My parents moved from a farm in Tennessee to a city in Illinois one year after I was born. Therefore,
I always enjoyed visiting my grandparents in Tennessee where they had horses - farm "work" horses
- that my cousins and I could ride for a little while, bareback, 3-4 kids at a time. What fun we had! This was the beginning
of my horse fever.
Growing up with TV shows featuring horses, such as Roy Rogers,
The Lone Ranger, Fury, and My Friend Flicka, etc., I always dreamed of owning, not only my own horse,
but a farm full of horses and other animals. This was a dream I thought impossible to fulfill. However, when I was
ten years old, my father bought a "family" horse, which we had to board other than at home. Finding a place to board
a horse near the city in the 60's was difficult. Finally, my father bought some acreage close to town and began a boarding
business. One horse is not enough for a family, eventually, each member of the family has to have their own horse. My horse
was a Palomino Quarter horse named Nip. He was 16 months old when I acquired him. So, for ten years, I lived my dream,
riding virtually whenever I wanted. Since we had the boarding business, I was able to ride different breeds of horses owned
by our boarders and gain some valuable experience.
As often happens, going
to college, getting married, becoming a parent can cause one's plans to change, at least for awhile. I had to sell my
Palomino. This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. My dream was still intact, and I knew that
I would once again own a horse, or two, or three. So after raising four children, getting them through college and married,
I was able to pursue my dream.
What was, at first, only a desire to once again have
a horse to ride, developed into a breeding business. In 1996, my husband and I were able to find a home, with acreage and
a barn, so I could once again own a horse. This farm, though small, is the fruition of a childhood dream. Selecting the Arabian
horse breed was, at first, a matter of seizing an opportunity. An Arabian mare became available for purchase at
the time I was looking to get back into riding. EGB Moon Shadow became my first experience with the Arabian
breed. I fell in love with her sweet disposition and I learned that Arabians were not the high-strung, hard to manage breed
that I had heard. Instead, they were extremely sensitive to human feelings, highly alert to their surroundings, and very
lovable.
When I bought my first Arabian, I fell in love with the breed. Now I want others to be able to realize
their dreams of owning a horse, too. Helping people own an affordable, quality Arabian horse that is versatile
enough to perform in a variety of show events, or just be a best friend, is my goal.
The Arabian horse is so graceful, pleasant and calming to watch as
it grazes in a pasture. When it is listening, it has a statuesque sillouette that beckons artists and photographers to capture its
magnificent form. At a full gallop, with head held high and tail in the air, an Arabian horse is a breathtaking sight of pure
freedom. Yet, with its "in your tent" attitude, it can be your best friend. The Arabian horse is a versatile breed. It
easily adapts to its environment and can be used in any discipline of horsemanship desired. The Arabian horse is raced,
ridden English or Western, in dressage or western pleasure, used on ranches to herd cattle, run in 50 and 100 mile endurance
races, and used as a therapy horse. Highly intelligent and very in tune with its surroundings, one cannot help
but fall in love with this breed.
While on a vacation to Colorado, arrangements were made to visit a
few Arabian Horse Discovery Farms. It was at Holly Arabians that I fell in love with a yearling filly, named KRH Mariah Moniet.
After returning home from the vacation, I could not get her off my mind. The purchase was made and she became my second Arabian.
While deciding whether or not to make the purchase of Mariah, I had also been searching online, watching
a yearling colt that was for sale in Misssouri, Thee Bikr WPA, grandson of Thee Desperado. Six months after purchasing Mariah,
I bought Thee Bikr. He was one month older than Mariah and the two became friends immediately. He became her protector,
companion, and, later, mate. The two produced two offspring, a filly in April 2006 (JTG Thee April Wind) and a colt March
10, 2008, before Mariah's untimely death while giving birth to her second foal. The little colt, lovingly called, "the
little prince," took some of the sting out of losing this magnificent broodmare.
Our older
mare, EGB Moon Shadow, was also bred to Thee Bikr and produced a filly in August of 2006 (JTG Thee August Moon). At age
15, this was her first foal. We will keep both Thee April Wind and Thee August Moon for our breeding program.
Before acquiring Mariah and Bikr, we acquired a Halflinger mare as a companion for my first Arabian mare. She
was bred to Thee Bikr, (in order to compare traits Thee Bikr is passing on to his get), and has produced a colt, JTG Thee
Captain Jack, in 2005 and a filly, JTG Thee Anisa Jo (Josie), in 2007. The Half-Arabian Haflingers are
for sale. They are very sweet, intuitive and smart. Limited space makes it necessary to sell them. The colt, Jack, is
now a gelding. He has grey Arabian coloring and a nice Arabian head, but the build of a Haflinger. His disposition is sweet.
He was a great babysitter for his full sister, watching out for her and keeping her close to her dam. The 2007 filly,
Josie, is deep red chestnut with a red mane and tail, has a pretty head, and, as a yearling, appears to have the refinement
of an Arabian. Both of these offspring are inquisitive and perceptive. With the proper schooling, either would make a fine
mount for a child or adult, or for use under harness. The Haflinger mare is also for sale. She is a great brood mare and highly
intelligent. She would also make a great surrogate dam for a mare who is in competition. Contact Terrell Arabians
if interested in these horses. Thee Bikr WPA would be a wonderful choice as a sire for your mare. He has the famous
head and conformation of Thee Desperado, a kind temperament, and is very intuitive. Also, his son, JTG Yatim
Emir, is available for breeding. To arrange a breeding to your mare, contact us at tumbleweed_50@yahoo.com , or call 618-931-4183 and leave a message. Please include the best time to receive a callback.
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