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USA Farm - The Story of "Beginnings"
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While walking down the yellow brick road of the horse world a decision was made... We would start
investing in Curly Horses.
Most people start by buying a filly or two - and then it just happens that the cute little
backyard filly grows and becomes a young mare. Then someone comes up with "Perhaps we should breed
our mare." One thing leads to another and bing-bang-boom, it happens, you're in the breeding
business.
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Well here's another approach...the story of two newcomers and the unique path they followed
into the Curly Horse business.
John and Nicole come from a Quarterhorse showing background. While attending the World Horse Expo
in Hanover, Germany the two stumbled upon a Curly Horse exhibit. Hmmmm...they were both surprised
at the appearance of this interesting little horse. He had a mass of curly hair over his entire body.
The conformation was similar to a Quarterhorse and yet so unusual.....???
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| Well we all know how curiosity killed the cat. The two newcomers took notes and went home to surf the
web searching for more info about the curly creature.
SHA BANG! The most famous Curly Horse breeder of all time was in their backyard: Austin, Nevada!
A phone call was made to Chuck and Debbie Bispo at Dry Creek.
The newcomers made plans to hitch up the modern day buckboard and set out at first light for Austin, NV.
With snow on the ground and the wind howling at their back, they searched out Dry Creek.
Dry Creek is a jewel in time, undisturbed...just as it must have looked during
The settling of the American West. The Damele boy's even rode up on their Curly Horses to greet the
us. The calendar had just been turned back to the late 18th century.
Don't bother looking for an indoor arena or a show barn because there ain't none!!!
These horses are still being raised on the same rugged mountains and land that they were a hundred years ago.
There was an immediate connection between the parties and the decision to
invest in Curly Horses was made that very day. An agreement was made that John
and Nicole would buy Curly Horses from the Dameles every year. The newcomers were well aware that the
best way to start a breeding program was to buy the best mares.
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PROBLEM A:
The Dameles weren't selling broodmares!!! The newcomers made the next best decision...buy the offspring
from these great old ABC mares.
Well, load for bear when you buy a Dry Creek Damele foal. These little critters haven't had human hands
on them, other than at branding time. Someone send a memo to the "Horse Whisperer"...the word "imprinting"
is no in the Damele vocabulary. The only imprinting done on Dry Creek is done by cougars, snakes and coyotes.
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Our new purchases were herded into a holding pen, run through a loading chute
and into our horsetrailer. What a rodeo! We got our new weanlings home and by
the end of the week the little ones were eating out of our hands. All they needed was a little
TLC. We'd lauch each day just watchin' them clean up this stuff called "hay". I don't believe
the foals had ever had any alfalfa and they weren't aobut to miss any last crumb. A couple
months later the litte tykes were sportin' barn names like Butterbal and Tubby.
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THE SPRING OF 2004
Color was in the air and on the ground at Dry Creek. The now semi-newcomers had kept in
touch with the Dry Creek's foreman, Chuck Bispo. They had let him know that, again,
they would buy all the offspring from the old foundation mares.
THE GOLD STRIKE: FALL OF 2004
The Dameles saw that the old mares were having
a tough time and chances were they wouldn’t survive another winter on the range.
They remembered that the newcomers were interested in the famous old ABC mares
of Dry Creek. With the help of Chuck and Debbie Bispo, Nicole and John struck a
deal to buy these notable ol' gals. Everyone took comfort in knowing that the
mares would be able to live out their lives, under the watchful eyes of John and
Nicole, in Erda, Utah.
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John and Nicole’s goal is to continue breeding the Dry Creek Damele line of
Curly Horses. Many of these old mares are still producing and will continue to
be bred as long as possible. John and Nicole, guardians of the Dry Creek Curly
mares, have taken the name "Dry Creek Curlies" to insure that the name lives
on.
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