Local Area - Winter Announcements

It's been a little while since I've added to the blog, but we've been busy here at Derbyshire through the winter. We had three closings during a time when families are normally just regrouping from the holidays and planning for the new year. Over the past few months we've welcomed the new property owners, worked on planning our 5K race in May (www.DerbyDash5K.com), and given enough tours of the community to keep things hopping at the office.

Over the next few posts, I want to share a little more about where Derbyshire is located. One really great thing about this community is that you have the ability to enjoy a more rural, less-rushed life and still be near enough to all of those things that you would expect from a larger city. The proximity to gas, groceries, hospitals, shopping, and airports is closer than you would probably expect when you first drive through the rolling hills, horse farms, and beautiful wooded spaces that this area is so well known for.

However, in this first post, I wanted to share two really wonderful announcements that came out this winter. Both are of interest to the equestrian and the non-equestrian, although the first announcement will be a bit more exciting for the horsey folks.

We had heard some rumors regarding the purchase of White Oak Plantation. It turns out the rumors were true, and we will be welcoming a new "world class equestrian venue" just a few miles from the Derbyshire entrance. You can read more about the announcement here in the Tryon Daily Bulletin article that came out in January. Not only will this be a tremendous boost for the local equestrian competitors, businesses, and organizations in an already incredibly equine-focused community, but it will also provide an increase in the local economy in general in the form of additional revenue, sales taxes, hotel taxes, etc. as it brings more people into the area.

The second announcement, which is on a much smaller scale that the first, is the one that is probably having the most immediate impact on me and all of the other big-chain coffee shop fans. We officially welcome our first Starbucks last month. Derbyshire is less than ten minutes from the Ingles Market where the new Starbucks in located. I've already visited more times than I care to admit. I think this is a really great example of how this area offers the best of both worlds. You can enjoy a rural drive where the only thing that might slow traffic down is a carefully driven horse trailer and still be just a few minutes from picking up your grande mocha frappuccino (not to mention a bunch of great organic, unprocessed, healthy grocery finds at Ingles).

Next week I'll go into more detail about the local area and how close all of those important shopping/health/travel places are so that you can get your bearings, but right now I'm going to head out and pick up a latte. Have a great weekend!

FENCE Holiday Barn Tour at the Derbyshire Stable

This past weekend, Derbyshire happily hosted a few hundred visitors during the FENCE Holiday Barn Tour. As one of three stops on the tour, the Derbyshire Stable was decked out in holiday decorations and provided guests with spiced apple cider and cookies as a nice little treat on a cool, post-Thanksgiving Saturday!

One of our property owners, who is boarding his horses in the Derbyshire Stable, was gracious enough to pitch in and brought down some wonderful holiday decorations from his home. The fox sconces are my favorite!

We also used the Holiday Barn Tour as an opportunity to announce the date of our Third Annual Derby Dash 5K and Fun Walk! It will held on Saturday, May 18th. It's never too early to start planning for the next Derbyshire event!

Now that we are all decorated (much earlier than usual) for the holidays, 

we're now able to enjoy the season even more!

Upcoming Event - FENCE Holiday Barn Tour

Derbyshire is very excited to be participating in the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE) Holiday Barn Tour this year on November 24th. The event will begin at FENCE with exhibitions including jumping, dressage, and the Green Creek Hounds. Attendees will then continue on a self-guided tour of three barns in the area, including the Derbyshire Stable.

In preparation for the Holiday Barn Tour, we have decorated our stable both inside and out. We'll be welcoming attendees with refreshments and holiday music. If you are in the area, this is definitely a great way to spend the post-holiday weekend!

Friday Photo - Snickers

Yesterday, while I was photographing the new horses at the Derbyshire Community Stable, I also went to visit Snickers and Sir Wellington. They've been calling the stable their home for over a month now, and they're very comfortable in their new space. They're also becoming much more comfortable with me and my camera, and a bit more curious, too. Snickers may be too curious...

Fortunately, since he decided that my camera probably wouldn't be a tasty as the "cookie" he had just consumed, I'll be back next week with more photos. I'll show you a little tour of Landrum, SC, which is located only 10 minutes from Derbyshire. A quaint town with some good restaurants and great antique shopping, it's going to be a fun assignment for me. Until then, happy weekend!

Derbyshire Community Stable - New Residents

Last Thursday the Derbyshire Community Stable gained two new residents. Both horses were adopted through the racehorse adoption program New Vocations. They came from their facility in Lexington, KY, and their new owners, Andrea and Peter, couldn't be happier. 

 

 Below is a picture of Fairmont, or as Andrea and Peter prefer to call him, Monty. He is nine years old and retired from racing last November.

His next door neighbor is Tuxedo Lady, who is affectionately known simply as Lady. She had been a school horse for the North American Riding Academy and is fifteen years old.

Andrea, an equestrian prior to her move to Derbyshire, will be schooling Peter in the care and training of their horses. What an exciting new start in a new community!

The Derbyshire Team is so excited for all of them (both the people and the horses). Welcome to Derbyshire, Monty and Lady!

Derbyshire Community Stable Grand Opening Pictures

Our Derbyshire Community Stable Grand Opening Tour last Friday was quite a success! It was attended by over 150 people, and also five beautiful dogs who are available for adoption at the Foothills Humane Society. Everyone had a chance to check out the new facility, mingle with other local equestrians, and introduce themselves to the newest members of the Derbyshire community.

And now, the official blog debut of the completed
Derbyshire Community Stable!

 Rick and Sandie, the owners of the first horses to live in the stable, joined our managing partner, Brian Carroll, for the official ribbon cutting.

Once things got started, we were quite busy giving tours of the stable, but I did manage to take a few pictures of the precious pups that the "On the Road" team from Foothills had brought to the event.

And Jack, he was my favorite.

We were so happy to have everyone join us for this exciting event! 

For more photos of the new stable, click here.

This Week at Derbyshire - Stable Grand Opening Tour

It's been a little while since the last post on here, but that's because it's been quite a whirlwind week at Derbyshire! Our Stable Grand Opening is this evening, and everyone has been working very hard to finish up the final details our our beautiful new stable! Below are a few pictures of the finished project. Please visit again on Monday to see pictures of the event tonight and the official ribbon cutting. Oh, and I'm sure we'll have some of the pups from Foothills too!

 

The lantern over the front entryway runs on natural gas. Derbyshire actually offers natural gas to all of the homesites in the community, provided through PSNC.

All of the main exterior doors were handcrafted by Randy Greenway, a local woodworker. He is the same gentleman who created our front gates. The front doors of the barn at ten feet tall and weigh approximately 400 lbs each. 

These are the side doors to the barn. The back doors feature the same style with the crossbucks. 

This is the beautiful sixteen foot wide center aisle. The Derbyshire Community Stable features eleven 12x12 matted stalls. 

 

The Derbyshire Community Stable also features Woodstar stall systems. 

We've added a beautiful wrought iron chandelier to accent the large aisle.

 

This is the indoor wash bay at the stable, and there is also one located outside. Not pictured here are the feed room, tack room, bathroom, and kitchen.

If you have any questions about the Derbyshire Community Stable, you can contact us at 828.863.2660 or info@DerbyshireNC.com. You can also visit our website for additional community information. www.DerbyshireNC.com

This Week at Derbyshire - New Neighbors & Stable

This was a very busy week in our community for several families, as well as the Derbyshire team. Our new residents from Pennsylvania are still settling into their home after their move last week, and their new neighbors from California just arrived on Sunday. To help everyone get to know each other better we hosted a small lunch on Monday for everyone who was new to the community. They had a chance to take a break from unpacking boxes and grab some great food that didn't come from the pizza delivery guy (although he seems to be everyone's favorite person right now!).

The horses at the Derbyshire Community Stable are growing accustomed to their new home and to spending their days out in the front paddock. If you look closely, you can see them in the back there. We've learned that they need their privacy and that they insist on moving as far away from the camera as possible!

One of the most exciting things that happened this week was the rock work on the front of the new community stable. We're finishing the final touches so that we're ready for the Grand Opening Tour on August 3rd from 3-6PM.

Everyone is welcome to come and see the new facility and visit with the dogs that they Foothills Humane Society will be bringing with their "On The Road Team". We've learned that equestrians also have a soft spot for canines, and we thought that this would be a great opportunity to try and find some very sweet dogs new homes.

We have plenty of interesting events and news coming up, so check back next week!

Derbyshire Community Stable - First Residents

The Derbyshire Community Stable had its first residents move in yesterday evening. These two lovely horses came with their owners all the way from Pennsylvania. They settled in nicely in the new Woodstar stalls last night, and then they were enjoying munching on the grass in the Derbyshire pastures today while their owners unpacked.

If you look closely in the background, you can see a yellow CETA trail sign. The Derbyshire community trails, which are part of the CETA system, wrap around the pasture and then out and around the community to provide easy access for all of our equestrian residents, people and horses!

Area Equestrian Facilities, Clubs, and Organizations

One of our goals for this blog is to educated readers about the local organization and events for equestrians. We hope to be able to focus on them individually and give everyone a good idea of what it's really like. Until we have a chance to write about everything that is going on in Polk County (and there's a lot going on!), we thought that it would be best to go ahead and give a summary of the main facilities, clubs and organizations in the area. Please click on the title of anything that you would like to learn more about, it will take you directly to that organization's website. Happy exploring!

Eventing Facilities 

FENCE - Foothills Equestrian Nature Center

380 acre facility which currently hosts events for Tryon Riding & Hunt Club, Foothills Riding Club, Carolina Carriage Club, and other dressage and hunter jumper shows

Green Creek Equestrian Park

96 acre planned AA facility currently under construction, will be the new home for all TR&HC shows

Harmon Field

46 acre park which hosts multiple smaller horse shows

Fox Hunting

Tryon has two fox hunting clubs, the Tryon Hounds and the Green Creek Hounds.

Trail Riding

Two community trail systems in the area, CETA (Collinsville Equestrian Trail Association) and FETA (Foothills Equestrian Trail Association), connect to Derbyshire’s internal trail system and offer members access to over 165 miles of trails. 

Other Equestrian Organizations

Tryon Riding & Hunt Club

Non-profit organization which organizes the Block House Steeplechase, several nationally    accredited horse shows and horse trails, and the Any & All Dog Show

Foothills Riding Club

Equestrian club which organizes educational and recreational activities such as presentations, clinics, schooling shows and other mounted  programs focusing on dressage and combined training

Carolina Carriage Club

Carriage driving club which organizes and hosts several horse driving trials each year

Blue Ridge Hunter Jumper Association

Hunter jumper organization which plans various competitive events for members of all ages

River Valley Pony Club

Local chapter of the United States Pony Club

Western Hunter Pace Series

Series of competitive horseback rides held at a variety of locations throughout the Western Carolinas

The Foothills Equine Directory

Polk County really has many great resources for equestrians. One of the most important ones for those who are new to the area if the Foothills Equine Directory. For those of you who are not familiar with the directory, it is the most comprehensive list of equestrian services and resources available in the area. It lists boarding facilities, trainers, veterinarians, equine massage therapists, groomers, farm supply stores, and the many other resources that you would need to live comfortably in the Foothills with your equestrian companion(s). 

The booklet is compiled by the Foothills Riding Club, an equestrian club which organizes educational and recreational activities suck as presentations, clinics, schooling shows and other mounted programs focusing on dressage and combined training. The proceeds from their events are actually donated to other organizations in the area to further promote education and support for equestrians.
 

The current 80+ page directory is available now in many of the local stores. The Derbyshire team is happy to sponsor an ad that helps cover the production costs of this publication. It is such a valuable resource for the local equestrian community. If you own horses and are in the area, you should definitely pick one up. If you are unable to find one, stop by Derbyshire and we will locate one for you!

Derbyshire CETA Trail Ride

Derbyshire Hosts the Second Annual CETA Trail Ride

On June 16th, Derbyshire hosted 40 CETA members and guests at their Second Annual Derbyshire CETA Trail Ride. CETA members were invited to trailer in or trail ride to the development and enjoy a community brunch. Derbyshire also debuted their updated trail map with additional trails, which are a part of the CETA trail system, extending behind the new Derbyshire Private Farms.

Rhonda Lockhart and Anitra Peterson arrive at the brunch at Derbyshire's Marigold Cottage. 

CETA members enjoyed a post-trail ride brunch, 

which included treats for the horses! 

The horses were able to take in the lake views behind the 

Marigold Cottage while their owners gathered for brunch.

The team here at Derbyshire always enjoys hosting the CETA members and can't wait for next year's trail ride!

A Little More Information About the Trail Systems in the Area

Membership for the Collinsville Equestrian Trail Association (CETA) is open to landowners with CETA trails on their property. The membership consists of over 100 families, and all Derbyshire property owners have the option to become members. For more information, please visit their website.

Derbyshire is also adjacent to the Foothills Equestrian Trail Association (FETA) trails. In order to join FETA, you must live in the area, board your horse in the area, or own property in the area. All Derbyshire property owners would qualify to become members. Their website can be found here.

With membership in both the CETA and FETA trails systems, riders have access to over 165 miles of trails. Many of the homesites in Derbyshire are adjacent to the internal community trail system.

Derbyshire Neighbor - Green Creek Equestrian Park

Everyone at Derbyshire is very excited because construction has officially started on the new Green Creek Equestrian Park. This facility will be located one mile from the Derbyshire main entrance and will greatly enhance the equestrian community in Tryon. The equestrian park will be owned and operated by the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club which organizes the Blockhouse Steeplechase each year, in addition to many other horse races. The new Green Creek Equestrian Park was featured in a recent article in the Tryon Daily Bulletin which can be found at the link below.

New steeplechase track being built in Green Creek