Windt im Wald Farm
Geauga County, Northeast Ohio
since 1995
This move behooves them
Auburn couple crusades to save reputation of Arabian
horses
Reprinted here by permission of
The Sun News Papers By MICHAEL SEUIFFERT Staff Writer
They do it for the smiles on the
children's faces.
SUN PHOTO BY DAVID LIAM
KYLE
Diane Jones said Supreme Tsamaz, Tsammie pictured
here, is a perfect ambassador for Arabian horses. She
is calm and does not panic at new and unusual sights.
They do it because they
remember what it was like to be a kid.
And they do it to teach others a lesson about a misunderstood animal.
Diane and Tom Jones are the proud owners of nine Arabian horses and
the Windt im Wald Farm in Auburn.
For years, they have heard from friends, family and other horse farmers
that Arabian horses are not suited for a family farm. They have heard
that Arabian horses are wild and temperamental. They have heard that
they are not safe for children.
Diane and Tom have set out
to prove them all wrong.
On Sept. 26, Diane and Tom took two of their horses out on a trip to
the Tractor Supply shopping plaza in downtown Chardon. It was a strange
place to take horses, for sure, judging from the confused looks and
stares from the people walking by.
In the middle of the plaza with cars, trucks, lawnmowers and motorcycles
all going by, Diane and Tom offered free rides to all the kids who stopped
by to watch.
Isaiah Cad of Munson gets
along ride on tsammie at
the Tractor Supply shopping plaza in Chardon.
“We both grew up in Maple
Heights and did not have exposure to horses as kids,” Diane said. “We
figured that the kids out there have the same dreams that we did to
ride a horse, but don't have the opportunity. It feels good to be able
to give back and make their dreams come one, just as ours have.”
It was not long before a line formed to ride Supreme Tsamaz, Tsammie
for short, a 12-year-old, ¾ Arabian mare. Smiles abounded on everyone's
face from the youngest rider, 2 ½ year-old Maria DiCello of Kirtland,
to the oldest, Anna Bileci of Hambden, a college student who admitted
she always wanted to ride a horse.
Though the traffic around them was noisy, and there were many distractions
for Tsammie, she rode smoothly and safely for all to see. Later, when
the riders' parents learned that she was an Arabian horse, they were
shocked.
“We take every precaution in training our horses to make them spook-proof
and rider-safe under any circumstances,” Diane said. “Arabians have
a bad reputation because so many of them are treated badly and trained
to act crazy. Really, they're sweet and they're quiet and they respond
to kindness.”
“It's sort of become a crusade for us to show that these horses are
just as safe as any other breed.”
Savannah Hough is all confidence
Dream come true
Sept. 26 was not the first
time Diane and Tom have set up impromptu pony rides for kids. They have
been doing it for months in random places around Geauga County.
Though the kids always have fun, Tom and Diane feel that they are the
ones who get the most out of the experience.
“The expression on the kids' faces is all the thanks that we need,”
Diane said.
The horse farm certainly was a strange career path for Diane, who taught
high school English and German in the Parma school system for years,
and Tom, a former medical engineer.
“This is what I've always wanted to do,” Diane said. “When I was growing
up, every Christmas I asked for a pony. But the closest I ever got was
a book about horses.”
“It took a couple of turns in life to make this happen.”
About 10 years ago, Diane’s father was dying of cancer. At the same
time, she was involved in a serious car accident that nearly left her
paralyzed.
DON'T QUIT
By Clinton Howell
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must---but don't you quit!
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow-
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt-
And you never can tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you MUST NOT quit!
“We said to each other,
either we do this now or we'll never do it,” Diane said.
The Joneses bought the farm, literally, and never looked back.
“My job was stressful. I used to have ulcers all the time,” Tom said.
"This is very relaxing.”
“There are a lot of kids out there who are like we were and did not
have the opportunity to ride on a horse. This is just our way of giving
back.”
“Sometimes, there are rough days,” Diane said. “A couple of years ago
we lost two of our foals and did not know if we could go on. But it
is nice to wake up every morning and know you are doing what you love.
I know now that I could never give this up.”
The Joneses plan on continuing their crusade to light up children's
lives and teach others about Arabian horses. All they ask from the kids
is to smile for the pictures they take, which all end up on their Web
site, www.wiwfarm.com.
At the site, there are also pictures of Diane and Tom together with
their horses, with smiles just as big as the kids'.
“It's taken all these years just to be a kid again,” Diane said. “It's
a fairy tale come true.”
