ShutterStock/Lincoln Rogers. 70 equestrian december/january 2009 usef.org

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1 70 equestrian december/january 2009 usef.org ShutterStock/Lincoln Rogers

2 City Slickers By Jeannie Blancq Putney When some people daydream at their desk, they picture themselves playing a few holes on a nice golf course. For horse people the office daydream involves something just as relaxing but much more demanding and rewarding than a rousing game of golf. For four city slickers in particular, the successful weekdays spent in the city are a stark contrast to their weekends spent in the saddle. Brought Back to Horses Lonnie Ledbetter of Ft. Worth, TX, owns three insurance companies so he can afford his horse habit. He lives in the city four days a week and on his Iron Horse Ranch in Granbury, TX, the other three. Ledbetter s companies employ 450 people and write $800 million in casualty insurance premiums. He also developed a data processing program that monitors expiration dates on automobiles in banks. I think the reason I ve been so successful is because I was afraid of failure, he said. That s the way I am with my horses. As an oil field kid, Ledbetter moved all over the country and, as a result, could never have horses. After he graduated from college and left the service that changed; one of the first things he did was let his uncle talk him into buying his first horse in From there the passion ignited. In the 1980s, Ledbetter went into the horse business with one of his younger brothers. After his brother died in a helicopter accident, Ledbetter distanced himself from the horses for a few years but couldn t stay away from his true passion and got involved again 10 years ago. Today, he owns a well-known breeding farm on 100 acres with 55 horses. I have a philosophy that if you re going to do something you have to do it wholeheartedly, and you have to believe, he continued. He enjoys simply being around his horses, but he can often be found in the show ring with his halter and Western pleasure horses. He will soon begin to show in trail classes, too. Once I commit to something I ve got to be good at it, he said. I don t have to be the best, but I have to be good at it. He is in the process of backing off a bit at work and letting his son, daughter and other brother take on more of the business. Ledbetter tries to leave the office on Thursdays and is back at the ranch for a long weekend as often as possible, even longer on show weekends. Although he married an Oklahoma country girl, Ledbetter s wife is not exactly a horseperson. My wife tolerates my horse business, he said. The last thing she says to me when I leave for a show is Lonnie, please don t buy another horse. Ledbetter said his horse friends hardly recognize him in his work attire and vice versa, but everyone is aware of usef.org december/january 2009 equestrian 71

3 72 equestrian december/january 2009 usef.org Clockwise from top, left: Maumellesports.com, Sue Lynn Perry, Jonathan Timberlake,??, Sumrall Photography, Jeannie Putney. Opposite: Jeannie Putney

4 his dual life. You ve got to have a business if you re going to support a horse habit, but if I could make a living in the horse business that is what I would do. Boardroom to Shed Row Like Ledbetter, Brenda O Neil has a successful career in the city, but her horses are never far from her thoughts. This bank chairman/ceo keeps her sanity in this fastpaced world by staying connected with her horses. O Neil has always worked in Ft. Myers, has lived there for most of her life and has always been in banking. Using her degree in finance, she starts up small banks for a living, which includes organizing investors, running them for up to 10 years and selling them to other banks for expansion. The love of horses has been with O Neil most of her life, but two years ago she decided it was time to balance out her fast-paced city job with a country home in Ft. Denaud, FL, where she could keep seven of her eight horses on her 25 acres. I ve bred and raised several, and there s nothing like the enjoyment of it and stress relief, said O Neil. I could have a bad day at work, and it all just falls away when I get home and see my horses. I enjoy the physical demands of owning horses. I love cutting grass and fixing fence. I love being in the barn at 5 a.m. mucking stalls and listening to the horses munch on their hay. It s quite peaceful and the perfect start to my day. It s so different from what I do during the day. I start my day in the barn, and I finish my day in the barn. Married for 38 years to her non-horsey husband, O Neil often trail rides her pasture pets around the farm. It s a privilege to live out in the country, she said. It s a True horsemen will always make adjustments to accommodate their horse habit. great place to be. I wouldn t trade it for anything. O Neil has one show horse that she doesn t keep at her home in Ft. Denaud. Instead she keeps the mare in training at Char-O-Lot Ranch in Myakka City, FL. I have a pretty busy schedule and need to keep her in show shape, said O Neil. I can t ride consistently enough to show successfully so having a good trainer helps. O Neil shows in both novice and master classes quite frequently at the regional shows and enjoys Western pleasure and lately halter classes. I ve done a little bit of everything except jumping, but I always come back to Western, she said. I loved the discipline of dressage, but I m getting older, and Western s a little bit slower pace. I m more comfortable there. I m too much of a city slicker now; I want a broke horse. According to O Neil, the people she works with would not recognize her if she ran into them on the weekends. The jeans, ponytail and hat don t translate to the business suits and heels during the week. I love it because it is such a contrast to my work life. Although she is most definitely the odd one out at work, when it comes to her hobby, she said her co-workers support her habit. Lots of people at work have worked Opposite, clockwise from top left: Stephen Timberlake in the junior reining class at the Arkansas State Championship Horse Show. The Timeberlakes are definitely a musical family, as well. Here Jonathan and Stephen play the video game Rock Band. Speed is Stephen s passion both in and out of the competition ring. Brenda O Neil and her winning mare, Chips and Roses, during the Novice Non-Pro Western Pleasure class at the 2008 Appaloosa Horse Championship World Show. Jonathan aboard Ruf Maid Chick (Dillon) sliding to a stop. Lonnie Ledbetter and All Too Sweet in the halter class in Non-Pro Aged Mares. Above, right: Lonnie Ledbetter leading his granddaughter, Ryleigh, in the six and under leadline class at the 2008 Dalworth Appaloosa Show Summer Sizzler. usef.org december/january 2009 equestrian 73

5 with me for years and know my passion for horses. What was really neat was when I got back from the World Show last year they told me about how they all congregated around one computer screen to watch me compete live and cheer me on. The support O Neil receives from her co-workers is not surprising. All in the Family Students Jonathan and Stephen Timberlake receive similar support from their classmates who are curious about their unique pastime. The brothers have lived in a suburb of Memphis, TN, all their lives. Fifteen-year-old Jonathan and 10-year-old Stephen are third generation competitive riders, but their day-to-day lives are more urban than their parents and grandparents. Their horses are Jeannit Putney well over an hour away in Brookland, AR, at Schaffhauser Stables. They also keep some of their horses with their grandmother in Harrisburg, AR, where they happily spend much of their summer each year. The brothers have become increasingly interested in reining over the years, but have done a little bit of everything in a Western saddle. It is a stark contrast to their busy weekday lives in the city. Jonathan excels in music and would like to be involved in music production as a professional recording engineer or producer someday. Success in the music industry runs in the family the boys halfbrother is international singing superstar Justin Timberlake. Stephen would like a career in video game design when he is older, but says he may still have a life with horses in it. The brothers said they enjoy having a life in the city and the country. I like being near my favorite stores and going to the movies, said Stephen. But, I also like hunting and riding dirt bikes. Jonathan said he doesn t feel excluded around his friends because he has a hobby that they don t necessarily understand. When I return to school in the fall and the other kids are telling what they did over the summer, my story is always different, Stephen said. Most of my friends think it is cool. Both boys handle the constant runaround like seasoned pros because they are happy to be spending time with their family. It is likely that this horse-loving family won t be letting go of this habit anytime soon. I hope to compete someday at the pro level, said Jonathan. It would be nice to actually make some money showing. True horsemen will always make adjustments to accommodate their horse habit. These four prove it s possible to live an urban lifestyle and still enjoy what, in the past, has been thought of as a rural pastime. Brenda O Neil and Chips and Roses in the Non-Pro Most Colorful at Halter class at the World Show. 74 equestrian december/january 2009 usef.org