Before we left for Arizona, we had some spectacular Indian Summer days in October that spurred me to capture my candid thoughts...The days are bright and sunny, a golden hue filtering through the yellow backdrop of turning cottonwood trees and willows along the creek. Frosty mornings quickly melt into the long shadows of afternoon. Days are too short, especially when astride a good one, soaking in these precious midday hours of solar comfort that will all too soon be gone. As hooves pad down the trail, my eyes are mesmerized by the patterns and the colors --gold, yellow, lime green, orange, brown, and red --the leaves on the ground beside the trail, in the trees ahead of me, around me, surrounded by color. God's paintbrush at work. How thankful I am.
Choices for the day...to ride or do the things that "have to be done". What really has to be done in the bigger scheme of things, anyway? In a survey of people dying from cancer who had been given only a short time to live, all stated that they wished they had taken more time to do the things truly important to them. A ride today on your good horse may be one of them, so do it. As Wil says, "Take time to take time."
We are now settled in at our Arizona Outpost. We were able to get out of Oregon before the weather turned, and had a lovely trip south in glorious sunshine all the way and have had an amazing week of 70 to 80º days! We even enjoyed a few fall colors right here in the desert.
Last week, we met up with our North Dakota snowbird client who had a deposit on a new horse we acquired this fall. She promptly fell in love with "That'll Do", a five-year-old 14 hand Docs Oak-bred gelding. Though now sold (he never even made it on the website!), he will continue in training with us and she'll connect with us in January for a private clinic and more lessons throughout the winter to assure her continued success. That'll Do is a quiet, "been there done that" ranch horse with lots of experience in the mountains--a super individual who took to our finishing program very well. Like Wil always preaches, "you have to start with a good one to make a good one!" And Wil has a keen eye and sixth sense for what it takes to be a good one.
As we prepare for a Thanksgiving feast with friends here in Arizona, we are overwhelmingly grateful for all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us: good health, friends, family, clients, a warm place to call home, a string of good horses, and a barn full of hay! A grateful heart for even the little things that count is the only way to withstand these trying times as our country reels in adversity. With so much to consume our energy, thoughts, time, and resources, giving of ourselves through these same resources can enhance a life tenfold. Remember others this Thanksgiving; truly share of your blessings and be blessed in the process.
Wishing you a warm fireside surrounded by family & friends,
Beverly & Wil
See this fall's newest geldings now available for sale...
Winter 2014 Arizona Schedule
January 17-22 From Foundation to Finished Bridle Horsemanship
January 23-25 Reined Cow Working
February 1-4 Ladies Only Practical Horsemanship
February 8-12 Outback Trail Training & Horsemanship
March 3-7 Cowgirls Only Progressive Horsemanship
March 17-22 Ranch Versatility
Visit our website for full course descriptions, fees, registration information, and pre-payment discount availability.
New WHR Geldings & String Update!
Here are a few of our new geldings. Some are recent acquisitions, others we have had on the back burner for some time, and we still have that one special "golden boy" yet to be offered...keep watching! All are individuals with the Wil Howe appeal, velvet handle, and all-around ability from reining cow horses to mountain Cadillac trail horses and ranch using horses. They are truly versatility horses at their best! Those who own one know it, and those who don't wish they did! Click here to view the entire string.
Featured Gelding of the Month!
Jake is a very special nine-year-old Buckskin gelding who we are very proud to have offered again for sale. This handsome golden buckskin is a horse we owned as a six & seven-year-old. His owner has truly had a wonderful time with him for over two years, but has moved on to a smaller catty cow horse for competition. Jake is a gorgeous, all-around gelding suitable for novice to experienced cowboy; he's versatile and kindhearted, gentle, and solid for anyone. Truly a superb trail, pleasure, ranch-using horse, or even for Cowboy Dressage!
New! 2009 Big Young Elegant Bay Cow Horse
15.2 hands, 1200 lbs
This is a super nice individual and a favorite of Wil's. By the great cow horse sire Playgun and out of a Supreme Reined Cow Horse mare by Smart Little Lena, this big up-standing young gelding is a cowboy's dream mount. An eager traveler, mature in nature, he rides out on trails like an older, seasoned using horse. Kind, friendly, with a gentle disposition, he has been trained for reined cow horse and has a super handle on him. He's also been started at roping and was used last spring on a big eastern Oregon ranch for cowboying and at brandings. We are working him through our program and he is really coming into the bridle work and neck reining nicely, as well as handling all our acid tests! Cool-headed about everything, he really gets around rough country well, tries to please, and is a fun, enjoyable horse to ride. "Hoot" is a pretty mover, very composed and collected; the ideal Cowboy Dressage type. He's a concrete cow-bred gelding prepared for a variety of events. You can do anything on a broke athlete, and he is one... trained and ready to go on!
New! 2004 Big Black & White Flashy Specialty Trail Horse
15.3 hands, 1300 lbs
Unique in every way..."Waldo", as Wil calls him, is a registered Tennessee Walker and Pinto. We have owned him for a year. Wil took him on as his personal project, and adores this big gentle giant because of his attitude and trainability. Waldo is a kind-hearted horse who is a smooth traveling machine and can flat cover country. He is an old-style western Tennessee Walker, big-boned and footed; not show-horse gaited, but he rides like a Quarter Horse with afterburners! Great for trail riding with other Walkers, or he can walk on a loose rein and cruise with Quarter Horses, just pick your gear! He handles rough country on and off trail, and has done well moving cattle. Goes anywhere like a D-8 Caterpillar! Would make a great ranch or trail horse for a big guy who needs to cover a lot of country, and is gentle enough for the whole family.
New! 2003 Little & Classy Chestnut Deluxe Reined Cow Horse
14 hands, 1000 lbs
This royally-breed gelding, sired by I'll Be Smart (full brother to Smart Little Lena) has been successfully shown in working cow horse, reining and cutting, and has won many buckles and countless year-end awards, holding a Register of Merit in AQHA Working Cow Horse. We were particularly impressed with the ease with which this horse does things. He's super fun to ride and ideal to get someone off and running in the performance and cow horse world, yet "Smarty" is a cool, willing trail horse, too, who loves outside riding as well as shining in arena work. He's been great at accepting all types of "boogers" and obstacle training, handling the WHR acid tests with flying colors. He is a pleasure to hop on, quietly bringing in the cows or cruising around the ranch and creek trails. For a smaller person wanting a solid and seasoned cow horse, ranch versatility, sorting, or Cowboy Dressage horse, his big heart, awesome cow work, easy lead changes, big stop, and baby-rocker lope will steal your heart, as will his very personable and sweet disposition.
"Sparkanic" has been Beverly's personal horse for over three years now, dominating our Horses for Sale page with his eye-catching appeal. He's really just been used as bait on the website and in our advertisements, as she has turned down many offers for him. "Girls and their horses..." as Wil rolls his eyes. Sparkanic is a special horse, and he's been used the past couple of years during our schools, seeing lots of country with miles in the mountains and desert, and he is a delight to rein on and work a cow in the arena. He has such style and is a pretty mover, making him a Cowboy Dressage horse deluxe! There's not a classier all-around versatility horse. Last spring, gathering in the Owyhee Desert mountains, he was a rock star and the envy of all the cowboys. He was with us in Wyoming in 2010 and 2011, and has also been at 10,000 feet in the western Tetons and in west Yellowstone country. Always a kind and personable, gentle soul, he also has a big motor and can use his big drivers catching a cow down the fence. Sparkanic has twice been a show-stopper at the huge Pendleton Round-Up parade, and has endured everything from hundreds of horses, wagons, and marching bands to traffic, crowds, Ferris Wheels, country rock concerts, and camping out amongst the downtown Fan Fair...we'd say he's had the supreme WHR acid test! Being a bit selfish, Beverly has kept him back for herself and allowed him to grow up and mature with her guidance into a grand bridle horse. Suitable for a horseman who can appreciate a sensitive, refined horse with a lot of talent and performance under the hood, Sparkanic is now truly offered for sale...to the right person...maybe...