Tiny hooves pranced around in the dirt of the outdoor covered arena at Hardy Murphy Coliseum last weekend. They often were followed by small feet, and sometimes larger ones. But no riders.
The only thing these tiny horses had to bear was the obvious pride of their handlers.
A total of 237 horses from five different states filled stalls and arenas at the coliseum as breeders, owners and handlers brought their best Shetland ponies and miniature horses to Ardmore for the first time.
Inside the arena, presenters were decked out in their finery, with dark pants, boots and jackets sprinkled with rhinestones and sparkles. As they held the line waiting for their turn in front of the judge, the handlers repositioned hooves and heads to make sure their horses were in the best possible position to show off their assets.
Nearby, stalls in the outdoor covered arena were also decked out, these in colorful covers monogrammed with the name of the breeders, handlers or ranches that came to the competition.
As they waited their turn in front of the judges, they sat around in lawn chairs in front of large fans trying to keep cool in the late-morning heat.
One particular couple — Mike Strassle and his wife, Lisa, of Ponca City — not only show horses, they also are officers in the Miniature Horse and Pony Breeders of Oklahoma.
The weekend event was the Area 5 Regional championship bringing competitors from Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
There are eight regions in the country, but Mike said competitors from other regions are allowed to compete anywhere to gain experience and to get their horses in front of judges who will judge at nationals. Ardmore’s regionals had a miniature horse judge and a Shetland judge from nationals.
One of the first questions they get asked is, what is the difference between a Shetland and a mini?π Mike has an answer ready when the time comes, explaining that the American Mini Horse Registry was originally started by the Shetland Horse Club.
“Through breeding, they were getting Shetlands smaller and smaller and they wanted to have a place to show those horses, so they started the AMHR,” Mike said.
To be classified a Shetland, the horse can be up to 46 inches tall. Miniature horses must be less than 38 inches.
“The region was opened up for a few years in the 1970s and the Shetlands were allowed to be crossed in small amounts to Hackneys and Welsh horses. The Welshes have good movement and good refinement and we wanted to bring that to the Shetlands,” Mike said. “Right now, it’s a very popular trend to have a horse double registered as a Shetland and a mini. The mini registry was opened up a lot longer so that any horse that fits the registry could be hardshipped in. We’ve got a lot more mixed blood in the minis.”
There are three categories of Shetlands:
• Foundation horses are shorter and stockier, much like the traditional Shetlands.
• Classic Shetlands are a more refined animal with more refined movement that still show Shetland characteristics.
• Moderns have more of the Hackney characteristics, giving them superior high-stepping movements which is very important in this class.
“We primarily show classics and miniatures. We have around 335. We’ve been to Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas and we’re going to Indiana later this year for the Shetland Congress (nationals),” Mike said.
The Strassles got into the miniature horse business because Lisa had shown them when she was younger.
Their new daughter, 7-week-old daughter, Isabella, probably represents the next generation of horse breeders and competitors.
“There’s something you can do with them for every part of the family. There’s a wide variety of classes — open halter, amateur, driving classes. The last one is a big draw, especially with the ladies. And there are kids’ classes, too,” Mike said.
At the “campsite” adjoining the Strassles’, Barb Martin sat in front of one of several large fans running to help keep everyone cool and talked about her horse operation, B&B Training Center. She and husband, Lee, have been in the business for 31 years as breeders.
“It started out as a hobby and just turned into a full-time business,” she said, sitting with Lisa Strassle, who was watching over a sleeping Isabella. “You do meet up with the same people, but there are new people getting into it every week, every day. We’re all kind of a family group in a way because we’ve been to the same shows together.”
Breeder Belinda Bagby is also part of the family because she shows the Martin horses at competitions.
While mixing up some homemade strawberry ice cream, for which she’s famous, Bagby talked about her start in the business of tiny horses. She gives that credit to her father, Max Lawson.
“I inherited the business from my dad,” she said. “He did show horses when I was born and I just followed behind him.”
Bagby’s horse operation is in Hot Springs, Ark., but her father was originally from Pauls Valley, so she has strong Oklahoma ties. She started showing the family’s personal horses when she was young and 28 years ago, turned professional in the training business. One client has been with her for 25 years.
“The appeal for a lot of people is these horses are smaller and they eat a lot less,” she said. “And I find that a lot of people who have had large horses and are reaching their ‘golden years’ find these horses much more manageable.”
Bagby is the Area 5 director for the national association and said the organization was excited to come to Ardmore, since there had never been shows of this type here before.
In competition, she travels with her groomer Carmen Bann, who gets the horses in top fashion for the competitions. Although she had never been around horses before, Bann adapted quickly and, within the first four years, won the groomer’s award. Her 11-year-old daughter, Kelsey, started showing two years ago and won the sportsmanship award at two national shows within a year’s time.
“That’s how adaptable these little guys are,” Bagby said.
The competitors had high praise for Ardmore and are looking forward to returning for the Shetland national congress, which will come to Hardy Murphy Coliseum in Ardmore in 2010.
“We finally get to bring the nationals to this facility and we wanted to show it off,” Mike said. “Everyone in our group wants to thank the city of Ardmore. The hospitality they’ve show us has been wonderful.”
“Coliseum director Tim Lynch has been very nice,” Martin said. “The whole city of Ardmore — the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce and the tourism department have just been marvelous to us.
