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Drag N Fly Ranch |
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Ranch & Home www.Ranch-Home.com Way Out West Performance Horses Jim Spence Yamhill, Oregon 503-550-6739 |
Hermiston, Oregon
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Drag N Fly Ranch—Sliding In With Both Feet
By Stephanie Duquette
Any of us who need a lesson in pursuing a dream should take note of how Norm and Kim Pierce of Drag N Fly Ranch in Terrebonne, Oregon spent the past two years. Like many people who see the athletic moves of reining horses, they were impressed, and wanted to try the sport. While most folks start with buying one horse, or maybe taking a few lessons, the Pierces went all the way. They acquired a 60-plus acre facility, hired a trainer, assembled a herd of royally bred young horses, and began to aggressively pursue show records for their future sires and dams.
Kim Pierce says the evolution of Drag N Fly’s facility and horse program has been the most fun kind of exhaustion.
“In two years, we’ve done all this: gotten the horses, done all the showing, remodeled the whole barn and arena,” she says, enthusiastically describing the new 100 x 200 indoor pen, tack room, office, and a list of other improvements. Kim says her sister, Penny Knight of Hillsboro, Oregon is a significant force behind the ranch, helping acquire quality horses for the Drag N Fly show and breeding program.
“She owns about half the horses,” says Kim. “She doesn’t ride, but she loves the horses and likes to watch them show and enjoys them that way.”
Trainer Wes Chappell, who oversees the program and guides some 16 horses in training at Drag N Fly, says, “they jumped in with both feet. Kim, Norm, Penny, all of them. They took a dive right into the deep end of the pool.”
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Chappell has been involved with Drag N Fly from the beginning, in a horse trainer’s Cinderella story. “We always wanted to get into reining,” says Kim, “and finally I met Wes. He came out to shoe, and in talking to him, he said he trained reining horses. I told him to start looking for horses.” Wes didn’t have to be told twice. “They said to go find my dream horse, and I did,” he says. But what ended up coming home to Terrebonne was not exactly what he had in mind. It was a little bay stallion with the same name as the ranch: Drag And Fly (pictured left with Wes). He is a 2002 son of Bueno Chexinic (Reminic x Bueno Chex Kaweah x Bueno Chex) and out of the mare Sheza Dualin Jane (Dual Pep x Lenas Child Rio x Doc O’Lena). |
Chappell says the little stallion, nicknamed “Drago,” has a great heart and a serious work ethic. “He wants a job. If I don’t rope a few steers on him, go down the fence, stop him, and turn around a few times he’s not happy. And he wants to do that every day.”
Drago has done his part to decorate Drag N Fly Ranch, bringing home 27 AQHA All Around Championship trophies. He’s also achieved his AQHA Superior in reining and is nearing his Superior in working cow horse. He is a triple threat as a rope horse, showing in heading, heeling and calf roping. Wes has even shown him in barrel racing and pole bending.
“We are committed to getting a good show record on all the mares and studs before they are bred,” says Kim. “We want to breed our own stallions to our own mares. We look for mares to breed later, after we get done showing.”
Drag N Fly Ranch horses will appear at the National Reined Cow Horse Assn. Snaffle Bit Futurity this year, along with a full schedule of AQHA shows. Kim and Norm Pierce also plan to compete in reining again this year, with Kim seeking to match her success as Oregon AQHA Novice Amateur of the Year in Reining on her mare, Dun It By Memory.
“We are just competitors from hell,” laughs Kim. “All of us like to win, and we love the horses. We love the camaraderie at the shows. It’s just really fun. And I enjoy watching Wes ride them as much as I enjoy riding myself.”
As the Pierces’ riding coach, Wes Chappell says one thing he doesn’t have to do is remind Norm and Kim to enjoy showing.
“They are here to have fun, and that’s what they do. Whether they win or lose, they are trying as hard as they can. If they go out and win, that’s great. But if the horse has a bad day or they make a mistake, that’s OK too. They are in it because they want to be.”
With new foals appearing this spring and a barn full of show horses, the high level of activity at Drag N Fly shows no sign of slowing down. The ranch plans to offer stud service to the public and sell some of its foals. With horses by top sires such as Shining Spark, Tuf N Busy, Great Red Pine, I’ll Be Smart, and Tangys Classy Peppy, the Drag N Fly stock is sure to be in demand.
To learn more about Drag N Fly Ranch, visit www.DragNFlyRanch.com.
