A breed of its own
BROOKSVILLE When Bob DeFelice first met his wife Donna Lance, they immediately bonded over their love of horses.
After spending most of their lives in the work force — DeFelice as an air conditioning contractor and Lance as a president of a moving development company in Clearwater —the couple grew tired of the daily grind and knew they needed a change.
“We pushed hard making money, making money, making money. We wore ourselves out,” he said.
So DeFelice and Lance bought a tranquil place in Safety Harbor with about an acre of land and the perfect accessory — a barn.
“We said, ‘We should put a horse in there, then we had two,”‘ he said.
“Then we had 22,” she added.
Eleven years later, DeFelice, 60, and Lance, 55, live in Brooksville and own Sundance Stables with a roomy 40 acres, 11 stables and a professional arena to train their 26 horses.
The duo breeds, trains, shows and sells various breeds such as Palominos and Blue Roans but specializes in Mountain horses like the Rocky Mountain and Kentucky Mountain Saddle.
“We just got lost and caught up in it. Before you know it, this is what it turns into,” he said. “We provide a really easygoing, friendly horse. These Mountain horses are the horses to have.”
Developed in eastern Kentucky, the Mountain horse is a gaited breed of horse, which means it has the ability to provide a smooth ride so the rider sits almost motionless while traveling at high speeds.
They vary in colors such as black, buckskin or — the most popular color, chocolate — with white on the face, legs, mane or tail as well as being spotted.
Growing as large as 16 hands high at its withers, Mountain horses have the strength and endurance to be a workhorse but also have a docile temperament that makes it ideal for families, said DeFelice and Lance, who both grew up with horses while living in Connecticut and Canada, respectively.
“You can’t beat a Mountain horse in its personality and temperament. You have to treat them like you do any other animal you love,” said Lance, who has been showing Mountain horses for the past seven years in local, national and international competitions.
DeFelice said each horse costs about $100 a month to maintain, which doesn’t include doctor visits and medical treatments.
Mountain horses start selling at $4,000 each but DeFelice and Lance provide buyers with 30 days of free riding lessons.
“We are picky who we sell them to. We love our horses and we don’t want to see anything happen to them,” DeFelice said. “It’s a specialty breed but I’d say it’s top of the line.”
For more information, call 727-638-9445, visit sundancestablesfl.com or visit the stables at 23028 Mizell Road.
