On a hot late summer afternoon at Pine Crest Farm in Manakin-Sabot in Goochland County, girls in riding attire are perfecting their equestrian skills, bringing their horses to a trot around an oval riding ring and encouraging the animals over jumps. Their grandmothers and mothers wait at one side, watching.
Head trainer and instructor Ali Cerkez stands in the middle of the ring. She’s wearing tight riding pants and dusty boots; a cap and sunglasses shield her from the sun as she instructs the riders on the correct movements to control their horses at varying speeds and styles.
Located on the grounds of the Deep Run Hunt Club’s equine facility, Pine Crest Farms is a hub of equestrian activity and education, with three barns, boarded horses and school horses for lessons and showing. Hunter/jumper competition events are held just a walk away on the hunt club property.
(From left) Kaileigh Keller, Ali Cerkez and Pine Crest Farms owner Hillary Keller in the stables
Hillary Keller, the owner of Pine Crest Farms, caters to an enthusiastic crowd that’s devoted to equestrian culture. Her daughter, Kaileigh, is a trainer who moves around the barn, tending to the horses along with other staff. It’s a passion and a hobby for Keller, who notes that the equine enthusiasts are a small, dedicated group.
“This is horse country,” says Keller, who is a lifelong rider and competitor herself.
Manakin-Sabot, an unincorporated area northwest of Richmond, is also a close-in suburb of the city, “the rural oasis next to the concrete jungle,” according to Lisa Dearden, a Goochland Economic Development Authority member and executive director of RVAgriculture. It’s still horse country, but it’s also an area that is poised for growth, which may implement a shift in character that would change the rural nature of the county. While some Goochland residents contend that growth will also bring more affordable housing and services to the area, others are opposed to a boom.
Brooks Clement owns Clement Equine Service with her husband, Clem.
Traditions and Conservation
The entry to the 130-year-old Deep Run Hunt Club is striking; its barns and show facilities are the epitome of horse culture. On this hot afternoon, it serves as a gathering site for six women, friends and longtime members who are enjoying the pool. “Everyone here loves horses,” Jan Lipscomb says. “We’re country lovers and Goochland lovers.”
Lipscomb and fellow club member Linda Boggs note that the show grounds by the main road and the cross country field behind the clubhouse are used throughout the year for competitions.
“It’s great recreation,”Boggs says. “It’s focused on more than fox hunting. Here, for members we have yoga, art, dance, movies. It’s important for the public to know that we are also focused on conservation of the land and animals.”
The hunt club owns properties in Cumberland, Fluvanna and Louisa counties for actual fox hunts. To keep the next generation engaged in horses, a children’s group called the Pony Club fosters horsemanship and encourages youngsters to participate in competitions like the Deep Run Hunt Club Pony Horse Trials.
Kim Anderson, owner of the Manakin-Sabot Equestrian Center across the road, runs Capital Horse Shows Association competitions, many of which take place at the Deep Run Hunt Club.
“I do 10 shows like that a year,” says Anderson after a lesson on a summer afternoon that threatens rain from dramatic clouds. Her 250-by-120-foot barn and an outdoor ring cater to people serious about building equestrian skills and those perfecting their jumper skills to compete in events.
Also, the Goochland Department of Parks and Recreation contracts with the nearby Swift Creek School of Equitation off Millers Lane to give young residents more affordable after school horseback riding group lessons with transportation.
Dover Hall is an event center and a Manakin-Sabot landmark.
A Center of Attractions
About a mile from the hunt club, the English Tudor-style architecture of the event venue Dover Hall is another draw in Manakin-Sabot for people who enjoy sweeping, open country vistas. The estate, a luxury bed-and-breakfast that is a popular site for weddings and events, also stages public events, including a Winter Wonderland from 1 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 8 and a Santa brunch at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Dec. 15.
The recently planted red cabernet franc and white viognier grapevines on the sweeping lawn at what will be Seven Lady Vineyards of Dover Hall changed the landscape leading up to the property. Owners Chad Hornik and Jeff Ottaviano have plans for a wine tasting room to the right of the main house with a patio overlooking the pond. Expanded catering facilities and a restaurant that may be located on site or off are also in the works.
“Manakin-Sabot is living in the country with all the conveniences of being in town right by Short Pump,” Ottaviano says.
Keira, age 8, and her father, Morris Grimes, check out the Manakin Market.
Developments
But Manakin-Sabot’s reputation as being the best of both worlds — a rural oasis close to the bustle of Short Pump — is changing. Adair Roper, a Manakin-Sabot resident, avid horse trail rider and Goochland Cares development director, says the cost of affordable housing in this scenic area is steep. Apartments rent for more than $1,000 a month, which poses a challenge for many, as does a dearth of transportation alternatives.
Lipscomb and her friends say horse people and members of the hunt club feel the groups of cyclists that block the roads on weekend mornings, increasingly drawn to the bucolic country roads, often clash with and pose a danger to drivers, especially those pulling heavy horse trailers who cannot brake suddenly. The horse crowd says they do not want this increased traffic a planned development may bring.
But the eastern part of Goochland is primed for development, with water and sewer systems in place that make that easier.
Developer Scott Gaeser has submitted proposals to the county’s planning division to construct Manakin Towne, a $100 million mixed-use residential and commercial project on more than 30 acres west of the Food Lion-anchored Broad View Shopping Center along Broad Street Road, overlooking the Sycamore Creek Golf Course.
Heather O'Sullivan and Claire, 5, pick up vegetables at the Manakin Market.
While views on the project are mixed, people interviewed for this article all agreed the proposed project and its 94,000 square feet of retail space, 47 townhomes and over 200 rental units would change the character of the area.
Bob Minnick, the District 4 representative on the Goochland County Board of Supervisors, says he will make a full evaluation regarding what would be the biggest benefit to county residents while taking into consideration the impact on services like transportation, fire safety and schools, as the public reviews are held.
“In my role, I’m in receive mode,” Minnick says of the Manakin Towne project. “I take a look at the proposal, review and discuss with staff and the citizens, and receive their thoughts and concerns and questions about it.”
“We require a substantial amount of citizen engagement in planning — a result in these cases would be that these developments would be more acceptable to residents, as growth is of concern to residents,” says John Budesky, Goochland County administrator.
Elected officials, residents and planners will review the Manakin Towne plans at open meetings this fall and quite possibly into the winter, say Budesky and Minnick.
If approved, Gaeser would start construction next summer.
Local band Mo DeBree performs at Amici di Enzo's on a Saturday night.
The Basics
Manakin-Sabot lies between Shallow Well Road on the west, interstate 64 to the north, State Route 6 on its south and State Route 288 to the east, according to Bob Minnick, the district’s representative on the Goochland County Board of Supervisors. The 34-square-mile district is in the 23103 ZIP code, an area that includes numerous new high-end housing developments and two golf courses. The district’s population was about 4,634 in the 2010 census and about 88% white. A median home value in the community is $534,000. The median household income is $106,750.
Dining & Entertainment
Short Pump favorites are a 15-minute drive away, but Manakin-Sabot is also home to some dining destinations of its own:
- Satterwhite’s Restaurant (116 Broad Street Road) is open daily except Mondays for breakfast and lunch, serving American food.
- Sunset Grill (1601 Hockett Road) is a neighborhood bar with American fare, seafood and live entertainment.
- Amici di Enzo (36 Broad Street Road) specializes in Northern Italian cuisine and pizza. It serves lunch Tuesday-Friday, and dinner daily except Sundays. The bistro also presents a variety of bands performing most Fridays and Saturdays.
- Dhaba (12859 Broad Street Road) serves Indian fare.
- Lola’s Farmhouse Bistro (1840 Manakin Road) is the place for traditional Italian, classic French and American cuisine, as well as house-made desserts, ice cream sundaes, coffee, espresso and a wine bar.
Save the Date
Dec. 7: Manakin Market Holiday Farm and Craft Market features handmade artisan crafts and gifts, seasonal vegetables, meats, cheese, baked goods, local wine and wine tastings, prepared foods, live music, free kids activities, Santa Claus, a petting zoo, and pony rides. 68 Broad Street Road.
