My Story…
From the little girl who loved horses to Clara Quade Performance Horses.
My story begins where many horsemen and horsewomen’s stories begin. I fell in love with horses from the time I was young. I read all the books and magazines, watched all the movies, and soaked up every opportunity to be around horses even just to watch them. I dreamed of one day being a cowgirl!
Working My Way There…
Growing up, I started taking riding lessons, getting lessons as birthday and Christmas presents. Then, as a teenager and with my parents help, I looked for jobs that would allow me to work with horses hands on. At Camp Shamineau in Minnesota, I had the opportunity to teach riding classes to kids and help care for the herd of horses and maintenance of the ranch during my high school summers. Those summers were golden!
When I graduated, I attended Asbury University in Kentucky, earning my Bachelor’s Degree in Equine Studies: Science & Management with a minor in Business Administration. During my time there, I was involved in the training program under NRHA trainer, Jesse Westfall, taking every training class and training up multiple horses from unstarted to riding under saddle. I soaked up absolutely everything I could! In this time, I learned about the sport of reining and knew that is what I wanted to pursue.
Over the next few years, I started to develop my training business, Clara Quade Performance Horses. At the same time, I worked another career to support pursuing my dream. I used this time to work in positions and industries that developed my skills as a businesswoman and gave me a broader understanding of the equine industry. I am a lifelong learner and curious about how things work together and connect. I worked on a guest ranch in Colorado, held admin and legal positions for the Minnesota Racing Commission, managed the foaling farm for Dr. Woodrow Friend of Rood & Riddle Veterinary Hospital, became a licensed pharmaceutical technician for the Rood & Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy, and worked in veterinary technology & software sales for Covetrus.
A Dream Come True…
After college, I purchased my first horse – a reining bred 3-year-old named Jacs Miss Quitta. Owning Quita has been a childhood dream come true!
I have always known that I wanted to train horses but wasn’t sure how that looked in a career. I needed to further my education first. Over the next several years, I learned how to train and show Quita in Western Dressage, studying under Jesse & Stacy Westfall and Classical Dressage coaches. At the same time, I was learning Liberty from Luke Gingerich and Jesse Westfall. I competed Quita bridleless and at liberty as a 4-year-old at the International Liberty Horse Association Championship Show and placed in and won our classes. I still knew I wanted to learn how to train reining, but Kentucky was not the place to find that sport. So, I moved to Ohio, the birthplace of reining! I spent the next several years working under and being coached by Stacy Westfall in reining. I scribed under NRHA judges at many shows around the eastern United States to learn the sport from the inside out before competing in local and regional reining shows around Ohio. Last year, I won the Rookie Professional division at the Central Ohio Reining Horse Association.
Reaching My Goal…
After living in Ohio for a couple of years, I met Jen & Matt Pamer, the owners of Timber Valley Ranch. They proposed a partnership to develop Clara Quade Performance Horses out of Timber Valley Ranch. It has been such an incredible opportunity to work with the Pamers. I now get to live my dream training, coaching, and mentoring. It is a joy and a privilege to help so many people and their horses reach goals they were not certain they would ever be able to attain!
