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Page 17 · column 1 of 5 · from the scan, no model involved
By Betsy Parker
Times Community Newspapers Staff Writer
MIDDLEBURG — Gray lamplight washes the barnyard, splashing the tired facade of stable walls with eerie man-made rays. The hens in their snug house purr quietly as the unmistakable metal on metal clang of the bam door opening breaks the pre-dawn silence.
From the dark shadows comes a single set of regular footfalls. Frost hangs in the air. Bobby Simmons is starting the day at Sunny Bank Farm on schedule, as he’s done for 45 years.
It is not yet 5 a.m.
Simmons flicks a switch, sending watery beams in all directions from the bam eaves. A few horses who spent the night inside look expectantly to their keeper. From under his pulled-down camouflage cap, Simmons peers back.
“Ho, there,” he says, swinging a feed bucket from the central bin. “You’ll get yours. Just wait ...” The 59-year-old horse professional tugs down his long, graying sideburns, mustache twitching in amusement.
His voice sounds gruff, but the hors
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