Michael and Michelle Miola are the owners of Silver Spurs. When not in the saddle, Michael is the Co-Chairman of Northstar Financial Services Group, an investment management company. Born and raised in New York, horses have always been a part of Michelle and Michael's lives. In 1982, they purchased their first horse, a thoroughbred hunter jumper named Napoleon and have been hooked on riding ever since. In 1992 they purchased a horse ranch in Kiowa, Colorado and became captivated by reining.
In 2002, Michael, Michelle, and their children left New York and permanently relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona. Unable to find a stable that provided the quality of training, equine care and riding facilities that they had become accustomed to on their Colorado ranch, they decided to build a facility that not only met their expectations but honored their love for horses. Michael and Michelle built Silver Spurs with the sole intention of creating an elite line of American Quarter Horses specializing in the sport of Reining. Silver Spurs is a private facility. All of the horses on the ranch are owned by Silver Spurs Equine, no boarders or outside horses for training are permitted on the ranch.
In December 2005, Silver Spurs Equine became a reality for these two passionate Reiners.
To achieve its goal, Michael and Michelle have concentrated on acquiring the best:
* Director of Training
* Champion and Championship caliber quarter horses
* Training facilities
TRAINING DIRECTOR
Our Training Director is the one and only Brett Stone. While Brett really needs no introduction, he is a 26-time World and National Reining Champion as well as the winner of the most coveted title in the sport of Reining - the winner of the 1992 NRHA Reining Futurity which he won on none other than Boomernic. Brett's proudest achievement though was when he conducted the Reining Demonstration Clinic at the 1996 Reining Futurity.
Brett was intricately involved with the designing and planning of Silver Spurs from its inception and is determined to make it the premier breeding and training facility for the sport of Reining in the United States.
Brett has done so much for the world of Reining and seeing him doing what he has elevated to a form of art, training a horse to become champion Reiner, is truly an experience that no serious Reiner should miss.
Silver Spurs first aquistion was the 1992 NCHA Open Champion, Boomernic. The stallion is one of the 2 living sons of Million Dollar Sires that Became Million Dollar Sires, and winner of the 1992 NRHA Futurity.
The 2nd breeding stallion, purchased in 2005 was Docs Fritzie Command. By Fritz Command (a full brother of Bueno Chex) and out of Ann Doc Bar (by Doc Bar) Doc provides fantastic foundation breeding. In 1989, DFC was the first horse to place in the finals of both the NRHA Futurity and the Snaffle Bit Futurity. Only one other horse has achieved that honor since.
Conquistador Whiz ("CW") was purchased on December 5, 2008 during the Futurity. CW's first crop had produced a NRHA Futurity Champion and his 2nd crop and had produced the NRHA Non-Pro Futurity Champion. CW stands alone as a competitor with many titles to boast.
Soon after the breeding season was complete the opportunity arose to purchase Spooks Gotta Gun, Silver Spurs jumped at the opportunity to own this APHA and AQHA World Championship sire. His first foal crop was still to show when purchased, and what a great turn of event when he produced the 2010 NRHA Futurity champion.
Nic It In The Bud, a top NRCHA sire came onboard the the beginning of 2011, a heavy weight addition to the stallions, with cow horseand reining foundation.
Silver Spurs is located on 10 beautiful acres in Cave Creek. Its facilities include:
* 3 Competition class reining arenas including a 200' by 400' arena, a 150' by 150' arena and a 95' by 150' covered arena
* A 22 stall show barn with oversize stalls, huge tack rooms, indoor and outdoor shower stalls
* A 34-stall mare motel
* A complete stallion breeding and reproductive center complete with lab and equipment to ship cooled and frozen semen and perform embryo transfers
* A 40' therapy and conditioning pool
* A 90' round exercise pen and a hot walker
* Several oversized turnouts
* Complete video surveillance
* On site grooming and equine care staff providing 24 hour monitoring of all horses
Silver Spurs recently purchased 15 acres in nearby Rio Verde, AZ that it is currently developing for pastures for its mares, weanlings and yearlings as well as a complete mare reproductive and foaling center. The facility will have a climate controlled show barn fashioned after the Alamo that will showcase all of its prospects for sale.
Melanie Gniss Melanie has been riding for over 15 years. She joined the Silver Spurs team in 2007 as Brett's assistant trainer and has been indispensable since! You'll see Melanie arriving early to every show to set everything up and competing in the show pen for us.
Lee Bielefeldt
An experienced hand from South Dakota, Lee joined Silver Spurs in 2008. Lee specializes in starting our yearling's. His gentle ways and calm temperament transcend to the horses so that when Brett an Melanie get them to train they are ready and willing.
Feel free to give us a call to view all of our stallions and our magnificent sale prospects.
