2018

December 27, 2018

I was thinking back to some of the stallions that interested me in the past and one of them was Ima Cool Seeker. He was a 1991 NN sorrel stallion by Ima Cool Skip (who you all know I loved) and out of Seekers Bonnie who was by Goldseeker Bars who was by Three Bars (TB) and out of Spanish Joy. On the bottom side, Seekers Bonnie was out of Miss Bonita Lee by Mr Spanish Lee who was by Leo and out of Spanish Joy. Now most of us know and really liked Spanish Joy and I was very excited to see this horse. After all, he was line bred Spanish Joy and sired by Ima Cool Skip. Ima Cool Seeker was born in 1991 and stood at Danny Watts in Mississippi. My friend Dudley Pillow was excited about him. Bill Edmundson bought a mare from me and he and Bill Rosenfelt sent them to breed to the stallion. I later saw the stallion and he was a very correct horse, had a lot of size and an amazingly short back, but he did have some bone, had a high neck but not a long neck, and he didn't have a lot of muscle. I never got a chance to breed to him as he was exported to Australia and Jackie Hardwicke told me that he sired some good horses there before he died.


December 25, 2018

I have tried to stay very strong after losing my wonderful Mike, but at Christmas, I find myself weakening. I thank the Lord for all my wonderful friends who have been here for me throughout this time. I do not know what I would have done without you. I sit here thinking about Christmas past and growing up in the small town of New London, Wisconsin and how at that time I never thought of life without my family. After I married Mike and my parents died and my sisters moved away, the Ellis family really became “my family” Then I also found wonderful friends both around here and throughout the horse community. Face Book has been a great place to keep in touch with so many old friends and new ones. I think back to when I was a child and all I ever wanted for Christmas was a pony. I would write letters to “Billy the Brownie” on a local radio station asking for one. I remember coming down the steps in our house and getting many gifts but no pony. Then one year, when I came downstairs, my parents took me to the old barn that was on our property and when I opened the door, there stood the most beautiful pony, at least in my eyes. I can still remember Ginger who was about 5 months old, standing in a make-shift stall looking at me. Now that I am VERY MUCH older, you are never going to believe what I want for Christmas this year----------------an embryo out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) She will be 19 years old next year and it isn’t as though I haven’t tried in the past. She only has 3 living foals. I intend to breed Rebecca to an outside stallion next year as I have Wilma, my NN mare that I love out of her and Fred (Classically). I am doing everything I can to get that foal as I now have 3 mares to use as potential recipients. I am trying to look forward to the future and still keep the wonderful memories I have as a child and all the wonderful memories that Mike and I shared together. It is very hard but with the help and support of all my friends, I think I will be able to succeed.




December 21, 2018

Yesterday Sterling Gardens in Neenah delivered a beautiful poinsettia and it was my "annual" Christmas gift from Rodger and Vickie Shabel. I don't know how many years that I have been receiving s plant from them but it has been a long time. I appreciate friends like them even though I have had no contact with Rodger for years. Some of you may remember Rodger as he owned Statuatory, a World Champion son of Ima Cool Skip out of Ima Best, a granddaughter of Coys Bonanza. I can still remember the first time I met Rodger. He was with Doug Tallent and they were at Luke and Abbi Castle's looking at horses. I was with Dudley Pillow and we had a short chat and that was the beginning of our friendship. Lanis Noble, Rodger and I became partners on a yearling filly several years later. Rodger owns the Pepsi Coca Bottling Company in Decatur, Alabama and the last time I saw and visited with him was at James Kifer's place in Alabama. Donna Davis and I were there looking at horses and it was pouring rain. Rodger gave me a Pepsi golf umbrella. Great memories of great friends from back then. I was able to get a phone number for Rodger and I plan to call him and "catch up" on what has been happening in his life.



December 18, 2018

Yesterday, I returned from the post office after sending a package to Sodus, Michigan for Luann and Larry Krieger and found a message on my phone from Larry that they had to put Coolness down. She was 29 years old. That marks the end of the produce of The Magnolia Kid. Let me tell you a bit about her and also about Larry Krieger. Years ago, my good friend, Dudley Pillow would have me fly to different places to look at horses. Susan Quick told me that Clarence Bruell of Sparland, Illinois had some great mares so I decided to go and look at them. I went in December of 1988 and was very impressed with the quality of his horses. I video taped them and Dudley decided that he would buy 5 of them. The one he didn't want was The Magnolia Kid and to be honest, she was the one who impressed me the most. So, I ended up with her. She was a 1974, 15.3 NN mare by Kidnap Bar out of Lindy Gold by Billy Skeet. She raised some great foals for Mike and I and her best cross was with Ima Cool Skip. She had 3 NN fillies by him---Coolness born in 1990, Coolage born in 1992 and Cooleah, born in 1996. I remember when we decided to sell Coolness and Larry called. I had to take videos of her in the deep snow and freezing temperatures. I think she was the highest priced mare Larry had ever bought. He and Luann drove over in the spring and picked her up. That started a wonderful friendship which still lasts today. Luann is a wonderful baker and seamstress and I have many of her beautiful creations on display in my house, especially at Christmas. Larry Krieger is not too "computer literate" so he sends me pictures of his horses in the mail. This year, he received the honor of being a 50 Year Continuous Breeder of Quarter Horses from the AQHA. He wanted this award so much and I am so happy he was able to achieve it. I look at my years of breeding and it won't be too long until I will receive that award. This is another example of how the love of horses has brought so many wonderful friends into my life. The pictures I am posting are of The Magnolia Kid and 3 of the beautiful creations that Luann Krieger made for Mike and me.



December 16, 2018

Pebbles, NH filly by Classically (Fred) out of CJ Miss Cool Tardee (Bonnie) trying to find some grass under our snow.

December 15, 2018

This is a post that I wrote in 2015 and I still have the caps in the same place in my office. Time goes so fast and when I read the posts that Rebecca Merchant Halvorson writes and remember back to when Calyn was a young boy, I think perhaps he will remember me when he plays pro football and maybe he will " send me a football with his signature on it so I can put it on my fireplace mantel with the one from Terry Bradshaw.

My postal delivery girl brought me a small box yesterday and, I wondered what I had ordered. I was surprised when I opened it and inside was a Christmas card from Wayne and Rebecca Merchant Halvorson, along with 3 caps. Two of them said “Ima Cool Skip” and one of them,”Kids Classic Style”. The one Ima Cool Skip hat even says Jerry Wells Stallion Station on it. To some of you, it may sound silly for someone to get excited about caps but to me they really mean a lot. First of all, Ima Cool Skip is my all time favorite broodmare sire. I remember when Dudley Pillow would breed 25 mares a year to him when Skip was at Southgate Farm in Louisiana. In fact, I had mares hauled to Dudleys and he would take them to Southgate and get them bred. Cooleah (Olivia) is the product of one of those breedings. My good friend, Grace Berton hauled 2 mares from California to Dudley’s place and he took them to Southgate to get them bred. Sir Cool Skip is the result of one of those breedings. I continued to breed to Ima Cool Skip when he went to Halvorson Ranch in Oklahoma. Remember at that time, there was no shipped semen and you had to take your mare to the stud farm. That was when I met Wayne and Rebecca Merchant Halvorson and we have remained friends ever since. Wayne even flew to Wisconsin in 1999 and bought Cool Miss Tardee from us. She was a yearling by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee and a full sister to Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) Cool Miss Tardee won many awards under Wayne’s guidance, including a World Championship. When Curtis Pilot moved Skip to Robbie Rainier’s place in Missouri, I continued to breed to him and became friends with Robbie and his staff. I still remember the day that Robbie called to tell me that he found Skip dead in his stall. I renewed my relationship with Wayne and Rebecca when they started standing Kid Classic Style. They have always been wonderful to work with. Over the years, I have dealt with some stallion owners who do not treat you the best and even though I was happy with the foals by their stallions, I did not choose to rebreed. After all, this horse business is supposed to be fun. Thank you, Wayne and Rebecca Merchant Halvorson for the wonderful gift and also your continued friendship.

 

December 13, 2018

On December 10, I wrote a story about Touchdown Kid being inducted into the WCHA Hall of Fame. In visiting with Don Falcon, I found out how Touchdown Kid became a “Falcon” and how he got his name. He was born in 1995 and was bred by Jim Dunn, a great horseman. The colt was sired by Kid Clu out of Lady Review, a palomino daughter of Impressive Review. After weaning him, Jim took the colt to Ross Roark to be fit for the fall futurities. In September of that year, Don Falcon who lived in Montana was left at home alone beause his wife. Berta Falcon and daughter, Dawn Falcon Causey were vacationing in Costa Rico. On a whim, Don bought a plane ticket to Dallas to “look” at horses for the weekend. Point to be made, never leave a horse lover at home alone. Don stopped at several places and one of them was Larry Sullivan's, the ranch where Ross was training horses. While he was there, he saw Touchdown and couldn’t get him out of his mind so he got up the next morning and met Ross at the barn to have another look. Of course, the colt looked even better in the morning and Don asked if he was for sale. Ross didn’t think Jim would sell the colt but Jim priced him and being a “horse addict” like most of us are, Don made the deal. That was early on a Sunday morning and Don had the rest of the day to spend as he wasn’t flying out until Monday morning and he knew he better not go and look at more horses. Since his favorite football team, the Denver Broncos were playing the Dallas Cowboys. he thought maybe he would go to the game. As he got out of his car, a scalper approached him and Don forked over $100 for a ticket, hoping the ticket was real and not in the nose bleed section. To his surprise, it was right on the 50 yard line, 10 rows up and right behind the Denver bench. As he was sitting there, he thought, “This has got to be a dream-----I am sitting in the Cowboy stadium, my hero, John Elway, the Bronco quarterback is only a few yards in front of me, and I bought a horse named Touchdown Kid” If that was a dream, reality soon set in and his next though was----what was Berta Falcon going to say? He could hear her words, “YOU WENT WHERE, DID WHAT, BOUGHT A HORSE AND PAID WHAT?" We all know that feeling and thankfully everything turned out fine and Touchdown Kid became the outstanding horse he was destined to be. I think it is so refreshing to hear the stories behind out horses. Unfortunately, the Falcons never took many pictures so there are very few of Touchdown Kid. The one pictured as a weanling is with their daughter, Dawn Falcon Causey who showed him at the World. The other picture is the original that was taken in Montana from which all the pictures we see of him were taken.

December 11, 2018

On August 22 of 2014 , we had to have Molly, our dog put to sleep. This memory came up on my "memories" today so I thought I would share it with you. Molly was like a child to us.. She was born on October 14, 2000 and she was a "mutt" because her mother was a purebred Welsh Corgi and her father was a miniature Australian Shepherd. Now days, her breed is called an "Auggie" and they are "designer dogs" and quite expensive. Molly was a gift from Rita Crundwell. She told Mike and I that we needed a "first dog" as Mike is a senator and we did not have a dog. The first dog she gave us was a purebred Corgi but there was something genetically wrong with the puppy and we had to put her to sleep. Mike said at that time there was no way were we going through that again as we had become attached to the puppy. Well, you all know how persuasive a woman can be and he agreed to let me get another Corgi from Rita. Well, when the next liter was born, evidently one of the helpers had let Rita's miniature Australian Shepherd male out with the Corgi female. Lo and behold, the purebred Corgi pups came in different colors and did not look like Corgis. I was told that I didn't want one, that they were basically mutts but I decided that I would take the blue merle female. That was Molly and what a joy she brought to Mike and I for almost 15 years. Since we never had children, she replaced them in our lives. She was the first dog that we ever let live in the house and we took her everywhere with us. I don't think there was a time that we left her home when we went away. Molly saw as much of the country as we did and she would sit between us on the front seat. We never flew anywhere together as then Molly would have to stay home alone. Every night while we watched television, she would bring us her ball and we would throw it down the hallway and she would bring it back to us. If we tried to take it away from her, she would pull it back so we had to wait until she dropped it so that we could throw it again. Molly, for being a "free" dog became very expensive. One time she ate pork bones and her intestines became clogged and we had to take her to the Referral Center where it is $100.00 when you walk in the door. They didn't think she would survive that but after about a week she was able to come home. Mike and I would go and visit her every day. Then, another year she ate rat poison and they told us at the Referral Center that they did not think she could overcome that be she did. She also needed hip surgery and some teeth pulled. Mike said we would have mortgaged the farm to save that dog and guess what, we would have. Molly loved people and she never bothered the horses except when people would come and look at them. At that time she would bark at them because she was jealous of the attention they were getting. Toward the end, she was unable to lift her back end and we had to help her get up. This summer we spent a lot of time in the veterinarian's office with her as she became lethargic and a fussy eater (which was not at all like Molly) Finally in August, she lost control of her bladder and she continued to get worse. We had found that she had cancer along with several other problems. On August 22, MIke and I decided that we were not being fair to her and that we were keeping her alive for the two of us. Mike took her for a ride on the golf cart around out place and then we took her to the clinic and had her put to sleep. It was probably one of the most difficult things we had to do. As you can probably tell, it is very difficult for me to write this post. There will never be another dog like Molly in our lives. We buried her next to Miss Bunny Tardee in our front yard where every morning when I come out of the house I can look at both of them. I know it was not like losing a child or a family member but to Mike and I, Molly was our child. She was a very special part of my life and I live with great memories of her.



December 10, 2018

Touchdown Kid was inducted into the WCHA Hall of Fame during the 2018 World Show. Let me tell you my “story” with him. I had seen him as a weanling at the Solid Gold Futurity and was very impressed with him. He had such a short strong back, high neckset and gorgeous hip and he was one that I remembered. The next time I encountered him was 3 years later when Don and Berta Falcon ran a black and white ad in the Incentive Fund section which was in the back of the Quarter Horse Journal. I looked at that picture and thought the same thing about him that I had at the Solid Gold-----a horse with a gorgeous back, huge hip, high neck and a ton of class. At that time I had sold some horses to Joe Edge and I called him to tell him that I found a horse that needed to be bought. I then called Don Falcon but he told me that he had a deal going on him. Evidently others thought the same way I did, as Don was overwhelmed with calls. I found out that Chip Knost had bought half interest in the horse. There was no one who could promote a stallion better than Chip and when word got out that the horse was at Chips, Touchdown became an “overnight sensation” Everyone who saw him loved him. Connie Mason, who worked for Chip, told me that what she remembers most about Touchdown was his disposition and the fact that he passed that on to his offspring. He would lick her cheek like a dog and she shared breakfast with him every morning. As I said earlier, I wasn’t the only one who loved Touchdown as he bred 201 mares the first year. In May of the following year, the stallion foundered and through the efforts of Chip and Connie, they were able to get him stabilized and he bred 301 mares that year. With just his yearlings old enough to earn points in 2000, he was #2 on the Leading Stallion list of Halter Point Earners, behind his sire Kid Clu. The following year, he rose to #1. In 2004, Touchdown needed colic surgery and this time he was unable to beat the odds and he passed away on January 31, 2004 at 9 years of age. Touchdown Kid sired 707 foals in a total of 5 foal crops but of those foals, there were 60 World and Reserve World Champions, 61 AQHA Superior Halter horses plus several Paint and Appaloosa World Champions. His daughters proved to be great producers and you can still see their names in many of our modern horses. It is unfortunate that our industry lost him at such a young age and it is only fitting that he was inducted into the WCHA Hall of Fame. The picture that I am showing you, is the ad that Don and Berta ran on him in 1998.

 

December 9, 2018

I have a new resident at Ellis Quarter Horses. My good friend, Shelley Lauer dropped him off while I was watching the Packers win today. His name is "Glen" I don't know how he got that name but that was on his identification card. He is my first gnome and I think he is really cute. I sure hope Gabriel, the donkey approves of him.

December 5, 2018

This picture is a little difficult for me to post as I lost Mike in July. I thought it was appropriate to show you a picture of Mike, who was the Senate Majority Leader and George HW Bush when President Bush was in Neenah, Wisconsin.

December 1, 2018

Remember when I told you I needed to reduce my “horse numbers” because I am getting old and don’t need that much work anymore? I thought perhaps I would buy myself a new television for Christmas and drove my friends nuts looking for a good deal. I finally picked one out and was ready to buy it on Black Friday when things changed. Heather Olson called me and she and Wade Yager found me a mare. She sent pictures and how could I resist? Her name is Righteous Indulgence, she is NN and she was raised by my good friend John Tan. Her sire is Righteous Mister and she is out of The Sharpest Edge by Mr Conclusion. Heather said she is easy to get along with and I really like her conformation, so instead of a new televison, I have a mare. Then when making the deal, I made the “mistake” of saying “maybe I should buy another one”. Well, a few hours later I had pictures of TF Cover Girl, another NN mare by Kid Coolsified out of Fashions By Mister by Mr Conclusion. I tried not to think about her but after studying her pedigree and pictures, I decided as long as Ashley Koeller was bringing one, she may as well bring two mares. The mares arrived on Wednesday and they are nicer than the pictures. Heather sent me some “to die for” German chocolate cake and both of us were nervous that Justin the hauler for MJK Quarter Horses & Horse Transportation would eat it on the way here. I told Heather that I bet she could get a job as a baker at Houdinis Escape in Wisconsin. Perhaps I should start a new group called “Horse Addicts Anonymous" and be the founding member. Anyone want to join?

November 25, 2018

Sometimes in life, total surprises do something to really boost you up. I was spending my first Thanksgiving without Mike and I received a FB message that a package was going to arrive on Friday from Arlene Kingery. Of course, I wondered what in the world it could be but dismissed that thought as I spent the day eating and watching football. Well, on Friday the postman pulled up and handed me this huge box and I thought this is not cookies or other sweets which you all know I love. Leah Gloudemans was here and she helped me open the package, which contained a lot of padding. We opened a beautiful picture that Arlene had done of Janie (Kids Classic Gal) and she absolutely captured her look. Now, wondering why in the world would she put so much padding in that box and lo and behold there were 3 other pictures in it--------awesome pictures of both Fred (Classically) and Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) Tears filled my eyes as I looked at them, thinking how thoughtful a gift this was, especially at this time of my life. Arlene’s pictures really capture each horse’s special look. I think if I could point out one thing, I would say the eyes express their specific personalities. Just a little background on my friendship with Arlene. She lives in Oregon and we have never met nor talked on the phone until yesterday. She inquired many years ago when I had a bay mare for sale and she told me she had saved many of my pictures. If you remember, I lost all my photos when the server I had then went bankrupt and lost all of the websites he managed. I had one special picture of Rebecca as a baby and I asked Arlene if she had it and she did and sent it to me. Thanksgiving is certainly a time when everyone should be thankful for the things they have. And, I am so lucky to have wonderful friends and family who really care for me. I don’t think I would be doing as well as I am without them and of course, my horses to keep me busy. I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are able to look past the sad things that happen in life and instead be happy for all the good things. I am posting the pictures that Arlene sent and I think you will agree with me that she is a very talented artist and also a great friend.

Please click on pictures to enlarge.

Kids Classic Gal You Bet Im Cool Classically

November 17, 2018

Spent another year at the World Show with Grace Berton, Mary Mancini, Vicki Benkerand, Tracy Fream and had another wonderful time but probably gained 10 pounds as we ate at Charleston every night and think we are now addicted to the croissants and the desserts.

November 4, 2018

I don't know how many of you knew Russ Nagel but he was a very good friend of mine from Wisconsin. He also had an impact of several of my friends including Joe St Clair and Russell McIntosh. I think I first met Russ when he had a gorgeous big buckskin mare named Pretty Suzanna. She was sired by Pretty Impressive and he bred her to Impressivist, a son of Impressive that we owned and stood at stud. Joe had met Russ at a horse sale and he stopped to see the buckskin mare and Russ decided to send her to him for training. She was a huge mare, both height and muscle wise. She was born in 1980 and her sire was Pretty Impressive and her dam was Poco Buck Sue who was a granddaughter of Poco Bueno out of a Pretty Buck mare. Joe put her first AQHA halter points on her. Russ and I became good friends and we had a lot of horse "dealings' Russ loved to deal so that he didn't have to pay cash for things. Pretty Suzanna had her first foal in 1986 and Joe and I sat up all night foaling her out. She had a beautiful bay filly and he named her Pretty Impressivist.

That filly won the Iowa Futurity that year and also placed really high at the Solid Gold Futurity in Springfield, Illinois. I remember that the Solid Gold Futurity classes were huge and took hours to judge and at one time during the class when they were calling out numbers, we had to hold the filly while Russ went to the bathroom. We had many a good time going to horse shows---Russ was always game to go somewhere. As he got older, he bought two places in Purcell Oklahoma and that is where Russell McIntosh comes onto the scene. Russ bought an old mare at a horse sale and she was carrying Winning Sage, who became a World Champion Paint stallion and he eventually sold for mega dollars. Russ and Russell owned Winning Sage together and Russell fit him. He was by Impressive Quest and out of Sage Brush Wendy. Sage was born in 1995. The first time they showed the horse as a yearling, he won a yearling class of 16 and stood Grand Champion. That year he was 6th at the Paint World. After the Paint World, Russell brought him back to his ranch and really started fitting on him. He won the Paint Horse Congress and was sold there to Ted Musgrave, the race car driver. After many years, Russell was able to bring Winning Sage back home to his ranch where he still breeds him and he will live out the rest of his life there.

There are many people who will miss Russ Nagel. He loved to go to horse sales and buy horses. I remember one year at the World Quarter Horse Sale, he bought a mare thinking she was an own daughter of Tardee Impressive, only to find out she was sired by Sonny Thomison's horse Tardy Impressive. He was not that happy at the time but the mare did turn out to be a good producer for him. Another time we were at Chip Knost's place in Aubrey as Russ had his mare, Holly Tardee there to breed to Sonnys Securitee. Now this mare was a "little" protective when she had a foal at her side. I can still see Chip vaulting over the stall divider in the mare motel to get away from her. I didn't think he could move that fast. It seems as though so many of my old time friends have come and gone and sometimes I just think back to all the great times we had together and how much I miss them.


November 4, 2018

I was thinking this morning how times have changed with what we get "obsessed" with about our horse's conformation. Today, the big debate is hocks and whether they should be "posty" or have some angle to them. Years ago, it was hind leg muscle. I remember Jerry Vawter and Chip Knost wanted huge gaskins on their horses and it was one of the main criteria for buying a horse and a major factor in judging a horse. They referred to horses that didn't have them as "chicken legged" Tardee Impressive had one of the biggest hind legs of that time; whereas Ima Cool Skip did not. When we bought Impressivist and he was a two year old, I remember Clark Danielson (from whom we bought both Miss Bunny Tardee and Impressivist) having me measure Impressivist's hind leg and Miss Bunny Tardee definitely had a bigger one even though she was a year younger. Azzari, a son of Tardee Impressive had the biggest inside hind leg of any horse I owned. . It almost looked swollen on the inside as far into the hock as it carried. I found an old picture of Miss Bunny Tardee's gaskin so I took some pictures of her produce's hind legs so you can see how much she stamped her offspring. Pictured are Miss Bunny Tardee followed by her oldest daughter, Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) then Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and finally Fred (Classically) Now, as I said Ima Cool Skip the sire of both Rebecca and Bonnie did not have a lot of inside hind leg but Kids Classic Style, the sire of Fred did. However, all three of these horses have them, thus they must have all inherited it from Miss Bunny Tardee who sired by Tardee Impressive.

Please click on pictures to enlarge.

You Bet Im Cool CJ Miss Cool Tardee Classically


November 2, 2018

The other day I was tagged in a post by Pete Bowling but I don't know if all of my friends were able to see the post. So, I am going to repost it. I find it so very interesting as it just goes to prove two things----that there are some real bargains out there and also what a great horseman Bill Morris was TRUE STORY as told by Pete Bowling.

So, attending Texas A& M, my brother and I often looked for things to do on weekends that would take us from College Station....on one of those weekends we decided to drive up to the Ada ( thanks Bob Standish ,)Sale.... Walking into the sale I immediately noticed Frank Carlo, and a couple of other guys from Virginia ( John Tolbert and Stanley Cole ),walking up I introduced my brother and about then ,this guy walks up and Frank says "Let me introduce my new manager ,Bill Morris ( this was the first time I met Bill ,who became a lifelong friend... later Bill was to have Impressive Dandy ,Impressive Truckle ,and Tardee Impressive...but they are another story)

Bill tells Frank ," Need to show you something, I just saw the best baby colt I've ever seen in my life ." So Frank says let's see him....we all go to this stall and look at this daughter of Lightning Bar out of a daughter of Sugar Bars....and her appendix colt by Lucky Bar.... Pretty colt....

Then my good friend Frank Carlo ,who owned Bar Flower makes the statement I have never let him forget .... " I already own the best son of Three Bars, what do I need with a colt by a Thoroughbred son of Three Bars....? " While we stood there talking about him, Nick McNair comes and takes the two in one package to the sales ring where he no sales Glamour Bars and Impressive for $ 1750 .....

At that point ....obviously no one knew of Impressive and little was I to know that several years later I was to have Lucky Bar and Glamour Bars in Virginia .....first while working for the Jennings family and later when I went back into business for myself.....

What goes around....


One thing that our modern horses seem to have lost is a good shoulder. I guess Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) is from the "old school" as she definitely has a shoulder.

November 1, 2018

I took this picture of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) this morning. It would have been a good photo if she wouldn't have had her fly mask on. We have no flies but her eye was irritated so this is protecting it from the sun and dust. She is NN and 18 years old. Sired by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. I sure hope I can get an embryo out of her next year. She only has 3 living foals, and she is my pride and joy.

Busy day today at Ellis Quarter Horses. My friends Richard Kaufmann and Bob Wolf showed up and low and behold 2 big dead trees are no longer standing. Leah Gloudemans has been picking up leaves with the lawn mower and I gave up trying to take pictures. It is probably one of the last nice days this year.


Please click on pictures to enlarge.

October 29, 2018

I am trying to "get rid" of my hoarding of horse stuff. Anyone interested in a complete set of AQHA stud books. Number 1 though 56?

October 28, 2018

I am going to do this afternoon and it isn't riding horses.

October 26, 2018

The beautiful fall view through our gates.

October 25, 2018

One of my "hero's" in the horse business is Bill Moomey. As I was a young girl and just getting started in quarter horses, he epitomized what success in the horse business was for me. He grew up in Nebraska and moved to Wisconsin when Schlitz Brewing Company hired him to do their advertising. I found a really good story on him in an old Quarter Horse journal and will tell you some of Bill's story about Coys Bonanza. Bill used to rodeo with Bill Coy who owned Sparky Joann, the dam of Coys Bonanza. She was a great performance mare. Bill was also a close friend of Ed Honnen who owned Jaguar so he talked Bill Coy into breeding Sparky Joann to Jaguar. The result was Coys Bonanza. Allegedly after first seeing the colt, Coy told his wife that they had "hit a bonanza" and that is how the horse got his name. In January of 1961, Coy was consigned to the Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association sale, which was held in conjunction with the Denver Stock Show. Bill said that he went to that sale because he wanted to buy Coys Bonanza but that he couldn't afford him. Ed Coppola of Des Moines Iowa bought him for $3950.00. Ed sent the stallion to Dean Landers in Des Moines, Iowa to be shown at halter. During his 2 year old year, Coy had 7 Grand Championships and 10 Reserves. In his 3 year old year, Ed Coppola sent Coy to Pat Thompson in Colorado to be raced. The stallion shin-bucked so he was sent back to Dean Landers to be shown at halter. Dean showed him in 1963 and he earned 110 halter points and was the High Point Halter Stallion in the nation. Bill was now living in Wisconsin and had a good job with Schlitz Brewing Company so he contacted Dean Landers and was able to buy Coys Bonanza. Bill's idea was to make his stallion an AQHA Champion so he sent him to Keith Moon in Minnesota where he earned his ROM in reining, western pleasure and western riding. Even that accomplishment wasn't enough for Bill Moomey. He sent Coy to D Wayne Lucas in Denver (who was at that time training running quarter horses) and in 1967, the horse won a 350 yard race in AAA time. After that, Coys Bonanza was retired to stud in Waukesha Wisconsin. Bill being a "marketing expert" concluded that if he had total control of the stallion's breeding, he would produce better individuals and Bill could command a better price for his offspring. He did not stand him to outside mares and he spent his own money purchasing some of the greatest mares in the country for his brood mares. I thought he had the best brood mare band in the country. I would love to go there just to look at them. The following year, the first foals were born out of those great mares and Bill priced them all the same. He started out pricing them at $5000 for a stud colt and $3500 for a filly and eventually upped the price to $10,000.00. He had about 20 brood mares and many of the foals were sold before they were born. They were in such demand because there was a limited number and they were good individuals. Bill also hired Bill Edmundson to haul one of his young stallions each year. I remember Bill Edmundson with his fancy Cadillac pulling an inline trailer all around the country. The produce of Coys' Bonanza usually ended up high point in the country. Of the 228 foals from 16 crops, 26 were AQHA Champions, 5 were Youth Champions, 112 earned 4,633 points in halter, 23 had Superior Halter awards while 24 had Superior performance awards. Coy also produced 5 race horse starters and 2 ROMs in racing. Bill Moomey knew how to market a horse. He bought the back inside cover of the Quarter Horse Journal and every month he would feature one of Coy's Bonanza's produce or feature one of his great mares. He also wrote a book, called "Dad Always Said" which depicted his early life in Nebraska and was filled with unique quotes and illustrations. If you can find a copy of that book, it makes very interesting reading. He would feature one of the quotes each month in his advertising. They were great quotes that I find very realistic. For instance, " In the horse business, it's not so much what you do for someone that makes a friend----it's what you don't do to them" and "You hear so many complaints about the judging nowadays, it makes you wonder why they don't put the judges in the stands if you can see so much better from there" Another really neat one was "I'd rather be cheated from time to time than to go through life not trusting anyone" I can't find my book but when I do, I will post some more quotes for you. I really wanted to post my favorite quote but can't remember it exactly. I knew Bill Moomey ---he was president of our Wisconsin Quarter Horse Association and I was the treasurer at one time. I have lost touch with him but heard that he is living in Arizona. He is still a nationally renowned artist. Those were the "good old days" and I truly enjoyed living through them.

October 21, 2018

The other day, I received a message from Tammy Bradshaw that they are offering Time To Play Girl for sale and if I were younger, I would definitely buy her. I remember when Donna Davis sent her to me in foal to Telasecret with the deal that she would get the foal and I would get to breed the mare to Fred (Classically) When she got off the trailer I immediately fell in love with her and eventually talked Donna into selling her to me. This mare has the most gorgeous head, pencil neck, huge hip, great hocks and tremendous muscle. The next year I was there when she foaled and she had an incredible bay filly. I was alone and after my shoulder surgery, I could not get the baby out in time. I still remember pulling with all my might with my feet against her butt. The baby took a few breaths and died. She was no problem to get in foal and she foaled a gorgeous filly by Fred (Classically) that Joe St Clair bought for Big Daddy Quarter Horses. TTT as we called her is NH and is sired by Time to Touch and out of Playgirls Playgirl by Playgirls Conclusion. It is had to find a mare so balanced and short backed now days. She has a total of 57.5 halter points, despite the fact that she is 15.2, but her foals are huge. If anyone is looking for a really sweet mare that I bet is going to have a great foal next year by Telasecret, I would suggest you contact Tammy Bradshaw. I know that if it were 10 years ago and Mike was still alive, she would already by back in Wisconsin.

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October 18, 2018

Do you think Pebbles (Classically (Fred) and CJ Miss Cool Tardee (Bonnie) and Gabriel are losing weight? I have them both on a diet.

October 15, 2018

Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) 18 year old NN mare by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive on a cold Wisconsin morning.

October 11, 2018

I have been trying to “organize” some of my things. I am a pack-rat and save everything. I came across some old pictures of Miss Bunny Tardee, the foundation of my program and will tell you a bit about her. The one picture was taken by Marcie Stadstad in 1996 shows me holding her. The mare looks small on the picture but I must have been standing on a hill as she was a good 15.3. The other picture is of her and Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) her daughter by Ima Cool Skip. I loved Miss Bunny Tardee from the first time I saw her which was when Homer Danielson brought her dam to breed to Impressivist in 1986 and she had this filly by Tardee Impressive at her side. Some people say that first foals out of a mare are not good but not only was Miss Bunny Tardee a first foal but her dam was also bred as a 2 year old and had her at 3 years old. As a foal she was small but had that incredible strong back, high neck set and deep heart girth. Her sire was Tardee Impressive so she had every right to have the tremendous amount of muscle she had. After Bunny Nightshade (who by the way was by Sonnys Nightshade by Sonny Dee Bar) was 30 days in foal, Homer took her home. The next time I saw the filly was at the Iowa Breeders Futurity where she placed but the class was won by another of Homer’s fillies who by the way, was sired by Impressivist. That never should have happened but I guess because Miss Bunny Tardee was small, the judges picked the more mature filly. In my opinion she was the best filly there. By the time she was a yearling she had developed into a big potentially great show mare. Clark Danielson would call me and he would tell me the size of her forearm and gaskin and they were larger than those of Impressivist. Some of the bigger trainers wanted to take her but she hurt her eye and Homer took her to Iowa State. Consequently the eye became infected and they ended up removing it. They tried fitting a “glass eye” but it didn’t work so the Danielsons decided to make her a broodmare. They bred her to Impressivist as a two year old and they brought her back here for me to foal out and rebreed her. The foal was born with a heart defect and had to be put to sleep. By that time, I had really fallen in love with Miss Bunny Tardee and because Homer owed us for stud fees and mare care, I was able to buy her at a reasonable price. Of course it didn’t hurt that I had a little “secret money” that Mike didn’t know about. Her foals always had her strong back, tremendous heart girth, high neck and a tremendous amount of muscle. Miss Bunny Tardee produced two World Champions but several of her colts were never shown and I am confident they could have been World Champions also. My horse breeding program would never have been what it is if Miss Bunny Tardee had not come into my life. She has been gone since 2010 but I still have 3 of her offspring at our place. You Bet Im Cool (Rebecca) is NN and sired by Ima Cool Skip, CJ Miss Cool Tardee (Bonnie) is NH and also sired by Ima Cool Skip and Classically (Fred) is NN and sired by Kids Classic Style. I am continuing my program with two young mares who are granddaughter of hers. Classically Kool (Wilma) is now 3 and is sired by Classically out of You Bet Im Cool (Rebecca) and I still haven’t named my weanling filly., Pebbles who is also by Classically out of CJ Miss Cool Tardee (Bonnie) I guess you can say I am keeping my program “in the family” as both of these fillies are half brother, sister crosses. I feel confident that concentrating the blood of Miss Bunny Tardee is going to produce foals that I will enjoy owning.

October 5, 2018

A few days ago, I posted about my new ultrasound that we named Waldo after the puzzle "Where's Waldo" That was because Ashley Mjk Koeller picked him up at Vicki Livasy place when they delivered horses to Vicki from Iowa. Waldo stayed at Ashleys until they picked up a horse at Jaleen Hacklander and dropped him off there. Jaleen has a beautiful place called Hadaya Arabians in Waupaca, Wisconsin and she has some world class horses. Last week, Joe St Clair dropped off my ultrasound that we named Gertrude so that Ashley could make the trade and deliver mine to Heather Olson in Iowa. Sound confusing? Well, anyway, "Waldo" is now at his new home with me and Gertrude is spending a few days at Ashley Mjk Koeller's before making her trip to Iowa. And guess, what----I was able to pay for Waldo's room and board with cheese curds.

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October 1, 2018

While I was at the Breeders Halter Futurity, I did a bit of "horse trading" or should I say "ultrasound trading". I am getting the ultrasound that Vicki Brilley Livasy had and mine is going to Heather Olson in Iowa. Ashley Mjk Koeller picked up Vicki's ultrasound when she delivered some mares to her and will bring the ultrasound to me. Vicki and I joked about where the ultrasound was as when the hauler left Vicki's he went to New York. So guess what---we named the ultrasound "Waldo" and we have been having fun wondering where "Waldo" is. Do you remember the books and games "Where's Waldo"? They are about an elusive man in a read and white shirt, blue jeans, brown boots, glasses and a red and white bobbled hat. He travels all around the world and you have to locate him in different crowds. Ashley plans to take "Waldo" to Jaleen Hacklander's place in Fremont, Wisconsin when she picks up a horse from her this week. Then she will pick up "Gertrude" my ultrasound that I sent to Jaleen with Joe St Clair and give her a ride to Heather Olson in Iowa. Of course, being a "good mother" I have been checking as to where's Waldo. The other day I messaged Ashley and she said he was sitting on her table and wasn't causing any trouble as he was quiet and she didn't have to clean up after him. All in all, it has been a fun situation and I will let you know when Waldo and Gertrude arrive at their new homes.



September 30, 2018

Richard Kaufmann, or Dickie as we call him has been a great friend to both Mike and I. We have several dead trees on our property and I have been worried that one of them would fall on either the barn or the power lines leading to it. Well, Dickie brought his McCullock chain saw out and cut one of them down. Bob Luebker took boards off the front pen and I would have bet anyone $100 that he couldn't get that tree to fall between the posts and not break the posts. Well, guess what----I would have lost because as you can see, the tree landed squarely between the two gate posts. I was amazed. Then to top it all off, Dickie cut up the wood and Leah Gloudemans and Bob Luebker got rid of the small pieces. I am so very lucky to have friends like it do.

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September 18, 2018

I decided that it was a good idea to go to the Breeders Halter Futurity and see my “horse friends” Joe St Clair and I drove “little red” my 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt with 220,000 miles on it. I still haven’t driven the new GMC Terrain Denali and we have had it a year. I guess I am just more comfortable in the old car. We met Vicki Livasy, Mary Mancini and Grace Berton there and the “village” had a good time. Grace broke her foot a few weeks ago, but I knew It wouldn’t stop her from going, despite the wheelchair. I must admit it was hard for me as many of my friends expressed their condolences at Mike’s passing and in the past, when I was gone, he called me a lot and no phone calls this time. It was great to see some awesome young horses and so many friends that I only know through Face Book. As you know, I sold my two beautiful mares that I used for recipients, Pearl and Bucky to a wonderful family, Pam, Jim and Jamie Jacobs from Washington, so I needed another. I had one picked out but the owner sold her so I had called Wade Yaeger and told him what I wanted. He said he had the perfect mare for me. Well, needless to say, “Lucky” is now a resident of Ellis Quarter Horses. She is a 15.3 NN buckskin mare by CKade out of a Shoemaker bred mare. She is 4 years old, super sweet and gentle and had a baby this year but is open so she will make a great recipient mare for me. I want to tell you, that if you get in the Des Moines area, it will be worth your while to go to Wade Yaegers. He has some really good mares in foal to great stallions. Not only did I get a mare, I also got some of Wade’s wonderful homemade fudge. I am posting a picture of Lucky that Wade sent me. Because of all the rain we had during the last weeks plus the heat and humidity, we have mosquitos like I have never seen before. Once we get some cooler weather, I will take some new pictures of the mare for you to see.


September 6, 2018

I was gone last Saturday and had our gates closed so the mail lady left a note saying that I had a package and she would deliver it on Tuesday, since Monday was Labor Day. During the weekend, I was trying to organize my horse papers and came across this letter that Barbara Warren had written to me 13 years ago. I had saved it along with several other nice pieces of correspondence I had received over the years. On Tuesday, when the mail lady delivered my package, I could hardly believe my eyes----it was a gift of delicious candy and a card from Barbara Warren. The strange thing is that Barbara and I have never met except first through my web page and then over Face Book. I guess it is time that I get her phone number and visit with her in person.

August 24, 2018

So much has been going on in my life that I forgot to tell you that Gabriel (the donkey) came home on August 6. He was a "lifesaver" for me because he raised Charlie, our stud colt when Pearl rejected him at birth. I can never thank Jaleen Hacklander enough for lending him to us because he taught Charlie the respect that orphans usually don't have. When we sold Charlie to Logan and Laurie Lorenz, they took Gabriel with them to accompany Charlie. Of course, by then, Gabriel had become a part of Ellis Quarter Horses so we decided to buy him. . I asked Ann Hunnicutt Lanning the weaning dates for July and weaned Pebbles during that period and Laurie weaned Charlie from Gabriel. She sent Gabriel back to us on August 6 and he is now Pebbles buddy. However, as you can see, Pebbles prefers being with her dad, Fred (Classically) I bet they would get along great but I question whether I should chance it. They both whinny at each other when they are separated. I guess it goes to show how strong family ties are.

August 23, 2018

I am so lucky to have wonderful friends. On Tuesday, Dennis Macarthur came to visit me. He and Lorna Revord have been hauling horses for me for years and if you remember, they are the ones who gave me the orange tree with the Hawaiian girl in it. That has been several years ago and I still have the tree and the girl. Dennis was in Wisconsin to pick up the mare that my friend Donna Davis bought from another good friend, Mary Mancini and take her to Alabama. Well, he unhooked his trailer and drove 2 and 1/2 hours just to take me out to lunch and visit with me. Of course, I got to meet his 4 dogs and hear the stories about them. One of them is named Mickey Mouse. They found him a new home but the potential owner wanted to change his name. Well, for those of you who know Lorna, that was unacceptable as Mickey Mouse knew his name. So, the dog still travels with Denny. After a good meal and visit, I sent Denny back on the road with 2 cases of Lorna's favorite beer, Leininkugel's Summer Shandy which is brewed in Wisconsin and only available from March through August. Friends like this are hard to come by and I am really lucky to have many great friends.

August 22, 2018

Yesterday three very nice horses left Ellis Quarter Horses. Jim, Pam and Jamie Jacobs drove all the way from Seattle, Washington to pick them up and take them to their new home. I had sold Bucky (Winfatuation) to Pam and she decided to breed her to Fred (Classically) before she left. Well, the day I called Pam to tell her that Bucky was in foal was the day I had decided to sell Pearl and Leah Gloudemans and I had just given her a bath and took pictures of her. When Pam returned my call, I told her what we were doing and she said “let me talk to Jimmie” She had always liked Pearl and never thought I would sell her. You know how convincing women can be, so before I even had a chance to post that I was selling Pearl, Pam called to tell me that they would buy Pearl also. That was a couple of months ago. A few weeks ago, Larry and Anne Platten Lemke came to see me and offered to sell me their 3 year old palomino filly by Fred (Classically) I thought she was a great investment as she is 16 hands, NN for both HYPP and PSSM and her dam has 292 halter points and is out of Sheza Telusive Kid. Not only is Amazingly (Goldie) AQHA registered but she is also regular papered APHA and PHBA registered. To add to that, she has had many months of training as a pleasure horse. I convinced Mike that she would be a great anniversary present for me and he agreed to let me buy her. Well, when the Jacobs came on Sunday to pick up Bucky and Pearl, they fell in love with Goldie so all three mares are on their way to Seattle, Washington. I am a bit sad but I know that they will have a wonderful home and get more attention than I could ever give them. You all know how much Barbara Searson Gerken loved Pearl, so I contacted her and she approved of Pearl’s new home. That leaves me with Fred (Classically) his two sisters, Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee), their daughters Wilma (Classically Kool) and Pebbles plus Janie (Kids Classic Gal) I also have Gabriel, the little donkey that I love. I guess that is enough animals for anyone but it sure seems funny with only 6 horses on our place. I don’t remember having that few horses since I graduated from college. To be honest, it is a bit depressing.

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August 12, 2018

As many of you know, I lost my wonderful husband, Mike on July 20. It has been a difficult time for me because neither Mike nor I ever thought about dying. I guess we assumed life would go on forever. I want to thank all our wonderful friends who thought of me during this time. Things are going to be different now as I have to learn to pay bills, balance the checkbook and keep records, things I never had to do before. I have never opened the safety deposit box at the bank, where all our titles and records are. I have wonderful friends and also have Leah Gloudemans and Bob Luebker who are always there for me, It is a bit scary with my new role but it is something I have to learn. I think it will be good for me to resume my posting on Facebook as it takes my mind off my present situation.


July 19, 2018

Four months ago, I messaged a friend whose husband had died and she responded "enjoy every moment you have with your loved ones because you never know when they will be gone" That is so true and we should all think about it. As you probably know, I lost the "love of my life" Mike on July 20. We had just celebrated our 47 year wedding anniversary on the 17th. I want you to know how much I appreciate all the help and support I have received from my friends and family. I am a strong person and although this is probably the most difficult time of my life, I will get through it. Arrangements hare made for a memorial service on August 7. I plan to bring Mike's remains to our farm as he loved being here so much. Every night he would sit outside and tell me how lucky he was to have met me and how beautiful our place is. With the help of Bob Luebker and Leah Gloudemans, we will try to keep it in the same condition. Joe Zimmerman from New York took some beautiful pictures of "our little piece of heaven" last weekend..

July 19, 2018

Over the years, I have kept in touch with many people who bought horses from us. One of them is Larry Krieger. I keep promising to visit Larry and Luann in Sodus Michigan but have never made it yet. Larry is one of the "old timers" who truly loves his horses. We sold him Coolness in 2002. Coolness is an 1990 NN mare by Ima Cool Skip, out of The Magnolia Kid by Kidnap Bar. She was the oldest of 3 full sisters. The other two were Coolage, the grand dam of Azzari and Cooleah, who among other good foals, had A Classic Edition and An Obsession. Coolness is now 28 and living out her years at the Kriegers. I remember when Larry was interested in buying her and I had to take pictures of her in the snow and believe me, the snow was deep that year. Larry and Luann came to Neenah to pick up Coolness and what a great relationship that started. LuAnn still sends homemade cookies periodically and I send cheese curds and summer sausage. To be honest, I am getting the best end of the deal as besides the cookies she sends homemade tapestries. Their farm is named Pine Valley Farm and over the years they have bred some outstanding horses. They still have Sonnys Crown Prince and The Obvious Trouble. Larry called this spring to tell me that he is going to be honored by AQHA this year for breeding horses for 50 consecutive years. That is quite an honor and Larry is really looking forward to his trip to Amarillo to accept the award. I think of Larry and Luann daily when I look at the front of our barn and see the awesome "Ellis Quarter Horses" sign that Larry made for us.

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July 17, 2018

Time sure goes fast, doesn't it? 47 years ago, Mike and I got married. It was a beautiful day just as it is today and we are still as much in love as we were "back then" It was the first and last marriage for both of us. We met in 1970 when I was at the Left Guard with two of my girlfriends. The Left Guard was a bar and supper club in Appleton, Wisconsin owned by then Green Bay Packer left guard “Fuzzy” Thurston. Mike happened to be there because he was going to give Fuzzy’s wife, Sue and their children a ride to Madison the next day for the high school basketball tournament. Fuzzy was going with some of his teammates and planned to meet them there. It was St Patricks Day---March 17 and Mike and a group of Packer players and their wives were sitting across the bar from us. I thought Mike was “kind of cute” Evidently he was attracted to me too as he threw his St Patty’s hat at me. He asked me if I wanted to ride along with him and Fuzzy’s family the next day to Madison. He always remembers that when he picked me up my mother asked what she should tell anyone if they called “about the horses” That was the first time he heard the word, “horse” and believe me, he has lived them ever since. I think at that time I had over 30 head of horses including Bar Fly Bailey, a AAA AQHA stallion. We dated for a year and got married on July 17, 1971. My family owned the Rainbow Supper Club in New London, Wisconsin so we had the wedding dinner there. Then we drove to Neenah to the Valley Inn where we also had a big celebration as Mike was in the state legislature and many dignitaries attended. After it was all over, Mike and I spent our honeymoon in Oshkosh which was only 7 miles from Neenah. That was because he had to be back in session in the legislature on Monday morning. At that time we rented an upstairs furnished apartment in Neenah. We had to open the couch to pull down the bed at night. The roof was V shaped and my dad had to duck when he went in the bathroom. Those were good days. The nice thing was that it was next to Rudy’s Restaurant (they called the owner 3 fingered Rudy as he cut his finger off cutting steaks) All I had to do was go down the stairs and walk a few feet to the backdoor of the restaurant. They had the best steak sandwiches and malts and I think I lived on them. Guess that is how it started that we eat out all the time. We bought 15 acres of bare land 5 miles from Neenah and eventually built our place and moved here. Over the years, as we could afford it, we bought more land and made improvements. In the meantime when we lived in the apartment, I had to drive to New London daily and take care of the horses. Mike and I have had quite a life together and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. He still doesn’t know one horse from another but I love him anyway. Since he has retired from politics, he spends his days cutting and baling hay, mowing grass and keeping our place looking good. Of course, politics will always be a part of his life and he is on a radio show every Thursday from 10-11. Of course, I still have my horses and have cut the numbers down but still can't help getting tempted to buy another when I see a good one. I feel very fortunate to live such a wonderful life and hopefully we will have many more years together.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

July 15, 2018

Sometimes we don't give credit to the people who help us every day. I know that I couldn't do the things I do without the help of 2 great friends and helpers, Bob Luebker and Leah Gloudemans. These two are the people that really make Ellis Quarter Horses functional. They are willing to do anything and everything, from baling hay, breaking horses, collecting Fred (Classically), painting fences, and anything else you could ask. Leah is a very knowledgeable horsewoman and over the 33 years Bob has been with us, he can do just about anything with the horses too. I don't think I have ever heard either of them complain or refuse to do something. In this day and age, I feel very fortunate to have Leah and Bob. I found several pictures of Leah, but for some reason, I don't have that many of Bob. These two pictures show Leah and Fred (Classically) and Bob and Shanes Lady Romantic, a mare now owned by Terry and Tammy Bradshaw.

July 14, 2018

We were so lucky to get our hay baled last week because heat and humidity arrived after that. In fact, the ground got so dry our soybeans were "crying" for rain. Well, in the last couple of days, we got over 1 and 1/2 inches of rain and everything has turned green again. We still have the humidity but the pastures have turned green again. I took a picture of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and her filly, Pebbles who is sired by Fred (Classically) enjoying the new grass.

July 11, 2018

Bob Luebker, our trustworthy helper was working his night shift at Presto Products last week. He and Mike cut our second crop hay on his day off, but that left Mike and I to bale it. The weather was hot but the hay is beautiful. According to my fitbit I walked 9.8 miles on Saturday. 10 miles picking up bales that the kicker through over the wagon, We were both dirty and exhausted when we were finished. However, it sure is a wonderful feeling knowing our horses will have hay this winter.

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July 4, 2018

Sitting home today, I started thinking about Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and how much pleasure she has given me over the years. She is a 15.3 2000 NN mare by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. Unfortunately she only has 3 living foals but it hasn’t been because I haven’t tried. I found pictures of her as a baby and also of her babies and will post them and tell you their breeding. The first was an embryo transfer filly in 2003 by Perpetualism. This filly was NN because both of her parents were. I sold the embryo and the resulting filly went to Australia. In 2004, we did an embryo transfer again and she had probably the best baby I ever raised by Im Kiddin. I named her Champagna. She was NH and we lost her when a yearling due to a freak accident. The next embryo was another NH filly by Im Kiddin and she was also NH. I sold her to Dr John Tan and he named her Fancy Me A Cool Kid. She raised a couple of World Champions for him. In 2006, we flushed a buckskin stud colt by Kids Classic Style who was also NN that we sold. He became a World Champion Buckskin. Then I sold an embryo out of her by Classic Link and she had an NN stud colt that died as a yearling. After that we flushed a sorrel NN stud colt by Malibu Ken who fell and hurt his spine so we had to put him down. Then we hit a “dry spell” where we weren’t able to get embryos from her so in 2010, I decided to let her carry her own foal. She had an NH stud colt by Mr Ellusive that I sold and who is also unfortunately dead. Then for another few years we weren’t able to get embryos from her. Finally in 2014 we flushed an embryo by Fred (Classically) and got Wilma (Classically Kool) who is the NN 3 year old mare I am keeping for a broodmare. No embryos were recovered in 2016 and then last year we flushed one by Heza Secret Agent. He tested 5 panel NN and because I do not need another stud, I sold him to Laurie Lorenz and Logan Lorenz Lorenz. This year was very disheartening as we flushed a beautiful embryo by My Intention out of her and it was doing great with a heart beat at 30 days but the recipient lost it when checked at 45 days. I keep telling myself there is always next year but Rebecca will be 19 and I know her time for having foals is limited. There are currently 3 living foals out of her and hopefully next year I will be able to recover at least one. These are pictures of her as a foal and also of her offspring. I have written their information on each picture.


June 25, 2018

Yesterday the horses just wouldn't cooperate for pictures. First of all, the pictures of Wilma (Classically Cool) were not that good. Then someone asked me for a profile picture of Pebbles and I had a really hard time getting one. The problem is that when you are by yourself and the horses are so friendly, you just can't get pictures unless they are running or eating. This is Pebbles who is a full blood sister to Wilma. They are both sired by Fred (Classically) but Wilma is out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) whereas Pebbles is out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) who is a full sister to Rebecca. Pebbles is 2 months old.

June 24, 2018

Well, today I thought why not take some pictures of Wilma so you can see how she has grown? Well, she is too friendly and I was alone so it was pretty frustrating. This is probably the best picture I could get of her. Wilma is now 3 years old, NN, stands over 16 hands and is sired by Fred (Classically) out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) making her a half brother, sister cross. She still acts like a baby so I chose not to try and breed her this year. It is going to be fun to pick out a "boyfriend" for her next year.

June 23, 2018

My two "golden horses" today. Fred (Classically) doing what he likes best---eating and Pebbles, his daughter having fun

All these years I have been dealing with watering my horses with a hose and those of you who do that know how frustrating it is when the hose kinks and it seems to do that every time you water. I have not wanted to install automatic waterers as I like to see the amount of water my horses drink and I also know how destructive horses can be. Well, my good friends Pat Roch and Sandy Schreiner told me about this fantastic product which I bought and Pat came over and installed. Both Mike and I love it. The hose pulls out easily and when you give it a little tug, it winds itself back in the case. It is also on a pivot so I can pull it either way and believe it or not, it doesn't take up much room and with a pull of a pin, it can be removed. Notice the hose and shut off valve I have on the end of it. Years ago, Doug and Diane Diana Meilahn Baier told me about that and it is so flexible, I can easily water my horses through the bars of the stall. Just a little hint for those of you who water horses the "old fashioned" way.

June 17, 2018

Today is Father's Day and I want to tell you a bit about my dad. He was my hero and my idol. I never wanted to do anything that would not please him when I was growing up. I am sure most of you feel the same way about your fathers. I am the oldest of 4 children and my father was a doctor in New London, Wisconsin where I grew up. Back then, doctors didn't usually specialize so he was a surgeon, general practitioner, an optometrist and also dispensed medicine. I would go on house calls with him and sure learned a lot about people by doing so. I remember he would take care of a boy who was in an "iron lung" because of polio and I also remember sitting in the car while dad would take care of patients in their homes. My dad loved horses and I think we got our love of them from his father, who was a blacksmith. Dad built the Rainbow Supper Club in New London and I remember riding my horse into the bar. Those were "good old days" I have an ivory charm on a necklace that I truly treasure. When my father was taking care of an elderly lady, they had a light over her bed and the light was on a string with this horse head hanging on it. The lady said she bet I would like that horse and gave it to my dad to give to me. In its place he tied a "sucker" as he always had them in his doctor's bag for the children. I still treasure this little trinket and wear it quite often.


June 13, 2018

I couldn't ask for a more beautiful day in Wisconsin. No humidity, sunny, 78 degrees with a little wind and no flies. Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Pebbles are certainly enjoying it.

June 8, 2018

Sometimes I look at the beautiful pictures people post on Face Book and think how lucky they are to live where they do. John Kreider and TJ Baker are two of the people that post beautiful pictures of scenery in their areas. Well, yesterday, I spent some time walking around our place and I decided that we also have a gorgeous place and I am very happy to live here. Sure, it can get cold in Wisconsin in the winter but you can always get out of the cold. When I talk to Donna Davis or Mark Williams in the winter and they tell me how nice it is in Alabama and California, I used to envy them but then I think that come July, it is going to be beastly hot there when our weather is nice. I took a few pictures around our place and want to show them to you. I guess the point of all this is that we should all be happy where we live as each part of the country has something special to offer. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the “attractions” at Ellis Quarter Horses in Neenah, Wisconsin in the spring.




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June 7, 2018

This picture make me happy. I weaned Mary Mancini filly by Heza Secret Agent out of Janie (Kids Classic Style) on Monday afternoon. Of course it was according to Ann Hunnicutt Lanning advice on the weaning dates. Well, yesterday we put her outside in a small paddock next to Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and today she is in a big pasture eating and just as quiet as she can be. Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Pebbles her filly are next to her and Fred (Classically) is in the next pasture. It is hard to believe how good my babies wean when I go by Ann's weaning dates. Years ago, I had them trying to jump over the stall walls----in fact one time we had to put mattresses on the walls to prevent them from hurting themselves.

June 5, 2018

I have such great friends. Every year around Memorial Day, Mo and Kimmy Biggar come over and plant flowers for us. Wait until I show you later in the year how these plants grow. While they were here, I mentioned that my orange tree that Dennis Macarthur brought me from Lorna Revord a few years ago, needed to be replanted. I love that tree and bring it inside during the winter. It had become "root bound" so the Biggars transplanted it in a larger pot. Well, in doing so, the moss roses that Lorna planted were covered with new soil. A few days later, the Biggars showed up with some new moss roses and planted them in it. Everything must be okay as the little Hawaiian girl that Lorna sent in the plant seems happy.


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June 1, 2018

Just contacted the "weaning guru" Ann Hunnicutt Lanning as I am going to wean Mary Mancini's filly. She told me that the weaning dates for June will be June 3 through the 7th. That will be when Dottie loses her mother and gets to be a big girl.

May 30, 2018

Just contacted the "weaning guru" Ann Hunnicutt Lanning as I am going to wean Mary Mancini's filly. She told me that the weaning dates for June will be June 3 through the 7th. That will be when Dottie loses her mother and gets to be a big girl.


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May 27, 2018

Yesterday, something happened that never would have happened if I were younger. I sold Charlie and sent him to his new home in Kentucky. Logan Lorenz and his family who own Lorenz Quarter Horses bought him and they plan to keep him as their future stallion. I couldn’t be happier with the home he got as they will continue my breeding program and what better prospect to do it with than Charlie. Charlie is 3 months old and is sired by Heza Secret Agent and out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and he is 5 panel NN. I like to think I am an honest horse breeder, so when Logan messaged me, the first thing I said to him was “you don’t need a stallion” I was impressed with his maturity when talking to him on the phone. He told me that all of his life he wanted a stallion and he thought this was “the one” for him. Let me tell you a bit about Logan. He is a 20 year old student and he has been showing horses since he was 3 years old. When he was 9, he was AQHA Justin Rookie of the Year. Logan, like so many of us have horses in our blood. His mother Laurie Lorenz and his grandmother Joan Hartford both raise outstanding horses and they are very conscious of bloodlines. It was kind of sad when their trailer pulled out yesterday with both Charlie and Gabriel in it. We decided it was best to send Gabriel the donkey with them as Charlie will have a friend and buddy for a few months. I told Laurie to watch Gabriel’s diet as I think he can survive on air. Mike was sad to see the donkey go, but he will return in a few months. Laurie has kept me in pictures since they drove out our driveway. Logan bought a camera for the trailer and their trailer was custom designed by him with fans and a lot of insulation so they had a cool ride back to Kentucky. I am posting a few pictures. One of them I took of Charlie about a week ago, one on their “journey to their new home, and one all settled in. Maybe I should have hitched a ride with them as looking at their barn, I think I could be very comfortable there. As you know, Charlie is part of my “family of horses” that go back to Miss Bunny Tardee and I intend to use him on my mares in the future. It will give me something to look forward to.


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May 25, 2018

I keep posting pictures of my horses but think I am neglecting showing you Gabriel, the donkey. Jaleen Hacklander is one of the most caring people I know. When Charlie's dam rejected him, she let us take him to keep Charlie company and Gabriel has done a great job raising him. This colt is so well mannered and I have to thank the donkey for that. When Gabriel first came, we had a bit of a problem as Gabriel liked the milk replacer and the milk pellets and would stand on his hind legs and eat them. Dr Katherine Fox came up with using a creep feeder and that worked great. We have the one with the bars on top of it. And, the milk pail was high enough that Gabriel couldn't reach inside to drink. My husband loves Gabriel. Jaleen said that when she got him he came with various hats but she can't find them. If she does, I will post pictures with him wearing them. Charlie sure found a good buddy to live with. I think they think they are twins. When Gabriel came, they were the same size but now Charlie is about twice as tall.


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May 24, 2018

Well, I had quite an incident happen to me this morning. I usually get up around 7 and feed the horses before Bob Luebker or Leah Gloudemans get here to help put them outside. I had fed a few and walked into Janie and Dottie's stall to feed them, closed the door behind me and heard a click. Guess what, evidently the pin wasn't completely out of the stall latch and it slammed shut. Now I know what it feels like to be in prison as there was no way I could get out. To make matters worse, my cell phone wouldn't work in our metal building so I had to put my hand through the bars and text Bob who was still at home. Janie and Dottie finished their grain and I think they were wondering where their hay was as they kept licking the bucket I had brought the feed in. During this time, I was also able to text my good friend, Shirlee Weber who offered to come over and let me out but I told her Bob would be coming. I guess I learned my lesson because being trapped in a stall with horses for a half hour is not the perfect way to spend time. From now on, I will be sure the pin is out of the latch before I close the door.



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May 22, 2018

I wrote this in 2014 and since then our good friend, Joe Zimmerman came to visit and took this first picture with his drone, so I do have a current picture of our place that we call Ellis Quarter Horses. In 1970, Mike and I bought 15 acres of bare land located between Neenah and Oshkosh Wisconsin. It was right across from Lake Winnebago which is the largest fresh water lake in the US. We got married in July of 1971 and lived in a small upstairs apartment in Neenah where our couch pulled out into the bed. The good thing about it was that it was right next store to the restaurant that made the best steak sandwiches and malted milks in the area so I lived off of them. Every day, I would drive to my home town of New London to take care of the horses. In 1972 we built our first horse barn, a 36 by 81 metal building. I remember the builders showing up and wanting to know where to put the building and Mike said put it "here" which was in the middle of the hay field. Boy did we make mistakes building that barn. For instance, we didn't put fill in before it was constructed so the following spring when the rains came, the water rushed into the barn and flooded everything. I remember having horses tied to hay wagons in the aisle. We did not have a lot of money so we built as we could afford it and lucky enough for us, the horses were able to pay for everything we have. Our first barn cost $5400 to build the outer shell and we had friends work at building the stalls and since we had no electricity they had to use hand tools. We sold Bar Fly Bailey for the huge sum back then of $15,000.and in 1977 we added the indoor arena which was 52 by 144 feet and cost $14.900.00. In 1983 we decided we needed to add another barn as we planned to stand Impressivist at stud. At that time, we also built a small apartment between the barns. We have a gorgeous water quarry on the corner of our property so the plan was to live in the apartment and eventually build a house down near the quarry. However, since we never had children and since I definitely am not a "house person" we never built the "big" house. I am content in my little place where I can walk out the door and in 12 feet, I am in the barn office. It makes it really nice to check on the horses and it doesn't even matter if I have my nightgown and robe on at night as we have no neighbors. We traded two stud fees for the big iron gates in front of our driveways and we started with barb wire, went to smooth wire and eventually replaced that with white board fence. All in all, it is home and I love it. We have many small paddocks where I can separate the horses and over the years we have added 4 shelter buildings and automatic waterers. I am still of the belief that I like to see how much water my horses drink, so I still water the inside horses with a hose in the pails. Over the years, as we could afford it, we bought surrounding land so we do not have neighbors that live close to us and we are also able to grow our own hay and oats. Our neighbor, Jack Cowling has been a God send as he does our planting and field work. Mike loves cutting, raking and baling hay so he spends his summer doing that. Now that he is retiring from being a senator, he will have a lot more time to spend on the tractor. Back in 1985, Bob Luebker came into our lives and he has been with us ever since. Since we first met Bob, he has since married and has two daughters. He not only helps us but he also has a full time job. He works 12 hour shifts and then comes to our place to help with the chores. In this day and age, it is almost impossible to find someone who is so dedicated and willing to work. I have become so dependent on Bob over the years and I don't know what I would do without him here. Winter in Wisconsin can get pretty bitter and Mike keeps telling me that we should go south for the winter but I was born and raised here and I guess I am pretty set in my ways. Besides, what would I do with all the horses if I left? You know me, I like to be "hands on" with them. I love my life and wouldn't change it for anything. I guess horses have always been a part of me and it is like a dream come true living in Neenah, Wisconsin and owning Ellis Quarter Horses.. I wish I had a current picture of our property and buildings so that you could see what our current facility looks like. The ones I am posting are our first building and the addition of the indoor arena and mare barn. None of the shelter buildings and improvements are on the pictures. I guess if you want to see our current facilities, you will just have to come and visit me.

May 20, 2018

A little cooler today in 'Wisconsin but the "kids" still enjoyed being out on the green grass. I guess they thought the soft grass was a place to lay in the sun and relax. No bugs to bother them today. Gabriel, the donkey is older so he wasn't sunbathing.

The "boys" Fred (Classically) and Charlie are having a little chat under the fence this afternoon. Hope they aren't talking about Gabriel.

May 18, 2018

Time is really going fast. It is hard to believe that Dottie will be 3 months old next week. This pretty NN filly is owned by Mary Mancini and is sired by Heza Secret Agent and out of Janie (Kids Classic Gal).

Click on pictures to enlarge.

May 17, 2018

It's that time of the year again when the lake flies arrive around Lake Winnebago. They usually com when it is close to Mothers Day and their life span is 7 to 14 days. They do not bite but they sure are a nuisance. The DNR will not let you get rid of them as they are food for the sturgeon and perch living in the lake. Depending on the wind direction, we can get overwhelmed with them at our place. Yesterday was the first day they seemed to be here. Since the babies weren't accustomed to them and thought they would bite, they were irritated by them until they got used to them. Now, Pebbles figured out how to avoid them getting in her face. She walked around with her head between Bonnie's back legs. It was hilarious watching her. When Bonnie would walk, she would walk right with her. She is such a smart filly.

May 16, 2018

The "boys" at Ellis Quarter Horses. Fred (Classically) and Charlie are both HYPP and PSSM NN but don't know with all this new genetic testing what Gabriel the donkey is.

May 14, 2018

Pebbles is just like a "stuffed toy" She reminds me of one of those big teddy bears. However, her color is hard to take pictures of, especially when she stands next to her mother. She is sired by Fred (Classically) and out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) making her a half brother, sister cross. She is almost a month old now.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

May 13, 2018

On a personal note, I am going to post a picture of my mother. She died at an early age but I was able to enjoy her throughout my youth and she was there when Mike and I got married. Her maiden name was Dorothy Ehlke and she married my father Herman Schmallenberg who had just graduated from medical school. He built our house in New London, Wisconsin and they moved in after the wedding and he practiced medicine in New London for 50 years before retiring. I have 2 sisters and I lost my brother in a car accident years ago. Mike and I have been married for many years and it is our only marriage. We have no children----only horses and a cat. We lost our dog, Molly a few years ago and have never replaced her. I don't think there could be a dog that could ever do that. Now you know a bit about my personal life. Happy Mothers Day to all my wonderful friends.

Since Mike and I have no children, our animals are like kids to us. Today on Mothers Day, I checked Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) in foal to Fred (Classically). I had bred her on foal heat. Hoping for another Pebbles next year.

Charlie and Gabriel are the lucky animals at Ellis Quarter Horses today. We have had so much rain that the pastures are soaked. At least the standing water is finally starting to dry up. The poor horses have been confined to the shelters which are closed off with panels. These two "light weight" ones got to go out on the grass today.


Two years ago I wrote this on Mothers Day. We had to put Dandy Dee Gal down that winter as she was not able to get up on her own and we didn't want to let her freeze to death if she was outside. If she had been in the barn, it was also very difficult to get her up in a small space. She will always be special in my eyes and Janie (Kids Classic Gal) reminds me so much of her mother.

May 6, 2018

The "horse kids" are taking it easy today because it is raining AGAIN. Janie and Dottie are outside in a closed in shelter and Bonnie and Pebbles are in another closed in shelter. Poor Gabriel and Charlie are taking turns going in the arena with Fred (Classically) It looks like we are in for more flooding. I hate it when the mares and babies can't go outside. As you can see, Gabriel and Charlie are sacked out in their stall and Pebbles is sporting her new "sleepwear".

May 8, 2018

Joe St Clair and I have been friends for more years than I want to admit.

May 5, 2018

Sometimes you get unexpected surprises from good friends. I was always complaining about my radio reception in the barn. We have metal buildings and I hate static music. Well, about a month ago, a surprise arrived from my good friend, Vicki Livasy and it was a replica “old fashioned” radio. Vicki loves buying “toys” and she is always there with advice and offering to do things for her friends. I never expected her to send me a radio and by golly, it works great. Yesterday, another gift arrived totally unexpected. It was a cap with “Classically” embroidered on it. Ken Ross sent it to me. He is also a good friend who came to visit me a couple of years ago. He and Nancy Stuart stopped with their big truck when they were in Wisconsin. I wish we would have had more time to visit before they had to leave. I was able to thank Ken on the phone and I told him that they need to come and visit again and spend more time,. Good friends are what life is all about and I am very lucky to have many of them.

May 3, 2018

Pebbles is taking after her sire, Fred (Classically) and starting her "ball career" early. She is 2 weeks old.

May 3, 2018

Look at this beautiful picture of Marko Kaiser and Cookie (Move Over Darling) They both live in Germany and I think the world of both of them.

Bob Luebker brought his daughters Tori and Rachael out to play with Pebbles but Pebbles was too tired to play.

May 1, 2018

Sitting here today I was thinking about the “the way things used to be” at the World Horse Show. I guess it was because I came across this old matchbook that Rich Brown gave me while we were sitting at Chisholms Saloon in Oklahoma City. I never smoked but of course, it had information and a picture of Impressive on it so I was happy to have it. AT that time, we had just bought Impressivist who was a son of Impressive. The World Show was different back then. The classes were huge and the crowds filled a lot of the stands. It was definitely “the place to be” if you owned a quarter horse. At one time, there were two huge sales going on. I remember going to the one at the fairgrounds and then driving over to the one at Heritage Place. Horses brought a lot of money at the sales and quite a few horses being shown found new owners. I guess this is true today also, but not on the scale that it was in the “old days” Now I go to the World Show and by early afternoon, the classes are over so we find places in the surrounding area to look at horses or shop. Those of you who are younger and never experienced the “old World Show” truly missed something. It was a long day and at night we would go to Chisholms, a saloon in the Biltmore Hotel and dance and visit with other horsemen. The place was packed and people talked horses, danced and talked more horses. People blame what has happened to the quarter horse industry on the AQHA and the trainers but I really think it is just the way our lives have changed. There no longer are a lot of horse breeders who specialize in one bloodline and build programs intensifying that type of horse. Our horses have also changed. Lately I have been visiting with several good friends and we hear that this place or that place is the best place to take a horse to get its tendons cut or get “fixed” in some other way. Back then, we didn’t have the leg problems we have today. I remember working my Ima Cool Skip babies in deep sand and very seldom did we have leg issues. Now days, we have to watch what we feed so that they don’t grow too fast and have problems. To me, something is wrong and I can’t see it being fixed anytime soon. I am happy I grew up “back then” and that I have memories of the great horses and wonderful people I met at the World Show. I am still friends with many of them and we enjoy reliving those good times.

This picture of a beautiful lady and a beautiful mare makes me happy. This is Judith Kaiser and Cookie (Move Over Darling), the mare Judith and Marko Kaiser bought from me as a young baby. Judith and Marko live in Germany and when Marko called and bought the filly, we established a wonderful friendship which I truly treasure. They love Cookie and Marko told me he would not push her at all----he will let her mature at her own pace and she is certainly doing that. I feel as though I have some wonderful "horse friends" in Germany. By the way, Cookie is sired by Fred (Classically) and out of Juliet (Malibukini) who was by Malibu Ken out of Shanes Lady Romantic.

April 29, 2018

Scott Peterson posted this story about David Stone. I would always see David at the World Show and my friend Dudley Pillow bought several How D Billie Jack horses from him. One of Grace Berton's best producing mares is sired by How D Billie Jack and Dudley hauled Grace's mare to David Stones to be pasture bred to the stud.

By Sports writer Brandon Webb:

THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE ON HOW THE LITTLE MAN CAN ACHIEVE SUCCESS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL❤️❤️❤️❤️Sandy EllisThanks for reminding me of David Stone....I met him at the AQHA World Show and he talked to me like we were long best friends. I was also fortunate to have met Jerry Vawter and visited him and his ranch. He took Michele Peterson and I around the entire ranch on a golf cart and showed us every horse HOMEGROWN: David Stone defies the odds to breed and raise a world champion stallion on tiny area farm PETERSVILLE -- David Stone is a dew sweeper. By 6 a.m., the spindly man usually emerges from his crusty mobile home and makes his daily 200-yard jaunt to a musty red barn. This day is no different. Stone has work to do. There are horses to feed. Chores to tend to."If it’s daylight, there’s something to do. Most times, when it’s dark, too," the salty 58-year-old says. "There is always a fence that needs mending or a stall to strip. Seems like there’s always something broke." Stone chuckles and says his life consists of too much work and not enough sleep. The gray hairs that have infiltrated his bristly mustache, callused hands and deep lines etched into his face seem to validate his claim. There is so much more, however, that defines Stone. He is a self-described hillbilly, with an affinity for Louis L’Amour westerns and George Strait’s pure country sound, though he admits he has a soft spot in his heart for Shania Twain. He’s a meat and potatoes kind of guy who enjoys the occasional Mexican dish. He doesn’t drink or smoke but does harbor a temper that sometimes evokes a profane word or two. He’s a Ford man through and through, though he hopes no one sees him tooling around town in a beat-up Chevy pickup. And he isn’t a material man. His most prized possession is a belt buckle. You can’t manufacture character like that. Stone also is a world champion quarter horse breeder. He is a modest man of modest means that would be the last to celebrate himself. But he can’t help taking pride in kicking a little harmless dirt in the faces of the multimillionaire breeders who are staring up at him. Because what transpired in November 2000 in Oklahoma City was not only a victory for underdogs everywhere, it was Stone’s reward for 31 years of tirelessly pursuing a dream. A horseman’s revelation Stone says matter-of-factly that he was born into horses. As a child growing up in Texas, he shadowed his grandfather, who raised racehorses. It left a deep impression on him and sparked a fondness for horses, which was put on hold after being commissioned into the Army’s infantry division in 1968. A tour of duty in Vietnam took a severe toll on Stone’s body. Corneal burns and abrasions from shrapnel caused him to temporarily lose his eyesight. He’s deaf in his left ear and requires a hearing aid in his right ear. The resulting equilibrium problems cut his horse- riding days short. So he took an interest in quarter horses, which are stock horses used to cut cattle from herds, and began breeding them in 1969 with an emphasis on quality, not quantity. It was, however, merely a hobby. "I’m smarter than I look," says Stone, who graduated from the University of North Alabama. By day, Stone earned more than $50,000 a year as a radiochemical lab analyst for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Yet, something was missing. He soon realized what it was."Life’s too short to not do what you want to do," Stone says, drawing a deep breath. "I’ve always been a guy that didn’t want to look back at what might have been."I was getting long in the tooth and not in the best of health. TVA was offering early retirement in 1996 and I figured if I wait any longer, I’ll never be able to achieve my goals."Those goals centered around horses. Stone continued drawing income from his military medical retirement and his early leave from TVA. Though he had been a serious breeder since 1974, for the first time in his life, he set out to make a living breeding quarter horses. Stone’s big break Jerry Vawter is to quarter horse breeding what Jack Nicklaus is to golf and Richard Petty is to stock car racing. His is the most respected name in the industry. So when he calls, people listen, Stone says."He called and said he understood I had some real nice brood mares and that he’d like to buy one," Stone recalls. "Everybody in this industry wants to sell to Jerry because of his reputation. Word of mouth is vital in this industry. If word gets out that you sold to Jerry Vawter, your business can skyrocket."In 1994, Stone invited Vawter to his farm off Rasch Road under one condition: There were two brood mares that he would not part with under any circumstances."When he got here, I didn’t tell him which ones they were, but he’s the greatest horseman I know," Stone says. "To show you how good an eye he has, he scanned the lot and zeroed in on one of the untouchables."I said, ’Oh no, Jerry. That’s one of the ones you can’t have.’ "He said ’OK,’ and kept looking. Pretty soon he singled another mare out of the herd and said, ’Don’t tell me she’s No. 2!’ I told him that was No. 3, but I’d let him have her."Little did Stone know that selling that mare for $15,000 would be the catalyst for his championship quest. Vawter asked Stone if he would deliver the mare to Texas. For that kind of money, Stone didn’t hesitate to agree. Vawter, however, had another request."He told me to load up the other mare - the first one he spotted -- and bring her with me, too," Stone says. "I told him again that I didn’t want to sell her. He said he knew, but he was going to do something he rarely ever did: give me a free breeding off Kid Clu, one of the most decorated stallions in history. He thought that mare would give birth to a world champion."That breeding, which spawned DS Bright Kid Clu in 1995, was the push Stone needed to become a serious player in the industry."When I saw Bright hit the ground, I said ’Wow,’ " Stone remembers. "I had never seen a horse that good. Still haven’t. So, a year later, I paid for a second breeding with Kid Clu." Tragedy followed by triumphStone had no idea at the time how important a decision he’d made. Bright became sick in August 1998. Stone took the horse to Auburn University, where veterinarians performed exploratory surgery and discovered an inoperable tumor."I didn’t want him to suffer, so I put him down," Stone says, voice cracking. "It was the hardest loss I’ve ever had." Stone turned his attention to the second stallion. It showed every bit as much promise as its older brother had."When I saw Roman stand up and stretch for the first time, moments after birth, I knew he would be special," Stone says. "Not for any reasons that would be noticeable to the ordinary eye. There’s a fine line between a good and great horse. But to a horseman, there’s a perceptible difference. "When I looked at him, I knew he was the real deal." Stone began grooming Roman for the American Quarter Horse World Championship - a task that took its toll."It made for long hours," he says. "I was out in the field at 2 o’clock in the morning with the headlights on, stacking hay. Then I had to get up in the morning and do it again."I did that and did that and did that and ran myself down."The inflammation reminded Stone that he wasn’t invincible."Of all the injuries that I had in Vietnam, I never once thought I was going to die," Stone says. "But when I got sick with pneumonia, it was the first time I was really scared in my life. I shriveled up to nothing."When Stone emerged from the hospital in April 1999, he realized he was too weak to prepare Roman for a world championship bid. In August, Stone was notified that Roman had accumulated enough points at shows throughout the year to earn an invitation to the AQHA World Championship. Stone’s immune system, however, was badly deteriorated. He called Vawter, hoping his mentor could recommend someone to continue working with the horse. Vawter said there was only one guy: an up-and-comer named Jason Smith. Smith, like Stone, knew there was something special about Roman the moment he first saw him. "Within 15 minutes, that horse was on my truck," says Smith, who insisted Roman be shown at the 1999 quarter horse Congress, the world’s oldest and largest Quarter Horse show. He returned home with two trophies and later added a prestigious Reserve World Championship. Still, Stone longed for more."The ultimate success in this industry is a world championship," he says. "Everybody strives for it. Very few people get it."In November 2000, Roman returned to Oklahoma City and triumphed over 23 other stallions competing for the Open Aged World Championship, no small feat. There are more than 4 million quarter horses registered in the United States. Industry takes notice The victory sent a wave through the industry, according to Vawter."I think there were a lot of people that knew (Roman) was going to be a champion sooner or later," he says.But to think a breeder like Stone could pull it off against the odds he faced is nearly unfathomable, he said. The major quarter horse-breeding outfits sit on hundreds of acres in Texas, Oklahoma and California. The multimillionaires who own them build elaborate ranches, complete with paved driveways and heated stalls. Stone operates on 35 acres in Alabama. His driveway is gravel. His barn is cold."The thing I’m most proud of is the fact that whether it’s 50 or 100 years from now, somebody, someplace, somewhere is going to say, ’Looky here, somebody from Alabama in the year 2000 won a world championship.’"Nobody can take that away from me. I made a tiny scratch in AQHA history."There are people who breed horses all their lives that would give anything to win a world championship, Stone says, while proudly showing off the ornate belt buckle that goes to the world champion owner. "Money is no object to them. They buy the best brood mares to pair with world-class stallions and never even place in the Top 5." What is Stone’s secret? Being an owner as well as a breeder, he says."Ninety-nine percent of horses advertised in here were purchased by their owners," Stone says, thumbing through a quarter horse trade magazine. "I didn’t go out and buy him. I bred him. I raised him. I pulled that little sucker out of his momma."I don’t show anything that has not been born on my farm or that I haven’t raised."The best mares that you’ll ever have are the ones you breed yourself because you know all the genetic flaws. You have to be your own best critic and hard on yourself." Out to pasture Stone retired Roman to stud following his world championship. With breeding season set to begin Thursday, Stone figures to begin reaping some of the rewards of the victory. He already has 100 mares lined up to breed with Roman at $2,000 each. That kind of business prompted Stone to board Roman at a facility near Atlanta capable of handling the volume. Stone receives 18-20 telephone calls per day, which has prompted him to carry a portable phone around in his jacket, "otherwise I wouldn’t get any work done," he says. Some calls are from well-wishers congratulating him on his newfound success. "I had someone call me the other day and say, ’Hey, when are you coming off that ... cloud?’ And I said I hope ... I never do, because I’m enjoying it too much. It took me 30 years to get here." Most are from breeders wanting to hire Roman. He’s even had an inquiry about buying the horse."A man called from Salt Lake City wanting to know what the bottom dollar for Roman would be," Stone says, grinning. "I told him the asking price is $1.5 million. "He said that’s a lot of money. And I said it sure is, but this is my dream." Stone did decide to do something for the prospective buyer, who had purchased a brood mare out West for $100,000. He gave him a free breeding with Roman. It was a lesson he learned years before from Vawter. "I did it because my next objective is to breed a world champion sired by Roman," Stone says. "If he does, that $1.5 million asking price will give way to a mint."The future of Stone’s business is Roman’s offspring. "I’m going to really promote them," he says. "There will probably be four foals. I’ll also show Roman’s sister this year and foals off other two studs. So, the future looks bright."Even if the money from his newfound success begins to roll in, Stone is adamant that he won’t change. He swears he won’t pave his driveway. He’ll still eat cereal for breakfast. He’ll still drive that old pickup. And he’ll still live in a trailer."I live like a pauper, but tangible things have never meant much to me," Stone says sheepishly, staring at the numerous trophies that litter his floor, coffee table and desk. "A lot of people wouldn’t even live in a mobile home, but this is my dream. This is what I’ve always wanted to do."His only regret is that he doesn’t have anyone to partake in his success."Sometimes I get a little sad because I don’t have anyone to share all this with," Stone says, staring out across his pasture. "But loneliness has only hit me once: when I won the world championship."It really hit me because it was the biggest moment of my life and I didn’t have anyone to share it with - to really share it with."Stone is twice divorced. "If I ever marry again, it’ll be to someone who feels the way I do," he says. "This is a lifestyle. You can’t say, ’Well, let’s not feed the horses today. Let’s take off to Nashville.’ A lot of women don’t understand that."I dated a woman two years ago that I really liked. After about a year, she said, ’David, we need to talk.’ "She said, ’Everybody, at one time or another, has to put their toys away. You can’t do this forever. Sooner or later, you’ve got to get on with life.’"I said ’Well, let me tell you something. I do care about you. I’ve come about as close as I could to loving a woman. But you said it all when you said it’s time to put your toys away.’"I told her when I was 90, I’d still have a horse. I’ll always have a horse. "If I have to put my toys away, you might as well dig a hole and put me in it. My life would come to an abrupt halt and have no meaning.


Look who got to go outside and enjoy the sunshine for the first time today----PEBBLES!!!!!! She is 11 days old today and is sired by Fred (Classically) and out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) Both parents are out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. Needless to say, I am in love with this filly.


April 26, 2018

This picture of Cool Miss Tardee popped up on my memories. She was a full sister to Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) Rebecca is NN, Bonnie is NH and Cool Miss Tardee was HH. Neither Rebecca or Bonnie were ever shown but Cool Miss Tardee was a World Champion. All three of these mares produced World Champions. This was Cool Miss Tardee as a yearling shown by Wayne Halvorson for Curtis Pilot. who bought her from me.

April 25, 2018

I am finally feeling better after having a terrible cold and being bedridden. In fact, I felt so weak that I didn’t even have the energy to introduce you to our latest edition. Meet “Pebbles” She arrived last Wednesday and is sired by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) I couldn’t be more happy with her. Not only is she beautiful but she also is the most friendly baby I have ever had. I named her Pebbles as we already have a “Fred” and “Wilma” so keeping with the Flintstones theme, Pebbles has to be her name. I am sure once I am feeling better, you will be overwhelmed with pictures. Since she is “in the family” she will have a permanent home with me.

April 11, 2018

I wish my day would be as easy as it for is Charlie and Gabriel. It must be nice to just lay around outside all day.

April 2, 2018

Our area in Wisconsin is expecting a snow storm of up to 11 inches of snow tomorrow. My friend Mark Williams sent me this picture of his mares and foals basking in his beautiful green pasture in California so I sent him this one of Charlie and Gabriel basking in the cold in Wisconsin. He is lucky now but when we have beautiful weather in June and California is over 100 degrees, I will relish sending him pictures.

April 1, 2018

Happy Easter, my friends. As I sit here today with our horses outside in the 7 degree wind chill weather, I think how lucky I am at this stage of my life to have horses I love, a wonderful husband and so many great friends. The Lord has been very good to me. About a week ago, Paul Stewart private messaged me and asked me my thoughts on showing and the horse business in general. I told him that is really isn’t what it was years ago when the classes were huge and everyone truly enjoyed showing. He asked me what could be done to bring it back to that scenario. I have spent a lot of time thinking about that and to be honest, I don’t think it can happen. I ask myself why and I think perhaps I came up with this answer. I wonder if it is that the new generation of people look at things differently than we did “back then” For instance, I taught high school for 6 years and my students respected me and the other teachers. We never had any violence or were afraid that someone would bring guns or weapons into the classroom. When I go back to my class reunion, I still call the teachers (who are still alive) “Mr” or “Mrs” Parents back then disciplined their children and taught them things that would impact their lives. Now it seems as though they count on the teachers to raise them and the values of the teachers are reflected in our children. Then there is the politics of our time. Never have I seen so much unrest and unhappiness with our elected officials. My husband Mike keeps telling me that he is happy he retired from being a senator. People have changed and I cannot in the future see things going back to the way they were. I think the futurities have helped our horse business but the expense of raising a foal, having it trained, feed, supplies and everything involved has skyrocketed. If you don’t finish in the top at the futurities, you cannot recoup the money spent to get there. Perhaps some of you can come up with an answer but I have come to the conclusion that I will continue to raise foals as that is what I love to do. The horses have been very good to us over the years. Raising and selling horses enabled us to buy and build our place. However, I would not be optimistic about raising horses as a means of making a living in the present age.

March 25, 2018

Charlie outgrew his blanket so I put a bigger one on him this morning. For some reason, it scared Gabriel and they both ran around the pasture like they were running a race. I can't believe how fast the donkey can run. Finally when they stopped I snapped a quick picture with my phone.

March 24, 2018

Those of you who know Larry Lemke, our Wisconsin AQHA Director Emeritus, know that he does quite well showing his horses at halter on the national level. Well, Larry and Anne Platten Lemke were here on Saturday and Larry was practicing his showing skills with Gabriel. He is getting ready to show at the March to the Arches in St Louis soon and thought perhaps he needed a little refresher course.

It was cold in Wisconsin today but I still had the foals outside with their blankets on. My sister, Cindy L Stebnitz, her daughter Alyssa Verhasselt and her two girls, Macy and Stella came to visit. I thought Charlie would be very friendly but both he and Gabriel were afraid of them. I think it was because they had loud colored jackets on. I let Stella lead Gabriel while I led Charlie out to their pen and Gabriel took off dragging Stella behind him. I didn't realize Gabriel could run that fast. Well, on the other hand, little Dottie loved the attention and buddied up to Stella. I told them to come and visit after Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) has her Fred baby. She is due April 17 and by then the weather should be a lot warmer.

March 22, 2018

Ellis Quarter Hourses,  "Our Little Slice of Heaven!"

March 22, 2018

The boys, Gabriel and Charlie taking a little siesta on this beautiful sunny day.

Dottie, this pretty NN bay filly owned by Mary Mancini is having a 4 week birthday today. She is sired by Heza Secret Agent and is out of Kids Classic Gal (Janie)

March 18, 2018

I think this filly has such gorgeous legs. They have been perfect since she was born. Now if they only stay that way as big as she is getting. One thing in her favor is that Janie (Kids Classic Gal) is not a good milker so the filly is on the thin side. Mary Mancini is still looking for a name for her.

It warmed up this afternoon and I was able to take the blankets off the horses so I took a few pictures of Mary Mancini's 3 week old filly by Heza Secret Agent out of Janie (Kids Classic Gal) I love this little girl.

 


Click on pictures to enalrge.

March 17, 2018

Today is "Charlie's" one month anniversary. Even though he had a rough start in life, he is doing really well. Rebecca's (You Bet Im Cool's) little boy is drinking his milk replacer, eating his milk pellets, and taking his vitamins and minerals. Because he has a "roomate" whose name is Gabriel, he is learning manners and getting plenty of exercise. He is a character and I love him. Our weather is getting nicer in Wisconsin so soon you will be seeing lots of pictures of him and Dottie. In about a month, CJ Miss Cool Tardee (Bonnie) will be foaling and that will be the end of foaling season at Ellis Quarter Horses. By then, I think I will be ready to take it a bit easy.

Charlie and his room mate Gabriel celebrating Charlie's one month birthday by spending the day outside. Finally some beautiful weather in Wisconsin. I think Jaleen Hacklander will be proud of how I have "dieted" Gabriel since she let him come to our place to keep Charlie company. If you think he is fat now, you should have seen him before.

March 16, 2018

Janie (Kids Classic Gal) and Dottie, Mary Mancini's filly by Heza Secret Agent. The picture during a snow storm today. The filly will be three weeks old tomorrow.

March 11, 2018

The last 3 weeks have been very exhausting and trying for me. Never in all the years of raising foals, had I ever had a mare reject her baby. Pearl had a stud colt on February 17 and she did not have a lot of milk. The baby was very aggressive and she did not want to mother him. With the help of great friends, Leah Gloudemans, Joe St Clair, Katie Samuelson, Bob Luebker and of course my husband, Mike we spent a week getting up every 2 hours to hold the mare to let the foal nurse. Finally my wonderful veterinarian, Dr Katherine Fox told me “enough was enough” and we decided to orphan him. Through this experience, I met a new and wonderful horsewoman, Jaleen Hacklander who lives in Fremont Wisconsin and raises quality Arabians. She leant us her miniature donkey and this has worked out great as “Uncle Gabriel” and “Charlie” as we named the colt are now great buddies. It was a bit of a problem preventing Gabriel from drinking the milk replacer and eating the milk pellets but we have that solved now. While all this was going on, Janie (Kids Classic Gal) decided to have a beautiful bay filly for Mary Mancini. “Dottie” as we call her because she has dots on her white face and pasterns, is adorable and Janie is a wonderful mother. Foaling was not the only issue during the last 3 weeks. We also had a power surge which took out our telephones, computer and television and so we were in the “dark” ages for a day until it got fixed. And, may I add on a Sunday, we had torrential rains and our back barn flooded. Though all this, Leah Gloudemans and I continued to collect Fred and ship semen. So those are the reasons that I have been out of touch. Through this all, I guess my love and passion for horses kept me going. Things seem to be “back to normal” now and I promise I will post pictures of the two beautiful foals soon. I just haven't had time to take a lot of pictures. These are newborn pictures of both of them.

February 14, 2018

Well, what do you think? Pearl (JG Kiss My Diversify) is now 366 days in foal. And, Janie (Kids Classic Gal) is 318 days. I "assumed" that Pearl would foal on her due date which was January 21 and Janie would foal on her due date which will be March 9, but the girls did not read the book. I have one foal alert transmitter and I don't know which mare to use it on. Last night I had Pearl on my monitor by my bed and Janie on my iPad Nest camera. Can you imagine how much sleep I am getting? Needless to say, I ordered another foal alert transmitter and Dr Katherine Fox is going to put them in both mares.

February 11, 2018

Yesterday Sturgeon Spearing started on Lake Winnebago, which is the lake across from our horse farm. Sturgeon are primitive fish the eat from the bottom of the lake. They are between 7 and 12 feet long and weigh over 100 pounds. Some of them can reach 100 years of age. Lake Winnebago is one of 2 places in the United States that allows sturgeon fishing for 16 days a year or until the fish quota is reached. Yesterday there were 7 fish harvested over 100 pounds and the largest registered weighed 154 pounds. The only thing that people eat out of the sturgeon is the caviar. This event is a fun time for Wisconsinites. They brave the cold and put up ice shanties on the lake, cut holes in the ice and wait for fish to swim past so they can spear them. There can be 100,000 ice shanties on the lake during the event. People come from all over for the event. Our local bars are busy and they have tents and bands on the lake. There are also snowmobile and 4 wheeler races. You name it, they will be doing it on the ice. I took a few pictures but the traffic was so bad getting on the lake that I really couldn’t stop and I was afraid if I drove out there, it would be a long time getting back. Can you imagine all those people sitting in their shacks with their heaters, drinking beer and eating food, waiting for the big one to swim by? I don’t think it is for me.

February 10, 2018

I rarely throw things away and came across this business card from Kerner Country Farm. Years ago, right after Mike and I were married, Ed and Sandy Kerner and their trainer, Johnny Brown came to see some gray fillies by Bar Fly Bailey. He was a AAA AQHA Champion stallion I owned when I met Mike. They didn't buy anything but we became friends. At that time they owned a gray stallion and his name has slipped my mind. A few years later, they stepped up and bought a great halter mare and Mr Peppy Burner. I remember calling Sandy when these two horses were Grand at the Denver Stock Show. Well, over the years they purchased some great mares to compliment Mr Peppy Burner. I flew to Michigan when Dudley Pillow wanted to buy a daughter of The Barn Burner and took a video of their mares (which I still have but it is on beta tape) I did not like the mare that well for the price, and Dudley did not buy her. It is interesting where and how you make new friends through the horse industry and how their lives change from the time you meet them until now.

February 9, 2018

This chestnut mare is Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) She is my pride and joy. I raised her, she is NN and her sire is Ima Cool Skip and her dam is Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. This year she is 18 years old and in her lifetime, she has only had 7 foals with 2 living ones. One is Dr John Tan’s 2 time World Champion producing mare, Fancy Me A Cool Kid and the other is my 3 year old mare, Wilma (Classically Kool) The mare with the pink halter, tail wrap, blanket, and pail is Pearl and Pearl is carrying Rebecca’s embryo. As you can see, I am trying to influence her to have a filly for me. But, Pearl is not cooperating. Not only is she not having a filly but she is also 361 days in foal today (getting pretty close to a year) I think Pearl is going to cause me to drink.

February 2, 2018

My good friend, Stacy Schmitzer Frakes gave me a gift and those of you who know me, know that this refrigerator magnet perfectly portrays me. Thank goodness for great friends who bring us food.

January 28, 2018

Rita Bangs asked if I had a picture of Bunny Nightshade, the dam of Miss Bunny Tardee. I do have one that Clark Danielson took of her. She was a big mare---stood 15.3 and was sired by Sonnys Nighshade by Sonny Dee Bar. Her dam was Bunny Bee Two by Bouncy Mac out of Bunny Band by Bee Play and out of a daughter of Panzarita. Miss Bunny Tardee was the result of the Danielsons breeding Bunny Nightshade to Tardee Impressive when she was a two year old. Miss Bunny Tardee was 15.3 and the first foal out of the mare.

Still looking through some old pictures and found this one of Miss Bunny Tardee when she was 18 years old. She was the background of my program and I still have 3 of her offspring----Fred (Classically) Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) Miss Bunny Tardee was by Tardee Impressive out of Bunny NIghtshade by Sonnys NIghtshade.

January 21, 2018

Going through some old photos and came across this article today. I loved Tardee Impressive. In fact, the mare that is the foundation of my program is by him---Miss Bunny Tardee. I bred to him when he was at Bill Morris' in Texas, and also Bob Lee and I bred to him when he was in California and at Will Woods in Texas when the government stood him. Back then, there was no shipped semen, you had to take your mare to the stallion.

January 7, 2018

This is one of my “all time” favorite” pictures. It was taken years ago and was of a black filly by Impressivist owned by Bob Baumann. Barbara and Dick Waltenberry took the picture and Dick just happened to capture it at the right time. As many of you know, Dick now specializes in photographing reining events and perhaps this was the photo that inspired him to do it. Dick and Barbara live not far from me but I don’t see them that much anymore. It is funny how things have changed. They are still on the road a lot videoing and photographing horse events and I imagine Dick is still making his “home brew” beer. I have now evolved into the digital age and have a digital camera so I am able to take my own pictures. Those were good times and I miss them. The Waltenberrys took pictures of all of my horses back then and sometimes we would go out to eat at the White House Inn and Dick would always enjoy an old fashioned. I need to contact them and do that again.

January 5, 2018

Heat wave in Wisconsin today----at noon the temperature reached a balmy 6 below zero with the wind chill! Leah Gloudemans came and we were able to get the horses outside for a couple of hours. Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and the rest of the horses really enjoyed it and honestly, Leah and I thought it was nice. In fact, I think I will have Mark Williams send some suntan lotion from California. Pearl is carrying Rebecca's embryo and it due the end of this month.

 

January 1, 2018

As we begin a new year, I want to reflect back on 2017. It was a year filled with happiness and sadness for so many of us. We had the joys of welcoming new children and animals into our lives and also the sorrow of losing loved ones. Some of us were successful with our endeavors and others failed. As I get older, I am happy that I have evolved out of the “dark ages” and learned how to “connect” with so many of you on Facebook. Who knows what 2018 will bring but as we enter it, we can only hope that everything will be great and that we and our families and friends will stay healthy. Thank you for being my friends-----I truly appreciate all of you.


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Michael and Sandra Ellis 1752 Co Rd GG
Neenah, WI  54956
Tel: (920) 722-0182
Fax: (920) 236-8842
Email: ellisqh@athenet.net

 


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