01
Honest before flashy
We'll tell you the truth about your horse, your riding, and what you're paying for. Even when it costs us the sale.
Our story · Est. 1984
Three generations.
One way of working with horses.
Circle C Bar started with one man, one trailer, and a thousand dollars. Four decades later, we still take the time it takes — and send horses home better than they arrived.
The work
Listen first. Lead second.
"A good horse owes you nothing. A good trainer owes the horse everything — patience, time, and the truth."
— Wade Calloway, founder
The long version
Forty years on the dry side of Sage Valley.
- 1
1984
Forty acres and a borrowed trailer
Wade Calloway buys the original Circle C property — forty acres of mesquite, sage, and one collapsed barn — for $26,000 and a handshake.
- 2
1991
First commercial colts
After seven years of word-of-mouth, Wade takes in his first six paying colts. All six leave broke, sane, and headed for ranch work across West Texas.
- 3
2002
Cody comes home
Wade's daughter Cody finishes a stint as an AQHA judge and a season cutting for a big outfit in Oklahoma. She comes home with a different toolbox — and the same patience.
- 4
2014
The covered arena
A bad summer of dust storms convinces Wade and Cody to invest in a 100' x 200' covered arena. The work calendar stops bowing to the weather.
- 5
2019
Jesse takes over the colts
Third generation. Jesse comes back from college with a kinesiology degree and an obsession with how horses actually move. He starts every colt now.
- 6
Today
Small barn, big standards
We deliberately cap the program at 18 horses. Every one gets hands-on time from a senior trainer. That's the line we won't cross.
What we don't compromise on
Four rules. Two stalls. One handshake.
02
The horse sets the pace
Our calendar bends to the horse, not the other way around. Some colts need 30 days. Some need 90. We don't pretend otherwise.
03
Owners stay in the loop
Weekly video, written journal, open barn hours. There's nothing about your horse's stay you don't get to see.
04
Slow is fast
The shortcuts don't hold. A horse rushed at the start gets rushed for the rest of their life. We refuse to do that work.
The team
The hands on your horse.
40 yrs
Wade Calloway
Founder · Cattle work · Rope colts
Spent his twenties on the Cheyenne circuit and the next forty teaching horses to think for themselves. Mentors every trainer who walks through the gate.
20 yrs
Cody Calloway-Reyes
Head trainer · AQHA judge
Cody runs the program day-to-day, judges three majors a year, and rides every performance horse personally before sign-off.
8 yrs
Jesse Calloway
Colt starter · Rider development
Jesse handles every first ride at Circle C. His pre-ride routine is famously slow — and his colts famously calm.
Ready when you are
Bring your horse to the barn.
Spend an hour walking the property with us. If we're a fit, we'll tell you what we'd work on first. If we're not, we'll point you somewhere good.
Tue – Sat · 8 a – 6 p · Sage Valley, TX