About Equine Differences

In the 1940's and 50's the Weitzel brothers, who grew up in Wellington, Ohio, began traveling across the western U.S. and discovered their love for rodeos and horses. They always owned some horses but now they brought back that fun here to Northeast Ohio. They began putting on what were called Rodeo Shows. Rodeo shows were a combination of rodeos, fun classes on horse back, and three gaited classes. One of their old show bills still exists and is pictured on our website. The brothers called their farm WB Bar Ranch, the WB stood for Weitzel Brothers.

When the brothers had gone their separate ways, got married and started their own families, WB Bar Ranch was left behind. They still loved to rodeo and show horses, so with their friends they formed the Wild Buckaroos. This group of guys traveled around Northeast Ohio and competed at rodeos and horse shows.

Many years later two of the brothers, Richard and Robert, introduced horses and showing to their children. Richard purchased a farm and began buying and selling horses. The family named the farm Crazy W, for obvious reasons this name fit (some say the farm was named after the family pet donkey, Crazy Willie). They enrolled their children into the county 4-H horse program. Later they started their own 4-H club and named it the Buckaroos. At Crazy W, they made an arena for the local 4-H to start using and hold horse shows. Soon Richard Sr. started selling tack and saddles to the kids & their families that came to the horse shows because of a lack of tack shops in the area. They started that tack shop on the front porch of the farm.

Richard Sr's son, Ric Weitzel took over the operations of the family horse farm and later, the tack shop. Julie Balint-Weitzel, Ric's wife later took over Crazy W, "The Tack Shop", & turned it into CW Saddlery. CW Saddlery is a mobile tack store & saddle fitting & flocking business. Julie has gone to England to be a trained saddle fitter with multiple years of horse experience.

In November 2003 Ric & Julie opened a new farm in Oberlin, OH called Equine Differences, the best of Julie (Dressage) & Ric (Western). Equine Differences has just finished its final expansion which completes the facility with 32 10 x 10 stalls, 2 indoor arenas, 1 outdoor arena, 3 turnouts, an indoor washrack, heated/air conditioned viewing room and restroom facilities in the barn.

Come and visit us!