It all started five years ago (May 1999) when on a beautiful blue sky, sunny, warm day during the Memorial Day weekend I said to Margie "lets run up to Tim’s Ford dam and look around. Margie and I had found the area within weeks of our move to Huntsville and from then on we always knew we wanted to retire there. At that time, we had a ski boat and the lake, shoreline and the surrounding area was so beautiful; lush green hillsides with trees blowing in the wind, cows grazing and not a soul in sight. The lake was fairly new (circa 1975) and since it was still pretty well unknown we could boat and ski all day around the dam and surrounding area without seeing any other boaters. It had been over a year since we had been up to the area. We turned on the road we always said we wanted to live on then just as we went around a small turn there it was, a house with a barn and acreage for sale. It was definitely not at all what Margie was looking for; she just wanted a small lot to build her dream retirement home on. Out of curiosity I called the realtor a couple of days later for details on the property. God does works in mysterious ways, we had not been up there in over a year and come to find out the realtor had just put the for sale sign up the night before and the owner really wanted to sell. I decided I wanted to look at the place so the realtor agreed to meet us there the following weekend. After much coaxing Margie finally agreed to go. After that adventure, Margie definitely knew this was not the place she dreamed of. Being a manly handyman, it was a great fix-r-upper with lots of potential. The realtor told me that the owner really wanted to sale and just make an offer. Well as it turned out, Glenn (as you see not Margie) purchased, what he called "a little piece of heaven", a piece of retirement property by Tim’s Ford Lake Dam and even on the road we always said we wanted to live on; 20 acres with a fix-r-up everything. So according to Glenn, Heaven is really located in Harmony, TN, which is just south of Lynchburg, home of the famed Jack Daniels Distillery. My (Glenn) intentions were to use the property as a weekend getaway/vacation home, while fixing it up for retirement. It was also somewhere where we could relax and wind down after a hectic week in Huntsville. Margie, however, had quite different thoughts about how our retirement house and property would look.

Being such a very friendly place, within days we had met our neighbors. They had horses that would graze in the field next to the house and Margie always did love horses. The only reason she was even coming up was to see the horses. I spent every opportunity fixing and cleaning up the house so "we" could start using it on the weekends. However for the last 5 years the relaxing mode has yet to formally begin, but I am enjoying every minute of it.

One weekend the neighbors invited Margie and me to go horse back riding with them. I was still slaving away with the cleanup and declined the offer, but I told Margie to go. For the next few weekends after that it was the same ritual, I would stay and work and Margie would ride. After working every minute from the time we (I) bought the house through late fall, one week end I decided to ride. Margie always rode an Arabian mare named Bailey and the neighbors rode their walking horses. The only horse my neighbor had for me to ride was a Qtr/Morgan named Horse that he used for working around the farm. The neighbors told me since this was going to be my first ride, we would only ride a short time and at a slow walk. It did not take long to figure out why. Horse thought he was still pulling a plow. I enjoyed myself and rode occasionally after that, but I was now working towards getting the house ready for winter. It was late fall and I had been spending occasional weekends there by myself; Margie would drive back and forth to Huntsville. The only heat available for winter was an old wood burning stove and the house was quite airy. Now the only reason Margie would come up on the weekends was to go riding with the neighbors.

One weekend in the early spring of 2000, Margie came home after riding, and she was just crying her eyes out, when I asked her what was wrong she said the neighbor was going to sell "her" Bailey and I said "SO". That was the wrong thing to say. Well guess what, within a week, the green, gullible horse dummies bought our first horses, the Arabian, Bailey, and the Qtr/Morgan named Horse.

As I started to ride more and more, it did not take long before I decided I wanted a different horse, than Horse. The same neighbor had just started breaking Bailey’s first born. Bailey had been bred with his friend’s, Donald Walker, TWH stallion. An Arabian/Walker with a smoother walk, OK. So, I ended up with Bailey’s 2 year old gelding, Warrior. I loved to ride Warrior. Warrior was a great all around horse, a little feisty, which is the way I like them, surefooted and would do anything and go anywhere I ask him, but he still did not have that special gait I wanted. About the same time, I began having a yearning for a black and white Spotted Saddle horse.

Our run-a-round with and trail riding buddy, Ms. Martha Schrader, who by the way is 75 years young, is ready to go when ever the truck starts and still rides every weekend and/or when ever she can find someone to ride with her, knew I was looking for a Tennessee Walking or Spotted Saddle horse and she said she would keep an eye out for me. She wears us out.

The spring of 2002 started what has begun as the biggest point of controversy and contention for Margie and me.

One of Ms. Schrader’s old riding buddies, Rawhide, had just passed away. His wife hated horses and she had all his horses for sale before he was in the ground. With Ms. Schrader’s help and persuasion, I bought one of his feisty TWH mares (Misty), who just happened to be Ms. Schrader’s TWH mare’s first foal. Misty is a Black Roan, 10 years old at the time, and open. She was a little spirited, but had a great gait and I really enjoyed riding her.

Earlier in the year, we had made arrangements to breed Bailey with "Ironworks" who was standing at Bridlewood Farms. But with the purchase of Misty that all changed. We bred Misty with "Ironworks" instead. We have since found out Misty was registered with SSHBEA and have obtained her papers. She is not registered TWHBEA, but all the horses top and bottom on her papers are registered TWH except for her sire and grand sire. And even her grand sire’s parents were registered.

At that same time we purchased one of Rawhides yearlings, her name was Rosie.

All of Rawhides horses had sold quickly except for one, a mare named Rose Bud. She is a Strawberry roan and as gentle as can be, she was put in a stall by herself with no other horses around, so feeling sorry for her, and with Ms. Schrader’s persuasion, we purchased her a couple of weeks later. She said that Rose Bud threw excellent foals. And I can now attest to that. She is a TWH mare, 11 years old, has a dream walk and likes to walk on. She was in foal to Rawhide’s stallion Lucky Diamond; a SSHBEA registered brown and white spotted saddle horse.

A couple of months after that a fellow employee, Michael Steber, was getting an alarm system installed in his car at an Automotive Accessory store, in Huntsville. I had to meet him there in the morning to take him to work and then take him back after the alarm was installed. When I took him back, I went in the store and there were horse and farm pictures hanging on the walls. Being curious, I started up a conversation with the owner about the horses, his farm, trail riding etc. A couple of weeks later, I stopped in and his wife happened to be there showing her husband some pictures she had just gotten back. She asked if I would like to see them. Most of the pictures where of a little spotted weanling filly named Lady, but there were also some pictures of his stallion. I am always on the lookout for a good stallion to breed with and he was a good looking spotted stallion. As I was getting ready to leave Harvey, the owner, and his wife, Barbie, said you and your wife need to come out to the farm sometime.

A couple of Saturdays later, Margie, Ms. Schrader, my mother and me headed for their farm in Holly Tree, AL. They showed us around the farm including their horses, they had a couple mares that were ready to foal, there were a couple of weanlings, including Lady, a 17 hand buggy horse and their stallion, I.B. Jammin. The little weanling, Lady that was in the pictures I saw at the store was by him. Harvey had told me at the store she was for sale, but really did not think much about it. After seeing her, I fell in love with her, but when Ms. Schrader saw her and her papers, she fell in love with both Lady and her papers, and then convinced me to spend more of my money. Harvey’s stallion, I.B. Jammin, is an Ebony Masterpiece and Midnight Sun heritage and her mother was a Delta Threat mare. Well guess what, with Margie again throwing fits and carrying on like a mad bull, later that afternoon we came back with the trailer to take her home.

I was switching between riding Misty and Warrior. Then in June 2002, Ms. Schrader, who as you can see, is always looking out for me, knew of someone that had a Mr. Bojangles stallion that he wanted to sell. Bojangles General Lee was his name. His sire was Mr. Bojangle’s of McNatt Farms and a Major’s Black Man TWH mare He was black and white, registered SSHBEA, 10 yrs old, 15.2 hands, calm and gentle and had a Cadillac walk. The owner had just started riding General at 9 yrs old; Generals first 8 years had been spent in total enjoyment, eating, sleeping and watching over his ladies. No wonder he was such a calm gentleman. Ms. Schrader was really going to buy him for herself, but then decided he was a little to tall for her to get on. Well guess who was going to end up with him. But between the time Ms Schrader backed out and the next weekend when I decided to buy him, the owner had decided he really was not sure if he really wanted to sell him. However, Ms. Schrader pushed the issue and that next Saturday, she had Margie and I hook up our trailer and with money in hand, we went to get General. The owner was dumb founded, he even raised the price, but General still came home with us. I thought I finally had my well gaited spotted saddle horse, well I was wrong. General is so calm, gentle and laid back I was forever poking, prodding and keeping a switch to him to make him go, I would be more tired after the ride that he was. But when he did go, what a walk he had. He is walking fool now but still has some of the old days in him.

Still yearning for a black and white

I still wanted a spotted saddle horse and I just had not found the right one yet. Then, on a Saturday around the middle of August 2002 a miracle from God happened. Margie, my mother, Ms. Schrader and I had been gallivanting around all morning; I needed to make one more stop. I was thinking about buying a new horse trailer and stopped at a barn just outside of Shelbyville that had trailers setting along side of the road. As we started to exit the truck, there she was, a beautifully marked black and white spotted saddle horse being lead around. She was drop dead gorgeous. As we exited the truck Ms. Schrader yelled "to bring that beautiful horse over here so we can see her." We all just stood there making a fuss over her while talking with the owners about her. Persnickety was her name, but they called her Belle. The owners, Anita and Jerry, were from Georgia and were going show her that night in the halter class at the Lewisburg horse show. They also brought a black and white spotted saddle horse colt with them. Both were 15 months old, registered TWHBEA and SSHBEA and both were by Personnel Power. When we got ready to leave and against my better judgment with Margie standing right there, I asked the question…were they for sale. Not really was their reply, but very reluctantly, Jerry gave me a price for Belle. As we started walking away, I yelled back another figure. Jerry yelled back possibly. Being more than what I wanted to pay and really wanting an older already broke horse, we left.

By this time it was early afternoon and we were all hungry. We stopped to eat in Tullahoma. The whole conversation since we drove away was about Belle, the more we talked……the more excited everyone got about her and what a wonderful horse she was. Margie even offered to sell Bailey. Well guess what, I could not stand it any longer, I told everyone we were going back and look at her again. My mother was just as excited about Belle, but my mother is a very very slow eater and was still eating when the rest of us decided we couldn’t wait any longer. She said she was tired anyways from being on the go all morning and for us to go on, so I told her we would not be long, to keep eating, relax and we would be back to pick her up. We raced back up the road to see Belle again. During that short drive that seemed like an eternity I already knew what I was going to do. When we got there, Anita and Jerry were still working with the horses. As soon as I opened the door of the truck, I yelled at the top of my lungs "SOLD". Both Anita and Jerry were stunned and speechless. It took some talking to get them to sell her, but with tears in Anita’s eyes, they finally agreed to sale her to me, there was however one stipulation, they still wanted to show her that night at the Lewisburg horse show.and that was just fine with me. We went to the show that night and guess what, with Anita showing my new black and white spotted saddle horse, she placed first in the Halter class. Belle is now a 3 yr old, and the most wonderful all round horse there is. She has been shown every since, just for the fun of showing, by Victoria Nelson, Casey Millard, and myself. The walls are filled with ribbons of all colors; there are more blues and reds than any other colors. Here is a humorous note about the whole ordeal, we had been gone about an hour and when we got back to the restaurant to pick up my mother, the restaurant had closed and my mother was no where to be found. After looking quite awhile for her, I knocked on the door of the restaurant, the owner came out and I told her we could not find my mother. Well, come to find out she had taken my mother back into the restaurant to wait for us to return. We have always gotten a laugh out of that.

We did sell Bailey and Horse and Margie was trying to ride Misty, but she was a little too much for her. Warrior was the same, so Margie ended up with General and I was back on Misty or Warrior. Currently General is being used as our stud and as our first time riders’ horse. Margie still loves riding him, as do I at times, when he is not being ridden by someone else. General is so gentle and laid back, our friend’s daughter, Victoria Nelson, who was 8 at the time, and numerous others have taken their first horse ride and trail ride on General.

In the spring of 2003, we had stopped in to see Jerry and Tammy Fears, the owners of Personnel Power. We would usually stop in to see Power and the Fears whenever we were up that way. Then I put my foot in my mouth again. I asked if they knew of any one who may have a Power mare for sale. Guess what, they did. An older couple had a 2 year old mare they were trying to sell her because their son was extremely ill and they did not have time to take care of both of them. We had more errands to do so we made arrangements to meet the Fears later that afternoon at the owner’s farm. Even with the constant badgering from my wife, that afternoon we meet Jerry and Tammy to just look at her. And oh by the way Ms. Schrader was with us. Her name was Princess. As we approached the gate to the pasture, she came running towards me (really the owner)……there was uniqueness about her that I knew then and there she was going home with us. She was a 2 yr old, brown and white spotted, triple registered TWH, SSH and Racking and her name was Sugar Princess Power. She was 2 years old but had not been started to be broke. She was as calm, friendly and loving as could be. She was a big mare with one blue eye and when she looked at you, she looked as though she had eye make-up on. To me she stood out like a model, but Margie, at the time, did not really think much of her, just Glenn spending more money on another horse we did not need. That didn’t matter to me, she was beautiful, loving, Belle’s half sister and would make an excellent horse for trail ridding or breeding. We went home and got our trailer and came back that evening to take her home. I started breaking her and riding her right away…..she learned quickly and is still just a nice, calm, easy going horse. In fact Margie started riding her because she is so calm, gentle and nothing bothers her. She’s like a female General except she moves a little faster most of the time.

And the story continues

By now our herd is building fast. Margie is on my case 24/7, but it seems like a whole lot more, and with every new buy she continues to swear she’s going to divorce me. That still has not happened, so I figured I would continue buying until she did. So keep reading, Larry Lowman II, Stallion Manager at Bridlewood Farms, Ms. Schrader, Margie and I went on the Wartrace 2004 spring ride together. (This was only Larry’s second trail ride, Larry had never trail ridden in his life, until we convinced him into riding with us that previous fall (2003) at the Wartrace Strolling Jim ride. Larry did not have a trail horse so he rode "wild" General. Larry had liked the ride so much that he said he was going to get a trail horse and start trail riding more with us.) Larry brought this beautiful sorell gelding with a mixed flaxen mane and tail to ride, he was named Lightn’n Jack. He was by Georgia Firewalker and out of an Esau by Hacksaw mare. Jack had just turned 2 yrs old, very energetic and full of himself to say the least. Larry had been bragging about Jack for weeks before the ride and what a wonderful trail horse he was going to make, he was so proud of Jack; The way Larry talked I thought he had finally found himself an excellent trail horse so he could ride with us more. However, sometime during the ride, without Margie around I asked Larry what he was really going to do with Jack, hoping Larry would say "keep em, this is my new trail horse to ride"; instead he said "sell-em" of course. That was the wrong thing to say. Jack kind of affected me the way Belle did when I first saw her.

About a month later, June 2004, Larry calls me and tells me he has this mare he needs to get rid of right away, Miss Classy Chassis. She is by RPM and out of an Ebony Hacksaw mare. She was 2 yrs old and bred to Georgia Firewalker. Well guess what, we, including Ms. Schrader went to Bridlewood on Saturday to pay for her, but we had to leave her there until it was confirmed she was in foal.

.

Two weeks later we returned to Bridlewood to pick up Miss Classy Chassis. A brainstorm hit me on Friday night; Larry had said to me a couple of time about ridding Jack and tomorrow would be the perfect day. I was picking up a horse, would have the trailer and had nothing else to do.

Larry kept Jack in a 12 X 12 stall and I swear he feed him….energy. Larry would exercise him daily but having to stay in that stall Jack stayed pretty well lit up. I told Larry I was ready to ride him, Larry got him out of his stall and saddled him up. Jack was a little feisty, but that did not matter, I had time that day and I was ready. Larry walked him for up and down the hallway a couple of times, then it was my turn, I know Larry was thinking that I would not be able to handle him, but like I said before, I like feisty spirited horses and Jack was it. Jack and I bonded right away, it only took a couple of times up and down the hallway for us to get to know one another and he was a dream. Well guess what, we loaded up Jack along with Classy to go home with us. I figured I needed the extra weight of Jack to balance out the trailer.

Ever since Jack came home to Twin Valley Farms, he (Jack) tells me all the time how lucky he is and how he feels like he is in heaven. He is not kept up in a 12 X 12 stall, he runs with other horses, eats green grass, gets fresh air, takes long trail rides in God’s country, and gets to go to horse shows to show(off). The worst of all though is that Jack has lost most of his feistiness. He is as calm and gentle as a lamb. I kid Larry all the time about what a boring horse he sold me. Larry’s dad should be very proud of his son; Larry can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo. Everyone always comments on what a beautiful horse Jack is, but they say nothing about the rider. Margie says I like Jack more than Belle now, but Belle will always be my sweetheart.

Two horses at one time and hotter than a hornet, I am still a live and married. Some people will just not follow through on their threats. I keep telling Margie that God has this in his plan for us.

"OK", it’s now the first part of September (2004), out of the blue Larry calls me at work, Glenn; I got this mare that has to go this weekend. It’s my stepmother’s horse and she wants her gone. She’s a 2 yr old, by Generator’s Silver Dollar and out of a Suns Delight D. mare. She needed to know right now….. "OK" see you Saturday. And what perfect timing it was, I figured another gift from God. Margie was going to Ohio for the weekend to visit her ailing Dad in Sandusky, Ohio, I was going to be "batching it", and Larry had just called me with this fabulous mare deal. I had a difficult time controlling myself between Wednesday and Friday when Margie left. I did not sleep much at all, not even Friday night. Well, early Saturday morning I hooked up the trailer and away I went.....Bridlewood Farms here I come… again. Margie called a couple of times that weekend and I was very very nice and pleasant to her but said nothing about the horse.

Now for the finish

I am still married and now I can’t afford a divorce. I need a stable hand and money to pay the feed bill………But as you see, we now have some of the best bred mares around and with our breeding program being managed by Larry Loman II, Breeding Manager at Bridlewood Farms, we hope to be supplying the TWH and SSH industry with the finest trail, pleasure and show horses available.

Larry has drained me for all I HAD, but he keeps me up on things and in spite of it all, we are still good friends. Margie really does love all the horses and would not give up any of them. She refuses to go to Ohio now without someone watching over me. I’m now trying to hiding my money from Larry, but don’t worry Larry won’t go broke, come spring he will be draining more from me with the breeding fees.

Throughout all of this, Misty had her Ironworks colt, Ironworks Free Spirit. He is a gray roan born March 2003. SSHBEA registration is still pending.

Rosebud had her Lucky Diamond colt, Walk -N- Thunder. He is registered with SSHBEA. My daughter claimed this horse when he was still sucking. I started him under saddle in September 2004. He is the calmest 2 yr old around and he loves to be ridden. He’s a natural.

I bred both Misty and Rosebud to General during the summer of 2003. This spring, Rose Bud had a black and white spotted filly that’s marked up just like him. We named her Bo-Gens Heavenly Angel. She will be another Thunder, as calm and friendly as can be and walks like a dream. She is registered with SSHBEA. Seeing what Rose Bud and General produced, I kept envisioning a beautiful spotted roan out of Misty. However she had a beautiful high headed, solid black colt with 3 little white socks, ornery, and feisty like her. He is also SSHBEA registered and as friendly as Angel. I can’t even work with them around without them nuzzling over my shoulder, taking thing away and wanting to play.

Our friends from Newark, Ohio, Mary and Denny Nelson were willing participants in most of the above activity, thankfully they are not integrators. They come along only for the laughs, to see the bickering and fighting, Ms. Schrader’s instigations and to "egg" other people on. These last five years have been good times with plenty of laughs.

All of our foals are imprinted as soon as they hit the ground. They are constantly being touched, handled, loved and worked with everyday. So far all the foals we have raised have been so gentle and laid back that when it’s time to start them they have been really easy to break. Keep watching our web sight for more details on availability of horses, new pictures and just fun stuff.

Thank you for taking time for reading this article. I hope you got some enjoyment out it. E-mail us your comments.

Sincerely

Glenn and Margie McCarty