Jerry Hamilton guides riders of all experience levels on the horseback trail at Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa of Young Harris, Georgia.
"Why do people like this? It's an adventure," Hamilton says. "It's something they've always wanted to accomplish. It's a confidence-builder."
Riding a horse, for many people, is on a "bucket list," Hamilton figures.
"Everybody's got a little cowboy or Indian in them, so they like it. They enjoy it," he says. "And we get a lot of folks who have their own horses, and they come here and ride, because they don't have to worry about anything else. They just sit on the horse and ride and look."o
Here, there’s a lot to see, I found, taking a tour of the woods and meadows atop a Tennessee Walker Horse named “Sir Walter.” Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa spans more than 500 acres on what was once a farm with beef cattle, horse and mules.
Hamilton has overseen the stables for the past 12 years. But he’s been on horses far longer – since he was an infant, he says.
In the spring, Hamilton says, Brasstown Valley comes alive. "You get to watch the shades of green climb the mountain. And, in the fall, I get to watch the colors come back."
Coming out of the woods on the horse trail, Hamilton stops at an overlook near the resort’s entrance – with a long-range view of pointy peaks.
"This is my 'Wow,'" Hamilton says. "The view is always the same, but it's a never-ending, changing picture.”
Want more? www.brasstownvalley.com / 706-379-9900