TEAM TEXAS

Everyone has heard the tried and true adage, “It takes a village to raise a child”. Well, it will take a country of drivers, horsey or otherwise, to get five horses (that’s the four in hand team of horses and a spare; and all their feed; and two carriages, one for dressage and cones, another one for marathon; and two complete sets of harness; and the driver, groom, and support staff – 5 additional people have committed their time and have worked really hard to keep Team Texas focused and looking great (plus all the food these 7 people eat? and they even want a place to sleep, other than the stalls!!) to the World Equestrian Games (WEG). Team Texas, driven by native Texas Mike McLennan and co-driver/wife Jerry is the only American equestrian team that was envisioned, bred, raised, trained and driven by their owners. Mike and Jerry even raised their dams (mothers) and trained Ruff, Tuff and Ready’s Friesian sire Foster. They’re also the only American husband/wife team.

Many drivers came together to send Team Texas to Paris in 2003 for the World Pairs Championship and it’s time to again pull together to get that driver from “west of the Mississippi” to the WEG. There is no 501(c)(3) status at this time, so donations are not deductible.

Who is Team Texas?

Mike, a 1967 Baylor University graduate, who has worked in the oil and gas industry in Texas from the courthouse writing oil and gas leases to the boardroom of a large independent oil company, now teaches Sunday School, sings in his church choir, and raises cattle and horses at Pecan Mill Ranch in Brenham, Texas, also the home of Blue Bell ice cream. He was chosen by the United States Equestrian Team to represent the US at the World Pairs Championship in Paris, France, 2003 and in Salzburg, Austria, 2005. Mike was named 2005 top FEI North American Pair Driver.

Mike envisioned the ideal driving horse as having Friesian presence with the stamina and perseverance of cutting bred Quarter horses. He was familiar with cutting horses since he and Jerry raised them since 1967, so he decided to make his own driving crossbreed of which you can see the result right here going through the hazards.

Jerry, Mike’s wife (Mike and Jerry have been happily married since 1967), helped incorporate Brenham’s New Beginnings Pregnancy Care Center where she is an active volunteer. Her “other” passion is ringing handbells with Brazos Bells, a community handbell ensemble, also requiring team work to be successful. Jerry is the only spouse/navigator/groom for the entire combined driving competition and was the only female navigator/groom for the marathon at the World Pairs Championship in Paris, France in 2003.

Team Texas is a family affair that extends into the horses and their breeding.

Ruff - Pecan Mill Ruff, the Gentle Ben of the team pulls everything together as the right wheeler. He was in that same positioning Paris in 2003 and in Salzburg in 2005, so knows his job very well. This 14 year old gelding is the largest at 16.3, 1600# and has a mother that could read the arrows on the marathon course in her competing days.

Tuff – Pecan Mill Tuff, the “thinker” of the pair in both Paris and Salzburg, has moved forward to the left leader position. Tuff and Ruff are descendants of the same mare, Poco Miss Solis, whose grandson Slide Me To The Bar won the National Reining Horse Association’s Futurity in 1991. This 14 year old gelding is 16.1 and thinks the whole time, sometimes to the chagrin of the driver.

Ready – Pecan Mill Ready, a 14 year old mare, is 15.2. Ruff, Tuff and Ready’s mothers are all 7/8ths sisters and they share the same Friesian sire Foster. Foster, trained by Mike, is the only US born Friesian to pass his 100 day test. Ready’s mother, Jiglis, made the cut at the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity, ridden by Mike, and is also a granddaughter of Doc Solis, one of the few sons of Doc Bar to be an American Quarter Horse Association Champion. Ready has given her left wheeler spot in the team the weekend of the 2009 Live Oak International to Tina in order for Tina to try to qualify for the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky.

Fred – Pecan Mill Fred, a 9 year old gelding is the horse on Team Texas that has a fan club. He even looks for them during dressage and cones. His action and small 15.1 stature make him a great asset in marathon and cones. Mike as breeder, trainer and rider, took his grandmother, Irish Pleasure, to the finals in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Maturity, now that competition is called the Derby. You can read Fred’s thoughts about his Road to the WEG on his blog site.

Tina – Pecan Mill Tina was foaled in 2001 out of Tuff’s mother by the world renowned dressage Friesian stallion Tinus. The 2009 Live Oak International will be her first FEI show and although she is inexperienced, shows great improvement and a tremendous desire to “hold her spot” on the team.

Donovan – Donovan is a 13 year old gelding owned by Linda Copeland of Indiana and exhibits great potential as a left wheeler. Now that his Indiana coat has been removed, he is beginning to improve by leaps and bounds as he can now be driven more frequently in the Texas heat.

Jerry McLennan

Mike and Jerry McLennan