Terrific article and great news about Woodlawn. I am so glad to see the voice of an individual horse owners who b oard their horses represented. Fairfax County has lost many of its boarding options. I wonder how much revenue we lose to Maryland or outlying Virginia countiies from the individual boarder of the individual horse who can no longer find boarding facilities that meet their needs in Fairfax County.

Congratulations to Joan and Cindy Mitchell for operating a first class equestrian training facility for more than TWENTY years. Hope to have you as our Friends and stable neighbors for a couple more decades. Tim and Cheryl Majewski

Woodlawn Stables has been operating since the 60's as I took riding lessons there when I was in elementary school. It has provided excellent instruction to my friends in the past 10 years and I would hope that it can be saved. There are very few places in our area that provide opportunities to ride and board horses. It would be a huge loss to northern Virginia if Woodlawn ceases to exist.

In an email from Jarvis Stables to Burke Patch: "Thank you for the update! This is fantastic news...I hope they do stay open! It would make a lot more sense to expand Rt. 1 on the other side of the road instead of pushing out Woodlawn. Fingers crossed Woodlawn stays open and is able to give more generations of children a safe place to learn to ride horses!" -Shannon Jarvis (used with permission)

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Cindy said it best, "Woodlawn Stables is an institution". Woodlawn Stables is often the first experience many young children have with learning about horses, animal care, farm life, as well as safety and responsibility. I grew up in Mount Vernon in the late 70's and have so many fond memories of the stables and the many life lessons learned through Woodlawn's horse shows and riding programs. Having been raised on one of the last small pocket farms with horses in the Woodlawn area, and seeing its demise to developers in the 2003, I can say it would be a tragedy to lose the land, history and service that Woodlawn Stables provides to the Northern Virginia community and our long-standing, but fading, equine tradition. --Shelley Walker Castle

From Linda Campbell on Facebook: "My daughter learned to ride at Woodlawn, worked summer camps there for two years....Woodlawn needs to be able to remain open!!!"

I doubt that the home owners in the area are aware of the possibility of losing a landmark not to mention the green space! Not only is the future of the horses in question, the future of wildlife(including wild turkeys and fox),trees that have been there since George Washington's time(part of his land), and the many many humans whose lives will be changed!

Our family would be devastated if Woodlawn closed. The proximity of this little oasis means our kids can have a multi-layered experience without over-taxing the driver. My daughter rides, works barn crew, and works in the office -- each one of those things deepening her feel for horses and their care -- and there's no way she could do it all if I had to drive an hour each way. And my daughter's just one example, but there are untold numbers of kids for whom the Woodlawn experience is just huge, and uniquely positive. What are the implications if we continue to pave, pave, pave whenever we have too much traffic?!? Surely we can choose the solutions that save green, animal-friendly places like Woodlawn that are a big part of why it's nice to live here.

Posted on Burke Patch Facebook by Linda Campbell: "My daughter learned to ride at Woodlawn, worked summer camps there for two years....Woodlawn needs to be able to remain open!!! Joan Mitchell has also rescued numerous horses from very abusive situations. She has fostered and encouraged in so many a passion for riding that will continue throughout life. I hope Woodlawn remains open for all those who enjoy riding and for those who will come to love riding in a way only Woodlawn can provide."

Thank you for a wonderful article Susan! I would also like to thank everyone who contributed their comments and continue to support Woodlawn Stables as we endeavor to continue, as we have always done, providing a rural sport in an urban environment. One thing I would like to add though, along with revenue lost to more outlying counties would be the jobs which go there as well. Horse keeping is labor intensive and the countless jobs that have left our area should not be dismissed. Woodlawn Stables has provided not only permanent jobs for many horse industry professionals but the real gem is that, for many young people, we have provided a first job. An introduction into the working world in a safe and positive environment allows these young people the chance to hone not only their horse related skills but the ability to learn how to present and promote themselves at work. That, I think, is rare these days and it is one of my most proud accomplishments. Kind Regards, Cynthia Mitchell

I was alerted to this article - and Woodlawn's close call - by my daughter, who essentially grew up at the stable. Joan and Cindy are family to her (she is now 31). I can't think of another business in that part of Fairfax County that has given so much to the development of young people for so many years. Students do not simply learn to ride at Woodlawn. They become responsible, empathetic members of society. Of course, the primary reason the business has been successful for so long is those two strong, smart, determined businesswomen at the helm. I sure hope that the next article I read is about this issue's resolution. Erin McCarthy Greene

If seriously thinking of partnering with Ft. Belvoir's wounded warrior facility and rehab area, I hope you've already started talking to them! I see this only as a "win-win" partnership. Riding therapy is very well established and recognized!

Wat's the latest with plans for the green space that Woodlawn Stables gives our area? I appreciate the serenity that driving past the grazing horses gives me.
Mary F. (posted by friend)

Woodlawn Stables MUST stay just the way it is because it is such a big part of our community. Not only for the reasons cited above, but because so many of us, our neighbors, and the millions of visitors to our area drive by all those beautiful horses and think, "Wow!"

Laura Miller, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Coordinator with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, told Patch today (April 18, 2012) dates for the public review and public hearing are pending. She will notify Patch when they are confirmed. Readers may also periodically refer to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation website. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/

Please let you readers know about the FB page Save Woodlawn Stables. The planners are looking like they are favoring option 3. The stables will be closed down if that plan goes ahead.

Patch is preparing a story about the Save Woodlawn Stables movement. In the meantime, you may find the group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/savewoodlawnstables

Way back there when I was a teenager - I rode from a stable located along the Potomac River. The site is now buried under the site of the Kennedy Center. Those Saturdays of an hour each time cemented my love of horses for all time. My horse was not at all scared of the traffic. We went all the way up to just about where the Shoreham is/was. Unless the stable is totally gone, it is under the arches of the Conneticut Avenue bridge. Many, many pleasant and happy memories. It would be a shame for other children of this time to lose a place to learn and to ride.

Via emal: As a taxpayer to, and native of Fairfax County, I have followed the Route 1 realignment process near Woodlawn Plantation for some time and I find the endorsement of the plan to "save" Woodlawn Stables at the expense of a historic cemetery troubling. While Fairfax County touts their "preservation of history", the policy is consistently to pave over historical properties and cemeteries. (I could cite numerous examples......start with Ox Hill Battlefield) continued ...

Via email continued: While altering the alignment to the south will displace Woodlawn Stables, the overall change could be for the better. - The Woodlawn Stables is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP). The "southern bypass" preserves, and improves, sight lines to Woodlawn Plantation and the Pope-Leighey House properties. - The "southern bypass" will move Route 1 away from Woodlawn Baptist Church/ cemetery and the Alexandria Friends Meeting House/ cemetery and allow future improvements which will undoubtedly occur in the future without displacing the churches or cemeteries. - Most importantly, the 'southern bypass" will preserve the Woodlawn Baptist Church cemetery which dates back to the mid-19th century and has 170+ graves. I certainly understand why the folks with Woodlawn Stables don't want to be inconvenienced. I recall fondly going to polo matches held on the grounds back in 1960's and they have done a wonderful job providing an equestrian center for the past 33 years. However, this pales in comparison to the 200+ year history of Woodlawn Plantation and the area's houses of worship. By moving it south, it solves several of these problems .

Via email continued: This is an excellent opportunity for the county and state to enter into a Public-Private partnership for the on again/off again equestrian center at Laurel Hill less than 7 miles away which could double the size of the Woodlawn Stables providing for all residents of Fairfax County and not just those in the Woodlawn area. Regards, D. Glen Taylor Burke, Virginia Hampstead, NC