THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 8, 1994 TAG: 9407070219
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
Billy Chaplain casually strolls through the dim barns at Pleasant Ridge Stables, checking on the horses and speaking to everyone he passes. He's at home in the stables and it shows.
In the last few years Chaplain has changed hats from that of a police officer to head of Pleasant Ridge. The founder and owner of the stables in Pungo juggles a dozen tasks every hour. Dressed in khaki shorts and green Pleasant Ridge Stables shirt, he finally takes a moment to relax with his family.
``It's non-stop around here,'' said Chaplain, 31. ``And I love it.''
Chaplain opened the stables in 1990. He wanted to do something with his farm land and built the first barn in 1991. Soon after, people began to board their horses at the stables.
In April 1993, Chaplain retired with a disability from the Virginia Beach Police Department after serving five years. He injured an ankle while responding to a call at Harpers Square and later underwent surgery to treat blood clots that had formed around the injury.
After other bouts with blood clots in his leg and around his heart, Chaplain had to step down from his job. Since then he's turned his full attention to Pleasant Ridge Stables.
The 64-stall stables cover nearly 100 acres that Chaplain and his brother inherited from their grandfather. ``This used to be just cornfields,'' said Chaplain, who started riding horses when he was a boy. ``Getting into horses was something I always wanted to do.''
After Chaplain opened the indoor arena in 1992, Pleasant Ridge stables took off, he said. That year he also received the Outstanding Development Award from Virginia Beach.
``Every day is different here,'' he said, bending over to tie his daughter's shoe. ``You may have to unload 600 bales of hay and I usually help with the paperwork.''
Chaplain said he also hauls horses along the East Coast and sometimes as far away as Chicago. Loading and driving the horses is one of his favorite tasks, he said.
Jennifer Jordan, 29, often rides at Pleasant Ridge. She said she is amazed how Chaplain handles the workload. ``He's a very patient man. He has to deal with a lot of women, children and horses and he's always there to fix something and lend a helping hand,'' she said.
Chaplain acknowledges he must have patience to do his job and handle personal setbacks.
In May, he endured another hospital operation when a blood clot formed around one of his kidneys. He lost half a kidney as a result.
He said this past spring was a rough time for him, but he did not let the operation stop his work. Marcy Ingram, one of the trainers, said she could not believe how quickly Chaplain was back on his feet.
``It was 100 degrees. He had been in the hospital and he was out there shoveling shavings,'' Ingram said. ``He's great, wonderful and it's nice because if you need something done it gets done.''
Before his surgery, Chaplain said he enjoyed a wide range of other activities, such as basketball, water-skiing, snow-skiing and bowling. However, he said his activities now are limited.
``The barn keeps me busy. My wife says I spend too much time in the barn and not enough at home. I work too much out here.''
Chaplain built his house on the stable grounds 10 years ago, making it easier for him to leave the stables open late, he said. However, he can get called out in the stables for work at any time of the day or night.
``This is a full time job, seven days a week, 365 days a year,'' he said. ``These horses have to be cared for and fed. If I want to take a vacation it has to be a short one.''
But Chaplain said he loves what he does, especially being able to work with his wife, Lisa, and children: Cody, 8; Sarah, 4; and Joshua, 1 month. Lisa works in the office and his two older kids ride. He joked that he already plans to start training his newborn to ride.
Barn manager Jan Salter has known Chaplain for four years. She said he has created one of the best stables in the country. ``His whole thing is family-oriented,'' said Salter, whose daughter Marcy Ingram rides and trains. ``It's a family affair here.''
Chaplain said Pleasant Ridge offers classes for the whole family. Many of his riders win awards at horse shows. The stable lounge is decorated on two walls with dozens of ribbons from different horse shows, but those are just a small number of the awards. ``We wouldn't have enough wall space for all the ribbons,'' he said.
Pleasant Ridge normally takes 25 horses to the shows in the area, which are held every other Sunday. On July 24, Pleasant Ridge will host its first horse show. Chaplain said the show is just the start of the stable's growth.
Caroyln Rutledge, who rides at the stables with her son, said with Chaplain's guidance, Pleasant Ridge will go far. ``This is the best place to take problem horses and turn them into something,'' Rutledge said. ``They take the time to get the horses and they don't turn people away. You'll never find a better place.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Retired from the police on a disability, Billy Chaplain turned 100
acres of farm land into Pleasant Ridge Stables - 64 stalls and a
indoor arena. The family's house is also on the grounds.
by CNB