Rescued Horses and Other Attractions at Zephyr Stables

By Mary Sansone, Southside Messenger Staff

Located in Cumberland, Va. is Zephyr Stables, a barn specifically created to give rescued horses a home. The owner, Rhoda Cooper, has about 80 horses and offers many different attractions to horse lovers in the area. Zephyr Stables offers trail rides, riding lessons, birthday parties, pony rides and horse camp.

Photo by Kelsie Clyburn

Cooper has always had a love for horses, but she did not always know she wanted to open up her own rescue barn. “My mom liked horses when she was younger, and my dad liked horses when he was younger, but neither one of them got to ride or actually have any interaction with horses as a kid, so when I expressed a love of horses when I was a child, they encouraged me,” she said. “We’d go to the Kentucky Horse Park, and every time we’d drive down the road and I’d see a horse, we had to stop so I could get out and pet it. And then I started taking riding lessons, and it just kind of grew from there.”

According to Cooper, she always knew she wanted to run her own riding stables, but the fact that Zephyr Stables became a home for rescued horses was not planned. When she was a teenager, Cooper took in her first rescue, a horse with bad arthritis, and cared for her. The first stable she opened was in Kentucky, and she said, “People would learn that I took in a rescue, and they would call me, and they would tell other people, and they would call me, and they would say, ‘Hey there’s a horse you need to get over here,’ and it kind of blossomed from there.”After Cooper moved to Virginia, the same thing happened again.

A rescued horse can be in almost any condition. Cooper takes in starved horses, previously abused horses, injured horses, basically any horse that needs to be cared for. “A lot of them are injured,” she said. “[They] have some kind of injury that keeps them from doing what the person who has them wants them to do. For example, I have several horses here that their owners like to jump, and they had a leg injury, so they can’t jump anymore. They can’t use them for what they want, so they gave them to me.”

There are about 80 horses at Zephyr Stables, and they each have their own job. Some of them are used for riding lessons, and others are good for trail rides. “I think all horses need a job; they need to have a purpose, they need to do something,” shared Cooper. If she does not have a specific job at her stable for a horse, she tries to find the horse a home where he can have a good purpose.

Photo by Kelsie Clyburn

As far as the attractions at Zephyr Stables go, there are many offers made to the public. Cooper said, “We do trail rides to the general public. I do riding lessons, both English and Western. We do some horse shows; we don’t go to a whole lot, but we do some. I do pony rides, birthday parties, horse camp. I teach riding lessons for kids, even as young as three; and a lot of places won’t start until they’re at least six. But I also teach adults too.”

Cooper charges $35 per person for riding lessons. Trail rides are $35 for an hour or $55 for two hours. However, there is a discount for people interested in volunteering at the stable. Cooper shared, “I have a special discount for volunteers. If you’re a Longwood volunteer, and you volunteer four hours a week, you get discounted rides. So you can get trail rides and/or lessons at discounted prices because you volunteer, so that really helps out a lot for Longwood students. It’s $20 a ride, so it saves you $15 when you ride.”

The most important thing Cooper wants people to know about Zephyr Stables, though, is that “It’s a big family, and I’m really, really big on having fun and enjoying horses. The competitive side, it’s not a big thing out here. I just want people to have a good time with horses, enjoy them and just have a lot of fun.”

If you are interested in horses and want to check out Zephyr Stables, visit their website at http://zephyrstablesridingandrescue.com/home or just stop by. They are located at 302 Putney Road, Cumberland, Va. 23040. You can also call them at 434-390-8052.