Windt im
Wald
A Wind in the Woods
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.”
At Windt im Wald Farm we are preservationist Arabian horse breeders.
specializing in Crabbet/CMK bloodlines. We also provide Arabian
horse training and riding lessons.
Check our Arabian horse sales page for both
Purebred and Half-Arabian Horses
Extinction by NAIS
