Click here for your opportunity to own Rock Spring Farm!

http://bit.ly/1ERoUJj

You do not need to own horses or wish to own horses to win Rock Spring Farm. ANY animal, or NO animal is okay! 

What are YOUR plans for Rock Spring Farm?

Visit our Facebook page to post questions about this incredible opportunity:

<https://www.facebook.com/virginiahorsefarm>

Please be careful not to reveal details about your plans; keep them secret to keep your essay anonymous!

The trails are fun to ride, drive and hike!

With more than two miles of trails through the wooded and open areas of the farm, you won't have to trailer your horse to enjoy riding, and the trails are fun to drive and hike! The various terrain - flat areas, gentle rolling hills, and a seasonal water hazard - is great for driving, hiking, and training for marathons, including ones for two-legged racing! If you want a more challenging trail ride, there are plenty of steep hills that are not included in the two miles of cleared trails!

Privacy abounds at Rock Spring Farm

I snapped this image with my cell phone from the front porch. Across the road 

is the only dwelling you can see from our property. 

Rock Spring Farm Essay Contest - FAQs, Part 2

http://bit.ly/1ERoUJj

As people ask questions, I collect them in FAQ documents!

Read the Free Lance-Star follow-up article!

http://bit.ly/1D43mBH

Questions and Answers, Part 1

Question: I'm hesitant to enter the contest simply because I feel like the odds of winning are greatly in favor of those who can express themselves eloquently in writing versus those who might be able to show their character and intent in some other context. An essay seems so subjective and anyone with enough money can simply hire a writer to write a winning essay. I feel like worthiness can't be fairly assessed based on an essay. Perhaps you could help me understand how the scoring process will take into consideration not just the writers' skills, but also their true hearts' intent with your beloved farm.

Answer: Thank you for expressing your concerns. The rules specifically state the person who writes the essay must be the name on the entry form; this is an attempt to curtail those who might be tempted to hire a writer. To make the contest legal, there must be a level of skill, hence the scoring rubric for grammar, usage, spelling, content, etc. However, the heart is what matters mostly to us. We want to feel the writer's passion; we can't score "heart." That passion is something that will need to hit us, and, yes, it is subjective. I can see where we have a pile of essays and every score is a "4." So what will we do? We will have to read between the lines and feel the writer's passion. My husband and I need to agree on the 25 finalists, and then we will give that group to a panel of judges who need to agree.

Unfortunately, this isn't a perfect model because we are human. We have tried putting enough structure into the process to enable the writer's character and intent to shine brightly.  With that said, there is nothing unethical with seeking help. Ask a teacher at a local school, or someone you trust and admire to help you polish your writing. Most word processing programs have spell checkers and grammar checkers; use them. Follow the writing tips I posted - especially reading your essay aloud. The tips will help!

Click here to download contest documents!

I have posted contest documents on Google Drive. I enabled sharing, so downloading the documents should not be an issue.

Here is the direct link: http://bit.ly/1ERoUJj

Read the Free Lance-Star article!

Fredericksburg's Free Lance-Star published an article today about the Rock Spring Farm essay contest. Click the link to read Cathy Dyson's story! Thank you, Cathy, for a wonderfully written article and thank you, Dave Ellis, for the beautiful photography!


http://bit.ly/1Dk2q13

Links to the Rock Spring Farm Essay Contest posts

Win a 35-acre farm!

Are you struggling with writer's block?

The Free Lance-Star,

Have you ever dreamed of owning a hobby farm?

Frequently Asked Questions

Download the Entry Form and the Contest Rules!

Check out the Rock Spring Farm Facebook page!

One lucky hobby farm enthusiast will win a 35-acre Virginia farm

The Horses

Playing in the Snow!

An Abundance of Wildlife Lives at Rock Spring Farm

The Structures on the Farm

The History of Rock Spring Farm

This 35-acre farm could be yours!

Virginia is for Horse Lovers! So where better than to own a horse/hobby farm – especially one you can own for a 1,000- word essay and an entry fee of $200? The 35-acre Rock Spring Farm will become the property of an essayist who can convince a panel of judges – educators, horse enthusiasts, and hobby farmers – he or she loves animals and wants to live in rural Essex County. The Rock Spring Farm Essay Contest will end Oct. 1, 2015; all entries must be received by Oct. 17, 2015. Entries received after that date will be returned. The new owner will be announced on or before Nov. 26, 2015.To learn more, scroll through the articles posted in this blog, or visit the Rock Spring Farm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/virginiahorsefarm To download the entry form, contest rules, and FAQs, visit:  http://bit.ly/1ERoUJj