May 2003

Silent Auction at the Potomac Hunt Races
by Traci Dill

So, there I was. As instructed, I had on my pink linen sundress, my floppy straw hat, and my strappy little sandals. I definitely needed to look the part for my first experience with the running of the Potomac Hunt races. On my drive from Baltimore City to the event in Seneca, MD, I envisioned what the day would hold. As silly as it may seem, I couldn't help but imagine that scene from "Pretty Woman" where Julia Roberts and Richard Gere attend a ritzy polo match, sipped dirty martinis on a beautifully manicured field while surrounded by famous, wealthy people. I wondered if I too would be able to help restore the field between races by replacing unearthed pieces of grass with my bare feet. In my mind, it didn't matter that I was attending a race - not a polo match - two totally different events, because I was going to be Julia Roberts for the day. I paid no attention to the lingering clouds as I drove, it was May 18th and I knew it was going to be a beautiful day. Besides, the pastoral countryside I passed a long the way did nothing but add to my romantic ideals of what the day would bring.

As a fairly long time volunteer of Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR), I have learned the history of the farm and can generally hold my own in a conversation about horses. Over the past four years, I've mucked stalls, scrubbed water buckets, groomed horses, written press releases, grants and articles, and manned booths at various horse expos. But this, this was the first swanky event I had attended. This was the Fifty-First Running of the Potomac Hunt and DEFHR was holding its first silent auction here to raise money for the abused and neglected horses in their care and I wanted it to go well. I was confident that this would be a great day for the farm to raise a lot of money and also confident that my romantic notions would be fulfilled as well. I felt this way right up until I pulled into the field to park my car.

To say the field closely resembled a marsh would be a fair comparison. And it wouldn't be long before it resembled a swamp. There was no indoor arena for vendors. In fact, there was nothing dry anywhere. I immediately found some of my co-volunteers who, I might add, were smartly dressed in jeans, boots and sweatshirts. Where were their fancy outfits? Didn't they get the message that they were supposed to dress up? Why hadn't I thought about the rain that had inundated Maryland for the past month? And how was I going to get through the day in this outfit? The only thing left for me to do was abandon my romantic visions, hike up my sundress, and try to ignore the brown ooze that seeped through my sandals as I helped lug the needed materials to our tent. As surprising as it may seem, it's times like this when I know for certain that there is someone up above looking out for me. About the fourth trip from the car to the tent, I found my savior in a kindly woman selling assorted tack. Within minutes, I was transformed. And believe me, I was a sight to behold. Knee-high rubber muck boots replaced my strappy sandals, a heavy sweatshirt covered the top of my sundress - yes, I still had on the sundress - and the hat? Long gone. I might not be Julia for the day, but at least I was going to be comfortable.

Through the mud and the rain, DEFHR's dedicated volunteers arranged our tent to display all of the items donated for the auction. Some of the items included beautiful equine art by popular artists, weekend getaways, tickets for various events, group wine-tasting, hand-made quilts, saddles and tack, Norfolk Lavender items, and assorted baskets. Despite the weather, the event attracted a good crowd who visited our booth between races. The race announcer, along with several friends of DEFHR, helped to spread the word about our cause and brought more people to visit and bid on their favorite item. And to visit us was really a labor of love. If you made an effort to see us, then you really wanted to help the horses at DEFHR because it meant trudging through slippery, quick-sand like mud that became messier and deeper as the rain drizzled on and as more vehicles tried to push through. While the day was not as successful as we had initially hopped, donators and horse race enthusiasts helped DEFHR volunteers raise approximately $4,000 to care for abused and neglected horses.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted, cold, wet and covered in mud. But we were also optimistic as we looked ahead to next year's Running of the Potomac Hunt. Next year, we said, will be better. Next year, there won't be so much rain and we'll know what to expect. Next time, we will auction off everything and make more money for the farm. And next year, maybe, just maybe, I'll get to be Julia Roberts.

Silent Auction Items donated by:

Claus Vollrath Goldsmith Designers,
Richard's Design Studio,
Riverbend Gallery,
Valerie's Gallery,
Criswood Tack Shop,
Wind Spirit Tiles,
Comfort Zone Equine Apparel,
The Ginger Horse,
Virginia-West,
Jamie's Jumps,
Winchester Pottery,
www.horseloversgifts.com,
Star Lake Tack,
D.C. Creations,
1880's Ranch,
JP's North,
JP's The Wire Horse,
B'Unique Custon Framing,
Big Jim's Tack Shop,
Country Classic Cupolas,
Synergist Saddles,
Animal Gifts and Graphics,
Kathy Iverson Horse Designs,
Gram's Little Helper,
JEMAL-Ultracite Escape Mechanism,
Top Stitch,
Rosemary Hormuth,
Dena Henry & John Ahern,
Roxanne Isenberg,
Terri Zseleczky,
Mary Melling,
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,
Elk Run Vineyards,
Bowie Baysox Baseball,
Sheraton Columbia Hotel,
Toys on the Square,
Bridgett's,
Unicorn Designs,
White Mountain Studio,
Finder's Keepers,
Natural Parelli,
The Anvil,
Breyer KTM,
Second Story Book Shop,
Fleece Corner,
Wood's Art Gallery,
Diamond Breeze- Equine Solutions,
Carousel Cards & Gifts,
Raleigh's,
Sheri Sorenson,
www.horsecountryartworks.com,
Sarah Lynn Richards,
Wells Discount Liquors,
Sinking Spring Herb Farm,
LaVonne & Eric Perine,
Berrywine Plantations,
McCleery's Flat Bed & Breakfast,
The Chaffinch House,
Frederick Basket Company,
Sparkle Plenty Accents,
Monica Breland,
Blair Hill,
Dr. Richard & Tracy Forfa,
Lynn Shuppel,
Cris May,
Janet Beebe,
Annette Pillon,
Selbre Associates,
Outback Steakhouse,
Sheradon Colombia Hotel,
West Winds Golf Club,
Bethesda Marriott,
Chesapeake Sailing School,
Weinberg Center for the Arts,
Golden Orchid Spa & Shop,
Henderson's Wharf,
Noteworthy Photography,
Linda Luster,
Poolesville Tack & Supply,
Redline Digital Photography,
George & Carol Henry,
Frederick Brewing Company,
C. Tanner Jensen,
Karen Habbestad,
Bits & Bridles Saddlery,
Five Sisters. 

 

For more information call:
301/854-5037 or 410/442-1564
E-Mail: info@defhr.org

Physical Address:
1372 Woodbine Road
Woodbine, MD 21797

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 309
Lisbon, Maryland 21765

directions

Days End Farm Horse Rescue, Inc. is a non-profit, volunteer based humane organization
whose mission is to ensure quality care and treatment of horses
through intervention, education, and outreach.