It was back in beginning of the year 1998 when Jessica Gilliam of Greensburg, Indiana remembers looking for the perfect partner to pursue her dreams of someday winning the American Quarter Horse Association’s prestigious Youth All-Around High Point title.

“I had just won the Congress with Silver Cierra Smoke and was looking for a horse to take me to the next step,” she says.

Shortly after, her dream horse, Sleepy Clover Dale, a 1993 chestnut gelding by Sleepys Man out of Tonto Bars Hank, would come into her life.

Sleepy was a 5-year-old at the time and had been her trainer’s (Dianne Eppers) futurity horse.

“My sister, Caroline, and I showed with Dianne,” she says. “Our main events began as Western Pleasure, Western Horsemanship and Showmanship but we later added Trail and showed in Halter as well.”

Sleepy and Jessica took the country by storm winning the 1998 AQHA Youth All-Around High Point as well as AQHA Youth High Point awards in Western Pleasure, Showmanship and Western Horsemanship. They also finished in the Top-10 at the 1998 AQHYA World Show in Western Pleasure.

In 1999, Sleepy and Jessica continued on their winning ways with another AQHA High Point in Western Pleasure and a Reserve World Championship at the AQHYA World Show in Showmanship. In 2000, they placed in the Top-10 at the AQHYA World Show in Showmanship, Trail and Western Horsemanship. They also amassed a total of 1200 AQHA youth points in five events with four AQHA Superiors and a Youth Performance Championship.

“He was my once-in-a-lifetime horse,” she says. “He was a horse that allowed me to do all I wanted to in my youth career. It was also really a blessing that he allowed me to get him ready by myself at a lot of shows.”

Jessica and her family have many, many fond memories and stories about Sleepy.

Jessica recalls hauling into day shows frequently and to save money on tack stalls, she would just put the tack right in with Sleepy.

“We would put the tack right in there with him in the corner. He never ate anything!!” she laughs. “He was a quirky horse and would only eat if his stall was clean and his fan was on! He liked his fresh water and just to be pampered. He was like a little GQ model!”

For all the miles Sleepy was hauled in the three years that Jessica showed him, she recalls him always being a super sound horse with a lot of heart and try which is also why at 22, Sleepy is still making dreams come true for a new family.

About eight years ago, Scott Neuman of Billings, Montana bought Sleepy for client, Stephanie Gundlach to show in Novice Amateur events.

“When I bought him for Stephanie, he was in California at Cheryl and David Busick’s for then owner John Shaw,” he says. “After he taught Stephanie how to ride, he was donated to Rocky Mountain College where I am a professor. We used him in the college program for several years and he has taught many people.”

As Sleepy got older, Scott began to use him less and less and eventually found a forever home for him with a colleague, Ann Adair’s daughter Molly. Ann is a professor in Economics at the college.

Over the past couple of years, Molly and Ann have enjoyed showing Sleepy in Trail, Horsemanship and Western Pleasure with many AQHA achievements including several AQHA Regional Championship titles. He has also World and Reserve World Championship titles at the Pinto World Show in Trail, Horsemanship and Western Disciplined Rail.

In fact just this past year, he won the Select Amateur Trail, Novice Amateur Trail and the Select Amateur Horsemanship at the AQHA Region 2 Championship and was Reserve Champion in Select Amateur Western Pleasure and Senior Trail. In addition, Sleepy’s Open AQHA Superior All-Around title was completed in 2013.

“He still has it! I am very lucky that Molly allows me to show him and he continues to teach me a lot,” Ann says. “He is not an easy ride but if he chooses to partner with you, anything is possible. Sleepy is universally spoiled by everyone in the barn!”

Up to date, he has earned a total of over 2,500 AQHA points and $19,568.72 in AQHA Incentive Fund earnings as well as $14,728.39 in NSBA earnings.

“He can be a little crabby but Ann has a great rapport with him and he is very affectionate toward her,” Neuman says. “He is still a great horse and is very wise in a good way.”

Many horses are donated to college but Neuman says he has always had a “soft spot” for Sleepy.

“It was my intent for this to be his last stop. He still has the best of everything-fancy shoes, beautiful barn and all the feed supplements that could make a horse owner happy,” he laughs. “He will be kept and taken excellent care of until the end like it was supposed to be.”