Wherever in the World It Is, You Will Find It At
Black Horse Manor!
40 Village Spring Dr.
Hardy, VA
(540) 721-0181
HOURS:
Tuesday - Saturday
10am-5pm
is unnavigable, it is right there in her
back yard for her enjoyment.
“It’s quiet,” she says with a laugh,
referring not just to the stretch of
river but because you must travel
quite a distance down graveled lanes
with “Y’s” and wicked ditches to
get to her place. “I even have a bald
eagle that comes by,” she said, “And
tons of rabbits.”
Truly, it is a peaceful scene.
Peaceful, that is until one of her
kids start to cry. Then, the noise is
deafening. You see, Melanie owns
nearly 30 goats, several are babies
and at least two females are ready
to deliver any minute. Their cry for
Mommy is eerily human-like but
several decibels louder. No need for
baby monitors with these guys. Of
course, if you aren’t picking them
up and fussing with them they
probably wouldn’t complain. But
who can resist those cute little faces?
They are as cuddly as puppies and
not much bigger. Imagine a puppy
that eats weeds.
Being Melanie, however, she
doesn’t own just ordinary goats, she
has fainting goats. It’s true. They
really do appear to faint. They fall
over whenever they are startled.They,
however, do not lose consciousness
and it takes only seconds for them
to recover.They were so fast, in fact,
it is nearly impossible to get a good
still picture of the swooning. There
are, however, YouTube videos of this
breed of goat guaranteed to make
you laugh out loud.
The fainting is a genetic
disorder called myotonia congenita,
congenita meaning present from
birth. It does not involve the central
nervous system and is not painful. It
resembles a full body charlie horse.
Scientists aren’t entirely sure why
the condition exists in these goats.
There are, however, other animals, as
well as humans, who have disorders
that cause similar involuntary
muscle contraction. Some breeders
of fainting goats believe their
animals may hold the secret for a
cure for these diseases.
Although painless, the spasms
can be life-threatening as, for a
few moments, it renders the animal
defenseless. This isn’t a problem
with protected domestic animals,
of course, so fainting goats have a
normal lifespan, at least Melanie’s
do.They are,however,more muscular
than standard goats and, therefore,
By Kate Hofstetter
M
elanie Hosch credits her
grandmother and three
acres on the Jersey Shore
with her desire to farm.Her German
immigrant mother passed on a
love of hard, honest labor and her
grandmother, who owned the three
acres and cared for over a thousand
chickens, gave her a farmer’s soul.
Perhaps you’ve seen Melanie or
are aware of her handiwork in and
around Westlake. Maybe you’ve
heard her talking to or scolding a
bush that isn’t behaving at Westlake
Country Club. Or, putting the
finishing touches to those beautiful
petunia beds around the Willard
Office Plaza near the traffic light.
She’s usually got a spade in her
hand and pruning shears on her hip.
Her face may escape you as during
the hot summer months she hides
under an old straw hat. Her hazel
eyes are a little faded from the sun
but still have a twinkle in them and
her complexion is ruddy and brown
with a warm glow. It’s likely she’s
never had a manicure in her life
and her hairstyle is simple so wind
and rain aren’t a concern. Her smile
comes easy and people immediately
like her.
If you haven’t seen Melanie
around Westlake, then you haven’t
been here long or you don’t get out
much. Or, you’re just not looking.
Besides her landscape work, she’s
a seasoned bartender and an
experienced waitress. She’s worked
most of the night spots around
the lake since she came here in
1994. These days you’ll find her at
the Blackwater Cafe on weekends.
During the week, she’s outdoors
taking care of plants and animals.
She loves what she does.
Melanie got her degree in
horticulture from Rutgers. Then,
she targeted some key businesses
with her resume and while she
waited for Ortho or one of the
other big agricultural companies to
scoop her up, she earned her living
waiting tables in a restaurant near
Jersey City. Business men came
there for lunch and before long
one of them offered her a job in his
showroom. He sold kitchens and
wanted someone who “could meet
the public”. He sent her to school to
learn kitchen design and she slipped
comfortably into her new career.
Having a father in construction
helped. She didn’t know it then
but, along with horticulture, being a
“certified kitchen designer” came in
handy later in life.
In 1994, Melanie, along with
husband, Bob, and two children,
Jim and Joanna, relocated to Smith
Mountain Lake. Bob, an engineer
with the Colgate Palmolive
Company, lost his job due to
downsizing and instead of taking
the international position he was
offered, moved to Virginia. They
had visited friends here at Smith
Mountain Lake so they knew and
liked the area and, as an engineer,
Bob could easily make the transition
to construction.
The Hoschs bought a 62 acre
farm in Union Hall with a log cabin
on it and initially raised Angus beef.
Melaniewent toworkonaneighbor’s
farm and got a hands-on education
in animal husbandry to round out
her degree in plant science. She also
worked at Westlake for Kitchens
By Connie, using her education in
kitchen design. In 1998, she and her
two children started working for the
Willard Companies as food servers.
The kids also worked as life guards at
Water’s Edge. Bob, too, worked for
Willard Companies in construction.
“At one time we had four
checks coming in from Willard
Companies,” she said.
In 2003, Bob died. He was only
55 years old. “It was basically a heart
attach,” Melanie said, explaining
that he had inherited a condition
that causes the body to produce too
much iron. While Melanie misses
Bob, she admits her current life
would not have appealed to him.
“He loved boating,” she says,
laughing at the suggestion that he
would have shared her interests and
hobbies.
She leased the log home and
farm land in Union Hall to tenants
and bought another spread on the
Blackwater River. In fact, she owns
2000 feet on the River. Although it
Melanie Hasch is Soft On
Fainting Goats
Discover Smith Mountain Lake
Winter 2014
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