Post by ABM ADMIN on Sept 29, 2015 14:49:52 GMT -6
Amarillo by Morning
History
From the start, Belgrove Academy and Double Bar L have shared a dislike for one another. A lot of the citizens of Amarillo wonder why these two prestigious stables are at each others' necks constantly, but it's the older generation that should be asked that same question.
Over a hundred years ago is where their story started. Double Bar L started out as simply a cattle ranch situated in what is today's Amarillo. Founded by a confederate solder a year before the Civil War was declared over, the small ranch had it's fair share of ups and downs. Levi Gunner started out just wanting a place to raise his kids and have a stable home for his wife as well as himself. He had no idea how his hard work would pay off.
Each generation that would pass, the cattle ranch would grow. It went from a modest thousand acres to over ten thousand acres in what seemed over night. However, becoming a well known cattle ranch wasn't exactly easy in more ways than one. One of these obstacles was a buyer named Otis Belgrove. He came to Amarillo from the East in 1911 in hopes of purchasing the farm from the struggling Texan family. The family didn't hesitate in rejecting the offer and continued to struggle. That wasn't the last time Otis Belgrove came to Amarillo.
Double Bar L had hit a stump and Levi Gunner's grandson contacted Belgrove's son, Louis Belgrove and sold the family farm in 1945 after 80 years of struggle. At this point, the ranch had reached a whopping 200,000 acres and became a top contender in the cattle industry. However, as soon as Belgrove got his hands on the ranch, the entire setup was changed and cattle were sold, horses were auctioned off and the older buildings were torn down. A plantation home was built, separate barns and arenas shot up. Then Belgrove made friends with the wrong people and the citizens of Amarillo, angry at how Belgrove was destroying a landmark, ran the ranch owner out of town and managed to get the ranch back in the hands of a Gunner.
in 1975, Double Bar L fell back into the hands of Cain Gunner and his wife, Jane. He was a tough man, had rebuilt the the Gunner name and farm into it's former glory. The next 25 years it raked in more money than it had ever seen in it's lifetime. Cain, in his 65 years, had petitioned the town of Amarillo and they helped him purchase more acres and soon they reached a whopping 400,000 acres total of cattle territory.
That wasn't the last they had seen of Belgrove however. On the other side of town, in the year 2000, an equestrian academy was being built. Owned by the great-grand daughter of Otis Belgrove, Clara Belgrove had managed to bring class and attract, bluntly put, richer people to Amarillo. Resentful towards Cain and his family, the two quickly became enemies, and competed against one another constantly.
Now, with the ranch in the hands of the younger generation, all fourteen kids. Lazarus and his friend Danielle Mullenix run the business while the others had joined the army, marines, navy or air force that took them away from the ranch for the time being. In their care, these childhood friends managed to get a mustang reserve approved and Amarillo developed their own EMM. (Extreme Mustang Makeover).. On top of that, DBL has started a correction facility for troubled and abused teens.
In the meantime, Belgrove has produced the top riders of Amarillo, some of which has went on to compete in the Olympics. Every other season, they build a team of riders that compete nation wide.
Belgrove and Double Bar L had came to an understanding that to truly declare who is the top riders of Amarillo, they managed to create their own sort of shows to test their riding skills and horsemanship. Who is the best? Who will you choose? Become one of the top riders in ABM.
Over a hundred years ago is where their story started. Double Bar L started out as simply a cattle ranch situated in what is today's Amarillo. Founded by a confederate solder a year before the Civil War was declared over, the small ranch had it's fair share of ups and downs. Levi Gunner started out just wanting a place to raise his kids and have a stable home for his wife as well as himself. He had no idea how his hard work would pay off.
Each generation that would pass, the cattle ranch would grow. It went from a modest thousand acres to over ten thousand acres in what seemed over night. However, becoming a well known cattle ranch wasn't exactly easy in more ways than one. One of these obstacles was a buyer named Otis Belgrove. He came to Amarillo from the East in 1911 in hopes of purchasing the farm from the struggling Texan family. The family didn't hesitate in rejecting the offer and continued to struggle. That wasn't the last time Otis Belgrove came to Amarillo.
Double Bar L had hit a stump and Levi Gunner's grandson contacted Belgrove's son, Louis Belgrove and sold the family farm in 1945 after 80 years of struggle. At this point, the ranch had reached a whopping 200,000 acres and became a top contender in the cattle industry. However, as soon as Belgrove got his hands on the ranch, the entire setup was changed and cattle were sold, horses were auctioned off and the older buildings were torn down. A plantation home was built, separate barns and arenas shot up. Then Belgrove made friends with the wrong people and the citizens of Amarillo, angry at how Belgrove was destroying a landmark, ran the ranch owner out of town and managed to get the ranch back in the hands of a Gunner.
in 1975, Double Bar L fell back into the hands of Cain Gunner and his wife, Jane. He was a tough man, had rebuilt the the Gunner name and farm into it's former glory. The next 25 years it raked in more money than it had ever seen in it's lifetime. Cain, in his 65 years, had petitioned the town of Amarillo and they helped him purchase more acres and soon they reached a whopping 400,000 acres total of cattle territory.
That wasn't the last they had seen of Belgrove however. On the other side of town, in the year 2000, an equestrian academy was being built. Owned by the great-grand daughter of Otis Belgrove, Clara Belgrove had managed to bring class and attract, bluntly put, richer people to Amarillo. Resentful towards Cain and his family, the two quickly became enemies, and competed against one another constantly.
Now, with the ranch in the hands of the younger generation, all fourteen kids. Lazarus and his friend Danielle Mullenix run the business while the others had joined the army, marines, navy or air force that took them away from the ranch for the time being. In their care, these childhood friends managed to get a mustang reserve approved and Amarillo developed their own EMM. (Extreme Mustang Makeover).. On top of that, DBL has started a correction facility for troubled and abused teens.
In the meantime, Belgrove has produced the top riders of Amarillo, some of which has went on to compete in the Olympics. Every other season, they build a team of riders that compete nation wide.
Belgrove and Double Bar L had came to an understanding that to truly declare who is the top riders of Amarillo, they managed to create their own sort of shows to test their riding skills and horsemanship. Who is the best? Who will you choose? Become one of the top riders in ABM.
