Polo accident turns into fortunate opportunity
6/14/2008 11:31 PM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By BEN BAUGH

Staff writer

MONTMORENCI -- A polo accident turned into a propitious opportunity for Kathy Batchelor, owner of Montmorenci Mini Milers.

The horsewoman relocated to Aiken in 2004 from California. In addition to her polo backgrouns, Batchelor has been involved in rodeo. She suffered an accident while playing in 2005 resulting in a life-changing experience.

Batchelor took a brief respite from the world of horses, but a year away from her passion proved to be too much. In 2006, she decided to get a miniature horse for fun, having driven as a child.

"I used to drive for Monty Montana and Wells Fargo," said Batchelor. "I drove a four-in-hand from Canada to Montana. I got a mini, I took it out to the grandkids, and they had a blast, so I got another one. It started to grow from there."

There's 18 heads at the facility including six boarders. Batchelor has yearlings, 2-year-olds and a weanling named Love Bug on the grounds. There are 12 black and white Miniatures at Montmorenci Mini Milers. Batchelor breeds and sells the horses. The miniature horses are between 34 to 36 inches tall and weigh between 260 and 300 pounds, she said.

"My stallion is bred to the mares here, and he throws color, and 80 percent of the babies are black and white," said Batchelor.

Batchelor brought her tandem of Dr. Doolittle and Huey to a Combined Driving Event in Newnan, Ga., recognized by American Carriage Horse Association, she said. Dr. Doolittle is 7 years old and a pure-bred Miniature horse, and Huey is 4 years old.

"We had the best overall dressage score for the entire show," said Batchelor. "What a great group of people. ... We had a couple of penalties for being a couple of seconds over during the marathon phase of the event. We took Grand Champion of the show."

The marathon course featured water crossings and a variety of hazards, said Batchelor.

Montmorenci Mini Milers is located at 883 Old Tory Trail Road. For more information, call 646-9993 or 502-1340.

<Caption>Montmorenci Mini Milers (L to R) Huey, owner/trainer Kathy Batchelor and Dr. Doolittle have enjoyed recent success at several Combined Driving Events. (Photo by Ben Baugh). </Caption>

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