Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 8

Marcel's papers demonstrate a rather sad fact of the life of a show horse. Pam is number 10 on his list of owners. July 2006 they had a special private celebration together. Pam had officially owned Marcel twice as long as any other person in his life! This goes a long way in explaining why he wasn't friendly the first time they met.

In this span of time they were involved in a few public sidesaddle performances. As usual, sometimes they did very well and sometimes they did not.

"Marcel is of the mindset that he should retire but I won't let him. We still have more to do!" Pam said "I think Marcel is a goodwill ambassador for former performance Saddlebreds and he is one fine representative of his breed! We may not show saddleseat anymore. but he's still and always will be an "A" class horse!"

Now one of the more senior horses at the barn, Marcel appointed himself "Barn Administrator, Equine Division". He took it upon himself to know which horse was suppose to be in which pasture and which human belonged to which horse. A friend of Pam's said, "If you aren't the right person taking a horse out of his pasture, you need a hall pass to get by Marcel."

But Pam adds,"Marcel will herd the correct horse to the gate when an owner comes out."

At 6:30 on the morning of November 12, 2008 Pam received a frantic phone call from the stable. "Marcel is down! You have to come now!"

Two vets worked on Marcel through the day, but by late afternoon they knew it was time. Marcel was put down up the hill from his barn.

"My beautiful boy was gone." Pam grieved.

Without being asked, the barn owner said he could be buried on the farm where he had lived the longest. He now rests on the highest point of the farm. Pam said to her sister Lisa he didn't really have a connection to the spot.

Lisa told her, "It's the perfect place for him. He can see the whole farm from here and always watch over the other horses."
Rest in Peace sweet Clownface!

edited to add:
Here is a link to another write up about Marcel.
http://themanepoint.blogspot.com/2008/11/farewell-to-friend.html

Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 7

Marcel AKA Clownface is not a cuddly type of horse. He doesn't go for all that mushy stuff. He does, however, present his muzzle for a kiss on the nose every time Pam sees him. When Pam was diagnosed with breast cancer and started her treatment, she often retreated to his stall to cry. When things were particularly bad Marcel could sense it and would even make exceptions to his no neck hugging rule. As the days turned into weeks and Pam lost most of her hair, he would lick the top of her head. In 'horse-speak' this is the highest form of acceptance and a demonstration of herd loyalty. During Pam's treatment her barn time was limited and Marcel spent much of his time in the pasture with a few other geldings. When Pam was able to visit, she would walk into the pasture and she would watch as Clownface would not only run to see her, but he would protect her from the other geldings aggressive antics.

"Marcel has good Horse sense and if he perceives danger, he will take action! Many years back we showed at a Summerfun show. It was actually the first time I showed him driving." Pam recalled. "We did very well and were up against some really big gun Saddlebreds! We placed well enough in the first class to be qualified to show back in the Championship. The first way of the ring was pretty smooth. The reverse was called and we changed direction. The extended trot was called for and we went off at a good speed. After rounding the first corner Marcel suddenly lost all of his momentum. He slowed to a jog and no amount of whip tapping, rein slapping or clucking would get him to step up again. We obviously did not place. Oh well. I thought.

A few hours later we were back at home and unpacking. As we lifted the cart out of the bed of the truck, one of the wheels almost came off! Once we had it on the ground, we could see one of the nuts was missing. Had the wheel come off in the arena, it could have been a huge disaster. Later that evening we watched the video of that class. I could see Marcel's ears go back in that corner, right before he lost his impulsion. He knew something was wrong and did not ignore it. Good Boy!"

Pam was not able to ride much when she was fighting cancer. She just did not have the strength. The new medications available helped to fight the nausea associated with chemo and they worked quite well. Unfortunately, combining that with the pain and fatigue, Pam's activity level dropped dramatically. She not only lost her hair, but she also gained quite a bit of weigh. Marcel was getting fat too. the only difference was that he did not care!"We developed RPO body types" Pam laughed. "Rolley-Polley- Olley!"

to be continued...

Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 6

Pam and Marcel were getting the hang of riding aside pretty quickly and the thought of showing him at a local Saddlebred show sent chills up Pam's spine (probably Marcel's too!) She decided to enter in a combination class. It started with driving, then half way through the horse is unharnessed and saddled. The class then competed under saddle. Pam knew she would really Wow the crowd riding the under saddle portion aside! The started practicing. They practiced driving, riding aside and having the ground crew unharness and retack Marcel in under two minutes!

Right before the show, Pam literally stepped into a hole and broke her foot. Her sister, who was at least 20 feet away from her could hear the snap! Pam had torn her tendon.

"I was so disappointed" Pam explained. "Even when the doctor told me I could not ride for at least 6 weeks, I tried it anyway. I had a big show coming up after all! It was so painful. I could not push off the mounting block to get on and even when I did manage to mount, my ankle was in such bad shape, I was in agony with it dangling off on the sidesaddle horn. I knew at that moment there was no way I could compete."

Not only could Pam not ride, but she could not even drive! She went from working Marcel almost daily preparing for the show, to only getting to see him when someone else could take her back and forth to the barn. Marcel became pensive with this schedule change and several people noticed it. The next time Pam went to the barn, she entered Marcel's stall. She lifted her pant leg and showed Marcel her injured foot. Pam was wearing one of Marcel's Polo wraps over her splint. Marcel dropped his head to sniff it. He snorted and blew at it for a moment. After further inspection, both visually and with his lips, he stepped forward and chewed on the top of Pam's head. She knew he understood.

In time they were able to show. It had been beautiful September weather - low to mid 70's and light breezes..until the day of the show. The temperatures slowly rose to 100! Pam did not handle the heat well but, the sidesaddle attire must be perfect! On went the black tights, the black knee boots and stocktie about her neck. Next it was the wool sidesaddle apron, the wool jacket, all finished off with leather gloved and an antique beaver felt hat with a veil. Enough clothing to face a snow storm! As she mounted Marcel, Pam's sister Lisa coined it as "The Suit of Death!" Pam was heating up quickly and there was no escape. Marcel was acting up. She was losing her patience and the gate was open for their class. They trotted in and within 10 strides she knew she was in trouble. For a split second everything went black. Pam was succumbing to heat exhaustion. Marcel was going high, just as he should, but from that brief blackout her legs went limp. She bumped to the right and couldn't regain her purchase. She was going off all the while thinking, "I am going to Wow the crowd one way or the other!"

Pam spun Marcel to the center and told the judge her girth needed tightening. The poor ring master took one look at the sidesaddle and tried his best to turn invisible. It didn't work. He came over and Pam talked him through tightening an already tight girth. Marcel grunted. This maneuver gave Pam just enough time to catch her breath and regain her clarity. Back to the rail they both knew their jobs. It was up to Marcel to show and it was up to Pam to just stay on! Marcel knew something was wrong. He stopped being a Saddlebred show horse and did his best Quarter Horse impression instead - slow and steady. Marcel was even taking his cues from the announcer instead of Pam. They placed third out of four and Pam was thrilled.

"The worst part about that whole story is that there were so many people interested in learning more about sidesaddle and I was too ill to talk to them. It was the perfect time to promote the discipline of riding and I just could not do it." She reflected.

Pam dismounted with Lisa's help and immediately started to remove her habit as she was shuffled back to the tack room to cool off. It took quite a while before she felt normal, but she realized that once again Marcel had taken care of her. Good Boy!

Shortly after that show Pam was diagnosed with breast cancer...

to be continued..

Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 5

Variety did not stop with games, trail riding and being exposed to other horses. Pam started to ride Marcel bareback and loved to drive him as well..but there was just one more thing Pam had always wanted to do. Something she saw a woman do when she was a child and had cherished the dream of one day being able to do herself as well...ride Sidesaddle!

The first time Marcel saw the new contraption called a sidesaddle he snorted and tried to slink out from under it as Pam raised it onto his back. His concern turned to resignation as she spent way too much time figuring out where all those straps went.

"I often smile to myself with a warm heart and think, "Wow! What did I do to deserve him?" Marcel on the other hand must have rolled his eyes, slowly shaken his head and said, "Wow.. what did I do to deserve her??" " Pam said with a chuckle.

The headed to the outdoor arena. Pam read Mrs. Houblon's checklist one more time and got on. She mounted as if she was getting on an astride saddle and then tried to swing her right leg back over. That would have been fine, but Marcel thought she was done and started to walk off. Her body twisted and while she was trying to recapture her balance she hit one of the horns and ended up with a huge bruise. Once settled, she took a deep breath and asked for a walk. Marcel would occasionally circle to the left. Too much leg. With Pam poorly balanced and squeezing the horns with all of her might, they labored around at a walk and trot for half an hour or so. When Marcel had had enough, he made a direct line out of the arena and straight to the mounting block and parked out...his way of saying, "Your quarters up. Get off my back!" She dismounted and they walked back to the barn. The whole time she untacked him she wondered why she had spent so much money on a saddle she was miserable on...and the worst was yet to come. The following day her whole body ached but especially her hip and her already bad knee.

As the pain faded, the old dream started to resurrect and a few days later she brought the sidesaddle out again. Marcel sighed heavily when he saw it coming. Again, they headed to the outdoor arena. This time they actually did a lot better. Pam was a bit more relaxed, but still gripping the horns too tightly. They walked and jogged around for longer distances. The first thing Pam noticed was that Marcel did not keep his ears back for the entire ride as he had on their first time out. She slowed him back down to a walk and then asked him for the canter. Off they went!
"Now that was fun!" Pam expressed with excitement. "I was concentrating so hard on not turning sideways in the saddle when we jogged that I was the one making myself miserable. At the canter though, I relaxed and loosened the death grip I had with my legs and was actually comfortable. Marcel had his ears forward and seemed to be enjoying himself! Things were really looking up. Riding my sidesaddle with a willing horse was awesome!"

Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 4

Marcel thrived on variety, in fact it seemed to be simple ground games that slowly broke down the barriers between them. They played chase and hide and seek in the arenas. Since her boarding barn closed and they moved to a new one that was mostly a Hunter/Jumper facility, there were plenty of jumps for Marcel to hide behind.

"I seriously think that when he ducked behind one of those jumps and lowered his head, he really thought we could not see him!"

They played for hours and when they were done, Pam would take a book into his stall, sit in the shavings and read while Marcel munched on hay.

The variety Pam offered Marcel did not stop with ground games. With the new Hunter/Jumper boarders coming in, Marcel was exposed to so many new things including jumps, horses moving in different directions and at different speeds and the worst of all, that a horse would actually jump the jump while he was in the arena!


"Marcel is of the opinion that you go 'around' an obstacle, never 'over' it! Which brings me to our trail riding adventures."

Always having worked in enclosed arenas and being a bit rail bound, the concept of trail riding and tons of open space sent him into a dither. Dealing with brush touching his underbelly or a duck landing on a lake were very frightening to Marcel at first and yet once when a deer ran out in front of him, something that would cause a trail horse to jump, Marcel instead took off after the deer!

"He seemed totally intrigued by it. I know we followed it for no less than a quarter mile, only stopping because the deer jumped a fallen tree! That is where Marcel put his 'hoof' down. No Jumping! I gave up fighting with him when I lost the battle trying to get him to step over a 4" branch one day! I try to pick my battles more wisely...well most of the time." Pam said as she glanced up and grinned.


After owning Marcel for almost 2 years they were headed into the show ring for the first time. She rode him saddleseat. This was old hat to Marcel and if he felt like it, he could really put on a show. In their very first show, in their very first class together they won! Pam was so unprepared for the outcome, she had to ask the ring steward where to go to get her ribbon!

to be continued..

Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 3

Pam's husband was a pretty laid back guy. He did not bat an eye when she told him she was thinking about buying a show horse. Pam seemed to completely forget that she had just gotten back into riding. Looking back, she realized that she had no business contemplating buying a horse, much less a high octane one. On top of that, the romance of owning a Saddlebred seemed to wash away what an unpleasant cur Marcel was! In the back of her head she thought this might be her only chance to own a Saddlebred show horse.

The very next week Pam spoke to the stable owner about costs, maintenance and Marcel's health. Although in perfect physical condition, he was after all, 15 years old already. The barn owner told her not to worry because "way before he is ready to retire, you will want to trade up to another horse!"


That was all the convincing Pam needed. Marcel Marceau was now her horse and registered into her name! Pam likes to call him Clownface. When she received his papers, they told quite a bit of his story. He has impeccable bloodlines. sired by Ch. Attache, he traces back to Chief of Greystoke, Wing Commander and King's Genius. His Dam was Circus Wonder, a notable 3-gaited mare. Pam's sister Lisa was able to come us with a picture of her after much research and Marcel is her mirror image.

"Back at the barn, I stared with the basics. I had to earn Marcel's respect and he had to earn my trust." Pam reflected.

The normal resentful attitude Marcel wore started to recede the more they worked together. Beginning with in ring astride riding lessons and lots of ground handling, they slowly started to get to know each other. Pam went to the barn sometimes almost daily and it was not long before she started to entertain the idea of showing Marcel.

Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 2

During mounting and stirrup adjustments, one person was at Marcel's head and one at his offside. Both were doing their best to keep this piaffe-ing time bomb from exploding. Pam took a deep breath and picked up the reins. The two young ladies who were assisting let go.

"I felt VERY alone even with the arena full of people who had come to watch us!" Pam told me.

They pranced their way over to the rail. She had forgotten the thrill of riding a good Saddle Horse. His hind end dropped out from under her, his neck came up and back and Pam peered anxiously between his ears as they began their paces. Marcel started down the rail at a brisk trot. His knees were pumping like pistons up and down in front of his shoulders. His hock action kept her out of the saddle more time than in. Pam's heart raced with excitement as she worked Marcel around the arena. She huffed and puffed and sweated her way through the lesson.

When she had finished and dismounted, well wishers surrounded her commenting on how well she had handled him. They questioned how long she had been riding, where she got her start and told her what a beautiful pair she and Marcel made.

"He is not an easy horse to ride, ya know." One of the students commented to her.

"I was being set up!" Pam said laughingly.

While she was basking in her moment of glory, the stable owner knew it was the perfect moment to tell Pam, Marcel was for sale AND that she would give her a good deal on him. Pam gazed at the beautiful Marcel. Marcel ignored her. She told the barn owner she would think about it and started to walk forward with the reins in her hand. She came to an abrupt stop as Marcel, who was standing parked out refused to move. In came the 12-year-old savior again. Marcel walked willingly with her.

Back in Marcel's stall, Pam untacked him. He tried to bite her. She again danced around his snapping jaws as she groomed him. She reached up to remove his halter and the moment she unlatched it, he threw his head back and flew out of it, retreating to the back corner of his stall.
"I swear that he glared at me with the whites of his eyes showing again!"

No matter. The childhood dream of owning an American Saddlebred show horse was resurfacing and the romance of it all was taking over.

Marcel & Me ~ Chapter 1

This is going to be a small series..a biography if you will of a rider, a show horse and how the two became a team!

Pamela Davis learned how to ride at Ross Drake Stables at Oakwood Farm in Hartland, WI. During the 60's and 70's Ross and his wife Candice ran one of the largest schooling programs for saddleseat riders in the country. Pam would often work side-by-side with the Drake's show string, fifteen or more of them would be diligently working toward that perfect equitation seat, all the while dreaming of winning the "Good Hands" at Madison Square Garden.

"Our only obstacle was that we would be laughed out of the ring on our school horses! So included in my dream was an American Saddlebred show horse." Pam reminisced.

* * * *

Fast forward 20 years. Pam decided to take riding lessons through a local park district. For some reason she thought the lessons would be Western. Dumbfounded was her expression when she discovered the park district was actually a Saddlebred barn! Not having ridden for so many years, Pam's body would ache for days after a lesson. It did not matter. She loved it and would stay after her lessons just to watch the show horses work.

"The owner of the facility could clearly see "SUCKER" written in neon across my forehead!" Pam smirked as she told me. "One day the instructor told me my regular lesson horse wasn't available. I would have to ride one of the show horses. All I could think was 'This is only my fourth lesson!' but all that came out of my mouth was 'Huh...OK!'"

(Marcel, the talented show horse with one of his young student riders!)


They were short handed that day so Pam was instructed to get the horse ready herself. She took the halter and entered the stall. Inside was a 16+ hand chestnut gelding with a mostly white face and four white stockings.

"He never looked that big from outside the stall!" She said.

When he saw the halter, he spun and made for the back corner of the stall. Pam had not worked with horses for a long time so Marcel was able to evade her for several go rounds. She finally caught, haltered and clipped him to the tie. She picked up a curry and stared to groom him. He turned and tried to bite her! She jumped away for a moment and then started again. Again, he tried to bite her, over and over again. They danced their way through both grooming and saddling. She needed help with the bridle.

"There was no way I would deliberately put my hands by THAT mouth! It was humbling when at the age of 41, salvation is found in a 12-year-old girl!" grin.

In came one of the young riding students to assist her. He tried to bite her too but she just slapped his neck and told him to knock it off. He stood at attention and bridled without fuss. Pam led him out into the arena and made for the mounting block. He tried to bite her. Mirroring her 12-year-old mentor, she slapped his neck and told him to knock it off. He did not stand at attention. Instead, he flattened his ears! Pam was starting not to like Marcel.