The Merle-Smiths and Sunny View Plantation
Grosvenor and Rosemarie Merle-Smith have been buying, selling, and training horses for over 25 years. Originally based in Boulder, Colorado, the Merle-Smiths moved to Virginia in 1989. Rosemarie's background is in the hunter/ jumper world. She showed on the A-rated hunter circuit for years, riding her Approved Trakehner stallion Hansel in the A/O Hunter division, eventing and hunting him with the Arapahoe Hunt, while running a full-time breeding operation at Coyote Hill Farm. She has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University, and has been training and producing quality horses all her life. Grosvenor was born and raised in Virginia, spending his youth in the heart of Virginia hunt country in Middleburg. His Great-Aunt, Miss Charlotte Haxall Noland, founder of the Foxcroft School, was also the MFH of the Middleburg Hunt for many years. Grosvenor was the MFH and Huntsman for six seasons (1995 - 2001) with the Bull Run Hunt in Central Virginia, and MFH of the Golden Vale Hunt in Ireland for 12 seasons from 1994 through 2006. NEWS FLASH ! (May 2008) Grosvenor is now a Joint Master of the Tennessee Valley Hunt ! Daughter Nicolette, was a student and member of the riding team at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD, 2005 - 2007. She started hunting seriously when she was 8 and like her parents has hunted all over the world. When she was a student at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, she trained with Craig Thompson, Jan Byyny and Rainie Andrews. She has taken some time off from college to persue her riding career and currently trains with her mother, Rosemarie, Jean Dunford, Marcia Carabell and Bonnie Mosser. Son Alexander, a freshman at Virginia Tech, hunted through the age of 11 at which point he decided he hated horses. He still can clean a mean stall if paid to do so!
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To get the most out of our horses, we have formulated a program of training, feeding, and conditioning most suited to the foxhunting and eventing horse. When a new horse arrives on the farm it is evaluated and inspected by veterinarian from Keswick Equine, and an equine chiropractor, Dr. Faye Witherell. Our farrier is consulted and appropriate adjustments are made to shoes. Every horse is put on a balanced diet with feed from Southern States that includes supplements from Advanced Biological Concepts. Each horse is put into the round pen and goes back to the basics to ensure a balanced form and supple physique. Horses are ridden on a regular basis on the flat and crosscountry. You can be assured that the horse you buy will have had the best possible care and schooling, as we own most of the horses offered for sale. Horses are stabled Sunny View Plantation, in the Green Springs Historic District near Trevilians, Virginia. We cross train our horses so they have experience in a multitude of disciplines. We try to expose our youngsters to hounds their three year old year, during fall cub hunting. Prior to seeing the hunt field we trail ride on miles of trails accessible from our farm. As four year olds they spend more time in the hunt field as well as competing in dressage, eventing and show jumping. Our five year olds (and some of the four year olds) will usually have some experience at recognized events at Beginner Novice and Novice. |
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