About Us
Judy Ballenger is one of 200 trainers from across the country chosen to participate in The Extreme Mustang Makeover 2008. Judy says that it’s an honor to be one of “The Chosen” and she is so very excited to be a part of this competition. As an adopter of two mustangs already, she knows, first hand what wonderful, versatile companions and partners these horses can be. It is her hope to contribute in her own small way to furthering a public awareness of the awesome potential of these horses.
Judy has a varied and extensive background in horses. A third generation horseperson, Judy has literally grown up with horses. Her dad and all of her grandparents bred, trained and raced Standardbred horses. She received her education from some of the best people in the business. Judy obtained licensing from the governing bodies for both Standardbred and Thoroughbred race horses while quite young. At the age of 16, she wrote and passed with a perfect score the Class ‘A’ Trainer’s exam enabling her to train and race a public stable. Instead of branching out on her own Judy stayed with the family business, and trained the horses stabled at the race track while her Dad trained the horses stabled at the farm.
Later she broadened her experiences with Thoroughbreds, both at the track and at a few farms she worked for. During that time she got married and started her own family, and got involved with Hunters as her hobby. No, she hadn’t had her fill of horses yet! In 1981 she purchased a gangly weanling colt and declared that he would show at the Royal Winter Fair in 1984. Judy kept to that declaration and Pilgrim was the 7th top 3 year old Hunter Colt or Gelding in Canada in 1984. Following that accomplishment she continued to train and show hunters and again expanded her horizons by competing in Horse Trials, one-day events jumping fences on a cross country course.
In January 2000 Judy finally grew up somewhat and returned to school. She applied to, and was accepted at The University of Waterloo, the top university in Canada. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Development Studies while continuing to work and raise her three children on her own. Riding in competition was no longer feasible time wise but she still managed to find time for pleasure riding and helping others with difficult horses – it was her sanity! In 2001 Judy met her husband, and moved to Missouri. She finished her university degree from a distance and graduated in October 2003. In 2007 Judy and Ron decided it was high time to include horses full time in their lives again and they adopted Earl and Jake, their wild mustang babies.
Life has been so much more fulfilling since that day and Judy hopes to bring this sense of fulfillment to others through spotlighting the wonderful Mustang horse in this competition.
Ron has an extensive background with horses as well. He’s the cowboy in the family. Ron raced and gamed horses for most of his life in and around the Sedalia, Missouri area. There’s a lot of people out there who will still remember Buddy, a big ugly horse with ears like a donkey, who could run and turn like there was no tomorrow. Ron specialized in training horses for western pleasure and trail. Ron and his brothers started playing with horses when they were kids and never outgrew it. They have a fondness for Appaloosa horses and showed quite a few over the years in halter and under saddle. Ron had a stable of 18 horses he trained while working a full time job and playing music in local bars on weekends.
Eventually the pace caught up with him and something had to give. He gradually got away from the horses and his music and life was pretty much all work and no play for the cowboy.
This went on for too many years and in 2007 Ron and Judy decided they needed horses in their lives again. Ron’s Aunt Virginia has a horse ranch north of Sedalia. She’d been inviting Ron and Judy to come and ride for a couple of years. The couple finally took her up on her offer and visited – and fell in love with the ranch and the horses there. They took over the riding and training needs of several of the horses at DeWitt’s Stone Hill Ranch. They were back into horses up to their necks and loving it.
Ron credits Aunt Virginia with making their current lifestyle possible. “She’s been very generous to Judy and me in letting us bring our horses there. If it weren’t for her we wouldn’t have been able to adopt our mustangs, take part in the Extreme Mustang Makeover, or just be around horses again."
~Judy & Ron~
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