Tony and Sarah, Tracy and Debbie of Blackberry Ridge Farm are thrilled to announce the latest addition to our stallion roster. On the heals of SonRise Genesis passing his RID inspection we had the amazing opportunity to give Megan and Kevin Gillenwater of Kegan Sporthorses' Macha Breeze, RID a new home in our barn! Wendy Ying delivered him late last (with two other mares on the trailer). This morning he passed his full vet exam and was collected. While I'm sure Megan is already missing him, we're already arguing over who gets to take him out foxhunting first.

A huge thank you again to Megan and Kevin for bringing us this wonderful opportunity and beautiful purebred stallion!
We haven't added him to our website yet but we will be working on that as soon as possible. In the meantime, check out www.blackberryridgefarm.com for more information on the purebreds and sporthorses at Blackberry Ridge Farm.

Irish Draught folks have been on the go in the SE Region; trail riding, showing dressage or over fences, taking young horses to in hand competitions and beginning to get ready for hunting season.

There have been so many activities recently, all supported by volunteers who gave so generously of their time and energy (and many times financially) to make these events successful.

Several of our members took their horses to Lexington, KY to support the Equus Survival Trust Festivale the first week in September. To mention a few; Brianne Sells drove more than 10 hours to show her mare and foal, Tony and Sarah Phillips and Blackberry Ridge Farm brought 5 or was it 7, horses. Jan and Rob Robertson also brought their mare Holly. Last but by no means least, is Jeannette Varghese who worked harder as a volunteer than many of those who showed horses!

In addition, the SE Region put together an outstanding basket for the silent auction at the AGM. Thanks go to Sue Holland, Charles Yates, Jan and Rob Robertson and Rick Rowdon for their creative contributions. We had items representing every state in the SE Region. In addition, "Only Fools and Horses" donated more than $500.00 worth of tack and horse care items! To top it off, it was a SER member who was the high bidder! Thank you again to all who contributed.

Our region hosted two inspections this year. Thank you to Brandi Benedict for welcoming us to her SonRise Stables in Lovettsville, VA for the Oct 7 inspections. A big thank you to Michelle Robbins and Pat Bewley who had the day well organized so that it went very smoothly. Thanks too to Brianne Sells for starting our day off with hot coffee and muffins.

Tracy and Debbie Dobbs' Blackberry Ridge Farm was the setting for our Oct 5 inspection in Greeneville, TN. Their hospitality was so generous that many of us would have gladly stayed longer. Sixteen horses were on hand to be inspected, and I'm please to say that BRF's stallion SonRise Genesis was approved RID. Tony and Sarah Phillips went above and beyond not only making visitors feel welcome but also handling many of the horses for the inspection. I also would like to thank Dr. Liz Freeman for overseeing the vettings in TN and the unsinkable Sue Holland for facilitating the paper flow from vets to judges and sometimes back again! Participants in the event were overwhelmingly enthusiastic in their praise of how well the weekend went and what a great job the folks at Blackberry Ridge Farm had done!

When all was said and done, we had 20 horses approved in the South East Region.
In Virginia we had 1 Irish Draught mare, 1 Irish Draught gelding, 3 IDSH mares and 3 IDSH geldings passed. In Tennessee, there were 1 Irish Draught stallion, 1 Irish Draught gelding, 2 Irish Draught mares, 1 IDSH gelding, and 7 IDSH mares passed. Congratulations to all!

On Oct 5, the Field Hunter Championships were held in Middleburg, VA. Congratulations to SER member, Linda Cowasjee who, on Tulla Gold, was selected as a finalist in the championship. Also making the final cut was Rae Stone on her IDSH, Reilly. Good going both of you.

Did you know that you have a SouthEast Region Yahoo group set up just so SE Region members can share their stories, annecdotes, information, show dates, etc.?

Sign on today!