The horse that changed my life
Among a pile of papers in Joyce Lehtinen's home is a scribbled bill of sale that the late Alex Picov wrote out for her a few decades ago for a horse.
"I was in my 20s and it was the first Quarter Horse I ever bought," said Lehtinen, who breeds and races at Ajax Downs with her trainer-husband Erik. "I bought him for $375 and I kept the bill of sale."
That horse, named Dusty Bar King, led the way for Lehtinen to immerse herself into a successful business, Jem Farms in Uxbridge, ON, one of the province's top racing, breeding and training facilities.
"He was strong and stout, just a beautiful horse," said Lehtinen. "He was just a 2-year-old but I took him to a Markham stable and trained him to ride. My friends and I just used to go riding every evening."
An avid and accomplished horsewoman, Lehtinen molded Dusty Bar King into her perfect equine friend. She had saved up money from working to buy the horse who to this day, holds a very special place in her heart.
"There is a painting of him on my wall," said Lehtinen. "I had him for 10 years."
When Dusty Bar King became too old to ride, she bought another Quarter Horse and when she met Erik, the couple built a farm and purchased their first racing Quarter Horse.
JEM Farms (www.jem-farms.ca), named for Joyce, Erik and their daughter Miranda, is a 160-acre property which is home to about 20 horses. For 25 years, the Lehtinens have bred some of the top runners in Ontario including The Diamond Side, the AQHA Canadian Champion in 2011. The family, which races in the familiar gold and green silks of the stable, was named the AQHA Top Canadian Breeders in 2010.
The family also operates a successful glass repair and installation business on their property and breed Quarter horses for many other disciplines such as barrel racing and working cow horses.
"I worked at Honda for a while when I was younger, then a dressage riding stable," said Lehtinen. "Since I starting working with horses, I never left. It is a lifestyle."
And Dusty Bar King was the horse that made it all possible.
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