Brian and Darla Lee
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By Megan Sacia Ulrich
While nine-year-old Darla Halbe was first dabbling in horses thanks to the help of her 4-H leader in Apple Valley, California, then 11-year-old Brian Lee, born into a family of horsemen in Ohio, was growing up in the barn aisles at horse shows. His father, Dean Lee, was well-known in Ohio for his success showing Halter horses and, by the time Darla got her first horse–a grade Quarter Horse named Maxine–Brian was more than comfortable in the saddle aboard his first horse, Angel.
Despite the differences in how these two entered the industry, their early passion for horses and conviction to making it in the industry was shared. Darla eventually moved up to a Doc Bar-bred mare called Calamity Roseann Cash that she showed on the Quarter Horse circuit. From there, she continued to put one foot in front of the other to better herself as a horsewoman. At the same time, Brian was putting on countless miles in the Western Pleasure pen.
Some ten years after her first lesson, Darla crossed paths with Brian, who was also attending the University of Findlay where they both were pursuing majors in equestrian studies. As fate would have it, their schedules overlapped thus bringing together the freshman, west coast blonde with the junior, redheaded funny guy. Though Darla says she knew she’d marry Brian from the first time they met, a year passed before Brian and Darla would officially begin dating. Darla was drawn to Brian’s sense of humor while Brian, a self-proclaimed realist, found Darla’s optimism refreshing. After two years, on Darla’s 21st birthday, Brian proposed.
In 2003, having both worked as assistant trainers for industry elites such as Bruce Vickery and Carl Yamber after college, the pair felt ready to take two big leaps. First, they married, and then they struck out on their own by launching Lee Quarter Horses. Brian was 25 and Darla was 23. Between the two of them, they had $1,000 in savings. But their youth, and their measly bank account, was no match for their shared laser focus and work ethic, their conviction to do the best they could do with each horse they rode, and their drive to succeed.
Since that humble start, they’ve built a business they are both proud of. It’s one that has turned out a heap of winning horses.
As one would expect, their training and business philosophies have evolved throughout those 17 years. Through lots of trial and error, the pair feels they’re now in a place that keeps customers happy, as evidenced by the fact that some customers have been loyal to the Lees for 15 years and counting.
