Loudoun County is home to more than 20,000 horses valued in the neighborhood of $300 million. Every year, the horse industry contributes up to $50 million to the Loudoun economy.
It's the No. 1 agricultural industry in the county.
Despite flourishing, the horse industry has never had an umbrella organization — until now.
The Loudoun Horse Association is an idea that's been floating around for a while. Recent studies by Loudoun County Extension have shown there's a need and desire for an organization that would help both experienced and new horse owners and riders find the resources they need.
The idea grew legs when Steve and Carol Miller walked into the Loudoun Extension office and told agricultural extension agent Corey Childs they were interested in spearheading the effort.
The Millers own Georges Mill Stables, a horse boarding and trail riding business near Lovettsville. While the Millers take riders out in the Western style of riding — that's the kind John Wayne would do, in lay terms — Loudoun is home to every type of riding, from eventing to dressage to hunt seat.
"We can be isolated sometimes," Carol Miller said. "You're there on the farm with your horse. So there's so many people out there with horses. Where are they?"
THE LOUDOUN HORSE Association will help facilitate communication and networking between the various disciplines.
"There's an awful lot of groups doing good things in the industry, but they're hard to find," Childs said.
The horse industry has always been low-tech, slow to adopt technology like the Web. Few trainers or barns have Web sites and most people find trainers, blacksmiths, vets, hay vendors and more the old-fashioned way: word of mouth.
While the system has worked for hundreds of years, it's also created a sort of one-dimensional thread of knowledge: eventers know eventers, for example, but probably couldn't name many dressage trainers.
In a county that has every discipline well represented, there's no need for self-segregation.
"It's very mixed," Childs said. "We've got a little bit of everything."
The association would not only promote fellowship between the disciplines, it would also provide educational seminars for both horse owners and riders.
MARILYN JARVIS is a Philomont resident with five horses on a small farm. She's part of the core group that has started meeting to make the Loudoun Horse Association a reality.
"With all the growth in the county, it used to be that you just knew where to go and you asked your neighbor for help if you were a new homeowner and bought a pony," Jarvis said. "Now, you don't know your neighbor. Things have just changed so much."
But Jarvis still encourages everyone — even those who don't have land to board a horse — to join the association.
"We would welcome people from eastern Loudoun," she said. "If they're into horses, we definitely would like to have those people involved."
The core group held an informational meeting April 11 at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, and interest was strong. They got the green light from the Board of Supervisors April 19. Now they have to draft bylaws in order to become official.
"There's so many different specialized groups, horse-wise, in the county and we're not trying to replace any of them," Carol Miller said. "We're trying to bring them together."
Get Involved
To learn more about the Loudoun Horse Association, contact Steve and Carol Miller at steveandcarol@georgesmillfarm.com.