ABOUT CHARRON QUARTER HORSES

Carl Charron has had a life long connection to horses.  His family says the genes run in his blood as his Grandfather, a prairie cattle farmer was a true horseman.  His father, however, was happy with the invention of tractors and steam driven equipment so at a very early age, Carl and his brother Alfred were drawn to the neighbour's farm to sneak rides on work horses.  They'd pull old plow horses over to a rail fence, climb up a few rungs, grab the mane and swing on for a ride.  By the age of thirteen Carl was driving the team of horses for the neighbour farmer during hay season and grain harvest.  Every chance he got in between working on his own family farm and working for neighbours he went riding.  The money he earned was spent at the movie show whenever a western was playing.

A couple of years later Alfred who was much better at saving money spent his earnings on a young untamed colt.  The colt had been sold to the neighbour by natives from a wild band on an island and proved to be too much to handle.  As the colt grew he also proved too much for Alfred and after several unsuccessful attempts at breaking him, Carl stepped in and got the job done by bronc riding him into submission.

Years passed and on a summer holiday from his job as a butcher for Dominion Stores, Carl and a friend discovered the Caston riding stables at Blue Water Beach near Wyevale, Ontario.  A life long friendship was struck with the entire family.  Eventually Ted Caston hired him to work at his farm breaking two year olds pulled off pasture in exchange for free trail rides at the beach.  Ted sold him his first Appaloosa called Rebel and a second called Maverick and sparked his interest in going to horse shows.

I met Carl in 1969.  Raised on an army base, I had no exposure to horses, but, loved the life from the very beginning.  Our dates revolved around practising barrel racing, trail riding, brushing and grooming horses and sitting around campfires at the boarding farm in Shanty Bay, Ontario.  For diversion we visited horse people, went to horse shows and visited tack shops.  I came to the marriage with my three year old son, Dwayne , from a previous marriage and Carl came with two horses complete with tack.  Our family quickly expanded to include Jake in 1971 and Tara Lea in 1973.

Together we began our horse journey, by renting a farm, buying our first registered quarter mare with a golden pedigree, and even better personality, named John Leo's Cheri.  Next we bought a young well broke two year old registered quarter horse stallion, named Senor Jessie San, from Dieter Urban of Innisfil.  "Jessie" was bred in Texas with tons of ability and a whole lot of sense.  The typical "standing at stud" stated in most stallion advertising was omitted from ours as often, after a phone call from a mare owner requesting a breeding, Carl would saddle up Jessie and ride a few miles down concession roads where he would meet up with the mare to be bred.  Off would come the saddle and on the side of the road, a breeding would take place after which Carl would throw the saddle back on and ride Jessie home.  Jessie never knew the luxury of "standing at stud".

Carl used Jessie to breed mares during the week, bathed him Saturday night, loaded him on a trailer early Sunday morning, while I loaded up the kids, a picnic lunch and the equipment, then we were off to local horse show.  We'd arrive while dew was still on the grass in plenty of time for me to make entries.  The day ended with a dash board full of ribbons, Jessie had won in halter, pleasure, trail, western riding, pole bending and keyhole.  Jessie was no specialty horse-he did it all and did it well, with maybe an exception in his short quarter horse race career. The jockey said Jessie broke from the gate first and was strides down the track ahead of the other horses, he had the ability, but not the heart of a race horse.  Not wanting to run alone he'd look back and wait for the others to catch up and gladly race with them.  Over the years Jessie and Cheri consistently produced good minded qurter horses our kids were safe around that sold easily.

In 1976 friend, Ted and Edith Caston of Wyevale were doing well showing on the Appaloosa horse circuit and had just bought a second stallion and were anxious to get his stallion career underway.  We had just bought a farm and were in the process of putting up a barn.  Jessie had just been sold and the Charron Quarter Horse business was about to take a big swing to the left.  Cheri was bred to Wapiti Senor, an appaloosa black stallion with a white blanket.

"Miss Wapiti John Leo" or "Missy" to us was born the following spring and over the next few years picked up year end awards and earned an Award of Merit in halter.  The two horse gave way to the four horse trailer, our home away from home every weekend as we travelled the appaloosa circuit.  From watching every youth class at the shows I was able to now school my own kids at home about showmanship, walk jog and finesse of lead line. You'd often find Dwayne and Tara practising in the aisle of the barn, while Jake perfected building roads in the sand for his tonka trucks.  In between on the weekends off we travelled to local shows so that the kids could get in more practice  By the time Missy was two she was well on her way to being an all round horse.  She could halter for Carl, go in junior pleasure and men's pleasure, do showmanship and walk jog for Dwayne, and lead line for Tara.  There were times when we'd borrow a horse for Jake to go in lead line or showmanship, but most of the time when it came time for his class he was among the missing and usually found too late playing with a kid in the gooseneck of another trailer.  

Success on the Appaloosa circuit didn't come from buying a push button horse or hiring a trainer, it came from working as a team.  We made mistakes and learned from them.  We listened to treasured advice from Edith Caston and another icon in the Appaloosa world, Madeleine Carpenter.  The kids all helped with barn chores and cleaning tack.  Carl did the fitting and training.  I looked after pregnant mares, and worked with the vet when he came.  I did the organizing of outfits, entries and tack and stood at the fence at every show watching what made winners and practised with the kids at home until they received a reserve year end award in walk jog and showmanship, Carl accepted a reserve in two year old halter and Tara got high point in lead line.  We're proud to say today that Missy is mentioned in the Canadian Appaloosa Hall of Fame.

Although horses was our lifestyle, family was our focus and when the kids got older we realized although they knew kids from all over Ontario, over the years they had no time to have friends at home.  After a family meeting it was decided to try something different for a while.  The horses, equipment and trailer were sold and with the money a thirty foot boat was bought which over the next few years we enjoyed on Georgian Bay.  Even during this time Carl never took his foot out of the horse industry.  He continued working with friends horses, showing for numerous other people including at Quarterama. 

They say life comes full circle.  Carl reited in 2004 after a serious heart attack.  With all the kids now married and beginning families of their own he longed to own a horse again.  Since we had always liked Skipper W breeding we bought a palominio mare called Impeccable Peppy with a passive personality, but, Carl didn't find Peppy a challenge and passed her on to me.  Today when the grandchildren come to ride it's Peppy that gets saddled up for them.

Over the next few months we searched the internet looking for "The Horse".  One night Carl told me he couldn't get a particular colt out of his mind he had seen on a website.  The next morning we emailed the Irwins Farm in BC and had them send videos and pictures.  Sight unseen we bought Irwins Kid Cool "Marcus" a dark palomino, full brother to Coochie Cool Irwin, Superior Halter Horse and arranged to have him shipped to us that November.  The Irwin farm has a wonderful reputation with the best of blood lines and everything promised has been delivered.

Carl had finally met his challenge.  At an area three horse show Marcus made his debut in a longe line class which we knew virtually nothing about.  In fact we had never even seen a longe line class.  Thanks to some quick instructions at the gate from Wendy Cairncross, Marcus got second in the class.  That fall at the Area 3 banquet Carl accepted two trophies, one for Reserve Yearling Halter and one for Reserve Longe Line.  Not bad for newbies.  Also not bad for being told by another competitor that Carl was too old to show.  That show season we also did local club shows and won High Point Halter Horse in both.  In the meantime we scouted around to buy a couple of mares that would cross well with Marcus.

Unfortunately the following year Carl was unable to show due to illness and underwent a quadruple bypass.  Horses in general were put on hold and Marcus' show career ended abruptly.  In the meantime his first test baby arrived in 2007 and we knew we were on to something.  A lifetime of studying bloodlines and horses came to fruition.  Kali was not only pretty, with an awesome personality, but she moves like her Dad.  "Kali" netted reserve champion at the Ontario Breeder's Futurity.

A write up stated in "The Rider" that we had won reserve with a filly from our own mare by our own stallion in our first ever Ontario Quarter Horse futurity which is all true and something to be proud of for sure, but, we didn't get there overnight-it wasn't a fluke-it's been a long uphill climb.

We don't presume to be big time breeders, we've just accumulated a lifetime of memories, knowledge and competitiveness in the horse industry to stand beside the best and be judged.  You won't find us at every show, we are slowing down, but, at the ones you do find us at I'll be the one running around making entries trying to create organization, Carl will be the white haired cowboy under the black hat proudly holding a home grown filly or colt at the end of a lead shank.  And the fellow you see with us at the shows is Jake, our middle son, the one who didn't seem very interested in horses as a youngster.  Jake is now our right hand to get horses ready to show, he's always on hand at foaling time, he's our photographer and webmaster.

As long as we're able we will be "breeding pretty horses that ride."

Written by Linda Charron

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