JUNE 2021 THE RIDER /13 Nelson Bilyea, Through The Years


By Craig Black Nelson and I met back


in the mid 1960s at the Lon- don Horsemanship Club Show. We were about 14 or 15 and he rode a paint mare named Queenie and I rode a paint mare called Zella. I moved to Exeter around 1969 or 1970 so I got to see and know Nelson a lot more. I had started training horses and shoeing on my own and Nelson was work- ing for Charlie Hayden drilling water wells. The horse business was doing well and during that time there were a lot of open shows, fairs and open shows run by saddle clubs, such as the Exeter Saddle Club, Dorchester and Thamesford. We had quite a crew at


that time that hung around together like the Rundles, the Mousseaus, the Parsons as well as Nelson and my- self. We all did our share of winning both in the speed events and the performance classes. Back then Nelson showed a white gelding called Mr. Clean in all the speed events and the rein- ing, and a good paint geld- ing named Navajo Joe in the performance classes. Then a bad well cave in


(with Nelson in it) brought Nelson to two major deci- sions! He quit drilling wells and decided to go into the horse business. At the time, there were several good horse dealers in the country -


the Ionsons, the


Coverdales, Doug Doner, Albert Greco, LeRoy Kufske, Johnny Royle and Peter Van Eerd. Peter would say that Nelson “ain’t no dummy”. Nelson made a point of becoming friends with all of


watched them and studied


them, what they would buy, how they sold them, and he learned how to trade. You don’t see too much of that anymore. He studied horses and learned defects and soundness, both mental and physical. Over the years, he has become one of the most knowledgeable horsemen I know. Then Nelson made an-


other major decision. He wanted to run a horse sale - a reputable one! He part- nered with Mike Weber from Aylmer for the first few sales and they went well. There were hardly any sales other than the Kitch- ener Stockyards at that time. Then he started to run his own sale. But don’t kid yourself, it wasn’t on his own, he had Kathy - enough said.


Over the years, loca- them. He


tions moved but these sales were the place to go. I was with Nelson many times when a person wanted to enter their horse but had to have x amount of money. Of course Nelson knows the value of a horse and has his own market. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard him say to the owner that he’d guarantee the horse will bring that much or he would buy it himself. Some- times he had to buy the horse, but most times he had told so many people about said horse that there were several buyers to buy that horse. He was backing his products. Now that brings a lot of integrity to a sale! Many times I heard people say, “oh Nelson is running horses to get more commis- sion”. Bull! He was trying to buy them himself because he knows horses and he knew he could take that horse home and make a


he called Dudley. Dudley was broke. That same year, I showed an Appaloosa gelding named Peppy’s Legacy, by the previously mentioned Peppy Dry Doc. Nelson and I actually owned the gelding in partnership. Dudley was the National Champion Senior Reining Horse and Peppy’s Legacy was the National Champion Junior Reining Horse. The following year, Peppy’s Legacy was the Reserve Champion NRHA Open Novice Horse for Canada. Ginnin Cowboy, that


profit on it. For forty years, those


sales were a big benefit for a lot of people and in my opinion, run with honesty and integrity. In 1980, the European


market started and I was in the thick of it. When I needed horses, who did I call - Nelson. I knew he un- derstood what I needed and if he didn’t have them, he would find them. I knew I could trust him. If I was at home or in Italy, I could phone him and he would fill the bill. I don’t know how many horses I bought and sold from Nelson just over the phone and they were just what he said they were. With all of these horses


going overseas, it started to create a shortage of good horses at home. I needed them and so did Nelson for his own market. Nelson said, “Let’s go to Oklahoma. Shawnee has a big sale there”. Thus started the road trips to Oklahoma. So many of them. Now Nelson and I travel together really well but for some reason he never wanted me to drive. Well, it was his truck and


trailer so that was under- standable. It suited me just fine because I loved watch- ing the countryside and all the ranches. I’d get a six- pack and enjoy the ride. Of course, because Nelson was driving, he just drank cof- fee. Then the problem came. When I needed a pit stop, he didn’t. Lots of times, he did- n’t even stop to eat! Finally, late one night, we stopped for fuel. I asked, “Nelson, do you want a coffee?” “Yeah, then let’s keep going for a while.” I brought him out a milkshake container sized coffee! This time when I needed a pit stop, so did Nelson! The first sale we went


to, Nelson told me that they asked him to bring a letter of credit. They never asked him to do that again! Oh boy, how many good horses came back to Ontario from those sales over the years. One time, Nelson was look- ing at a son of Smart Little Lena but couldn’t get him bought. In the meantime, I had been watching a stud by Dry Doc out of a daughter of Peppy San, who had won $15 000 in weekend cuttings


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and was really broke. I talked it over with Nelson. And at that time, Dave Mc- Neice was there and wanted Nelson to pick out some nice broodmares for him. (He had just bought Famous Amos.) At the end of the story, Nelson, me, Dave and Bob Atherton bought Peppy Dry Doc for $10,000. We brought him home and I turned him into a reining horse putting some NRHA money on him, and bred mares with him for 2 years. Several of his colts were NRHA money earners and AQHA point earners. Two years after we bought him, we sold him to Germany for $40,000. They put him back in the cutting pen and that year he finished in the top 5 in the AQHA World stand- ings in Cutting. That’s the calibre of horses we were dealing in back then. Over the years, Nelson


has owned and shown many really good ones. Some of my favourites were - Dud- ley, Ginnin Cowboy, and Bernie. In 1999, or as I like to say, just before the turn of the century, Nelson showed an ugly Appaloosa gelding


horse I really liked, he was a cutter, but he was really broke too. Every colt that I rode by him was really nice minded and very talented. I think my most favourite horse Nelson had was a horse called Bernie. Nelson had bought a real nice gray mare and Bernie in Michi- gan. Bernie had been a cut- ter but had just been used in a feedlot for a year. Now Bernie was a big, stout white-legged, white-faced good looking gelding by Peppy San Badger. Both Nelson and I really liked the Peppy San Badgers but we also knew what they could be like. Nelson went back to cutting with him and was doing well. One day at a practice down in Richmond, Nelson hit him a little hard with a spur. Bernie bucked him off high and wide and handsome. Back then we bounced a lot better! That horse went on and won a year end NCHA buckle for Nelson. He was a really good one. Another thing a lot of


people don’t know about Nelson is his generosity. Back when the Mid Western Horseman’s Society first started, Nelson was a direc-


tor and got his judge’s card. He judged many open shows, but when he would judge a saddle club show, he never charged them. All he asked is that they put up a year end trophy in his and Kathy’s name. He was al- ways supporting the clubs where he got his roots. Nel- son has belonged to and been a director of countless provincial horse associa- tions and he always volun- tarily sponsors year end awards. When there is a fundraiser, especially a silent auction, he donates more good stuff than anyone and always buys more than he brings! When it comes to a cow horse show or cutting, he always stays and helps tear things down when the show is over. And now, Nelson and


Kathy have made another major decision. They have sold their farm in Granton and bought a place in Al- berta, close to Edmonton. They will be near Darren and Jackie which will allow them to spoil the grandkids even more! I’m going to miss those


road trips south, the BBQ ribs and the peach cobbler in Marietta and the huge dill pickles. I’m going to miss comparing runs at the rein- ing, cow horse or cuttings. I’m going to miss the phone calls discussing horses and people. I’m going to miss talking about old friends that only we remember any more. I’m going to miss sharing knowledge together, which 99% of the time, we agree on. Most of all, I’m going to miss Nelson and Kathy and I’m sure a whole lot of other people will too!


RE/MAX REAL ESTATE CENTRE INC. BROKERAGE INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED.


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