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A Humble Thank You to Some Special Friends of Ours

There are many people that we have to thank for the successes that we have had thus far.  One of our strongest beliefs is that a person should never forget where they came from.  We have been blessed with many incredible friends and a solid upbringing from wonderful families.  From Lisa’s youth on a ranch and working for Portia Sue Kalinka to the great conversations Mike’s shared with Larry Laramore and so many others of you at recent shows…  We thank you all so much for the hundreds of ways that you’ve helped us throughout the years.

We’d also like to thank these specific people for the contributions that they have made to the birth and growth of Strasslein Stables.

Lee and Barb Martin

The Martins have been a huge influence on us from the very beginning.  The very first Miniature horse that Lisa bought was a Martin bred horse.  Since then, the base that we’ve built our little ranch on has been obtained vastly from the Martins.  Our friendship with them has enabled us to acquire a level of quality that we just wouldn’t have been capable of getting anywhere else.  The horses that we’ve received from them have been a dream. 

They’ve been open and honest with us every step of the way as they offered the kind of guidance and advice that only years and years of experience can provide.  If it weren’t for Lee and Barb, we’d still be floundering around trying to get started.  Their mentorship has been nothing short of a blessing to us.

Belinda Bagby

Belinda has been the perfect catalyst to turn our dreams into reality.  In the world’s top echelon of small equine halter trainers, she doesn’t have a lot of open spots on her show string.  We felt truly lucky to become a client of hers. 

Since then, we feel that she has become more than just a trainer to us.  She’s a friend and an advisor.  “B” continues to offer us guidance to help us achieve the most possible with our herd.  Her ideas and suggestions are something that we will always welcome as we continue to strive to help her stay on top the same way that she’s helping us to get there.

Richard and Jacque Mason

Inasmuch as the Martins have helped us to build a solid foundation and Belinda has helped us to achieve our showing dreams, so are the Masons in regards to our long-term success.  Richard and Jacque have taken us in with nothing but our gratitude to gain for themselves. 

We used to sit in envy as we watched the beautiful horses of "Wall Street".  Now, we are fortunate to have developed a friendship with the Masons and are learning from them the methods they use to have the quality of horses that have the potential to win a National Grand Championship year after year.  The Champion producing blood lines that they own are ones that we believe in the strength and stability of.  Studying the lineage of their horses has taught us a lot about what to look for in a breeding program.

I suppose, looking back, that it’s not surprising that we’ve been as successful as we have been when you examine the combination of the Martin’s Rock “E” bred horses, Belinda’s unique understanding of the Rock “E” blood line, and the Mason’s exquisite collection of Rock “E” horses (including Bar G’s Rock “E”, himself).  I wish that we could say that we knew exactly what we were doing from the start, but the truth is that we’ve been learning every day.  So, one last thank you to 2 people whom we’ve never even met but did know what they were doing for sure:  Bonnie & Loyd Hittle, thank you for your amazing breeding program and the excellence that is now your legacy.  If you hadn’t found Rock “E” and the  perfect mares to cross with him, the small equine world just wouldn’t be the same.

        Send mail to lisa@strasslein.com with questions or comments about our ranch and/or animals.

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