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RayGold Miniature Horses Jim Ramaker
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Whiz
JJ
Dant
AJWillow was born June 19, 1989. She was raised in Canada by Roy and Mary McBride at the Sheep Meadow Farm at Halkirk, Alberta. In 1997, Jim accompanied his brother, Jerry Ramaker, on a shopping trip to Sheep Meadow Farm. (Jerry had previously purchased Willow's foal, Whiz, a bay roan weanling stallion at the 1996 Texas Nations, and was very impressed with Sheep Meadow breeding.) On this trip Jerry purchased two of Whiz' sisters, and he also assisted Jim in selecting two grey fillies. The four little fillies were transported in the back of Jerry's pickup during the two day drive back to Minnesota. It was during this first visit to Sheep Meadow Farm that Jim first saw Willow, a striking chestnut mare, leading the herd through the meadow and woods. The image of Willow remained in Jim's mind and he returned a year later to purchase Willow.
Willow
Willow
at 15 years of ageWillow's first US foal, JJ, was born in 1998. JJ happened to be born on Jim's twin brothers' (Jerry and Joe) birthday. Their initials consequently resulted in JJ's name. Pete Goettl of Marystown Minis was JJ's first trainer. By the summer of 2001, we had come to realize that JJ's sassy little trot, when confined in the limitations of a show harness, was that of a competitive little driving horse. The driving trainer for JJ was Darren Rudeen of Oneka Training. It was an exciting day at the Nationals for JJ when Jim, an inexperienced driver, was awarded the Reserve Grand National Champion for Country Pleasure Driving 32 inches and under.
AJ was Willow's next foal. Born in 1999, AJ is a 30 inch black stallion. AJ is named after Jim's oldest grandson, Alex James, who discovered the new little foal in the mud. AJ is a duplicate of his sire, Brewers Orion Sable. His grandsire is Orion Light Van't Huttenest. Recently, AJ has been sold to Jim and Mary Girtler of Waseca, MN. The Girtlers also own AJ's full sister, GG, who was foaled in 2000. Thus far, AJ has only produced fillies and will have at least two daughters in this summer's show ring.
Kommandant (Dant) is the second Willow foal to receive a Reserve Grand National Championship. Dant was trained by Showtime Training and shown by Robby Barth. Dant accumulcated 57 points during the 2003 show season and he was named in the 2003 National AMHR Top Ten All Stars (6th) in Yearlings Stallions. Dant was inducted into the AMHR Halter Hall of Fame in 2004 and received two National Top Tens in 2005.
Willow's Whiz was born in Canada before Jim purchased Willow. Whiz was owned by Jerry. This 31.5 inch stallion place 3rd twice in halter at the AMHA National Shows. He is a full brother to JJ. Watch for Whiz's offspring in the show ring this season. Whiz's early death was due to a vehicle accident.
Willow's breeding is all Bond. All RayGold minis are double registered. Willow is the only RayGold mini that has yet to be in the show ring. The horses are all located on the LaVon Grau farm located near Wells, MN.
The above portrait of Willow was painted by our daughter-in-law, Sara Ramaker. Sara is a free-lance artist and enjoys featuring horses in her art works. She and Jim's son, Tim, raise Friesians. Their imported mare was named Grand Champion at the MN Friesian Inspections.
