Spring 2024

WORKING LINESA TRIBUTE TO JIMMIE RANDALS

By Larry Thornton - All photos courtesy of author

A recent Facebook post brought Jimmie Randals back into my mind. When I interviewed Jimmie for an article about Poco Dell, I found a really nice man who loved his horses, especially Poco Dell and Quo Vadis, his famous mare. Here is a tribute to this great horseman and his love for his horses.

The story begins with an idea and how to use what we have to reach a goal. During the interview Randals reminisced about a canyon on his ranch and his desire to breed quarter horses, “I had a box canyon off south of the house that I thought would make an outstanding area for horses. It was mountainous and all I would have to do is fence off one end. Then I would have a full pasture of really rough country that would make an ideal place for horses to run.”

He then added, “I had been interested in cutting, but I had never gotten into cutting. I had started showing horses in 1951 but I wanted to get my own program started. Poco Bueno was becoming popular at that time and making a pretty good name for himself. So, I was interested in cutting from the beginning.”

He continued, “Of course, the Fort Worth Stock Show was going strong, and I had seen Poco Bueno cut. Paul Waggoner, the owner of Poco Bueno, was having a sale. He had a sale every year, and this particular year, he had it at the stock showgrounds.”

“So, before the sale, I went to Waggoner’s Three D Stock Farm to look through all the horses that were in the sale. This was about two weeks before the sale. The minute I saw Poco Dell, he stood out, and I really don’t know why. But from the first time I saw him, he got my attention. I thought this is the horse I am going to buy,” Randals professed about the two-year-old colt that would make them famous.

Randals returned two weeks later to try and buy the young stallion. “I was green at going to a sale of this magnitude. The first horse that came in and I don’t remember his name, but they ran him up real quick and he brought $5,000. They knocked him off to somewhere up in the Texas Panhandle. I found out later that this first horse really didn’t sell.”

“I liked to swallowed my tongue when they did that. The very next horse that came into the ring was Poco Dell. Needless to say, I was really kind’ve frightened of the people I was hobnobbing with. I was a country boy coming to town setting his satchel down. I was just trying to get into the horse business. I wasn’t all that old. I had good intentions.”

He continued, “When they brought the horse into the ring, I had made up my mind that I was going to give $2,000 for the horse. So, it went on and the bid got up to my limit and I quit. When he got up to $2,500, I got back in and rode him on up and caught the

POCO DELL SHOWING HIS INTENSITY AS A CUTTING HORSE

horse at $2,800.” Randals took his new, unproven stallion home to New Mexico. He made a short stop in Snyder, Texas, to show his dad the new stallion. The elder Randals wasn’t impressed when he heard the purchase price.

Randals found himself in the stud horse business, so he set out to buy some mares for his new stallion. Having stretched his budget to the limit, Randals went looking for some bargain mares, a situation that could have been devastating to his new young, unproven stallion. He explained it this way, “I lucked out as far as my broodmare band went. I was very conservative, which I shouldn’t have been. But I was afraid it was mushrooming so fast, and I didn’t feel I could spend that kind of money on my horses. I lucked out because my horse was a breeding horse, and we got started off on the right track.

Randals singled out three mares as examples of his conservative nature. He paid $500 and a breeding fee to Poco Dell for Quo Vadis. She was the dam of 11 halter point earner, nine performance point earners, and four AQHA Champions. Quo Vadis was actually bought by Randals’ sister, Marianne Randals. Nestora was bought for $200. He described her as the “sorriest looking mare that you could ever hope to see.” She was the dam of 2 AQHA Champions and 3 ROM performers. Raspa was bought for $750. She was the dam of the great show mare Lady Dondi and two more AQHA Champions. All sired by Poco Dondi by Poco Dell.

Randals summed it up this way, “Those were the mares that carried Dell and me with our breeding program. That was it, but they were wonderful, and I didn’t spend the big money. I thought I had given it all when I stepped in and bought Dell for $2,800.”

Poco Dell went on to become an AQHA Champion with 35 halter points with four Grand Championships and three Reserve Grand Championships including the Grand Championship at the New Mexico State Fair. He earned his performance ROM with 15 cutting points and his Certificate of Ability in the NCHA. He also earned six points in the Get of Sire, a class that doesn’t have a lot of points awarded. His offspring was shown in the Get of Sire class 59 times with 37 wins.

When Randals first bought Poco Dell, Poco Bueno was just beginning what can be described as a very successful career as a sire. His influence is still seen in today’s quarter horse. Poco Bueno was an AQHA Champion himself and a noted cutting horse. He was trained and shown by Pine Johnson. Poco Bueno earned six cutting points and 37 halter points in AQHA Shows. He was Grand Champion at some of the top shows, including the Fort

Worth Stock Show (twice) and the Denver Stock Show (twice). It must be noted that Poco Bueno was a very successful show horse before the AQHA kept show records. So, he was brought out of retirement in the early 1950’s to earn his AQHA Championship points and his ROM in performance.

Poco Bueno was the sire of 36 AQHA Champions, 84 show Register of Merit, 21 Superior Halter Horses, and 13 Superior Performance Horses. His get include Poco Lena, five-time NCHA Reserve World Champion; Poco Stampede, 1959 NCHA World Champion; Poco Lynn, 1958 AQHA High Point Halter Horse and Pretty Boy Pokey, 1954 AQHA High Point Roping Horse. Three of his foals are in the NCHA Hall of Fame. They are Poco Lena, Poco Stampede, and Poco Mona.

Poco Bueno was sired by King P-234, a leading sire of AQHA Champions. King P234 was sired by Zantanon by Little Joe. Little Joe was sired by Traveler. Zantanon was out of Jeanette by Billy. The dam of King P-234 was Jabalina by Strait Horse by Yellow Jacket. The dam of Jabalina was a Bay Quarter Mare. Many pedigrees show that the Bay Quarter Mare may have been a daughter of Traveler. This would make King P-234 double-bred to Traveler.

Miss Taylor was the dam of Poco Bueno. She was sired by Old Poco Bueno. Some pedigrees will show the (Old) Poco Bueno as Ponco Bueno. Old Poco Bueno was sired by Little Joe. Little Joe was the sire of Zantanon, the sire of King P-234. Thus, the registered Poco Bueno was 3 X 3 line-bred to Little Joe. The dam of Miss Taylor was the Eads Mare by Hickory Bill. Hickory Bill was sired by Peter McCue. Hickory Bill was the sire of such horses as Old Sorrel. Old Sorrel was the foundation sire of the King Ranch breeding program.

The dam of Poco Dell was a mare named Shady Dell. She was bred by the Waggoner Ranch. She was sired by the King Ranch

bred, and Waggoner Ranch owned Pep-Up. Pep-Up was sired by Macanudo and out of Petra R2 by Little Richard. Macanudo and Little Richard were sired by Old Sorrel.

The dam of Macanudo was Canales Belle. Canales Belle was sired by Roan Clegg by Hickory Bill. Thus, Poco Dell was linebred to Hickory Bill. The dam of Shady Dell was a Waggoner Mare. This mare’s breeding is unknown. Shady Dell was sold by Waggoner in the same sale that Randals bought Poco Dell Her sale price was $310, as you will see this was a real bargain.

Several Shady Dell foals were sold in the 1952 sale. This is a most interesting situation because Shady Dell became the mother of five AQHA Champions and several ROM performers. Her first foal was the AQHA Champion Poco Dell. Her second foal was Poco Shade, another son of Poco Bueno. Poco Shade earned two halter points and 11.5 performance points, earning an ROM in the arena. Poco Shade sold for $400 in the Waggoner Sale. Poco Tiny was an unshown full sister to Poco Dell. She sold in the sale for $280. Randals later bought this mare for $4,000. She died on the Randals Ranch before her true value as a broodmare could be realized.

Shady Dell left the Three D Stock Farm carrying Poco Willy, another full brother to Poco Dell. Poco Willy went on to be the second AQHA Champion out of Shady Dell. He earned 47 halter points and 14 performance points. The next stallion to be bred to Shady Dell was Poco Deuce by Poco Bueno. Poco Deuce sold in the 1952 Waggoner Sale for $3,000. The foal produced from this mating was Poco Deuce Jr, an AQHA Champion. He earned 27 halter points and 12.5 performance points.

Shady Dell changed sire lines for her 1955 foal. She produced Shady Reed by Logan’s Bobby Reed. Shady Reed was a Register of Merit show horse with five performance points and three halter points. Shady Dell stayed with Logan’s Bobby Reed for

THREE BARS PERCENTAGE MIDWAY ch 1914

15.3 1940 ch 1923 GOSSIP AVENUE ch 1918

THREE CHICKS THOROUGHBRED MYRTLE DEE LUKE MCLUKE b 1911 br 1959 (USA) blk 1923 CIVIL MAID b 1915

QUARTER HORSE CHICADO V CHICARO BILL CHICARO b 16.3 1923 #0150624 br 1950 b 1930 VERNA GRACE b 1926 MR

HORSE DO GOOD ST LOUIS b 1930

1938 FLOSSIE br 1931

QUARTER HORSE LITTLE LLOYD BABE GRANDE OLD SORREL ch 1915

AQHA#0614752 blk 1944 ch 1928 MARE BY HICKORY BILL

QUO VADIS QUARTER HORSE ESTUFA PANCHO VILLA br 1907

blk 1952 #0006030 blk 1933 LAURELES MARE

QUARTER HORSE MISS CIRCLE H III BROWN CEASER BABE GRANDE ch 1928 #0045186 b 1943 br 1940 CONLEY ROAN MARE ro 1935

HE PERFECTOR

HORSE BESS KEENEY STUD

blk 15.2 1972 #0003083 1938 MARE BY JUNE BUG

QUARTER HORSE POCO BUENO KING ZANTANON ch 1917

AQHA#0892647 br 15.0 1944

her 1956 foal. This foal was the AQHA Champion Snipper Reed. Snipper Reed earned 40.5 performance points and 26 halter points. Snipper Reed is the sire of such noted horses as Snipper’s Sarah, who earned 1,834 halter and performance points and earned Superiors in halter (youth and open), western pleasure, youth showmanship, youth western horsemanship, and she was a Youth Performance Champion. She was the 1976 AQHA youth and open World Champion Aged Mare and the 1976 AQHA High Point Horse.

Shady Dell returned to Poco Deuce’s court in 1956 to produce the 1957 foal Poco Pep Up. Poco Pep Up was the fifth AQHA Champion produced by Shady Dell. He earned 14 halter points and 23 performance points. Shady Dell produced two more foals by Poco Deuce, but neither of them earned any AQHA points.

Shady Joe was an unshown son of Shady Dell that was foaled in 1960. Shady Joe was sired by Red Joe Jones. Shady Chic was foaled in 1961 and sired by Chicaro Blue. Shady Chic earned 18 halter points and one performance point. Poco Rafter by R. Joking was the next foal. He earned no AQHA points. Shady Van and Shady Vandal were foaled in 1963 and 1964. Shady Van earned one halter point. The last two foals out of Shady Dell were Double Shady and Double Shad, both by Double Drift. Double Shady earned one AQHA youth halter point and one AQHA youth performance point.

Shady Dell was the dam of 17 foals with 13 performers. She produced nine halter point earners with 173 points. She produced eight performance point earners with 123 points. One foal earned one point in youth halter and one point in youth performance. Her foals earned seven performance ROMs and five AQHA Championships. Not a bad record for a mare that sold for $310 in 1952.

When asked what kind of a sire Poco Dell was, Randals’ responded, “Dell would measure just under 14.3. If you put a stick to him, he just wouldn’t quite go 14.3. But he always bred bigger than he was.” He continued this thought with a story of master breeder Warren Shoemaker and the size of one of Dells foals. “I had always admired Mr. Shoemaker’s horses. So, I thought I would take my yellow mare up to be bred to Nugget McCue S. So, I took the mare and her Dell colt to Watrous. When we unloaded the mare, Warren was looking at the little ol’ colt

at her side. He couldn’t have been two weeks old. Warren said, ‘You know that’s a nice colt, but I’d like to take him by his tail and his head and pull him to stretch him out.’ Well, that colt went on to be a horse called Poco Mickey, an AQHA Champion. He stood about 15 to 15.1 hands.”

Randals added, “Warren thought that colt was going to be a 14.1 to 14.2 hand horse, but he went to be 15-15.1 hands. Dell always bred bigger than he was, and they were athletic, had the height, looks and conformation to go along with it.”

Poco Dell proved to be a very good sire. His foals garnered 18 AQHA Championships, 46 show Register of Merit, 11 Superiors in halter, and three Superiors in performance. He is the maternal grandsire of 17 AQHA Champions.

Randals professed that he selected his mares on conformation more than on pedigree. With the exception of a few mares, this was true of the mares used by Randals. Nestora was one of those exceptions. She was not a good-looking mare, but she was the daughter of Billy Clegg. Randals saw what a Billy Clegg horse could do at the New Mexico State Fair. The first time Jimmie Randals placed at a cutting was at the New Mexico State Fair with a third behind Buster Welch and Chickasha Mike, who placed first. Chickasha Mike was sired by Billy Clegg. Billy Clegg was sired by Paul Ell, a son of Hickory Bill. This tells us that the foals by Poco Dell and out of Nestora were line-bred to Hickory Bill with a breeding pattern is 5 X 7 X 6 X 6 X 4.

Nestora’s dam was a mare by Barney Troutman. Barney Troutman was sired by Billy McCue Ja,ck McCue, by Peter McCue. Peter McCue was the sire of Hickory Bill, so we see another tie to Peter McCue and his son Hickory Bill.

Nestora was the dam of seven foals for Randals. Her first foal was Montoya Girl by Moorhouse’s Red Wolf. This mare was unshown in the AQHA. The second foal produced by Nestora by Poco Dell was Poco Jeff. He earned an AQHA Championship with 70 halter points and 36.5 performance points. He was a Superior halter horse and a Register of Merit performance horse. Dell Mary was Nestora’s second Poco Dell foal. This goodlooking mare earned 44 halter points in her show career. Dell Mike was the third foal by Poco Dell. This 1959 stallion was Register of Merit in performance with 7.5 AQHA performance points and three halter points. The second AQHA Champion out

of Nestora and sired by Poco Dell, was Dell Jiggs. He earned 61 halter points and 42 performance points. He was Superior in halter and Register of Merit in performance. Chanel Dell was the last Poco Dell foal out of Nestora. This 1962 filly earned two halter points. Edie Dondi was foaled by Nestora in 1964 to the cover of Poco Dondi by Poco Dell. She earned six halter points and five performance points. Nestora produced seven foals with six to show. All six performers were point earners with 2 AQHA Champions and two that earned Superiors in halter. It’s not a bad record for one of the “sorriest mares” Jimmie Randals ever saw.

Dell Tommy was another great performer who carried the blood of Billy Clegg. This son of Poco Dell was the 1961 and 1962 AQHA High Point Western Pleasure Horse and the 1971 AQHA High Point Trail Horse. He was also the 1970 AQHA High Point Trail Stallion and an AQHA Champion. The dam of Dell Tommy was Bonnie Benear by Dusty Benear by Tom Benear. Tom Benear was a full brother in blood to Bert. Bert’s dam Lady Coolidge and Tom Benear’s dam Dixie Beach were full sisters. The sire of Tom Benear and Bert was Tommy Clegg. Tommy Clegg was sired by Sam Watkins by Hickory Bill. The dam of Bonnie Benear was Bonnie Clegg by Billy Clegg. This makes Dell Tommy 5 X 6 X 7 X 6 X 6 X 5 line-bred to Hickory Bill.

One year, Randals carried eight head of horses to the famed International Quarter Horse Show in Chicago to be sold. They traveled by railroad box car. Dell Tommy was one of the eight. Another horse that was sold with Dell Tommy was Judy Dell by Poco Dell. Judy Dell was out of Quit That by Billy Madden by Billy Clegg. Cecilia was the dam of Billy Madden. Her sire was Barney Troutman by Billy McCue. Judy Dell became the dam of Eternal Dell by Eternal Sun. Eternal Dell earned 35 AQHA Halter Points. He was the sire of such noted horses as Majestic Dell. Majestic Dell earned 49 AQHA halter points and was out of Quo Vadis.

Quo Vadis has a special place in Randals’ heart. He had this to say about her, “Quo Vadis was one of those horses that was before her time. She was all by herself in conformation. She was a nice big mare. Of course, what I call a nice big mare in this time period and what we see now is not the same... She would have stood oh 15, maybe 15.1 hands.”

“She was a nice mare, and anytime you stopped this mare, she would be correct. You didn’t have to stop and back her or pick up a foot. You just stopped her, and she was there. Just as straight as a string and no problem to show,” added Randals.

Quo Vadis was certainly no problem to show as she earned 40 halter points and 29 performance points for an AQHA Championship. Her performance point total included two cutting points, three working cow horse points, 17 reining points, and seven western riding points.

Quo Vadis was double bred Babe Grande. Her sire was Little Lloyd by Babe Grande. Her dam was Miss Circle H III by Brown Ceasar by Babe Grande. Babe Grande was a King Ranch stallion sired by Old Sorrel who was sired by Hickory Bill. The dam of Babe Grande was a mare known as the Dr. Lawrence Mare. Hickory Bill sired this mare. So, we see the influence of Hickory Bill showing up in another mare bred to Poco Dell.

Despite her great show record, Quo Vadis was even better as a producer of great show horses. She was the dam of 12 foals with 11 halter point earners, nine performance point earners that earned 637.5 points with seven Register of Merit performers, and four AQHA Champions with 3 Superior Award winners. She produced six foals by Poco Dell. All six were point-earning performers. They included Poco Becky, an AQHA Champion; Laura Dell, earner of 10 halter points; Dino Dell, Register of Merit in performance with 15.5 points and five halter points; Dellfene, Register of Merit with 10.5 performance points and 36 halter points; Dells Hombre, nine halter points and three performance points.

DELL TOMMY CHAMPION SON OF POCO DELL

Madonna Dell was the last of the Poco Dell foals and she was Superior in halter with 202 points and 7.5 performance points. Randals described Madonna Dell this way, “Madonna Dell had to be the top horse I showed. You couldn’t draw a more perfect horse.” When we look at the pedigree of the Poco Dell/QuoVadis foals we get a breeding pattern of 5 x 6 x 7 x 7 x 5 x 5 x 6 x 6 x 6 to Hickory Bill.

Quo Vadis produced Bonita Dondi in 1963 and she was sired by Poco Dondi. This bay mare earned an AQHA Championship with 31 halter points and 16 performance points. She was Register of Merit in performance as well. When bred to Two Eyed Jack, Quo Vadis produced Miss Impressive, who earned 14 halter points and seven performance points. She was the dam of several good performers, including Impressive Dell, Superior Pleasure Horse; San Peppy Miss, NCHA earnings of over $25,000; and Doctor Montoya, an Oklahoma Cutting Futurity winner. Doctor Montoya sold at the NCHA Futurity Sales for $150,000 which was a record price that stood for many years.

Mr Perfection was Quo Vadis’ son sired by Three Chicks. This 1969 black stallion was an AQHA Champion with a Superior in halter. He earned 68 halter points and 18 performance points. Mr Perfection was used for a number of years by Randals in his breeding program. He sired horses that earned 2,648.5 points with 68-point earners 28 ROM nine Superior Awards, with six open and youth AQHA Champions. Five of the AQHA Open and Youth Champions were bred by Jimmie Randals. One of those AQHA Champions was Mr Perfecto, and when we look at his pedigree, he has a breeding pattern of 6 x 6 x 7 x 7 x7 x 6 x 7 x 8 x 8 x 5 x 7 x 7 x 8 x 8 x 8 to Hickory Bill, a common pattern we have seen in Jimmie Randals breeding program. It is a breeding pattern found in three of the other AQHA Champions bred by Jimmie Randals.

Triple Money was a son of Triple Chick that Randals stood alongside Poco Dell. Triple Money sired Miss Pocket Money when bred to Quo Vadis. Miss Pocket Money was unshown, but she was the dam of Ms Safety Deposit, an AQHA Champion with 111 points, and Vester Vision, an AQHA Champion with 92 points. Majestic Dell was foaled after Miss Triple Money. He

was not only a good show horse but has proven to be a good sire. His foals include the stallion, Majestic Justice.

The last foal Quo Vadis produced was Kaliman, an AQHA Champion by Poco Dell’s son Dell Milagro. Kaliman earned his AQHA Championship with 50 halter points and 34 performance points. He was Superior in halter and a top ten finisher in the 1977 World Show Two-Year-Old Stallion Class. He is the sire of horses like Kaliflower, NRHA Non-Pro Classic Champion. Randals used Poco Dondi by Poco Dell as a junior sire for a number of years. He was out of a daughter of King P-234. This great stallion earned 135 halter points and 23.5 performance points to earn his AQHA Championship and superior in halter. He earned one of his Grand Championships at the Fort Worth Stock Show. He earned his performance points in cutting, western pleasure, and western riding.

Poco Dondi was the sire of several good show horses, including the noted show mare Lady Dondi. Lady Dondi was out of Raspa, another one of Randals bargain mares. Raspa was sired by Peter Pack by Cowboy P-12. Her dam was Babe, whose pedigree is unknown.

Lady Dondi was an AQHA Champion with 361 halter points and 27.5 pleasure points. She was the dam of the AQHA Champions 0toe’s Omen, Sundee, The Grey Hope and Two Eyed Dondi. Lady Dondi was a full sister to the AQHA Champions Ricki Dondi and Dondi’s Fame and Empress Dondi, who was a two-time AJQHA Youth Champion. Raspa also produced three-point earners by Poco Dell in Poco Marco, Poco Millie, and Anita Dell.

Another great producing mare to be bred to Poco Dell was Dana Wilson. She was the dam of Nunes’ Cameo, an AQHA Superior Halter mare; Nunes’ Debonair, an AQHA Superior Halter Mare; Nunes’ Poco Joe, an AQHA Champion and Poco Honcho, an AQHA Champion. All these performers were sired by Poco Dell. Nunes’ Cameo was a reserve grand champion mare at the Fort Worth Stock Show.

Dana Wilson was a double bred Dan Waggoner mare. She was sired by Wilson’s Smokey Joe by Dan Waggoner. She was out of Blue Bess by Dan Waggoner. Dan Waggoner was the foundation sire for Duard Wilson’s famous Flying W Ranch. He was sired by Waggoner’s Rainy Day P-13 and out of a mare by Midnight.

The purchase of Poco Dell started Jimmie Randals on the road to success as a horseman and breeder of many fine horses. He built his breeding program on his new stallion, and several mares that we have seen played a key role in his success. Along the way, he served as the President of the National Cutting Horse Association from 1973 to 1975, an honor he truly savored because of his love of cutting. The AQHA recognized his success in 1998 when he was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame. The great Quo Vadis joined him in the Hall of Fame in 2002. Oh, by the way, Randals never did put that fence across the box canyon. His program got too big and outgrew his idea.

INTERESTING SIDE NOTE TO THE 1952 WAGGONER SALE—

Before our conversation ended, Randals quoted a few prices on the horses that sold in the 1952 Waggoner Sale. Panzarita Daugherty sold for $660 or $560. This was one of the all-time great roping mares. Her yearling by Poco Bueno sold for $400. A mare named Mary Jane W sold for $355. Mary Jane W was the dam of Poco Jane. Poco Jane was the dam of King Fritz. Poco Red Ant sold for $300. He became the sire of many fine horses. His dam was Little Red Ant. She sold for $330.

MADONNA DELL THE HORSE JIMMIE RANDALS THOUGHT WAS THE BEST HE SHOWED.

APRIL

1 El Dorado Livestock | KS

3-4 Waverly | IA

5-6 Heber Valley | UT

6 Twin City | MN

9 Simon Horse Co. | MN

12-13 Heritage Horse Sales | KS

19-20 Troyer Auctions | CO

20 | Ocala Horse Sale | FL

26-27 Billings Livestock | MT

MAY

4 Lolli Horse Sale | MO

10-11 Cody Horse Sale | WY

11 Heritage Horse Sales | MO

18 Farmers & Ranchers | KS

18 Redtail Ranch Sale | ID

24-25 Billings Livestock | MT

31 Shawnee | OK

31 | Pitchfork Ranch | WY

JUNE

1-2 Pitchfork Ranch | WY

8 Cudd QH | OK

13-14 Twombly Performance | NE

14-15 Heritage Horse Sales | MO

13-15 Seymour Draft Horse | KS

21-22 Billings Livestock | MT

21-22 Western Colorado Select | CO

JULY

27 | Elite Horse Sale | SD

AUGUST

9-10 Heritage Horse Sales | KS

24 Weber & Company | NE

31 Huskerland | NE

SEPTEMBER

7 Lolli Horse Sale | MO

10-15 BVD online

14 St Clair | IA

21 Weaver QH Production Sale | MT

21 Heritage Horse Sales | MO

22 Sugar Bars | WY

more to come next issue

FRIDAY, MAY 3 - PREVIEW/TEAM ROPING

SATURDAY, MAY 4 - CATALOG SALE - 1 PM

CONSIGNMENT DEADLINE

APRIL 1, 2024

VISIT ELDORADOLIVESTOCK.COM/SPRINGFLING FOR DETAILS AND CONSIGNMENT FORM

“THE HORSE WILL TEACH YOU IF YOU‘LL LISTEN.”

~Ray Hunt

By Josh Aikens

When a bullet comes close enough that you know it was meant for you, it makes a snapping sound. It sounds like punching the dull end of a pen through tightly stretched plastic. That’s what he kept hearing in his head as he stood in the silent round pen with a horse and his therapist who asked questions. “How are you?” She would ask. “I’m fine.” Snap, snap, snap. “How do you sleep at night?”

“Pretty good.” Snap, snap, snap. The bullets intended for him had been fired over two years ago and 7,500 miles away, but the sound was imprinted in his mind and on his soul to be played over and over. The threeyear-old blue roan mustang gelding that he shared the round pen with found the farthest point away from him and clung to the panels. The horse looked at him with his head high, eyes wide, and ears straight up. The man flinched every time the ghost round cracked in his mind for the thousandth time: “I wonder if the horse hears it too? I don’t know how much more of this I can take…”

He found himself standing alone, living alone, and fighting this fight alone. The horse wasn’t helping, and was making it worse: just staring at him, like there is something wrong with him. He came out of his con-

versation with himself and looked over at the therapist. She asked: “Can you tell me what you feel when you think about the men that didn’t come home from Afghanistan?” The bullets stopped and he saw his squad leader laying in the sand, the moment replayed in his mind as he did everything he could to save him, but nothing worked. He fought the tears like he had never fought anything before in his life and lost. His head dropped, he hit his knees and cried without any control. He thought about his squad leader’s wife and two beautiful daughters, he cried harder. He thought about loading the metal casket onto the plane with a flag draped over top and he cried harder. A warm breath ran down the back of his neck and the surprise made him jump. The horse rested its head on his shoulder and gently breathed on the side of his face. Without withdrawing he turned his head and looked into the horses’ eyes. He wasn’t a horseman, but he saw love, compassion, and empathy that was balanced with power and control. Most of all, he knew that he was not being judged, that he could let down his guard, and felt the relief of gratitude wash over him as the horse stood next to him even with his feelings of grief, of helplessness, and of guilt. For a moment he didn’t feel alone. He felt this powerful creature standing with him, and most of all fighting for him.

animals can teach them how to feel more present, calm, and focused. The horses teach veterans how to not worry about the past and the future; the horses ask them to be present and to be real for the moments that they spend together.

Josh Aikens, Marine Veteran and Program Director of Operation Equine’s WARRIOR Pack Trip Program, has been personally and professionally impacted by his work with the horses:

“The horse is the ultimate prey animal. Over tens of thousands of years of evolution, they developed a sensitivity to their environment that is unmatched. We see this often with veterans that are not being honest with themselves: the horses will avoid them until they make the choice to be true and let down their guard. Then the horse will choose to be in their space and partner with them. It’s a magical moment.”

To find out more about Operation Equine’s WARRIOR Pack Trip Program, please contact Michelle Kaye: Michelle@OperationEquine.org or call/text (720) 588.3035.

second annual stockMansHip cHallenge and clinic

By Heather Smith Thomas

Last year a unique contest was hosted by Malcolm and Jenny MacLean at the Pincher Creek Rodeo Grounds in Alberta, Canada, in conjunction with a stockmanship school to introduce people to the low-stress livestock handling methods developed by Bud Williams. The school and competition were well received so the goal was to make this an annual event.

The 2nd Annual Ultimate Stockmanship Challenge was held July 12-15, 2023 at the Silver Slate indoor arena in Nanton, Alberta, Canada as a three-day school, followed by the stockmanship competition on July 15th. Competitions included on-foot and horseback categories, and a special horsemanship class.

Malcolm MacLean created the Stockmanship Challenge because he could not find another event that represented the skills of a true stock person. “A truly good stockman has the ability to get the job done without adding undue stress to stock, because he/she understands cattle behavior, and doesn’t need to use intimidation,” said MacLean.

“The events are tailored to be a reflection of real life feedlot, ranch, or pasture work--working with groups of cattle by yourself,” he said.

Glenn Stewart, a Natural Horsemanship Clinician and Horse Specialist (based in British Columbia), was one of the instructors and also a judge this year. “I was asked to do the horsemanship clinic and set up the horsemanship competition. I’ve been teaching horsemanship all over the world for 20-some years. Many people do most of their cattle work with horses, and this is why I got asked to come—to help with the horsemanship part, to talk about what they might need their horses to be able to do, to handle cattle better,” he said.

“In the clinic presentation I gave the participants many things to briefly try, think about and consider how horsemanship will help their stockmanship.

I wanted to cover a few areas and give tips on how you might improve your turns, back up, and your ability to move the horse’s body parts separately and build a calm, thinking horse that understands what’s being asked--and how to ask. It’s challenging to handle cattle well without these basics,” he said.

“Your horse will end up pushing on cattle when you don’t want to because of the way he turns, or he won’t back up or back up fast enough.” You will be sending the wrong signal to the cattle.

“If you touch the reins and the horse’s head flies up, or he’s bouncing around and can’t stand still, or moves too quickly or can’t move quick enough, any of those things will make proper cattle handling more challenging,” said Stewart.

“The Bud Williams philosophy of cattle handling fits right in with the type of horsemanship I teach. The horsemanship part was set up to test the maneuverability of your horse; each contestant had to accomplish it in a certain amount of time. It wasn’t like they had to gallop around and go fast. It was set up to see if the horse can be responsive even at a walk, and whether the riders know what a diagonal is and how to ask and get a right and left lead,” said Stewart.

“I set it up to test your sideways, your back-up, and whether your horse can stand still, or maneuver through obstacles, and how he works a rope. Can you move your horse around and drag something—and not just a straight line but maybe weave through a pattern? We had some different obstacles and tasks to complete, some trees set up and a little bridge. The horse had to ground tie, side-pass over a pole, etc. and do things I would expect any ranch horse to do. I didn’t make it real tough; it was an easy course, by my standards, but I tried to cover the basics that any horse should be able to do if you are going to work cattle and have much success, and make your day in the saddle more enjoyable and not just be stampeding cattle,” he said.

“Horses get good at what we do with them so they might be good at mud holes and creek crossing to get you from point A to B--but they might be nervous while sorting cattle and might not move their hips or be able to move the front end and go sideways or back up real well.”

When moving or sorting cattle, being able to precisely position your horse in response to the cattle is important. Your horse’s body language is crucial. It’s more important that your horse can move various parts of his body as you direct him than whether he can go through creeks or a mudhole—as far as the cattle are concerned.

“We had some rope work in the competition which I thought everyone would have no problem with but some horses were not having any part of those tasks. I brought one of my horses and showed how particular, precise and responsive a horse can be even at liberty with the horse completely free. If you set your horse and yourself up for success and are both prepared, going to work every day with cattle is peaceful and easy.”

A person can prepare and train cattle, and train horses, but people are usually very direct-line thinkers, and just go for it—which means nothing has been prepared—not the horses or the cattle. Things can be so much easier if there’s been some preparation and the cattle and horses know how to respond.

“It may take a couple hours out on the trail to get a horse settled down. It doesn’t need to be that way and I showed the riders some of the things to work on even for 10 minutes before heading out,” he said.

“I’ve been around cattle and helping ranchers, but most of them have never seen or heard what was being taught at

this clinic,” said Stewart. Usually the ranch work is more like a rodeo and it isn’t very easy on the cattle, the horses, or the cowboys.

“The kind of cattle handling taught at this event is dramatically different from what I see at most ranches I’ve been on. In earlier days we had cattle ourselves and didn’t know anything about this, either. When I met Malcolm he said the horsemanship I was teaching had the same approach and philosophy as what they were teaching with cattle handling. What I consider true horsemanship is aligned very closely with this kind of cattle handling,” Stewart said.

Cattle are just as trainable as horses, but most people never think about that. Even good horsemen, who know a lot about training horses, rarely carry this kind of thinking over into how they work cattle. It’s as if a cow is a “dumb brute” and they have to ram and jam to get their job done.

“In all the years I’ve been going to ranches, helping with branding and processing cattle, I never heard anyone say, ‘Let’s train the cattle.’ Yet they are easy to train.” People need to know how to do it, however, and give the cattle a chance to be trained.

“Humans are born with predator instincts. This usually messes up the way we work with horses and it really messes up things with cattle. We have direct-line thinking and this doesn’t work very well with cattle, or horses. It’s a matter of catching yourself and realizing you are slipping back into predator mode and need to slow down and take a different approach,” said Stewart.

“I loved helping with this stockmanship challenge. The speakers were good, and Dawn Hnatow was fantastic. She really knows her business, handling cattle.” This is the best way to handle them.

“It’s can be shocking the way many people do it. It’s equally amazing, in terms of how nice your cattle can be to handle if you do it right.” There is less shrink, if you are selling them, less wear and tear on facilities, less labor needed. A person can save money in many ways, if they handle cattle properly.

“I’ve watched people run the cattle down the alley, jam them down the chute, screaming like crazy, waving sticks and using a stock prod—and cattle are running everywhere. At the chute everyone is lined up poking and stabbing cattle as they are running into the squeeze and banging their hips and shoulders. Cattle are being bruised and battered, banging off the alleyway and metal squeeze. It’s stressful for everyone but they don’t seem to consider any other approach,” said Stewart.

The way many people handle cattle is wild and crazy and gives ranching a bad image--and at the end of the day it costs the owner money. Many have never seen a better way. “My family had cattle for 30 years, and as I was growing up I did what I’d seen. It’s just in the last few years that I’ve made a point of being around people like Malcolm and Dawn and learning as much as possible, which is very different than what I’d seen in the past,” he said.

“There is always much to learn, so why not make a point of learning more about what we do, rather than think we know. Working with the mind of cow or a herd, there is more to it than whooping and hollering. Sometimes we humans are not as smart as we think we are!”

Malcolm MacLean said the difference between low stress/ proper stockmanship (or whatever you want to call it) and conventional cattle handling is learning and understanding that we humans are predators by nature. “Instinctively, we work livestock this way. By understanding our innate behavior and cattle’s innate behavior, we begin to understand how to work with the cattle instead of against them. This takes the stress off cattle, so they are able to easily and quickly understand what they are being asked to do,” said MacLean.

This also applies to horsemanship. “Something Glenn Stewart told me is that ‘because we are predators by nature, our hands on the rein close fast, and open slow - like a predator grabbing its prey. We need to learn to close our hands slow and open them fast’. This means we need to apply pressure slowly, but take pressure off quickly, instead of applying pressure quickly and taking it off slowly. It’s not the pressure that teaches, but the release of pressure that teaches,” he explained.

One of the major differences between the two types of cattle handling is a person’s mindset. “It is absolutely necessary to have the mindset of not blaming the cattle or the horses. It is understanding that the animals are only doing what they are doing as a reflection of how they are being asked to do it.”

MARES WITH MORETHE MAGNOLIA GAL STORY

By Larry Thornton - All photos courtesy of author

Breeders use all kinds of criteria to help them select their broodmares. The order in which these criteria fit into a selection process will vary but are generally based on the factors of pedigree, performance, conformation, and produce record. Some breeders will look at pedigree first and then judge performance, conformation, and produce record. While some breeders will look at performance first, and then they look at pedigree with conformation and produce record coming into the process later. Despite the fact that all these criteria are important and should be given due consideration, the true test of any mare’s success as a producer comes with the foals she produces.

When Yvonne LaMaitre went to the Hillcrest Stock Farm Dispersal in 1964, she was looking for broodmares. What caught her eye was a weanling filly still with her mother. The filly was Better Gal by Clabber II and she was out of Magnolia Gal.

A conversation with Yvonne LaMaitre allowed her to tell me why she bought Magnolia Gal, “Better Gal was the reason I bought Magnolia Gal. I had never seen this mare before, nor had I seen the filly. And Clabber II, the sire of Better Gal, was not a pretty horse. The Clabbers were not known for their good looks, and Clabber II wasn’t an exception to the rule.”

She went on, “The Clabbers were big and rough, and this filly was really quite lovely. I looked at the mare, and the more I looked at her, the more I liked her. The more I knew she would fit the situation.”

“She was by Bull’s Eye by Joe Reed II, and I thought the Joe Reed II cross would be what we wanted to keep in our program”, added Yvonne about the pedigree of Magnolia Gal and how she thought this mare would fit her breeding program.

Yvonne knew something else, “No one at the sale knew that Magnolia Gal was the dam of King’s Bikini, the winner of the Pacific Northwest Cutting Horse Futurity. None of that information was in the sale catalog.” So, Yvonne bought Magnolia Gal for $700.00.

Yvonne described Magnolia Gal this way, “She was such a wonderfully sound good, footed mare, and she had the right kind of muscle and a kind expression. She had the most beautiful set of eyes.... very clear, very intelligent. She had the kind of expression you’d want to draw a picture of. She was very wide between the eyes. She had medium-sized ears, but they weren’t box ears by any means. She was a little square in the muzzle; some would say she was a little thick in the muzzle, but she had a gorgeous throat latch, a long neck, and very fine withers. She had long but deep muscles, not bulgy halter muscle, but very much an athletic kind of muscle. She had a nice hip, good stifle,

ONE TIME ROYALTY NCHA FUTURITY CHAMPION AND GRANDSON OF JAZABELL QUI

with a nice hind leg. She was probably as deep on the outside as on the inside of her hind leg muscle. She was certainly a correct mare, and we would often laugh as people would look at her and say, ‘She doesn’t have any cannon bones!’ She had the shortest cannon bones, and her knees and hocks set right down as low as they could be set. I am sure this had something to do with her athletic ability and the athletic ability of her foals.

Yvonne took Magnolia Gal home and found that she responded in a strange way to her new home. “When I bought the mare, she was very quiet and very sensitive. When we loaded the mare, we basically weaned the foal off of her, and I took her home,” explains Yvonne about the timing and circumstances surrounding the mare’s arrival at her new home.

“When I got home, I put Magnolia Gal in a fairly good-sized stall. I made the mistake of taking the halter off this mare. She seemed very kind in everything we did, but I noticed when I brought the feed into her, she stood away from me. Usually, they’ll come right up to you, and they want to eat. Well, this mare didn’t come up to me; she stood back. I didn’t think anything of it. She just didn’t know me. The next morning, when I went to put a halter on her to turn her out, she plastered herself up against the wall. Her eyes were big, and she had this snorty look that told me she could blow out of that corner, so I stepped back and talked to her.”

“She started to relax, so I took another step, and the mare started to shake all over. I realized she’d had a bad experience, so I backed off again. After a little work, I did finally get the halter on her. Somebody had really whaled on this mare to get her that scared. But once she trusted you, you could do anything with her. I never had Magnolia Gal ever bite, kick, or strike; even when you turned her out, she would move away from you before she would do her bucking act. She was very careful of her foals; she was very careful of people around her. I can’t imagine anyone would abuse this mare bad enough that you couldn’t catch her in a stall.”

Magnolia Gal was foaled in 1953 and bred by Lester Goodson of Magnolia, Texas. Goodson was a noted early breeder of quarter horses and a former President of the American Quarter Horse Association. Magnolia Gal was sired by Bull’s Eye, a son of Joe Reed II. Bull’s Eye was an AA-rated racehorse. He is noted mostly as a broodmare sire with daughters like Lassie’s Dream, the 1955 AQHA Champion

Quarter Running Two-Year-Old Mare. This mare was AAAT rated on the track and stakes placed. She was the dam of horses like Magnolia Bar, an AAA-rated AQHA Champion son of Three Bars. Magnolia Bar was the sire of Magnolia Pay, an AQHA Supreme Champion.

Joe Reed II was the World’s Champion Quarter Running Stallion of 1943. He overcame a severe injury to win his title as the World Champion Quarter Running Stallion. His working and racing career started after Bert Wood purchased him as a six-year-old. The injury that Joe Reed II had to overcome was a quarter cut on his hoof that he received when he stepped on a broken bottle. The three races Joe Reed II had to win to earn his title came after the cut. He ran the first race on February 7, 1943. He beat Golden Slippers, Brown Deacon, Francilla, Lost Toy, and Bear Hug. The second race came on Sunday, February 14, 1943. He outran Arizona Girl, Pay Dirt, Domino, and a Quarter Horse named Chicaro not to be confused with the Thoroughbred Chicaro. The third race was the Championship Speed Trials Quarter Mile Open Championship.

Three horses ran this race. They were Joe Reed II, Chicaro, and the famous Clabber, who was the first World Champion in 1940-41. Joe Reed II won this race and the title. He was never allowed out of his stall between the races and still won his title running on three good legs. This is the kind of heart and endurance Joe Reed II possessed as a quarter-running horse.

The heart and endurance of Joe Reed II shows up in Yvonne LaMaitre’s feelings about this bloodline and her reason for bringing that line into her breeding program. Here is what she had to say, “The Joe Reed II horses had as fine a soundness and longevity rate as any line that I know of, at least I have found it to be true-with what I’ve done. I’ve owned own daughters of the old horse, and they’re tough, they’re sound, and they have the feet and legs that hold up and support their exceptional athletic

ability.”

She continued, “Everything has a hole in it, and the Joe Reed II horses are very people oriented. They get along best when they’re not shopped around. They get along best when they’re not abused. These horses will not take it because of their sensitivity. They don’t take a whole lot of human error, but they’re very forgiving with the amateurs. I see people do things with them that makes me shutter, but you know they forgive and forget and come back. But as far as taking poor training methods and abuse they do not.”

“But I’ll guarantee you one thing, when the going gets tough if trained properly, these horses will go to the end of the earth for you. I think even in the slower events like Trail, Western Pleasure, and English Pleasure, at the end of a five-day show, when it’s hot and they’ve worked for four days in a row, some horses will spit it out and say, ‘I can’t go another step!’ But I’ll guarantee you these Joe Reed II horses will take a deep breath and say, ‘I might even be better than the first day.’ I’ve experienced it with them; they have a lot of heart and courage, and they give it to the person who trains them in a proper manner. “

Joe Reed II was a top sire with foals like Leo, Firebrand Reed, and Joak. These stallions were all noted sires that were equally well-known as broodmare sires. Joe Reed II was also a noted broodmare sire. He sired mares like Saneta, the dam of Sir Quincy Dan and Nug’s Reed Bar. Nug’s Reed Bar was a stallion in Yvonne’s breeding program for many years.

The sire of Joe Reed II was Joe Reed P-3. Joe Reed P-3 was a noted racehorse that became a foundation sire in Volume I of the American Quarter Horse Association Stud Book. He was sired by Joe Blair, a thoroughbred. His dam was Della Moore by Old D. J. Della Moore was also the dam of Joe Moore, the stallion that Ott Adams used to replace Little Joe. Joe Moore was a son of Little Joe.

The dam of Bull’s Eye was a mare named Nevermiss. Nevermiss was sired by *Bayard II. Bayard II was a thoroughbred sired by Achtoi and out of Lakhsmi. The dam of Nevermiss was Quail, who was sired by Possum (King). Possum was known as King in Texas until he was sold to Arizona. Possum was a son of Traveler and out of Jenny. He was a full brother to Little Joe, the sire of Joe Moore.

The dam of Magnolia Gal was Sporty Gal. This mare was sired by Sport by Zandy. Zandy was the sire of such noted horses as Gray Lowry, an ROM racehorse and Lorane. Lorane was the dam of Lorane Question. Lorane Question was the dam of Junior Reed by Leo. Junior Reed sired the AQHA Supreme Champion Mach I.

Zandy was a son of Zantanon, the sire of King P-234. Zantanon was sired by Little Joe, the full brother to Possum. This makes Magnolia Gal double bred to the full brothers Little Joe and Possum. They were sired by Traveler and out of Jenny by Sykes Rondo.

The dam of Zandy was a mare sired by Strait Horse. Some pedigree researchers have hinted to the possibility that Zandy was a full brother to King P-234. King P-234 was sired by Zantanon and out of Jabalina by Strait Horse. The Strait Horse was sired by Yellow Jacket.

Zantanon was another great racehorse that endured much hardship during his racing career. He was bred by Ott Adams and sold into Mexico, where he became known as the “Man O’War of Mexico.” Zantanon was never given the kind of care a great racehorse should have been given. He was abused, and this abuse shows the great heart and determination a true champion has to have to survive and then pass it on to their offspring.

The dam of Sport was Lowry’s Mabel. This mare was sired by Master Gould. The sire of Master Gould was a thoroughbred named First Chip. The dam of Master Gould was Gracie Gould. The dam of Lowry’s Mabel was known as a Steel Dust Mare. Her pedigree is unknown.

Lowry’s Mabel was described in the story “Star Duster, Champion of Champions,” written by Edith E Kearney, in the BACK IN THE SADDLE magazine (January 1950), as a wellrespected mare that was “considered one of the best and they respect her ability, not only as a rope horse but also as a cutting horse.” Lowry’s Mabel was the dam of Star Duster by Nowata Star. Star Duster was the Champion of Champions at the 1948 Fort Worth Fat Stock Show. He was champion over horses like Poco Bueno.

The dam of Sporty Gal was Shelley’s Cricket. Shelly’s Cricket was sired by a horse known as the Clint Rutherford Horse. The sire of the Clint Rutherford horse was a horse known as the Leonard Wright Horse. The dam of Shelley’s Cricket was unknown.

The first three foals out of Magnolia Gal were bred by Jess Hankins, the owner of King P-234. They were Magnolia Kay, King’s Gal Sal, and King Paladin. All three were sired by King P-234. They have no official AQHA show record to report.

The first foal out of Magnolia Gal that was bred by Hillcrest Stock Farm was King Bull. King Bull was sired by Captain Jess, a full brother to Poco Bueno. King Bull was a noted cutting horse that earned 41 performance points, with 37 of them being cutting points. The highlight of King Bull’s show career came at the Fort Worth Stock Show, where was the Reserve Champion of the Junior Cutting in a class of 50 competitors. Yvonne noted that the foals of Magnolia Gal are not only good performers but that many of them have halter points as well as performance points. King Bull earned 3 AQHA halter points to go along with his Register of Merit in performance.

King’s Bikini follows that pattern as the Champion of the Pacific Northwest Cutting Futurity and as an AQHA Champion. She earned her AQHA points in cutting with 31 and trail with 2.5. She had 15 AQHA halter points. King’s Bikini was sired by J. B. King, who was sired by Harmon Baker’s Star and out of the great mare Lady Coolidge.

THE GREAT LANEY DOC A MILLION DOLLAR BROODMARE

JAZABELL QUIXOTE NCHA NON PRO FUTURITY CHAMPION AND SPENCER HARDEN AND SIRE OF ICHI MY CHOICE NCHA OPEN HORSE OF THE YEAR

The next three foals out of Magnolia Gal were Tamo Toy, Sporting Star, and Better Gal, all bred on the Hillcrest Stock Farm. Tamo Toy and Sporting Star have no AQHA Show records, but Yvonne recalls that “they shined in the open shows, and thus, no AQHA records are available.” Tamo Toy was sired by Tamo, a stallion that stood at Hillcrest Stock Farm. Sporting Star was sired by Nowata Star, another Hillcrest stallion. It has to be noted here that Nowata Star was the sire of Star Duster when bred to Lowry’s Mabel, the dam of Sport. Sport being the sire of Sporty Gal, the mother of Magnolia Gal.

Better Gal has an official AQHA race record. She earned a 75-speed index with just one-second place in 8 starts. Yvonne was later able to buy Better Gal, the filly that was weaned from her mother when she bought Magnolia Gal. The “lovely filly” that started it all came home to live the rest of her life with her mother.

The first foal Yvonne got out of Magnolia Gal was Bubbles La Bar. “Magnolia Gal was in foal to Lucky Bar, a thoroughbred son of Three Bars and the sire of Impressive...At that time, the half-thoroughbred had to be inspected to advance to permanent registration. So, I rode Bubbles La Bar in English Pleasure, which was the English class at that time, and made her an ROM English Pleasure winner to get her permanent number. She was sold to the Shelton Ranch, where she died.”

This is where Doc Bar enters the picture. Yvonne was one of the first to utilize this great stallion before his days as a famous cutting horse sire. She recalled what prompted her to utilize this unknown quantity. “Doc Bar was chosen by Charley Araujo, and I had the ultimate faith in Charley. He told me what a fine horse Doc Bar was, and this was when the horse was standing for a $500.00 stud fee.”

She continued, “The Jensen had bought the horse, and Charley had sold them the Poco Tivio mares. I just decided this was something I needed to do. I had seen the horse at a show. He was quite a rascal, one of those with an attitude. He thought he was the biggest kid on the block. Might not have been the tallest, but had the personality. I saw him win the Grand Championship and the Get of Sire at the Cow Palace, and he was King. He came down the alley and said, ‘step aside, world.’ He showed that way for Charley. It was quite impressive.”

Yvonne went on to explain that many people questioned her judgment about breeding to Doc Bar. But time has proven her right. The first foal by Doc Bar and out of Magnolia Gal was Doc’s Velvet. “Doc’s Velvet was a beautiful, fairly good-sized bay mare that was 15.1 to 15.2 hands,” states Yvonne about her first Doc Bar foal out of Magnolia Gal. “Absolutely lovely! She was a halter champion and she won in the hackamore working cow horse division. We sold her, and she died at a fairly young age. She didn’t have much opportunity, but she was quite an individual. Another one that had quite a bit of talent and could do halter, too.” Doc’s Velvet earned 15 AQHA halter points.

Doc’s Bikini Gal was the next Doc Bar foal out of Magnolia Gal. “She was probably the one most like her mother conformationwise and disposition wise,” recalled Yvonne. “In fact, we didn’t even break her to saddle, I knew what we had, and I went ahead and put her in the broodmare band and started raising foals. She got individuals that were very, very talented. Many of her foals include Hoo Doo Doc, who was a Working Cow Horse Champion on the Pacific Coast.”

DOC QUIXOTE WINNING THE NON-PRO FUTURITY WITH PAUL CRUMPLER

DOC QUIXOTE SHOWING HIS CONFORMATION.

DOCS OKIE QUIXOTE WON THE 1984 NCHA TRIPLE CROWN

Yvonne’s association with Charley Araujo took Magnolia Gal to the court of Par Three for her next foal. This is how Yvonne explained this decision. “Charley Araujo was a very good friend of mine. He helped me in the horse business. A business that he was very successful with. He was a very fine horseman. He did know how to choose horses. I had ultimate faith in what Charley told me.” She continued, “Charley said, “I want to breed the bay mare (Magnolia Gal) to Par Three.’ I said, ‘OK! But we have one problem. I don’t want to turn this mare, who is 17, out with strange mares. She is my best mare, and I don’t want her to get hurt.’ Charley said, ‘I never do special things for these mares! They all go in the herd.’ Well, he called me back and said, ‘I’ll make a place for Magnolia Gal.’ When I got down there, he had made a separate pen for Magnolia Gal.”

El Par was the foal produced from this mating. He was born on George Washington’s Birthday in 1969. Of course, he was known as “George.” around the farm. George turned out to be a tough cookie. He was difficult to break. David James was given the assignment.”

“David earned his money,” recalls Yvonne about her Par Three colt. “George was a tough horse to break. David spent a lot of time with him. But he was another horse that could win at halter and then go right back in a reining class.” El Par certainly turned into a good show horse. He earned a Superior in Western Pleasure as well as points in Western riding, English Pleasure, and Trail. His point totals were 11 open halter points, 79 open performance points, 10 amateur performance points, 1 youth halter point, and 49 youth performance points.

With El Par on the ground, Magnolia Gal went back to the court of Doc Bar. She would foal her greatest claim to fame in Doc Quixote. Yvonne recalls the coming of Doc Quixote with great fondness, “I can honestly say that some horses believe that they are good when they arrive. He was, in many ways, an arrogant child. But he was an easy horse to halter break. He gave his head almost immediately when I started to lead and turn him. He had a very trainable attitude but was a very energetic baby. He had lots and lots of action.”

She continued, “We have some very long runs out here, and he would scoot down them, roll back over his hocks, and do things that would take your breath away, even as a baby. He was a very good-looking baby, a very striking colt with striped face, stockings, and a huge hip. Almost to the point, you would want to take him to a weanling halter class if you were so inclined. I had great hopes that he would go to someone that would give him the opportunity to show what

About the Author |

he seemed to show us as a youngster.”

Doc Quixote went on to fulfill Yvonne’s expectations. Paul Crumpler won the NCHA Non-Pro Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1973, riding Doc Quixote. He was later syndicated for $5,000,000 to stand to many of the best mares. Magnolia Gal’s son went on to sire many famous cutting horse champions. His foals earned over $8.4 million in cutting alone. They include such noted horses as Cash Quixote Rio the 1990 and 1991 NCHA World Champion Open Cutting Horse, Jazzote, 1984 and 1985 NCHA Non-Pro World Champion and the 1986 NCHA Open World Champion Doc Okie Quixote, the 1984 NCHA Triple Crown winner of the NCHA Open Futurity, NCHA Open Super Stakes, and the NCHA Open Derby, and Jazabell Quixote, the 1982 NCHA Non-Pro Futurity Champion.

The daughters of Doc Quixote have produced foals that have earned over $18 million. His daughters include Laney Doc dam, with earnings of $1.5 million, including the leading sire Cat Itchi and Jazabelle Quixote dam of horses that have earned over $1.2 million, including July Jazz, the 1989 NCHA Open Futurity Champion and the 1989 NCHA NonPro Futurity Reserve Champion.

Magnolia Gal would go two more times to the court of Doc Bar. She would have a colt by Doc Bar that died, and she would die in foal to Doc Bar. This would bring an end to this line of foals and a remarkable record by the mare that cost only $700.00.

Magnolia Gal had steadily put colts on the ground that were intelligent, sensitive, and athletic. Here is how Yvonne put it, “She gave most of her colts a lot of good sense and a tremendous amount of athletic ability no matter who they were sired by.

The Lucky Bar mare was one that could turn around, stop, and slide, even though I didn’t specialize in that. She was an explosive mare as to the way she could move. I bought her as a teenager, and I didn’t see her as a young mare, but this mare could steam down the side of the paddock and roll up in the corner and come back over her hocks as good as anybody’s six-year-old. Even as a teenager and as a broodmare packing a foal. This explosive way of movement, plus the fact that they had descent minds, and they were horses that would come to you and be quiet. That’s one of the things we have to realize in the pressurized events. They have to have good sense, and this mare had a lot of good sense as she could keep her head.” These words are a fitting tribute to this great mare and the legacy she left behind in such great foals as Doc Quixote.

Larry Thornton is a Pedigree Analyst and freelance writer for Working Horse Magazine, Speedhorse and Quarter Horse News. Thorton started his writing career in 1984 with his first article being printed in the Speed Horse Magazine. He was also an Agriculture Instructor for 37 years.

Total QData Performance Earnings:

$3,422,476

Number of Money-Earners: 341

Ave. Earnings Per Money-Earner:

$10,037

Race Starters: 178

Race Stakes Winners: 10

Race Winners: 108

Race ROM: 122

Barrel: $3,408,873.27

AQHA Race: $1,359,494.00

Pole Bending: $4,467.40

Other: $3,619.80

TOP $$$ EARNERS

Kg Justiceweexpected $430,672

Kathy Grimes

Judge Buy Cash $332,634

Brenda Mays

Judge Robin Hood $141,336

Skye Miller

Rf Back For The Cash $115,042

Fonda Melby

Pc Mari This Judge $98,323

Tammy Bailey

Sc Dont Judge Me $84,675

Casey Varpness

Fdi Cash To Burn $80,386

Julie Leggett

Kg Cashin In On Beau $75,690

Leslie Schur

Kg Juststealingcash $62,784

Kathy Grimes

Catty Cash Biankus $56,252

Jessica Mcmahon

7th BARREL RACING AQHA BROODMARE SIRE FOR ALL TIME

@ $3,881,527 earnings including #1 Producing Broodmare of all timeLADY KAWEAH CASH Dam: Lady Kaweah [Mr Kaweah x Shining Times]

19th BARREL RACING SIRE FOR ALL TIME

@ $3,414,275 earnings INCENTIVES

BIF, Royal Crown, VGBRA

Future Fortunes

Diamond Classic

Select Stallion Stakes

Colorado Classic

Barrel Breeder’s Breeders Challenge

Minnesota Breeders

Southwest Desert Classic

Tomorrow’s Legends

Gridiron Incentive

Producers Gone Wild

Glacier Classic

Top Shelf Breeders

M.G. Annual Barrel Race