A Litte Bit About Us...
Skye Elbert has been around horses as long as she has been around water. At the age of three she took up competitive swimming and showing horses all at the same time. Swimming consumed most of her life, training up to 10 hours a day in the pool or weight room, but always found room for horses. She told many newspapers and magazine interviewers that "Horses are my therapy, I don't know if I could do it all without them". Skye went on to win multiple Junior National Championships, she was a member of the USA National Team, a big Olympic hopeful and Olympic Trial Qualifier, a National Championship qualifier and finalist, the Women's Sports Foundation High School Athlete of the Year, and the only high school athlete in Arizona state history of any sport to go undefeated in her career, and amass 13 State Titles. All of her success in high school led her to a scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin a school she had always dreamed of attending. However, tragedy struck when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and Skye was forced to make a hard decision and hang up her goggles in order to help care for her mother and help her fight her fight against breast cancer.
Skye thought that his may be the end of her, and struggled a bit with what to do in life now. She had never had much of a life outside of the water, except for in the barn and that is where she found her answer. Performance horses were something she had always wanted to pursue but never had the time or opportunity to, but now she did. It was then that she looked at "Woody" a gelding she had saved off of the track, and realized that she wanted to cultivate athletes such as him and ride them to the top.
Today, Skye is making her name for herself as a trainer, breeder, stallion owner, and equine veterinary technician. She takes in a few outside horses a year, and hopes to make it to the World's Stage in the next few years. No one can understand the mind and expectations of these reined cowhorse athletes better than an athlete of her caliber who has lived the demanding life of a talented athlete.
Look out for Skye and her horses in the show pen, and breeding world in the future to come!
We almost lost Woody to EPM during the summer of 2008. However, thanks to donations of stud services to stallions such as Genuine Dun It, Dunit Quick, Solanos Kicker, and more enough money was raised to treat him. Thanks again to Beth Edmonds of Painted Quarter Ranch for your winning bids on two stud services and donating the monies toward Woody's cause. I am forever greatful!
A Note From Skye:
They say there is one horse, only one, that comes to you in a lifetime that you absolutely cannot replace. Hollywood's Visual a grandson of the immortal Alydar and out of a $$ earning Arizona racing mare is just that horse for me. I originally went to a racehorse breeding and training facilitiy to look at a mare in foal to Woody's sire as I had just lost my previous mare due to a ruthless act of murder. It took me a few months to muster up the confidence to own another horse, but I just had a feeling I needed to go to this ranch and look at this mare....
Upon my arrival the mare just was the opposite of what I was looking for. She had not been handled in five or six years, was a little unruly like Alydar, and just a ton of work. After not having an equine partner for a few months I wanted something I could bond with right away, and was dissapointed she was not the one. That is when Woody wiggled his way into my life. The owner of the ranch, an elderly gentleman, mentioned a colt he paid BIG BIG BIG $$$ for as a weanling and had bowed his tendon early training so they were more than likely going to have to send him to heaven (I'm putting it nicely!). He was rank, hard to deal with, full of spunk, recently gelded, and barely broke... EVERYTHING I knew I didn't need!
But one look in this big bay's eyes and I just knew that he was the one for me. Injuries were something I had dealt with personally in my athletic career, and something I knew I could connect with him in during the healing process. I bought the high dollar long yearling for a millionth of what they paid for him, little did I knew it was the best investment I will have ever made.
Woody and I have been through a ton. The ups and downs of my career, my family, and the struggles of growing up and maturing as indivuduals and adults. He tested me, forced me to learn more about myself, and more than anything taught me how to enjoy life and how to RIDE. I owe my carrer to this out of place gelding who I have since ridden in dressage, hunter jumpers, stadium jumpers, team roping, team penning, turn back horse, trail horse, and been accompied by as my best friend.
My best friend and I recently wrote a song about this gelding who has taught me more about myself and the secret language spoke by the equine world, here is a little taste....
"He's tall dark and handsome, Does not hold my heart for ransom, Always there to lend a shoulder, As I struggle with getting older, Unlike any man, He trusts my hands, Yeah, He trusts my hands"
Woody will be a staple and a friend at Skye's The Limit until the day comes when God decides he wants such a horse by his side. Until then I feel so very blessed to have Hollywood's Visual as part of my program.
