This story is by Jen Simpson, the owner of Montanha. If you would like you can reach Jen via her email at jen@simpsonequine.com

Much like the excitement of Christmas morning, I'll never forget the day I got the call that Montanha was born into this world. After several long months of trying to get our leased mare Virginia Mist in foal, the last try was the charm and finally my dream had begun. "Tana" was born in Scottsdale on August 23, 1985 and in February during the prestigious Scottsdale show, I boarded the plane to meet what every kid dreams of.....my Arabian stallion. He was perfect: long legs, snaky neck, big eyes and a heart of gold. I went home and couldn't stop talking about my magical colt. My family and friends were all in anticipation of the arrival of Montanha.

The call came very early in the morning. Steve Dady of Omni Arabians was hauling Tana home for us and by Texas he had gotten very sick, running a very high temperature. Thankfully, Steve arranged the trailer so they could hook Tana to IV's and just get him home. When they opened that trailer door and I looked in at my perfect colt my eyes welled up in tears. Tana lay in a bed of straw hooked up to IV's and wrapped in coolers because he hardly had anything but pighair. Four attendants carried him to what would be his home and mine for the next six months, the Marion Dupont Equine Hospital in Leesburg, VA.

For the next months, I would visit after school carrying Tana outside and doing my homework with him cradled in my lap. He had pneumonia with horrendous abscesses that developed in both lungs and really wasn't expected to survive. But I knew in my heart that he was a fighter and each day although his body was weak, his heart was strong. I could see it in his eyes. Finally the day came, when Tana's x-ray was clear and he could go home. However, his health was still fragile and his future up to him.

So with a book of instructions and a suitcase full of drugs, Tana came home. For two more years Tana required oral medication and constant care. I didn't mind because I knew this colt was special and he was my gift from God. To this day, Tana's behaviors reflect these three years of his life. When he meets you, he'll sniff your feet because for a very long time, the ground was the only thing he could see or smell. Not once did Tana ever give up. Though he would spit his pink medicine all over the front of me and hide his head in the corner, when it was medicine time, he always had happiness, brightness, and a spirit unbroken. I will be forever grateful to Jim and Robin Fisher at Dixieland Arabian Stud for their love and support of Montanha. While life was moving on for me with college, jobs and a new marriage, Dixieland provided Tana with a safe, low stress home. Stress was Tana's enemy. Too much, too fast could cause an onset and so his career would have to come along slowly at Tana's pace, not ours. It was so hard to look back at all the excitement and expectations that were put on Tana in Scottsdale and not wonder what could have been. At the old age of 13, Tana's training and show career finally began and we brought him home to plan his future.

I found talent with Virginia Godwin of Chesapeake Training Center and although I originally had no intention of sending Tana to a training facility, Virginia convinced me otherwise. I entrusted his health and career in her hands and our show journey finally began. Tana qualified in Show Hack for the Region 12 Championships and had impressed judges, trainers and spectators each time he entered the arena. Having only been in one show, the regional seemed like a leap with his inexperience but we decided to take him due to his exceptional talent and quality. In a large class of 26, Tana seemed like the only horse in that arena. His grace and elegance overshadowed numerous bobbles and Montanha went Top Five, being 1st on Lori Mangan's judge’s card. I think we all had visions of these beautiful roses hanging around Tana's neck in October and planned his show schedule to gain the experience he would need for Nationals. Sadly, Tana's chance at nationals glory was not to be. Tana and Virginia sustained leg injuries warming up for the Region 15 Championships. Looking back, I know in my heart that Tana had fractured his cesmoid probably 4 weeks prior to the accident, during a class A show. Tana wasn't his whole hearted spirit. He seemed tired and defiant, picking up the wrong leads, qualities that to this point he had never shown. As we all know, hind sight is 20/20. But learning from this, I came out of this experience trusting my instincts and relationship with my horses. There is so much they tell us if we just look and believe that Arabians generally have hearts of gold and a willingness to please that other breeds don't. That's what makes them so special. That is what makes Montanha so special.

Broken hearted I brought Tana home. Like every breeder, I wanted Montanha to have national success. But because of his age and past health, trying to continue a show career just seemed selfish. I decided to swallow my dreams for him and put all of my energy into breeding Montanha. His foals would just have to be the ones to make their sire, and me, proud in the show ring.

Montanha is twenty this year (2006). The road was long and hard for us and in 2002 my dreams were fulfilled. Tana's son, JFK Junior, was named U.S. Reserve National Champion Stallion AOTH and in 2005 his son, War Lhord was names U.S. National Top Ten Stallion AOTH. I was blessed to be at the lead for both these wins.

My dream and wish now is for more people to experience the joy, love, and companionship of the Arabian horse, and Montanha. Tana's foals are beautiful, athletic, and versatile. His foals have National and Regional championships in halter, sport horse, show hack, and hunter divisions, as well as success in dressage and competitive endurance rides. Their owners often say that they have the personality and relationship much of that with their dogs. Tana's foals are loyal and willing to those close to them. Once a trust is established, these horses will bend over backwards to please you. I have been blessed to share in Montanha's life and I invite you to visit and consider him in your breeding program. The sky's the limit!!

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