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8 minute read
Makin Me Willy Wild
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Makin Me Willy Wild & Kenny Lakins
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COVER STORY
MAKIN ME WILLY WILD
The black horse has a long history in mysticism and lore. They were poetic symbols who carried esoteric understanding, widely used across fiction to represent darkness and feral spirit. From Alastor in Greek mythology to Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion, Black Beauty, Bucephalus, the list goes on. The fascination with black horses seems innately human, so when Makin Me Willy Wild strides into an arena with a sweeping hock and graceful front leg, spectators are keen to observe him. Though his demeanor is a far cry from the wild and untamed black equines of fiction, the striking young stallion upholds an undeniable allure within the context of modern Quarter Horse breeding.
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Geoffrey as a weanling
SOLID ROOTS
Wildly Available is one of the industry’s most prolific producers today. An AQHA and NSBA Leading Dam with progeny earnings exceeding $109,000, “Georgia” has carved out a name for herself in the industry through the multiple World and Congress Champions she has produced. Names like Only Rave Reviews, AVALABLEBYINVITATION, She Had Me At Hello, Midknight Invitation, and now Makin Me Willy Wild, are all synonymous with her incredible production record. Her history of producing great show horses with All Time Leading Sire,
Invitation Only, is largely what led celebrated breeders Debbi Trubee and Roger Landis, to cross her with Winnies Willy. “Wildly Available had crossed exceptionally well with Invitation Only. We decided to try her with Winnies Willy after seeing how uniform and correct Willy’s first few crops were and he had earned the right to have some of the better mares. Willy was so prolific in siring beautiful heads and short backs with his babies all being very upright and wither high,” Debbi recalls. This decision would ultimately lead to the birth of a stunning black stud colt they would call “Geoffrey.”
EARLY PROMISE
Born at North Farm in 2015, Geoffrey hit the ground with that little something extra. “We knew from the minute he was born that Geoffrey was special. I always say that babies should be square made. Geoffrey fit that description to a T the minute he stood up. He had all the parts and the first time I saw him lope off even as a baby, that was it,” Debbi said. A look at his weanling pictures will leave anyone regarding them in complete agreement, and that balance translated beautifully into his yearling year as well. Debbi reminiscences, when it was time to fit him up as a yearling, that Roger called her from the barn and told her “you have to come see this. Geoffrey just hung his neck out in front of him and loped around like they are supposed to.” However, it wasn’t only his physicality that set him apart from the others. Geoffrey’s quiet demeanor made him a barn favorite. “Geoffrey always was the kindest horse. As a baby, he would stand at the back of the pack and didn’t want any trouble with the other colts he was raised with. He’s just always been a very good soldier and never wanted to be in trouble.”
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As it goes, yearling Geoffrey soon became Two Year Old Geoffrey, and with that, came time for training, and there was no better fit than Kenny and Ashley Lakins to get the job done. Kenny and Geoffrey were third in the Southerne Belle in their debut at the 2017 Congress and fourth in the Two Year Old Open Western Pleasure Futurity, a prelude to the whirlwind year to come.
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Geoffrey as a yearling
FOR THE RECORD
In 2018, the team hit the show circuit full force. Their performances at the NSBA World Show earned Makin Me Willy Wild a World Champion title in Performance Halter Stallions, and that same week, the young stallion cinched a Reserve World Champion title in the Three Year Old Western Pleasure with Kenny. Debbi recalls these performances were two of her favorite highlights of his show career. “Winning the Performance Halter Stallions at the NSBA World Show in 2018 then turning around and being named Reserve World Champion in the 3yr. old Open Western Pleasure was a pretty good week! It just shows that conformation matters in all disciplines.” Makin Me Willy Wild also earned the bronze trophy in the BCF Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure, and sights were set on the Congress. There, he was named Congress Champion in the Limited Open Performance Halter Stallions with Jeffrey Pait and went 7th in the Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure with Kenny.
In 2019, Geoffrey returned to the pen to cinch another NSBA Reserve World Champion title, this time with Roger leading him in the Performance Halter Stallions. He earned 5th place
honors at the Congress this year with Kenny in the Junior Western Pleasure in a deep pen of outstanding pleasure horses. Ashley told us of Geoffrey, “He’s been an amazing horse to be around and train on. He has so much try to him. He’s great minded and great made.”
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IN THE GENES
Team Geoffrey already had a promising breeding year ahead of them after announcing that he would be standing in 2019, and the momentum only built from there. His success in the pen coupled with his impeccable pedigree and striking looks were looking to make him the freshman stallion to breed to. “Roger and
I were overwhelmed at the enthusiastic reception Geoffrey got for his first year standing at stud! It is going to be so much fun seeing his first full crop of babies arriving in 2020,” Debbi said.
One thing in particular that makes Makin Me Willy Wild a great choice for breeding is in his DNA. “Geoffrey is such a good outcross for so many lines that have been heavily bred in our pleasure horses.” A look at his pedigree on paper will confirm this testament – Makin Me Willy Wild is three generations removed from the direct influence of Invitation Only, and four generations from Zippos Mr
Goodbar – two of the most prolific sires in the industry and who are known far and wide for their broodmare siring capabilities. This makes Geoffrey a prime candidate to cross beautifully with a variety of pedigrees. He presents breeders a unique opportunity to breed for exceptional quality without the fear of close linebreeding.
The future looks bright for his siring capability as well. Debbi said, “We’re pretty lucky in the semen category for Geoffrey. Genetically, his sire Winnies Willy had the craziest semen you could ever ask for and that does get passed down. Geoffrey also didn’t need to
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be on any anti-stallion like drugs while he was out showing and that makes a big difference in the formative years for stallions.” There are currently two test foals sired by Geoffrey, and Debbi shared with us her excitement about them. “Both babies are amazing! The one baby we have here is board straight across his back and literally never picks his neck up past level. That’s exactly how Geoffrey was as a baby so we’re thinking he’s is going to pass that along!”
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MIND MATTERS
One of the integral components of becoming a powerhouse sire in our industry is a great brain. Here, Geoffrey is has proven himself to be above par. “Even in the breeding shed he is a perfect gentleman. We sent Geoffrey back to Kenny Lakins after breeding season this year and Kenny had him out showing a week later! Geoffrey picked right back up where he left off which honestly amazed me since he hadn’t been ridden in 6 months!” Owning and promoting a stallion into a sire is not a journey suitable for the faint of heart. It takes a talented
and knowledgeable team who are purely dedicated to the animal and to the breed in order to see true success. Successful stallion owners often talk about having a long-term plan, and Debbi echoes this sentiment, “It does take a minimum of 5 years to really know what a stallion is going to do. The most important thing an owner can do is protect that first crop and get them in the right places to start their show careers,” she said. “We live in an instant gratification world so if that first crop doesn’t have some winners come riding time, it’s going to be a longer haul to make it work.” Debbi and Roger have presented Geoffrey with every opportunity to garner support from the industry in all facets – their efforts have not gone unnoticed by breeders and Debbi shared her thankfulness to the mare owners, “We know it’s a huge leap of faith to try a young stallion the first year. Regardless of how successful that stallion was in the show arena, it’s soon going to only be about his babies. We’re so appreciative to the mare owners for joining us in our vision for the future with Geoffrey’s foals.” It won’t be long before Makin Me Willy Wild’s first full foal crop begins arriving in 2020, and the anticipation and excitement from breeders is infectious. With many mares of excellent quality expecting Geoffrey babies, it will be an exciting time for the industry to see what this beautiful black stallion will produce in force. Geoffrey will stand at North Farm in 2020 for a fee of $1,500. Visit NorthFarmQH.com for more information.