Suzanne Sylvester 307.277.6461 suzanne@ssylvester.com www.ssylvesterphotography.com
“WHEN QULITY MATTERS”
Table of Contents
8
COVER STORY
BIG THINGS ARE COOKN FOR HAY GOODLOOKN
22
MARES WHO CHANGED THE INDUSTRY:
30
MARES WHO CHANGED THE INDUSTRY:
40
HEALTH SERIES:
52
MARES WHO CHANGED THE INDUSTRY:
64
NUTRITION SERIES:
WAHOO BABY VITAL SIGNS ARE GOOD
THE CASLICK - IMPROVING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & LONGEVITY TAHNEE ZIPPO COLOSTRUM - IMPROVING LIQUID GOLD
ADVERTISING CONTACT
Brenna Weaver, Found & Editor E-mail: info@bloodlinemagazine.com
pg.8
Visit www.bloodlinemagazine.com for advertising information or e-mail Brenna at the above e-mail address for a list of current rates and available advertising spaces.
This issue is dedicated to all of the brilliant mares who have altered the course of history and to the incredible horsemen and women behind them, who each saw a vision and had the tenacity to see it through. The industry is greatly indebted to you.
Great performers have great mothers...
Party dress
Special Invitation x Paint Me Gorgeous
Lopin to the party
Lazy Loper x Party Dress
Paint me n invitation
Special Invitation x Paint Me Gorgeous
Paint her hot krymsun
One Hot Krymsun x Its Hip To Zip
Vital signs are sweet
Ima sweet sensation
Zippos Sensation x I Ama Sweet Chip
VS Code Red x Ima Sweet Sensation
A platinum sensation
Zippos Sensation x Paint Me N Invitation
(Paint Me Zippo)
Callaway Performance Horses
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2009 SORREL OVERO APHA STALLION • 4-PANEL N/N
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HesaSpecialHotrod.com Standing at Dettmers’ Rising Sun • Owned by Lexi & Andy Heney
Photos by Shane Rux, KC Montgomery, Superlative Equine
BIG THINGS ARE COOKN
FOR HAY GOODLOOKN
Breeding horses is as much an art
form as any that require the swish and stroke of a paint brush. Oftentimes, it is overcomplicated these days, with numbers and stats and sciences poking their way onto the canvas, but there’s a beautiful and simplicity to Hay Goodlookn’s success story. It is, simply put, a perfect reflection of the saying, “Champions beget champions.”
Before Capital Quarter Horses
became the renowned breeding program that it is today, the Roberts family primarily competed in top-tier AQHA competition, and with great success. In 2011, they set out to find a youth horse for their daughter, Hillary. After sensational two and three year old years with Rusty and Katie Green, then owner Ray Arnona made the decision to sell the great mare, Whatscookngoodlookin. “When that opportunity presented itself, after some deliberation, we decided it was too good a mare to pass up,” Hillary recalls. “Sure glad we bit the bullet and did it!”
Hillary and “Candi” would hit
the pen together in 2012, “At the time we purchased her, I had shown Only Ever After to a Reserve Congress Championship and fifth place finish at the Youth World, but did not have a ton of experience in the pleasure.”
A little lack of experience didn’t stop the pair, though; the
horses before I jogged in, I loped to the left, stopped, and
two proceeded to dominate the pen. “Between Rusty and
went to turn away from the gate, and she wasn’t having
me, we won just about everything we could win on her. I
it. When she was ready to go in, she was going to go in,
won the youth world two times on her, the Congress several
and stopping her was not easy. She proceeds to throw
times, Tom Powers, NSBA World, and finally the Amateur
fit, spin around, rear up (not very high, she has always
World before we retired her. Rusty won the World in the
been a little chunky), and have a total meltdown trying to
Junior and Senior, the Congress several times as well, and
get in the arena. In a panic, Rusty sent his assistant Brian
every other major event multiple times,” Hillary said. Her
back to get me a duller set of spurs. As the horse before
mom, Susan, showed Candi to a unanimous win in the
me is jogging in, Brian is changing my spurs. The stewards
pleasure at the Select World in 2016. “There isn’t a truer
at the gate were calling me, and I was super nervous,
show horse I have ever been around than Candi. She
but just shook my head and went in, waiting to see how
sometimes was impossible in the warmup, but once you
she’d be. As soon as I hit the cold air coming out of the
got in the gate, she jogged down the middle as she’s done
Norick, she put her ears up and showed like a champ. I
a million times and showed,” she said. “At the Youth World
won unanimously that year.” Hillary’s most memorable
in 2014, I was warming up for the finals. She was warming
win with Candi was at the 2014 AQHA World Show, her
up well, and I felt good about what I had. About four
first time showing as an Amateur, “My lifelong goal has
always been to win the Amateur World, and doing that on Candi was like a dream come true. That was a year when showing more forward and off the rail was a big trend, so that’s what we did. Rusty helped me in the middle of the night practicing my extended walk, extended lope, and finding spots on and off the wall. I remember him telling me, ‘when you walk, get somewhere.’ I think she liked it because she still walks like she’s going to check fence.”
BIG THINGS COOKN
Whatscookngoodlookin earned more than
$154,000 in her six years ruling the AQHA show circuits, and earned more than 600 performance points. Her biggest impact on the industry, though, may be yet to come. Her progeny have already amassed an excess of $200,000, with her oldest foals having just turned seven. In 2018, she was both the NSBA and AQHA Leading Dam, and is already the dam of two Congress Masters Champions. Names like WHATGOSAROUND, WHATILIKEABOUTYOU, and Florida Georgia Line, are all flagbearers for her growing dynasty. In 2017, Capital Quarter Horses foaled out what may yet be her crown jewel.
Invitation Only seemed an obvious cross
for Candi, “When breeding, I think it’s important to compare strengths with weakness. Candi is a little long-backed (we call her a family horse), and a longer jogger, so we thought it would be smart to pair her with IO, who produces lots of tight joggers with shorter backs. We also felt that it would be a highly marketable cross, and if it turned out to be a stud, that would be a killer bloodline that we would breed to in a heartbeat, and felt that others would too,” Hillary said. When the resulting sorrel colt was born, his recipient mother was determined to keep him to herself, “His
recipient mare wouldn’t let us near him much at first, so I had to be content with watching him from afar. Being sorrel with four white socks, and a little small to start, he wasn’t what I expected, and I wasn’t sure how he’d mature.” He was given the name Gus, and allowed his first year to grow up with the other colts. “Once he was brought back inside his yearling year and Greg and Andy began working him in the round-pen, we knew we had something really nice. As round-pen work turned into saddling and training, that feeling became more evident,” she said.
Andy Cochran, head trainer at Capital Quarter
Horses, recalls, “Gus has been one of the best-minded two year olds I’ve trained. From the first day we broke him, he had lots of rhythm and took everything you threw at him.” The young stallion began immediately jumping through all the hoops a young prospect should. His first
thirty days had the Capital team’s excitement building, “After his first 30 days, we were all fairly sure that this was no ordinary two year old. He began to fill out, get pretty, and look great under saddle. Andy really liked him, and said we needed to take him on the road for the spring and summer to see how he would do traveling. He exceled in both his training and mentally – not once did he act like a stud at the shows,” Hillary recalls. Andy remembers, “He was always great-legged, but in May, he got stronger and even better, and I knew he was going to be a great one.”
STOPPING TRAFFIC
The great stallions have a way of stopping
(kind of embarrassing) when he received his final first
people in their tracks, attracting the watchful eyes of
place. That was a fun night, and the compliments from
those most deeply involved in the industry, and Hay
the crowd really told us we had something that was
Goodlookn was no exemption. Hillary remembers a
going to shape the future of western pleasure.”
particular moment last year when he did just that, “I’d
say that we all knew we had a stallion prospect at the
Year Old Western Pleasure only a short time away, that
Tom Powers – Andy went to ride him one day in the
initial excitement from the industry turned into roiling
show pen, and I watched as people pulled up on golf
anticipation from breeders, and the pressure was on.
carts, horses stopped, and trainers rode next to Andy
Gus and Andy breezed through the class, with the colt’s
talking to him about what a nice horse he was riding. It
signature lift and softness through his stride elevating
was really special.”
him to the win once more. Hillary expresses, “Having a
When it came time for the Congress, the
stud has always been a goal we’ve put in the backs of
industry was already fizzing with intrigue about the
our minds, and to have a stud of this caliber so early in
young stallion, and expectations were high going into
our breeding program has been the craziest of dreams
the most celebrated event of the year. Gus was entered
come true. Gus showed even better at the World Show
to show in the Congress Masters, with a $25,000
than at the Congress. I think the fact that the stud was
winner’s check on the line. “I was so nervous that
able to win both awards is not only a testament to his
everyone kept telling me to chill out. I could tell Andy
quality, but to Andy’s program. He has never pushed
was a little nervous – it was dark, a bit windy, late, and
him too hard or fast, always treats him with respect,
he was showing a stud. Lots of variables,” Hillary said.
and has taught him discipline rather than intimidation.
She continued, “There were some really nice horses in
From start to finish, I have never been more amazed
the pen, but after he was called out first twice, I knew we
by watching the training process than I have watching
had it. I think I flew out of the stands and went running
Gus. It’s been a good ride so far.”
With the AQHA World Show and the Two
THE FUTURE IS HERE
Now, breeding season is well underway
at Capital Quarter Horses, and Hay Goodlookn is booking some of the most prominent producers and showing mares in the business, setting him up for a breakout year with his first foal crop. “He has one of the best mothers in the horse business. For me, that’s what makes a stallion. They have to be out of a great mare, and she has it all. She [Candi] will go down as one of the greatest mares of our time,” Andy said. He continued, “His [Gus’s] conformation is great, with low hocks, a short back, and his neck ties in perfect. He has great front legs and feet, and he’s willing to work and let you train him.” Hillary is thankful for the tremendous support from breeders, “It has been so humbling and flattering to receive the interest and feel the excitement that we have. Our book is already chocked full of AQHA World Champions, Congress Champions, alltime great producers of both World and Congress Champions, and even AQHA Superhorse Winners. What makes it special is feeling the support of the industry. There is no greater compliment than having your peers and friends choose your stallion for their mares. I feel that people not only believe in the stud, his talent, and his bloodlines, but in the program we are running at Capital Quarter Horses, and the incredible team that makes it tick.”
For breeding inquiries to Hay Goodlookn,
contact Hillary at hillary@capitalqh.com.
Photos by KC Montgomery, Jeff Kirkbride, Shane Rux, Larry Williams, Bee Silva
MARES WHO CHANGED THE INDUSTRY
Wahoo Baby Written by Brenna Weaver
In AQHA English competition, there is a single
show pen for the last twenty five years, and whose
mare whose name rings out above all others as a
dynasty continues to triumph long after her passing in
progenitor of quality stallions and broodmares, whose
amassing both awards and monies earned:
offspring and direct descendants have dominated the
Wahoo Baby.
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
During a major downturn in the horse industry
that came about in the early 90’s, Nancy Sue Ryan attended horse sales, sifting through throwaways to locate and extract hidden gems. “I would go to race horse sales and look hundreds of running horses, both quarter horses and thoroughbreds. A person, sadly, could just sit and outbid the kill buyers. Their price was generally $675.” At one particular sale, a two day event, she discovered the gem of all gems. “I walked the aisles the first day and saw nothing of interest. On day two of the sale, I walked into one of the aisles, and there stood a beautiful brown mare with her weanling filly on her side. She drew me to her. She was standing like a statue in the small stall
“A weanling thoroughbred was what I needed, but I had to have the mare. I don’t know why, but she was going home with me.”
with her filly and was all business, no stall walking, just standing there, peering out the stall front with her ears straight up. The filly was the tallest weanling I had ever seen. She was a bay, with a blaze and
BUILDING AN EMPIRE
four socks. A weanling thoroughbred was what I needed, but I had to have the mare. I don’t know
why, but she was going home with me.”
Reserve Congress Championship in the prestigious Millers
When the two entered the sale ring, the
Open Hunter Under Saddle Futurity and a Reserve Reichert
auction commenced. Mares and foals were sold as
Celebration Championship in the threes. Over the next
separate commodities, and the foals were weaned
seven years, he amassed more than $23,000 in earnings
there on the spot. “Wahoo Baby was purchased by
and 482 AQHA points. Who Is Luking began his show
my mother for $900. Her weanling, Student Of Art,
career with a Congress Championship in Two Year Old
sold for $1,100. I told myself I would do all I could
Hunter Under Saddle and was also a Reichert Celebration
to keep track of Student Of Art.”
Champion, ending 1999 as the NSBA Hi-Point Open Two
Wahoo Baby was, at the time of the sale,
Year Old Hunter Under Saddle horse. Im Luking At You
carrying a foal who would be named French Accent,
won the NSBA Breeders Championship Futurity in three
a grey thoroughbred colt who would be purchased
consecutive years in the Two Year Old, Three Year Old,
by Annie Camphaus. He would go on to sire 64
and Four Year Old Hunter Under Saddle events, and was
foals who earned almost $12,000 in earnings and
a Congress Champion and Reserve Champion as well.
over 600 AQHA points.
“After foaling French
Fabuluke was a Congress Champion, multiple NSBA BCF
Accent, Wahoo Baby started her courtship with Luke
Champion, as well as an AQHA and NSBA Leading Sire.
At Me,” Nancy Sue said. That courtship would go
“Wahoo Baby seemed to produce both equal temperament
on to change the industry permanently.
and size on fillies and colts. Her colts tended to have more
Stroke Of Luke hit the show pen in 1999 with a
HER PROGENY
& DESCENDANTS
Luke Here Honey, grandaughter of Wahoo Baby
muscling than the fillies but they all, structurally,
She is the dam of Luke Here Honey, 5-time AQHA
were very consistent,” Nancy Sue said. “She, as an
World Champion, 8-time AQHA Reserve World
individual, had a super small, clean throat latch. Her
Champion, 6-time Congress Champion, and 8-time
neck tied flat into her withers which enabled her to
Reserve Congress Champion.
have a very level top line. Wahoo Baby’s shoulder
dropped her hip as a yearling and was never shown,
and heart girth were very deep and she had a very
is the dam of NSBA BCF Reserve Champion, Al Let You
short back. Her shoulder and back were probably
Know, multiple NSBA World Show Top 5 performer,
her most outstanding conformational assets.”
A Cool Ride, and Congress Top 10 and NSBA High
Today, Wahoo Baby’s presence can be felt
Point Top 10 performer, Art Whoo. She is also the
with irrefutable strength throughout the industry, and
dam of Good Better Best, the Congress Champion
Nancy Sue carries her legacy forward through her
and Reserve Champion stallion representing Show
daughters and direct descendants. Student Of Art, the
Stop Farm and Nancy Sue’s breeding program today.
weanling filly at Wahoo Baby’s side all those years ago, became a great producing broodmare herself.
Luke Whoo, who
HER LEGACY NOW
A brief physical inspection of the imposing
17h stallion can leave one a bit awestruck, not only by his size and strength, but by his elegance and demure disposition. “I have had the opportunity to raise and show a lot of stallions. Mag was just different. Maybe it’s my age, and I subconsciously knew it was time to slow down,” Ryan recalls. “He was always so easy to pick out within the group of yearlings. He was and still is very much a people’s horse. I swear he recognizes me whenever I stop to visit him at EE Ranches. He is always happy to have a back scratch.” With his first crop having arrived in 2018, the young sire’s talent in the breeding shed is evident. “Reports from the trainers have been very good,” she said. “Both the fillies and colts are very trusting of their trainers and very willing to learn. The colts are more masculine and are very mature, while the fillies definitely look like mares, yet are physically strong.”
All totaled, horses who carry Wahoo Baby
upstream in their pedigrees have amassed more than $550,000+ in earnings and a staggering excess of more than 100 Congress and World Championships or Reserves. They account for over 9,000 AQHA points earned, 45 Superiors, and 75 High Point Championships or Reserves.
Those who knew
the great mare share a comradery in their deep reverence for her and her unprecedented mark upon both the showpen and the breeding industry. “I never realized Wahoo Baby’s contribution to the industry until now, looking back. I think at one point, out of four crops, she had three Congress Champions and one Reserve in the Two or Three Year Old Hunter Under Saddle futurity classes,” Nancy Sue said. Wahoo Baby’s ability to produce both sensational show horses and even more sensational breeding horses has permanently secured her spot as one of the most influential matriarchal forces of all time.
2015 AQHA/APHA STALLION | 5-PANEL N/N SIRE: DAM:
No Doubt Im Lazy Cowgirls Do It Best
(AQHYA WORLD CHAMPION, MULT SUPERIOR EARNER, MULT AQHA CHAMPION, 500+POINTS IN 7 EVENTS)
BRED & OWNED BY Brogan
Thompson
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is br S ip p in O n Fir e
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on in 20 20 :
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re ss n Pr od uc er Ba r Tim e da ug ht er | Co ng ch ot Sc x Zip ip rs elf & Fu tu rit y Ch am pio Sk he nt n Do pio am Ch | rld Wo ue Fa nc y | AP HA D on t S k ip S ad in g Da m , Mi ss An ni e Le HA AP x ls Gir e Th s Kis od uc er
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Photos by KC Montgomery, Jeff Kirkbride, Impulse Photography
MARES WHO CHANGED THE INDUSTRY
Vital Signs Are Good Written by Brenna Weaver
There isn’t a person in the quarter horse
industry who doesn’t know who “Lucy” is.
her. I rode her for the first time between the prelims
Her
and the finals, and I just knew she was special.” Kristen
career was a tour de force, with achievements that
and “Lucy” would go on to pursue one of the most
likely won’t be bested for decades, perhaps even a
incredibly successful careers in Amateur competition,
lifetime. Her progeny demolished their competition,
setting records in the western pleasure and western
smashed records, and have quickly become the go-to
riding. All totaled, Vital Signs Are Good earned over
selections when it comes to the production of quality
3,000 AQHA points, 21 World or Reserve World
pleasure horses and western riders. Vital Signs Are
Champion titles, 31 Congress Championships, and
Good made an industry impact that no one ever
she was the AQHA World Show Reserve Superhorse
thought possible, even plausible, and it all started with
in 2010. Kristen and Lucy were also the AQHA World
Kristen Galyean’s search for a stallion with which to
Show All Around Amateur award recipients in 2007.
build a successful breeding program.
HER DYNASTY
THE PERFECT MATCH
Kristen sold her all around horse that she had
shown in the latter years of her youth career, and with AQHA allowing Amateurs to show stallions, she set out to find one. “I wanted to find a young stud to take to the show pen and then have a business promoting him. Instead, I came across Lucy,” she said. “When I saw her in person at the World Show, I was in love with
The developments in embryo transfer allowed
Vital Signs Are Good to continue her reign over the show pen while simultaneously forging her enduring legacy. “I think in managing a mare, especially if breeding is important to you, it’s important to do your homework and make time in that mare’s show schedule to get those embryos. That’s what I did every year with her,” Kristen said. Lucy was bred to
the top stallions in the industry, and with remarkable results. Kristen explains her selections, “I tried to make educated decisions on stallions whose offspring I liked. I wanted to go to proven horses. I think it’s extremely important to look at them as individuals and what they did in the showpen themselves. I bred her to Blazing Hot because I loved what he went out and did himself, and I loved the offspring by him that I saw. I bred her to Vested Pine. I loved his jog, and he produced some really nice pleasure horses. I watched Lazy Loper show at the same time Lucy was, and there were things I liked about him that I thought would complement her.”
Lucy is the dam of 24 AQHA foals, nineteen
of which were performers. Her progeny have earned an excess of $512,00 and have earned nearly 4,000 points. Her top three performers are Invest In Vital Signs, VS Code Red, and VS Flatline. “Invest In Vital Signs was everything that I could have asked for. He as so naturally gifted. I’d have to say that, as far as Lucy’s lift in her shoulders and out of all the babies she had, I feel like Waylon [VS Code Red] is the most like her in that. His natural lift is incredible,” Kristen said. In choosing Lazy Loper, she explains, “I was hoping for a bay roan and a stud, and I got really lucky there. He’s [VS Flatline] like a real life unicorn, just one of the prettiest horses I’ve ever seen. His demeanor, just like Waylon, is really, I think, what made him so good.”
Looking at VS Code Red and VS Flatline,
the pillars of Kristen’s breeding program today, she explains that they are each two different horses, “Both of them have different strengths, but they’re great individuals. They’re just so kind, and they love people.” She continues, “I really believe 70% of it is the mare, maybe more. I showed Waylon when I was 26 years old, and I had him at home. If he did not have the mind that he had, there would have been no way I could have done that by myself. He was willing to do his job and all I had to do was show him the way, and get those fine details for the show pen. Kobe was a lot like her too; his presence was so similar to her. You barely
ever saw him without his ears forward. He was easy
sires, “I think the biggest thing when it comes to a mare
as could be. If you quit pushing him, and this was the
producing great stallions is the mind. She was able
hardest thing about him, he would just stop, and you
to have multiple stallions by different stallions that we
had to just keep tapping him forward. To me, that’s
bred her to and still produce great minded studs, and
exactly what you want.”
I think her mind allowed her to do that. She passed it
to them, and they went on and did great things in the
VS Code Red earned more than $57,000 in
his career, along with five Congress Championships,
showpen because they were great minded.”
and is also a multiple World Champion. He is now an
THE NEXT GENERATION
AQHA and NSBA Leading Sire, and the sire of two Congress Masters Champions. VS Flatline earned over $90,000 in his show career, and is an AQHA
World Champion, multiple NSBA World Champion,
offspring in their resemblance to their grandmother.
and five-time Congress Champion.
He’s also an
“They have a lot of similarities. VS Lady In Red is the
AQHA and NSBA Leading Sire. Her son by RL Best Of
one I’ve ridden the most, and she’s extremely special
Sudden, VS Code Blue, is also a Leading Sire. Kristen
to my family. I bought her as a weanling from Susan
firmly believes that an excellent temperament has been
Knapp, and it’s been super special to have a horse
the key to Lucy’s success in producing industry leading
like her from Waylon. She reminds me so much of him
Kristen also speaks highly of the VSCR and VSF
and of Lucy. Cool Krymsun Lady is one of the great
producers of our time as well, and I love her bottom
prevails far beyond what Kristen ever thought possible,
side. I couldn’t say a bad thing about Lady. She loves
“I still, to this day, don’t know how I was lucky enough
people, and it’s cool to be able to be a part of that,
to buy her. I could never have dreamed it unfolding the
to have a horse like that to walk to the barn to and
way that it did. It was definitely a part of God’s plan,
have my girls get to grow up with and have a part of
that maybe He knew I wasn’t quite ready for a stud,
Lucy with us.” Having hands on experience with this
and he gave me a mare that would produce two of
bloodline for three generations now, she shares some
the very best. It’s like a fairytale, really. Her presence
wisdom regarding horses carrying this great mare in
and overall body strength and control drew me to her.
their pedigree, “Their confidence is what makes them
Her presence was so beautiful – she loved life
so great and their enjoyment of their job, and you could
and everything came so easy to her because
never force Lucy to do anything. You kind of have to let it come with time. They let you know when they’re ready. You can encourage it, but you can’t force it. Being harsh in their bellies and their mouths, it’ll go backwards for you. It has to be an equal partnership, and they will give you their all. They’ll be great to you.”
Lucy was laid to rest in 2017, and her legacy
she was built so ahead of her time. None of us had seen anything like her before. She was just made to do it. Her ears were always forward, she always looked through the bridle. She wasn’t man made, and I think that’s why she was so great.”
HEALTH SERIES
The
Caslick Procedure Improving reproductive health and longevity in broodmares Written by Lydia Weaver In 1937, Dr. E.A. Caslick published a ground-breaking article in the Cornell Veterinarian describing a relatively simple surgical procedure he had developed over the prior ten years for Thoroughbred broodmares prone to “wind-sucking”, or pneumovagina. Caslick called his innovative procedure the “operation to prevent wind-sucking”, but it soon become synonymous with his name as it quietly cemented itself as a force for good in the treatment of fertility woes in mares.
THE PROCEDURE
The Caslick procedure has remained virtually
that the mare with a normal vulva might become a bad
unchanged in the nine decades since he began performing
breeder or permanently sterile for the same reason as an
it, so his initial description is still relevant today.
injured mare.”
He
described is thus, “The vulva is cleansed; about half the
As Caslick noted, injuries to the vulva
lips and the upper commissure of the vulva are localized
and rectum, such as foaling injuries, are a known cause of
with anesthesia (local application of anesthetic to numb
wind-sucking. Seemingly normal mares, i.e., those without
the tissue). The edges of the lips of the vulva are scarified
prior injury, can also begin windsucking if there are
(the skin and some subcutaneous tissue is removed with
congenital defects of the vulva. Conformation also plays a
something sharp) to the depth of one-half inch. The
role. The athletic build, pelvic angles and musculature we
two scarified surfaces are brought together and held in
need for racing and upper level performance mares may
position by metal wound clamps or sutures.”
leave them more susceptible to weakened reproductive defenses.
But exactly what is pneumovagina, or wind-
Mares are equipped with three important
sucking, and why does it need to be treated?
mechanisms to protect the reproductive tract:
Pneumovagina, the presence of air in the
The vulvar seal is the first and perhaps most important
vagina, has long been associated with poor fertility in
line of defense. In a mare with desirable reproductive
broodmares.
Frequently known as “wind-sucking”,
conformation the vuva should be near vertical, and meet
these mares are often easy to identify, as a distinctive
evenly to form a complete seal with no inner tissues visible.
sucking, squelching or gurgling sound is made as they exert themselves. In severe cases, even walking or a full
The vaginal seal, also known as the vestibular-vaginal
body shake after a good roll in the dirt can produce the
seal, is located between the urethra and the vaginal vault.
characteristic sound as air is aspirated into and expelled
The walls of the vagina come together here, and with the
out of the vagina. More subtle cases may need rectal
assistance of healthy vaginal secretions form a seal that
palpation or ultrasound to be diagnosed, but they all
prevents air from entering.
have the same effect on the reproductive tract. Air is not sterile, and as it passes into the vagina, it easily carries
The cervical seal is the third and last seal, formed by a
with it dirt, fecal material and other debris particles,
tight ring of muscle that makes up the cervix.
leaving the mare susceptible to both acute and chronic inflammation, as well as a host of infections by bacteria
Ideally, the vulva should be near vertical with no
or fungi.
cranial tipping (forward toward the head). The lips of the vulva should meet without interruption and form a uniform
Dr. Caslick wrote of the condition: “It has always
seal. If the lips of the vulva are gently opened with your
been common knowledge to the breeders that a mare
fingers, there should be some tone to the inner tissue, as
with an injury to the upper part of the vulva and rectum
the musculature surrounding it seeks to retain the inner
was frequently a ‘wind-sucking’ mare and a bad breeder.
seal.
Most of them were permanently sterile, but such injuries
from the vagina could mean the one or both of the first two
affected only a small number of mares. It was not realized
seals are compromised.
Extreme ease of separation or any sound of air
While reproductively well conformed mares
may have an early advantage against developing pneumovagina, age, number of foals delivered and even body condition can greatly affect the performance of the mare’s reproductive system.
WHO IS A CANDIDATE?
So which mares can benefit from a Caslick
procedure? As with many horse related issues, that depends on several factors. We consulted with Dr. Jamie Kaczor, of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital about which mares she considers candidates for the Caslick procedure. She advised, “Any mare can be a candidate for a Caslick, but every mare does not need a Caslick. An evaluation of the vulva conformation needs to be done. When evaluating the vulva, the vulvar lips should be relatively vertical and symmetrical, making a tight seal, and the majority of the vulva should be below the pelvic brim. If the mare’s conformation is not adequate, a Caslick procedure may be considered.”
Age is another important factor influencing
whether a mare may need a Caslick. A Dutch study from 1999 that looked at 116 mares which received a Caslick’s procedure reported that mares younger than five years of age had a lower chance of pneumovagina than mares aged five to twelve years, but that mares aged thirteen and older had an increased chance1.
Multiparous mares, those having delivered
two or more foals, are also at higher risk. The broad ligaments that form the support system for the uterus are subject to wear and stretching with each pregnancy, allowing it to tip deeper into the abdominal cavity. This can also contribute to urine pooling in the vagina instead of being expelled completely from the vulva, leaving the mare even more prone to infection.
EXAMPLE 1 This mare has had multiple foals, and has retained both good vertical vulvar conformation as well as a good vulvar seal. She has cultured negative and is not a candidate for a caslick at this time.
EXAMPLE 2
This mare has had multiple foals, but has not
retained her vulvar conformation. She has an obvious plateau or “shelf� at the top of her vulva. She also has a poor vulvar seal, and tested positive for streptococcus and E. Coli infections. Once treated for these infections, she is a candidate for a caslick.
EXAMPLE 3
Though this mare has good vertical conformation,
she does not retain a good vulvar seal and her culture results last year yielded positive results. This year, with the caslick in place, she has tested negative for uterine infection.
A MATTER OF TIMING
Timing of a Caslick can vary depending on
Once the Caslick has been performed and
need. A mare that is a clear candidate for a full Caslick
healed, there is no extra maintenance to be done until just
may benefit from a temporary version in some cases. Dr.
prior to her foaling date, when Dr. Kaczor recommends
Kaczor says, “If a mare needs a temporary Caslick in
reversing the procedure, “Opening the Caslick prior to
between breedings or procedure, the vulva lips can be
foaling is very important to ensure that the foal has room
sutured or stapled together in the same way as a normal
to pass through the vulva without difficulty. If a mare foals
Caslick without the tissue being dissected. This allows for
without the Caslick being reversed she is more likely to
temporary Caslick to be opened preventing scaring to
tear her vulva. Also the foal can become caught in the
the vulva, which can make the procedure more difficult in
fold of the vulva tissue during parturition. I recommend
the future.” Kaczor went on to say, “Most commonly a full
reversing or opening the Caslick around two weeks prior
Caslick’s procedure is performed following breeding after
to expected foaling date, it allows the vulva tissue to
ovulation has taken place. In some cases the procedure
heal prior to foaling, but do not worry, as cleaning the
may be done after confirmation of pregnancy. The timing
vulva daily usually prevents the tissues from healing back
is most critical in mares with poor vulvar conformation as
together. Reversing the Caslick a couple weeks prior to
the Caslick procedure will prevent contamination of the
foaling allows for the mare to be ready for foaling if she
reproductive tract.”
has the foal before her due date.”
“Opening the Caslick prior to foaling is very important to ensure that the foal has room to pass through the vulva without difficulty.”
from being contaminated until she is ready to be bred again.”
Dr. Kaczor explains that, “The caslick procedure
is not the silver bullet that will make every mare get pregnant, but it can definitely help.” While it may not be the ideal choice for every mare, for mares who can benefit from its use, the results can be immeasurable. The procedure has resulted in the births of untold numbers of foals whose mothers would otherwise have been unable to get pregnant at all. To put it into perspective, Dr. Caslick invented the procedure and converted bad breeders into productive mares prior to the development of Penicillin, Gentamicin, or Amikacin. Caslick himself believed that the procedure “saved the lives of at least fifteen percent of thoroughbred broodmares.”
CONTINUED CARE
A mare that has had a Caslick will need to have
it redone after foaling, even if she’s left open for that year. Dr. Kaczor explains, “once the procedure is done, the mare will need to have the Caslick replaced every year after foaling because the vulva will not have an effective seal.”
After foaling is also a good time to evaluate all
mares, even if they have not needed a Caslick in the past. Stacking risk factors can sneak up, and a mare that was okay two foalings ago may well need some help as she
REFERENCES
ages. Dr. Kaczor advises this be done in a timely fashion, “ An assessment of the vulva should be done following foaling, commonly 1-2 weeks after foaling to allow for any swelling to subside. If a mare is not being bred again
1. Caslick, E. A., 1937: The vulva and the vulvo-vaginal orifice and its
during the current season, this is a good time to perform
relation to genital health of the Thoroughbred mare. Cornell vet.
the procedure if it is indicated. This prevents the mare
27, 178–187.
OUR BEST FOR YOUR HORSE We provide services in • Ambulatory • Dentistry • Diagnostic Imaging • Internal Medicine
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Tahnee Zippo altered the course of AQHA history through her son, Blazing Hot.
Photos by KC Montgomery, Harold Campton
MARES WHO CHANGED THE INDUSTRY
Tahnee Zippo Written by Brenna Weaver
A ROUGH START
At the height of his illustrious breeding career,
Knowing well the bottom half of Tahnee’s pedigree
Zippo Pine Bar was selected by Bob and Jean Wolfe
from her time showing against her grandmother,
as the mate for their young Superior western pleasure
Miss San Sawyer, while growing up in Michigan,
mare, Toshi. A year later, she foaled a beautiful bay
Joan knew whole-heartedly that the filly’s value went
filly in Indiana, and arrived four days later at Bob and
far beyond the showpen. Her familiarity with the
Ann Perry’s farm to be bred back to Zippo Pine Bar.
strength in the Doc Bar line helped lead her to the
Joan Schroeder was working there during that time,
fateful decision to breed Tahnee to Hotrodders Jet Set.
and Toshi’s filly fell ill with a severe case of pneumonia.
“The Doc Bars were really strong over their loin, short
“I cared for her with Dr. John McCarroll’s expertise
backed, and athletic. They had work ethic, stamina,
and guidance, stayed with her around the clock with
and soundness, and they brought that to the Zippos,
oxygen, and helped save her life. Her owners, Bob
who had the sweep of their legs, and had set to their
and Jean Wolf showed their gratitude by giving me
hocks. She was the first Zippo Pine Bar daughter to be
fifty percent of her,” Joan said. “It changed my life,
bred to Hotrodder.”
and it ultimately changed the industry.” That little filly was Tahnee Zippo.
THE PERFECT MATCH
As with any other show pen hopeful, the time
came when Tahnee turned two to break her out, but her show career was stopped in its tracks by an injury. “I got to ride her for four months, and she got injured in a turnout,” Joan explained. “We brought her back as a three year old and she still wasn’t quite right.”
Throughout the history of civilization, the
alliances of great houses have prompted prosperity en masse. The match between Tahnee Zippo and Hotrodders Jet Set would soon to go down in the
record books as one of the most successful and enduring crosses in the pedigrees. Tahnee foaled a stunning bay filly, Hot N Spicy Me, the first time around, who would go on to earn more than $35,000 in the showpen. When Tahnee foaled her second foal by Hotrodder, Joan recalls, “I foaled him out, and I saw that blaze face, and there it was.” He was exactly what she’d been hoping for, a strong stud colt with a blaze to bestow the name Blazing Hot, a name she’d been saving for a stallion prospect. “There was no procrastination in getting the name to AQHA. You just knew he was special from day one.”
POWER IN THE GENETICS
With progeny earnings exceeding $3.7 million
dollars, Blazing Hot is a member of the elite All Time Leading Sire top 1% for money earners in western pleasure, western all-around, English all-around, and in all events of all time. He is the sire of money earners and performers who have accumulated an excess of 73,000 AQHA points and 390 Superiors. His top five earners are industry greats, Sure Im Hot (LTE: $174,000+), BLAZINMYTROUBLESAWAY (LTE: $118,000+), Blazing Hot Cookies ($118,000+), A Slow
SEALING THE DEAL
In his two year old year, Joan hauled Blazing
Hot to a show in San Antonio in July for seasoning prior to the Congress, “When he walked in the arena, everyone stopped.
Reiners, cutters, ropers, show
horse industry, everyone knew. He had an air about him. There was no silliness, and that was just him. It was his mother.” Blazing Hot proved to be a smash hit sensation with just a few short months later by cinching a Congress Championship in the Two Year Old Open Western Pleasure Futurity. The following year, he made history with two more Congress Championships in the Three Year Old Open and Three Year Old Limited Open Western Pleasure Futurity events. His saga continued in 1995 at the AQHA World Championship Show, where he became the only horse that had ever won both the Junior Western Pleasure (with Joan) and the Junior Western Riding (with Robbie Schroeder) in the same day. To this day, he remains the only horse to have ever done so, 25 years later. Blazing Hot won over $37,000 in during his show career. Most importantly of all, though, are his contributions the breeding industry.
Burn (LTE: $108,000+), and Extremely Hot Chips (LTE: $90,000+).
Blazing Hot is unique in that he is the only stallion
within the Top 5 rankings on the Leading Sires list to have two sons also on the Leading Sires List, in addition to being a sensational dam sire as well. The great breeders have, for years, praised the dam line as every great sire’s source of prepotency. Joan agrees with this philosophy, and credits the dams in Blaze’s lineage for his tremendous siring ability, “By having the strongest of maternal lines on the sire’s side and his dam’s side, in my opinion, that’s what has made him a sire of sires and a sire of dams.” Blaze’s maternal grandmother, Toshi, was a Superior Western Pleasure horse and the dam
Hot N Spicy Me
Prettiest Jet Yet
of Therapy, the dam sire of RL Best Of Sudden. His third
Imagimotion, On Holiday, and Causin The Commotion
maternal dam, Miss San Sawyer, also held her Superior
– her champion progeny earned in excess of $64,000.
in Western Pleasure and placed third at the 1974 AQHA
Hot N Spicy Me, the first of the Hotrodders Jet Set/
World Show in Amateur Western Pleasure. “It was
Tahnee Zippo cross, earned over $35,000 herself
three generations of Superior pleasure horses and two
and was an AQHA World Champion and Congress
generations back of Superior halter horses and western
Champion. She is the dam of Zippos Overtime, NSBA
pleasure horses. I watched Miss San Sawyer in Youth
Hi-Point Champion, Reichert Celebration Champion,
and she was the same all the time. She was the most
and Superior pleasure horse.
beautiful mare, and that’s what made Tahnee great, even though she didn’t get to show. She had the mother, the grandmother, and the great grandmother that were great show horses.”
Joan’s involvement with Tahnee included two of
her daughters as well. Prettiest Jet Yet, a full sibling to Blaze, was an AQHA Reserve World Champion in Two Year Old Western Pleasure and a Reserve Congress Champion.
She is the dam of Traveling Abroad,
HER LEGACY TODAY
As Blaze’s career took off, Joan and Robbie
Schroeder ultimately sold their half of Tahnee Zippo back to the Wolfes. “It was a difficult decision to sell our half of her back, but I also know that it was our only way, at that time, to be able to afford to buy their part of Blaze.” Tahnee Zippo is an AQHA Top 10 All-Time Leading Dam
of Western All-Around Point-Earners. Of her fourteen foals, thirteen were performers, with total progeny earnings of $189,301 and over 5,100 points.
Her
offspring by Hotrodders Jet Set earned $89,564. “She had a real elegance about her, and she passed that on to the two mares I had. They all had an air about them, sensibility, and kindness. They were trusting, and had a comical side too. They all loved to swim, every one of them. The genetics were so strong, in a positive way, that they all reproduced it over and over,” Joan said.
Though their physical presences are no longer
with us, the entwined legacy of Tahnee Zippo and Blazing Hot will be felt throughout multiple breed registries, for generations of horses to come. Blazing Hot was laid to rest last year, and Joan expressed that she’s certainly not done promoting him yet:
“He’s close to the $4 million mark, and that’s my goal. Blazing Hot shoved me into the business of the horse and that’s why I feel it’s my job, because God gifted him to me, to elevate him in every way I can, because he’s special to our breed. It’s a love story, and it started with that little bay mare. She changed my whole life.”
The Ride of a Lifetime Blazing Hot’s story as told by the person who knew him best...
Wishing e veryone a blessed foaling and breeding se ason...
home of make me shine & chocolate never lies s u p e r l at i v e p e r f o r m a n c e h o r s e s . c o m
IMPROVING LIQUID GOLD
Colostrum Quality Written by Brenna Weaver
Colostrum, the first milk that mare’s produce
opportunity to shine in this regard by maintaining a
for their foals, available in the primary 24 hours, is
proper body condition score and ensuring that her
a foal’s key to survival. It’s is a rich, sticky, golden
nutritional needs are being met.
superfood for neonates, the perfect starter kit for life.
require an elevated vitamin and mineral intake,
Horses receive no placental transfer of immunity,
especially in the final trimester.
Pregnant mares
and so the ingestion of colostrum is a foal’s only way to naturally come by the essential immunoglobins necessary to fight off even the simplest of infections until their own immune systems kick in at roughly four months. If a foal does not receive this vital ingredient to their survival, or if the colostrum is received in low quality or quantity, a full or partial failure of passive transfer may occur. Generally, a foal who tests lower than 800 mg/dl on an IgG test is suspect, and less than 400 mg/dl is cause for immediate veterinary intervention by way of hyper-immunized plasma transfusion. This problem can occur in 10-20% of all newborn foals.
While we don’t always have perfect control
over the quality or quantity of colostrum, we can be of influence and attempt to steer these variables in a favorable direction. The first and foremost concern for any pregnant mare is her overall body condition. A poor mare cannot be expected to produce outstanding milk, and certainly not quality colostrum, though there are exceptions to the rule. We can give her every
NOTE: Colostrum can be frozen and stored. It is still viable up to two years post freezing.
Baker’s Yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, otherwise
known as baker’s yeast, has been used as a supplement for horses for its Vitamin B content. However, it has been shown to improve Ig levels in foals when fed to mares.
An Algerian study published in 2017
supplemented mares with 10 grams of baker’s yeast per day, from day 300 of gestation until 180 days postpartum. The study found that IgG1 concentrations
SUPPLEMENTATION
in the colostrum and IgG1 concentrations in foal plasma were significantly higher2. Foal weight also benefitted from the supplementation of baker’s yeast,
Thoughtful supplementation of certain dietary
with foals whose mothers were fed it during lactation
add-ons could very also well improve the quality of
showing a significantly higher weight at 180 days
colostrum.
than their control counterparts.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E plays critical roles throughout
While we cannot necessarily mandate
our mares’ colostrum quality, we do have tools of influence.
Providing your mare with all essential
the horses’ body. It improves muscle function, aids
nutrients and proper daily caloric intake, along with
the nervous system, and improves immune function.
supplementation you and your veterinarian feel are
A Danish study published in 2009 scrutinized
judicious, can increase the odds of giving your foal a
immunoglobin (Ig) levels in foals’ plasma when their
great start, and potentially avoiding a crisis.
mothers were supplemented a-tocopherol (Vitamin E). Mares were supplied 2,500 International Units (IUs) each day for the last four weeks of pregnancy. The study concluded that, when supplemented Vitamin E through two days postpartum, that the Vitamin E levels in the mare’s blood, colostrum, and milk were
REFERENCES
statistically higher, and that increase transferred to their foals. Supplementation of Vitamin E increased
1. Bondo, T., & Jensen, S. K. (2010). Administration of RRR-α-tocopherol to pregnant mares
IgG and IgM concentrations in colostrum and milk,
stimulates maternal IgG and IgM production in colostrum and enhances vitamin E and IgM
and foals’ plasma indicated a higher concentration
status in foals. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 95(2), 214–222. doi:
of IgM on the third day postpartum1. It’s important to note that the Vitamin E recommended for horses is the natural a-tocopherol. The synthetic form of this fat soluble vitamin is not as easily synthesized by the
10.1111/j.1439-0396.2010.01043.x 2. Ayad, M. A., Benallou, B., Saim, M. S., Derrar, S., Benzineb, F. Z., Haddouch, Z., & Abdelhadi, S. A. (2017). effect of supplementing arabian and barbe pregnant mares with
horses. When looking for a Vitamin E supplement,
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae on Colostrum IgG1 Concentration in Algerian Breed. Journal of
natural Vitamin E is denoted as d-alpha tocopherol,
Applied Environmental and Biological Sciences.
and synthetic denoted with the prefix “dl-.”
