PhotoVirginia.com Blog

Update on 813/2010-Talked to Marilyn and they are still there and going strong.  She said they have a lot of babies there, so you may want to go by and check them out.  I plan on going down and taking some new photos.

Click on each thumbnail to open it up to the full size.

Yesterday, February 26th, 2008, Myranda and I went to take some photo’s.  It was a rainy, foggy day but I wanted to get out.  On Rt. 460 East the mountains were covered at the top by clouds, fog, whatever it was, but it was beautiful.

I happened to think about a horse ranch that I had taken my dear daughter and her best friend to last year for a trail ride.   It was right next to the mountains and up on a big hill.  The view would have, notice I said would have, been perfect.  We got caught by a train in Bonsack, which is a small neighborhood in East Roanoke County, Virginia.

The ranch is in Bonsack but still by the time we got all the way up there the clouds had gone.  OH WOW!!  Once I got up there and saw all the horses (all 119 of them) I just wanted to take pictures of all of them.

Myranda was all over the place because she had never been around horses before and she was in awe, petting them, rubbing them, along with all the dogs too.  They did have a huge St. Bernard that was a beautiful dog.

I was going nuts with the camera and driving my car all through the fields.  My car is the best little car.  I use it like it was a 4 wheel drive jeep.  It almost goes like one too.  That car has been on a hill that was literally straight up and made it just fine.  During the fire a couple of weeks ago it was going all up and down dirt roads looking at the fire and getting as close as I can go…….. Anyway, back to the subject of the horse ranch.

The ranch is called Slocum’s Appaloosa Ranch.  They have 119 horses, not all are Appaloosa’s but the majority of them are.  They offer both English and Western riding lessons at $20 each.  They offer Trail Rides, Pony Rides, Boarding, Riding Events, Day Camps, Picnic Areas, Horse Sales, Volunteer Programs, and they even offer Birthday Parties.

Trail Rides   $25.00 Hour, $30.00 for hour and a half, $35.00 for 2 hours.

Riding Lessons are $20.00 a session.

It is a mother and daughter that take care of all of these horses.  They don’t live at the ranch so each day they have to go back and forth to feed them, water them, and take care of them.  They are offering free trail rides for volunteering to help them with their work and they definitely need it too.

It is really a neat place to go and see all kinds of horses and the mother and daughter (April) are just so nice.  They both are willing to talk to you and answer your questions and take time with you and I remember with my daughter that they taught her how to put the saddle on and took the time to show her how to brush the horse and take care of it.

If you are ever in Roanoke and want to see some great horses, give them a call at 540-977-4432.  Tell them that Debbie from PhotoVirginia.com sent you.