Joy Overbeck
Journalist and Author

 Clyde Barton paces a wooden catwalk that overlooks the network of pens. From his high vantage point, the lanky, silver-haired rancher marks the horses that stand out because of their size: the beefy quarter horses, the Belgian crosses. They stand quietly, steam rising off their bodies in the cold morning air. Their ears flick back and forth at the noise of metal clanging, trucks with trailers crunching down the dirt drive, the occasional far-off whinny. Sounds that spark memories of rodeos and county fairs, horse shows and pony club meetings, a feeling that something is about to happen.