Lauing Quarter Horses

from Working Horse Magazine Summer 2021

The Working Lines

By Maria Tibbetts

n their ranch south of Blunt, South Dakota, Bernie Lauing and his son, JD, can stand and gaze at their horses grazing the rolling hills, silhouetted against the buttes, drinking from Medicine Creek. Bernie’s grandfather, George Sias looked upon much the same scene when he bought the first 160 acres of the ranch in 1920.

George and his wife, Christina, moved to the area in 1910, with their children, including their only daughter, Marie, horse and buggy, livestock, personal belongings packed into rail cars. Ten years later, they bought the beginnings of what is now the Lauing Ranch.

In 1937, Marie Sias married Hank Lauing and they rented the ranch from Marie’s parents, adding pastureland as it came available. Marie taught rural school for 26 years, raised five kids, milked cows, sold milk, gardened and helped with the cattle and horses. In Marie’s 54 years on the ranch her daughter remembers her as an accomplished horsewoman and capable roper. Marie also loved to travel, visiting all 50 states and several countries. Her husband, Hank, loved and raised animals of all kinds—from buffalo to horses and donkeys.

Bernie Lauing bought the ranch from his parents in 1975 and has more than doubled the acreage. The first accolades for their horse program came in 1960, when Bernie showing a home-raised mare, Lucy Pillsbury, was awarded the South Dakota State Fair Champion Mare. As a teenager, Bernie was also recognized through the South Dakota Quarter Horse Association as having the Best Light Horse 4-H Project.

Today, Bernie’s youngest son, JD, is the next Lauing to work on building their horse program, while partnering with Bernie and his wife, Genie, raising commercial Angus cattle, which gives their horses early cow experience.

Bernie’s oldest son, Tom, lives and farms near Oral, South Dakota, continuing to be involved with Lauing Ranch’s horse program, coordinating on prospects and breeding stock. Another of Bernie’s sons, Denny, lives near Sturgis with his own horse program, the Mill Iron L Ranch. Bernie’s daughter, Shannon Stroman, lives in Sioux Falls and takes photos for promotion of the ranch and horses.

While they raise horses for the market as they see it, Bernie is most proud of the horses that his children and grandchildren ride to success in the arena and on the ranch. Bernie’s oldest son, Tom Lauing, has four kids who have ridden Lauing-raised horses to winnings in high school, 4-H, college, Little Britches and the professional level. One of his favorite moments was when grandson, Levi, won the tie-down roping at the Central South Dakota 4-H Rodeo in Blunt in the early 2000s aboard Dakota Star Pat, a son of one of Lauings’ early stallions, Billy Star Pat out of Dakota Playboy Girl. “Blaze” was chosen the best tie-

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down horse when Levi was in college. O Turning 29 this year, Blaze is building the confidence of the next generation, with great-granddaughter, Ellie, 10, aboard. As Ellie graduates to Blaze’s 24-year-old brother, Dakota, Ellie’s younger sister, Olivia, will take her turn on Blaze. “He’s not a babysitter. He’s a teacher. He’s safe, but he makes her sit up and ride,” Levi says. Bernie’s wife, Genie, grew up 20 miles north of Blunt in Onida, where she was involved in church, school and 4-H. She taught school for 38 years and works on the ranch, handling the AQHA paperwork and records, taking photos of the horses, organizing sale catalogs, plus pitching in with the outside work, while also being rodeo advisor, event organizer, chairperson of the Central South Rodeo 4-H Ambassador contest, judge, and rodeo event timer. In 2016, the Sully County Fair Board recognized Genie as their annual Friend of Rodeo recipient. The Horses The Lauings’ first registered Quarter Horse arrived at the ranch from Texas, brought to South Dakota by Bernie’s father, Hank. Lauings have raised horses ever since, and have registered them with AQHA cumulatively for almost 40 years, said JD Lauing, the horse marketing manager at Lauing Ranch. At one time, Bernie bred some Mammoth Jack donkeys to some of his quarter mares because good mules were worth more that horses, but that’s not the case these days, and JD is focusing on continuing to improve the horses that Lauings produce--many of them that go back to studs he remembers from his childhood. “Billy Star Pat was one of the stallions here when I was a kid,” JD said. “He was broke to death and everybody could ride him. All of my older siblings, Tom, Denny, and Shannon experienced his terrific disposition as a stallion and sire.” That red roan stud, bred by the Pitzer Ranch in Nebraska, is still the foundation of many in the Lauings’ broodmare band. “We’ve had some cutting-bred and some cowhorse-type bloodlines. Some bloodlines have just worked well for us ranching. We always look for conformation, size, bone, disposition and training ability,” JD says. Early in the 2000s, they started adding in the Blue Valentine bloodlines for disposition, size and bone. Two Broken Bones-bred blue roan stallions, Revue Hancock and Hancocks Two Boys were added to the breeding program. “They crossed tremendously with our mares” JD says. They’ve also added color as both were homozygous roans, which means they’ll produce a roan no matter what color the mare. “Color is always a good thing,” JD says “but we won’t compromise on quality.”

Senior stallion in Lauings’ program is Bonny Blues, a bay roan son of Roan Ambrose, bred by Merritt Quarter Horses. On the bottom side is Bonnie O Blue by Plenty Try. Blue Valentine is on Bonny Blue’s papers twice, with only three crosses. “Bonny produces extremely nice foals and crosses well on our mares, especially our Revue Hancock and Hancocks Two Boys daughters,” JD said. “We really like how the foals develop, grow and how great they ride. He brings a diversity to our breeding program.”

Another roan stallion, Plenty Coup Bonnet carries 50 percent Gooseberry blood with conformation, great bone and size. “This amazing stallion is crossing great on our mares and producing babies with lots of shape and build,” JD said.

JM Rowdy Blue Hayes, a beautiful blue roan, has been passing along his roan genes to his offspring and is adding diversity and size. “He’s big, beautiful and loves attention. His foals are favorites with lots of bone and size,” JD says.

Lauings’ stallions and mares are DNA-tested and 5-panel negative.

Two studs in their program are dreams come true. In 2020, Lauings purchased Blue Fox Hancock from Sam Shoultz of KeSa Quarter Horses, in partnership with Daniel Gardner of Sunrise Farm. He is a 2001 blue roan stallion that is 43.75 percent Blue Valentine and has produced 100 percent roans. This amazing stud is quick, athletic and passes those qualities on to his get, JD says.

In the early 2000s, their friendship with Shoultz began with an interest in purchasing that stallion when he was young and untested. On behalf of Lauing Ranch, JD tried repeatedly to persuade Shoultz to part with the blue roan, Leo Hancock Hayes son. But Shoultz had other plans for Blue Fox Hancock, which led to him earning 722+ AQHA performance points, an AQHA championship and qualifying for the World Show in 11 classes. Blue Fox had an impressive breeding career, arriving in South Dakota to fulfill JD’s vision for adding his athleticism, speed and color to the Lauing foals. His 2021 foals are something to see, JD says.

The partnership between Lauings and Sunrise Farm also leases Mr Junewood, a high-percentage Driftwood buckskin stallion from Shoultz that has earned more than his share of AQHA points.

The purchase and lease of these two studs is just the latest step in a relationship between Lauings and Shoultz. In 2008, Lauings attended the Come to the Source Sale, purchasing a grullo roan colt, Rojos Grullo Fox from Shoultz. Approximately a decade later they purchased another KeSa-bred stallion, Hancock Red Fox, a Leo Hancock Hayes son. Shoultz’s bloodlines show up in many of Lauings’ mares and are well-represented in their AQHA Ranching Heritage program.

In 2018, Shoultz had a dispersal sale but kept four stallions, including Mr Junewood and Blue Fox Hancock. When he started looking for a place for these studs, he chose the Lauings and Daniel Gardner of Sunrise Farm because, “They’re good people,” Shoultz said. “They’d shown a long-time interest in my genetics and a commitment to my program.”

“Sam did a great job of raising and producing horses and crossing bloodlines together to produce a good performance horse,” JD says.

Some of JD’s favorite bloodlines to blend with the Blue Valentine progeny are Texas Blue Bonnet, a son of Joe Hancock; and Rip Rip, a son of Leo and grandson of Sugar Bars. He likes those genetics crossed on mares with a little bit of Driftwood, because he’s seen how effective that cross is over the years. “I don’t have to justify why we’re crossing them that way because those bloodlines have worked for us for years. We know they have, and we know they work together.”

While their studs are carefully considered, Lauings put as much or more emphasis on their mares. “I believe every good stud comes from a really good mare,” JD said. “When stallions have really good maternal lines and when the stallion looks the part and has the bloodlines to complement what we already have for mares, I always believe it’s a good fit.”

Bradley Beauchamp, B&T Performance Horses, Kentucky, sees their commitment to quality, especially after visiting the Lauing Ranch himself.

“The first thing that stands out is the sheer number of quality horses there,” he said “But as JD walks you through them, giving pedigrees, history of each of the mares, what he likes and dislikes; you truly have a chance to dissect and digest each and every individual, you are quick to realize, there isn’t another breeding operation like Lauing Ranch anywhere in the country right now. Often times, you will hear about breeders focusing on the mare side of the pedigree. You won’t find that any truer than with Lauing Ranch. JD and Bernie at Lauing Ranch have worked really hard to acquire only the best mares to complement their incredible stallion battery.”

Lauings ride many of the horses they produce, so they know what’s working and what isn’t. In 2011 horse trainer, Becky Amio, moved to South Dakota from California, having earned a bachelors and masters degree in animal science. “In 2015 she moved to the ranch and began starting all our colts,” JD said. “She does a tremendous job, has a lot of patience, is very kind, very gentle. Building a trust with the horses, Becky wants to create every single horse to be safe, doing a great job of matching horses to potential buyers.”

Becky’s experience includes winning ranch versatility competitions and has taken Lauing geldings to the AQHA Ranch Horse Versatility World Show. In 2021 she won the South Dakota South Dakota National Barrel Horse Association state finals 1D average and the fast time.

Becky’s favorite Lauing Ranch mount so far is a 3-year-old stallion, LR Blue Boys Bonnet, a grullo roan son of Hancocks Two Boys, out of a Wyo Blue Bonnet daughter.

“He has an agreeable attitude and his ‘light on his feet’ movements allow him to just float across the pasture and arena with such grace.” Amio said.

While Lauings have incorporated many of their horses into the ranch work and breeding stock, they can’t keep them all. They are part of the Blue Valentine and Driftwood Heritage Sale, partnering with five other breeders, featuring horses that share the Blue Valentine and Driftwood bloodlines, in Springfield, Missouri in September.

The best way to find out about the Lauing Ranch horses is to visit the ranch in South Dakota, JD said. They’re always happy to show visitors the view their family has enjoyed for more than 100 years, with good horses silhouetted against the buttes above Medicine Creek.

Photos | by Elsie Fortune Photography