Jeremy Carlton
MTSU Assistant Horse Barn Manager
B.S. Middle Tennessee State University, 1998.
Horse Science
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Jeremy Carlton first came to MTSU as an AgriBusiness major, thinking he might end up working in agricultural finance or farm credit. His family had always had Tennessee Walking Horses, raising colts and showing in the yearling classes. Richland Farm recruited Jeremy to work there after his freshman year at MTSU, and he found he enjoyed the breeding business, taking mares to breed and keeping up with the foals while studying to graduate in 1998. When asked why he didn't change from AgriBusiness to major in Horse Science, he said, "By the time I figured out this was my calling, I was ready to graduate." He worked for Richland Farm from 1995 to 2000.
In 2000, he was hired as the breeding manager for Saddlecrest Farm in Shelbyville, TN, where he worked for eight years. Saddlecrest stood six stallions, and Jeremy gained immense experience handling the stallions, breeding the mares, and ultrasounding an average of 30 to 40 mres, three days a week throughout the breeding season. He was also responsible for promoting the stallions, general farm maintenance, sales prepping the yearlings and getting them through the sales. Jeremy says there was a lot of satisfaction in working to get the mares in foal, then seeing the embryos and knowing that he had succeeded in giving the owners what they had sent their mares for. And he says that now he can go to any Tennessee Walking Horse show and see the colts produced from the mares he remembers. "I can remember a lot of mares," he says with a smile.
Some fortunate horsemen will find an extraordinary connection with an exceptional horse at some point in their lives. During his time at Saddlecrest, Jeremy met and worked with Seve, a very special Tennessee Walking Horse stallion, sired by Pride's Generator and out of The Doctor's Lady. When speaking of Seve, Jeremy's eyes sparkle, and his usually quiet demeanor becomes quite animated. "Seve was never shown when he didn't get at least one first-place judge's vote, including the World Grand Championship at the Celebration. He was awesome. He just had raw talent. People loved him." And it is clear that Jeremy loves him, too.
Seve was recovering from an injury in 2000-2002, so he was bred to only 17 mares during his recuperation. Out of that handful of foals came PGA, the 2004 World Grand Champion 2-year-old Stallion and the 2005 World Grand Champion 3-year-old Stallion. Meanwhile, Seve himself had returned to the show ring in 2002 and was name Reserve World Grand Champion Aged Stallion in the "big class on the last Saturday night of the Celebration."
Since starting here at MTSU as the Assistant Barn Manager, our Barn Manager Jessica Schultz says that Jeremy "came to work and fit right in like he had been here forever." "That's about all I do," says Jeremy, but the conditions and benefits are different here at the university, and he is now working much closer to home. These things are important to Jermey and his wife, Allison, also an MTSU graduate and a registered nurse, because they look forward to an early July arrive of their first baby, a boy. "Eventually I'll have a sidekick," Jeremy says, looking forward to the day when his son will come to the barn with him.
Jeremy claims he likes things here at the MTSU Horse Barn. He likes the people here, students and staff, and that there is always something interesting going on, and no two days are ever the same. But there is another reason Jeremy comes to work eagerly every morning. Down on the breeding lab end of the barn, waiting to greet him, lives Seve. With the cooperation of owners Dr. Barbara Utermark and Jerry Cole, Seve has come to live and breed mares at MTSU. We feel honored to have Seve here, and we are delighted to have Jeremy as the newest addition to our staff. We invite everybody to come by and meet both of the newcomers, and by the way, bring your good Walking Horse mares. Jeremy Carlton and Seve will take good care of them.
CONTACT
MTSU Horse Science Center
314 West Thompson Lane
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
OFFICE
MTSU Horse Barn, 111
Phone: (615) 898-2413
Fax: (615) 494-8768
for Seve contracts,
(615) 898-2832