Breeding champs: Local man gives Appaloosa horses hands-on attention
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Contrary to most entrepreneurs, Lee Webster&8217;s five-year business plan involves alfalfa hay, brood-mares and a lot of hands-on attention.
Webster is a Shelby County horse-breeder and known all over for his specialty &045; spotted Appaloosa horses.
&8220;We began five years ago with Appaloosas,&8221; he said, sitting in his western-clad office. He explained his daughter&8217;s interest in the stunning breed was what first piqued his curiosity. From there, &8220;We wanted to be able compete and win in the open halter classes in five years, so we came up with a five-year breeding plan.&8221;
Webster and his South Shades Crest based family began their breeding with 1995 world champion Appaloosa stallion, CK&8217;s High Roller. Since then, Webster&8217;s horses have won award after award, and most recently his stallion Choice Heart won the Alabama Open Horse Association state championship in Montgomery. Choice Heart and another stallion, RU Connected, will go on to later this year to compete in the Appaloosa Association World Championship in Fort Worth, Texas.
Besides careful breeding, Webster&8217;s attributes his success to the hands-on attitude he takes towards his horses. From the time they are babies, Webster takes them through a &8220;spookless&8221; program, where the foals are gradually introduced to everyday elements that might be startling or scary.
&8220;It helps the babies because you don&8217;t have to do that stuff when they are bigger and harder to handle,&8221; Webster said. He begins hauling the foals in horse trailers early on, bringing them to competitions. He also takes his horses to the 5W Ranch and exercises them on the underwater treadmill.
&8220;The hands on approach makes a big difference,&8221; Webster said. He added later, commenting on raising and breaking horses, &8220;Everybody has a different philosophy on it. Anybody can go down and throw food at them.
I love my horses, I&8217;d never want to beat up on them.&8221;
Webster is the only full time worker on the farm currently, hiring only part-time help to assist with daily responsibilities on the farm.
For him, he said, &8220;It would take some of the fun away from it.&8221;