[siegi b.]

Willy was driving one the the Friesian stallions that were at his place for the 70-day stallion testing...... I can't imagine what happened for him to get so damaged in the process. My heart goes out to him.

[nhwr]

I met Willy in 1985. He was handling DG Bar's stallions at a show at LAEC. My friend had gone to see one of them for her mare and decided the stallion was the one. So after the show, Willy swung by our barn to breed her mare. They had 3 stallions in the van and they were all pretty nice. My mare was in heat too and I had just started looking at dates for her. There was one of their stallions that was perfect for her but I didn't have my checkbook with me.

Willy looked me in the eye for a long moment and asked then when I could mail a check to them. When I said that afternoon, he shook my hand and said "Ja, we can do it". 45 minutes and 2 breedings later, they loaded the boys back in the van and headed north back to Hanford.

Willy is a nice guy and good at the business. I truly hope he is going to be ok.

PS Anyone I know who is involved in driving says it is much more dangerous than riding. With the little experience I have had with it, I believe them.

Jingles for Willy.

[Mardi]

Velvet I thought you were a DQ. Works for DG Bar Ranch, young horses, travels gives clinics etc.

He's part owner of DG Bar.

[vxf111]

He's part owner of DG Bar.

And unless my memory fails there was a lovely write up with photos very recently in COTH (maybe the dressage issue?) Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Driving accidents are FRIGHTENING.

[Mardi]

Willy was driving one the the Friesian stallions that were at his place for the 70-day stallion testing...... I can't imagine what happened for him to get so damaged in the process. My heart goes out to him.

Siegi...the weather was awful up there yesterday...wind, rain, very cold.

Don't know if that was part of it....

I wish him a very speedy recovery.

[KBEquine]

Jingles for a speedy recovery

[MysticOakRanch]

Sending healing thoughts to Willy, what a awful thing to happen! He is a strong person!

I also can't imagine what a horrible accident it must have been - except I've seen some scary driving accidents, so maybe I just don't WANT to imagine how awful it must have been...

[Discobold]

I'm terrified of driving and have always assumed my fear is irrational. Maybe not. Best wishes for a a speedy and full recovery.

[Bristol Bay]

Are there any updates on FB?

[AllWeatherGal]

I always think of of Willy calling out corrections and encouragement to his junior riders at shows.

He seemed like such a kind and trustworthy man, besides being talented, hard-working and focused.

Jingles for a fast and thorough recovery.

[oreobob]

DG Bar just posted on FB this morning, here is an excerpt.

"Willy is making improvements and the Doctors are pleased with his progress. He is talking with us and can move his arms and legs. He is so tough, which we all knew, but it is very encouraging to see! I let him know that everyone was thinking of him and he said Thank you! We still do not have precise details on his injures but he is very stable. "

[schimmel]

I am not familiar with driving. Are helmets typically warn?

[Jeannette, formerly ponygyrl]

Rooting for Willy. HAven't met the man, but have heard only great things about him.

nhwr, great story - "Ja, we can do that."

[Sandy M]

Willy was driving one the the Friesian stallions that were at his place for the 70-day stallion testing...... I can't imagine what happened for him to get so damaged in the process. My heart goes out to him.

I was told that he hit his head/neck on the steel pipe fencing, which certainly could account for the severit of the injuries. I don't know any other details of the accident.

[ThreeFigs]

Oh, dang!

[2tempe]

Oh, dang!

My reaction and then some! I drove for about 8 years, and fortunately had only one accident - my mare turned sideways going down a hill, and vehicle went over. We were walking, so it was a slo-mo thing and she was a saint, did little fussing and my groom and I were fine. But I've seen and heard of others that were not so good. MANY jingles to Willy and here's hoping that the news continues to be good. He's had some lovely horses at the Young Horse Championships.

[Carol O]

Who is Willy Arts?

I recommend a quick search of the internet prior to responding in the future.

Jingles to you, Willy. You and your lovely stallions kicked my ass at the Fresno Horse Trials in the early '80's. You and your horses were lovely, and had so much to teach us then and now. You are lovely still. Jingles....

[JackieBlue]

I don't think Velvet did anything wrong by asking her question here. And I think it's perfectly easy to fill someone in without snubbing them, as NRB and Mardi did early on. Had I seen the post sooner, I would have gladly shared with Velvet what a gem Willy is to the horse world. I would have told her that he's been a powerful influence on my own training and handling methods and I would have encouraged her to read anything she can find that he's put in print.

Prayers and jingles ongoing for Willy and the entire DG Bar crew, horses included, because I know they miss him, too.

[summerhorse]

I never heard of him either. If you aren't a competitor and don't follow that breed it is entirely possible for a person to have never heard of the top people involved. Even a DQ! (which I am not!)

I find driving much scarier and accidents much more frightening also. I've seen some terrible wrecks esp. with more than one horse involved. So easy to get caught up in equipment, run over by horses, slung into fences, run over. Even a shetland pony can ruin your day for a long time to come!

Get well soon Mr. Arts!