AQHA Photo The Merritt Family stands next to the display of Blue Valentine at the AQHA Hall of Fame Museum. L-R: Heidi Merritt, Kathy Merritt, Corey Merritt, Chip Merritt, Brady Merritt (holding Ella Merritt), Madison Merritt Working Horse Magazine
AQHA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEEBLUE VALENTINE
By Madison Merritt
CHIP AND KATHY MERRITT
in Las Vegas at AQHA Announcement
Chip and Kathy stand next to display of induction announcement in March 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Blue Valentine was inducted into the 2024 American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame in August. While he has been gone for over 40 years, his legacy has become something that people yearn for in the horses they’ve bred, the programs they’ve created, and under their very own saddles.
Hyde Merritt and the Hayes Brothers (Buster and Lourie) never knew the legacy they created, but they knew good horses. These good horses would go on to be household names in the breeding world, an image they would never come to see.
83 years is a long time to be breeding good horses, and that’s how long the Merritts have been registered members and breeders in the AQHA. For 33 of those years, Chip and Kathy Merritt have continued the tradition of breeding Blue Valentine horses. Now, their son Brady with his wife, Madison, and son Corey are helping to carry on the family
tradition. Blue Valentine wouldn’t be what he is today, without us starting from the very beginninga rare story of how two families came to produce a legacy of great horses.
In the late 1880s, Vince Hayes (Chip’s greatgrandfather) trailed a herd of good mares from Ft. Riley, Nevada to Thermopolis, Wyoming. His two sons, Buster (Chip’s grandfather) and Lourie, continued this tradition while working towards raising and riding top horses. In 1951, Hyde (Chip’s father) encouraged and tagged along on a trip with the Hayes Brothers to go purchase Texas Blue Bonnet, a Grullo stud born in 1939, a son of Joe Hancock. Joe Hancock horses were on the forefront of the Hayes Brothers and Hyde’s mind, because of how well they were doing in the rodeo arena, as the southern ropers seemed to be having success on them. When they started crossing him on their own mares, they really liked what they were seeing. Everett Shaw was said to have claimed that Texas Blue Bonnet was the best son by Joe Hancock. Texas Blue Bonnet went on to sire a gelding, Hindu, who Hyde, Buster, Lourie and Jim Wilkinson all won calf-ropings on. Texas Blue Bonnet also sired a foal named Plenty Coup (out of Glassy (a Patron mare)), who went on to produce many top colts for the Hayes and Merritt families. Texas Blue Bonnet, combined with the Hayes mare herd, resulted in an incredible legacy of offspring. Buster valued horses that could be ridden all day, and then hauled to town to compete in the rodeo arena. These are the kind of mares that the Hayes provided to the Blue Valentine legacy.
Around the 1940s, Chip’s grandfather, King Merritt (widely known as a world champion steer roper and founding member of the AQHA), brought one of the first Quarter Horse Stallions to Wyoming. His name was Old Red Buck P-9 (known for producing the famous rodeo horse, Baldy). King then went on to purchase Black Hawk (a stallion out of Little Sue, who was becoming a wellliked mare in the rodeo arena with her earnings). Being a judge at the first Quarter Horse Show in California, King knew what to look for in a good horse. King and his son Hyde brought additional stallions to Wyoming, including Ambrose (one of the last Coke Blake horses) and Patron. Hyde inherited from his father the will to raise, ride and know good horses. He also judged horse shows for the AQHA, and was a highly esteemed contributor writing about horses as the co-founder of Rodeo News, editor of Western Horseman and Quarter Horse News. Together, King and Hyde valued horses that you could ranch on, compete on, and match race. In 1950, Hyde married Buster’s daughter, Dede, who was instrumental in combining the likes of both the Hayes and Merritts passions in breeding and raising horses.
Hancock horses were making a name in the great state
This photo was taken by Jim Jennings in 1979.
It’s the last photo ever taken of Blue.
BLUE VALENTINE in the corral at Tie Siding, WY.
The Blue Valentine Display is revealed at the AQHA Hall of Fame in Amarillo, TX.
Photo by Madison Merritt
BUSTER AND LOURIE HAYES
branding at the Hayes Ranch in Thermopolis, WY
Three generations of Merritts, Chip being a product of the Merritt and Hayes Family.
HYDE
ON BLUE VALENTINE Hyde trips a steer for the final time at Cheyenne Frontier Days on Blue Valentine in July 1970. Photo by Jan Spencer
HYDE, KING AND CHIP MERRITT
MERRITT
of Wyoming. Flash forward to the fall of 1956, when Dell Haverty (Chip’s Uncle who married Dede’s sister Connee), was breaking colts for Ken Gunter. Ken owned Red Man, another son of Joe Hancock. Dell got to have his pick of the colt crop that year, choosing the now famous blue roan stud, Blue Valentine. Dell trained Blue to rope calves, team rope, trip steers and haze dogging steers. Dell always thought he was a better calf horse, but it would be steer roping that he would become most famous for. The combination of Blue’s athletic ability and Dell’s training made him hard to beat, as he performed in nearly everything, winning ropings, all-arounds, and even placing in barrel races. In 1960, Dell sold half-interest of Blue to the Hayes Brothers. Hyde then bought the other half, hauling him between Thermopolis, Wyoming and Cheyenne, Wyoming for breeding, ropings and ranch work.
In 1970, Hyde roped at his last Cheyenne Frontier Days on Blue, where he was told he was the best horse at Cheyenne that year.
Living out the rest of his years at the Merritt Ranch in Tie Siding, Wyoming, he died at 24. His sons would go on to produce some top horses and keep his legacy alive and well. Gooseberry and Rowdy Blue Man would become just two of many household names, and surely familiar ones on any papers of Blue’s offspring today. However, the mares are the true glue to keeping his legacy alive - all beginning with that good mare herd trailed from Ft. Riley, Nevada and continued by his granddaughters and great-granddaughters today. Generation after generation, the mare tail line of his offspring continue to bring the qualities that Blue had to light, (through mitochondrial DNA) his legacy remains because of them.
was held for the remaining horses. Chip was left picking up the broken pieces, organizing the dispersal sale and figuring out what life would look like with ranching out of the picture. In the meantime, he was able to keep some mares that he and his family owned at Randy Dunn’s ranch. He went back to school to finish his degree, saved every penny and worked to buy back any horses he could. After starting a new career in animal health sales, Chip met and married Kathy and together they worked to carry on the legacy. Since 1998, the Come To The Source Sale has been “The Source for Blue Valentine Bloodlines,” hosting the 26th annual sale this past August. This year became a full circle moment for Chip and his family. He may not think so, but if it wasn’t for his piece in this historic endeavor, who knows where Blue Valentine’s legacy would be today. The history will continue beyond Chip and Kathy, with their sons Brady (with wife, Madison) and Corey proud to carry on these traditions. Even the newest of the Merritts, Ella, sure to carry on the legacy.
It’s hard to truly believe this story of how two families came to produce a legacy of great horses, and the hardships endured, a rare story indeed.
The Merritts would like to extend their thanks to their horse sale partners throughout the years, especially Randy Dunn, Dick and Diane Van Pelt, and Sam Shoultz, those who attend the annual Come To The Source Sale over the years, and the AQHA for this honor of a lifetime.
After Blue Valentine’s death, there followed two tragic deaths on the Hayes and Merritt ranches - Buster in 1981 and then Hyde in 1983. In just three years, this legacy was starting to fall apart. Ranches split up in the Hayes Family while the Merritt’s lost theirs entirely, and a dispersal sale
Chip would have never thought to see a legacy such as this. “One thing we know for certain, is that these bloodlines are continuing to make an impact. This is a testament not only to Hyde & the Hayes Brothers, but to the many breeders out there who are keeping this legacy alive - who find great joy and pride in the horses that we have all continued to breed and raise. Thank you to everyone for believing in these horses, and for helping to carry on Blue Valentine’s legacy.”
THE LEGACY CONTINUES WITH THE MERRITT MARE HERD
Photo by Madison Merritt
WORKING LINESREMEMBERING A FRIEND CARL MILLS
By Larry Thornton
HALL OF FAME MEMBERS LEROY WEBB, BILLY ALLEN, AND CARL MILLS AT THE AQHA HALL OF FAME BANQUET
The first time I met Carl Mills was at the 2006 Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame Banquet. This is the year that the great Harlan was inducted into this Hall of Fame. Carl was a part of the Harlan Syndicate with Bob Robey, Jim Nance, and Harold “Huddy” Hudspeth. We would come back together later when I wrote a Working Lines about his great stallion, Harlan’s Tyree. This would be a part of our effort to profile this stallion for induction into the AQHA Hall of Fame. A task we failed to accomplish. We continued to visit from time to time until his death earlier this year.
Carl was the fourth generation to live on the Mills Ranch. The family homesteaded the ranch in 1871. He grew up in the ranching and farming lifestyle and continued that life but expanded his endeavors to include serving as the Cowley County Appraiser and securing his pilot’s license to expand his ranching and farming endeavors. But most of all, he was dedicated to his horses as a life member of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), a charter member, and past director of the National Reining Horse Association. He was a member of the Kansas Quarter Horse Association serving as a former President of this association.
Sawyer Cattle Company of San Angelo, Texas. The AQHA Stud Book lists O. M. Mills of Cedar Vale, Kansas, as his owner. His sire was a horse listed as Jim Ned or Jim Ned Jr in some places. Jim Ned Jr was sired by Jazz by Harmon Baker. The dam of Jim Ned was a Farr Mare by the Keeling Horse. She was out of a Farr Mare by Johnnie (Anson Stud). These horses all came from the Billy Anson breeding program. Anson is the man that first introduced Bob Denhardt to the Steel Dust horses that became the horses of the American Quarter Horse Association.
Through our talks, I learned about Carl’s compassion for his horses. He showed his belief in our industry and the success of the American Quarter Horse. He was a man that had many friends and many of them have passed as well. Our visits would allow him to reminisce about his life with horses, and I feel this is the time to focus on Carl Mills introducing him to many that never got to know him as well as those that did know him to reflect on the kind of horseman he was.
Our story of Carl Mills begins with his family and the role horses played in that history. He told me how his love of horses came about, “Horses have been in my family since my great-grandfather. I have a picture of him holding a horse in about 1910. I don’t know the breed, but it was a good lookin horse. Then my grandfather got involved with draft horses.” He continued, “My father bred a lot of mules. He bought and sold mules on the market in Tennessee. He went to South Texas in the 40s, where he bought a Tentative Registered quarter horse called Johnnie Q. He had all these grade mares, and he bought this quarter horse stallion, and this was his start with registered horses.
Johnnie Q was registered as AQHA #3359. He was bred by
Carl tells how he continued the family’s interest in horses and the start of his breeding program, “It was in the late 50’s a rancher I knew told me about a mare that was trained for cutting, and he thought I needed to look into buying that mare. He said she was real cowy, but he doesn’t know how to ride her. That was the mare Oklacue, and she was the first quarter horse mare I owned. I traded two grade mares and $25.00 for Oklacue.”
Carl recalled how Bob Robey and his stallion Harlan came into his life, “That same fella that told me about Oklacue, and we went one weekend looking at quarter horses. We ended up down at Bob Robey’s in Oklahoma looking at Harlan.”
Carl liked what he saw in Harlan, and this is what he did about it, “I found Harlan to be a good balanced horse, and that is what I like about him. So, I took Oklacue down there but didn’t get her settled the first year. I did breed her to another stallion, and I got her in foal. She had a horse colt that first year, and then I took her back the next year to Harlan and got another horse colt. I bred her again and got a filly. I started showing her. and then I lost her.”
It was on a return visit to Bob Robey’s place that Carl found Harlan’s Tyree, “In the winter of 1963, I went down to Bob’s, and he said I have a colt here I am taking bids on because a
friend had his house burn and whatever this colt will bring, I am going to give him the money.”
Carl describes what happened next, “He had this shaggy buckskin colt that had been weaned. I said I would give $500 for him. He said I don’t think anybody is going to bid more than that, so I guess I will sell him to you, and that was Harlan’s Tyree.”
“We had moved into my grandfather’s place on the edge of Cedar Vale. We kept him over that winter and didn’t think to much about showing him. But that spring, he looked promising, so I showed him in his yearling year. I think he won 13 first places as a yearling.”
“I started riding him there at the ranch that winter, and I remember how easy he was to break and to ride. Later, we took him to Dean Smith, and he said the same thing.”
“When he was two, we continued to halter him, and then Dean took him. He didn’t take very long, and he was showing him for the first time. I think it was the 10th of October, and he won the first pleasure class he was in.”
It wasn’t long, and the versatility of Harlan’s Tyree came to the surface. “At three, I was breeding some mares. So, I would take him to the show to meet up with Dean. We would show him in the Get of Sire class for Harlan, and that would be the last halter class. Then, the pleasure class would be the first performance class. Dean would have to saddle him and lope him in a circle or two before going in for the pleasure class. You didn’t have to ride him half a day to get him ready. Then you would turn around and show him in the reining. Dean would spank him a couple times and go show him in the reining and the working cow horse.”
Harlan’s Tyree would earn his AQHA Championship. He was shown in 81 halter classes with 77 wins. He would earn 26 Grand Championships and 23 Reserve Grand Championships. He was
Superior in halter with 99 points. He was the High Point Halter Stallion in Oklahoma and Kansas as a two- and three-year-old.
Harlan’s Tyree was ROM in performance with 73 performance points, with 1 point in working cow horse, 3.5 points in western riding, 17 points in reining, 2 points in trail, and 49.5 points in western pleasure. He was very consistent in the performance arena with 3 wins in 4 classes in western riding, 12 wins in 15 classes in reining, and 19 wins in 37 classes in western pleasure. In the fall of his three-year-old year, he went to Columbus, Ohio, for the NRHA Reining Futurity. He would finish fourth in this the first NRHA Futurity. Four weeks after the reining futurity, he was back winning the All Around at a show in Springdale, Arkansas. He was the All-Around Champion for Kansas in 1966 at the age of three.
The sire of Harlan’s Tyree is Harlan. Harlan was originally bought by Bob Robey from his breeders, the Smith Brothers. Robey told me this about why and how he got Harlan, “Hank H was a full brother to Squaw H, and I was a big fan of this great mare. So, we went and bought a Hank H filly from Jack and Paul Smith of Indianola, Oklahoma. They owned Hank H. We even took a mare down for a friend to be bred to Hank H. Then Hank H died, and I wrote a letter to Paul. By this time, Jack had gone with the Highway Patrol, and Paul was living on the old place. I asked Paul if he had any Hank H foals for sale, and he wrote back that he had a three-year-old stud and a Hard Twist gelding out of their ole King Mare for sale. So me, my wife and my father-in-law went, and we bought Harlan. We bought Harlan for the Hank H with the intention of gelding him and roping calves on him.”
It was at this point that Robey talked about a previous visit he had to see the Smith horses, “Well, one time I was down to the Smith’s, and they showed me a little ole buckskin mare.
QUARTER HORSE U0067705
They said this is Dixie Beach. That didn’t mean anything to me. I just looked over the stall door at her and saw this little old buckskin mare heavy in foal. So, when we bought Harlan, we didn’t know who Dixie Beach was. But when I got home, I did a little research, and I made up my mind that Harlan may be out of as good a mare as the stud he was sired by. So, we started breeding him, and his roping career never came about.”
Let’s take a closer look at the pedigree of Harlan with Hank H. Hank H was sired by King P-234, a trained roping horse that would build a dynasty for the Hankins Brothers. King P-234 was owned by Jess Hankins but was widely used by his brothers J. O. and Lowell.
King P-234 became a leading sire with 24 AQHA Champions, 84 performance ROM, and four Superior performers. King P-234 was sired by Zantanon by Little Joe. Zantanon was out of Jeanette by Billy by Big Jim by Sykes Rondo. Jeanette was out of a mare by Sykes Rondo. The dam of King P-234 was Jabalina by Strait Horse by Yellow Jacket. Jabalina was out of a Bay Mare by Traveler.
Hank H was out of Queen H and owned by J. O. Hankins. She was a great broodmare with foals like Duchess H, Squaw H (AAA race mare), Flapper H (AQHA Champion Producer), and Booger H (AQHA Champion sire). All sired by King P-234. She was sired by Dan by Old Joe Bailey Queen H was out of a mare known as the Nail Quarter Mare, and her pedigree is unknown.
Jacket. Both Yellow Wolf and Yellow Jacket were used on the Waggoner Ranch. The dam of Dixie Beach was Mayflower, a daughter of Nail Driver. The dam of Mayflower was Snip.
Bob Robey owned a mare named Sandsarita. Robey got Sandarsita through a trade with Ralph Eagle. He traded a Harlan filly for a filly named Sandsarita. Ralph Eagle and Pete Reynolds had brought 13 mares to be bred to Harlan from Alabama. One of those mares was Toughy’s Little Sister. Sandsarita was at the side of Toughy’s Little Sister when she arrived in Oklahoma from Alabama. Sandsarita was the dam of Harlan’s Tyree.
CONFORMATION OF HARLAN’S TYREE
HARLAN’S
Harlan was the last foal of the mare Dixie Beach. The Smith brothers bought her as an aged mare to be bred to Hank H. Dixie Beach was bred by the father and son team of Mike and Harlan Beetch. Mike and Harlan Beetch were horse traders that had clients like the Burnett Ranches and the Waggoner Ranch. One of the mares sold by the Beetch’s was Triangle Lady 17, the dam of Hollywood Gold.
TYREE AT THE REINING FUTURITY WITH DEAN SMITH
Mike Beetch was good friends with Tom Smith the father of Jack and Paul. The Beetch’s had sold Dixie Beach, and she went out to become a great broodmare with foals like Little Dixie Beach, the dam of the great show horse and sire Paul A. She was also with the dam of Little Jodie, the sire of Jodie The Tuff, who was the broodmare sire of the great Bueno Chex and Fritz Command.
The sire of Dixie Beach was Beetch’s Yellow Jacket by Yellow Wolf. The dam of Beetch’s Yellow Jacket was a mare by Yellow
Sandsarita was sired by a King Ranch-bred stallion, Sanddrift, by Wimpy P-1. Wimpy P-1 was sired by Solis by Old Sorrel by Hickory Bill. The dam of Wimpy P-1 was Panda by Old Sorrel. Her dam was a Roan Mare by Hickory Bill. The dam of Sanddrift was La Tahita by Naughty Boy III by Naughty Boy II. Naughty Boy II was an Army Remount stallion. The dam of La Tachita was the Tacho Saenz mare by a Saenz Horse and out of a Saenz Mare.
The sire of Toughy’s Little Sister is Rey. Rey is very familiar to the pedigree person as the sire of Frontera Sugar, the dam of Sugar Bars. Rey was sired by Captains Courageous by Stimulus. Stimulus was sired by Ultimus, who was inbred to Domino. His sire was Commando by Domino, and his dam was Running Stream by Domino. The dam of Rey was Goldie by Red Lantados by Lantados. Red Lantados was a quarter horse out of the mare Star by El Rey Santa Anita. The dam of Goldie was Goldust. Her pedigree is unknown.
Harlan’s Tyree sired only 121 foals from six crops. He sired 34 performers with 28-point earners. The point earners took in 1,590 AQHA points with 17 performance ROM in the open and youth with three AQHA Champions in the open and youth divisions. He sired two Superior performance horses.
The purchase of Oklacue by Carl Mills and his breeding her to Harlan shows us what was to come with Carl Miles and his ties to Harlan and Harlan’s Tyree. Oklacue was a daughter of Star Bright Moore. Star Bright Moore was sired by Star Deck by Oklahoma Star P-6. Star Deck was out of Jane Hunt by Button. The dam of Oklacue was Sally McCue by Jack McCue by Peter McCue. The dam of Sally McCue was Babie by Jack McCue.
Sally McCue is an interesting mare. She was a 1938 mare bred by C. L. Francis of Floyd, New Mexico. She was registered by J. V. Frye of Woodward, Oklahoma. Frye bred her to his stallion Frye’s Jack McCue by Jack McCue and got the mare Sally’s Patty. Sally’s Patty became the dam of Patty’s Queen, and she was the dam of Two Eyed Patti, a Howard Pitzer mare. Two Eyed Patti would become the 1976 AQHA World Champion Senior Heading Horse. She was the dam of Mr Baron Red, an AQHA Super Horse.
The first foal out of Oklacue was Carl’s Pan Man by Panhandle Man. This gelding has no show record. The first Harlan foal out of Oklacue was Star Deck Harlan by Harlan. This gelding earned 16 halter points and 1 performance point. He was an NCHA money winner.
Harlacue was next by Harlan. This is the filly that died early. She was shown 12 times at halter as a weanling and yearling with five wins. The next year Harlan and Oklacue produced Sally Harlan with seven AQHA halter points. Harla Carla was next for this sire and dam. She earned her performance ROM with 12.5 points in the arena and 10 halter points.
The last performer from this cross was Miss Harlacue, the leading point earner. She earned 100 AQHA performance points with a Superior in tie-down roping. She was the 1976 AQHA High Point Tie-Down Roping Horse.
and Two Eyed Tye Reed.
The success of Larry Mills as a youth competitor on Miss Tyrita carried over in some other youth showman. Billy Allen, Doug Allen’s son, showed Tyree’s Pistol to a Youth AQHA Championship. They earned a Reserve World Championship in Heading in 1977 to go along with the AQHA Youth High Point Steer Roping title and the 1976 AQHA High Point Youth Steer Roping title. Doug and Tyree’s Pistol won 10 youth All Around Championships on the way to earning 125 youth points in their show career together. Tyrees Pistol had a very good openshow record. He was an AQHA Superior performance horse in Heading, Heeling, and Steer Roping. He earned 197 AQHA open performance points. The dam of Tyree’s Pistol was Leota Pistol by King’ Pistol.
HARLAN SYNDICATE BOB ROBEY, CARL MILLS, JIM
NANCE AND HAROLD “HUDDY” HUDSPETH
Miss Tycue was foaled in 1966, and she was the first foal sired by Harlan’s Tyree and out of Oklacue. This mare earned 29 halter points with four Grand Championships and five Reserve Grand Championships. She earned two performance points in Hunter Under Saddle.
Miss Tyrita was foaled in 1968. She was sired by Harlan’s Tyree and out of Oklacue. She would earn 13 open halter points, 188 open performance points, and 21 youth performance points in the AQHA. She shows the versatility of this line. In 1971 Billy Allen rode her to a win in the World Wide Reining Futurity. She was the 1973 AQHA High Point Steer Roping Horse and the 1973 AQHA Reserve High Point Tie-Down Roping Horse. She was Superior in Steer Roping, Heading, and Heeling. With Larry Mills showing her, she was the 1975 AQHA Youth Reserve World Champion Heeling Horse.
The last performer out of Oklacue was Monsieur Tyree. This gelding earned three open halter and three open performance points. Tyra was the last foal out of Oklacue. She was unshown but produced two AQHA point earners in Ty Country Bumkin
The other Youth AQHA Champion is Tyree’s Honey. She carried two youth in the arena. Holly Hover was the Youth AQHA Champion. This team earned 69 performance points in reining, showmanship, western riding, hunter under saddle, working cow horse, western riding, and western pleasure. They also earned four Grand Championships in youth halter and three Reserve Grand Championships. They earned 36 halter points in the youth division. Susan K Forst
was the other youth to show Tyree’s Honey. They earned three more Grand Championships and five performance points in showmanship and western pleasure. Tyree’s Honey was an open AQHA Champion as well. She earned 16 open halter points and 47 performance points. She was out of Paprika Red by Lena’s Red.
Carl bought a full sister to Oklacue named Maxiemay McCue. This mare is the dam of two Harlan’s Tyree performers. They are Max’s Tyree, who earned six open and four AQHA performance points, and Tyree’s Fancy Gal. Tyree’s Fancy Gal earned 26 open halter points and 51 open performance points for an ROM. She earned 24 youth halter points and 246 youth performance points. She helped three youth earn their ROM in performance. They are Lynn Martinelli, Steve Wood, and Sabrina Graham. She was shown by a fourth youth, Jodie Knapp. Jodie and Tyree’s Fancy Gal didn’t earn an ROM, but they earned 16 performance points in halter, showmanship, stake race, trail, western pleasure, hunt seat equitation, working cow horse, reining, and hunter under saddle
The second open AQHA Champion sired by Harlan’s Tyree was Teena Tyree. She earned 15 halter points and her ROM with 56 performance points. She was out of Teen Angel Bar by Seven Bars.
Harlan’s Tyree sired daughters that produced 434 foals with 60 performers with 43-point earners. The 43 points earners earned 1,688.5 points with one halter ROM, 18 performance ROM in the open, youth, and amateur divisions, six AQHA Champions, and they earned 11 superior awards.
Harlan’s Tyree is the sire of Tyree’s Holysmoke. She is the dam of Setters Finale. This gelding is an AQHA World Champion and an AQHA Reserve World Champion, as well as a multiple PHBA World Champion and Reserve World Champion. This horse earned 233 AQHA points and 1622 PHBA halter and performance points. His AQHA World Championship came in Western Horsemanship. He was sired by Diamond Setter.
The AQHA Champion Tyree’s Honey produced three-point earners with two of them earning the ROM in performance. Her leading point earner was Honey Parr Bar by Zan Parr Bar. This mares earned 60 AQHA performance points in the open division. Her second ROM was Zans The Man, a full brother to Honey Parr Bar, and he earned his ROM with 14 performance points.
Coopies Tyree is a Harlan’s Tyree daughter that earned 10 AQHA halter points. She is the dam of the AQHA Champion
produce six performers that earned 746 AQHA points. For more of her story, see the Mares with More in this issue.
I think the late Billy Allen, an AQHA Hall of Fame member, may have summed it up best when he described Harlan’s Tyree, his foals, and what might have been for Carl Mills and his horses had this great stallion lived a longer life. “I trained horses most of my life and was in the horse training business and Carl send me three or four of them. He said get them broke and we will see what we have. It’s too bad we don’t have a bunch of them today. They were good horses; they had bottom and a lot of try and grit. They will stay with you.”
He continued, “Some of the ones I worked with had a little edge when you first broke them, but they wouldn’t work against you. They would be like, ‘I do not know about this, and then they would fall in line. Maybe even hump up a little at first, but when you got them lined out, they were solid as long as you wanted to go.”
Jackie Two Socks by Two Eyed Jack. This mare earned 15 halter and 32 performance points to get her AQHA Championship. She also had 2 amateur performance points and 1 youth performance point. Coopies Tyree produce one other point earner with Flash Bee Tyree by Jackie Bee. This gelding earned 13 AQHA halter and performance points in the open, youth, and amateur divisions.
Sandsarita Jackie is a daughter of the unshown mare Harlen’s Kate by Harlan’s Tyree. This mare was sired by Two Eyed Jack. She was an AQHA Champion, earning 20 halter points and 140 performance points. She was Superior in heading and heeling. Harlen’s Kate was out of Cross 0 30 Bell by Cee Bar Badger 71.
This brings us to an un-shown daughter of Harlan’s Tyree named Ima Tyree. This mare was bred by the Flying S Ranch of Colby, Kansas. She was sired by Mike McKee by Frito and out of Sadie McKee by Chicaro Bill. Ima Tyree lived most of her life on the Pitzer Ranch of Ericson, Nebraska. She would
He added this about the versatility of the Harlan’s Tyree foals. “My main thing was roping; you know, calf roping and team roping. And They had that kind of ability, and they all had the same tendencies for those events. You know two, three or four different things on one; it wasn’t one thing they could do. They had ability and willingness if you taught them to do several things.”
He added, “They were the kind of horse you could do about anything with, and it didn’t take a special person to ride them. They would go however you wanted them to go, and that is why youth got along well with them.”
Allen went on to point out about Harlan’s Tyree’s career was limited only by his short life and his production of six foal crops. “Had he lived, he would have been one of the leading performance horse sires. If he had lived, he would have been in the record books. He was an exceptional breeder.
We have to say that Carl Mills would have been more widely known if Harlan’s Tyree had lived longer. But now that you have learned more about the man and his horse, you know why I miss him. He was a true horseman that was dedicated to the American Quarter Horse especially Harlan’s Tyree.
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Our goal is to produce first class barrel races with every level of competitor in mind on the best ground around. We also bring over 50 years of barrel racing production experience to the table that is backed up with experience in all types of soil, while hiring some of the best in the industry for a professional “total package” that works for barrel racers and communities.
BOBO is like no other production company as we have added several types of races to our profile over the years. We are on the cutting edge of what is “new” in our race formats.
BOBO invented the Your Barrel Connection [YBC] in 2020, which is a side pot program. Any producer can add the YBC side pot to their race platform where barrel racers can enter for a chance at extra money without membership fee. The office percentage of the entry fee is split between the producer and YBC making producers more money. The funds collected by YBC from these races are paid out at the YBC Finals in purse and awards.
Slot Races are another addition that offers big prize money. The Tim Corfield Slot Race, which
pays out $16K, is held during the Sand Cup, and the 3/4D Slot Race, which pays out $10 thousand, is held in conjunction with Producers Gone Wild [PGW] giving all levels of barrel racers a chance at large purses.
As the industry continues to grow, BOBO expands with it by supporting professional barrel racing top to bottom while promoting the industires breeding stock. BOBO Stallion/Mare Showcase, held during PGW, allows stallion and mare owners a chance to enroll so contestants that ride their offspring can run in a race just for them. Not only are the entrants paid, so are the stallion and mare owners. This program promotes Northwest Breeders and the sport in a unique way.
Another way BOBO is set apart from the rest is partnerships. Our business platform welcomes associations, programs, stallion incentives, and sponsors to bring to the sport the best package for everyone involved. We produce not only one, but four, Jr World Finals KK Run for Vegas Qualifiers in Oregon and Washington. This allows our industry youth a chance to qualify for the largest youth finals which is held in Las Vegas each year during the Wrangler National Finals. Other associations BOBO partners with are Women’s Professional Rodeo Association [WPRA], Barrel Racers National 4D [BRN4D], and the Northwest Barrel Horse Association [NWBHA].
Working with incentives is another way to promote the industry from the bottom up and brings money to BOBO productions. In 2024 we paid over $60K in incentives. Our partners include Top Shelf, Western Fortunes, Breeders Challenge, Select Stallion Stakes, BIF, Diamond Classic, and Tomorrows Legends.
BOBO not only prides itself on industry support and promotion of our lifestyle, but it also takes great pleasure in bringing money to communities. We do this by marketing businesses online, and in print, while reaching their target customer in towns we hold events. Our sponsors stay with us year after year as they see the value we bring. Our title sponsors include Noble Panels, North 40 Outfitters, Idaho Equine West, Burns Saddlery, Equerry’s Horse Supple-ments, Med-Vet Pharmaceuticals, Ranch and Home, Strawberry Canyon Farms Hay, and Succeed Equine just to name a few. BOBO
MARE REPRODUCTION ISSUES
By Heather Thomas
RIGHT PHOTOLAUING RANCH QARTER HORSES
Some mares are hard to get in foal, and some conceive but lose the pregnancy early on. Broodmare management can be challenging, trying to get every mare safely in foal. There are many reproductive problems frequently encountered in mares, and some that are rare. The important thing is to figure out what is happening and then find a way to resolve that issue.
Patrick McCue, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACT (Equine Reproduction Laboratory, Colorado State University) says that when an owner is having problems getting a mare pregnant and the mare gets referred to him, the first thing he does is get a complete breeding history of that mare. “Besides her general background, we need to know if she has been bred before, how old she is, what breed, etc. Has she ever had a foal before, and if not, how many times was she bred? What type of semen was used—fresh, cooled or frozen? How many cycles did they try?” he asks.
Sometimes mares are sent for evaluation but were only bred one or two cycles and the owner has given up. “Generally, if you consider that pregnancy rates in mares may range from 40 to 60% per cycle, not getting pregnant on the first or second cycle would not be grounds to think that they have a reproductive problem,” he says.
a reasonable thing to try, especially after the second or third breeding cycle,” he explains.
“I want to know all the information on the mare and the stallions she was bred to, when she had her last foal, how many foals she’s had, and whether she was a problem breeder in the past. Did she have any history of prolonged inflammatory reaction in her uterus after live cover or insemination? All these things are important in the history.”
The next step would be a general physical exam to make sure the mare is healthy. “If she is healthy, we then focus on her reproductive anatomy—perineum, vulva, muscular tone of the vulva, its relationship to the pelvic brim, etc. Does she need a Caslick procedure to block bacteria from ascending into the reproductive tract? Then the next step would be an ultrasound exam and a thorough reproductive evaluation on a problem mare,” says McCue.
“We start with palpation and an ultrasound exam, to understand the stage of her cycle. We often collect samples for uterine culture and cytology and maybe a uterine biopsy depending on the mare’s history, age and the date of her last foal. We interpret all of that information, and if the mare has a positive culture we address that issue—whether it was bacterial or fungal infection of the uterus—before we pursue anything else. Between a good reproductive history and thorough reproductive evaluation, probably 70 to 80% of the time we can understand what the issue might be, and address specific concerns,” says McCue.
Another important thing to know, besides whether fresh, cooled or frozen semen was used, is how many different stallions were utilized. “There are times when we breed a normal mare—one that has had foals before, and maybe even has a foal at side—and the owner picks a stallion and we breed the mare a cycle or two, and if by the third cycle she is not pregnant, we suggest trying a different stallion,” says McCue.
Sometimes there is a genetic incompatibility. “This is not an easy thing to figure out, other than changing stallions. Many times when we change stallions we get a pregnancy right away. In some situations the stallion and mare are both normal but they just don’t click and there is no foal. Switching stallions is
“We commonly see mares with retained uterine fluid. Another problem in older maiden mares is abnormal cervical function. The older maiden mare is a mare in her mid-teens or above that has never had a foal. These mares cycle and grow follicles, come into behavioral estrus, get edema in the uterus, but unfortunately the cervix doesn’t relax. So whether they are live covered or inseminated they tend to pool fluid in the uterus. This chronic inflammatory fluid in the uterus leads to lower pregnancy rate,” he says. An older maiden mare can be just as infertile as an older mare that has had many foals. Just because she’s a maiden doesn’t mean that everything will be fine.
OPTIONS FOR SOLUTIONS –
With problem mares that have a subtle or subclinical issue that prevents them from getting pregnant or staying pregnant, attention to detail could be one of the most critical aspects. “This entails following through on uterine culture. If we think the mare might have an infection and the culture swab comes back negative (nothing grew on bacterial culture) but our sample from the uterus shows white blood cells present—and we know there is inflammation in the uterus—we may do a low-volume uterine lavage. This gives us a better uterine sample for culture,” says McCue.
Oviduct flush by Dr. Croin
Troedsson bio film
This can be helpful in some mares for actually detecting the organism. “Then we know this mare did have an E. coli or a Pseudomonas in her uterus and the initial culture swab may not have contacted the area of the uterus where the bacterial colonies were located. Low-volume lavage has been used for a number of years to sample the entire inside of the uterus to get a better culture,” he explains.
Another topic of interest the past few years is biofilm—the ability of bacteria to form a covering to protect the bacterial colony. “Many types of bacteria can produce a substance called biofilm that makes a protective coating over the colony and keeps the mare’s natural immune system from recognizing the presence of the bacteria. It also decreases the metabolic rate of the bacteria, making antibiotics less effective if the bacteria are not replicating. Antibiotics also don’t penetrate as well through the biofilm,” he explains.
The biofilm allows bacteria to remain in a place like the uterus without being recognized by the immune system and also makes them less susceptible to antibiotics. “There are some medications that can be utilized to eliminate biofilm. One thing that has shown to be effective is mixing a combination of antibiotics and nonantibiotic therapies, to get rid of both the biofilm and the bacteria within the biofilm. Two substances that have been used effectively are Tris-EDTA and DMSO, to break down biofilm and allow the antibiotic to penetrate and kill the bacteria living within that biofilm,” says McCue.
There are also some new treatments for resolving oviduct blockage. “The concept of oviduct blockage is not new; people have been trying to address this issue for 40 years. New research from Brazil suggested that treatment of the oviduct with a deep horn infusion (via pipette) with PGE1 could help,” says McCue.
The drug used is called Misoprostol. “Topically infusing 200 micrograms of PGE1 onto the uterotubular junction (UTJ) where the oviduct comes into the uterus—depositing PGE1 on both the left and right UTJ—might cause some dilation of the oviduct and allow a mass or blockage to pass. This would also allow sperm to get up the oviduct better, to fertilize an egg that has been ovulated, and allow the embryo to pass down through the oviduct and through the utero-tubular junction and into the uterus. This study showed a remarkable resumption of fertility potential in mares with a history of unexplained infertility. This type of prostaglandin treatment is the newest therapy for oviduct blockage, along with flushing them,” he says.
“Oviduct blockage is very difficult to diagnose. When we rule out everything else such as bacterial infection, post-mating endometritis, etc. and the
mare ovulated on schedule and the stallion is normal, it could be a blocked oviduct. Many mares have now been treated with Misoprostol, including several chronically infertile mares in our breeding program. We’ve generated pregnancies in some mares after PGE1 therapy that had not been pregnant for a number of years. We are cautiously optimistic that this may be a helpful treatment for a subgroup of mares with unexplained infertility; however, it is certainly not an effective treatment for all infertile mares,” says McCue.
“Cysts in the uterus can be another challenge, and occur mainly in middle-aged to older mares. If a mare has uterine cysts that are visible on ultrasound, this usually indicates that there is a degree of scar tissue or fibrosis within the uterine lining, leading to formation of cysts,” says McCue.
These may be potentially problematic for an embryo when it is migrating around the uterus before it attaches to the uterine lining. “Cysts are a visible sign of other underlying uterine abnormalities. If a mare has just a few relatively small cysts, they generally don’t interfere with her ability to get pregnant or stay pregnant. But if the cysts are large in size or many in number, this could be problematic,” he says.
“There are ways to get around this but the cysts are a clue that there are chronic degenerative changes within the uterus such as scar tissue. Embryo transfer can be used in these mares to bypass the uterus. There are also ways to remove the cysts, such as laser surgery or a snare for single big cysts,” he says.
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MARES WITH MORETHE MYSTERY OF IMA TYREE
By Larry Thornton
When you do pedigree research, you find individuals and, in some cases, breeding programs that you can’t find much information to verify the life of a horse or the people that were a part of that horse’s life. And sometimes, we learn that the source we need is right under our very nose.
For many years, I wondered about the history of Ima Tyree, a mare that was bred by the Flying S Ranch of Colby, Kansas, and became a contributor to the Pitzer Ranch breeding program founded by Howard Pitzer of Ericson, Nebraska. The Pitzer Ranch has been home to such champions as Two Eyed Jack, Watch Joe Jack, and Mr Baron Red. This mare has been an outstanding producer for the Pitzer Ranch and her breeder/ owner, the Flying S Ranch. That success makes her one of our Mares With More. But no one I visited with could tell me anything about the Flying S Ranch.
So, I had a mystery. I set on this mystery for several years without any real work on it. Then, something prompted me to delve into that mystery. I recently had that awakening with the passing of my good friend Carl Mills. Carl owned Harlan’s Tyree, the sire of Ima Tyree, and in our conversations, he couldn’t recall anything that helped me.
My journey down this path to discover how Ima Tyree ended up in Ericson, Nebraska, and with Howard Pitzer started with an internet search for the Flying S Ranch in Kansas. The only Flying S Ranch that came up proved to be the wrong ranch. I did know that the Flying S Ranch I was looking for was in the Colby, Kansas, area. I had also found an address, so I called a realtor, but he had no knowledge of the Flying S Ranch, and he had lived in the Colby area for 40 years. Then I went to the historical museum, which took me to Carl Saddler. This is when the name Dr. Floyd Smith Jr. came into the conversation. It was Carl’s brother Lyle, who had married a daughter of Dr. Smith’s and was running the farm that was Dr. Smith’s.
When I called Lyle, he was busy harvesting and answered his phone while emptying his loaded bin into a truck. Our visit verified that I had found what I was looking for and that I had found what was the Flying S Ranch. But he verified that much of the horse activity had come before he was running the farm. But he did tell me that John Donn had run the farm for Dr. Smith and that I should talk to his son Ike who was there during that time. Although Lyle did tell me that one of the ranch horses that had been used on the ranch was Tyrone Tyree, a son of Harlan’s Tyree. Tyrone Tyree was an AQHA halter (2) and performance (3) point earner. His dam was Miss Sas Twist, the second dam of Ima Tyree.
TWO EYED RED BARON Pitzer Ranch photo from Author’s Files
Lyle suggested that I talk to Ike Donn, and he would be able to help me more than he could. When I asked to get a number for Ike. He said just a minute; he was driving the truck that I was loading. So, he called Ike over the radio. My conversation with Ike lasted a few minutes, and he thought his brother Roy would be a better source as he had left to go to school, so that took me to Roy Donn. Now, here is the catch, Roy and I are friends on Facebook. Go figure!!!
Now, I will summarize what I found. Dr. Smith had the farm, and he hired John Donn to run the farming operation, which included cattle. Ron and Ike reported that their dad had loved horses all his life and that Dr. Smith was a horse lover as well. So, it appears to be a mutual like for horses that prompted the horse program. A program that would build into a showing enterprise and a breeding program. In a later conversation with Sue Evans, a daughter of Dr. Smith, the Flying S Ranch was his brand. It was an S with two pieces (wings) at the top, denoting the Flying S as a brand.
The Flying S Ranch and the Donn family each had success in the showing and breeding aspects of the industry. Ike and Roy spent their youth in the middle of this program. They became very good showmen, starting as youth competitors. They both earned the title of the Kansas All Around Youth. Roy did it at age 13, and Ike won it the next year. They rode Major McKee, a gelding owned by the boys. He was sired by Mike McKee, who was owned by John and James, who were brothers. This gelding would earn 111 Youth points as well as earning an open AQHA Championship and a Superior Award in Halter. Overall, he won 224.5 AQHA points in halter and performance.
Ron recalled one mare bred by the Donn Brothers was Dude’s Twiggy by Blondy’s Dude. She was a half-sister to Major McKee. This mare has no show record, but she was sold
and became a very good broodmare. She is the dam of nine performers earning 1,087 AQHA points with seven ROM and seven Superior Award winners with two AQHA Reserve World Champions and one AQHA High Point Champion. The high point horse was Shotgun Sonny, the 1980 AQHA High point Western Pleasure Horse, and the AQHA High Point Junior Western Pleasure Horse that same year, Impowered, was the 1986 AQHA Reserve World Champion Two-Year-Old Stallion, and Sheza Barn Burner was the 1978 AQHA Reserve World Champion Two-Year-Old Filly.
It seems that by 1965, the Flying S Ranch was in full swing through purchases and breeding the mares to some good stallions. Roy recalled the following, “Here is an interesting story and how only if you could go back. We went one year to Osborne, Kansas, to the Dudley and Acre Quarter Horses. Doc wanted a baby. They had a bunch of weanlings all tied to the fence. We started looking at them walking through, and there was one filly by Dick Sonoita that we liked. She wasn’t big but a really good filly. The last colt tied to the fence, Dudley wanted $10,000 for him and $5,000 for the filly we liked. Well, Doc wouldn’t pay $10,000 for a horse. But that $10,000 horse was Watch Joe Jack. If he had bought Watch Joe Jack that day, it would have changed things.” This story will show the role Watch Joe Jack plays in our look at our subject mare.
He continued, “We bought the weanling filly and showed her as a yearling. We went to the big fall show at Aksarben in Omaha. A big major show and this filly was the same age as Magnolia Gay, the great halter mare who was undefeated at the time. Charles Rydberg was the judge who put me first and Wilkie second. The first time Magnolia Gay was ever defeated.” This filly would go on to earn 35 open halter and performance points and 21 youth performance points.
The Flying S Ranch purchased the mare Flowing M Ann in 1963. Her first foal for them was King Star Twist by King Twist, foaled in 1963. This mare foaled He’ll Go Star in 1967, and he was sired by He’ll Go Dude. Ron recalled this gelding this way: “He’ll Go Star was a colt I started, and then I took him to Billy Allen, and he took him to the reining futurity. He was the 1970 NRHA Open Futurity Reserve Champion.” He went on to earn his performance ROM with 12 points in the open and youth divisions. It is at this point that Harlan’s Tyree enters the picture. He was foaled in 1963, and in 1966, he had already earned his Superior in Halter, was an AQHA Champion, and the 1966 AQHA High Point Western Pleasure Stallion. He would be fourth in the first NRHA Futurity in Columbus, Ohio, in 1966. He sired his first foals in 1966, the year Miss Sas Twist, the Flying W Ranch mare, was bred to him. She produced Tyree’s Twist in 1967. Roy remembered this gelding this way, “Tyrees Twist was the first grand champion I had in the open, and I was 14 years old.” Tyree’s Twist would go on to earn an ROM in performance, and his total record shows 48 open halter points, 21 open performance points, 33 open youth halter points, and 25 youth performance points. Miss Sas Twist would produce Tyrone Tyree in 1969. This is the gelding remembered by Lyle Saddler that earned three points in halter and two in performance.
The 1965 foal of Miss Sas Twist was Ima McKee by Mike McKee. This mare was shown one time with a win, earning two halter points in the 2-Year-Old Mare Class. She would go to the court of Harlan’s Tyree to produce Ima Tyree, our subject mare, in 1970 and Ima Tyree 2 in 1971. Both mares were unshown. It is at this point that the Pitzer Ranch becomes a focal point for the Flying S Ranch and this line of mares. Miss Sas Twist would have eight more foals from 1972 to 1981, sired by Pitzer stallions Two Eyed Jack (4) and Watch Joe Jack (4). Miss Joe
BY SAM KING
TWO EYED RED BUCK
QUARTER HORSE SALLYS PATTY FRYES JACK MCCUE JR br 1940 buck 15.3 1991 #0048099 br 1945
MCCUE sor 1938
QUARTER HORSE HARLAN HANK H KING b 14.3
SANDDRIFT WIMPY ch 1935 #0284343 b 1958 ch 1953 LA TACHITA ch 1944
IMA TYREE QUARTER HORSE TOUGHYSLITTLESISTER REY ch 1939 buck 1970 #0097276 br 1951
QUARTER HORSE
QUARTER
CHICA b 1942
Twist by Watch Joe Jack was the only performer from this set of foals, with four halter and three performance points. Miss Joe Twist was the dam of Mr Joe Will, a six-time World Champion Halter Horse. He was the 1989 World Champion Two-YearOld Gelding and the 1990 World Champion in the Three-YearOld Gelding classes at the Youth, Amateur, and Open World Shows. He was the 1991 World Champion Aged Gelding and the 1992 World Champion Aged Gelding in the Amateur World Show. Triangle Twisty, a daughter of Miss Joe Twist, is the dam of Coolest Twisty, a Superior Open Halter Horse with 53 points and 37.5 youth and amateur halter points, and Mr Joe Skancy with 27.5 halter points in the open and youth.
Ima McKee found her way to Ericson, Nebraska, at the same time that her dam Miss Sas Twist did. Her next foal after Ima Tyree 2 was Miss Sassy Bell and then Poopsie Jean by Baron Bell in 1972 and 1973. She was bred to Two Eyed Jack to get Two Eyed Dutchman in 1976. This gelding earned 22 open halter points, three performance points, and 16 youth halter points. Her 1977 foal was Watch Joe McKee by Watch Joe Jack with one halter point. The 1978, 1979, and 1980 foals for this mare were Jack Eyed Pal, Ima Jack Eyed, and Jack Eyed McKee, all by Jack Eyed. Ima, Jack Eyed, earned one AQHA halter point. Then, the 1981 and 1982 foals were Ima Dondi Jo and Jo Ima Dondi by Dondi Joe Jack. The last foal out of Ima McKee was Joe Jack Mac by Watch Joe Jack in 1984.
Reserve High Point All Around Horse as well as the High Point Senior All Around Horse and the High Point All Around Stallion. He was the 2001 AQHA High Point Heeling Horse.
Watch Tyree, sired by Watch Joe Jack, was the 1977 foal out of Ima Tyree. This stallion was purchased by Reed and Barbara Kettlewell for their Sunup Ranch in Brainerd, Minnesota. He was unshown but became a sire for their breeding program. He sired only 53 foals in his 10 years of life, with only 14 performers that earned 227 points, including the Superior halter horses Ima Petite Lady and Tyrees Tuffy. Watch Tyree sired 35 daughters that produced 23 performers who earned 4,081 points. The leading point earner was Blueboy Dreamer, with six AQHA Superior Awards in the youth, open, and amateur divisions. Zans Tyree Drifter by Zans Parr Sun and out of Tyrita George by Watch Tyree is a senior sire for the Sunup Ranch. He is the sire of horses like Drifters Good Nic, a Co-NE-Wyo Stock Horse Open Champion.
WATCH JOE JACK THE $10,000 WEANLING
Pitzer Ranch photo from Author’s Files
Ima Tyree joined her dam and grand-dam at the Pitzer Ranch in 1974 when she was bred to Two Eyed Jack, producing Two Eyed Tyree in 1975. This gelding would earn 66 open halter points, 129 open performance points, and 19 youth points. He was Superior in halter and steer roping. He was an AQHA Champion.
TWO EYED RED BUCK SHOWING HIS CONFORMATION
Pitzer Ranch Photo from the Author’s Files
They bred Ima Tyree back to Two Eyed Jack for the 1976 foal Ima Two Eyed. This mare was unshown, but she was the dam of Two Eyed Red Baron by Mr Baron Red. Two Eyed Red Baron earned 567.5 open halter and performance points. He was Superior in Heading, Heeling, and Tie-Down Roping, earning an AQHA Performance Championship. He was the 2001 AQHA
Ima Watch Joe was a 1978 mare by Watch Joe Jack and out of Ima Tyree. She was another unshown horse. She became the dam of 15 foals with six performers. Her performers include A Stroke Ahead, an AQHA Performance Champion with Superiors in halter, western horsemanship, and Western pleasure. Her foal Ima Talk About introduces the versatility of this line. He was an AQHA youth Superior Reining Horse. Her foal Ima Passing Breeze continues that versatility as he earned 183 points in a variety of events, including western pleasure, trail, showmanship, western horsemanship, hunter under saddle, hunt seat, and trail.
Tyree Joe was a 1979 stallion sired by Watch Joe Jack and out of Ima Tyree. He was unshown and was the sire of 61 foals with five arena performers with one point earner. His point earner was Partons Poco Tyree. As a maternal grandsire, his 32 daughters produced five performers, including Too Slick Two Watch, with 58.5 points in heading and heeling.
Watch Jo Tyree was a 1980 mare by Watch Joe Jack and out of Ima Tyree. She earned 246 AQHA points in the open and youth divisions. She earned a Superior in Western pleasure and heading. She was also shown in heeling. She is the dam of
horses like Reds Fancy Tyree, the 1996 AQHA World Champion Junior Heading Horse with Superiors in Amateur Heading and Heeling, Watch Me Chic, an AQHA Superior Heading and Heeling Horse, and AQHA Champion, DA Lucky Buck, an ROM earner in the open and amateur with 69 points and Watch Me Pulse with an open ROM and 47 AQHA points.
Tyrees Watch was the 1981 foal of Watch Joe Jack and Ima Tyree. He was unshown but sired 221 foals with 19 performers, including Tyrees Pojo, the 2005 AQHA Youth Reserve World Champion Heeling Horses, with 32 youth points and Tyrees Maid with 69.5 AQHA points, and Watch Speedy Tyree with 49 AQHA points.
Joe Tyree Joe was born in 1982 to Watch Joe Jack and Ima Tyree. He was unshown but the sire of 78 foals with two-point earners. He was followed by Jackie Joe Tyree, a filly from this mating. She was a halter class winner. Watch Harlan Ty, a gelding who came in 1985, and he has no show record in the AQHA. Watcha Tyree was born in 1986, and she was the dam of Eye Doc Rh, the 1999-2000-2001 AQHA International High Point Calf Roping Horse. Ms Ima Joe was foaled in 1987, and she was unshown. When she was crossed with Mr Red Baron, she produced Mr Harlan Jack, who earned 132 AQHA points with a Superiors in heading and heeling.
Association Champion in heading, heeling, and tie-down roping. Down To Tyree is another son of Watch Tyree Two who replaced his sire at the Sunup Ranch. Watch Tyree Two, the broodmare sire of 13-point earners who have earned 277 points. The leading winner is Watch My Lena Dot, who has 50 open performance points and two halter points.
Watch Tyree Two was the last foal for Ima Tyree, who was sired by Watch Joe Jack. Despite the fact that they didn’t buy Watch Joe Jack as a weanling, the Flying S Ranch was able to use his services through the Pitzer Ranch. It proved to be a pretty good nick for all the connections.
But Ima Tyree wasn’t done yet. Her 1991 foal was Two Eyed Red Buck by Mr Baron Red. This horse would earn 29.5 halter points and 241 performance points to become an AQHA Champion with Superiors in heading and heeling. He was the 1996 AQHA High Point Heading Stallion. As a sire, he has 164 performers earning 9,882 points with 92 ROM, six AQHA Champions, 36 Superior Award winners earning 65 Superior Awards, two World Champions, and three High Point winners earning four High Point Awards. The AQHA World Champions include Two Eyed Shooter Buck, the 2013 AQHA World Champion Senior Heeling Horse, and Red Bucks Dunit, the 2010 AQHA Select World Champion Heeling Horse.
When Watch Tyree died, Barbara Kettlewell and her daughter Victoria bought Watch Tyree Two to make him a Sunup Ranch stallion. He was a 1989 stallion by Watch Joe Jack and Ima Tyree. He was shown one time at halter with a win. His sire record shows that he is the sire of 13-point earners with 277 AQHA points. He is the sire of six ROMs with two Superior Award winners. The Superior performers are Ima Tyree Two Watch in heeling with 84 points and Sunups Misty Star in Heading with 84 points. Sunups Tyree was one of two stallions to replace Watch Tyree Two when he died. He is coowned by the Crow Bar Ranch and has an ROM in performance with 40 AQHA performance points. He was a Minnesota Quarter Horse
ZANS TYREE DRIFTER CARRYING THE LEGACY OF IMA TYREE ON AT THE SUNUP RANCH.
Two Eyed Red Buck proved to be a very proficient sire of rope horses.
When we look at his Superior Award winners, we see that eight of them have earned 24 Superior Awards in Heading, Heeling, and Tie-Down Roping. This makes them AQHA Performance Champions as horses that have earned three Superior Awards in one of the three divisions, either the open, amateur, or youth. They include Red Bucks Joe Jack, Mr Gold Bucks, Watch Bucks Jackie, Watch Two Eyed Buck, Im Buckin Two, Two Eyed Shooter Buck, KI Two Eyed, and Watch Red Bucks Dun. They won their Performance Championships in heading, heeling, and tie-down roping. Two Eyed Red Buck is a noted sire in the American Buckskin Registry
WATCH TYREE TWO GREAT SIRE FOR THE SUNUP RANCH
Photo Courtesy the Sunup Ranch
Photo Courtesy the Sunup Ranch
Association, and his foals include Bucks N Moore (3), Rodeo Eyed (2), Red Buck Dunit (3), and Watch Red Buck Dun (1), who have earned nine ABRA World Championships.
The broodmare sire record for Two Eyed Red Buck currently shows 160-point earners earning 5,365.5 points with 101 ROM with 15 Superior Award winners that earned 25 Superiors, three AQHA Champions, three World Champions, and six AQHA High Point Award winners with 15 High Point Awards. One of his performers is With All Eyes On Me, the 2011 AQHA World Champion Junior Heading Horse and the 2013 World Champion Amateur Heading Horse, with two Amateur Superiors in Heading and Heeling and one in open heeling. Cowpuncher Cadillac earned three Superior Awards in Ranch Riding, Ranch Trail, and Western Rail. He was the 2022 and 2023 AQHA High Point Ranch Riding Stallion, the 2023 AQHA High Point Ranch Trail Stallion, and he was an AQHA Champion.
The last two foals out of Ima Tyree were Ima Red Tyree, a 1992 mare with no show or produce record, and Mr Tyree Red, a horse with an ROM and 15 performance points. Mr Tyree Red is the sire of five AQHA point earners. His leading point earner is Ty Two Jack, who is Superior in heading and heeling with 158.5 points.
PEDIGREE NOTES
Ima Tyree was sired by Harlan’s Tyree and out of Ima McKee, who was sired by Mike McKee. He was unshown in the AQHA. He was the sire of 15 AQHA point earners with three ROMs. After Major McKee, the ROM were Skyline McKee, who earned a total of 18 halter and performance points, and Corky McKee with 5.5 points. Wyoming Baldy was another point earner, but he was not ROM, earning 13 AQHA points in halter and performance. As a broodmare sire, Mike McKee had foals that earned 1,083.5 points, 36-point earners, six ROMs, one AQHA Champion, and three Superior Award winners with six Superior Awards earned. His daughter Texie Bee McKee, bred by James Donn and owned by John Donn, was a successful producer, and she was the dam of the three Superior Award winners. They were Miss Smokey Duster, who earned 448 AQHA points earning Superiors in Amateur Western Pleasure and Open Western Pleasure, Smokeys Gray with 250 AQHA points with Superiors in Open Halter and Open Western Pleasure as well as an AQHA Champion, and Smokey Lil Bee, with 157 AQHA points with 2 Superiors in youth and open western pleasure. All three of these foals were bred by John Donn. Mike McKee was sired by Frito by Manitobian by Chubby by Midnight by Badger by Peter McCue. The dam of Frito was Texie Bee by Barney Troutman by Billy McCue by Jack McCue by Peter McCue. The dam of Mike McKee was Sadie McKee by Chicaro Bill. Chicaro Bill was sired by Chicaro, and he was
out of Verna Grace by Little Joe. The dam of Sadie McKee was Beulah Burns by Black Joe by Little Joe.
TWO EYED JACK THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IN THE FOALS OF IMA TYREE
Pitzer Ranch photo from Author’s files
Ima Mckee was out of Miss Sas Twist, and her sire was King Twist, who was ROM in performance, earning his AQHA points in halter (1), reining (5), cutting (1), and tie-down roping (3). He was the sire of 19 AQHA point earners, earning 268.5 points with eight ROM and one AQHA Champion with one High Point winner. Leading the way was Misty Joe Twist, stakes winner of the 1957 Nebraska Bred Futurity. In the arena, she was the 1960 AQHA High Point Reining Mare with 63.5 performance points in her career. Red King Twist was the AQHA Champion with 38 AQHA points in halter and performance. The broodmare sire record for King Twist, his daughter’s produced 87-point earners with 26 ROM, with four Superior Award winners earning eight Superior Awards. As a sire of racehorses, he sired the winners of $30,630 with nine ROM and three stakes’ winners. His performance foals include Twist My Doo Doc, who earned Superior Awards in Open and Youth Western Pleasure, Youth Trail, and Youth Halter. He earned two Youth Supreme Champion, two youth and one 0pen AQHA Championships and an AQHA Versatility Award. Twist A Doc was an AQHA Superior Western Pleasure Horse, and Docs Upstart earned 185 open, youth, and amateur halter and performance points, earning ROMs in the open and youth divisions. Twist My Doo Doc, Twist A Doc, and Docs Upstart were all out of Wauneta Twist, daughter of King Twist. Madame Beau Very, who was out of Miss Gold Twist by King Twist, was Superior in open and youth trials. The three stakes’ winners were King Twist Devil, winner of the 1970 Gateway Downs Futurity, Baby Twist Devil, the winner of the 1972 Nebraska Futurity, and Runcita, the winner of the Nebraskaland Stallion Futurity. The dam of Baby Twist Devil was Pagosa Twist, and she was a full sister to Wauneta Twist dam of Twist My Doo Doc, Twist A Doc and Docs Upstart.
The sire of King Twist was Hard Twist, the 1946 AQHA Racing Champion Stallion. He was sired by Cowboy P-12 and out of Miss Taylor by Jack Dempsey. The dam of King Twist was L H Susie by King P-234. The dam of Miss Sas Twist was Royal Kate and was sired by Royal King by King P-234. This gives Ima Tyree a breeding pattern of 4 x 5 x 5 breeding pattern to King P-234. We can also note that Ima Tyree has a breeding pattern of 6 x 6 x 6 x 7 to Little Joe, the maternal grandsire of King P-234. We don’t know all the particulars on the life of Ima Tyree, but she was always owned by the Flying S Ranch, and the Pitzer Ranch and Flying S shared her foals as the breeders. We do know that she was a very good producer, which makes her one of our Mares With More. A blue hen of a great family of horses from the Flying S Ranch of Colby, Kansas..
Beautiful custom southwest style home on 40 irrigated acres! Very attractive, well built, and efficient home in one of the best locations on RogersMesa. Incredibly private & secluded and surrounded by other larger orchards, ranches and farms. Very well maintained. Pride of ownership shows throughout the entire 40 acres. Spectacular mountain and
Myles Roberts | Broker
WesternColoradoRealty.com
116 W. Bridge St., Hotchkiss, CO
Office Phone: 970-872-2236
Cell Phone: 970-234-3391
MylesRoberts44@gmail.com
valley
views! The home has solar hot water heat, with gas back-up, a free-standing gas-log stove, and a mini-split for heating & cooling as well. Solar also preheats the domestic hot water.
Nice layout with a split floor plan and open great room with vaulted ceilings. Kitchen has a bar and 2 large pantries to store everything you can imagine. 3rd room for bedroom (no closet) or office.
Both baths have custom tile floors and both are wheelchair accessible. Well landscaped with a beautiful yard with expansive lawns, auto sprinklers, shrubs and lots of trees.
Large courtyard and covered patios, and a hot tub to relax in after a days work on the farm. The irrigated hay
fields and pastures are very productive, immaculate and incredibly well maintained. The large hay field is irrigated via side-roll sprinkler that is gravity fed (no pump required), and the east hay field and turnout pastures are irrigated via gated pipe.
Great horse set-up with 2 loafing sheds and dry-lot corrals and auto livestock waterers, and separate turn-out pastures.
Incredible 30’ x 50’ shop with 20’overhangs on both sides, 220 elec.,12’ & 8’ high OH doors, a sink, an office,and a woodstove for heat. Tack shed,garden shed, greenhouse and a 40’ x60’ steel frame hay barn.
Property has a Conservation Easement on it, and so do a number of other surrounding properties, which protects the privacy and seclusion of this beautiful & very special area. This is truly a One-OfA-Kind location and property!
$1,150,000
11746 HIGHWAY 16, CUSTER, SD | 3 BEROOMS, 2.5 BATHS, 32.74 ACERS
SPOIL YOURSELF!!! UNIQUE 1 OF A KIND EXECUTIVE RETREAT in the Black Hills, just west of Custer. Beautiful custom-built open floor plan Hearthstone log home with no covenants. Bordered by USFS lands on 3 sides. Thousands of acres of US Forest Service lands to explore. Country living at its finest. Property currently is receiving Ag tax status as tree farm. Pride of ownership shows throughout the property. Owners have left no detail untouched. Custom in ground outdoor saltwater pool with automatic pool cover. Custom powder-coated pool fencing. Indoor and outdoor fireplaces. Monitored security system. 4 car detached garage. Basketball court. Copper gutters and down spouts. Copper clad windows and doors. The entire house has a ducted air purifier. Custom BD Barnmaster barn with attractive apartment. 22 stalls each with heated automatic waters. Most stalls have doors to outside paddocks. Morton building. RV hookups. 3 wells. Spring fed pond with regulated spillway. Haven for wildlife.
record-Breaking success at tHe 25tH return to tHe reMuda sale
Guthrie, Texas – October 10, 2024 — The 25th Return to the Remuda Sale, featuring horses from the renowned ranches of Beggs Cattle Company, Four Sixes Ranch, Tongue River Ranch, Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company, King Ranch, and Wagonhound Land & Livestock, on September 28 concluded with remarkable results. A total of 148 horses were sold, grossing $3,327,700 and a record-breaking average of $22,484 per horse, marking a 5.5% increase from the previous record of $21,307 and an 18% rise compared to 2023.
The largest gains were seen in the 2-year-old and aged fillies, whose average prices soared by more than 53%. Additionally, aged geldings enjoyed a significant rise, with a 47.5% increase in average sale prices, demonstrating strong market demand for these exceptional horses.
Buyers from Arkansas, Colorado, Alabama, Texas, California, Idaho, Oklahoma, Georgia, Utah, Virginia, Kansas, New York, Florida, North Carolina, Nebraska, Wyoming, Tennessee, Arizona, Iowa, and New Mexico participated in the sale. In addition, the sale attracted international interest, with buyers from Mexico, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic adding a global element to the event.
“The Return to the Remuda Sale is comprised of six historic ranches, most of which were established well over a hundred years ago and all American Quarter Horse Association Best Remuda Award winners. Buyers leave confident, knowing that every horse from these ranches has decades of knowledge poured into them. Whether it be through intentional breeding selection, excellent husbandry, or being developed by top cowboys, there is no better source.” stated Four Sixes Ranch Horse Division
Manager and Resident Veterinarian Nathan Canaday, DVM. The Top 6 High Sellers:
$120K #71 Smart Ingredient | Johns Creek, GA 2012 sorrel gelding (WR This Cats Smart – Natural Ingredient, by Peppy San Badger) Four Sixes Ranch/Dusty Burson
$110K #133 Bet Its Sunshines | San Antonio, TX 2013 red dun gelding (Bet Hesa Cat – Sunshine Ingredient, by Mr Sun O Lena) Four Sixes Ranch/Zane Herrin
$68K #77 Becaco Will | Albany, TX 2020 red roan gelding (CD Son Of Magnolia – Becaco Diamond Girl, by Doctor Echo) Beggs Cattle Company/Darren Johnson
$62 #47 WR Future | San Antonio, TX 2015 sorrel gelding (WR This Cats Smart – Stylish Future, by Playin Stylish) Four Sixes Ranch/Joe Leathers
$60K #97 Brims Cat | San Antonio, TX 2014 sorrel gelding (WR This Cats Smart – Brims Fever, by Playboys Buck Fever) Four Sixes Ranch/Spur Leathers
$58K #61 Becaco Cat One | Encinal, TX 2020 gray gelding (Very Especial Cat – Ms Becaco Goldie, by CD Son Of Magnolia) Beggs Cattle Company/Darren Johnson
The Return to the Remuda Sale continues to set new benchmarks, and plans for next year are already underway. The dates for the 2025 event have been set for September 26-27.
The Blue Valentine & Driftwood Heritage Production Sale breeders hosted their annual event in September with an ONLINE Sale. The BV&D Producers again demonstrated that outstanding horses, proven Blue Valentine and Driftwood genetics, and dedicated breeders combine for a successful sale.
Many online bidders from nearly 30 states and three countries, USA, Mexico, and Canada checked on the internet and bid on the 57 lots. Horses found new homes stretching coast to coast throughout 21 states ranging from Montana to Arizona plus Canada.
The fantastic sale featured 2024 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.
Topping the list at $14K was a 3-year-old talented gelding eligible for all AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge and Futurities, raised and started by Lauing Ranch. Lot 33 LR BIG JOES PAT was even hauled to the mountains in Idaho, where he made good choices riding on the narrow mountain trails. Sporting “Cowgent’s” colossal work ethic, he is making his new home in Powell, Wyoming, where he will have a terrific future.
2024 again brought a thrilling opportunity for youth ages 16 and under to bid on the KIDS BID ONLY Lot 40 offered by Lauing Ranch. The colt is a laid-back, easy-going, and correct bay roan sired by JM ROWDY BLUE HAYES [aka Big Joe] out of a great producing Lauing mare with top-notch babies year after year. She has foals spread all over the country. The excited winning bidder was a terrific 12-year-old young man from Georgia. We appreciate all the super kids and their family’s interest in our
horses and programs, along with the friendships it creates. Where else are you going to find this excellent opportunity year after year?
Proceeds from the KIDS BID Lot fund our annual BV&D scholarship for students pursuing post-secondary education in agriculture and/or education. We are honored to announce Paden Belkham as our 2024 winner. Mr. Belkham is a remarkable young man who is no ordinary youth. As a 2024 South Dakota State High School Rodeo Champion, he is attending Ranger Junior College in Texas, majoring in Ag Business while continuing to rodeo.
The highest selling weanling filly, Lot 26, was a beautiful bay roan by BONNY BLUES and out of SASSYWOOD FOX, a BLUE FOX HANCOCK daughter. This show-stopping filly from Lauing Ranch sold to Indiana for $10,200. Lot 2, the second high-selling filly, was also sired by BONNY BLUES out of Revue Hydel Hancock, a Revue Hancock daughter. This gorgeous black filly has a new home in Wyoming for $9,900. Close behind at $8,500 was Lot 11, another BONNY BLUES sired bay roan filly out of top producing mare, Classy Blue Chucker, sold to repeat Kentucky buyer.
Weanling stallion honors go to Lot 4 at $7,600 to Iowa, a fantastic blue roan stallion sired by Lauing Ranch’s stallion LR BLUE BOYS BONNET. Followed closely by a BONNY BLUES sired weanling stallion out of a Plenty Try bred dam at $5,000, selling to repeat Kentucky buyers.
The top-selling mare, Lot 31 CHEYENNE FROST SEV, which brought $7,300 from a buyer in South Dakota, was a 2017 mare offered by Moonshine Creek Quarter Horses from Arkansas. She is a lovely moving bay granddaughter of Sun Frost with some added Driftwood. Moonshine Creek again brought outstanding Red Roan Raider, and WYO Roan Advantage bred weanlings finding new homes.
2024 Sugar Bars Legacy Sale Report
September 22, 2024
Sheridan County Fairgrounds, Sheridan, WY
The sale preserving the Legacy of the great Sugar Bars. Over 80 heads sold.
Top Selling Horses
20 SADDLE HORSES SOLD
Heck O Plenty, 2019 Grey gelding sired by TC McCoy Blue by Blue Bomber, from Emma Morrison to buyer 1531 from WY for $41,000.
Profit In Shine, 2019 Buckskin gelding sired by Hes Busy Shining out of Profits Royal Fox, from Haight Ranch to buyer 210 from MT for $38,500.
Fastest Gun In Town, 2021 Palomino gelding sired by Chexs Smoken Pistol out of Fast Gunnin, Dakota from Kelly Walker to buyer161 from Burns Co. for $28,000.
Lot 70, Shiny Cinch, 2018 Grullo gelding sired by Shinycolonelfreckls out of Cassy Meow, from Mark Ferries to Cafo Ranch from WY. for $18,000.
9 YEARLINGS SOLD
Lot 54, Doc O Diamond Joe, May 2023 Sorrel gelding sired by San Catalena Sugar out of I Can Keep A Secret, from 3D Quarter Horses to buyer 206 from MT. for $6,500.
Mister Black DRR, May 2023 Black gelding sired by Shiny Blue Boon Drout of Ima Black Dixie Mist ,from Becky Bateman to buyer 166 from SD for $6,000.
Dual Boon Champ, May 2023 Bay Roan gelding sired by HEAZ Blue Champ out of Daisy Dee Blue, from Becky Bateman to buyer 219 from WY for $5,500.
Baying At The Moon, May 2023 Bay Roan gelding sired by HEZA Blue Champ out of Jewell Diamond Star, from John Ennis to buyer 207 from WY $5,25
44 WEANLING SOLD
Lot 35, BEA Boonsmal Cowboy, June 2024 Red Roan colt sired by Quixote Boonsmal x Sir BEA Cowboy, from Long Ranch to buyer 231 for $6,000
Lot 47, HR Colonel Roo, April 2024 Bay colt sired by MIA Colonel Rooster out of Profits Paige, from Haight Ranch to buyer 231 From WY for $5,800
Quixote Cowboy, May, 2024 Sorrel/Roan colt sired by Quixote Boonsmal out of Gunsmoken Cowgirl, from Long Ranch to buyer 23 from WY for $5,500.
Lot 15x, HR Redwood Shine, “Wild Card Colt”, Mar. 2024 Palomino colt sired by Hes Busying Shining X PC Redwood Ike, from Haight Ranch to buyer 187 from IA for $5,250
Lot 26, HR Roosters Jewel, Apr. 2024 Buckskin filly sired by MIA Colonel Rooster out of HR Neat Nita, from Haight Ranch to buyer 179 from SD for $4,600
All weanling and yearling are dependents of Sugar Bars. Plan on joining next year Sept. 20th & 21st in Sheridan WY.
RIDING GELDINGS
Lot 1
$51K Two Cats C17
(Catsanova Cowboy x MZ Nancy Cat, Tonto Nance)
Seller | Weber Quarter Horses, LLC
TOP 5 AVG: $30.4K
RIDING MARES
Lot 61
$37.5K TBR Miss Kitty
(Tee Baron Red x HB Pretty Pepoleo, Handy Blue Tiger)
Seller | Charles & Rebecca Peterson
TOP 5 AVG: $23.2K
3 Y/O
Lot 60 $16,200 Shot Of Whiskey W21
(Whiskey W15 x Perty Playgun Polly, Gringo Pistolero)
Seller | Wes & Casie Roberts
TOP 5 AVG: $15,290
2 Y/O
Lot 14
$14.5K Miss Playgun P22 (Playgun Watcher x CCC Watch Miss Iron, CCC Absolute Iron) Seller | Weber Quarter Horses, LLC
TOP 5 AVG: $10.5K
YEARLINGS
Lot 29 $10.5K High Browed Tees C23
(Catsanova Cowboy x Tee Dull Dee Dun, Tee Baron Red)
Seller | Weber Quarter Horses, LLC
TOP 5 AVG: $8,140
WEANLINGS
Lot 46 $6K Dandy Cat C24 (Catsanova Cowboy x NR Blue Angel, Niobrara Rocket)
Seller | Weber Quarter Horses, LLC
TOP 5 AVG: $5,160
BROODMARES
Lot 19
$7.7K Red Driftin Tyree
(Drifti Smaug x Oak Creek Tyree, Tyree To Watch)
Seller - Weber Quarter Horses, LLC
3 HEAD AVG: $5,767
Overall, it was a good sale. We only no-saled 3 of our own and they were weanlings. We had a great turnout that filled the barn to overflowing, even though the temps were pushing 100. We do not plan on having a 2025 sale, which means we might entertain selling some weanlings out of the 2025 foal crop at private treaty.
As usual, we had the ranch stallions and broodmares visible to the public. On Friday night we had a steak dinner in the tent, prepared by the Battershaw Family. The little tykes had a blast on the sand pile and the petting pen of some of my ranch pets was a big hit!
Thanks to all who attended and participated, but special thanks to sale personnel and our ranch help especially, as they worked day and night getting everything ready for the sale!
Denny & Doris Lauing
2024 Annual Production Sale Results
Denny & Doris Lauing, owners of Lauing Mill Iron L Ranch, of Sturgis South Dakota held their 19th Annual Quarter Horse Production Sale with an online bidding platform in late August 2023. Pro Horse Services; a custom Horse Marketing business operated by Mike and Stephanie Jennings managed the online specialty livestock sale with 30 head being offered.
Bidders Registered from twenty-seven states encompassing the United States and Canada. The Lauing’s were pleased with all of the interest and online views and the number of new customers that purchased horses.
High selling weanling, Lot number 12, a black filly sired by Mr Sassy Frenchman (Frenchmans Guy X Jess Sass Me) out of a home-raised mare; Paddys Bold Ruler (Irish Pay X Lady Bar Horn) a senior dam of the Lauing’s bringing $10,000 and purchased by a long-time client.
Lot 11, a 2023 red roan stud colt sired by Smart Little Sannman (Sannman X Lil Pepto Valentine) a grandson of Metallic Cat out of home-raised mare Comos Playboys Girl (Comos Cottoneye X Watch Playboy Girl). This stud colt is a forth generation offspring raised by the Lauing’s that was sold to a SD buyer fetching $8,300.
Congratulations to a Minnesota buyer who was successful on Lot 7, bringing $8,000, a Palomino filly out of Ima Special Kinda Guy (Frenchmans Guy X Melt Away) and Peptos Pretty Oak (Peptos Stylish Oak X Another Pretty Pep). The overall average of the weanlings sold was $4200.
The Lauing’s sold a 7 year old gelding born and raised in their program. A big stout 15 hand sorrel DL Driftwood Badger (Dare To Be French X Woodys Lady Love) sold for $10,500. DL Smart Lil Cat (Smart Little Sannman X DL Hickory N Whiskey), a gray yearling sold for $5,700 and found his new home with a young man who is going to break him and train him for high school rodeo and ranching.
Denny and Doris was pleased to work with Professional Horse Services and wants to thank all of the registered buyers and bidders for their participation. Your ongoing support and confidence in our program is greatly appreciated. Watch for news on our 2025 sale. Follow our ranch updates on our website www.lauingmillironlranch.com or our Facebook Page.
Happy Trails!
Mr Sassy Frenchman x Paddys Bold Ruler (By Paddys Irish Whiskey)
Smart Little Sannman x Comos Playboys Girl (By Metallic Cat)
Ima Special Kinda Guy x Peptos Pretty Oak (By Frenchmans Guy)
The St Clair Family hosted a beautiful twoday event welcoming a large crowd with buyers purchasing from 13 states. Friday events included the St Clair Performance Horses Futurity and the Jackpot Roping.
•Rudy Kurtz won the futurity with a beautiful 4year old black mare out of Four Bonnie Bay and a Cat Ichi daughter.
•Josh Mongan and Jed Martsching won the jackpot and Logan Allen and Ty Redman won the SF Incentive.
• Riders averaged $12,595
• Top rider was $35,000 – Lot 92, consigned by Matt Mardis, beautiful 4-year old sorrel gelding
• 2nd high seller was $28,500 – Lot 66, consigned by Rudy Kurtz, bred by St Clair’s, a gorgeous 4-year old black mare
• Top 10 riders averaged $21,900
• Top 20 riders averaged $17,638
• Yearlings averaged $5,127
• Mares averaged $4,700
• Weanlings averaged $2,118
