Tammy Ward
Keith’s wife – also a Watauga County native
from the Shull family. She is an only child, and has been
married to “the nicest but orneriest man in Watauga
County” for 26 years. They met on the school bus,
and have been together ever since.
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Lexee
Mr. Ray’s daughter. Loves to ride horses. Volunteers
at the barn. According to Tammy, “Mr. Ray and Lexee pitch
in and do just about everything around here during the summers
while they are in town. They are frequently here every day to
help out.”
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Tim Vines
Barn Manager and trail guide. Friends with Keith and Tammy since
childhood. Tim makes sure that all the chores get done and things
stay tidy. He supervises the care and grooming of the horses
and makes sure they are fed.
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Mr. Ray
A resident of Blowing Rock in the summer and Florida in the winter,
Mr. Ray has been a volunteer at the barn for years now. He and
his daughter, Lexee (see below) are frequent “working
visitors” that provide indispensable help around the barn
and on the trails. Keith says,”They know things around
here as well as I do.”
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Mr. Ed Himself
Mr. Ed has a batchelor's degree
in "People Patience" with a minor in
Cummanna-Wanna-Ride-With-Ya
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Alex Vines
Alex is Tim’s daughter and a part time trail guide
(when she's not at school)
As of Summer 2008, she is a 15 year old rising 10th grader! She rodeos in junior SRA
and junior high school rodeo and shows Gaming & English in 4H. She also clogs
with Appalachian Rhythm Senior Elite.
She is a very accomplished equestrian and we are honored to have her on our staff
!
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Travis
Ward
Keith’s son and the ninth eldest son of an eldest son in the Ward family.
Has another job (also working with horses) but is frequently hanging around the
barn, escorting trail rides and showing off his horsemanship skills.
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History
Of The Farm
The original part of the house (you can still see the original
rock work) predates the Civil War. As it stands now it has
six bedrooms and nine total rooms. It has electricity,
but no running
water. Known by Watauga County natives as “The Old Frank
Baird Place”, there has been a working farm on this same
site since the 1880’s. The Pennsylvania Dutch Barn that
serves as a base of operations for Dutch Creek Trails was built
in 1880. Various crops and cattle have been the staples of this
land for many generations. From the 1930’s through the
1950’s it was a cattle ranch where registered Hereford
cattle were raised. There are several farm implements and buildings
left from ages past, and even an old truck (you guess what
year) that add to the quaint atmosphere.
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Just relaxing
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