Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406170254
SECTION: HORSE SHOW PAGE: HS-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SHAWSVILLE LENGTH: Long
The diner may then be joined at the meal by a herd of cattle or flop-eared Nubian goats or be entertained by enormous Martina, a 700-pound hog. The visitor then may become engaged in conversation with a horse masseur, or perhaps a horse acupuncturist, or even a friendly lady who claims to be able to communicate telepathically with the animals.
Then there are horses.
Big horses. Little horses. Horses that carry riders. Horses that pull carriages. Horses that gallop briskly. Horses that canter to rhythms in their minds, which, of course can be read by the friendly lady.
Bent Tree may sound like a fictional setting for a Lewis Carroll story. In fact, it is a real wonderland created by Karen Waldron and family and plopped down in the shade of central Montgomery County's hills.
It is an almost mystical place - a 19th-century estate filled with 20th-century conveniences - where humans and animals mingle as friends and co-workers.
"Everybody here gets along quite well," Waldron said.
Waldron loves her animals, but rest assured she is a horse person. She treats horses the way people want to be treated. She listens to her horses and cares what they think.
In return, the horses have enriched her life. They have filled her trophy cases and earned her the distinction of being one of the most successful American saddlebred owners in the country.
Along with her mother, Evelyn, who lives next door on the same estate, Waldron was inducted into the American Saddlebred Horse Association of Virginia Hall of Fame in February.
The Waldrons are the preeminent mother-daughter team among Virginia saddlebred owners, and their reputation in horsing circles is beyond reproach.
Gerald Carter, a member of the board of directors of the Hall of Fame, called the Waldrons "the epitome of Southern gentlewomen" in his remarks made before their induction.
Though they are known for their fine saddlebreds, the Waldrons also raise hackneys and a few Fresians among the 50-odd horses on the farm.
The Waldrons were honored by the Hall of Fame for their successes in horse shows and their longtime contributions to Virginia horse industry. They are major supporters of the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, and Karen Waldron serves on the executive board of the Roanoke Valley Horse Show.
It is during the Roanoke show week that they hold their annual brunch for friends and other guests. This year, the food will be served on the backs of a couple of their 25 llamas.
The Waldrons were pioneers in Virginia horsing yet they remain open to new ideas and philosophies regarding the raising and training of horses.
Karen Waldron is highly interested in alternative medicines and remedies for her horses. She is a firm believer in the burgeoning practice of equine massage. She has informed other friends in the horse business the benefits chiropractic and acupuncture can have on a horse.
A conversation with her often turns to subjects like dream analysis and Gestalt theory. For horses.
"You can't deny the spiritual side of a horse's development," Waldron said. "The mind, the body and the spirit all work together in an animal the way they do in a person."
Therein lies the crux of Waldron's attitude toward her animals. Essentially, it is a form of transcedentalism, a belief that we are all of one spirit. Simply put, treat everyone and everything with understanding and respect.
"For so long, it's been people versus animals," said Waldron. "If we stop to look at them and look at ourselves through their eyes and work with them, we can feel what they're feeling."
The most popular of the many workshops Waldron has been host to on her farm dealt with communicating with animals. Penelope Smith, a Californian who lectures on telepathic communication, greeted more than 30 participants at Bent Tree with a demonstration on reading the minds of animals. Waldron felt the event had lasting merits.
"It shifts your perspective," said Waldron. "This could all be fantasy, but it's there if you're open to it."
Evelyn Waldron commented to their visitor: "I'm afraid if you write all this, people will think we're crazy."
"We are crazy," her daughter said with a laugh.
If it's crazy to be nice to animals and care for their well-being, then the Waldrons are certifiably cuckoo.
Actually, they're just normal people from Roanoke who made good with their horses. Their greatest achievements have come inside the ring. Karen Waldron is widely regarded as one of the state's best female riders. She has won world championships yet is a bit embarrassed when asked how many.
"Oh, it's at least 20," she said.
Lee Adams, who has been a horse trainer at Bent Tree for 18 years, shakes her head.
"Many more," she said.
Evelyn Waldron had never competed in a show ring until 1980, when she bought Wildfire in Lexington, Ky. Coaxed into riding one month later, she made a good showing in Louisville, Ky. Two years later, she and Wildfire were amateur harness pony world champions.
Karen Waldron won her first world title in 1978 on Bright and Breezy at the Amateur Five-Gaited Stallion Gelding World Championships in Louisville, and in 1984 she became the second amateur woman to win the open class at the Kentucky State Fair.
That honor came seven years after she had purchased Bent Tree, which dates to the antebellum days of the South.
The place has changed owners numerous times, but it has changed little since the turn of the century when many of the houses and barns were rebuilt. The Waldrons converted the old dairy barns into homes for the variety of creatures that roam the pastures.
The Waldrons also built the long barn that houses the stables and a training facility. Essentially, it serves as an indoor track.
Building things comes naturally for the Waldrons, who amassed the family fortune from the construction and building business run by Elbert Waldron, Karen's father. Elbert Waldron never became much of a horseman - he was too busy "building most of Roanoke," as his wife put it - but he was always supportive of his family's efforts. These days, he plans his building projects from the comforts of Bent Tree.
It was Karen's big brother, Bill Cates, who first became interested in horses. While living in Roanoke, the family knew such notable Roanoke Valley horsing figures such as Marion Via and Hubert Wright.
Now, Karen and Evelyn are the preeminent mother-daughter team in Virginia.
"It's because of our staying power," Karen Waldron said. "This has all been hard work."
by CNB