Page 60 - Winter 2020

“She’s a down to earth, strong-willed and very independent woman,”
during which time her son Robert and daughter Kathleen were born. Robert is an equine veterinarian and Kathleen is an award winning chef and restaurant owner in Santa Fe. Her two grandsons, Sterling and Spencer, live in Artesia.
“They both know where their roots are,” she says of her son and daughter. “They both understand the importance of agriculture in our state.”
Agriculture you could say played a big role in one of the best moments of her life--the day she met Calder. It happened during the Eastern New Mexico Fair in the early ‘90s.
The day they met, Candy had her left ankle in a cast, the result of a losing battle with a stubborn, unruly calf. Calder, who was on the board of directors of the fair, was in a three- piece suit because he had gone straight to the fair from his law office.
Candy was in charge of the pig show competition and on the eve of the show was looking for volunteers to help out. She randomly picked out several men, and Calder was one of them. Ezzell had been in Roswell for nearly 15 years but had not yet run across Candy.
Calder grew up in Kentucky on his family’s tobacco farm. He got his law degree from Washington and Lee University in Virginia and moved to Roswell in 1977 to take a job with the Hinkle law firm.
Candy with one foot in a cast and a lawyer in a three-piece suit might not at first sight seem like a match made in hog heaven, but Calder saw potential.
“There was this beautiful woman with her foot in a cast asking me for help and I was more than willing to comply,” he says laughing.
Calder and Candy have been married 25 years and while Candy runs their 2/C Ranch, Calder is an oil and gas attorney with the Hinkle firm.
“Thank goodness he has a paying job because mine is not a paying job,” says Candy. “Everything he knows about ranching I’ve taught him.”
Ranching can be a tough way to make a living. The severe drought that has gripped much of New Mexico forced Candy and Calder to sell what remained of their cattle herd last year. At one time they owned nearly 400 head, but by last year the herd was down to less than 150.
“All I have left are a couple of Limosine cross bulls,” said Candy. “I couldn’t let the genetics go. I had put 30 plus years of genetics into that herd and I couldn’t let it go.”
Candy says because they don’t own the water rights on their ranch, they do dry farming,
mostly pasture grass and winter wheat.
The Ezzells got into the horse racing business
with the help of longtime friend and renowned horse owner and veterinarian Dr. Leonard Blach. The trio became partners in a filly named Lionett, who went on to become a good 870 racehorse and eventually a broodmare.
Their stable of runners includes Sister Sophia, winner of the State Fair Derby last year. They’ve also raced the now retired Junior June Bug, Lionesse, Big Wine Glass, Woodbridge Chick, Cartels Dash, Fire and Fury and others. They currently have four broodmares that will have foals in February. Their mare, Lionett, died two years ago.
Candy’s typical day starts long before the sun rises. And that, she says, gives her an appreciation for how a new day emerges.
“The older I get, the more I appreciate what the world has to offer,” says Candy. “Everybody talks about the beauty of our sunsets and I don’t think there’s anything prettier than our sunrises.”
Candy can handle just about anything that comes along with ranching. On the 2/C ranch that often means everything from mending fences to dealing with the many rattlesnakes that roam the ranch. She’s been known to kill as many as seven in a day, her usual weapon of choice being the business end of a shovel.
But there is one creature that scares Candy right out of her boots-a mouse, any mouse. A
sighting sends her scrambling for the nearest high spot.
These days, Candy’s thoughts often turn
to concerns about the future of agriculture in this country and the fate of horse racing. She worries too that farms, ranches and the rural life will some day be no more.
“The thing that scares me the most is having all of our agricultural areas overtaken by cities. A lot of people don’t understand that farmers and ranchers are here to protect God’s creation. It’s as simple as that.”
Another no brainer, says Candy, is how much horse racing means to New Mexico’s economy and the revenue it generates for the state. She says historical data shows the first (match) horse race was run in New Mexico in the 1600s.
“It’s our heritage and it’s the third largest industry in the state when you add everything in,” said Candy. “Anywhere
from $385 million to $485 million goes into the state’s coffers as a result of the racing industry.”
So what’s the current day bottom line description of the former childhood tomboy, high school cheerleader and wanna be jockey?
“She’s a down to earth, strong-willed and very independent woman,” says her husband. Just don’t ask her to mess with a mouse.
Candy with
Grand Champion Bull Mr. Red Neck
58 New Mexico Horse Breeder