APRIL 2004 MEMBERSHIP PROFILES

STEVE & JUDY HULL, BEND, OR & MARK & SHARON SPENCER, MORO, OREGON

About the Hull family:    We moved from the Medford area to Central Oregon in 1987 when we purchased a small farm in Tumalo.  We currently own a Farmers Insurance Agency in Redmond which supports our livestock habit.  Judy's oldest son manages an Angus operation in Montana after leaving his teaching job in the Baker City area.  Steve's daughter is in Iowa going to school and the youngest is a juniior at Oregon State.       Our family has been involved in the livestock business for a number of years.  Steve has raised registered Columbia sheep for over 50 years and recently added the Boer goats .     Judy has been involved with working ranch horses most of her life.  About 20 years ago she purchased her first Paints as working cow horses.  Since then we have steadily tried to improve the quality of our Paints.  With the help of Chris and Jerry Lance, we have purchased two breedings form the Northwest Stallion Service Auction.  If everything turns out right, Chris and Jerry will show the foals.  We look forward to meeting more of the Central Oregon breeders and becoming active in the club.

 

About the Spencer family:  Hi, I'm Sharon Spencer, your Oregon Coordinating Committee Delegate, and along with my husband Mark, own M&S Paint Horses.  We are located at Moro, Oregon right on Hwy 97 near the Columbia River.  My family has owned and operated the Ranch we live on for over 120 years and we continue to farm the land, along with my brother and sister-in-law, as a family partnership.  Family is top priority for us and that of course includes our wonderful paint horses.

I grew up in Sherman County (smallest county in the State) and have never wanted to live anywhere else.  My family has always raised wheat, barley, cattle and horses.  While my mother also grew up on this ranch, my father came from Boston with the CC Camps and grew to love the area and the animals.  They raised race horses while I grew up and I started riding before I could walk.  Guess it is just in the blood!!  I participated in all of the usual horse events; 4-H (I also won the Dad Potter Award, Karen!!!).  Rodeo Queen, open horse shows, Arab shows and hours of just good fun driving cattle.  I left the ranch for awhile to attend Pacific University and I have a masters degree in Speech Pathology.

Thanks to my degree, I moved to LaGrande to work for the ESD in 1969 and met Mark (originally from Willamina, OR).  We were married in 1975 and it didn't take us long to get back to the ranch.  We have been here ever since and can't imagine ever leaving except to travel and play golf.  Mark and my brother run the ranch and I work for North Central ESD serving all of the schools in Sherman County as a Speech Pathologist.  Our Children share our love of the ranch but economics have forced them to chose other ways to make their livings.  Our daughter Colleen (and husband Bud) live in Milton-Freewater and she is the manager of KWHT FM Radio in Walla Walla, Washington.  Our son, Michael (and wife Brandy) live in Jacksonville, Florida, where he is a 13 year member of the US Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer.  He is currently starting a new job as a tail gunner on a Blackhawk helicopter and looking for drug runners off of the Florida Coast.  Our son, Scott, and his wife Jennifer live in Milton-Freewater and they are both Correctional Officers at Walla Walla State Penitentury.

While we have always had horses, we bought our first Paint gelding in 1990 and started our love of these horses.  We have 4 broodmares (3 Barlink Macho Man daughters and 1 Granddaughter) and love the Barlink line.  Chuck and Kay have been so instrumental in helping us with our program and giving wonderful advise.  The Paint people are such fund......the BBQ's at the horse shows and cheering each other on whether its for the a big win or just getting out there and participating.  We hope to always be associated with this great group of people.  Give us a call if you are interested in our new babies or yearlings that are for sale ...  541-565-3435 or mspencer@skyride.net  .....   WE LOVE TO TALK "HORSE"!!!!!

 

 

 

MARCH 2004 MEMBERSHIP PROFILE

GIGI CRAMER ** VICE PRESIDENT COPHC

Dear Members:

I would like to introduce myself, my name is Gigi Cramer, I am the current Vice President for the COPHC.  I wish to make welcome all our new members....I hope you will learn as much as I have over the last 10 years.  We have many talented breeders and trainers as club members, I may be speaking for them but give them a call.....They are always full of good advice! 

Well Miss Kay tells me its time to tell you about myself....I was brought up in Napa, California.  Where my love for horses started.  A friend of mine in high school had a hose she asked me to go riding one afternoon.  Turned out that she had her hose boarded on a ranch that my mother's boss owned.  He also had some horses that needed to be ridden.  Great set up?....The Parents don't have to buy the kid a horse...or pay for board.... YES.... The perfect set up!  But that was just enough to give me the dreaded horse bug!!

During High School one of my teachers asked me if I was interested in a job on the weekends.  She asked if I would be interested in "crewing" for a Hot Air Balloon, her friend owned.  Sure!! Sounds like fun.....I worked that job while in High School.  Then my father said, "You can't make a living ballooning".   He was right, the rainy season was kind of slow....I packed my bags and went to Dental School.  Still working for the balloons on weekends....back to the balloons....at some point I met my husband, Bob, who also put up with my 4:00 am alarm clock.  I quit being a Dental Assistant and took on the Balloons full time.   At that point not only did we offer rides 7 days a week, we had an office in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Kenya, East Africa.  Adventures Aloft also was a dealership for balloons and a pilot training center.

In "87" Bob and I got married.  Bought our first house, a 100-year-old fixer-upper.   What a way to test a marriage.    During that time we took a trip to the Northwest.  Went to Washington to visit my sister and Bend to visit a friend Bob had met on a job.   We really liked Bend!!!  We went home making plans the whole way, how to SELL the house and move to Bend.  It took us about a year to get things in order.  Then we got a call from some friends we met in Washington.  They had a 40-acre place that needed care taking.  Well Waitsburg, Washington is a little further than we wanted to go bu, what the heck!!!  Our friends had several Paint Horses on the property and a Mule, Old #7.  All of them very good teachers for "Novice Riders".   We worked on a ranch learning how to build fence and defrost well......Everything.   During our stay in Washington we purchased our First horse, Impressively Prim, a palomino paint mare, which was bred to Impressive Tipper.  "Sis" had a beautiful filly in the spring.   After a year we started to get the itch to have our own place.  We had driven back and forth thru Bend several times during the year and decided it was time to make a move.  We called a realtor and packed up our horses and moved to Bend.  Found 5 acres northeast of town, and settled in.  I got busy trying to find info on Paint shows in the area.  Cam Meyer was the President of the Club at that time, and was very helpful.  My filly was GNF and I knew nothing about it at the time.  With a lot of patience Cam walked me through every hoop.  Also we boarded the horses while we were looking for property.  At El Dorado Ranch in Redmond, Jean Davis and all the patrons of her barn helped me get the filly fit for GNF.   I don't know how we did it but out of 43 late fillies we got 9th.  Talk about a surprise after going to a few local shows and then walking into that!!!

In the fall of "94" I was informed by my Doctor that Bob and I were going to be parents.  June 1, 1995, brought us the Central Oregon Dairy Princess (the fist girl born in June of every year), Katherine Jane Cramer was quite welcome, but a big surprise after being married for 10 years.  I did not get much riding in the next few years but stayed active in the club.  I managed a few shows and helped when I could.  In 2000 "Sis" had a nice filly by Jamaican Me Cajun.  With a lot of help from Ed & Christy Richardson, Miss Jamaica hit the road; no big money wins but a lot of ribbons.  Her yearling year we did some lunger line and some local shows.  This same year we had to put Sis down due to an injury.   It was hard on the whole family; as everyone nows has lost a "Pet".    Last year Bob and I adopted 2 orphaned Kieger Mustangs.  Bob and I are looking forward to doing some trail riding with them soon. 

Well that's pretty much it....I hope I didn't put anyone to sleep....THANKS again to all the members of COPHC for all of the help. 
Gigi Cramer


FEBRUARY 2004 MEMBERSHIP PROFILE

KAREN WHITE ** SECRETARY COPHC

Karen White is the Secretary of the COPHC for 2004.  She and her husband, Jim Hamm, moved to Madras three years ago from the Willamette Valley.  She is an Oregon native, born in Eugene in 1964.  Actually, Karen is a third generaton native Oregonian, both parents and one set of grandparents being born on the Oregon Coast.  Jim and Karen were married in Eugene in 1999 the same year she completed her college degree at George Fox University.  She works for Foremost Insurance, a division of Farmers Insurance, as a Claims Adjuster.  This year will make 20 years for her with the Farmers Group of Companies.  She and Jim participate in Black Powder Rendezvous, love to fish, and ride their horses in the mountains and beaches.

Karen got her first horse at age seven.  A rotten quarter horse/welsh pony cross that bit, kicked, bucked her off over 50 times the first year and generally did his best to get her to take up ballet instead!  Didn't work however, and she is still committed to horses all these years later.  For the past few years her interest has been in Halter horses, but she used to ride too!

The first good horse Karen had was a "Heinz 57" mixture of saddlebred, quarter horse, and who knows what all else, named Rebel.  An experienced old hand in the show ring, he taught her more about riding than any human ever could.  He was the proverbial push buttom horse---problem was you had to figure out the control panel before you could push any of the buttons!   After a certain amount of trial and error, they got their teamwork down and enjoyed three years of fun in 4-H competition.  At the age of 15, Karen achieved the highest honor given in 4-H competition, the 'E.L. "Dad" Potter award.

Since her family could only afford one hose each for Karen and her sister, Laurie, she decided to sell Rebel and buy a green horse to finish.  Since a rider can only pass the Dad Potter test once on a "broke horse" the second must be raised from a foal, Karen started assisting her leader in coaching others to pass the test.

In 1983 Karen discovered the paint horse world.   A friend at a boarding stable had a stallion they wanted to show under saddle.   They had never shown a horse, so asked if Karen would ride him for them.  What fun that was!  Karen road the Our Sir Prize son to year end awards in halter stallions, trail and western pleasure.  She has owned at least one paint every since.   Including a son of Scribbles that she showed in Amateur events in the 1990's.  

Currently, Karen is showing a Barlink Macho Man daughter, Barlnk Dazlyn Opieann.  She is a full sister to several world champions and superior halter horses.  In 2003, Karen and "Lacy" showed primarily in Pinto shows to give Lacy (a June filly) a chance to grow up.  Never having shown Pinto that was a new experience, and she ended up the year High Point Jr. Stock type mare with 64 open and 62 amateur points as well as earning a Western Canadian National Championship in 2 year old Halter mares.  She also has a couple of young fillies that she will be breeding in a few years.

 

 

 

   JANUARY 2004 MEMBERSHIP PROFILE

MEMBERSHIP PROFILE ** MICHELE SIMMELINK-RASK

Michele Simmelink-Rask, President of the COPHC and Oregon APHA Director, is a lifelong resident of Central Oregon being born in 1974 to Chuck & Kay Simmelink of Madras, graduating from Madras High School and obtaining her Bachelor of Science Degree from Eastern Oregon College of Education thru the Central Oregon College system. She married her lifelong friend and classmate, Dean Rask, in August 1997 in Culver. Dean works all forms of construction and Michele prior to taking a recent job at Sea Swirl Corporation in Culver, worked as a substitute teacher in the Jefferson County School District and did “full time” work with her parents on their Horse Ranch in Madras.

Michele has been an active horseperson since she was old enough to be thrown up on her mom’s good barrel horse’s back to cool the mare out after a rodeo run. In turn that same great old mare, Nicolette Bar AQHA, AA ROM Race, has provided her with the string of horses that have won Michele saddles, World and Res. World Championships in Halter and Performance, APHA Open, Amateur Championships, Versatility Championships and many, many superiors and ROM’s in the Paint Horse Industry. Many people in Central Oregon saw Michele campaign in 4-H, Open Shows, Rodeos on the likes of Tony The Pony, Nugget, AQHA Hoot, Tina Tonta, Barkota Bell and APHA Crazy Mazy and Hi Fashion over her first 13 years of life If you missed seeing a little blonde girl with long pigtails on a 13.3 palomino mare called Nugget run barrels and poles then you missed a lot of excitement as it took two adults to get Nugget to the starting line but when turned loose they were a golden streak doing regulation poles in 20 flat and top Oregon Show barrels in “FAST” time. If you ever wondered how well Michele could ride, consider that not many adults would have made it thru the events with some of the horses that she rode at an early age. Michele and her horses won many awards in those early years.

Crazy Mazy was Michele’s first introduction to the APHA shows in 13 and Under and with the well trained, push button horse, Michele learned the art of horsemanship and showmanship as Mazy was a teacher. She also showed Hi Fashion to a top 10 in Performance at the APHA Nationals as well as APHA and open shows. From that point on she rode horses raised by her family ranch starting with the big powerful mare, Barlink Minx (Nicolette Bar daughter), a full and maternal sister to multiple winners. Minx won APHA National Honor Roll standings in Halter, Showmanship and Western Pleasure. They also earned many superiors as well as AJPHA Championship but had a limited career due to Minx being injured. Minx will be best remembered for the crosses on Barlink Macho Man providing a son and daughters that Michele won World and Reserve World Championships, 2 Saddles, APHA Open and Amateur Championships, Superiors in Halter and Performance, NWCC Annual Awards and many, many awards to numerous too name. Barlnk Topthis Kid, “Speedy”, won 4 World & Reserve World Championships in Halter and Performance as well as Superiors in Open and Amateur Halter, Showmanship, ROM’s in Performance. She finished the season in 2003 up on Barlnk Rumor Hasit, “Nicky” with 2 Saddles including the 2003 Amateur Zone 1 All-Around Champion with Terri Ashley won another in the Oregon Bred Annual Awards. The pair have placed in the top 5 or 10 of the World Show in Performance along the way. Nicky will bred in 2004 to a gray overo son of Ima Gallant Jet (World and National Honor Roll Champion and sire of same) x a great World Champion Western Pleasure mare that has produced the same in some of her many foals. Needlesstosay, Michele is wishing for a gray overo filly out of this cross that she can promote in the coming years. Barlnk Suecash, another Macho daughter, provided Michele with her saddle for the Zone 1 All-Around, along with a World Title in Youth Halter, APHA Open and Amateur Championships, Youth Superiors in Showmanship, Halter and Western Pleasure, NWCC High Point Amateur All-Around. However probably Michele and Sue’s crowning achievement was when at the 1994 World Show they tied for Res. World Champion Amateur halter mare (lost it to the tie breaking judge) and won 7th overall in Amateur Western Pleasure and Showmanship……all on a halter horse that you’re not suppose to be able to ride!!!

In 2003 Michele and Nicky once again placed in the top 10 at the 2003 World Show as well as their achievements of the All-Around Amateur Saddle at the Zone 1 Show but probably Michele’s biggest excitement came when she won the Buckle at Zone for Barrel Racing on Nicky and then the year end NWCC Barrel Racing award. Michele still wants to go back to the rodeo arena and compete in the speed events. She also earned NWCC High Point Amateur mare award with Barlnk Rita.

Michele and her dad, Chuck, travel to almost all of the Northwest APHA shows sharing in the work and showing of Halter horses and Michele riding her performance horses. Currently she will be showing a new mare purchased out of the Simmelink Ranch breeding program and raised by friend, Tracy Sharp of Idaho, 3 YO Devoted To Impressum. Michele has all ready started her June 2001 full sister to Nicky, Barlnk Repeat The Rumor in hopes that she will do exactly that; repeat the wins of Barlnk Topthis Kid and Barlnk Rumor Hasit. Sally as she is referred to is more a cross between her dam and “Speedy” than Nicky which is fortunate as the Simmelink family lost their grand ole Barlnk Minx earlier this year.