Hometown: Bolivar, Mo.
Family: Children, Kiley Ramsey and Blake Ramsey and Blake’s fiancée Jacey Alexander; parents: Frankie and Paula Phillips; brothers Paul Phillips and Brad Phillips (deceased); nieces and nephews, Rileigh and Noah Phillips, and Allen and Cole Phillips.
In Town: Stacey Ramsey recently retired after a 26-year career in the Bolivar, Mo., School District, serving as the district’s children’s services worker.
“I dealt with the child abuse issues, kids not coming to school and connecting families with any kind of assistance they might need,” Stacey explained.
After retirement, Stacey began a new career, but she still helps children.
“I work for the state [of Missouri] in the hotline unit,” she said. “When people call to report abuse or neglect, I’m one of the people on the other end of the phone.”
In the Country: Stacey’s family has been involved in the Foxtrotter industry for decades, breeding and showing multiple world title winners.
“We have had our ups and downs, but we have always been at the top of the breed,” Stacey said. “Mom and Dad had Traveling Suzi (the 1982 World Champion). She was the top of the breed, and people still know who she is to this day. She had a son, Stroker Ace, and he was a top producing stud. Paul and I had mares, and his mare was a year older than mine. He would win his class, and I would win my class.
Stacey said the first time she showed was on a pony when she was about 6 or 7, then moved up to the “big horses.”
The walls of the family’s trophy room are filled with garlands, Stacey said.
“We don’t have room to hang anymore up, but anymore that we’ve gotten, we find a place for them,” she said. “I have two containers of garlands just from my mare Snip. Snip was the kind of horse that wanted to win. If there was a crowd of horses to move through, I would shut my eyes and say, ‘Go, Snip.’”
Stacey continues to be involved in the Foxtrotter breed, and her daughter Kiley following in Stacey’s footsteps.
“She loves it,” Stacey said. “I haven’t shown as much because I want her to be successful. Dad can call her and say he needs this done with this horse, or says he needs her to feed and she will do it.”
Thanks to Kiley’s interest in showing, the family has begun adding horses.
“Things had dwindled down, but Kiley want to give it a go,” Stacey said. “She has even gotten Dad interested in riding again.”
Future Plans: Stacey plans to move back to her hometown of Buffalo to be closer to her parents, and the horses.
“I want to be able to work with the horses as much as I can and continue the winning tradition our stock has always had,” she said.
