Virginia

Summer campers sit tall in the saddle at a unique Virginia program – WTOP News

Published

2 years ago

on

July 23, 2024

By

Press Room

Summer campers sit tall in the saddle at a unique Virginia program – WTOP News

The sessions at Cloverleaf Equine Center in Clifton, Virginia, this summer are providing those experiences in a very special setting for kids with a range of disabilities.

The riders develop core strength, improve their balance or develop verbal communication skills — all while enjoying the company of the horse they ride.(WTOP/Kate Ryan)

Summer camp experiences let kids make friends, learn new skills and have fun. And the sessions at Cloverleaf Equine Center in Clifton, Virginia, this summer are providing those experiences in a special setting for kids with a range of disabilities.

On Tuesday, Operations Director Christina Germinario stood at the center of an indoor riding ring, where fans whirring overhead provided an extra breeze.

She called out to the young campers, who range in age from 5 to 14 years old, encouraging them to connect with the movement of the horses.

Each rider follows along as a group of volunteers lead the horses while others walk along on each side, to make sure each rider is secure in the saddle.

Germinario called out to each rider, “Nice balance!” or “Good voice!” as a rider told their horse, “Walk on!”

At the end of the riding session, Germinario explained that each part of the lesson — from having riders drop their reins to flapping their arms like birds, or leaning into a forward crouch in a jumping position — has a purpose. The riders develop core strength, improve their balance or develop verbal communication skills — all while enjoying the company of the horse they ride.

Roger Messersmith has been volunteering with the organization for about three years, but has a connection to Cloverleaf that goes back decades.

When his son, who has cerebral palsy, was younger, he was a client at the center, just like the child Messersmith currently helps in this summer camp. Messersmith seems to sense when a rider needs more physical help and when a word of encouragement is needed.

Messersmith said his son, Mike, had a brother who was into rowing, but for Mike, “Riding was his special thing and it was something that was important to him.”

Mike rode at the center for nearly 16 years.

Messersmith said the therapeutic riding gave his son confidence and improved his muscle tone: “It provided him with core strength, the ability to ultimately stand.”

A slogan on Cloverleaf’s webpage reads, “Horses Helping Humans Thrive.” That extends to a range of clients, from the children in the Ponies and Paintbrushes Summer Camp to adults in a recovering service member and veterans program. Services for the different groups include physical therapy, psychotherapy and social and emotional learning.

When asked to describe the best thing about her job, Germinario said with a broad smile, “Probably the joy on their faces when they get something … even as simple as someone just looking at me and giving me a smile after I tell them ‘good job’ makes it all worth it.”

Germinario said the horses “absolutely” enjoy the sessions. She called the horses at Cloverleaf “unicorns,” chosen for the work because of their empathetic natures.

“They’re people horses. They want to be around the people, they want to be pet, they want to be loved on,” she said.

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Virginia

Virginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum

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5 hours ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Press Room

Virginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum

On May 8, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the General Assembly violated the state constitution when it tried to redraw congressional districts, nullifying the results of the April election in which Virginians narrowly approved redistricting.

Electoral maps are usually redrawn once every 10 years, but multiple states began redrawing them early after President Donald Trump urged Republicans to redraw district lines to ensure more favorable results for the party in the November 2026 elections.

This started a nationwide political battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Texas was the first of several states to redraw districts favoring Republicans, and Virginia Democrats had proposed a constitutional amendment to allow redistricting in order to favor Democrats.

As of May 8, Republicans had initiated redistricting efforts in eight states; Democrats had led redistricting efforts in three states, including Virginia, the Washington Post reported.

In April, Virginia voters supported the redistricting amendment with 51.7% voting for it out of more than 3 million ballots cast. It could have given Democrats up to four extra seats in the U.S. House, according to the Washington Post (subscription required).

But the Virginia Supreme Court, in a 4-3 ruling, found that there were procedural errors in how the Democratic legislature handled the process, nullifying the election results.

The Virginia Constitution says that proposed constitutional amendments must pass in the General Assembly twice before the public can vote on them: once before an election of the House of Delegates, and again after an election. According to the Virginia Supreme Court majority opinion written by Justice D. Arthur Kelsey, early voting for the general election had already been open for six weeks when the General Assembly cast its first vote on the amendment in October 2025, with more than 1.3 million voters having already cast their ballots.

“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” the court majority opinion stated.

The court’s ruling means the state reverts to the old district maps adopted in 2021. Based on those maps, Virginia voters elected six Democrats and five Republicans to the U.S. House.

Following the court’s ruling, some Virginia Democrats who planned to run for the U.S. House told the New York Times that they have to abandon their campaigns, while others, such as Tom Perriello who is running for the 5th District, face much more difficult campaigns.

Virginia Democrats on Friday asked the court to pause the nullification of the referendum results while they prepare their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to VPM.

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