Work days continue to focus on trail maintenance and upkeep. From clearing trees, to erosion control and to mulching trails, BES volunteers put in a truly amazing amount of time in the park to ensure everyone can enjoy the trails. Volunteers are always welcome and if you’re interested, I encourage you to contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Joan Ferguson at 703-938-2918.

The Spring Bluebell Ride was held Saturday, April 23rd. While the turnout was low, Bill Scott led us on a wonderful ride. Trails were wet from all the rain, but everyone enjoyed the ride and the bluebells put on a good show for us. The group made it all the way to the Stone Bridge and back, including one creek crossing where we had to pull our feet up not to get our boots wet.

The Spring Judged Pleasure Ride was held on Sunday, April 24th and while overnight rains forced us to move the Start/Finish location, the ride day was beautiful. Special thanks go out to all the volunteers who made the ride a success. George did her usual excellent job in designing the course as well as making several last minute changes after the venue switch. Other key volunteers include Marlys handling registration, Vicki making sure we all had lunch, Janet keeping our website posted, all the obstacle judges and assistants, our parking crew, and Joan for coordinating all the volunteers. The efforts of these people as well as many others are greatly appreciated. Of course, no ride is ever successful without the support of the riders themselves – a great bunch of equestrians supporting a good cause while having fun doing it!!

The Spring JPR Ride Champion was Emley Buikstra-Ditamore riding Pasha Nariya (Scooter) and the Reserve Champion was Kevin Yungk riding New Moon Sky. Congratulations!! The ride was well–attended and results are available on the BES website. On a personal note, I’m quite proud of my son Ryan (10) and my mom Phyllis (74) who were the youngest and oldest riders on the ride.

On June 26th we hosted our annual Historical Ride. This year marked the 150th anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas. With members of the Black Horse Cavalry again serving as our guides, we traversed the battlefield and gained a great insight into the events that took place 150 years ago. The group put on a field demonstration and then led us through the historic grounds of the Park. The ride was well-attended with about 50 registered participants.

Please check out our Calendar and Events page for upcoming work days as well as rides. Work days are scheduled each month and upcoming rides include the Fall Judged Pleasure Ride in September and the Blessing of the Horses and Fall Color Ride in October. We hope you can join us for these rides and/or help out on a work day.

See you on the trails!!