The Vermont Horse
The VHC- Strength Through Unity
The Vermont Horse Council serves to unify horse activities in Vermont. One hundred percent a volunteer organization, it depends on member dues and grants to provide a voice for horse owners in the state.“ We are very active with the legislature,” explains Jeanette,“ and are currently supporting horse farms to receive the same program opportunities that farmers get. This would be a great benefit for boarding facilities that operate on a thin margin of profit to date.” The VHC, formed in 1975, has been a valuable resource for many state horse groups and has succeeded in unifying efforts which benefit all horse groups.
Denny Emerson, a world class equestrian and Olympic Gold Medalist in
Combined Training, supports the efforts of the VHC as well as preserving the role of the horse in Vermont.“ As the Northeast gets increasingly built up with subdivisions, shopping malls, and highways, much of Vermont remains a green belt where horseback riders can still see New England as it used to be. It is a great gift to riders and drivers, and should be protected while there is still time.” Denny has spent most of his life in Vermont, but has travelled throughout the United States, and the world, with horses. His insight into how important open land is for a community, let alone a state, is shared by land trusts such as Vermont Land Trust and Upper Valley Land Trust, which not only preserve land but establish and protect trail easements throughout the state.“ It is through the generosity of landowners that horses have access to trails,” explains Jeannette,
“ which has created a Vermont mind-set to keep the land open.” Steve Rojek has competed throughout the world with his home-bred Arabian endurance horses. Rojek owns and maintains over 1,000 acres of land with an extensive trail system.“ Steve is an excellent example of a Vermonter who values the unique opportunity to keep land open for everyone’ s use,” cites Perry.
Trail riding comes in many forms and while most riders are recreational riders, endurance riding, which operates under the rules of the American Endurance Riding Conference, is an international sport. The Vermont 100 Endurance Ride and Run is one of the most famous endurance rides in the world! Following the format of the now famous Western States / Tevis Cup 100-mile endurance ride in California, the Vermont 100 has
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