Parents believe raising horses and participating as a team teaches strong family values.
Cy, 18-year-old Sherina and 16-year-old Shaelene are big fans of Babbitt horses. They have three at home on their Bird Springs ranch north of Winslow. Busy with rodeo competition and travel through the summer, the teens were all in one place on Saturday, July 10, holding their ground amongst more experienced and knowledgeable ranchers who had every intention of winning in the lively auction at the Babbitts’ Spider Web Camp, some 35 miles north of Flagstaff.
“We did our homework,” said their dad, Charley Singer. “Our mind was set on the grulla [a black-based foal]. There were a lot of people and their minds were set on the grulla. Cy and Sherina and Shaelene, they wanted the grulla. I told them to look at the other bloodlines from the beginning so your mind is not just on the grulla, just in case there are a lot of bidders, at least you got one at the beginning.”
Taking their dad’s advice, Cy bid on a bay filly, the fifth of 23 foals at the sale. He won the bid at $3,600. Two horses later, more bidders swiftly joined the contest for the popular grulla. Calm and cool, Sherina handled the action like a pro, raising her program in subtle response to the auctioneer’s invitation to bid, maintaining her steadfast determination and never faltering from her intention. After a spirited back-and- forth volley from the stands, the young woman in the black shirt and baseball cap won the prize at $8,900. “We knew they were all good here,” she said of the foals. “We like their bloodline and speed.”
The family felt good about scoring two fillies at the 2021 event. Both will stay on Babbitt Ranches with the mares for their first year, learning from the herd how to maneuver across the rocky high desert and how to be horses on the open range. “I want to thank Babbitt Ranches for doing the Colt Sale every year and selling really good horses,” said Charley. “People might keep them for trail riding, therapy or competition. I’m sure they change lives.”
Sherina and her mom, Yvonne, had recently returned from the Indian National Finals Rodeo in North Dakota, where Sherina placed in the break-away roping competition.
Charley says he and Yvonne raised their children (six total) to take care of horses. “My kids brush, wash and walk them and they rodeo. It’s an important value to learn how to take care of animals. Horses are very special. They are not just animals, they are part of the family and they can change lives. They changed mine. And when you work with horses, it’s a partnership. A lot of them know what you think and what you feel. They are very important to our lives as a family.”
Shaelene goes to Winslow High School. Cy and Sherina attend college online. But summertime means traveling all over the West for the Singers – from Montana down to Oklahoma and Texas and over to California – to participate in rodeos. They all compete, even the parents. And they study horses wherever they are. “Babbitt Ranches’ horses are very smart and strong. They can take more work, they can take the pressure. They know when they are competing. A lot of horses will have an attitude or not perform. These are more calm, sophisticated animals,” said Charley. “Heritage is important and we’re glad the Babbitt Ranches are nearby and that they’re keeping the traditions of the Western way of life alive. They have the right tools, meaning good horses.”
Charley says the investment for the foals is worth the reward of raising healthy, confident, positive kids. “Oh yeah, it costs money, but imagine how much time they are going to spend on the horse and how much affection they are going to give to the horse and get in return through the pleasure of riding and the pleasure of teaching. I tell my kids, ‘You don’t just cross paths with any horse. They are important in our lives – not just our everyday lives, but in our traditions. They are meaningful.”
The Singers’ formula for raising strong kids is three-fold: accepting the Lord, raising animals and being involved in sports. “It can be any sport. Kids should be supported by their family. Any kid out there just needs encouragement. They need to be told, ‘You can do it,’” said Charley. FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
