Virginia Inns for the Horsy Set : Whether You Saddle or Settle, There Are Sweeping Views of the Shenandoah Valley

“Virginia is for lovers,” say the state sloganeers in a bit of wishful thinking. But add the word “horse,” and their wish comes true.

In Virginia, where the equine has a long and esteemed history, horse lovers can participate in a wonderful whirl of year-round activity--fox hunts, penning contests, dressage shows, draft-horse pulls, hunter trials, polo matches . . . or they can just hit the trail.

Unfortunately, one generally needs a horse of one’s own for any and all of this. State liability laws saddled rental operations with such high insurance premiums a few years ago that most went out of business. And though the law has been softened recently, livery stables are still a rarity.

So what’s a tourist with a taste for horses to do? One option is to stay at one of the few inns that offer riding. I visited four, all in handsome country near the Blue Ridge Mountains (well within easy driving range of Washington) and all boasting plenty of entertaining alternatives to the back of a horse. The outings they offer run from tranquil trail rides to a chance to test one’s mettle over fences.

LAVENDER HILL FARM This small inn is a working farm with sheep, a cow, a couple of goats and an escape-artist pig, which was leading owner Colin Smith on a not-quite-merry chase on a morning last winter when I was there. Colin, a former member of the British military, now confines most of his maneuvers to the kitchen, whipping up country breakfasts and gourmet dinners for his guests, relying heavily on herbs and vegetables from the farm garden. He also, one day, would be having his culinary way with the wayward porker.

His wife, Cindy, an American, takes care of the business end of running the inn. And business has been good, she says. The room-and-riding package has been a hit, drawing many weekend guests from Washington, which is about 180 miles to the northeast. And the scenery is definitely a draw--Lavender Hill is in a lovely section of a lovely valley, the Shenandoah.

The Shenandoah Valley stretches north to south through Virginia for a couple hundred miles. To its east rise the Blue Ridge Mountains, true to their name, a dreamlike, smoky blue. On the west, in the lower part of the valley near Lexington, where Lavender Hill lies, the Appalachians crowd close. In between, slanting meadows are spotted with cattle and shade trees and rocky knolls and slashed by silvery streams that tumble over themselves in their hurry to pass. And woodlands stretch for miles--two national forests, the George Washington and the Jefferson, combined, blanket better than 2 million acres.

I arrived at Lavender Hill late one Saturday afternoon just in time to sample Colin’s cookery. His dinner was a deliciously saucy affair involving salmon. Then I spent a cozy night in one of the inn’s three guest rooms (all have private baths) before indulging myself with Colin’s French toast the next morning. I’d ride off the rich food, I reasoned, as I followed a map to the spot where I was to meet Deborah Sensabaugh, the wrangler who handles the rides for Lavender Hill. Sensabaugh’s horses were a motley mix, sturdy but not stylish like the young thoroughbred I’ve been leasing lately for my trail riding and elementary jumping and dressage work. However, they were patient and unexcitable, which means they were well-suited for trekking. Some wore Western saddles, some English, some a hybrid of both styles.

Several beginners were along on the ride, so we went mostly at a walk, climbing an old carriage road through national forest to the crest of the Blue Ridge.

Once at the top, we tied our horses to trees and had a chilly picnic of sandwiches, chips and sodas before heading down again. Because it was winter and the leaves were gone, we had some sweeping views of the Shenandoah Valley and of the historic town of Lexington.

Up close, Lexington, about six miles from Lavender Hill, is not only historic, but handsome. The town has done such a great job of maintaining its 19th-Century good looks that, with only minor cosmetic changes, it doubled for late-1860s Memphis in the recent Jodie Foster, Richard Gere period drama “Sommersby.” The town’s sights include Washington and Lee University, Virginia Military Institute, the Stonewall Jackson House and the George C. Marshall Museum. Robert E. Lee is buried in the beautiful Lee Chapel on the Washington and Lee campus, and his steed, Traveler, is buried nearby.

For the commitedly horsy, Lexington also dangles another carrot--the Virginia Horse Center, 378 acres of barns (about 500 stalls) and pens, indoor and outdoor areas for show jumping and dressage and cross-country courses. Events showcasing some of the finest horses and riders in the region, strutting their stuff in every conceivable area of horsemanship, are scheduled every weekend. And even without a horse, it is possible to audit some of the clinics and workshops that fill the horse center calendar.

GRAVES’ MOUNTAIN LODGE On the morning side of the Blue Ridge, at the snug end of a valley near the hamlet of Syria (pronounced Sigh-REE-ah), is Graves’ Mountain Lodge, about 90 miles southwest of Washington.

The Graves family has been in the hostelry business in this part of Virginia since before 1800. Back then, family forbears ran an “ordinary,” a sort of rest stop where travelers could get a meal and a bed, and coaches could get a change of horses. Today, the Graveses still can provide a bed, a meal and a horse. Their lodge now, though, is quite out of the ordinary, not so much because of the beauty of its location, which is of soul-satisfying caliber, but because of its old-fashioned atmosphere.

Though it’s a big operation--with two motel-style units, an old farmhouse divvied into guest rooms, a dormitory and a scattering of rustic cabins--guests gather for meals at long wooden tables in the main lodge. There they are served, family-style, unpretentious, filling food. Tuesdays, it’s catfish and country ham; Sundays, it’s fried chicken. Potluck night might be steak Madrid and macaroni. Bread and pastries are home baked; vegetables are home-grown. Peaches and apples come from the Graveses’ orchards, jams and jellies from the family cannery. Meals are of the all-you-can-hold variety, and people come by the bus-load just to lunch at the lodge.

I didn’t stay the night at Graves’--I live in Washington and was close enough to go home to my own bed. But I looked at its accommodations, which ranged from the standard of a mid-line motel to the Spartan. One of my friends, who was along on the survey, said the place put him in mind of camp. Prices, though, were more than reasonable, with a night’s lodging and three meals priced $65-$85.

Like Lavender Hill, Graves’ Mountain uses an outfitter to provide horses to guests, and the riding was mostly of the trekking variety, although the pace was a bit faster than the Lavender Hill ride. Last winter, when I rode, the outfitters had only 14 horses and used only Western saddles. An expansion is planned, though.

The Graveses own 5,000 acres, and we had a canter through a pasture and along some slope-side trails and rode a small portion of a network of wooded bridle paths that extends into the mountains. Riding clubs sometimes trailer in horses and spend a few days exploring: Like their long-ago kin, the Graveses accommodate four-legged guests.

When not riding, guests of Graves’ Mountain Inn can work off that second helping of apple pie by playing--what else--horseshoes. Volleyball, tennis and golf are also options, and nearby White Oak Canyon offers one of the most spectacular and challenging hikes in the Blue Ridge. Or guests can just be porch potatoes, sitting and rocking and digesting the scenery along with their supper.

JORDAN HOLLOW FARM INN Not far from Graves’ Lodge as the crow flies but on the other side of the Blue Ridge is Jordan Hollow Farm. This inn, run by Jetze (he’s Dutch) and Marley (she’s American) Beers, is in the Shenandoah Valley about 100 miles from Washington.

The original farmhouse, which still has one small suite for guests, was built in 1790. Nowadays, it is augmented by two guest lodges, several out-buildings and stables spilling across a hill. Despite this sprawl, Jordan Hollow has a friendly feel.

In the breakfast room in the farmhouse, the walls are covered with horse prints and antique kitchentools, and the fireplace stands at the ready for a frosty morning. Therooms in the lodges are done in country artifacts and antiques. Homemade quilts cover the beds in some rooms; some have fireplaces. All open to porches. Inviting red rockers line the porches at one lodge and face out over a pond and pastures with a prospect to the mountains. Again, I didn’t stay the night, but it sure would be a front-runner on my list of places for a future romantic getaway--even without the attraction of riding.

For my hour-long trail ride, I was mounted on a round little Arabian mare, who obviously hadn’t missed many meal calls. Despite her girth, she moved right along as our guide, who seemed also to be groom and stable hand for the Beers, led us through some trots and easy canters in the woods and over hills that afforded a fabulous view of the mountain-backed valley.

The Beers keep about 20 horses, and guests can ride for one or two hours or do an all-day ride in the mountains with Western or English tack. But Jordan Hollow also offers something else that can be found at no other Virginia inn: a view from the back of a horse rather than from a horse’s back.

That’s because Marley Beers is a carriage driver, and she will take guests on demonstration rides and picnic drives, and will give lessons on driving singles or pairs of horses to both novices and experienced drivers. Usually in May, June, July, September and November, Jordan Hollow hosts clinics, featuring instruction by championship drivers. Most participants bring their own horses; with notice, though, Beers usually can accommodate the horseless carriage driver.

Jordan Hollow has several miles of trails where guests can work on pleasure or dressage driving or try their hand at the carriage obstacle course. The Beers say only about 40% of their guests come for the riding or the driving, though. The rest just want a room with a view.

THE CONYERS HOUSE Of the four inns, the Conyers House may be of the most interest to experienced equestrians. The tack is exclusively English, the horses largely experienced hunters. It also, arguably, wins the quaintness contest--parts of it reportedly date to 1776.

Like the other inns, the Conyers House is in roller-coaster terrain hard by the Blue Ridge, this time on the eastern slope about 80 miles southwest of Washington not far from the little town of Sperryville. The land on which guests ride is part of a 5,000 acre “fixture” or site for the Rappahannock Hunt, a fox hunting club, and includes the coops and stiles and fences that the hunt jumps in pursuit of its prey.

Jumping these bigger obstacles is optional on two-hour rides led by Sandra Cartwright-Brown, who with her husband, Norman (he’s British, she’s American), runs the Conyers House. But everyone on Cartwright-Brown’s ride must take the little brush and log jumps that crop up naturally along the trails. Cartwright-Brown says that even if guests have never ridden before, they’ll manage the trot, the canter and the small jumps if they follow her instructions.

Well, guests with green bones and guts, I guess. Some of the Conyers horses, however, are definitely not for the novice. A friend of mine, for example, was mounted on a handsome chestnut that teetered on the edge of hysteria throughout our ride. In an attempt to burn off the excess heat, my friend trotted the horse up and down our line of riders, like Gen. Lee and Traveler on a hyperactive review of the troops. Both horse and rider were in a lather by the end of the trail; the score was one exhausted rider, one inexhaustible horse.

Cartwright-Brown can arrange longer rides for guests, including an overnight trip to Graves’ Mountain Lodge, fewer than 10 miles away. But what she offers that is really special is the opportunity to go fox hunting with the Rappahannock, Warrenton or Bull Run hunt clubs. Fox hunting is not for the timorous--jumps run to three and four feet and the pace to the breakneck. The reason stock ties--those lengthy strips of white cotton that members of the hunt wear wound around their necks--became traditional neckwear is that they make dandy bandages.

Along with courage, hunting also requires a certain hardiness (some might add the prefix “fool-”), because hunts can last from two hours to all day in inclement or cold weather--hunt season generally runs from late October through March. “Cubbing” season in September and October, in which riders can accompany the master of the hounds on training exercises for the pack, can be a good way to break in a green horse or a green rider.

Staying at Conyers House was beyond my budget, but I will keep its charms in mind when I come into my windfall. Then, I might stay in the “Attic” on the top floor of the main house, where I could soak away my saddle soreness in a claw-footed tub while looking across my private deck to the Blue Ridge. Or maybe I’d snooze in the 1840s four-poster in “Uncle Sim’s Suite.” In addition to its five rooms and one suite, the Conyers House has two guest houses separate from the main house. They come furnished with antiques, wood-burning stoves and amenities such as whirlpools and VCRs; their porches overlook horses grazing on the lawn.

Dinner at the Conyers House is a gourmet, seven-course candle-lit affair that starts with sherry and hors d’oeuvres in the library and progresses on to soup, salad, pasta and entrees that include local rainbow trout, quail and venison. At $67.50 per person, I, alas, had to take a pass.

Conyers House guests should allow lots of free rein for exploring the area after they’ve been riding. The relatively fit shouldn’t miss Old Rag Mountain. This high point for hikers, a five-minute drive from the house, is one of the few mountains in the East with a rocky top, so it has great views all around. And the scramble over its rock faces and boulders is entertaining without being scary.

Visitors also can fish and canoe on the Shenandoah River, go antiquing in Sperryville, visit caves or do nothing at all. With sufficient exposure to the charms of Virginia’s countryside, they may just want to let any other vacation plans ride.

GUIDEBOOK

Stable Considerations

Lavender Hill Farm, Route 1, Box 515, Lexington, Va. 24450, telephone (703) 464-5877, is about a 3 1/2-hour drive from Washington, D.C., via Interstate 66 and Interstate 81. Two nights at the inn, including breakfasts, pack lunches on the trail, two four-course dinners and two days of riding, is $225 per person, double occupancy; $275, single occupancy. Rates for bed and breakfast, double occupancy, not including riding or dinner, $60-$70; single occupancy, $50-$60.

Graves’ Mountain Lodge, Syria, Va. 22743, tel. (703) 923-4231, is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Washington via I-66, U.S. 211 and Virginia 231. A complicated array of daily prices is available, along with weekly rates and lodging-only rates. Generally, a night’s lodging and three meals in motel-style accommodations range $65-$85. Rooms in an old farmhouse and dormitory rooms can be had for considerably less, cabins for somewhat more. 1 1/2-hour rides, $20. The lodge generally closes for the winter after Thanksgiving. This year it reopened with the onset of trout season, March 20.

Jordan Hollow Farm Inn, Route 2, Box 375, Stanley, Va. 22851, tel. (703) 778-2285, is about a two-hour drive from Washington via I-66 and U.S. 340. A night’s lodging, including dinner and breakfast, is $140-$180, double occupancy; $115-$155, single occupancy. One- and two-hour trail rides, $20 an hour. Prices for all-day rides vary in accordance with the number of riders. Picnic rides, $45. Driving lessons and demonstration rides, $25 an hour and up. Three-day clinics, including two nights of lodging, all meals and instruction, are $315 double occupancy, $390 single. Auditing a clinic, $240.

Conyers House, Slate Mills Road, Sperryville, Va. 22740, tel. (703) 987-8025, is about a two-hour drive from Washington via I-66, U.S. 211 and Virginia 231. A night’s stay, including breakfast and refreshments on arrival, is $100-$195 per couple. A single occupant is $10 less. Seven-course dinners including wine and tip, $67.50 per person. A two-hour ride, $35. To ride with the hunt, including use of one of the Conyers’ horses, about $125; proper attire is required.