In Memory of Stonewall Blanche
March 1, 1992-December 29, December 29, 2018 STONEWALL SPORTHORSE CHAMPION (COMBINED DRIVING, LONG DISTANCE DRIVING) 1992 Black Leopard Mare Charlie Degas x Stonewall Crystal by Prince Talisheek Bred by Stonewall Stud, Winters, California Owned by Cheri’ Smith, Titusville, Florida Bingo! It was obvious when the peacock spotted black leopard filly first stood that she would grow to be a very big mare. Her long legs were graced by black points, dramatic contrast to her snowy white coat. Stonewall Blanche sparked serious dreams of driving glory. She did not disappoint. This was the first of three sisters to become Stonewall Sporthorse Champions produced by Stonewall Crystal, a big, rugged black leopard daughter of 1967 National Champion Crystal Curtain. Stonewall Blanche took easily to harness as a strapping two-year-old, showing willingness to go anywhere and do anything. By the time she was four, she was competing regionally, then throughout the West. In 1998, Michael Muir was named to represent the United States at the first World Championship for Drivers with Disabilities, held in Wolfsburg, Germany, with competitors from nine countries. The Americans came home with the team bronze medal, led by Florida’s Kate Rivers earning the individual bronze. Mike was hooked and he wanted more. His string of driving horses were shipped to Southern Pines, North Carolina, the heart of the American driving world, early in 1999. They would spend the year training and competing to qualify for the 2000 World Driving Championship in Stadl Paura, Austria. Stonewall Blanche led the way, storming through competitions in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Blanche towered well...
Harnessing Hope and Healing
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Newsletter August 29, 2018 Posted by Trina Wood Michael Muir has always been fascinated with genetics and breeding. As a child, he bred mice for different coat colors. By the age of nine, a family friend helped him start a small flock of sheep that he bred and raised for the local 4H in his hometown of Dixon, California. By the age of 12, with the money he earned from selling prized lambs, Muir bought his first mare who happened to be in foal, with a filly by her side. More than 50 years later, Muir is still breeding horses and has relied on the expertise of the veterinary hospital’s Equine Field Service to help care for them. Initially, he worked closely with Drs. John Hughes and Irwin Liu. Along with a rotating group of students, they helped Muir in breeding more than a hundred mares annually in the 1970s. “They would bring the students out to Allendale Farms in Dixon, and I learned right alongside them,” said Muir, great-grandson of America’s visionary conservationist John Muir. “They taught me a lot about breeding and general medical care.” By the time Muir reached his late 30s, the multiple sclerosis he was diagnosed with in his teens made it difficult for him to ride in the saddle, so he shifted his focus to carriage driving. He started breeding what he calls the Stonewall Sporthorse—a blend of strength, stamina, beauty, and gentle disposition. “I didn’t let my disease stop me from being a horseman, although I have a good deal of help,” Muir said. “Driving is...
Rush Ranch provides a new lease on life
It wasn’t the sight of the horses that triggered something inside Brent Satterlee’s brain. It was the smell of manure and earth that started to bring back memories, says his wife, Kristi Satterlee. “It was like a fog lifted, and he just woke up.” Brent spent 20 years in the US Army as a combat medic, but towards the end of his successful career, the otherwise strong and healthy man started showing signs of early on-set dementia. Kristi and Brent have been good friends for thirty years, but she rarely saw him. Three years ago, they were reunited at a birthday party for Brent and she was shocked to see how much he had declined due to the disease. He was dangerously thin and was headed toward assisted living because he could no longer care for himself. Determined to turn things around, the couple married and Kristi went to work to get him healthy again. Her strategy included walks in open spaces. She wasn’t a hiker, so it took some research to discover Lake Herman, Pena Adobe, Lynch Canyon and Rush Ranch. Memories of the land Kristi knew that Brent spent part of his youth on a large ranch in Northern California. On their first visit to Rush Ranch, Kristi saw something spark in Brent while they were standing in front of the stallion barn. She talked to Monatte, the Rush Ranch Steward, who told them that Access Adventure has a wounded vet program. They signed up. Now Brent comes to Rush Ranch twice a week, where with Kristi’s help he feeds the horses, mucks the stalls, and works...Donate
“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature can heal body and soul.” ~ John Muir