Silver Aspen Ranch comes up golden
Published 5:40 pm Wednesday, December 9, 2009
When it comes to bringing out the best in show horses on the national stage, few do it better than the Powell powerhouse.
Silver Aspen Ranch consistently produces golden moments in the arena, the latest resulting in four more titles captured at the 43rd U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show in Tulsa, Okla., held Oct. 23-31.
The Auburn family’s stable has produced at least one national champion each year since 1986, the show season in which Rod Powell rode a 4-year-old Appaloosa named Wild Whistler to the first of his many national riding crowns.
“I knew he had the talent,” said Rod, the patriarch of the family’s 25-acre, year-round horse training stable.
Understanding horses, training them appropriately, and placing them in suitable positions to succeed often separates the Powells from the competition. And the family means to keep that edge.
The ranch enjoyed a banner ’09 show season, reflected in four U.S. National, 12 Canadian Open, five U.S. reserve national, five youth national and scores of regional championships.
The secret to success is carefully building the horse up from its foundation, respecting the animal’s limits and reinforcing healthy habits.
“We have to understand the horse,” said Rod, 49, who works as a special education teacher at Auburn’s Pioneer Elementary School when he isn’t training horses. Rod has been riding since he was 3 and competing in shows since 5.
“Every horse is different. Some are tireless, others need to work,” Rod added. “You have to put in the time so you can win at the national level. … It’s all about hard work, dedication. It’s like any other sport.”
Rod’s experience and persistence paid off in his latest championship ride. Aboard Gunsmoke – his 7-year-old Half-Arabian gray gelding – Rod rode conservatively in two clean go-rounds before picking up the pace to deliver an emphatic effort in the finals. A relaxed and ready Gunsmoke responded to a series of required spins, sliding stops, figure-eights and lead changes to secure the reining division title.
As expected, Rod provided the soft movements, relaxed hands, noble ring presence and time-tested maneuvers to get the job done.
“We made a judgment call with Gunsmoke on what the horse does best,” Rod said. “Gunsmoke is an athlete. He looks like a gangly thoroughbred, yet he maneuvers very well for reining. Gunsmoke was the exception.”
Other Silver Aspen Ranch riders responded at Oklahoma.
Rod’s wife, LaRae, rode Navaho Joe, a 14-year-old pure-bred Arabian bay gelding, to the national title in the reined working cow open division. She also teamed up with Friendly Fire, a 10-year-old pure-bred Arabian chestnut gelding, to capture a reigning open title.
The Powells worked wonders with Friendly Fire, which came to their barn with an attitude. The horse, however, took to orders and responded in time.
“You’re just happy that it all comes together,” said LaRae, a perennial national champion rider who manages the family stable and its trainers. “(Friendly Fire) is a smart horse. We just took charge. We gave him a job to do.”
Friendly Fire also carried Allison Mostowich to a reining championship in her age group at Oklahoma.
The Powell factory also includes three boys who have found success in the ring.
Skylar, 18, and Colby, 15, have scored many national youth championships. Skylar, a freshman at Green River Community College, rode his way to six youth nationals titles in U.S. and Canada this year. Colby, a sophomore at Auburn High, picked up another youth national championship, this time in working cow horse at Albuquerque, N.M., in August.
Trentyn, 9, a third-grader at Pioneer, was a top-five regional showman in the western pleasure walk-trot 10-and-under division. It was his first year of competition.
The Powells built their ranch over time with hard work. Today, the ranch holds about 70 horses, 20 of which belong to the Powell family. The business demands plenty of long hours and constant attention.
Bringing out the best in the rider and horse keeps the Powells motivated in a tough business. Getting a particular horse that might not be gifted athletically to perform well in the arena is what it’s all about.
“To me, that’s more fulfilling,” LaRae said.
Riding a champion is a culmination of many factors, including paying attention to the smallest of details.
“It’s amazing,” Rod said of shaping and nurturing championship rides. “It’s like all the hard work pays off.
“You have to do your homework. You take what you have,” he said. “You have to be horseman enough to know that this horse either has it or he doesn’t.”
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Silver Aspen Ranch
• Auburn facility: 25 acres, 5 barns, 60 stalls, indoor and outdoor arenas, 70 horses.
• Staff: head operator Rod Powell; trainers: LaRae Powell, Cheryl Fletcher, Jaime Smith.
• Specializing: Training and showing of Arabian and Half-Arabian horses in reining, western pleasure and hunter pleasure.
• Honors: Open, amateur and youth programs produced more than 250 national and reserve national champions at the Arabian and Half-Arabian nationals, as well as national and world champions in the Appaloosa and quarter-horse breeds.
• Phone: 253-833-5243, barn
• Web site: www.silveraspenranch.com
