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Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Becky and Jim McKeith
She told her husband, "No miniature horses." Now they raise, breed and show - miniature horses.
Becky and Jim McKeith believe that, in order to earn respect
from an animal, they have to give respect.
That’s the philosophy Jim keeps in mind when he trains miniature horses at the couple’s home, Snowberry Farm, in Coleman, Michigan.
What started as Becky wanting a horse has turned into a way of life for the couple, who show miniature horses, double-registers and miniature Shetlands in national competitions across the country.
It began in the mid 1990s. Becky had always wanted a horse.
She made a promise to her husband: no miniature horses.
Today, the couple raises, breeds and shows miniature horses, including several foals or weanlings born in April and May.
Showing on the national level, the couple compete with others in cart, performance, obstacle, halter and trail, and have a tack room full of ribbons, plaques and trophies for their efforts.
Training and showing their miniature horses takes a great deal of time, but it’s something that the two are passionate about.
Becky and Jim start their day early, with Jim heading to
the barn to let out the mares and their foals and putting
out hay, then letting the other horses out.
Snowberry Farm has separate paddocks for each mare and foal, as well as the couple’s stallions, geldings and one riding horse.
As Jim tended to the horses one morning earlier this week, the couples’ emus, Bert and Ernie, watched the horses run and play, with the McKeith’s pugs following along.
Becky and Jim think of the property as the opposite of a “regular farm.”
Pugs are hardly known as herding dogs but get alone fine with just about all of the horses at the farm, trotting along as chores are being done.
“Our weanlings, the dogs are with them from the minute they’re born,” Becky said.
A professional trainer, Jim, who works for Karbowski Oil as a sales representative, is also a show judge.
Like with showing, when Jim trains the horses, he does so with the love of the animal in mind.
Respect for the animal is important, Becky said, and shows when Jim leads one of the miniatures from the barn and gives the mare directions.
“We have never, ever strayed,” Becky said of the couple’s training and showing style.
Next week is going to by busy for the couple.
On Monday, they are going to head to Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the Pony Congress.
Upcoming shows include one in Columbus and the nationals in Tulsa, Okla.
Jim shows in the halter category, while Becky handles performance.
Last year, Snowberry Farms Alessandra competed in Tulsa as a weanling.
Having several miniature horses, dogs, cats, emus, rabbits and llamas is pretty much a full-time job for the McKeiths.
Television is not an option, and Jim spends what free time
he has performing in a band.
Today, Becky is registering all of Snowberry Farm’s foals and Jim is trimming the horses.
That’s light work compared to some of the other tasks on the farm.
In the tack room, a couch is where the couple sleeps when the mares are about to foal.
A video monitor is on in the room, and the two take turns watching and sleeping.
With miniature horses being a way of life for the McKeiths, the two sometimes have a hard time remembering what they’ve done with the animals over the years.
“Sometimes you have to stop and step back and say, ‘it’s amazing,’” Becky said.