Horse Heaven on SML
By Jerry Hale 

       Smith Mountain Lake boaters who run up the right (north) shore of the Blackwater, past Christmas Tree Island and the “What About Bob?” house, can hardly help but notice the house with the purple metal roof (it’s actually navy blue that somehow adopts a purple disguise when viewed from the Lake) framed by a sloping backdrop of artfully-fenced pastures at the base of Southwind Key. 
       The 35-acre farm with more than 1,200 feet of gorgeous waterfront is the home of Muffin and George Smith and “the kids” — three Lipizzan horses plus a “senior citizen” thoroughbred mare named Rapidan — all of whom, it is quite apparent, have already made it to “Horse Heaven” during life here on earth.
       “Horses are very lucky to be kept here,” said Dempsey Moore, who ought to know. He’s been helping maintain the property since being hired to finish off the barn back in 2001, before the house was built. It was no small task. The handsome structure includes seven residential stalls of varnished wood, kitchen/dispensary, horse washing area, tack room, workshop, “people” bathroom and storage for many of the 450 bales of hay four hungry horses eat each year. Eleven ceiling fans help keep fresh air circulating and flies from alighting. Rubberized flooring down the wide aisle provides traction for the horses.
       “All in all, they’re pretty comfortable,” said the understated Dempsey. Muffin Smith will have it no other way. She and George acquired their first Lipizzans, in 1997, attracted by the breed’s intelligence, remarkable physical abilities, gentle temperament and tendency to bond with their owners and trainers. Lipizzans were originally bred as brave, stoic and loyal military mounts and became well known in 1945 when “Operation Cowboy,” organized and conducted by Patton’s 2nd Calvary Regiment, rescued 150 horses back into Germany before the Russians and Czechoslovakians, who were arguing over their disposition, could claim them. 
       “They work hard, ignore pain and respond really well to consistent kindness,” Muffin said, stroking the noble nose of 10-year-old Maestoso II Griselda IV — “Grizzy” to friends. He’s a gelding, all 1,300 pounds and 15 hands of him. Muffin’s stable also includes Grizzy’s sister, Avatara, a 13-year-old white mare, and her son Neapolitano Avatara, an 8-year old “fleabit” grey. All Lipizzans are named to reflect their lineage.
       Four hundred years of selective breeding have made Lipizzans one of the world’s most prized breeds, uniquely capable of performing the haute ecole dressage and the “Airs Above the Ground” for which the Spanish Riding School is known. Now numbering only 3,000, the worldwide herd is being carefully maintained by enthusiasts like the Smiths, who acquired theirs from California. Microchip IDs were embedded in the valuable animals’ necks for unmistakable identification upon arrival at their new home, then located in suburban Maryland.
       Considering the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington “…too close for comfort,” the Smiths decided to accelerate their planned exodus from the DC suburbs and built their retirement home and barn on acreage they’d bought in 1997 on the shores of SML. Besides being beautiful, it’s ideally suited to raising horses: the pasturing season is long, the grass is sweet; and mild winters make working in the barn comfortable pretty much year round.
       Muffin dedicates 5-6 hours a day, day-in and day-out, to caring for the “kids.” Much of that is indeed barn time — bathing, grooming, feeding, rehabilitating. Lately, she’s been paying special attention to the recovery of Avatara, who is back from 4½ months hospitalization in Blacksburg where Tech’s Veterinary School professionals treated her severe laminitis—the same often-fatal hoof ailment that threatened the recovery of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro.
       “They finally resorted to sterile maggot therapy,” Muffin said. Veterinarians applied thousands of tiny flesh-eating worms onto Avatara’s hooves, then removed them once they had gorged themselves on necrotic tissue, growing to 100 times or so their original size. Avatara also received acupuncture treatments and some innovative stem cell therapy during her stay at Tech.
       “She’s still touch-and-go,” admitted Muffin, who is clearly in her element as she efficiently finishes each chore, addressing her charges as if they fully understand every affectionate word, click and coo. She walks Grizzy into the covered “round pen,” unsnaps the lead line, and with a few words of encouragement and a flick of a long training whip, starts him on a 20-minute workout around the perimeter. “Good boy,” she encourages. “Keep to the outside, please. Thank you.” Watching her work them, it’s evident that these intelligent animals respond well to kindness.
       And, no doubt, these horses are used to the good life at Smith Mountain Lake. Some might say they are spoiled. Others, more correctly, realize they are just loved.