The Story of Windjammer SP

By Patricia Clark

 

I was on a quest, a quest for such a magnificent animal that it should make my heart stop upon seeing him. That the hair would stand up on my arms and I should be moved to tears. I am here to introduce you to the horse I found, a horse that I’m confident will go down as legend among his peers. A horse of such extraordinary talent and charisma that he baffles the imagination. Let me introduce you to Windjammer...

            On a leap of faith and intuition, I left for West Virginia on a beautiful Carolina day in the spring of 98. In tow, I had my precious mare Pepper. Awaiting her in WV was the stallion of my dreams, a stallion I had never seen in person, but who had captured my imagination. Five long hours later we arrived at Tyler Mountain Stables, home of Sandy Preston and Windjammer SP. I was greeted immediately by Sandy, who put me right at ease with her hospitality and enthusiasm. After settling my mare in, it was time to meet Jammer for the first time.

            I could hear him before I saw him, snorting and trumpeting his call to the new mare in his barn. His excitement was clear but as soon as Sandy haltered him he remembered he was civilized and exited the stall calmly. As he stood before me, I had to catch my breath. Even at the advanced age of 27, this stallion was truly a site to behold. With an attitude that said I am the best there is, he arrogantly catches your attention. A dark mahogany bay, the only tip off to his age is a distinguished sprinkling of grey over his face. His eyes are luminous, the largest that I’ve ever seen, a dark well of intelligence and humor. Looking further, I was immediately struck by the extremely huge shoulders he possessed, along with a very short back and hindquarters designed for propulsion. Like a marble statue cut out painstakingly by a master artist, this stallion stood before me as the horse I’d been looking for my entire life.

            The highlight of that trip for me was the great privilege of being allowed to ride Jammer. With a great spring in his stride and the prospect of wind in his face, he carried me forward in Sandy’s arena to heights I’d only dreamt of. As he set off in his rhythmic dance, I observed how tiny his ears are and how neatly pricked he carried them. His head was set high on  his long and arched neck. With only a click or a lean of weight, he would advance his speed higher and higher. Never did his 4 beat dance falter, never did you feel anything but the floating exhilaration of flying around the ring on this noble horse. He was effortless, smooth and consistent, yet a perfect gentleman at all times. This was a stallion with a great mind, and he had helped me to make up my mind. His blood would be the cornerstone of my breeding program, and almost two years later I have a weanling son, WJ Windstorm, and my favorite mare is almost 100 days in foal to him at this moment.

            Windjammer’s origins are lost in obscurity. His first two years are completely unknown to us. The brilliance of his birth and lineage are lost forever to history. His quality and talent speak for themselves though, and he is very close in type to many of the Single-footing Horses of the Ohio Valley and Virginia areas, who at the time of Jammer’s birth would have more commonly been referred to as Kentucky Walkers or Old type Morgan horses. It is known that he came from the Ohio Valley region and that Sandy’s cousin purchased him at an auction and brought him to West Virginia. That is basically all that is known about his formative years. As a two year old he found a permanent home with Sandy’s family. Before she ever owned him she was the first to ride her future partner. Here she describes him as he was and is now.  “Jammer was as a two year old and will always be a stud that felt he was God’s gift to all mares. He was always full of himself and had that “look out here I come” attitude. I believe that very attitude is what made him a great show horse. From the time he was young he always had this bouncy kind of walk that made you realize that he thought he was ten feet tall and bulletproof, even though he was not a big horse at all. I always said that if he was a person you could not stand to be around him since he thought so much of himself. He always hated to be petted if anyone was around, he is much to macho to show affection when people are looking. He is honestly the most arrogant horse I have ever been around in my life, but never in a bad way. He has always been very mannered and easy to handle. His first week of riding he would slip in and out of the rack and the trot, but since his rack was his dominant gait it did not take him long to forget all about the trot. He always had motion and the desire to go fast even when he was two years old”.

            For the long years between Jammer’s two year old year and the time he was twelve years old, nothing much happened in his life. Sandy’s cousin still had him and had moved him out to a farm in the country. He was shown a few times by a young boy but it never amounted to anything. Unfortunately for the majority of these years he was kept in a barn and nothing substantial was done with him. According to Sandy, “Jammer did nothing but stand in a stall for those years and was bred a few times to junk horses(work ponies and mixed breed horses). Of course most of those colts never left the farm since my cousin lived way out in the country. When Jammer was 14, my cousin called me one day and told me that Jammer was not getting out and was just kicking his barn down and wanted to see if I was interested in buying him because he knew that I would keep him until the day he died. I ended up trading an 18 month old filly that was by another stallion the he used to have. Since I had not seen Jammer for years all I had to go on was what he use to look like when he rode him everyday. He was in great physical shape and had a mane down over his shoulders and a tail that touched the ground. I was shocked when he led him out of the stall that day, his mane was in so many knots you could not tell he had a mane and his tail was kicked off way up to his hocks. He was about 200 pounds overweight as well. He was one sorry looking horse compared to the horse I had known in the past, but a deal was a deal so I took him home and started to work on him”. So began Sandy and Jammer’s life together, and the rest as they say  would be history.

            Beginning in 1988, Sandy and Jammer began to set the Racking Horse world on fire with their breathtaking performances. Almost from the onset they were a phenomenon and so began a great rivalry between two great teams. The reigning speed champions were Speck and Robert Skimhorne, AKA, the Strawberry Jet. Sandy and Windjammer SP, AKA, The Bay Bullet were the first real competition for Speck. So began the “speed wars”. It was a fierce rivalry between two superstar horses, and the crowds loved every minute of it. Jammer was 5 time reserve world champion Speed Racking Horse. In the 1989 Spring Celebration Windjammer came out on top; “...Spectators drew to their feet and the fun began: SPEED...five entries...{M}ost all eyes were glued to two commanding officers in the first skirmish of {} the “Speed Wars{}”, the “Strawberry Jet” and the “Bay Bullet”. Speck and Robert and Sandy and Windjammer SP did royal battle....When the final line-up was called,...it was Windjammer and Sandy Preston! Tears fell from Sandy’s face as she headed for the winner’s circle in what must have been classed as a major upset in this division.”(The Racking Review, May 12,1989, p. 66.)

            Jammer was more than just a great show horse however, in the 1989 Celebration he showed just how much heart that he truly had and made himself into a legend. “The excitement was at a fever pitch for the final class of the night...the speed stake. Two of the finest speed horses would dominate the class beginning to end...and the fans backed off the rail to watch as ten entries would vie for this highly-coveted title...The spectators screamed themselves hoarse as the judge called for a continuation of the class and the contenders let it all hang out! The spectators leaped to their feet; the reverse was called and coming round the turn the “bay bullet”, Windjammer, lost footing and fell with owner/rider Sandy Preston! Everyone knew there would be broken bones! No! They were all right, if shaky!....Sandy opted to finish the class! The final line-up...the suspense was almost unbearable...Reserve Grand Speed Stake Champion, with 3-2-1, Windjammer and Sandy Preston! More screams from the spectators! There was no way to deny these two great contenders...Standing ovations rang for Windjammer SP.”(The Racking Review, Oct. 13, 1989, p. 68)

 

Now the story has been told and Sandy and Jammer are still together. He is a grand old stallion and still carries himself with the look of eagles. He has that special appeal that only truly great animals have, and he will never be forgotten in the minds of those who have seen him. He has been bred sparingly, but he does have some great offspring to carry forth his lineage. May you all find such a horse to fulfill your dreams and make them a reality, I consider myself lucky to have met this animal and I rejoice daily that I have one of his sons. Listen in your dreams for that four beat sound and  look to the winds for a flash of mahogany bay and you will have seen a glimpse of Windjammer.

 

“Nature is more beautiful than art; and in a living creature, freedom of movement makes nature more beautiful”. Buffon