Horse Connection

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His first Event turned out to be his last. Guy and Sharon McElvain had driven 11 hours to Tipasa Ranch in Norman, Oklahoma. Events tend to go on whatever the weather, but it was a bit extreme that weekend. A tornado blew the roof off the stabling. A flooded stall drenched their coach as he slept in a corner of it, oblivious to the raging storm. A wind-tossed lawn chair flying over the head of Sharon’s horse, Gulliver, caused a mighty spook just before the start of show-jumping. Sharon fell off, remounted and put in a good round to finish 3rd in her Novice division. Slippery conditions resulted in a fall and other assorted difficulties for Guy and Corazon but even with 100+ points Guy was glad to complete his first Event. He was even happier to head home and rethink his choice of sports.

Guy and Sharon were partners with Guy’s mom, Betty McElvain of Rancho La Querencia, in the breeding of Holsteiner horses. They wanted to find ways to show and promote their livestock as sport horses. Joe Wise, an Englishman, had been helping with the breaking of the young stock and suggested Eventing as a fun way to showcase the versatility of the breed. Now what?

Guy and Sharon had also been schooling their horses on the flat, and in jumping under the tutelage of Becky Warner, an AGA Leading Rookie Rider of the Year. After their experience at Tipasa, show jumping began to look a lot more appealing. It was also a natural fit for their horses’ abilities. The confirmation that they were on the right track came in 1995, when John McConnell rode Guy’s homebred gelding Corazon to the top of the Sandia Classic Miniprix. Ten years later, Guy had the pleasure of being the pilot for the win on his mom’s horse, Corcel, in the $25,000 Arizona Desert Finals Grand Prix.

When I asked Guy if there was one really memorable moment in his life with horses, he responded that it was “probably watching my homebred jumper Corazon win the Sandia Classic Miniprix with John McConnell. I was so excited and proud, I was out of my skin. We had the best celebration afterward; I’m sure we spent far more than the prize money on the bar tab buying drinks for the whole show. The win was the culmination of so many projects. At the time we were breeding horses on a large scale and I was struggling with converting my knowledge of classical dressage training to show jumping and learning the sport and trying so hard to improve.”

“The difference from year to year in my knowledge and performance was huge – I would look back a year and realize how little I knew when I thought I knew it all. By then I knew enough to see how much more there was to learn. So it was humbling but encouraging to see that the horse could do the job. I could see that we were doing something right with the horses and the training program, but it also showed me how far I had to go to be in the same caliber with top jumper riders. At that moment I had so much respect for John’s talent and ability, and it inspired me to try even harder to improve my own skills.”

“I always felt I had an opportunity in the world of horse sports because of growing up around horses and riding from an early age, and that my knowledge of horses was an advantage. I thought it would be easy to excel, but once I got into show jumping, I began to understand how much there was to the sport. I now think that all the aspects of horse sport combine to make it one of the most difficult athletic fields in which to be competitive.”

“Winning the 2005 Arizona Grand Prix on Corcel, a horse trained by me and owned by my mother, was another very rewarding moment. I have worked hard to improve my skills and be more consistent at the Grand Prix level. My goal is to break into the International level classes.”

No doubt much of Guy’s success with horses is attributable to an early start and varied background with horses. His mother Betty, was raised in Corrales, NM, when it was still quite rural, and was involved with horses before meeting and marrying Tim McElvain. They lived near Santa Fe, where Tim ran the family oil-and-gas business. Guy and his brother Mac were born there. Tim and Betty started the first foxhunt in New Mexico, the Querencia Hounds, in 1965 on Rowe Mesa. Betty took jumping lessons from local legends Pat and David Monroe, and traveled to Portugal to train with Nuno Oliveira. She began breeding horses for her own use.

When Guy was nine, the family moved to a cattle ranch in Texas which gave Betty ample opportunity to experiment with cross-breeding. Without knowing it already existed, she was basically trying to create a Holsteiner. The family used the horses to work cattle, riding in English saddles, and for a time hunted the hounds they had brought with them, but found the country unsuitable.

During a visit to Mac in school in Italy in 1983, the McElvains arranged a side trip to the Holsteiner Verband in Germany. The annual stallion inspections were underway and the McElvains were astonished to see some 30 young stallions standing quietly in crossties amid the hubbub. After consulting on bloodlines with Emil Jung (of four-in-hand driving fame), Betty purchased Columbus and five mares. This was to be the start of Rancho La Querencia.

After a break from horses during high school in Colorado and college in Arizona, Guy got back into riding as whipper-in, then as huntsman for the Juan Tomas Hounds. This meant getting up at 4 a.m. to walk his horses across a dark bridge over the Pecos River in order to make the meet on time, and training the hounds during the off-season to be ready for fall cubbing. Girlfriend (now wife) Sharon literally had to learn to ride by the seat of her pants in order to keep up. As avid skiers and campers, Guy and Sharon had contemplated starting an outdoor adventure company; instead they found themselves too busy with outdoor adventure.

By now Betty had situated her breeding operation in Lemitar, NM, an hour south of Albuquerque on fertile pastureland along the Rio Grande. She was a founding member and director for what was to become the American Holsteiner Horse Association (AHHA), promoting the breed for use in dressage, hunter/jumpers, eventing and as all-around riding horses. As stated on the Rancho La Querencia website (www.rlq.com), the goal was “to produce a happy, safe horse that is willing to work throughout its training and show career”. She has hosted foal and young horse inspections for breeders in the area for the last 26 years, bringing international judges to assess the quality of the stock.

In 1991, Guy and Sharon purchased adjoining land and went into partnership with Betty. Together they have 360 + acres of Bosque and fields. They started with14 mares and at one point had as many as 75. Among them was Roquetta, a Thoroughbred that Sharon bought for a whopping $500. Roquetta’s first foal by Columbus was Courchevel, who has won many championships in jumping with both Guy and Sharon.

Current success stories include Jolie, a champion at Third Level dressage for owner Debbie Cranston; Chamonix, ridden in Grand Prix jumping by owner Elani Rager; Hortensia, a star of many Hunter/Jumper divisions with amateur owner Carla Ward; Capoeira, showing at Third Level dressage with Karen Whitman; Castille, a now 13-year-old gelding purchased as a yearling by Laura Jones of Parker, CO, winning at Training Level Eventing; and Belgian Warmblood approved stallion, Cimarron, who helped his sire, Columbus, win the 2004 USEF Leading Sire of Eventers.

Versatility is a hallmark of the Holsteiners of Rancho Corazon and Rancho La Querencia. When asked if there was only one thing he could do with a horse, Guy replied, “Show jumping is and has been my priority; however, after a week or two of showing, I like nothing better than getting out for a trail ride, camping or foxhunting. Breeding can be extremely rewarding and a passion unto itself. There have been times when I was into that more than anything else, but it is very hard work and can be heartbreaking. So I guess I would say that it is training that interests me the most. There is a lifetime of challenge, knowledge and reward in training horses. You will never stop learning and never be bored.”

Having enjoyed a partnership within the family, Guy and Sharon are continuing the tradition with their children, Chenoa and Clayton. Chenoa has already ridden at the Grand Prix level and shows with fierce concentration and dedication. Younger brother Clayton is enjoying pony Starbuck at home and considering whether he cares to compete.

The family does everything together with their horses – foxhunting, jumping, trail riding, camping, traveling to look at horses, or just practicing at home. The moments that Guy appreciates the most are those times when “everyone is working on their horses and we all end up in the ring at the same time and start helping each other and watching – that is magic. The beauty is that we all enjoy it; no one is forced to ride but we all do. I don’t care if my kids continue to ride in the future; maybe they’ll go off into something completely different. But for now, it is the experience of doing something together as a family and depending on each other, working as a team to take care of each other and the horses, that gives the kids the best lessons in life and personal responsibility.”

Starting new endeavors seems to run in the family. In 2004, Guy started the Grand Prix de Santa Fe with long-time friend Brian Gonzales. It was the first Grand Prix for New Mexico and Guy and Brian surprised the skeptics by pulling it off. Not only was the horse show well-attended and much enjoyed by competitors from throughout the western states, it also raised money for a local handicapped-riding program while paying out substantial prize money and putting on some first-rate entertainment for spectators.

Year two was even better for the Grand Prix de Santa Fe and ambitious plans are in the works for 2006. The show will again run over the Memorial Day weekend and be held on the polo fields of the Santa Fe Horsepark, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as backdrop. The venue is gorgeous and so are the horses, ridden by competitors like Sharn Wardley of New Zealand, John McConnell of Colorado, Janet Hischer of Arizona and Sarah Williams and Guy McElvain of New Mexico, all racing the clock to win the big bucks.

Whether he wins or finishes with 100+ points, Guy has consistently demonstrated that he is first and foremost a sportsman who cares about his horses, his family and his friends. He will make sure that everyone is having fun in the VIP tent or celebrating with him in the stable afterwards. He can laugh while brushing the dirt off his rear end, and climb back on board, ready to learn life’s next lesson. After all, horses are in his blood.