WINTER 2022

By Larry Thornton

n the last issue, we told the story of how a young Jon Mixer got his start riding Okie Leo by winning the reining class at the World Series of 4-H and FFA Show in Dallas, Texas. In a recent conversation with Jon, he concluded, “I started at the top with Okie Leo, and I have compared the horses I have ridden to him ever since.”

The show record of Okie Leo reinforces his ability as a show horse and what Jon is telling us. He was an AQHA Champion with a Superior in reining with a Register of Merit in perfor mance. His overall show record includes 20 halter points, 16 cutting points, 57 reining points, and 15.5 western pleasure points for a total of 108.5 points. He was an NCHA Certifi cate of Ability winner with over $1,000 in earnings. Okie Leo won his Superior in reining by winning 50 of the 55 AQHA reining classes he entered. Then we see that he had several rid ers that showed him. Those riders not only included Jon but others Dick Robey, Helen Robey, Don Wilcox, and Ed Bot tom. Both Don Wilcox and Ed Bottom asked to show him. This great stallion shows versatility as a part of that show re cord, and as we will see that, versatility has played a major part in the Jon Mixer breeding program.

Let’s talk about Okie Leo and how he brought speed and ver satility to the breeding program. When we talk about versatili ty, we start with speed and agility. Speed and the quickness we associate with speed that is essential to most events we see our quarter horses compete in, such as tie-down roping, heading,

heeling, cutting, reining, cow horse, barrels, pole bending, and of course, racing. The agility comes into these events to make “quick” moves with power while maintaining momentum to do the job of competing in the given event.

Okie Leo proved to be an athlete with this kind of speed and agility, being a Superior reining horse, a successful cutting horse, a proven pleasure horse, as well as a Grand Champion halter horse. But when we look at his pedigree, we see that he was originally bred to run with short-distance speed in mind. His breeder was Bud Warren, a self-proclaimed “short horse” man that loved that quick speed out of the gate. He loved quarter racing for distances of 220 to 350 yards, the kind of races that need quickness out of the gate. Leo, the sire of Okie Leo, was officially raced 22 times and was only defeated twice. He was sired by Joe Reed II an AQHA Racing World Champion Stal lion in 1942-43. Joe Reed II was sired by Joe Reed P-3 a son of the very fast Joe Blair, a Thoroughbred that had competed all over the Southwest and Mexico, winning many of his races. He is credited with a track record for 3 furlongs in :39 at Juarez, Mexico. Joe Reed P-3 was out of Della Moore, a Cajun-Bred Running Horse that competed and won races in Louisiana and Texas. She then produced Joe Reed P-3 and Joe Moore. Her sire was Old DJ, a foundation sire in the Cajun-Bred Running Hors es. He is found in the pedigrees of racing champions like Quee nie and Dee Dee. The dam of Leo was Little Fanny, a daughter of Joe Reed P-3.

DASH FOR CASH ROCKET WRANGLER ROCKET BAR ch 1951 sor 1973 sor 1968 GO GALLA GO sor 1961

DASHING VAL QUARTER HORSE FIND A BUYER TO MARKET ch 1948 sor 1985 #1238058 ch 1966 HIDE AND SEEK ch 1952 QUARTER HORSE AUDRA DO JET SPICE JET DECK b 1960 AQHA#2395013 ch 1978 sor 1972 SUGAR SPICE sor 1958

DASHIN HOMBRE QUARTER HORSE ANNIE DO VOO DOO ROCKET ch 1961 sor SI-94 2003 AQHA#1423258 ch 1965 ANNAHI dk ch 1944

QUARTER HORSE PISTOL JERRY JET QUILLO EASY JET sor 1967 AQHA# 4393321 sor 1977 sor 15.2 1972 DUCHESS QUILLO sor 1962

JERRYS JEWEL QUARTER HORSE KIDS MISS SUPREME KID MEYERS sor 1963 sor 1995 AQHA# 1330096 sor 1969 SANDY SUELEO 1962

QUARTER HORSE LATCHIT SAN LATCH ON QUICK NIGHT LATCH sor 1962 AQHA# 3753734 ch 1983 ch 1973 DONNA FAY ch 1961

TEA SPOON ONE QUARTER HORSE SUELEO SAN PEPPY SAN sor 15.0 1959 sor 2020 AQHA # 2058495 sor 1977 SANDY SUELEO 1962

QUARTER HORSE MR JESS PERRY STREAKIN LA JOLLA STREAKIN SIX sor 1977 sor 1992 sor 1985 BOTTOMS UP sor 1973 GOLD METAL JESS QUARTER HORSE SCOOPIE FEIN SINN FEIN b 1972 2002 #3145646 sor 1978 LEGS LA SCOOP sor 1966

QUARTER HORSE GOLD METAL DASH FIRST DOWN DASH DASH FOR CASH sor 1973 sor 1984 FIRST PRIZE ROSE ch 1976

JESS GORGEOUS QUARTER HORSE LUCKS GOLD WHAT LUCK blk 16.2 1967 2013 ch 1983 IMA LETA sor 1967

QUARTER HORSE WESTERN CHALLENGE GONE WEST MR PROSPECTOR b 16.0 1970 ch 1995 br 16.0 1984 SECRETTAME ch 1978 SHES WESTERN THOROUGHBRED MARIAKOVA THE MINSTREL ch 15.2 1973 sor SI-95 2004 ch 1980 MOFIDA ch 1974

QUARTER HORSE JERRYS JEWEL PISTOL JERRY JET QUILLO sor 15.2 1972 sor 1995 sor 1977 KIDS MISS SUPREME sor 1969 QUARTER HORSE LATCHIT SAN LATCH ON QUICK ch 1973 AQHA# 3753734 ch 1983 SUELEO SAN sor 1977

Top Photo

Dashin hombre win picture at Remington Park Right Dashin Hombre

Left

Determined Cowboy setting a track record in trial on his way to winning the finals.

Bottom

Determined Cowboy setting a track record in trial on his way to winning the finals.

Photo Courtesy Jon Mixer

Top Jodys Money Talks filly out of Jess Gorgeous Left Super Tec World Champion Right Conformation shot of Rusty Kettles Bottom Sheza All Around

Photo Courtesy Jon Mixer

Sorrel Sue, the dam of Okie Leo, has her own ties to racing. We believe that she was raced, but there is no record. Her sire King P-234 was originally raced, winning two starts before becoming a noted tie-down roping horse. King P-234 is noted for siring per formance horses, but he has his own branch of speed horses. King P-234 is the sire of 12 Register of Merit racehorses. They include the stakes winner Squaw H, winner of the 1949 Tucson Speed Tri als. She counts among her descendants Apollitical Jess champion and leading sire; Noblesse Six, an All-American Futurity winner, as well as the champions Treacherously, Silvered Eyes, and the record-setting champion Pure D Dash.

Sorrel Sue is the dam of nine race starters with six ROM and one stakes winner. The stakes winner is Mac Lee, a full brother to Okie Leo. He won the 1953 Kansas Derby and the Rocky Moun tain QHA Derby. Leonella is an ROM race mare and full sister to Okie Leo. She is the dam of Ricketta, winner of the Northern RQHA Derby, and dam of Marilyn Mae, who is the dam of Toll tac, the 1983 AQHA Racing Champion Two-year-old Colt and the 1984 Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. He became a leading sire with 40 stakes winners and earnings of just over $7 million. Sor rel Sue is the grand dame of Shirley B Gayle, winner of the 1982 Golden State Futurity, 1983 Golden State Derby G1, and the 1985 Dash For Cash Maturity.

In our conversation, Jon went on to tell that when Dick Robey gave him the Okie Leo filly Sandy Sueleo, he was a little dis appointed or, as he put it, “she was kind of Thoroughbred look ing and not what he expected her to look like.” Then his opinion changed when he got to ride her and found that she was a great athlete in her own right. He confided that this next successful show horse trained him as much as he trained her. She was a natu ral. You will recall he took her to the Cowboy Hall of Fame Horse Show. She was shown in halter, placed third; western pleasure, where she placed 3rd or 4th; in the reining, placing 2nd; and in the barrels placing 3rd again; and pole bending, where she won.

Sandy Sueleo would become a broodmare, with her first foal being Kid’s Miss Supreme, which produced Pistol Jerry, and he became a racehorse, show horse, as well as a sire for Jon’s breed ing program. You will recall he later bred Sandy Sueleo to Peppy San and got Sueleo San. Sueleo San was her fourth and last foal. It is through Sueleo San that we see the second branch of Sandy Sueleo line in the Jon Mixer breeding program. Our first look at this came with successful barrel racer Sans Rusty Bullett the first foal out Latchit San, the daughter of Sueleo San, and he was sired by Pistol Jerry, who was out of Kid’s Miss Supreme, who was out of Sandy Sueleo. These two lines built a foundation on the versa tility of Okie Leo. This gives Sans Rusty Bullet a breeding pattern of 3 x 3 to Sandy Sueleo.

Jerrys Jewel Branch of the Family

We have seen how Kid’s Miss Supreme contributed Pistol Jerry to the program, and now we will focus on Latchit San and her contribution. Jerrys Jewel was the next key figure as a part of the linebreeding to Okie Leo through Sandy Sueleo. Here is what Jon had to say, “Jerrys Jewel was the next foal for Latchit San after Rusty. She was also sired by Pistol Jerry. I was going through a divorce at the time and hid her out and didn’t even break her to ride.” He continued, “When she was three, I bred her to A Cash Request and got Lightnin Mixer. I broke him and started him on barrels and sold him to a girl in Colorado. She went on and fin

ished him out, and they won the Fizz Bomb Barrel Futurity up in Wyoming. He was a WPRCA and 1D barrel winner.”

“Jewels next colt was Dashin Hombre si-94 by the champion Dashing Val si-108. Hombre was an AAA race winner and the horse I kept for my stud.” Dashing Val was the 1998 AQHA Racing Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. He won such races as the Golden State Derby G1, the Go Man Go Handicap G1, the Kaweah Bar Handicap G3, the Shue Fly Handicap G3, and the Z. Wayne Griffin Director’s Handicap G2. Dashing Val is the sire of 463 racing ROM with 36 stakes winners with earnings of over $11 million. His leading money winner is Vals Fortune, the win ner of over $1.1 million with 15 stakes wins, including the Loui siana QHBA Futurity G1 and the Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity G1. He was the 2003 AQHA Racing Champion Two-Year-Old and the Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.

The sire of Dashing Val was Dash For Cash, a two-time AQHA Racing World Champion and two-time winner of the Champion of Champions G1. He is a leading sire of horses that have won over $39 million on the racetrack. But he is also a sire of versa tility with his performers in the arena earning 10 ROM with two Superior Award winners and an AQHA Supreme Champion to his credit. His Supreme Champion was Gotum Gone, who, after his race career, earned points in halter, reining, and roping to earn the title. Dash For Cash was the sire of Miss N Cash, winner of the National Cutting Horse Association Derby that went on to be a million-dollar sire of performance horses, including the NCHA Open Futurity Champion Dox Miss N Reno. Dash For Cash is the sire of grandsire of Dash Ta Fame, the all-time leading sire of barrel racing money winner with over $20 million in earnings.

Dash For Cash was sired by Rocket Wrangler, an AQHA Racing Champion and All-American Futurity winner. He was sired by Rocket Bar and out of Go Galla Go by Go Man Go. The dam of Dash For Cash was a Thoroughbred mare named Find A Buyer, who was King Ranch bred. She was sired by To Market and out of Hide And Seek.

The dam of Dashing Val was out of Audra Do by Jet Spice. She was a stakes winner in races like the Miss California Handicap. Jet Space was a stakes place runner in the Northern QHRA Derby. He was sired by the AQHA Racing World Champion Jet Deck and out of Sugar Spice by Sugar Bars. The dam of Audra Do was Annie Do, a daughter of Voo Doo Rocket and out of the great Thoroughbred mare Annahi. This is the same female family of the World Champion Charger Bar. Voo Doo Rocket was sired by Rocket Bar, and this gives Dashing Val a breeding pattern of 3 x 4 to Rocket Bar.

Jon continued, “Dashin Hombre was special from the time he was born. He was bigger and stouter than all the others. My friends called him Little Arnold after Arnold Schwarzenegger. He had everything I wanted in a stud prospect; he was good and straight, good muscled, very well balanced, had the breeding to run and perform, and a terrific disposition.”

“I started riding him in November as a long yearling, and I felt like I was on a three-year-old. In February, I took him to Marti Ro driguez at Remington Park. I took him to her barn and put an ex ercise saddle on him and she told her gallop boy to get on him and ride him around the barn. He shook his head and told her no. She told him that he was her horse, and he was to get on him. He reluc tantly got on him and rode him around the barn a couple of times

and came back with a grin on his face. Marti got on her pony horse, and they went to the track. When she came back, they both had big grins; she said this horse is broke and is fit. I told her I want to win.” “His first work from the gate he didn’t break good but came and beat the other by a length. He had the seventh fastest work of the day out of 85 head. She put him in a race training, and he broke on top and won by two lengths with a hand ride and had the 2nd fastest time of the day out of 79 head. He shin bucked and I had him pin fired, and he was down for 4 to 5 weeks. By the time he was ready to go again Remington had shut down and we had to run at Tulsa. He was just a two-year-old and had never even worked on that track. We got him in a maiden special going 300 yards, so she hauled him to Tulsa to run. He broke on top and was a length ahead coming to the wire, and as he got to grandstand his ears and head come up and another colt caught him at the wire. He ran 2nd with an 84 SI. A few weeks later, the colt that beat him was the fastest qualifier for the Black Gold Futurity. The Tulsa meet was over, and Marti didn’t want to run at Blue Ribbon Downs, so I took him to another trainer that was stabled there. We gave him another out, and he was the favorite but ran 3rd and came up sore. So, I brought him home and turned him out. Come January, I started riding him to get him back in shape, and when Remington opened, I took him back to Marti to run. When he got there, she had his knees X-rayed, and he had chips in both of them, I guess from that last race at Blue Rib bon. So, she had his knees injected and ran him a few more times and got a win and a 94 SI. On his last race, he broke on top and led all the and coming to the wire, he just backed off and ran 4th. My dad was sitting with the vet that had been treating his knee, and she told him his knees started stinging.”

Dashin Hombre comes home. Jon gave his reasoning as to why he brought Dashin Hombre home, “The year before, I had bur ied Pistol Jerry, so I brought Hombre home for my stud. I didn’t stand him to the public just bred my own mares and a few friends’ mares. He had some really nice foals, but almost all went for bar rel horses.”

He added this about how he bred Dashin Hombre, “I had some Thoroughbred mares and bred them to Hombre, and the ones that went to the track were winners. I ran A Dashin Hombre a few times, and he was in the money in all, but his first race and it was a muddy, sloppy track, and he didn’t break. He lit the broad at 350 & 400, and I put him in going 870, and he won, and I sold him to a trainer in New Mexico for an 870 horse. Okie Hombre, also out of a TB mare, won his first out going 870 but was disqualified to 2nd but came back and won his next race. Hombre has foals from coast-to-coast, the Dakotas to Mexico. I’ve had several re peat buyers on his foals; they say they just love them and that they are so easy to train.”

Jon continued about the foals of Jerrys Jewel, “Then she had Shes Western by the Thoroughbred stallion Western Challenge. She won her second out as a two-year-old by two lengths with a 95-speed index. Her time would have qualified her for the Heri tage Place Futurity if she had been entered in it.” This mare earned $10,087 from five starts. Her sire Western Challenge was sired by Gone West by Mr Prospector and out of Secretame by Secretariat.

Shes Western has produced five starters with three Register of Merit runners and one stakes winner. The ROM runners are Jess Gorgeous by Gold Medal Jess, Blakely by High Rate of Return, and the stakes winner Determined Cowboy by Hes Relentless. Determined Cowboy was the winner of the 2019 Granite Moun

tain Futurity at Arizona Downs. He also set a new track record, winning his trial for that race in a time of 17.841 for 350 yards. He won his Turf Paradise Juvenile Challenge trial making the finals with a fourth-place finish, and then was fifth in the Jimenez Tile/ GM Racing Stakes after veering in at the start.

Jess Gorgeous joins the Mixer broodmare band, “Jess Gorgeous became an ROM race winner and is now one of my broodmares. Bred her to Dashin Hombre twice and sold both colts for barrel horses, with the last one going to Delaware for a futurity horse. She was bred to Jody’s Money Pop for 2022 and now has a filly from that cross.”

“The last Jerrys Jewel foal was The Surviver by Like A Bedu ino. Jerrys Jewel prolapsed and died within the hour of her foal being born thus the name. Sold The Surviver to a lady in Edmond for a barrel prospect. Called her about a year later to see how he was doing, and she said her husband was always going to ropings on him. He became a good team roping horse.”

Sheza All Around Branch of the Family

Jon Mixer found that Sheza All Around was the kind of horse that, as he stated, “All of her colts became good barrel and roping horses.” He continued, “Sheza All Around by Pistol Jerry was the next filly out of Latchit San, and I broke her and sent her to the track, but she wasn’t fast enough so bred her to Western Challenge and got Rusty Kettles who became an ROM racehorse and 1D barrel winner.” Rusty Kettle would earn his racing ROM with an 81-speed index. He then became an AQHA World Show qualifier in the Level 2 barrel racing in the amateur in 2016 and the open in 2017. He has earned 9 AQHA performance points in the amateur and open.

“Bred her to Hombre then and got Pistol Hombre, who I started and sold to a lady in Florida.” He then talked about the next foal, a world champion, “Super Tech by Technicolor became the World Champion Palomino Junior Barrel Horse in 2018 and Reserve World Champion Senior Barrel Horse in 2019. His AQHA show record shows that he is a multiple AQHA world show finalist with a 4th in junior barrels in 2018, and a level 2 finalist with a 3rd in 2018. He was the third AQHA High Point Gelding and the AQHA High Point Junior Barrel Racing Horse in 2018. He qualified for the 2019 World Show in senior barrels and was a finalist in the Level 2 Senior Barrel Racing with ninth place. Super Tech earned his open ROM with 19 AQHA points.”

Some of the other Latchit San foals, as described by Jon, “She had Heza Mixer, A Cash Request a colt I kept a stud and roped and ran barrels on. Sold him to a young couple in Canada for a stallion and rope and barrel horse. The young lady was pregnant when they bought him and later had a little girl. Two years later, they sent me a picture of the little girl riding Mixer all by herself, and she claimed him as her horse. The next Latchit San foal was Royal Flamin Jet, by A Royal Jet was a good-looking grey colt and I got him started and going good and sold him to a lady in Southeast Texas for a stud prospect. Heather Rules by Title Contender was Latchit San’s next foal, and she produced winning performance horses such as the APHA filly Heathers Bling. She also produced Tres Mixer, an AQHA point earner that qualified for the Ranch Versatility World Championships in Ranch Trail.

The Jon Mixer breeding program founded on the mare Sandy Sueleo by Okie Leo is an ongoing operation and one that will continue for years to come. His success tells us why Sandy Sueleo is one of our Mares With More.

A CHOCOLATE FURY

A FIREWATER TWIST RB

A GUY WITH PROOF

A SMOOTH GUY

A SMOOTH LITTLE MAN

A STREAK OF FLING

A STREAK OF ROOSTER

ACE MARVEL

ADASH TA FAME

AINT NOTHIN BUT GO AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET

AL CAPONE

ALONE DRIFTER

APOLLITICAL SPIN

AS GOOD AS NICK GETS AWESOME TA FIRST

B CAUSE IM A HERO

BAR FRENCHMAN

BARELY ROYAL

BARRACUDA

BEDERGO TA HEAVEN

BENCH WARRANT

BEST ADVICE

BF STREAKIN MERRIDOC

BHR FRENCHIES SOCKS

BLACK POWDERR

BLAZIN HONOR

BLAZIN JET O’LENA

BLUE IS RARE

BLUE KNIGHT SPECIAL BRACE FOR BERNAL

BRINDIS POR CAYENNE

BROKE AND FAMOUS BUBBLIN TA FAME

BUGS FLING BULLDASHUS

BULLYS QUICK FLING

BUX DUNIT COMMANDO

C HEART CARONA FROST

CAPITAL C FOR CRIME CASINO HEIST

CASUAL DARK PLAY

CD ROCKIN DA WAGON

CD TOM LENA

CF CHICKASAW WARRIOR

CFOUR A DARKNIGHT

CHARMED N FAMOUS

CHIQUITA CAT

CITATION FAME

CM NONSTOP NITRO

COLONELS CHIC

COLONEL FRENCHMAN

CONN CREEK

CRASHNTHE PARTY

DASH MADE ME BLAZE

DASH TA COWBOY

DASH TA FAME

DASH TA MAGNOLIA

DASH TO THE ARCTIC DASHIN BY ALL DASHIN DYNAMO

DATS A FRENCHMAN

DD CAT DASH FEVER

DL FLIT BAR

DOCZ SMART SHINER

DOLLYS STREAKNBADGER

DOT COM GUY

EDDIE STINSON

EN FLANO

EPIC LEADER

FAME TA CORONA

FAMOUS AND SHAMELESS

FAMOUS BLACK TY

FAMOUS DASH TA VEGAS

FAMOUS SIERRA

FAMOUS TA FIRE FIESTA ROYALE

FIESTAS DYNASTY

FIRE AWAY FAME

FIRE ON BUG

FIRE SIXES

FIREWATERS FUGITIVE FIRST DOWN FRENCH

FLAMING FIRE WATER FLETCH THAT CAT

FLINGING DINERO

FLITYEAHIMAFIREWATER

FRENCH STREAKIN JESS

FRENCH STREAKTOVEGAS

FRENCHMANS BULLY

FRENCHMANS EASY DOC

FRENCHMANS FABULOUS

FRENCHMANS FALCON

FRENCHMANS FLY BOY

FRENCHMANS GUY

FRENCHMANS STOLI

FRENCHYS SMOKIN

FRIENDLY FURY

GALLOS ESTRELLA

GITTER DUN TURNPIKE

GO ROC EM

GOLDEN INJUNUITY

GOOD GUY BLAZIN

GUNS IN ROSES

GUYS CANYON MOON

GUYS CASANOVA COWBOY

GUYS EASY JET

GUYS JUSTA PERK

GUYS KEEPIN THE FAME GUYS POCKET COIN

GUYZ DANCE FOR PERKS

GUYZ POWER PAK

HAZERSSTREAKINCOWBOY

HELLIFINO

HEZA FAST IMAGE

HEZA FIERY FLING

HIGH ROAD TA FAME

HM MY GUYS GOT SPARKS

HNT DASHINGWITHFIRE

HONKY TONK DREAMS

HONORS A BOUNDING

HOOKED ON RUN

HP DASH TA FIESTA

I LIKE EM PERKY

IGOTYOURTAC

IKNOWYOUWANTIT

IMA FIREFIGHTER

IMA FREAKIN STREAKIN

IMA PRETTY SMART CAT

IMA SPECIAL KIND OF GUY

IMN THE PASSING LANE

INSTANT INCOME

IVORY COUTURE

JD LOOK

JESS PLAYS WITH GUNS

JESS SEND CUPID

JET STREAKIN

JL REDDY TO CHARM

JL SHERRIF

JL SIROCCO

JLOS IVORY

JOHN FAME

JR DYNASTY MOUNTAIN

JR LANES ANGEL

JS GOLDEN WHISPER

JUDGE CASH

JUDGE DAT CASH

JUDGE MY CLASS

JUDGES FIFTY SHADES

JUST BY DESIGN

JUSTAHEARTOFAWARRIOR

KG AZURE WINNIN CHEX

KG DO IT FOR FAME

KG N MC JUST ON FIRE

KODAKROME

LDS UNLEASHED

LESTERS LIVE WIRE

LIONS SHARE OF FAME

LITTLE DUN STARLIGHT

LITTLE FAMOUS LITTLE LENAROO

LL SHAWNE MONEY

LONE STAR LINEAGE

LONE VAQUERO

LSF STUNG BY A JUDGE

LT TRES TA FAME

LV STOPPING TRAFFICE

MARTY MCFALCON

MERRY FOR CORONA

MIDNIGHT CORONA MISS N YOUR SIX

MM I BLEED MAROON MOON THE JUDGE

MP HOT HAYDAY

MP READY TO WIN SOME

MP SUGERAY

MR FLASH

MR SUN O FRECKLES

MULBERRY FAME

NICKSTER

NO CASH BACK

NZ SCOTCH TIME

ON A GATOR

ONE NATION

ORIONS FAME

OUR DRY FLING

OUR FEARLESS FAME

PAPARAZZI

PAPPASITO

PC SO FROSTIN ROYAL

PC TULLY FROST

PCR PINK CADILLAC

PERKS FRENCH CASH

PG DRY FIRE PLATINUM BULLY

PLEASURE A PERKN

PT CASH CARTEL

RANGER COOKIE

REDS JET FUEL

REX HILL

RLC SHAKE N BAKE

RN HIGHBROW LENA

RN ONE CURLY CAT

ROCKET FIRE TA FAME

ROLLER AND A SHAKER ROYAL QUICK FRENCHMAN

RR MISTAKELLY

SAWYERS GAME CHANGER

SC THE PROSECUTOR SEPARATE RAINBOW

SEVS JUDGEMENT DAY SHAWNE BUG LEO

SIX HONORS

SIX MOONS GUY

SJR HIREY

SKY HIGH FAME

SLICK BY DESIGN

SLICK LIKE PUDDIN SLYE BY DESIGN

SMOKE FLASH IM GONE

SPARKYS BLUE ROAD

SPECIAL CABARET

SS GOLDIEROCKS

STARLIGHTS SMARTCHIC STOLIN PERKS

STREAK N MOON EM

SUPER CORONA

TECHNICOLOURS

TFOUR FIRE STARTER

TFOUROVERDRIVINNFAME THE GOODBYE LANE THE KANDYMAN THE KINGSMEN THIS FAME IS ON FIRE THR BUGGIN DA BULLY TK HIGH ON BIANKUS

TKW RUNAWAY FAME

TM GAME CHANGER

TM KEEPTHEFIREBURNIN TOO COOL TO BE FRENCH

TOO TOUGH TO CATCH

TRES FORTUNES

TRES KINGS

TRES MOVE YOU TRESSEIS ROYAL FAME

TRIPLE VODKA

TRIPPIN ON FAME

TS SUNNYMADEMEFAMOUS

TSQH ICEMAN

TURNPIKERS WAGON

TWO TRU RARE WIZARD VITALIO

VOLTURI WAGONS WEST

WAR PONY FLING WICKED TRES WINNERS VERSION

XC FAMOUS WINK 37 YELLOW SONOFABULL

By

Morning at the St. Clair household, near Kahoka, Missouri, is a little chaotic.

Mike St. Clair takes care of phone calls for the day. Mike’s wife, Kim, is making sure bellies are full and the chaos is held to a dull roar. On any given day, somewhere between four and six grandkids are eating breakfast, fueling up to go test the patience of ponies. Mike and Kim’s daughters and sons-in-law are making plans for the day--what needs to be doctored, what paperwork needs to be done, who’s riding what, what needs to go where, what’s going right, what’s going wrong, which direction everyone needs to go.

That direction, for the whole family, is to keep building better horses.

“I’m working for the kids,” Mike says, “just building up the program.”

The program they’re building started with a registered granddaughter of Cutter Bill and Gold King Bailey, but Mike’s early horse experience involved more Roman nos es than royal lines.

“The horses I rode growing up came off the railhead. Old Hancock, big, Roman-nosed horses. No pedigrees,” Mike says.

Horses weren’t his whole life, though. Mike’s day job is with a company that makes train car and locomotive wheels. He and Kim are also independent Carquest deal ers. Mike spent 23 years hammering on horseshoes on the side, working to establish the horse program that stands studs with hundreds of AQHA points, and thousands of dollars in earnings.

That program “really started” in 2000, when Mike and Kim bought several mares with Nebraska Sandhills Hay thorn bloodlines, which are still foundational to their pro gram.

Today they have about 120 mares, and about a third of them are money-winners. From the beginning, the mares

get as much time and attention as the geldings or stallion prospects.

“The mare foundation is critical,” Mike says. “The mare is 60 to 70 percent of that baby, and you have to have great mares to raise great colts.”

Whether they raise the mares that join their broodmare band, or buy them, Mike has the same rigorous criteria. “We are very selective of the mares we buy. They need to be 14.3 to 15.1 hands. They have to have good bone and a nice round foot.”

Mike says he had a conversation with a man who was struggling with a mare in the arena. She wasn’t riding well, wasn’t performing. The man said he’d decided to quit with her training, and turn her into a broodmare.

“Those aren’t the kind of horses that build our future,” Mike says. If a horse--gelding, stud or mare--isn’t show ing trainability, good disposition and a sharp mind, Mike says that horse has no place in their breeding program, or their sale ring.

“In today’s world, the customers are much more savvy, smarter and ask better questions. When we were kids it didn’t matter how rank that horse was, we had to get it broke and ready to sell to somebody. In the marketplace today, most customers can’t ride that kind of horse.”

Critical Selection

As rigorous as the mare selection criteria is, the stallion selection is even tougher. Mike says they keep a few stal lion pros pects most years. “Last year we saved two stud prospects. We sold one and gelded one. This year we have five. Out of 100 head of foals, if we have one or two that make it as a stallion every year, we consider that pretty good.”

the working Lines | Bob Robey & Harlan Part II Just good horses....St. Clair focuses on building the best for their jobs

Maria Tibbest...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The basics are established at weaning--does the horse have conformation, size, bone, foot? At that point, all the weanlings are handled for 10 to 12 days, and they start to establish whether they have the mind and disposition to make it to the next level.

“Once you have the physical side established, we focus on how that horse retains information, how well does he learn, and what’s his attitude,” Mike says. Any imperfection is reason for a stallion to be removed from their program and either gelded or sold.

That process, plus careful selection of some outside studs, has provided the St Clairs with an eight-stud battery that gives them plenty of options for finding their ideal crosses on their mare band. They also have some favorite outside studs they use to cross on their mares, and some of those are on the papers of their stallion prospects.

Some of Mike’s favorite sires, that aren’t stand ing in his own barn, are Once in a Blu Boon, Trav elin Jonez, Metallic Cat and Spots Hot.

Marketing

Every other year St Clairs partner with Lance Most, Most Quarter Horses, near Ogallala, Nebraska, on a production sale, called Nebraska Quarter Horse Sale. The sale is in August of odd-numbered years in Ogallala.

St Clairs sell 80 to 90 horses a year, of all ages. Since that’s about how many foals hit the ground at their place each year, they have to keep them moving through.

“Our primary focus is on the riders,” Mike says. About 75 percent of the horses they sell are riders, whether started 2-yearolds or finished performance or ranch horses.

All the horses, whether they are sold as finished rope horses or as weanlings, or kept as stallions, get the same start.

They bring in eight to 10 weanlings at a time to the barn, where they will stay for about two weeks. “We’ll work on the ground, handle and trim their feet, teach them to give their heads and brand them.”

Then they’re turned out to learn how to be horses and grow up some before the next phase of their training.

As yearlings, they all come back in for 10 to 15 days, where they have their feet han dled more, learn to move away from pressure, turn front and back and flex. They’re saddled for the first time and exercised on a lunge line.

The 2-yearolds have all the basics--flex and move, low

er their heads, perform all the basics on the ground and lope circles, back and turn around. They typically have about 30 to 40 rides un der their cinches when they are put up for sale at that point.

Mike and the team recognize that not all horses are good at everything. “Not every horse is born with the ability to be a great rope or reined cow horse. Some are great kids’ horses and great 4-H horses. If you’ve got the right mind, you can usually find that area of athleticism that the horse is really good at, so you can put him in the right place.”

While they’re loping those circles and teaching the horse to flex, Mike’s team is paying attention to the horse’s strengths. “The foundation is critical,” Mike says. “We han dle enough horses that we get a pretty good feel for what the horse will be good at as we put the foundation on them. We’ll make recommen dations for our customers--this one will be a good barrel prospect, a good kids’ horse, is really gentle. With a young horse you’re making an educated guess based on what the horse is excelling at as you’re putting the foundation on.”

St Clairs generally have 12 to 14 finished ranch-style and team roping horses around, ready for sale. Mike says 80 percent of their horses go to repeat customers. “Some of that is at tributed to the minds of the horses, and some to the trainers we have and how our horses are trained.” They have six full-time trainers, three on-site and three off-site, who, Mike says, are invaluable to their success, and in getting their horses out in front of people, so they know what kind of program the St Clair family is building.

Their primary focus is heading, heeling and reining cow, but they have horses running 1D barrels, excelling in tie-down rop ing, mounted shooting, cutting and taking care of kids.

Family-Focused

Some of the horseflesh standing in the barns at the St Clair ranch isn’t for breeding, but is still building the program.

The ponies on the place aren’t money-winners, but they’re priceless to the youngest members of the family.

Mike and Kim have nine grandkids, ages 2 to 19. All of them love horses, and some are established partners in the family ranch. Some are still working on their foun dation.

Their 14-year-old grand daugh ter, Dakota, is training four quarter-po nies that she has been working with since they were weanlings.

Four granddaughters from ages 2 to 6 spend days with Kim while their parents work. They have three ponies that are broke to ride and drive, and put up with being the object of affec tion for horse-crazy little girls.

“You don’t know what you’re going to find,” Mike says. “They might be tying them up with twine. They might be in the arena or the round pen or climbing the compost pile. It’s hard to tell where you’re go ing to find the kids and ponies. The ponies see a lot of brush time and combing time. I can tell you there’s a bag of treats around every corner in the barn and God forbid they catch you giving a treat to another horse.”

Mike and Kim have four daughters, three of whom are a daily part of the horse business.

Courtney and Chris Kirchner have their own place, but as a veterinary technician, Courtney helps take care of anything that’s sick or injured, and handles the breeding reports of more than 100 head of mares a year. Chris is a track supervisor for Burling ton Northern Santa Fe railroad. Courtney and Chris have two kids, Tanner, 19, and Dakota, 14.

Lacey and Mark Boatman live in nearby Kahoka, Missouri. Lacey is a dental hygienist and helps with a lot of the physical chores that need to be done on the

St Clair Stallions

Four Bonnie Bay

555 AQHA points, $13,842 won at AQHA World Championship Show; points in all-around, barrel racing, heading, heeling, halter, pole bending, tie-down, trail and working cow horse.

Stunned

Over $111K in NCHA earnings (Stands @The Ranch Equine, Whitesboro, TX)

Boonlight WilSon

171 AQHA Points in heading, heeling, halter, performance halter, tiedown roping and working cow horse.

the Metallic Patron

87 AQHA points in heading, heeling, halter, ranch horse heritage, ranch riding, reining, versatility junior ranch horse, versatility ranch horse, VRH ranch conformation, VRH ranch cow work, VRH ranch cutting, VRH ranch reining, VRH ranch riding, VRH ranch trail, work ing cow horse.

SF Bonnie PeP

12 AQHA points in heading and heeling.

ruStic Metal

16 AQHA points in cutting, heeling, ranch horse heritage, versatility ranch horse, VRH ranch conformation, VRH ranch cow work, VRH ranch cutting, VRH ranch reining, VRH ranch riding, VRH ranch trail, working cow horse.

SJr diaMond Buck

18 AQHA points in cutting, performance halter, versatility ranch horse, VRH ranch conformation, VRH ranch cow work, VRH ranch cutting, VRH ranch reining, VRH ranch riding, VRH ranch trail and working cow horse; $3,641 NRCHA earnings

ranch--rotating pastures, feed ing, checking horses. Lacey and Mark have Fynlee, 6 and Emyt, 3.

Cody and Lucas Goeh ring work with Lucas’s par ents, who own Keosauqua Sales Company in Keosau qua, Iowa. Lucas is a roper, and leads the St Clair roping program. Cody handles the Facebook page and takes vid eos and photos of the horses. Cody and Lucas have Layne, 4 and Hattie, 2.

All three of their local sons-in-law work with the horses and cows.

Mike and Kim’s other daughter, Nicole, is married to Daniel Zimmerman, and they live in the Piper, Kansas area with their three kids, Olivia, 14, Sophia, 11 and Parker, 8. Nicole is in the medical field.

“The kids are all involved,” Mike said. “We partnered with the kids as they got old enough to ride, creating a savings account for college. Everybody here loves horses. We like riding good horses. There’s nothing better than a good well-trained horse or a well-trained dog.

“For us, it’s about the fami ly. We couldn’t do what we’re doing now without the kids.”

By Larry Thornton

R. L. Underwood was one of the great breeders in the formative years of the American Quarter Horse Association. He was the third person to be the As sociation President. He was responsible for reestab lishing the Copperbottom bloodlines that gave us horses like Cutter Bill, who is in the AQHA Hall of Fame. The Copperbottom’s were the second oldest family of quarter horses in the modern era. Underwood used a variety of bloodlines, including mares that were Weatherford Joe Bailey bred, and he crossed them on a variety of sire lines represented by stal lions like Golden Chief, a Copperbottom stallion, and the outcross stallion Silvertone, the horse that finished second to Wimpy at the 1941 Fort Worth Stock Show when Wimpy received P-1. He also used Joe Bob by Joe Reed P-3 and a stallion named Tar Baby, a grandson of Joe Hancock.

Underwood had a sign on the side of his barn that read, “Quar ter Horses Like Good Men Have Good Mothers.” As I have stud ied pedigrees, I have found this to be so true; as we look at good breeding programs, we find not only good stallions but good mares, and it just seems you can’t have it any other way. Last time in The Working Lines, we covered the evolution of the stallion roster at the Lauing Ranch Blue Valentine breeding program. This time we will look at the mare’s role in this breeding program by looking at several mares with some interesting breeding patterns that show how they are using these breeding patterns to produce good horses.

Our story will begin with the first purchase JD Lauing made in

his own story of the Lauing Ranch that started his pursuit of good mares. Her name was Rainbows Kriste, a 1994 chestnut mare bred by Raymond and Georga Sutton of Gettysburg, South Dakota.

JD tells how it came about, “We went to the Raymond and Geor ga Sutton sale, and my dad was looking at horses and visiting. So, I went around looking at horses, and when I came back, I had picked out two fillies: a bay filly and a chestnut filly. The bay filly was sired by Benito Bar Jack, a stud that they had. Then I picked Rainbow Kriste. I asked dad to go look at them, but he was looking for a stud prospect. Dad went and looked at them and he asked me if I wanted them, and I did, but I didn’t have enough money. So, he loaned me the money until I sold my calves.”

The story continued, “I had a guy come up to me after the sale and say, young man, did you buy such and such lots, and it was the two fillies, and I said yes, he told me you bought the best two fillies in the sale. Dad told people that too. He told them that I had picked them out by myself. That is when I got my AQHA membership, and when these horses were registered in my name, I was on cloud nine, and I have been hooked ever since. I remember how I felt going there and bidding on them and how happy and excited I was and how excited I was when I got those papers in my name. I had riding geldings already, and so I bought both fillies to be broodmares. I wanted some mares of my own to start breeding horses.”

Rainbows Kriste became the broodmare, and this is what JD had to say about her foals, “One thing about it, everybody that got one just really liked them; it didn’t matter if they were by Billy Star Pat

RED MAN JOE HANCOCK JOHN WILKINS b 1906 b ro 1935 br 15.3 1923 BROWN HANCOCK MARE br BLUE VALENTINEQUARTER HORSE BURNETT ROAN MARE bl ro 1956 #0001685 ro QUARTER HORSE BEAUTYS DREAM VALENTINE LONE STAR br 1925 #0097116 blk 1938 blk 1927 ESCOBA br 1924 LEO HANCOCK HAYES QUARTER HORSE HOLCAKS BEAUTY LON MARTIN blk 1913 bl ro 15.2 1980 #0001391 blk 1933 COLEEN MOORE ch 1920 QUARTER HORSE RIP RIP LEO JOE REED II ch 1936 AQHA#1683157 sor 1961 sor 14.2 1940 LITTLE FANNY b 1937 DOLL 01 QUARTER HORSE SUGAREE BARS SUGAR BARS sor 1951 sor 1970 #0157299 sor 1957 RANDLES LADY ch 1938 QUARTER HORSE ZAID A REED REEDART ROBIN REED sor 15.2 1949 #0717186 sor 1964 sor 1959 ARTEMIS sor 1949

QUARTER HORSE MOLLY HAYES ZANDY sor 1934 blk ro 2002 #0407529 rd dun 1952 MARE BY TEXAS BLUE BONNETdun

LEO HYDEL HANCOCK

QUARTER HORSE LEO JOE REED II JOE REED ch 1921 Lauing Ranch AQHA# 4241563 sor 14.2 1940 ch 1936 NELLENE sor 1931 RIP RIP QUARTER HORSE LITTLE FANNY JOE REED ch 1921 sor 1961 #0001335 b 1937 FANNY ASHWELL b 1914 QUARTER HORSE SUGAREE BARS SUGAR BARS THREE BARS ch 15.3 1940 #0157299 sor 1957 sor 1951 FRONTERA SUGAR pal 1943 RIPS HYDEL GIRL QUARTER HORSE RANDLES LADY DOC HORN ch 1921 sor 1978 #0078775 ch 1938 MARE BY SON OF D J QUARTER HORSE BLUE VALENTINERED MAN JOE HANCOCK br 15.3 1923 #1432516 bl ro 1956 b ro 1935 BURNETT ROAN MARE ro HYDEL GIRL QUARTER HORSE BEAUTYS DREAM VALENTINE blk 1927 dun 1962 #0097116 blk 1938 HOLCAKS BEAUTY blk 1933 QUARTER HORSE HYDEE REE TEXAS BLUE BONNET JOE HANCOCK br 15.3 1923 #0239464 dun 1957 grul 1939 MARE BY MIKE BEETCH dun QUARTER HORSE BONNIE OWENS BARNEY OWENS ch 14.2 1929 #0079928 sor 1949 PRAIRIE FALCON sor 1943

Main Photo

LR Hancocks Rainbow Doug Busby photo Left

LEO HYDEL HANCOCK Shannon Stroman photo

Main Photo

LR Hancocks Star Pat Doug Busby photo

Left BLUE BERRY MAID Shannon Stroman photo

or Docs Semi-Automatic. And her daughter LR Hancocks Rainbow is one of our best Revue Hancock mares.” The success of Rainbows Kriste gave JD an idea for the Blue Valentine/Driftwood Heritage Sale. They designate a foal to be sold where the kid’s bid and the high bid buys the foal. That is how the Kid’s Bid came about.

JD may have bought two well-made fillies, but the pedigree of Rainbows Kriste shows he had good taste in pedigrees as well. The sire of Rainbow Kriste was Rainbow Rooster, who is the sire of Rainbow Gentleman, a show horse with 76.5 AQHA show points. He was a multiple world show qualifier in reining, working cow horse, and ranch sorting with ROMs in the open and amateur divi sions. He was also an NRHA money winner.

Rainbow Rooster was sired by Rainbow Sage by Drifting Sage by Driftwood. The dam of Drifting Sage was Sage Hen by Wag goner by Midnight, a grandson of Peter McCue. Drifting Sage was a full brother to Henny Penny Peake, the legendary California Reined Cow Horse, and Poker Chip Peak, who was Dale Smith’s great roping gelding and considered by many to be the greatest rope horse of all time. The dam of Rainbow Sage was Miss Bar Vee by Julio’s Bar by Three Bars and out of G-Fern Deep Purple by Joe Barrett. Joe Barrett was a full brother to San Sue Darks the dam of Leo San by Leo and Sue Hunt, the dam of Continental King by King P-234.

The dam of Rainbow Rooster was Lady Rooster by Ready Rooster by Osage King by Black Jug by King P-234. Ready Jan was the dam of Ready Rooster. She was sired by Ready Money W by Red Star Joe. The dam of Lady Rooster was La Bella Girl by Elmore Paul by Paul A by Star Deck. The dam of Elmore Paul was Sugar Charlene by King George. The dam of La Bella Girl was Elmore Ho Belle by Ho Boy, and Ho Boy was out of Sugar Charlene by King George. The dam of Elmore Ho Belle was Fol lies by Yellow Dog and out of Sugar Charlene by King George. This gives La Belle Girl a breeding pattern of 2 x 3 x 3 to Sugar Charlene. King George is sired by Little Richard and out of China by Cardenal, making him a full brother to Peppy P-212, a famous King Ranch stallion.

The dam of Rainbows Kriste was Kriste Smooth by Mr Smooth One by Jet Smooth, the full brother to Easy Jet. The dam of Mr Smooth One is My Cute One by Super One by Super Cash by Spot Cash. Spot Cash was bred by Hank Wiescamp. The dam of Kriste Smooth was Kriste Royal by Cedar Bark by Tom Baker, and he was out of Cooper Lady by Roan Bar. Billy Two Hat the sire of the Lau ing Ranch foundation sire was sired by Roan Bar and out of a Tom Baker mare. Kriste Royal was out of Boolark by Boogey Man.

Now that we have seen how JD got started with broodmares, let’s look at how his philosophy of selecting mares has evolved, “I am a big believer in more power. I believe in the mare lines. I’ve said for years that every good stud comes from a really good mare, and those really good mares come from a really good stud. So, if you look at a pedigree and you look at the maternal line, or you’re looking at the dam side and she is a really good mare, and you look at her sire. He was a good sire. That tail female line is very important also.”

The genetic aspect of this philosophy comes into view when we look at a sire, and his role as a broodmare sire, and the influence his dam has on his foals, especially his daughters. When we look at a stallion, we see that the sex chromosomes that make him a male are the X and Y chromosomes. He inherits his X from his dam. When he sires a daughter, he passes his dam’s X to his daughter. That makes the sire’s dam important in building a pedigree, espe

cially on the dam side of the pedigree. That is one reason why a stallion’s dam is important to the breeder.

LR HANCOCKS STAR PAT

We saw that the development of the foundation of the Lauing breeding program started with Billy Star Pat, a son of Billy Two Hat and out of Watch Joy by Watch Joe Jack. This stallion supplied using horses and mares for the broodmare band. One of the mares in the program today is LR Hancocks Star Pat, that has ties to Billy Star Pat.

JD tells her story this way, “The year LR Hancocks Star Pat was born, she was one of my favorites. She was a standout baby her size, her looks, the way she moved, everything about her. She was a Revue Hancock out of a double Billy Star Pat mare. On the bottom side, her granddam Billys Star Belle goes back to Lauings Bar Moon by Kipasono and out of Bar Belle Coble by Macs Cat. We owned Kipasono; he was a palomino horse. Dad had him on the track for a while. Dad bought the Bar Belle Coble mare. She was the mare that dad used to get our 40th consecutive year of breeding. Dad bought her at a farm sale, and she was the best mare in the sale.

The dam of LR Hancocks Pat was Star Like Pat; she was a dou ble-bred Billy Star Pat mare. He explains how this double breeding came about, “We had a bunch of those Billy Star Pat daughters. They were nice big quarter-type mares. They were built right and had a good head, good eye, a good foot, and good bone on them. They rode good. They were really nice horses. We went looking for a stud for these mares and just couldn’t find what we wanted, and so when it was time to turn the stud out, dad said turn the old stud out with those Billy Star Pat mares.”

JD recalled his feelings about this move, “I remember I strongly disagreed with it. I didn’t want to breed the stud back to his daugh ters it was too close. Dad went ahead, and he even registered them.”

The doubt apparently went away as he professed, “My personal gelding I rode at this point was one of them, and he was prob ably one of the best geldings I rode. So, looking back, when he made that decision, it was a great decision. I might have thought it wasn’t a great decision at the time, but it was.”

He continued, “So when we crossed her on Revue Hancock, we sold the mother and kept the daughter LR Hancocks Star Pat. She is still producing for us, and she is a big kind mare that has huge, massive babies every year. She is one of my favorite Revue mares.”

The inbreeding in the tail female line is very common as we look back into the pedigree of many horses. This inbreeding sets the foundation for the pedigree. It also sets up the scenario for hybrid vigor. We see that Star Like Pat by Billy Star Pat and out of Billy Star Belle by Billy Star Pat produces a more homozygous genetic makeup with a breeding pattern of 1 X 2 to Billy Star Pat. Then they outcross that on horses like Revue Hancock, a horse with a linebreeding pattern of 4 x 5 x 4 to Blue Valentine and a breeding pattern of 6 x 5 x 7 x 8 x 7 x 6 x 7 x 9 x 8 x 5 to Joe Han cock. This cross produces a hybrid pedigree that can then be bred back into the gene pool, continuing to linebred to Blue Valentine.

BLUE BERRY MAID

The story of Blue Berry Maid shows how a stallion that you can’t get bought can influence a breeding program. JD will fill us in, “Blue Berry Maid was a mare that I had followed her sire Blues Wyo Rip and his full brothers for quite a few years and had talked to Jason Deckert, and they were out of one of his great mares Wyo Maid. We bought this filly sight unseen at one of their sales.”

He further explained, “Blues Wyo Rip was by Leo Hancock Hayes, and out of Wyo Maid by Wyo Kid Curry by Rip, and out of

Chucker Maid by Gooseberry. Her dam Blues Maid was by Plenty Try, and out of Chucker Maid, so she was double Chucker Maid, and she had some really good dam lines all the way through.”

“I had tried talking to Jason numerous times about buying one of those Leo Hancock Hayes/Wyo Maid horses, and this filly was in this sale. We talked to him about this filly, and he said to take her home and let her grow up. She will be a little bit smaller, and if you wait four or five years, she will be big and thick, and she is now a big old apple bottom mare. We bought her, and she was exactly like Jason said, and then she blossomed. She is probably 15 to 15.1 hands. She is a deep-cinched mare with a big ole rear end on her.

This pedigree shows that Blue Berry Maid is linebred to Goose berry with a breeding pattern of 4 x 3 x 3. Gooseberry who was sired by Blue Valentine and out of the great mare Fox Hastings by Plenty Coup. But this time, we have an added feature in that Blue Berry Maid is linebred to Chucker Maid, a daughter of Gooseber ry, and Chuckkar Maid 45 by Mandy’s Dart and out of Chuckkar Maid by Texas Blue Bonnet. The second aspect of this linebreeding to Chucker Maid appears in the tail female line of Blues Wyo Rip and the tail female line of her dam Blues Maid. The dam of Blues Wyo Rip is Wyo Maid, a half-sister to Blues Maid, the dam of Blue Berry Maid. The dam of these two mares is Chucker Maid. The breeding pattern we see here is called The Formula One Breeding Pattern. This pattern happens when the sire and the dam both trace to the same mare in the tail female line. This mare is the Taproot Mare of this line, and that mare is Chucker Maid.

The Formula One Breeding Pattern has been seen in horses like Be A Bono, the 2004 AQHA Racing World Champion. His second dam is Sereniad is, sired by Sir Rambler, and her dam is Keynesian, and they both trace in the tail female line to Bunny’s Bar Maid, a daughter of Black Easter Bunny, a daughter of Flicka, a mare line bred Joe Moore by Little Joe and out of Della Moore. Then we see that the sire of Be A Bono is Bono Jazz, that traces in his tail female line to Bunny’s Bar Maid and on to the great Flicka. Don’t Stopp Twice, the 2022 NCHA Non-Pro Horse of the Year, also carries the Formula One Breeding pattern as his sire Don’t Stopp Believin and his dam Don’t Happen Twice both trace to the great mare Tap O Lena in their tail female line. Tap O Lena is the tap root mare.

The genetic philosophy behind the Formula One Breeding Pat tern is that we all inherit our Mitochondrial DNA from our mother. The Mitochondria DNA forms the mitochondria, and that is where we develop our energy for our cells to function. They inherit the Mi tochondrial DNA directly from the dam, and so, in essence, she pro vides the powerhouse for our energy to function on the cellular level. By doing this, the individual inherits this from his mother, and thus we see a lot of the great mares that show up in the tail female line.

When we breed a stallion that is from the same female family as the mare he is being bred to, we keep that Mitochondrial DNA in the foals produced by that stallion as the stallion doesn’t pass his Mito chondrial DNA on to his foals. We see that happening here with Blue Maid Berry as she is from the tail female line of Blues Wyo Rip, a horse that JD wanted in his breeding program. A factor he wouldn’t have had by using one of the full brothers he wanted in his program.

LEO HYDEL HANCOCK

JD tells us the following about our next mare, “Leo Hydel Han cock is a blue roan mare born in 2002, and she is 20 years old and bred by Sam Shoultz. We bought her in Sam’s sale in 2014. The really cool thing about her is she is not only a Leo Hancock Hayes daughter, but she is out of Rips Hydel Girl, a full sister to Wyo Kid Curry. A lot of people were looking for Blue Valentine through Wyo Kid Curry at this time. The fact that Rips Hydel Girl being a

full sister to Wyo Kid Curry was important and interesting to us.”

He continued, “The other thing that caught my eye was Blue Valentine on the sire side of her pedigree crossed on Rip Rip, and on the dam side of the pedigree was Rip Rip crossed on Blue Val entine. So she is double double with those generations opposite.”

JD also pointed this out, “One of the coolest things I look at on her pedigree is Hydel Girl, which is Blue Valentine on Hydee Ree with Hydel Girl being the maternal granddam of Leo Hydel Hancock. You don’t find that very often where it shows up that close. The only time I see the blood of Hydel Girl is on the back side of Rowdys Blue Man’s pedigree, and his dam Hydel Girl 44 is a half-sister to Hydel Girl.”

The third thing he brought out was, “That mare being 37½% Blue Valentine and 37½% Rip Rip was significant. She still has Rip Rip on her papers twice, and he will be on her baby’s papers as well as Blue Valentine twice and still be on her papers for her babies along with Hydel Girl. She also has Leo and Sugaree Bars on her papers. So, with the old Hydee Ree from 1957 on her pa pers and the others, we find that everything on her papers is all old blood, and that gets you close to that blood.”

A genetic reason for using the “old blood” is that you are trying to maintain the blood of a common ancestor or ancestors we want in our breeding program. This mare allows us to move this import ant blood forward in the pedigree, thus helping us maintain a high relationship to those common ancestors and our pursuit to get keep that blood relevant in the breeding program.

Another genetic factor in this pedigree deals with a nick. A nick is the phenomenon that happens when a stallion crosses with mares from another bloodline producing outstanding foals. One of the great nicks was the cross of Leo and the Joe Hancock mare Julie W. The mating of Julie W with Leo was so successful that Bud Warren, the owner, and breeder of horses like Flit, the dam of the famous barrel sire Flit Bar, professed that it was the success of this cross that led to many mares of Joe Hancock breeding being bred to Leo. When you study the Blue Valentine bloodline, you see the blood of Leo in the mares, as demonstrated by Leo Hancock Hayes, who is sired by Blue Valentine and out of a mare by Rip Rip by Leo.

The second part of this successful nick for Blue Valentine shows up on both sides of the pedigree. This time we look at the sire Leo Hancock Hayes being by Blue Valentine and out of the Rip Rip mare Doll 01. Then we look at the dam of Leo Hydel Hancock, and we see that her dam is Rips Hydel Girl by Rip Rip and out of Hydel Girl by Blue Valentine. So we have a double breeding to the Blue Valentine/Rip Rip nick, but the two stallions reverse their position in the pedigree. This allows the breeder to line breed to the nick and then take advantage of sex-linked genes using a male ancestor Blue Valentine/Rip Rip cross and then the reverse with a female ancestor of the Rip Rip/Blue Valentine cross. This aids the breeder in getting the sex-linked genes associated with the male side of the ledger and female side of the leger for the cross. It gives the pedi gree a more complete or greater opportunity to get the genes of the common ancestor into the individual being produced.

He said this about how this mare has fit into the breeding pro gram, “We bought her at the Kesa sale, and since we bought her, we have not sold a baby of hers. I tell people she is the kind of mare you can build a program around anyone of her babies.

We have just touched the iceberg with the Lauing mares. I picked these mares at random, but they all show some of the aspects of how the mare’s pedigree plays a role in the breeding program. A breeding program that is continually striving to keep the blood of Blue Valen tine the common ancestor pertinent in their breeding program.

Dealing with the Arthritic Horse – Tips on Keeping Him Going Longer

By Heather Smith Thomas..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Older horses often develop arthritis (joint inflam mation) in various joints after hard use or repeti tive wear and tear. Cold weather tends to aggravate arthritis pain in horses as well as humans. Some of these horses need extra care to keep them comfortable during winter, and keep them able to do their job.

Broodmares retired from an athletic career may have joint issues, and older horses that are still performing may have soreness that needs to be managed. Painful, stiff joints can often be managed, to keep most of these horses comfort able enough to continue working. The farrier can usually help, with proper shoeing, and some cases may need to be managed medically.

Horse owners need to be aware of some of the things that can make a difference for these horses, other than just medication. A combination of many little things may help in the management of an arthritic horse—and prolong the horse’s comfort (whether out in the pasture or during athletic work), to keep these individuals going longer. Some of them can go on a long time in a reproductive or performance career, with a little help. Exercise is very beneficial. Any horse (or human) with arthritis tends to become more stiff/ sore when inactive. The old saying, “Use it or lose it” is very true for arthritis.

Pay attention to the footing if the horse is out at pasture. Sometimes the horse is better off in a stall, on soft shavings or some kind of soft footing in a run-in shed—where he can get away from rock-hard or frozen ground. But in general, the more these horses are out, moving around, the better off they are.

The same is true when asking them to work. The rider needs to be conscious of the surface and footing. If there’s a choice, choose the softer footing. Pounding at speed on hard surfaces will aggravate joint soreness.

Consult with your veterinarian, or even several veterinar ians, if the horse is sore. Find out what the treatment options might be—both conventional and unconventional (like acu puncture and laser therapy), or some of the nutraceuticals. There are some things that your regular vet may not think of. There are many treatment options available now that are not mainstream. Every horse is different, and different treatments may help some horses more than others. Some times a person has to be willing to experiment.

There are also many therapeutic options your farrier can employ, and different types of shoes that might help—if conformation of the hoof is a problem. The farrier may use bar shoes or pads to address a hoof abnormality and put the foot in a more mechanically advantageous situation.

Today we also have choices for softer materials to use as shoes. There are several good synthetic shoes and pads available that we didn’t have 30 years ago, and it may pay to try several methods, because we don’t always know how the

foot will respond. It may take trial and error to find what works best for that particular horse. Sometimes it might just be using an asymmetrical shoe with one side of the shoe wider than the other side.

If the horse is stiff and stumbling, the shoe may need an easier break-over to minimize tripping. This can be adjusted in many different ways. One thing the farrier can help with is changing the mechanics of how the lower leg works. This can be one of the most dramatic differences.

Farriers play a significant role in keeping the horse mov ing comfortably, along with the steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications commonly used. It all helps, and it takes a team—everyone working together: the owner or trainer, the farrier, the veterinarian and whoever is re sponsible for the management of that horse (the person who decides the turnout time, work schedule and so on).

If problems are caught early, we can make some adjust ments. Today there are a lot of older athletes going on for many years. For instance. Veterinarians now talk in terms of a little bit of ringbone instead of thinking that all ringbone is career-ending.

Many new technologies have become available in thera peutic shoeing and medications. There is new knowledge and we need to keep our eyes open and be willing to try different things—and realize that not all of them are going to work. Maybe plan B or even plan C or D might be the key for this particular horse.

Todd Allen, a farrier in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, says arthritis may affect different joints in different horses—ev erything from ringbone to sore hocks. “Ringbone occurs most often in the front limbs, and it can be very painful if it is articular (in the joint). The horse is lame and we have to do what we can to relieve that discomfort. The best thing we can do as farriers is work with the vet and get a proper diag nosis—whether it’s high ringbone, low ringbone, etc. (the ex act location of the ringbone) and see what we can do to make the horse more comfortable in its movement,” says Allen.

“There is always one given, and that’s breakover. We always move it back, making it as easy as possible for that foot to break over. Another important thing on those horses is to have plenty of support on the back of the hoof, so the hoof doesn’t sink into the ground quite as far. We use a pour pad on a lot of horses, and that keeps them on top of the ground. I pour all my ringbone horses. I believe that the bones de scend as that foot loads, and I think there’s sometimes a little pinching as those bones/joints descend. They press together in the load phase in the stride,” he says.

“So I use a lot of pour pads to prevent or minimize some of that downward movement of the joint and the bony column. I’ve had very good luck with that, to provide more support in the heel area. We can use a bar shoe or an open heel shoe with pour pads, and I use pour pads regardless, though a lot

of it depends on what the vet recommends,” says Allen.

“Sometimes joint supplements can be helpful for horses with arthritis, or use of Adequan, Legend, etc. Surpass is a topical cream that can be applied to the painful area (such as knees) to help reduce inflammation. I general ly suggest several ideas to the owners, but also tell them to contact their veterinarian,” he says.

There are a number of joint supplements that have been used for many years that seem to help some horses. “There are many products and drugs being utilized to help arthritic horses, so I recommend asking their vet for guidance in a choice of treatment.” He also rec ommends asking the vet about drug choices, because there are some new products, and information gleaned from the internet may be misleading.

Troy Price, a farrier in Uniondale, Indiana works with a number of arthritic horses. “They are not always old horses. Some are middle-age and still very active, and some are still running races or roping, reining, or barrel racing--but they’ve had a lot of wear and tear on joints because of a strenuous career,” he says. Some arthritic horses can be difficult to shoe because their leg joints are stiff and it’s painful for them to have the leg flexed and held in shoeing positions.

“I tell these clients that if they can exercise the horse a little before I get there—lunge them around, put them on a walker, or let the horse out in an arena awhile—this can limber them up before I shoe them. This seems to make a big difference,” says Price.

“I have some clients who use bute or some other form of pain relief for the horse before I come to work on the feet. And when I work on these horses I keep their arthritis in mind, trying to help them find a comfortable position as I hold that leg.”

The owner or trainer may need to work with a veterinarian regarding pain man agement for the arthritic horse. Some horses do better when kept on a constant low level of bute, especially older horses with very painful joints. A little pain manage ment may make it to where the horse is more comfortable and can move around without stiffness and pain, and the movement and exercise increases blood circulation and lubrication, and helps keep the joints more supple. A little anti-inflamma tory medication may help the horse a lot, just like it does for a person with arthritis.

Some of these horses are not old and retired. They may just be a little stiff and gimpy when they first start working, then “warm out of it” and can perform as well as they did earlier. Exercise aids blood flow and joint lubrication. “Horses are a lot like us. When you first get up in the morning you are a little stiff, then after you get going and move around and have breakfast you start feeling better. The older we get, the more aches and pains,” Allen says. If you can give the com petition horse some mild exercise and get him adequately warmed up before he has to give you his best runs, he’ll be more able to do it.

The seriousness of arthritis may depend on the individual horse and what he’s been doing all his life. As the old saying goes, “it’s not the years; it’s the mileage”. If there’s been a lot of concussion and wear on those joints from strenuous use, the horse may become sore and stiff at a younger age than an old horse that’s led a less strenuous life. Care and maintenance considerations, however, can help the arthritic horse whether he’s 15 or 25.

The 2022 Blue Valentine & Driftwood Heritage Production Sale once again demonstrated that outstanding horses, proven Blue Valentine & Driftwood genetics, & dedicated breeders com bine for a very successful sale. BV&D Breeders hosted their annual event on September 10, 2022 at the Ozark Em pire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Missou ri. What an amazing weekend of gather ing around the 2022 offerings from the heart of breeding programs where every single horse in the sale was 5 panel N/N either by direct testing or parentage. The BV&D Heritage Production Sale, LLC would like to thank the viewers, bidders, and buyers for their support of the sale this year!

Following the preview & the Nation al Anthem, with a BV&D sale gelding proudly carrying the Stars & Stripes, nearly 400 DVAuction viewers from 41

states, as well as international viewers from Canada & Germany, a large crowd of buyers in the seats, outstanding auc tioneer, Randy Woodward, pedigree an nouncer, Odie Heck, the ringmen took bids on 59 lots selling to multiple states coast to coast.

Top seller bringing $22,000 was Lot 34, a buckskin roan weanling filly from breeder, Sunrise Farm, Alabama. An own daughter of 192 AQHA point earner, Mr Junewood, the gorgeous buckskin was out of a Setumup Speedy daughter and a White Lightning Ike bred 2nd dam. The stunning filly sold to an Indiana buyer.

High selling rider, Lot 35, offered by B&T Performance Horses in KY was sired by Wyo Grullo Try. A 4-year-old talented, home raised, palomino geld ing, found a new home with a DVAuc tion bidder from Kentucky for $19,000.

Bringing $10,000 individually were 2 fantastic weanling stallions. Lot 2 of fered by Sunrise Farm was a 100% foun dation, “must have Driftwood” buckskin colt sired by DW Setumup Drift. Lot 20 was a top-notch prospect from Lauing Ranch, sired by Bonny Blues, found a new home in Georgia. The bay roan colt was out of a Revue Hancock x Blue Ber ry Maid daughter.

Moonshine Creek, Arkansas brought three outstanding well-bred roan fillies finding new homes in three states. Lot 8, a fancy, quiet, gentle grullo roan filly has a home in Texas for $3,600.

The BV&D breeders appreciate ev eryone who participated in the 2022 Heritage Production Sale and wish all the buyers’ success with their new pur chases. Looking forward to seeing ev eryone again in the Fall of 2023.