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Every equestrian has that one special horse, the one that helped make their dreams come true and owns a piece of their heart. For Marcie McClenon, that horse is What Matters Most.

and was not supposed to be riding,” shares Marcie. “But when I went to look at him, I may have hopped on for a short ride. He was a perfect gentleman and took such good care of me. That sealed deal.”

Marcie vividly remembers the first time she saw What Matters Most, a 2011 AQHA stallion sired by The Krymsun Kruzer out of Nothin Like A Blue, by Skys Blue Boy. “Katy Jo was showing him in the Congress Masters Hunter Under Saddle as a twoyear-old and he just took my breath away. I fell in love with him right then and there.”

Owned at the time by Wayne and Judy Davis, Katy Jo and What Matters Most tied to win the Masters but lost the tiebreaker to be the Reserve Congress Champions. Shortly after the Congress, Marcie heard rumblings that the young stallion might be for sale and immediately contacted the Davis’ about purchasing him. “I had just undergone a hip replacement 16 | PREMIER | DECEMBER 2022

After purchasing What Matters Most, who is fondly known as “Wally”—a name he received in honor of Wally Battle, who along with Mark Llewellyn, bred and showed What Matters Most to win the Congress Championship in Open Hunter Yearling Longe Line and the Reserve Championship in Non-Pro Hunter Yearling Longe Line— Marcie sent him to continue his show career with Nancy Sue Ryan. It was while under the guidance of Nancy Sue that Wally helped make Marcie’s life-long dream of competing at the AQHA World Championship Show come true.

“Nancy Sue and I were driving to the World Show and out of nowhere I just started sobbing,” shared Marcie. “She asked me why on earth I was crying, and I told her it was because I was just so happy to finally be going to the World Show and it was even better that my first time showing there was going to be with Wally. I’m certain she thought I was crazy, but fortunately she was a great sport about all of it.”

The 2015 AQHA Select World Championship Show turned out be one that Marcie will never forget. Together she and Wally won both the World Championship and L2 Championship in Performance Halter Stallions and were Top Fifteen in the Hunter Under Saddle. “Just to be competing at the World Show was a dream come true,” said Marcie. “Winning the World Championship with Wally was surreal. To win the Performance Halter and place in the Top Fifteen in the Hunter Under Saddle speaks volumes about this horse. He exemplifies the meaning of form to function.”

Wally’s success continued at the AQHA World Championship Show a few months later, where he was the Bronze Champion in Open Performance Halter Stallions, winning the L2 division of the class, and placed Top Ten in the L2 Junior Hunter Under Saddle. That year he was named the AQHA High Point Hunter Under Saddle Stallion.

Although it is not very common for a Hunter Under Saddle horse to compete in the Trail, Wally is not just any horse. He started off his five-year-old year showing in the Trail with Jason Gilliam.

From there he went to Ryan Painter to compete in the hunter classes with a goal of vying for the Superhorse title at the 2016 AQHA World Championship Show. That year Wally earned 23.5 points in Trail and 29.5 points in the hunter classes and won four all-around titles, as well as NSBA World Championships in Progressive Working Hunter and Green Hunter Hack. In the fall he returned to the Select World Show where he won the Reserve World Championship in Performance Halter Stallions.

Wally concluded his show career at the Open World Show in November, winning the L2 Junior Working Hunter, placing fourth in the Junior Working Hunter and Performance Halter Stallions, ninth in the Progressive Working Hunter, and fourteenth in both the Junior Hunter Hack and Junior Hunter Under Saddle to PREMIER | DECEMBER 2022 | 17

place third in the Superhorse standings.

“I am so grateful to Katy Jo, Nancy Sue, Jason, Ryan and everyone who played a part in Wally’s career,” said Marcie. “They all did a wonderful job and I’ve learned so much from all of them. Wally wouldn’t be the horse he is without each one of them.”

What Matters Most was officially retired from competition following the 2016 World Show with more than 130 points and over $27,900 in earnings. From Oklahoma City, Wally headed north to Michigan to begin his breeding career under the expertise of Kim and Shelley Donovan. After four years at BSB Quarter Horses, in 2021, Marcie made the decision to bring Wally home to her new M&M Ranch Holdings in Ocala, Florida so that she could spend more time with him.

“I can’t thank Kim and Shelley enough for all they did for Wally,” said Marcie. “He is very easy to breed and handle, and they deserve a lot of the credit for that. The only downside of having Wally with Kim and Shelley in Michigan was that I never got to see him.

After I purchased my farm in Ocala it just made sense to bring him home where I could enjoy him.”

This year will mark the third breeding season that Wally has been home in Florida. On collection days, Marcie hauls him to Peterson & Smith, and when he is not busy fulfilling his breeding duties, Marcie can often be found riding Wally around her farm. “He’s so good minded that it’s sometimes easy to forget he is a stallion,” said Marcie. “I can take him to be collected in the morning and ride him around the farm by myself in the afternoon. I think his mind is one of the best things about him. Of course, he is also well-built, gorgeous, and talented, but in my opinion it’s his mind that sets him apart from other stallions.”

Great Minded Offspring Although Wally has crossed well on a variety of mares, with his offspring earning more than 539 points to 18 | PREMIER | DECEMBER 2022

date, one of his best crosses has been with LastMinuteInvestment, a daughter of Do You Have A Minute. This cross has produced Last One Matters, who has won over $11,000 which includes winning the Premier Sires 3-Year-Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Hunter Under Saddle and placing Top Five at the Congress in Green Hunter Under Saddle and Top Ten in the L2 Junior Hunter Under Saddle at the AQHA World Championship Show.

Farley McLendon has had “Lisa” in training for owner Holly Taylor since she was a late 2-year-old.

“I’ve ridden three foals sired by What Matters Most, and they have all been good minded,” said Farley. “Lisa’s owner, Holly, is a Novice Select who hadn’t shown in over 10 years. The first time she showed her she won the Select Hunter Under Saddle. Lisa is currently in foal to Good Better Best so has been turned out. My kids will just go hop on and ride her all over the pasture. I’m also currently riding a 2-year-old that we bought specifically because we liked Lisa so much. He is also owned by Holly, and we are saving him for the 3 & Over Maiden

LastMinuteInvestment

Hunter Under Saddle at The Premier next year. He’s got a lot of body control and has both gears. We have high hopes for him.”

One of Marcie’s personal favorite foals by Wally is her coming four-year-old gelding, What Does It Matter, who is known as “Brady” because he was born on Superbowl Sunday. Unfortunately, after starting his show career this year at the Georgia On My Mind circuit, where he won the NSBA Green Hunter Under Saddle and was Reserve Champion in the 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle, Brady had to undergo colic surgery. Although he missed the remainder of his three-year-old year, Brady has since made a full recovery and is now back in training in preparation for the 2023 show season.

“Brady is a full brother to Last One Matters,” said Marcie. “LastMinuteInvestment has been a fabulous cross with Wally. It was disappointing to miss the three-year-old futurities this year but there was a time when PREMIER | DECEMBER 2022 | 19

Where it all started.

Although What Matters Most may be the first stallion that Marcie has owned, she has been riding and showing horses for most of her life.

Because her father was in the military, Marcie’s family moved frequently. While the family was stationed in El Paso, her older sister, Roxanne, began taking jumping lessons. Wanting to be just like her sister, Marcie took to riding a stick horse around the house.

“My mom would put up fake jumps and I would jump over them with my stick horse so that I could be just like my sister,” said Marcie. “As soon as I was old enough, my parents got me a hunter pony and I started taking lessons.

Eventually that led to showing. I have a lot of great memories of going to shows with my mom and sister.”

What Does It Matter

we weren’t sure Brady was going to make it. Thankfully, he pulled through and is doing great now. He reminds me so much of his sire and I’m excited to get him back into the show pen.”

From limited foals What Matters Most has sired All-Around champions, Superior earners, futurity winners, and World Show Top Five winners. His offspring have had success in Open, Amateur and Youth competition, which is something that Marcie is very proud of. “I love the babies. I love watching them grow up and become show horses. It gives me so much pleasure and fills my heart to see his foals bring others so much joy. It’s really the best part of owning a stallion.”

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Prior to heading off to college, Marcie purchased a Quarter Horse mare that she planned to take with her to school. Soon after, she was introduced to Congress and World Champion hunter trainers David Warner and David Connors.

Under their guidance she began competing in AQHA hunter events. “The AQHA shows are very different from the Pony Club and Hunter shows where I started out, but I quickly met so many wonderful people that really made it a lot of fun. I’ve been hooked ever since and one of the things I continue to enjoy most about the shows are all the wonderful friends I’ve made.”

Although Marcie’s passion has always been the hunt seat events, several years ago, she and her daughter, Kayla, decided to branch out and try something new. “At the time I was riding with Nancy Sue and when I told her that we were looking for a western horse she told me about Consider Me Best. Cole and Liz Baker

Marcie & Kayla (Daughter)

Marcie & Liz Baker

had been showing her and Nancy Sue had judged her several times and thought she would be the perfect horse for us.”

As it turned out, Nancy Sue was right. Under the guidance of Cole and Liz, Marcie showed Consider Me Best to win the Congress Championship in Novice Select Amateur Western Pleasure in 2016. Kayla also had great success with “Hope,” winning a Reserve Congress Championship, Tom Powers Championship, and multiple circuit championships. Marcie is quick to credit the success they had as newcomers to the Western Pleasure to their trainers and Hope. “Liz and Cole are just wonderful and were so patient in teaching Kayla and I how to ride and show a western pleasure horse. They are both so knowledgeable and work hard to do the best they can for their clients. We also were very fortunate to have found Consider Me Best. She was a great fit for us and such a kind mare. She really took care of us in the pen every time we showed her.”

In 2020, Marcie purchased Scandaless, a 2018 mare sired by RL Best Of Sudden, who Cole showed the following year to win the Congress Championship in the 3-Year-Old Western Pleasure Sale Stakes and Reserve Congress Championship in the 3-Year-Old Novice Horse Limited Open Western Pleasure. Scandaless is

Scandaless

currently offered for sale so that Marcie can focus on her new all-around horse, multiple NSBA World Champion, Shootin The Breeze, who she purchased earlier this year. Competing in the all-around events has been a challenging but welcome change of pace for the life-long hunt seat rider. “Learning so many new events has been really hard, but a lot of fun.

There are so many different things to remember for each class, but I love it.”

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Shootin The Breeze

Looking ahead to the 2023 show season, Marcie will continue to show Shootin The Breeze in all-around events and is also excited to show What Does It Matter in Select and Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle. Brady will also show in Novice and Limited Horse Hunter Under Saddle events with Liz. “The three classes I am really focused on for the upcoming show season are the Trail, Western Riding and Horsemanship,” said Marcie. “My goal is to compete at the Level 1 Championship, which I couldn’t attend this year. I’m also looking forward to getting What Does It Matter back to the show pen in the Hunter Under Saddle. I’ve got two horses who I really enjoy riding 22 | PREMIER | DECEMBER 2022

and trainers who make showing a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to a great year.”

What Matters Most will stand the 2023 breeding season at M&M Ranch Holdings in Ocala, Florida.

His breeding fee will be $1,250 and all breeding inquiries can be directed to Marcie McClenon at 209-764-0376.

Article written by Claire Binkowski

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barb miller

breeder spotlight

As any veteran breeder will tell you, breeding is not for the faint of heart.

But for people like Barb Miller, who have a passion for it, raising foals can be tremendously rewarding. Barb’s involvement in the equine industry began as a child, riding hunters and jumpers, however it wasn’t until she took a job working for Kathy Goodman that she started riding Quarter Horses and made the switch to Western Pleasure.

“I really learned a lot working for Kathy,” said Barb. “As I became more involved with the breeding side of Kathy’s operation, I eventually stopped going to shows. With more than forty broodmares to foal and breed, as well as standing several stallions, leaving the farm during breeding season really wasn’t an option. Sometimes things work out for the best because Kathy gave me an incredible education and sent me all over the country to vet schools and veterinary conferences to learn from industry leaders. I worked for her for fifteen years and am very much indebted to her.”

Even after leaving Kathy’s, Barb’s passion for breeding and raising foals never waned.

In 2001, she and her husband, Mike, started Saddle Oak Farm with just one mare, Invested Pine Lady. Fast forward to today and Barb has three mares—Hope Four The Best, Better Lookin Lady, and

favorite horse, Barb’s proudest moment as a breeder occurred in 2021, when she was watching from the stands as MadeFourIt unanimously won the 3-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.

Made Four It

Best Lookin Lady—and an impressive list of accolades as a breeder. Some of the most notable horses she has raised include Congress Champion and multiple NSBA World and Reserve World Champion MadeFourIt, Reserve Congress Champion and Tom Powers Champion KM SuddenFriedChikin, Reserve Congress Champion SomethingToHopeFour, APHA World Champion Im Good With It, Level 1 Champion Tweet That, and Level 1 Reserve Champion Due N My Best.

Although she has a hard time picking a

“Even after foaling out hundreds of mares, each time it’s special,” said Barb. “With the help of my husband, I do all of the breeding, ultrasounding, foaling, everything, and while that’s not always easy, it’s definitely worth it to watch a foal I have raised grow up and go on to achieve success in the show arena, especially at the Congress is just incredible.”

Although the joy and pride she gets from breeding and raising foals has

always remained constant, throughout the years Barb as seen the industry evolve in several ways.

“Years ago, large breeding operations were much more common, but today very few of those are still in business and most of the rest have reduced the size of their operation,” said Barb. “I think the breeding industry has made the shift to focusing on quality over quantity. Embryo transfers have also become routine, allowing a breeder to have just one good mare and still produce multiple foals a year.”

For Barb, the focus on quality begins with her carefully curated band of broodmares, two of whom she bred and raised, and extends to selecting the stallions she breeds to.

“All three of my mares are daughters of RL Best Of Sudden, so I guess you could say I’m a little partial to him,” said Barb. “When choosing stallions, I really try to look at what my mares can improve on and pick studs that complement them rather than focusing on a stallion’s popularity. If I like how a horse is bred and how it moves, and I think he will cross well with my mare, I’m going to breed to him even if he is not the current ‘flavor of the month.’ The most popular stallion is not always going to be the best cross for your mare and I think sometimes people lose sight of that and then end up disappointed when it doesn’t work out. You can breed a great one to a great one but that doesn’t mean you will get a great one. As a small breeder it’s important to make sure your priority is always trying to better what you have and not get lost in everything else.”

When Barb first started breeding her own mares, it was commonplace for trainers and buyers to log hundreds of miles and countless hours in the truck, scouring the country for the best prospects. In the last decade, the internet has drastically changed the way people look for horses, much to the advantage of small breeders.

“It used to be that if you weren’t a big breeding farm or well-known breeder, or you didn’t live in a certain part of the country, it was hard to get people to come to your farm and look at horses,” said Barb. “I struggled to get noticed when I started breeding. The first time Cole Baker came to my farm, I remember feeling like I was finally somebody. But now, thanks to the internet and social media,

it’s much easier for those of us who are small breeders to market our foals.”

Even though she believes that if you are putting out a good product, it no longer matters where you live, five years ago, when Barb moved from Florida, where she was in an area heavily populated with horses and equestrians, to Tennessee, she briefly worried that she would have a harder time selling her foals. That move

became an opportunity for Barb to focus on marketing, something she thinks is often overlooked by small breeders.

“It’s not just about having a good horse, but you also have to market them well,” said Barb. “Good pictures and videos go a long way in garnering interest and selling horses. I dedicated a lot of time to learning how to take good pictures and videos and thanks to the vast audience on the internet, that has really paid off for me. I have sold many horses that people never came and saw in person before buying. I often hear from other breeders how they feel discouraged by the amount of interest, or lack thereof, their horses are getting. Marketing really is a big part of this business and it’s an area where you must be your own toughest critic. It may take more than one attempt to get great photos or videos, and that can take a lot of time and effort, but it’s important. It doesn’t matter how good your horses are if you aren’t presenting them well.”

But even if a breeder breeds a quality prospect and markets them well enough to catch the eye of a top exhibitor or trainer, there is still no guarantee of success. The breeder and their role in raising the horse is just one small piece of the puzzle.

“As breeders, I think it is important to remember that not every horse fits every program and that so many pieces have to come together in the right way and at the right time for a horse to become a champion,” said Barb. “A great horse can be sold to a great owner and end up with a great trainer, but the stars still have to align. And if they don’t, it doesn’t mean you didn’t breed a great horse.”

Beyond encouraging breeders to focus on how they are marketing their horses and reminding them that success in the arena takes far more than just breeding a great prospect, the best advice that Barb has for other small breeders is the best piece of advice that she herself once received: Just don’t give up.

“In the breeding business, you are going to have good days and bad days, good years and bad years,” said Barb. “When

things don’t go according to plan or you don’t feel like your work and effort are being recognized, it’s easy to get discouraged and want to quit. I’ve had plenty of heartbreak over the years and moments where I wondered if I should stop breeding, but it’s my passion and so I keep pushing forward. Breeding is not easy. You have to take the highs with the lows, but if you love what you are doing then you just can’t give up.”

And heeding her own advice, Barb doesn’t plan to quit any time soon. She is looking forward to continuing to breed her small but mighty band of broodmares.

“The goal when I first started breeding was to try and produce the best horses that I could and get them in the right hands,” said Barb. “Like every breeder, I had dreams of breeding a Congress or World Champion. Even having achieved that dream, my goal is still the same as when I started. Each year I am still just striving to produce the best foals I can.”

Article written by Claire Binkowski

Hope Four The Best, Better Lookin Lady, and Best Lookin Lady

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