President Paino takes horseback riding lessons on Fredericksburg tour

By REBECCA MELSON

UMW President Troy Paino decided to explore the downtown area in his own way on Tuesday.  The weather was unseasonably warm as President Paino traveled through downtown Fredericksburg on horseback. Paino, along with equestrian team member and junior Psychology major, Nikki Ferrell, received several stares as they pit stopped in popular Fredericksburg shops. This is all part of a promotional video that Paino is filming for upcoming UMW students.

The soon-to-be-released video series titled, “The New Guy” will demonstrate a guided tour of the UMW area, highlighting some of the things that a new UMW student might want to do. Paino’s adventures include taking the train up to D.C., going to a basketball game, visiting the Rappahannock River and more.  The six-part series is due to be released next month, in prelude to Paino’s inauguration.

Movies are not a new thing for the new UMW president. He was formerly dubbed ‘The Coolest College President’ by former Truman State students for his previous films made to demonstrate location, activities and things that students and prospective students find important. Some of Paino’s past films include “Party with T-Pain” and “T-Pain Will Miss You.”   

Paino sat nobly on his horse outside of the Hyperion coffee shop, located on Princess Anne Street, and gracefully greeted customers.

“They gave me a gentle one!” said Paino, affectionately patting his horse. “I have not ridden a horse in any of the other schools that I’ve worked in, this is the first time.”

Paino and Ferrell had already made stops at the City Dock, the train station, the Fredericksburg Visitor Center, and were on their way to Carl’s for some ice cream.

Ferrell, who has been a member of the UMW equestrian team for the past three years, also enjoyed the chance to ride the UMW horses through the downtown area, helping in the narration of the new film.

“At every school, [Paino] makes videos. This is kind of like a storyline,” Ferrell said. “Today I am taking him on a tour of Fredericksburg, on horseback.”

This was also the first time that Ferrell was able to ride one of the horses to the downtown area.

“We are out talking about the shops, and things you can do.  We stopped here, [Hyperion] to get some coffee, because this a hoppin’ place for UMW students,” Ferrell said.   

The purpose of the video is to market the school to prospective students. However, the fun and light information that is conveyed within these films, accompanied with President Paino’s comical and genuine nature, allows all UMW students to partake in the fun and help them build community as they attend UMW and reside in the Fredericksburg area.