Karin Murray, a member of the USC Columbia Equestrian Team and a stable-cleaning volunteer, helps prepare for this weekend's President's Ride in Aiken. RON COCKERILLE/STAFF

Ride '99 sitedraws couple from Camden

Event in Aiken's Hitchcock Woods raises funds for equine research, charities

Web posted September 11, 1999

Chasiti Kirkland
South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN - Honey-dos and got-to-dos don't give Billy Prather much time for what he wants to do.

But this weekend is the exception.

The Camden quarter horse trainer and his wife, Nan, hitched their horse trailer to the back of their diesel Friday and headed south 80 miles to Aiken for the President's Ride. The weekend rendezvous gives Mr. Prather a chance to ride a horse for fun instead of training it to corner cattle.

Today, the Prathers join nearly 100 other riders -- some from as far as Texas -- who will wind their way through Hitchcock Woods, Aiken's 2,000-acre urban forest. There, they'll likely stumble upon a red-tailed hawk, a raccoon and maybe plenty of blooming flowers.

But it's not just the tranquility of the woods or lure of the ride that brought the Prathers here. Mr. Prather is this year's president of the South Carolina Quarter Horse Association, the offspring of the American Quarter Horse Association, which is a major sponsor of the event.

And when he heads back to Camden, Mr. Prather will take with him his horses, his wife and a few comments about Aiken to share with his hometown.

``I think Camden could learn a few things from Aiken,'' he said. It's not just the horses and the hospitality Mr. Prather likes. It's the Southern flair that the city still maintains, even after more than a century of slow urban sprawl.

In Aiken's early days, wealthy Charlestonians flocked to the city to escape heat and malaria. It's also a historic site of one of Gen. Sherman's rare defeats. In 1865, Confederate Gen. Joseph Wheeler took his position in Aiken to oppose Gen. Sherman's raid and put an end to the Union advance westward.

Scattered throughout Aiken, scraps of the past blend quietly with the present fabric, and people go to great pains to keep it that way.

For example, Hitchcock Woods is closely associated with Aiken's early history as a winter resort and is a center of sporting activity.

The ride is actually one of 65 being held in several states and nations to help raise money for equine research and charities. Some of the money raised will go to Hitchcock Woods to maintain the forest.

The worldwide event is billed as Ride '99.

This is the third year the American Quarter Horse Association has held the series of rides. Ride '97 included a trail through Hitchcock Woods, and organizers say it was the most highly praised of the 44 charity rides held that year.

Chasiti Kirkland can be reached at (803) 279-6895 or scbureau@augustachronicle.com.