In Michigan City, Mississippi—Cherokee Valley Ranch Offers Training And Stabling by Nancy Brannon “It didn’t take as long to get here as I thought it would,” is a phrase Barbara King and Sarah Smith often hear when folks come to their Cherokee Valley Ranch and Stable near Michigan City, Mississippi. Barbara and Sarah and their husbands partnered to found the riding stable on Wilburn Road just inside the Benton County line in 2000, and they offer a variety of riding activities. It’s an easy drive down Highway 72 from Collierville, and once there, one has “entered the quiet zone,” Barbara says, with 200 acres of land to ride across, an outdoor arena with jumping course, or an indoor riding area - whatever one prefers. It is the stable that hunter/jumper trainer Bart Brennan now calls “home,’ where he keeps his investment horses, trains clients’ horses, and teaches riding. He teaches all levels from beginner to advanced, with the goal of getting students to the ASHA A shows, and taking them to local schooling shows for preparation. His program includes riding clients’ horses twice a week and giving clients lessons on their horses twice a week. “For the fifth day, if they want to ride, I show them the fields and say ‘go have fun.’ With 200 acres, you can ride until you can’t stand it! It’s good to take your show horse on trails; it keeps their attitude well-adjusted.” Sarah does endurance riding and training, keeping 8- and 14-mile loops for conditioning her endurance horses. She also teaches the kids in the Benton County 4-H Club for halter, showmanship, and English flat classes. She volunteered to judge their annual fund-raising show at the Benton County Agri Center. Folks in the Germantown, Tennessee area may remember Bart from his days as a Junior Jumper rider. He rode in the Junior Pan-American Games in Mexico City in 1980, where his team won the silver medal. “It was a stressful time,” he recalled. “We didn’t get to take our own horses. We had to ride whatever horse we drew, horses that were provided for us. We had three days to figure out the horse, then showed them in the jumper courses. Fence heights were around 4’6” and we rode a different course each day over a period of three days. It was a great experience.” Sarah has been successful in endurance riding. She rode in the City Slickers ride at Shelby Farms in the spring with one of her students, who placed in the top ten in her first race. Sarah won the 35-mile Witch Dance race in Houston, Mississippi and her student won 2nd place, a real achievement for a rider who had been consistently placing 30th. Sarah also trains Arabians and qualified her horse for the Arabian Nationals. Barbara and Sarah pride themselves on providing excellent horse care for their boarders. “We have a customized feed plan for each horse. We do a dietary analysis to see what they need. All horses get Moorman’s minerals in their feed plan,” Barbara explained. “They will do whatever they can, within reason, to make the horses and owners happy,” Bart added. “We try to make nice horses for people to ride.” For more information about Cherokee Valley Ranch and Stables, call Barbara King at 901-833-1242 or the barn at 662-224-3449. See their web site: http://www.cherokeevalleystable.com.