Ann Wicks is an experienced teacher, with over 20 years spent working with children and a lifetime spent loving horses. She is mother to three girls, a high school teacher and college counselor, and a life-long owner of horses. She has a B.A. degree in history and French from the University of Virginia and a M.A.T. degree from Mary Baldwin. In addition to teaching, her work with children has included teaching middle school, planning international travel education, providing home daycare to infants and toddlers, working with preschoolers, and serving as a Sunday School teacher and a 4-H leader. Beginning in the summer of 2009, Ann also served as the Director of the Horse Therapy Program at Camp Holiday Trails. 

From the time she first started riding a neighbor's Shetland pony at the age of four and then received her own pony at the age of eight, Ann has always loved having horses around. Although active in Pony Club as a youth, her favorite pastime was riding bareback along the many forgotten, overgrown back-country roads in rural Alabama. As an adult, she most enjoys the non-competitive aspects of life with horses, from pasture visits and mucking stalls to training and trail rides. Memories of leisurely summers spent astride her horse “Prince” and her pony “Lady” have served as inspiration to provide a similar summer experience for girls. Camp GooseChase is the culmination of her desire to share her love of horses, animals, and life on the farm with like-minded girls. 

Thunderbolt (Windborne Thunderbolt—5/6/98) is a bay Morgan gelding born at Sweetgrass Ranch in the Pacific Northwest.  He loves the trails and introducing riders to the trot. He is also gaited! We rode in our first endurance ride in April, 2007 and are hoping to enter more rides in the future.

Tinkerbelle (Windborne Tinkerbelle—6/1/99) is a beautiful Morgan mare who is the half-sister of Thunderbolt.  Ridden for the first time during 2004 camp sessions, she is now a seasoned trail horse and does well playing broom polo.  She delivered her first foal, a filly we named Sadie, in the  summer of 2008. 

Tonka (Ensign’s Dynasty—6/28/01) is a bay Morgan mare. She has foaled two colts: Sailor and Prince.  She is outgoing and friendly, and is now getting back into shape after her months of mothering.

Sailor (Wicklow Sailor’s Delight—6/17/05) is a purebred chestnut Morgan.  Gentle, kind, and friendly, he was ridden for the first time during camp in 2007. After only two weeks under saddle, he was able to join us on the demanding trails at Graves Mt. Lodge during Adventure Week.

P.J. (Statesmans Pride and Joy—5/19/80) is a beautiful older Morgan mare who is as sweet as they come. She has a great big trot and a smooth-as-silk canter.  Trustworthy and calm, she is a rider’s best friend.

Peppy (Peppys Two Step—5/26/03) is a registered buckskin Quarter Horse whose name makes us laugh (he is not peppy at all!).  Although he is the biggest horse we have here, he is another sweet and kind addition to the herd.

Just Lucy (1987) does it all. She is the perfect pony: sweet, calm , and unflappable.  Since she is gray, she is hard to keep clean, but she is fun to paint! 

Mosby (2002) is a medium chestnut pony with a fabulous trot.  He is a natural athlete and a wonderful trail pony.  He also loves to jump!

May (2003) is a sweet pinto pony, perfect for leading children around and fun to ride for our more advanced riders.  She loves to be dressed up and has been a bridesmaid in many a camp wedding!

Little Bit (2005) joined us midway through camp in 2007.  She is a sweet large POA cross pony, and although young, she knows a lot and has a wonderful calm outlook and an eagerness to please.

Marmalade Skye (1999) is our project pony.  He is a cute POA, but he is very shy and was probably mistreated at some point in his life. With lots of love and TLC, we are showing him that it is okay to trust people. Although still hesitant and unsure, he now comes to the fence for a face rub and when asked, will trot all day.

Sweet Sadie (6/26/08) is Tinkerbelle’s first foal, and she is a half-sister to Prince. Sadie is a Morgan/Welsh cross who is also a half-sister to Lily (same sire), and it looks like she and Lily will be carbon copies of each other—both are beautiful buckskins!

Easter Lily is one of our newer members of the herd. She is absolutely lovely—both to look at and to ride. Lily loves to jump and is totally reliable when it comes to cantering. Although she doesn't like to be the lead horse on a trail ride, she is happy to follow along and trot as needed to catch up to those long-legged Morgans.

Pistol and Pusher are our two matching miniature horses. They actually look like little Morgans! Both know how to pull carts and are a lot of fun to drive. They don’t know they are as little as they are; they hold their own out in the field with the big horses.

Treasure came to us after our first season at Camp Holiday Trails. She was simply wonderful as a therapy horse, and I grew to recognize that she had been well named; she is indeed a treasure! Although I didn’t need another horse, I couldn’t resist adding her to the family when the opportunity arose to do so.