fam-
ily tradition that just interests the men.”
Starting in the mid-1970s, Johnson worked
and trained with
Kenneth Wheeler
for 10 years at Cis-
mont Manor Farm
in Charlottesville.
“I worked with
the best, Kenneth
Wheeler. He’s
the person to
learn from. I re-
ally respect him
and he gives me a
lot of respect. I stood
back and watched him
and I learned a lot. But, I
tell you what, he’s tough to compete
against.”
There is no denying how much John-
son has achieved as a trainer and han-
dler. His career really started in the
early 1990s while working for the for-
mer Amber Lake Farm in Manakin
Sabot. He won his first class ever at
the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania with Secret
Blade in 1994. That horse, and others, have won con-
sistently for Johnson.
Over the last couple of years, Johnson’s abilities
have garnered him quite a reputation and numer-
ous impressive wins. For example, in 2006 alone, at
various shows, the horses he handled received Best
Young Horse titles 13 times and reserve Best Young
Horse titles 11 times. At the Devon Horse Show and
at the Keswick Horse
Show, horses he han-
dled won Best Yearling
awards. Then he won
the Pennsylvania Horse
Breeders Association
Yearling Futurity and
was Leading Handler at
the International Hunter
Futurity Eastern Regional competition in Warrenton
and at the Sallie B. Wheeler East Coast Champion-
ship, also in Warrenton. In addition, Johnson was
Leading Handler at the International Hunter Futurity
Finals in Kentucky.
Many more honors have followed.
“This is a very competitive sport,
but I like a challenge. You have
to pay your dues and eventually
horse people and the judges get
to know you and the quality of
your work. When I first started
back in the [19]90s, I was the
only African-American trainer
on the circuit. At first it was a
tough row, but people are com-
ing around. Today, there are two
of us, plus a couple of jumpers,
and more African-Americans
are becoming interested in the
sport. Things have really changed
through the years and I hope that
I have helped to make it easier for
minorities to make their mark in the
sport I love.”
A MAN OF MANY FIRSTSGoochland County trainer brings experience and diversity to the show ring Johnson explains what makes a
trainer successful:
Good horses and good customers: “I mainly
work with show hunters, show-in-hand horses,
and train ponies. People know I have good
horses. You have to know what to look for.
There’s no such thing as a perfect horse, but
you want them to be as perfect as they can be.
“Boarding and training horses from all
around the country, I get some top quality
horses. If it weren’t for the quality of the hors-
es, I wouldn’t be where I am today. This is an
expensive sport; you have to have good cus-
tomers and backers. I’ve been lucky to have
great customers from all over the country.
“Once you have good customers you have
to find strong contenders if you want to be
successful. You look for horses with good
dispositions. Then they need to show good
movement and good coordination; you can
see it in the build of the horse or pony. Horses
and ponies are pretty much the same, the only
difference being their size.”
Time and patience: “The second thing a
trainer needs is to be patient and willing to
take the time to work with the horse or pony.
When you first enter a horse into the ring
they get real quiet. They’re afraid. You can’t
just go in there and expect them to perform.
The main thing I do is to put them on a longe
line and teach them to walk, trot and canter. I
groom them and work with them so that they
get comfortable being in the public. You get
them used to being around people, get them
used to people handling them all the time. You
handle them a lot and they work better.”
The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To
contact us, e-mail ThePost@mediageneral.com
or call Joan Hughes at (804) 512-4373. To contact
Junior Johnson call (804) 901-7234.
This is a very
competitive
sport, but I like
a challenge.
15. FALL 2008 Profile15
THE HORSE
INSURER
Hassle Free Mortality program
It costs an average of 3.5 percent of the
value of a horse for mortality insurance (a
client must have this to get medical/surgical
coverage). This program is for horses up to
$30,000 in value. There is a minimum mortal-
ity premium of $200 for horses with a value
of less than $6,000.
For medical/surgical coverage there is a flat
set premium (as opposed to a percentage of
the value of the horse) of $319.
Liability coverage with a $1 million limit
is $85. So, insurance for a year for a horse
valued at $10,000 would cost $754 ($350
mortality plus $319 medical/surgical plus $85
liability).
More on Mary Ann Kean
Philosophy: “You need to enjoy the opportu-
nities given to you and be grateful for them.”
What people would be surprised to learn: “I
don’t like to travel but I do it all the time.”
Career highlights: “The time I flew from the
States to England with three horses. They
were horses we insured and they were going
to England for training.”
Another career highlight: “Probably being part
of the Deep Run Horse Show [in Manakin Sab-
ot] for more than 30 years and managing it for
more than 20 years. To be involved with that
part of Virginia’s horse history.” (Kean said the
Deep Run Horse Show is probably more than
50 years old and the Deep Run Hunt Club was
established more than 100 years ago.)
Best horse advice ever received: “Stop when
you’ve made progress.”
Richmonder Mary Ann Kean
has been dispensing advice on
horse insurance for 20-plus years
By Joan Hughes
Y
ou could call Mary Ann Kean a “Dear
Abby” of horse insurance.
As director of mortality underwriting for
the Glen Allen-based Markel Insurance
Co., Kean said potential and existing
clients call her for advice associated with such
matters as buying a horse, the birth of a horse and
claims.
“All the different horse people have common
concerns and problems,” said Kean, a licensed
property and casualty agent and a Markel employee
for more than 20 years. As director of mortality
underwriting, Kean is in charge of the mortality
programs Markel offers.
People need equine insurance “to protect
themselves in the event of a loss – the same reason
you buy any kind of insurance,” Kean said.
A big misconception, and the big difference
between health insurance for people and horses,
Kean said, is that people think horses are covered
for pre-existing conditions when they are generally
only covered the first time there is a problem, such as
founder, West Nile Virus or EPM (equine protozoal
myeloencephalitis).
Kean also plays the role of a “DearAbby” to a large
group of equine specialist agents out in the field. “By
providing resources, backup, supporting services,
etc., we [Markel’s Agriculture Department] enable
these specialists to focus their time and energy by
being out with horse owners at the horse shows and
events.
“These specialists are well-known horse experts
in all breeds and disciplines and are the foundation
of our program and service to horse owners,” Kean
said.
When Kean is not dispensing advice she’s
traveling to horse events, which she said she does 12
to 15 times a year for Markel, a specialty insurance
provider.
“We service our clients. We prospect new
business,” Kean said.
The contact with the different types of horse people
and the different types of events are what Kean said
she enjoys most about her job.
But, if one wants to do business with Markel via
the Internet, that’s also an option.
“We’re the only company I know of where you
can get immediate mortality coverage online,” Kean
said.
The Hassle Free Mortality program “will package
it all together for you.”
“It will package your mortality and your medical
and your liability” for a one-horse owner, Kean said.
“It’s for horses up to $30,000 in value and there are
a lot of those out there.”
The Standard All Risk Mortality & Theft program,
which has an online application, tends to be for more
expensive horses and/or those with a pre-existing
condition, according to Kean.
The Post welcomes feedback and story ideas. To contact us, e-mail
ThePost@mediageneral.com or call Joan Hughes at (804) 512-4373.
Contact Mary Ann Kean at (800) 446-7925, ext. 1667 or mkean@
markelcorp.com. Visit Markel’s Web site at www.horseinsurance.com.
