Leader of the Times

BELOVEDS FARM

by KARA LARSON

When someone has the longevity and success that Patricia Dempsey has had in breeding Arabian horses, it prompts one to consider the root of her approach. At the heart of her system endures a carefulness and prudence. Her decisions are not impulsive—they are well thought and significant. And in this perspicacity, the triumphs of Beloveds Farm are realized.

 

“I am responsible for the life of every horse I produce. Any horse that isn’t structured the way I feel it needs to be, I will not breed. So I’m very careful about the responsibility of creating life. I want them to have a real purpose for existing. And I wouldn’t sell one that I didn’t think was a superior animal.”

 

But before Patricia owned some of the most noteworthy Arabians of the 1980s, she had a passion for another breed. “I started out raising Saddlebred foals. I would ride my mare alongside the river—it was probably about oh, seven or eight miles. And I’d get off and unsaddle her and we’d breed her to a stallion there at a farm. Then I’d put the saddle back on and ride her back home. And I put myself through school doing that, raising the Saddlebreds and selling them.”

 

Destined to happen upon her beloved Arabian horses, Patricia Dempsey’s journey with the Arabian horse began in 1978. On Wapiti Ranch Arabians in Colorado, a farm located in the middle of 1.5 million acres of national forest, Pat would soon own horses as beautiful as the hovering pines and mountainous terrain that surrounded it.

 

Her first major purchase in the business came in 1980. On a seemingly ordinary March day a few months prior to a large sale at Wayne Newton’s home in Las Vegas, Nev., Pat was introduced to her future. On this day, she saw WN Mi Kerida (*AN Malik x *Sabiduria)—one of her favorites and a cornerstone mare—for the first time.

 

“As they set up stalls for the sale, we were shown the horses by Alfredo Ortega, Wayne’s trainer. I am proud to say that Alfredo has become a wonderful friend and was a great help for me at the auction.I saw Naviana (*Naborr x *Salina) and then Mi Kerida. We asked if she could be turned out and they were apprehensive. They told us they didn’t turn her out very often because she was a hard one to catch. Luckily they turned her out anyway. She was incredible.”

 

But then it was time to catch this 4-year-old mare. With confidence, Pat started walking toward her. “I just walked right up to her and caught her. And I had told her, ‘If you’re meant to be mine, you stand right there.’ And she did just that.”

 

When Pat returned to Las Vegas in June for the sale, she bid on and came home with WN Mi Kerida, Naviana, and WN Satamiros. Tom Chauncey was the under-bidder on all three lots, something that he admitted was a rarity to Pat afterwards. With an impressive price tag and the promise of an even more impressive future, Patricia Dempsey’s notable journey with the Arabian horse got wings.

 

From those first days in 1978, it was Pat who built the farm into everything it became. From training to breeding to foaling to cleaning stalls—it was all in the hands of Pat. Though gratifying, this kind of work wears on a person. Thinking on the harsh times, Pat reflects, “It was really tough when it snowed because I had five miles of driveway. Inevitably, we would foal with two to four feet on the driveway, so no vets could come in. It just became nearly impossible and I had to treat all the horses myself. But from 1978 to about 2000, this was the system.”

Outside of the fact that it was becoming difficult to maintain the farm and her horses by herself, Mother Nature played a part in the cutback for Pat and Beloveds Farm. As a 300 mph wind leveled Pat’s arena in 1999, her capacity for breeding was greatly diminished.
From this unfortunate disaster, Pat decided to begin her journey down another path—a notably shorter one. “By this time, most of my horses were really old or gone, so at that point I needed to stay agricultural. And instead of reinvesting in Arabians, I reinvested in Minis. I could handle and treat them all by myself and I didn’t have to train every one of them in order to get them sold. So that was a real bonus.”
Proving her breeding prowess in this new avenue, Pat’s Arabian miniatures have moved into high ranks. Owning one of the top stars in the country and one of the top driving horses ever, Pat excelled in the miniature world. But Arabian horses weren’t completely out of the picture.
In 2006, as a result of her mini horses being exposed to Salmonella, Pat had to find a new place quickly. She then found a facility in Florida in one day and was completely moved out in just three weeks. Located on 160 acres in Lady Lake, Florida, the new Beloveds Farm grew to encompass a wide array of animal life. Beyond minis, alpaca and chickens had also been added to the mix.
It wasn’t until 2013 that Pat’s passion for the Arabian horse was finally rekindled—but when it was, it was done in a big way. An impressive group of young mares breathe new life into the Beloveds program. These six mares include: Rohara MarcAlyssa (QR Marc x Van Alyssa), Rohara Via Donna (Ever After NA x Indianne Psylk), JP Extreme Obsession (JP Obsession x Mystika Psyche), Magnums Angel JD (Magnum Psyche x OFW Heaven Sent), AP Sheez Sassy (Bey Shah x Spiritual Grace), and Ava Afire (Baske Afire x Athena Alea), who is the dam of 2013 colt Honor Me Noble BF (by S Nobleman)—the first foal of restored Beloveds Farm.

 

Another 2013 colt is Beloved One NA (Ever After NA x Margarita PSY), showing at the 2014 U.S. Nationals with John Rannenberg. A horse carrying the name of the farm, his is a name that exemplifies the feeling Pat holds for the junior stallion. “He just has all the points that you would look for in a young horse. When you’re looking for correctness in the legs and neck and hips—he’s got it all. He has a lot of size, but he has tremendous refinement and type,” Pat shares.

 

And beyond aesthetics, Beloved One and John Rannenberg share a special bond. “John and this colt have gotten so close that they share the same heart. John allows the horse to be who he is and to show himself, and it’s very special to see.”

 

A complimentary and loyal individual, Pat has a long list of people she offers gratitude towards. “Jerry Sparagowski has done all of my photos for 38 years. He did them all with the Arabians, the miniatures, and he did them all with the alpacas. I also want to thank our great vet Dr. Jennifer Madeira, Jenn Trickey for her work on our advertisements, and acupuncturist Dr. Peggy Fleming, whom I’ve used for 27 years. She is just incredible—she does acupuncture, she does chiropractic, she does vet work. Lastly, everybody on my farm works as an integrated team. They each know their own jobs well, but they’re willing to pitch in if someone else needs something. It is really a team effort here.”
Gracious, loyal, dedicated and passionate, Patricia Dempsey looks forward to the upcoming years with her new Arabian breeding stock. And outside of her own program, Pat is also credited with sponsoring both the development of Embryo Transfer and Semen Transfer at Colorado State University. She is valued as an owner and breeder who views her horses as so much more than investment—they are her beloved friends and the source of her happiness. Pat comments on the kind of horses she aims to bring into the world. “The whole animal should be balanced: conformation, legs, and motion, with innate beauty and presence. I want horses that look like Arabians and can move beautifully.”