Virginia may be for lovers, but Florida is definitely for horse lovers.
By Vicky Moon
At the International Championship Cup of the Americas of 1928, the Untied States Team: from left, W.A. Harriman, T. Hitchcock Jr., M. Stevenson, Winston Guest, L.E. Stoddard (Photo courtesy of National Museum of Polo).
GO FOR THE GOLF, STAY FOR THE STABLES
For some folks, the annual winter migration to a warmer climate translates to a few rounds of golf. Such was the case when a group of men from Middleburg – Andy Fenton, John Palmer, Howard Armfield, Trowbridge Littleton, Andrew Stifler, and several others – joined host Jim Treptow in The Exumas, Bahamas for an outing on the links.
However, golf is only a side focus for most Middleburgers. Just ask Jim Treptow; the horses tare what really bring their owners south. Horses of all types – talented polo ponies, thoroughbred race horses, and high-jumping show hunters and jumpers congregate in Wellington, Florida. In the early mornings, Jim (who recently purchased Hickory Tree Farm in Middleburg) is out watching his racehorses (trained by Graham Motion) breeze at Palm Meadows or run the afternoon races at Gulfstream Park. In between, he spends time at the horse shows, where Denice DeRisio Perry trains a slew of riders from Middleburg, including Ainsley Treptow (a senior at Foxcroft) and her mother, Mary Lea Treptow.
