My name is Aimee Wheater. And I run Painted H Ranch in Chino Hills, CA. My love affair with horses came from my father - he had horses from the time I was born and I couldn't imagine life without them. I started in a hunter/jumper barn at a very young age and have always loved the thrill of riding a horse over fences. I also dabbled in 3-day eventing through college. Minis came along somewhere in the middle of all this in 1993. One of my dad's employees owned and showed miniatures and invited me out to a show. I was very interested in this new adventure and they let me show their minis for a few years until I got my own in 1996. Her name is Shamrocks Irish Rose - she has since been retired from the show ring, but she is still a permanent fixture in my barn.

It wasn't long before I wanted to drive and that brought along mini #2 Rolins Country Image aka "Dealer." Dealer was a very accomplished halter gelding, but had yet to make his mark in the performance world. I spent a lot of time with Sundance Morgans & Miniatures perfecting Dealer & my driving skills and that year traveled to my first AMHA World Show in Reno, Nevada where I top tenned in all four of my classes. The following year we worked even harder and Dealer & I earned out first AMHA World Championship in Country Pleasure Driving along with six other top tens.

It was time to get my dad involved - the following year my mom & I bought a stallion, Ultra Eagle Feather, sight unseen and had him gelded and shipped off to Sundance Morgans & Miniatures to be broke to drive – we surprised my dad with Feather at one of our weekly lessons and Feather & him clicked immediately and they had a very successful show career.

In 2000 I got my first Single Pleasure Driving Horse, Royal Crest Dazzlin Vaquero, we went back to Texas for the World Show and Vaquero earned his first Top Ten in Youth Single Pleasure driving – and Dealer captured another World Championship this time in Youth Jumpers. My dad had really gotten hooked and he set his sights on his dream horse Dream Makers Black Tie – a fancy Single Pleasure Driving gelding, things did not work, but we purchased an equally fancy gelding named LM Supreme Barcelona.

In 2001 I graduated from high school – and started college at California Polytechnic University Pomona, and opted out of the World Show that year. That didn't mean I'd stop training though, Ultra Eagle Feather began a second career as a jumper. In 2002 we headed back to Texas for the AMHA World Show & Feather and I World Champion Amateur Jumpers - and he went on to do it again the following year. 2002 was also a milestone for my dad – he earned his first World Top Ten in Gentleman’s Single Pleasure Driving with Barcelona.

In 2003 I started showing a new gelding - Brewers Vanilla Ice, we had bought him in 2000 but he just wasn't ready to show. At the 2003 AMHA World Show Iceman got his first top ten in hunters, and we also won Reserve Champion in Amateur Showmanship. Since then Iceman has gone on to earn World Champion & Reserve titles in Showmanship and Obstacle Driving and numerous top tens in other performance classes including hunters. In 2007 Iceman and I had our best year earning AMHA Western Championships High Point Amateur and then AMHA Reserve Super Amateur at the AMHA World Show.

At the World Show in 2004 my dad finally got the opportunity to purchase his dream horse – Dream Makers Black Tie. We worked hard with him over the winter and in 2005 at our first show of the year – Arizona Touch of Class my dad earned the High Point Amateur Award with Tie. When we returned home from that show my dad was diagnosed with cancer and we lost him later that year – it was a devastating time for my family. We had been in our new ranch my mom and he had built from the ground up for just about a year, and we had big plans for this new facility. It was a huge setback for me, and it was really hard to continue with the horses, but it is my passion, and I know my dad wouldn’t have wanted me to give that up. Before he passed away I graduated college that summer with my bachelors in Communications with a Public Relations emphasis – he was there to see me get my diploma and my mom and dad gave me a Boone’s Little Buckeroo son as a graduation present to start my breeding program.

Since then I've started my breeding program and have had 4-6 foals a year. It's very rewarding to show your own breeding and have success with them. I have enlisted the guidance of some great trainers across the country - Casey Campbell of Wingate Training Center in California, Austin Vanwyck of Victory Lane Training Center in Arizona, Mike Rosauer of Stars Miniatures in Texas, and Jessica Burch of Jessica Burch Performance Horses in California.

I haven’t mentioned my mom in too much of this story – but she really is the other half of Painted H Ranch. She’s been my “ring side cheerleader” all my life and so supportive of this passion of mine. Without her I know my dad and I would have never been able to do it – for years she did all our organizing and paperwork.

All this wouldn't be possible either without my very patient, understanding and supporting husband Jeff. He is a true animal lover, but I don't know how many change of plans we've had over the years because of these guys and he never gets upset just stands right next to me no matter what needs to be done.

Since the 2002 AMHA World Show through the 2010 World Show Painted H Ranch has earned a total of 1 Grand Championship, 2 Reserve Grand Championships, 17 World Championships, 12 Reserve World Championships, and 95 Top Tens. Plus my Reserve World Champion Super Amateur. We do also show AMHR sanctioned shows, and PtHA sanctioned shows.

Painted H Ranch is currently home to 38 miniatures – with 8 on the way for 2012, and 3 full sized horses trail horses. We welcome anyone in the area to drop in and visit.