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marie sees her farm gradually setting its own
course – she’s now just “going with the flow.”
she sees clearview as becoming “ a community
of like-minded folks,” living in a place where “they
feel safe. I just want to develop my little village.”
she sums up clearview as a place “… where all
your furry friends are welcome …. except for lions,
tigers and bears.”

Horses and mules, cats and dogs
marie grew up in manchester, england and it’s
ironic, given her distinctly british accent, that her Sara Reid poses in front of the
equine interest settled on western riding.western riding.w farm pond at Clearview Horse
she has shown in all areas of western riding, western riding, w Farm riding her horse Jake.
“working cow, reining, mules (quarter-horse
mule), gaited mules, ranch riding – trail riding and
w w
western dressage,” she lists off her interests. “A bit estern dressage,” she lists off her interests. “A bit riding portion of the show, she said, “I lost my oomph.” At the
of everything.” end of the class, riders were required to dismount and jog with
entering the barn, you are greeted by the continuous sound their horses a short distance to the gate. “It was ridiculous,”
of bird’s chirping. marie said. “In the heat, after showing three horses, I fainted.
A calico barn cat squints and purrs using its wiles to draw I’m laying on the floor and my horse is just eating the grass
your attention to her food bowl. A white female great pyrenees, going ‘oh, she’s on the floor again.’ I’m like ‘marie this is
named purtle, shadows marie. ridiculous. I’m going to do it, I’m going to finish this …’” And
As she leads a visitor on a tour through the barn, marie, she did finish. she qualified for and entered the houston show.
stops for a minute to enter the stall of Dixie, a clydesdale mare, “I didn’t place particularly well, I was in the middle of the pack
and wipes her face. Dixie’s been rolling in the wood chips. but I was there.”
Down the line of stalls is radisson, a mostly black, gypsy After that, marie pretty much retired from the show circuit.
banner stallion. radisson whinnies at the prospect that he “I’m happy with what I’ve done,” she said. “I don’t need to
might get out for some exercise. or, perhaps he’s gotten wind of push myself so hard anymore.”
marie’s plans: to breed him to the clydesdale mare to produce
a Drum horse. Changing goals
standing in a stall next to radisson is jake an Appaloosa who now marie is devoting her energy to developing clearview.
belongs to sara reid.reid.r jake is already saddled and sara is ready to she has plans and county approval to add a half dozen guest
take him out for photos. cabins and she’s working on replacing the pvc plastic fencing
jake, she explains, is a rescue horse; he’s 10 years old. she with wood. she’s planning to subdivide part of the property to
got him a year ago. sell to “like minded” people who would like to have a home on
sara has been coming to clearview for 10 years to spend the farm. she’s hoping to find some investors who may “want
all the time she can with horses. she’s 18 now. marie is to come in and help.”
proud of sara’s horsemanship. she mentions that sara won marie allows cowboy churches groups to use her arena.
a championship at the high point ranch horse, color breed “they bring in their horses and dogs and it’s really fun,” she
congress in tulsa, tulsa, t oklahoma last year. said. the great strides equine therapy group uses her farm for
their program. “I keep an open door,” she said.
Giving up the show circuit “I keep my prices reasonable so that the little associations,
After marie settled in to middle tennessee horse farm, she tennessee horse farm, she t when they have their little shows or club meetings, will go home
went back out on the road, this time showing horses and mules. and still have some money in the kitty so they can keep going.
she had some significant successes, given her inexperience. I donate the arena a lot. I’m happy with people filling up the
the high point of her showing, she said, was qualifying for stalls and the guest rooms or rv hookups.”rv hookups.”rv
and showing in the 2017 American Quarter horse Association marie is satisfied with the life she has built in shelbyville.
versatility ersatility ranch horse championships, in houston, texas. “It texas. “It t
v v “everything I like at this point in my life is here,” she said. “the
was always on my list of things to do,” she said. to qualify for to qualify for t countryside, the space, the music and the horses and dogs.
the houston show, requires accumulating points at many shows life’s a little bit slower here, it’s a more natural way of living and
throughout the year. marie met that challenge but at one show I really appreciate that.”
she lost much of her enthusiasm for showing. “I was driving
around with my horses, hauling them to different shows, getting Editor’s note:
f f
points,” she said. “I was in montgomery, Alabama. It was 110 for information on the or information on the clearview horse farm and
degrees. It was the middle of August.” After showing three guest ranch call 931-619-0773 or go online to www.
horses in one day – “to hedge my bets” – at the end of the trail clearviewhorsefarm.com. H

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