By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Jordan Koepke
Barbara Chappell wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Instead, she was handed a pitchfork as soon as she was old enough to help on her family’s Holly Hill Farm. Barbara worked alongside her parents, with her seven siblings, to raise their dairy and beef cattle and tend to horses, goats and the hay fields.
The work ethic instilled in Barbara at an early age carries on today as she runs her own Colt Hills Farm in Warrenton, Virginia. With 14 to 16 horses and ponies on the property at any given time, if you’re looking for Barbara, your best bet is to head to the barn.
A lifelong horsewoman, Barbara has dedicated her life to developing the next generation of horsewomen and ponies. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Barbara has a keen interest in pony breeding and runs her own small breeding operation while also passing her passion for horses to her daughters and her granddaughter, Beverly.
Holly Hill Farm
It was a mutual passion for horses that led Barbara’s parents to meet at Crossman Farm. “They both boarded their horses there for $10 a month. It didn’t take long for them to bond over their love of the famed racehorse Man O’ War,” Barbara said. “My dad owned one of his grandsons, an OTTB named Mineral.”
By the time Barbara was born, her parents had established their own farm in Marshall, Virginia. “They bought an abandoned and run-down 160-acre apple orchard that had a two-story log house built in 1808. With little to no farming experience, they immersed themselves in the homesteading lifestyle and went to work restoring the fields, added an addition to the house, created a horse stable and converted the 18th century stone slave quarters into a small milking barn,” Barbara said. “The addition of a finished barn led to my mom running a boarding business and a small horse-breeding venture began.”
Barbara immediately caught the “horse bug” the first time she sat on a horse at age 3. “As I got older, I was always asking to ride. My parents bought me my first pony, Sonny Boy, when I was 8 years old. He was so barn sour, I couldn’t even leave the barn,” she said. “Without a saddle of my own, I learned how to trail ride bareback.”
Together, Barbara and her mother entered the rodeo world. “I started riding Western around age 10 on a Quarter Horse named Peaches and learned how to barrel race. My mom and I rode in several parades in Warrenton and Marshall. I had a turquoise shirt and Justin Western boots I wore for the occasion and thought, Boy this is great, what fun,” Barbara said. “I was truly in love with horses and everything that entailed.”
4-H was the next stop on Barbara’s equestrian journey. It was through 4-H that Barbara had her first experience showing horses on the line in halter classes. It was also during this time that Barbara’s mom decided to break their young homebred mare, Heidi, to be Barbara’s future mount.
“Peaches was getting older, so one of our boarders graciously allowed me to ride her ponies. I rode as many ponies as I could a day, bareback as I still didn’t own an English saddle. As my interest in English riding started to grow, my mother surprised me with an English saddle for Christmas,” Barbara said.
Saddle in hand, Barbara was ready to take English riding lessons, where she learned all about equitation and how to jump. “After Heidi had some training under her belt, we started taking her to horse shows and showed in grass rings. I was so excited and loved showing,” she said. “My interest in the hunter shows led me to ride near the Orange County Hunt territory in The Plains, Virginia, so I could watch the foxhounds work under the watchful eye of legendary huntsman Melvin Poe. It was thrilling to see the hounds pick up the scent and the riders take off after them. It was all about riding over the beautiful countryside following and hearing the hounds on the chase of a fox—and learning the phrase, ‘The fox outsmarted the hounds!’”
Hardworking Horsewoman
As Holly Hill Farm transitioned from a horse boarding facility to a predominantly beef cattle operation, Barbara sought other opportunities where she could use her saddle. At 16 years old, she was hired by Warrenton’s local saddlery and gift shop, Horse Country Saddlery. While working there, Barbara made connections with many hunter and professional show riders that would prove to be helpful in the future.
“I waited on Jessamy Rouson, who left a lasting impression on me. Many years later, Jessamy gave my youngest daughter, Jessica, a jumper lesson,” Barbara said. “After the lesson, we spent the afternoon reminiscing about all things Virginia horse related.”
While working at Horse Country Saddlery allowed Barbara to interact with horse people daily, she knew she wanted to be like her customers who had full-time riding jobs. Barbara’s first riding job was at Bill Backer’s racehorse farm, Smitten Farm. “He saw me as ambitious and energetic, and recognized that I had a true love for horses. He gave me a chance to exercise his young horses,” she said.
In addition to riding, Barbara attended community college and worked as a groom for Thoroughbreds who went to the Saratoga, Keeneland and Timonium sales. “I prepped and groomed the youngsters for the sales while earning money to attend school. At the same time, I also started galloping horses at the Middleburg racetrack and began to ride freelance,” Barbara said. “Eventually, I was working more than going to school and began working at Maggie O. Bryant’s Locust Hill Farm in Middleburg.”
Barbara’s duties at Locust Hill included breaking young horses for racing and finding a second career for the horses that didn’t have enough speed on the track. “I turned those horses into foxhunters and had the opportunity to foxhunt with Orange County Hunt huntsman Melvin Poe, whom I’d watched from afar as a child,” she said.
Melvin wasn’t the only idol Barbara rode with while in the hunt field. “I was able to meet many people, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis. When she stopped jumping in the hunt field, I would assist by opening the gates for her,” Barbara said. “I remember her beauty, warmth and grace.”
During her years working at Locust Hill, Barbara got married and had three children—twins Crystal and Loretta, and Rachel. The twins immediately took to riding and were gifted their first pony, Funny Face, from legendary Virginia horseman Tommy Lee Jones.
“Thanks to Maggie’s generosity, I was able to keep three ponies for the girls at Locust Hill for free. Each afternoon, the school bus would drop them off at the farm and they learned to ride and foxhunt. Crystal and Loretta were members of the Casanova Warrenton Pony Club and attended local shows,” she said. “Rachel was less enthusiastic about horses; it wasn’t until she was 10 years old that she began to share the love for horses like the rest of us. Ironically, she would later become a whip for Piedmont Hunt and have a freelance career as a jockey at Charles Town Racetrack.”
Phyllis Farland was another mentor for Barbara. “While I worked for Phyllis at her Laughing Fox Farm, she taught me all the tips and tricks to prepare horses to look their best for the Green and Conformation Hunter divisions at rated shows,” Barbara said. “I still apply those skills today when preparing all of my ponies for the show ring.”
Colt Hills Farm
Barbara remarried in 1992, relocated to Warrenton and established her own Colt Hills Farm. Two years later, she welcomed a fourth daughter, Jessica. While the older girls and Barbara were busy in the hunt field, Jessica made her way to the hunter show ring. “Jessica’s first pony, Princess Caroline, was the first Welsh Pony that sparked my interest in pursuing a Welsh Pony breeding business,” she said.
Private Secretary was the first broodmare to call Colt Hills Farm home. “A granddaughter of Secretariat, she was in foal to Gary Baker’s pony stallion Farnley Belshazzar when I got her. The resulting filly was Shelby Secret. Shelby launched my passion for breeding Welsh Ponies, showing on the line and eventually led me to owning stallions as well,” she said. “I raised Shelby and started showing her in hand.”
Working to prepare Thoroughbreds for sale gave Barbara all the tips and tricks needed to make her ponies look their best when they showed in hand. “I won my first futurity with Shelby Secret and got involved with the Virginia Pony Breeders Association. Dale Crittenberger was the first handler I hired. We went on to win at Upperville Colt & Horse Show. I was hooked,” Barbara said. “Over the years, I’ve been blessed to have had Oliver Brown, Charlie Brown and William E. ‘Billy’ Howland Jr. handle my ponies in the hunter show in-hand classes. These handlers won Best Young Pony championships for me at top shows, Devon and Upperville, in addition to many yearly futurities.”
Since Princess Caroline, Welsh Ponies have had a piece of Barbara’s heart. “I love the classic look of Welsh Ponies—their movement, beautiful head type and lovely conformation. Many have a bit of spunk to them, but they also can have wonderful temperaments. While many have a beautiful high step action, I look for a flatter knee movement for my hunter type of offspring,” she said. “I really enjoy the challenge of determining the best mare and stallion matches, both pure Welsh and Welsh crossbred, for performance hunter ponies.”
After Shelby Secret, Barbara purchased a pony in foal to Cymraeg Rain Beau. Once foaling time came, Barbara had her first stallion, Another Beau (Cymraeg Rain Beau x Glenmore Liberty Belle). Owning stallions was a whole new game for Colt Hills Farm. “Over the years, I also imported and owned Birkinbrook Masquerade [Heaton Romeo x Birkinbrook Mint] and Eyarth Poseiden [Cwrtycadno Cymro x Eyarth Athene],” Barbara said.
In January 2023, Barbara welcomed her newest pony stallion, Cadlanvalley Glimmer (Cadlanvalley Buzby x Cadlanvalley Popcorn by Boston Bonaparte) to Colt Hills Farm. “I bought him from Cadlanvalley Stud in the United Kingdom, owned by Yvonne Davies. Glimmer is a Section B 13-hand Welsh stallion who is a proven producer, many times supreme champion under saddle and halter classes in the U.K.,” she said. “Since arriving in the States, he has successfully show in hand at the U.S. Welsh shows winning multiple year-end high score awards. In 2023, he won the Princess Diana Memorial Cup at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Canada, which meant he was the best winning stallion that was imported and showing in the Welsh Pony & Cob Society of America shows.”
During the breeding season, Barbara sends Cadlanvalley Glimmer to a breeding farm, Maye Show Ponies. “I’ve been so lucky to have Maye Show Ponies help with my breeding program and showing my Welsh stallions over the years,” she said. “Glimmer’s first crop of foals in the U.S. are due in 2025.”
Owning stallions and broodmares has enabled Barbara to achieve her goal of breeding ponies to share with the next generation of horse lovers, whether they want a pony for the show ring or just for pleasure. “I enjoy every aspect of running a breeding operation, from finding the right stallions for my broodmare to foaling at Colt Hills Farm to preparing them for both showing in hand and their future Hunter Pony performance classes,” she said. “I truly love being involved in every aspect of their lives from conception to competition.”
It Takes a Village
On June 23, 2015, Barbara’s life changed in an instant when her daughter Rachel passed away in a motorcycle accident, leaving behind three young children: 9-year-old Amelia, 4-year-old Charlie and Beverly, just a year old. Now, in addition to raising the next generation of show ponies at Colt Hills Farm, Barbara is also raising Rachel’s children.
“Rachel’s death transformed my life in so many ways, as losing a child is like no other pain. I’m so blessed that my older daughters and their husbands, the rest of my family and my friends have jumped in to help me raise Rachel’s kids. It truly takes a village to make sure they get to all their activities and feel loved and supported every step of the way. We often tell stories and share photos, so they never forget their mother,” Barbara said. “Having my village behind me makes it possible to be active in the lives of my other grandchildren—Lucy, Jeffrey, Katelynn and Alexis—too.”
Although Barbara tried to get all three children to share her love of being at the barn, Beverly was the only one who really took to it. “Amelia and Charlie don’t particularly enjoy horseback riding—Charlie is now involved in several school activities and Amelia is thriving as a sophomore at James Madison University. Beverly has a strong interest in horses, and we often have to run her out of the barn,” Barbara said. “If she could, Beverly would ride all day, every day. She’s a very talented young rider and I have no doubt that she will carry on her love for horses just like Rachel did.”
Like Princess Caroline won Barbara’s heart over for Welsh ponies, she sealed the deal for Beverly to become a horse-crazy kid. “By the time Beverly arrived to live at Colt Hills Farm, Princess Caroline was back retired with me. Beverly immediately took to that old girl, forming a bond that has continued with each pony she’s partnered with,” Barbara said.
“I’m so glad Grandma introduced to me ponies and horse showing. I love sharing the ponies with her. We have so much fun together at home in the barn and at horse shows,” Beverly said. “Grandma’s the best person ever.”
Once a “pony mom” and now a “pony grandma,” Barbara is enjoying this time back at the pony hunter ring at the A-rated shows with Beverly. In a full-circle turn of events, Beverly shows with Peter Foley and Dale Crittenberger of Woodhall Farm. “Dale inspired me with the pony breeding, so when it was time for Beverly to show, I wanted to go back to where my journey in the pony world began,” Barbara said.
However, she’s doing things a little differently this time around. “When Jessica showed, at rated shows up and down the East Coast and at indoors, I did most of the work at the barn and took care of her ponies and horses at the shows. Jessica always wanted to help, but I’m a perfectionist so I always told her I’d do it. Despite me doing most of the work, Jessica did learn along the way and today runs her own Folklore Farm, where she takes the same great pride in care and turnout as I do,” Barbara said. “With Beverly, I’ve learned it’s very important to let her help and be part of the action—picking stalls, grooming ponies, learning to clip, cleaning tack, all the details. The bond she forms with the ponies at the barn, whether playing with them or riding, is so important in making her a happy kid who loves the sport as much as I do.”
Looking toward the future, Barbara isn’t planning on slowing down any time soon. It’s not uncommon to find Barbara at the barn in the wee hours of the morning braiding ponies to get them ready for the show ring, either to show on the line with their handlers or in the show ring with Beverly.
“It’s a lot of work, but I truly love being active in the horse community. The friendships I’ve developed within the horse world have supported me and helped me through the highs and lows during every part of my life,” Barbara said. “It’s been so nice to share this with my daughters while they were growing up, and now today with Beverly.”
For more information, follow Colt Hills Farm on Facebook and Instagram @colthillsfarm
Photos by Jordan Koepke, jordankoepke.com
Barbara’s sweater outfit courtesy of Marion Maggiolo at Horse Country Saddlery, Warrenton, Virginia
