Recent Happenings at Broxton Bridge

Welcome to the first Broxton Bridge Blog! Our goal is to share a little about the team as well as stories from our sporting clays and Helice shooting events, equestrian activities and everything else that can happen out here in Ehrhardt! Some blogs will be long and others just to the point!

Enjoy the read and come see us soon!

Meet the Varn Family

The Varn Family, yep, that’s us, have been the lucky hosts to so many of you all over the last three decades. Many will recognize the leader of the family, Jerry, as he usually is the smiling face helping folks find their way across the property. Along with Jerry, Broxton is providing excellent customer service thanks to entire team of people keeping the day to day operations smooth! We will introduce folks as we move through stories.

Meet Sky: Broxton’s Most Enthusiastic Team Member

First, Sky, the resident blue heeler, is a fan favorite and wins most enthusiastic co-worker! He was rescued by Gerhard Varn (oldest son of Jerry) in 2022 as a roadside pickup from the County. He still loves car rides, but these days sticks to the Varn family vehicle’s. His other names are Kevin and well, Potato. I will explain these names at a later times.

Springtime at Broxton: From Snow to Sunshine

Now that the snow is gone (we had 3 inches and we promise, no snowmen were shot at this time!) and we transition to the Spring, we are very busy out here!

Who can ignore a Garden and Gun article showcasing a few beautiful estates to try Helice? If you missed this, you can find it here! Sky also made the photo shoot!

Helice at Broxton: A Unique Shooting Experience

Haven’t heard of Helice before? Broxton was the first shooting complex to bring this European delight to South Carolina! We have a quick video on our website by our good friends at Black Prairie Wildlife in Mississippi that explain Helice.

Fun fact: Martin, Jerry’s youngest son, qualified for the 2024 USA World’s Helice Team! All the Varn’s are pretty good shots from Helice to Sporting Clays!

Helice is by appointment only and open to all. Give it a go, especially during these cooler months!

Riding Through Rain and Mud: Our Dual Sport Friends

Let’s chat about our customers and visitors! I’m going to brag on our Dual Sport friends who conquered 100 miles of on-road and off-road trails at Broxton in the middle of a monsoon in late January!

Saturday was a rainy mess, but still over a hundred bike riders showed up and took off on their dirt bikes (that are also street legal, hence the dual sport aspect!). The trails were back to normal by the following weekend for our Endurance riders and their trusty horses.

Shoutout to the dual sport team for dragging the trails for the next set of customers.

Credit: Becky Pearman Photography — *Credit:* *Becky Pearman Photography*

Equestrian Events: Endurance Riders Take on the Trails

Once the snow almost melted, we hosted a FEI and AERC ride with over 80 horses covering between 25 and 75-miles of horse trails. A little snow and cold weather didn’t scare off these athletes either! One team hauled all the way from Alabama to compete. One young rider completed a 1-Star (75 miles) and rode the last loop of about 10 miles, in the dark, by herself. Way to go!

Did you know that Broxton hosts about 4 sanctioned endurance rides annually? Many riders that frequent those races continue to Worlds! These races are open to everyone and are very well coordinated by the endurance staff!

Upcoming Events: Mark Your Calendars!

Like history? Like big “bombs”? Don’t miss this year’s Battle of Broxton civil war reenactment being held Friday thru Sunday, Feb 28th - March 2nd! Yes, a battle actually occurred right here in Ehrhardt!

This event is full of surprises! Come spend the day checking it out. The event is run by a group of official reenactors and they take their jobs serious!