Starbound is owned and managed by Melissa Clelland. Melissa has been starting young horses since 2001. In 2007, she managed LWF Sporthorses, her family’s breeding farm in Michigan. Melissa ran the beautiful 54 acre farm while managing the Young Horse Training program. For the next 6 years she developed horses from foal to show horse before moving to Florida to start Starbound Equine Services in 2012. Melissa has kept one of her favorite LWF mares, Petite Belle, who she brought to the USEF/Markel Young Horse Championships to compete against the nations top 4 year olds in 2011. In 2021 Belle and Melissa made it to their first CDI small tour at Global Dressage Festival and the pair competed successfully against the top riders in our sport. Belle is now retired with her first foal on the ground by Glamourdale! We plan to breed Belle again in 2023! 
Melissa picked the name ‘Starbound’ after her favorite broodmare at LWF who foaled most of the horses she worked with there. “She was a sweet mare and a good mother. She set strong boundaries for her foals and made sure that they respected them. I believe that her foals were easier to train as a result. “I try to follow in her footsteps and it has helped me teach horses to respect and trust me so they develop into a willing and confident partner,” says Melissa. Starbound aka ‘Libby’ passed away May 27, 2011.
