Morgan Bullock, of Huntersville, N.C., a student of Dianne Randolph at Hidden Springs Farm, gives her pony's legs a rubdown with liniment oil after a riding session. Walking through one of the grazing pastures on her farm, Dianne Randolph stopped to share some gentle words and soft pats with the newest additions to her family.

Every year she comes up with a theme and, this year, all the hunter pony foals born at Hidden Springs Farm were given the names of fashion designers or fashion companies. A young foal named Louis Vuitton, more affectionately called "Little Louis" by Randolph, was prancing his way around the field when Randolph approached.

"Little Louis" immediately came to her and a smile spread across her face.

Randolph has had other job titles in her life, but this is where her heart lies. Bitten by the horse bug many years ago, she said she could see herself doing nothing else except running a horse farm.

"I guess it was about 20 years ago," she said. "I looked out and saw 10 mares and 10 foals grazing in the pasture. I said, 'Girl, you've arrived.'"

Dianne Randolph, owner of Hidden Springs Farm has a word with one of the new additions to the farm. The farm had eight foals born this year. Unfortunately, lingering drought conditions that have made hay and feed prices skyrocket may curtail breeding plans for 2009. In many ways she's done more than just arrive.

Randolph has made quite a name for herself around the rings of horse competitions, though her South Rutherford Street farm may fly under the radar locally.

This year her farm produced its 110th foal and it has taken in countless boarders since its founding. Randolph considers herself a breeder first but she's taught more people to ride than she can remember.

Hidden Springs Farm is part horse farm, part boarding home, and part school, which means Randolph's days are long.

"I have to be three people," she said. There's the Randolph who works the phone to run the business. There's the Randolph who handles the breeding, training, teaching and competition planning. And then there's the Randolph who sweeps the floors and changes the beds. "I have to do a little of everything."

Justyna Kus of Germany saddles a thoroughbred named Antonio at Hidden Springs Farm. But all that effort has paid some impressive dividends. Randolph is currently ranked fourth among breeders of hunter ponies in the U.S. by the United States Equestrian Federation. In 2007 she was named horsewoman of the year by the Blue Ridge Hunter Jumper Association.

And if anyone needed any convincing that Randolph knows what she's doing, there were nine Hidden Springs Farm ponies entered at the recent American National Pony Finals in Kentucky. Randolph and her students brought two of the ponies from her farm for the competition. The other seven Hidden Springs ponies came from across the United States, including one pony stabled in New Jersey that placed seventh.

No translation needed

Boarders at Randolph's farm generally come from all corners of the Carolinas but none may have come from so far away as Justyna Kus.

Kus came to Blacksburg from Germany at the beginning of August and she'll be spending several months working with the horses on Randolph's farm until she begins a new job in Germany in November as a legal assistant.

"I always wanted to visit the U.S.," Kus said. Wanting to come here before she begins her career, she found Randolph's farm on the Internet and wrote her a letter, inquiring as to whether Randolph would be willing to give her a place to stay.

"Justyna has really been a Godsend to me this summer," Randolph said. "She's up by 6 a.m. and is out with the horses before I get out of bed."

Kus is far from a novice when it comes to horses. A rider for the past 14 years, Kus competes in dressage and cross country events. Her own show horse named "Desert Rose" earned a spot in the German National Championships in September, though she won't be in the saddle because of the great distance between them.

She will be competing while she's here, however. Kus was entered into this past weekend's Blue Ridge Hunter Jumper Show in Tryon, N.C., riding one of Randolph's young horses she's been training. In addition, she was helping Randolph's other students get their ponies ready for the competition.

On Tuesday, Kus gave another of Randolph's boarders a good workout but not necessarily a seal of approval. Among the horses on the farm is one named Antonio, a thoroughbred originally destined for the race track. Antonio's speed didn't pass muster and, much like a racing greyhound that doesn't measure up, his future was uncertain.

Unlike greyhounds, however, there aren't many rescue groups for horses like that so Randolph took him in to give him a new life as a show horse.

While an untrained eye saw nothing off-kilter Tuesday, Antonio apparently was having an off-day inside the jumping ring and Randolph and Kus both knew they had more work to do.

Kus and Randolph both laugh about how they almost didn't meet. They had never seen each other before Kus arrived earlier this month at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Kus was waiting at one end of the long baggage terminal while Randolph was at the other. The noise prevented Kus from hearing repeated pages and it took about three hours of searching before they finally found each other.

"After that catastrophe, it's been pretty smooth sailing," Randolph said.

Sometimes it rains

Despite the accolades she has received, the success of her horses in competition, and the constant e-mails and photographs she gets from the many young riders she has taught, Randolph's farm — like many others — is in the midst of some trying times.

A lingering drought has led to skyrocketing prices for hay and animal feed, tripling some costs of running a farm while depressing the market for horses. While some welltrained hunter ponies can fetch $40,000 or more, Randolph said she was forced last year to sell nine of her foals for a mere $500 each to ensure the other ponies on her farm had enough to eat.

"I had to let go of them," she said. "I had nightmares of hungry ponies in the pasture."

This year hasn't been necessarily less difficult. While some rain has allowed pasture grasses to grow, she's still dealing with high prices for hay. Bales that once sold for about $2.50 now go for up to $8.

The creek on her property still is running dry, too, making the "Hidden" in the farm's name somewhat prophetic.

The difficulties have prompted her to cut back next year's breeding plans to just three foals, compared to this year's eight and last year's 13.

"Horses get no help from the government," she said. "They're considered a luxury item even though it's a major business in South Carolina."

A high mileage

warranty

Even if you couldn't see the pastures behind her home, there's no mistaking Randolph's passion for her profession. Her walls and mantles are filled with photographs of family, students and horses. There are horses on the fabric coverings on her dining room chairs. The coat rack next to her front door doesn't hold coats. It holds bridles.

"I was one of nine children and the only one with the horse bug," she said.

Students who come to her for riding lessons don't have to start from scratch. "They ride on one of my ponies which are ready to go show," she said.

There's a small number of ponies that will remain with her, some for breeding and others for riding and competition. Roughly three-quarters of all of the ponies born on the farm have been sold.

There's always a chance, though, that any of those ponies could come back home. On each pony's certificate is a warranty of sorts. "This pony has a place at Hidden Springs Farm to retire if he or she is every unfit or unable to show."