Vernon Trembly: A closer look at the man and a lifetime of sharing his love of miniature horses

This blog is strictly an opinion commentary. Public comments are allowed for the purpose of creating open discussions, and they are meant to be construed as opinions and nothing more.

    

Other links:

 Newest photos from the Trembly Farm: http://kswatcher.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/i-visited-uniontown-again-here-are-the-starving-horses-that-victor-mcmullen-of-swer-vowed-in-writing-just-8-days-ago-to-seize/

     Vernon Trembly has two types of cancer, neither of which is expected to be fatal.  Even so, he makes frequent trips to Pittsburg, KS for treatment.  It has been much talked about that he lives with a girlfriend.  The “girlfriend” is a sweet 86-year-old lady confined to a wheel chair.  Vern Trembly is what stands between her and a state nursing home.  Vern’s health problems do not seem to slow him down very much.  Although he is thin, he appears to be very spry and energetic.  I have watched him toss around hay bales and 50 pound bags of grain with apparent ease.  He reminds me a little of Granny Clampet in that respect.

     I’m not sure where Vern is originally from.  It seems that he spent many years in Colorado, and is a member of the Rocky Mountain Miniature Horse Club.  He told me that he grew up on a farm, and has 4 grown children.  He has always had a passionate love for horses, and has been breeding them for over 40 years.  He laughs at the people that were outraged so many years ago at the concept of purposely breeding miniatures.  He said, “The more they complained about it, the smaller I tried to make them.”  There were other times in history when the equine community viewed miniature horses as abominations and useless.  King Henry VIII feared that the mini would be so loved that breeders would stop breeding large horses capable of carrying soldiers and heavy armor.  He ordered all horses under 56 inches tall to be destroyed.  We are fortunate that so many people in England ignored the order and hid their small treasured ponies. 

     Vern’s greatest pride and joy during a lifetime of breeding miniature horses is the harness team of 6 matching buckskins that he used to own.  He claims that they were the only matched set of 6 buckskin miniatures in the country.  Two of those buckskins have now been taken away.

Mr. Trembly has always liked to share his love for miniature horses, and his minis have been a familiar and appreciated attraction at festivals, special events and nursing homes across the midwest.

     Here are some excerpts from a story in The Girard Press by Stephanie Farley.  Read the entire story here: http://girardpress.com/stories/090606/loc_20060906030.shtml

WALNUT – Vern Trembly spent most of his Saturday giving kids in Walnut something to smile about.

Trembly said that sometimes when it gets hot out, he’s tired and his feet start hurting, he wonders why he does it. But every time he looks down and sees the “kids grinning from ear-to-ear, you just forget your problems and go on.”

Trembly said he hoped he was working with children who would otherwise not get a chance to ride a horse.

“He enjoys it as much as the kids do,” said Addie Burch, a friend of Trembly’s.

     Happy customers that own miniatures from Trembly’s Tiny Trails often send Vern letters and photographs.  He keeps and treasures them all.

     He’s even played the part of Santa Claus on a number of occasions.

See additional photos at Kodak Gallery: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=luydpui.aadbetw2&Uy=-x8rj7c&Ux=0

     I think that what sets Vern Trembly apart from the people that would see his life’s work in breeding miniature horses destroyed as well as his personal life in the community in which he lives, is that he not only loves animals, he loves people too!

     I just don’t see him as a man that deserved to be so maliciously destroyed in the media.  I see him as a man that needed some help.  You have only to look at these photos, most of which were taken within the last few years, and it is clear that his horses have been healthy and well taken care of in the past.  Some of his horses were sick.  They were not starved.  With all the criminals and truly evil people in the world, why is there such a fanatical lust for blood associated with this story?