Bald Rock and The Divide at Bald Rock are hosting a Panthertown Benefit Horse Exhibition & Silent Auction to benefit  Friends of Panthertown on Saturday, June 25 from 10 AM to 2 PM. Admission is free and everyone is invited. There is a parking fee of $10 per car and carpooling is encouraged. All the fun will take place in the Bald Rock Equestrian Community at the top of Trays Island Road off US Highway 64 E in Sapphire, NC. Turn at the entrance to Sapphire National Golf Club then follow signs.
Beginning at 10 AM when gates open you will be able to bid on silent auction items in the barn, listen to music, engage in kid’s arts and crafts activities, meet Friends, and visit various booths. Kid’s face painting by Macon Faces Face Painting from 10 to 12.
Rounding out the auction will be guided hikes, a whitewater rafting river trip, a lake tour, local art, photography, dining experiences, gift baskets, and much more.
Starting at 11 AM a delicious BBQ lunch will be for sale or bring your own picnic.
Meet and greet horses up close from 11 to 11:30 and again from 1:30 to 2. The exhibition will begin at 12 noon with a grand parade of horses.
Over a dozen different breeds will be on display showing off their attributes. Some include quarter horses, bred to be a fast powerful sprinter over a quarter mile tract. These horses have huge hindquarters that enable them to pull a cow or jump a big fence. The Paso Fino and Trote y Galope breeds are called gaited horses. This means that they can move their feet very quickly with very little forward advancement in a four beat gait with three feet on the ground at all times.
Listen for their gait. It’s fascinating! Gypsy Vanner horses only first came to this country in 1996. Their name refers to a horse selectively bred for over half a century in Europe to create the perfect caravan horse. These are typically a people-sized Draft Horse with heavy bone and broad body but on a smaller scale than the larger drafts. The manes and withers add to the Gypsy Vanner’s amazing looks. The breed possesses a temperament that is friendly and engaging – sometimes referred to as a Golden Retriever with hooves!
Bring your children, family, and friends – but please leave your dogs at home for the safety of all the animals! Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome. Come rain or shine. In the event of heavy rain or lightning, activities may change.
Thank you to the residents of Bald Rock, to our silent auction donors, and to our event sponsors for helping to make this exhibition possible: The Divide at Bald Rock, Landmark Realty Group, McKee Properties, Silver Creek Real Estate Group, The Carolina Cone Team (Keller-Williams), SonRise Sanitation, and WhiteWater Equestrian Center. Special thanks to: The Laurel Magazine, Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Mountain Towns of Cashiers, Cherokee, Dillsboro, and Sylva.
All proceeds from this event will benefit Friends of Panthertown, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which protects and maintains 30 miles of public trails in Panthertown Valley, a 6,295 acre backcountry recreational area in the Nantahala National Forest. Panthertown offers some of the area’s most scenic public trails. Visitors enjoy its gorges, waterfalls and mountain views, all accessible to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. Dedicated volunteers maintain the trail system for the public’s enjoyment. This is a great chance to give back and support a worthwhile cause.
For more information or to make a donation call (828) 269-HIKE (4453) or e-mail friends@panthertown.org