H  Hey, son, I told you I was going to show up on this website riding  this Ay-rab horse!

Sally Basiger, here and above, rides Supreme Tsamaz up and down the pavement in front of Tractor Supply Company in Chardon, Ohio.

Mackenzie May is not happy, but minutes later she did not want to leave Supreme Tsamaz!

Christian Thornton says, " I LIKE horses. I'm a cowboy!" Dad, Curtis Thornton, bought Christian a model horse inside TSC! Happy Trails, Little Cowpoke!

Curtis Thornton shows his expertise in handling WIW Royal Windsong. You're a natural, Curt!

Blake Yoder looks comfortable aboard Supreme Tsamaz.

Kaina Yoder makes riding look easy!

"Wow, this was worth putting on a pair of shoes for!" Bethany Molzon shows her stuff.

Members of the Hambden Alliance Church Youth Group ham it up for the camera! Wash that horse!!

WINDT IM WALD'S VISIT TO TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY  CHARDON, OHIO---August 21, 2004

Towards the end of July 2004, Kelly, who works at the Chardon, Ohio, Tractor Supply Company, called us to see if we would like to bring horses to the store to give TSC visitors a chance to pet a foal and ride a full-grown Arabian horse. We jumped at the opportunity to disprove the widespread notion in Northeast Ohio that purebred and partbred Arabians are unmanageable, easily upset, and inappropriate as family horses. We have worked with several different breeds of horses over the years, and in general, our conclusion is that we like nearly all horses, regardless of breed--but we are fondest of Arabians because we think they are quick to learn and eager to please when they are treated with respect and dignity.

We quickly decided that we would arrive on August 21 and would give rides on our wonderful ¾ Arabian mare, Supreme Tsamaz, who rides without a bit. She functions very sensibly with just a nosepiece or bosal and a pair of reins clipped to that bosal. On days when she is ridden without the bosal, we use a leather halter with a pair of clip reins. She also functions well with a standard bridle and gag bit, but we thought it was important to show folks that a well-broke horse will function as nicely without a bit as with one.

At 10:20 AM we arrived with Supreme Tsamaz and with WIW Royal Windsong, a purebred Arabian yearling filly by our herd sire, Royal Pride Rythm. We have been showing Windsong locally to ribbons. Frank, the TSC store manager, quickly sent Jason, a pleasant young man, with a large supply of gate panels that locked together to form an 8'x30' round, er, square pen. Immediately folks started showing up around the square pen, curious about the horses inside. As cars came into the shopping center, we could see drivers and passengers crane their necks around, trying to figure out why there were horses at this busy location. Soon parents and children were oohing and aahing over Windsong. When we offered to let folks ride Tsammie, we had several volunteers.

At first the rides were just inside the square pen, but Tsammie was so quiet and mannerly that we took her outside the pen and led her up and down the sidewalk in front of TSC. The first person to ride Tsammie was a Chardon resident, Sally Basiger. Sally was all smiles as she got up in the saddle and told us how much she loved animals, especially horses. At one point she leaned over and planted a kiss on Tsammie's neck. Tsammie was her normal, quiet, responsive self, a little oblivious to the kisses, but obviously enjoying all the attention just the same. There were several folks from inside the stores who stood outside and shook their heads about a horse on the sidewalk, but Tsammie and Sally just continued on their rounds in spite of fast cars in the parking lot.

There were lots of children who got to visit with Tsammie and Windsong, as well. In a couple of cases youngsters were not as thrilled as their parents to be in the company of a horse, even if she is a relatively small horse at 14.2 hands. Mackenzie May spent several minutes trying to communicate that she would rather be in her daddy's arms than straddling the back of a horse, but by the time her ride was over, she was reaching her arms toward Tsammie instead of Daddy. Somehow, Tsammie had changed her mind, and she left that day a little more closely converted to being a horse-lover. Christian Thornton, also, was just a bit ambivalent when placed in Tsammie's saddle. "I think I like horses...I think I like horses," he said, the whole time allowing his mouth to turn down just a tad and his eyes to express a little doubt. Within less than a minute, however, as we led Tsammie around the square pen, Christian broke into a huge smile that lit up his entire face. "I'm a cowboy! I am really a cowboy! I like horses!" His laughing eyes reflected his happiness and confidence to his father, Curtis. Curtis, too, got right into the act, spending several happy minutes leading Windsong in the pen. Kaina and Blake Yoder took turns riding Tsammie and beaming their success. When Curtis and Christian came out of TSC, they showed us the model horse that Christian had begged to have. Hey, TSC, thank you for catering to this young man's blooming love for horses.

At last, Bethany Molzon, part of the Hambden Alliance Church Youth Group came forward--wearing an actual pair of shoes--to ride Tsammie. Beth, along with Martin Pateson, Lan Pateson, Ellen Levoskevich, and Desi D'Amico, had been washing cars for much of the day and could not resist being pictured with Tsammie. What a great bunch of kids working for a good cause!

It was after 3 PM when we let Frank and Kelly know we were leaving. Frank seemed disappointed that we had not been able to give him a ride aboard Tsammie, as promised... So Frank, we owe you a ride aboard Supreme Tsamaz anytime you want, just to bring out the cowboy in your soul!

We had a wonderful time at TSC. We met a lot of kind, thoughtful folks who seemed to enjoy being in the presence of horses in the middle of a good-sized city. Supreme Tsamaz and WIW Royal Windsong ate up all the attention that was given and adapted nicely to all kinds of noise and distractions like plastic bags. These are the kinds of experiences which make better horses, and we are grateful to have shared our way of life. The whole day helped us feel a little more connected.

Thanks, Frank! Thanks, Kelly! Thanks, TSC, and the people of Chardon! We look forward to sharing our horses again. As President Teddy Roosevelt said on more than one occasion: "There is nothing so good for the insides of a man as the outsides of a horse." Yep, that certainly seemed to be true on August 21, 2004.