HAUL HOW IS THE RANCH HORSE MARKET?

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1 HAUL SAFE P. 74 HOW IS THE 64 RANCH HORSE MARKET? P.

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4 36 This breeder has been raising quality ranch horses for more than half a century. DARRELL DODDS 2016 WINTER Table of Contents C O L U M N S 8 Calendar and News News and events in the world of ranching 10 Back at the Ranch Goodbye for Now, My Friend By AQHA Director of Ranching Kim Lindsey Remembering a good friend 12 Nowhere With Doc Brock Binder Twine By Dr. Bo Brock Thank heaven for friends 14 Winter Chill Photo by Chris Dickinson Work continues, regardless of the weather. 90 Ranch Writing The Big Die-Up By Jim Jennings The winter of was hard on ranchers. 92 Focused Determination Photo by Andrea Caudill A young and fearless competitor 18 Grand Finale By Andrea Caudill The year s Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenges come to an end with a bang. 26 Stock-Horse Express By Andrea Caudill Stock Horse of Texas crowns its world champions. 30 Teaming Up By Sara Gugelmeyer Collegiate stock horse teams benefit students, colleges and the ranch horse industry. 36 Breeding Book By Richard Chamberlain Leroy and Sylvia Hauerland bring Oswald blood to South Texas. 42 Live Cover By Abigail Boatwright Tips for successful live cover breeding 48 Justin Stanton By Andrea Caudill Is it really work when you re doing what you love? 52 Getting Ranchy By Abigail Boatwright Want to show in ranch horse classes? Here s what you and your horse should wear. 58 Transitions By Buster McLaury with Andrea Caudill Learn to control the glue that holds all the parts together. 64 Ranch Sale Wrap By Richard Chamberlain The market holds up for ranch horses. 70 Boredom Busters By Andrea Caudill Stuck inside? Try these exercises all you need is your horse and a bale of hay. 74 In for the Long Haul By Jennifer Horton Tips for safe long-distance hauling ABOUT THE COVER AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder and 50-year breeder Leroy Hauerland brings Oswald to Texas. PHOTO BY Darrell Dodds ABIGAIL BOATWRIGHT 2 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL 52 What to wear when you show in ranch classes

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6 42 How can you use live cover breeding to your best advantage? VOL. 1 NO.2 WINTER 2016 Editorial EDITOR Andrea Caudill SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR Larri Jo Starkey EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Dana Turk Advertising BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Ferron Lucero ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Kelly Hess ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jazlyn Rice ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Alex Morcom ACCOUNT SERVICE Geneva Madrid Brown Art/Production PUBLICATION PRODUCTION LIAISON Eula Utsey PUBLICATIONS AND DESIGN LIAISON Lucy Jimenez GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Cathy Wheeler, Clint Swearingen, David Brown PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Monica Wing Ranch Horse Journal is published by AQHA MEDIA CHIEF PUBLISHING OFFICER Carl Mullins CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Lauren Walsh EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rebecca Newell DIRECTOR OF ART, PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Tim Archer 1600 Quarter Horse Drive, Amarillo TX P. O. Box 32470, Amarillo, TX Fax aqhajrnl@aqha.org Circulation (806) Journal Advertising Bookkeeping , Ext Office Hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CST) American Quarter Horse Association PRESIDENT Sandy Arledge EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Craig Huffhines Customer Service Records Research Spanish Line Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CST) AQHA Web Site: ABIGAIL BOATWRIGHT Ranch Horse Journal is the official publication of the American Quarter Horse Association. Published quarterly at 1600 Quarter Horse Dr., Amarillo, TX. Address all correspondence to Ranch Horse Journal, P. O. Box 32470, Amarillo, TX Periodicals postage paid at Amarillo, Texas, and at additional mailing offices. The editors welcome manuscripts and pictures, but accept no responsibility for such material while in their hands. It is the policy of Ranch Horse Journal not to accept for editorial purposes any photograph which depicts a horse not in compliance with the rules of the American Quarter Horse Association, as stated in the Official Handbook of AQHA. Ranch Horse Journal does not condone the alteration of horses in photographs that appear in advertisements within the magazine, and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of photographs supplied by other than its own staff. It is the reader s responsibility to satisfy himself concerning the appearance and conformation of a horse before making a business decision. Ranch Horse Journal is an official publication of the American Quarter Horse Association. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States and Possessions, $4.25 per copy. One year $12.95, two years $ Canada one year $ International one year $ U.S. funds only. Periodical postage paid at Amarillo, Texas, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2001 by The American Quarter Horse Association. All rights reserved. For Microfilm Reproductions contact University Microfilm, Serial Acquisition Dpt., 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI CHANGE OF ADDRESS: POSTMASTER, send Form 3579 to Ranch Horse Journal P. O. Box 32470, Amarillo, TX Canada subscribtions: Canada Post Agreement Number Send change of address information and blocks of undeliverable copies for Canada subscribers to DPGM Walker Rd Windsor, ON N9A6J3. Changes cannot be made without the old address as well as the new. Changes must be made 45 days before date of publication. ADVERTISING RATES: available on request. Printed in U.S.A. BETSY LYNCH

7 FRECKLES PLAYBOY GAY JAY JEWEL S LEO BARS PLAYGUN DOC S HICKORY MISS SILVER PISTOL PISTOL LADY 2 BE GIMMIE A PLAYGUN DOC O LENA SMART LITTLE LENA SMART PEPPY GIMME A LITTLE SUGAR MORIA SUGAR SON O SUGAR STAY WITH ME Herda N/N 5 Panel N/N Owned by: THELMA THOMPSON PO Box 2064, Liberty Hill, TX Standing at: OXBOW COW HORSES Contact: DENNIS R HARRIS Picasso, Wichita Falls, TX oxbowcowhorses@gmail.com AQHA 2004 Gray 2017 Breeding Fee: $900 Shipped Semen Available Discount For Multiple Bookings Includes Chute Fee Cooled, Frozen & Int l RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

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10 RANCHING NEWS & CALENDARS Robin Glenn Pedigrees Catalog Builder HORSE SALE MANAGERS HAVE A NEW TOOL AT THEIR DISPOSAL, for consigner notes, photographs and more. with the Robin Glenn Pedigrees Catalog Builder V1. Anyone who can order items on Amazon.com or put a This program offers a Web-based pedigree writer and sale photo on Facebook can produce a sale catalog with this program, says Robin Glenn, RGP senior director. It s the catalog management system for performance horses, which gives people a user-friendly, turnkey system for creating and same concept: Simply complete an online form on each managing a sale catalog, from pre-written pedigree pages to horse, upload your sale horse photos, and copy and paste printer files to promotion on the Web. your video links. The program does the rest of the work for The end result is a printer-ready, app-ready and Webready catalog, complete with a covering sire reference, as A free demonstration, plus complete information is avail- you. well as consignor, sire, dam and horse indexes. It also allows able at catalogs.robinglenn.com. Places Go Oh, the You ll WHEN CHAUNTE KLOS OF LAKEWOOD, COLORADO, BOUGHT Itwowillbuckyouoff in early 2015, all she knew was she was buying a nice mare. The college student needed a horse to work with, and wanted an American Quarter Horse. Athena fit that bill, and it was only this year that Chaunte learned about some of the mare s other benefits. Athena was bred by 2016 Zoetis AQHA Best Remuda winner and Ranching Heritage Breeder Bartlett Ranch, and thus is eligible to compete in Ranching Heritage Challenges. Those eligibilities brought Chaunte, Athena and their support team to the Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge at Pueblo, Colorado, in early September to experience their very first AQHA show. The classes at the Ranching Heritage Challenges are a new experience for Chaunte, who is an experienced horsewoman in a different skillset. She was a member of the famed Westernaires, a Colorado-based youth precision mounted drill and trick riding group, which does speed drill riding, trick riding, trick whipping and liberty work. Chaunte is a sophomore at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, working toward a career in horse training. College gave me the opening to the performance horse world, she says. It takes different riding skills than drill riding. It takes more patience, and just a lot of time, practice and effort. I like learning new aspects of it. She bought Athena last year, saying it was pretty much love (Continued on Page 80) at first sight. I just like her attitude and personality, Chaunte says. She s obviously a typical mare, but she and I connect on a different level. She s definitely one of the tougher horses I ve worked with, but I like the challenge of her. She doesn t know a lot, I don t know a lot, and we re growing together. BY ANDREA CAUDILL Team Athena (left to right): Mom Jenna Klos, friend Madi Moore, Itwowillbuckyouoff and Chaunte Klos, and fiancée Ryan Tarpy ANDREA CAUDILL 8 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

11 15.2 hh LTE $118,620 Sire: Laredo Blue (LTE $302,000 NCHA Horse of the Year) 2016 NRCHA World s Greatest Horseman Herd Work Prelim Champion, Rein Work Finals Res. Champion, 4th Overall 2016 Fort Worth Stock Show Res. Champion AQHA Open Versatility 2015 NRCHA World s Greatest Horseman Cow Work Prelim Champion, 6th Overall Dam: SDP I Got Good Genes (LTE $65,861 Full sister to $4M sire TR Dual Rey) Two Time AQHA World Champion Working Cow Horse (2015 Senior 2012 Junior) 2014 AQHA High Point SR Cutting & SR Reining 5th 2013 NRCHA Stakes Int. Open Champion & Open Res. Champion 2013 NRCHA Hackamore Classic Int. Open Champion 2011 NRCHA Futurity Level 1 LimitedOpen Champion 2017 Breeding Fee $2,000 plus chute fee Multiple mare discount Cooled and frozen semen available 5 Panel N/N Eligible for NRCHA & SDRCHA Stakes RMRHA & CRCA Stakes Trained and shown by Matt Koch Standing at Darren Miller Stables, Inc. Watkins, CO Owned by Blue Blood Partners For breeding inquiries contact Rhoda Rein rhodarein@icloud.com Breed your proven mare for FREE call for details!

12 B A C K A T T H E R A N C H Goodbye for now, My Friend WILLIE GOMEZ PHOTOGRAPHY Kris Wilson aboard Judys Ten By Kim Lindsey I FIRST MET KRIS WILSON ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO at a ranch horse competition and sale in Houston. It didn t take us long to become friends. We didn t meet until we were adults, but what s funny about the whole deal is that our families were close. Our grandmothers went to church together in the tiny town of Dora, New Mexico, and when I was a kid, I would attend horse judging practice at his dad s training facility in Portales. Kris was a spiritual leader, a family man, an expert rancher, a horseman, an educator and an industry leader. He s one of the best friends that I have had in this world. Kris passed away in September, leaving behind his beloved family, his friends, his coworkers, his students and a tremendous legacy. Kris was brilliant, but he had common sense; it s rare for those things to go together. He saw the big picture and had such great ideas. He was a natural educator, and no matter what he was doing, he wanted to help. He was very competitive, but he wanted everybody to get better. He would help anybody and encourage them. He helped others, and he always strived to get better himself. For years, Kris worked at Texas Tech University. Those kids meant a lot to him. One of the big-picture things he noticed was there was something missing for his students there were the rodeo and the equestrian teams, but there was no place for those ranch kids. So Kris created ranch horse teams, and then the collegiate classes held within regular shows for them to compete in. The great thing about it is these kids get to show, but in the meantime, they interact with people in the business connections that might help them when they graduate. You can read more about that legacy on Page 30 of this issue. Helping these young adults was serious business, but of course, kids being kids, one time, we were at a Stock Horse of Texas show, just finishing up the clinic day. The arena was full of people, and we were standing around talking, getting ready for herd work, and those boys on his team were in there. One of them slipped the hobble strap off the back cinch of his friend s horse, slipped the cinch back and flanked that horse. The horse bucked the longest way he possibly could across the arena, through all those people. Nobody got hurt, but of course Kris and I had to act like we were really upset, and Kris had to yell at the boys. But then he and I had to get outside pretty fast and hide. I thought we were going to fall on the ground, we were laughing so hard. To me, a best friend is somebody you can agree to disagree with and still respect each other s opinion. That was our deal. We would argue for hours. A lot of what we argued about was how he saw the big picture, and I was all, How are we gonna get there, Kris? It made our work better. It was just like he couldn t get enough things done. He just wanted to achieve so many things, he was just going all the time. Kris s wife, Cara, is an angel on earth kind, courageous and brave. Cara and Kris were a perfect match. Kris and I partnered on a lot of horses, and a lot of times, Cara would just shake her head at the two of us. One of those horses was Judys Ten, aka Reno, whom we found at the Caprock Sale (in Clarendon, Texas) in We didn t see it, but I guess they had ridden him around the night before and had a little incident where he d run off. But that morning, Kris and I were looking, I saw this big ol fat 2-year-old standing there tied, and I turned to Kris and said That horse right there will make you famous. He sure did make a lot of memories for us. Words cannot describe how much I will miss Kris, although it helps to remember the legacy he has left us. Until we meet again, my friend. Kim Lindsey is the AQHA director of ranching. Have a comment? Contact Kim at klindsey@aqha.org. 10 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

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14 N O W H E R E W I T H D O C B R O C K Binder Twine T GABE TREVIZO By Dr. Bo Brock AFTER 26 YEARS AS A VETERINARIAN, I CAN TELL you a few things about horse ownership: (1) Some people just don t need a horse; (2) It seems the better care you take of your horse, the more likely bad things will happen to it; and (3) If the owner habitually talks baby talk to their horse, it is more likely to kick me. Per No. 2: My theory that horses that graze in a junkyard never get hurt is not always true. The critter in question belonged to a family that fed round bales those terrible, 1,000-pound mold-growing buffets that will colic nearly any horse. They would just periodically roll out a new bale, leaving the string on it. Despite my warnings, I got, Ah, Doc, we ve been doing it for years and never had a problem! The pasture was covered with piles of orange binder twine, and they were right, this rascal had eaten it all of his life and never colicked until today. They called and said Myrtle was colicking; I told them they had to bring him in. He arrived upside down, facing the back of the 1957, decayed-wood-floor rusty trailer. I managed to get a halter on and coax him up. It was then that I noticed it one single strand of orange string hanging out his fanny. An examination told me the string was firmly anchored to something I couldn t reach. I recommended surgery. They asked how much. I gave them a very low estimate, because I knew they were tightwads and I didn t want this rascal suffering. They still went into the moneyhoarding owner dance, which always ends with them looking at me like this is somehow all my fault. They turned down surgery. I told them I would do what I could, but I wasn t gonna watch this horse suffer. We doctored Myrtle. It didn t work. This is one of those moments as a vet that I just don t know what to do. I don t want to kill a creature that might end up OK, but I hate to see it suffer. A day passed and some of the local citizens who loiter around the clinic every day began asking questions. There are about five of these old, bored, retired men who have nothing better to do than come to the clinic and tell me everything I m doing wrong. They were appalled by the situation. I didn t stifle them much, because I was, too. After three unsuccessful days, I called the owners, hoping they d agree to surgery. But no, they just told me to euthanize him and they would bury him in that twine-y pasture. This just infuriated me to no end, but I set about preparing to put ol Myrtle to sleep. The old-man contingent was listening and were pretty mad, too. I told them I had to go over to the other clinic and get the pink medicine. It is about a 50-yard walk. When I came back out, I noticed the retirees gathered around Myrtle, and I didn t like the looks of it. One of them was tying the protruding string to the fence. Then, before I could speak, they all took a step back, he slapped the horse on the fanny, and they hollered at the top of their lungs. It happened in slow motion. Myrtle jumped up and headed west. The string began pulling on whatever was holding it, and started pulling intestine out through the fanny hole. Just about the time I thought Myrtle was going to turn completely inside-out, there was a quick pop and a ball of tangled string the size of a volleyball popped out. The intestine recoiled back in. Myrtle came to a stop with a look on his face that reflected shock and relief. By the time I got there, the old men were shaking hands and praising their efforts amongst one another. I wanted to give them all a spanking and send them to their rooms, but their endeavor was better than anything I had done. Myrtle went home, but only after the old men went over and picked up all the binder twine. Myrtle s still alive today thanks to five old dudes who decided, He s gonna die anyway, we might as well give it a try! Dr. Bo Brock owns and runs Brock Veterinary Clinic in Lamesa, Texas, a mixed-animal practice specializing in equine medicine. Also an adjunct professor at Texas Tech University with a ranching background, he is the author of the humor book Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere, available at retailers everywhere, including amazon.com. 12 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

15 JD Russell, Spring Creek Ranch Manager, KS Using our experience from the past to produce cattle for the future because of this experience we are producing bulls that create cows that are cost efficient and functional in our environments from Texas to Montana. The Matador Ranch has a proud history of producing some of the finest working ranch and performance horses in the country. We produce an athletic horse coupled with the right disposition for the job at hand. Tim Washington, Matador Ranch Horse Manager, TX cell or Bob Kilmer, Matador Ranch Manager, TX , cell/ Office Put a 50 in your string a breeding program that s Cowboy tested and proven!

16 CHRIS DICKENSON WINTER CHILL This image tells the story of never giving up, the indelible imprint a horse has on a rider, and their long-lasting relationship, says photographer Chris Dickinson. Joe (foreground) was learning to separate cows with the help of Thomas (background) when this nasty hail-and-snow storm hit.

17 Among all the other challenges of that day, Joe ultimately ended up buying this horse after having a first-hand experience with a ranch horse never giving up on finishing his job. See more at

18 MULTIPLE EVENTS $90,000 ADDED WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? 2017 RANCHING H E R I T A G E CHALLENGES SCHEDULE JANUARY 12 JUNE AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER OCTOBER Fort Worth Stock Show Fort Worth, Texas Black Hills Rapid City, South Dakota Colorado State Fair Pueblo, Colorado Tri-State Fair Amarillo, Texas NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Fort Worth, Texas Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) Billings, Montana Purchase your next horse from an AQHA Ranching Heritage-approved Breeder for your chance to compete. Learn more at aqha.com/ranching. Enroll by December 31 to avoid late fees! BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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20 Myles Brown and Royalrock Hancockrab. The red mark on the horse s forehead is a birthmark. ANDREA CAUDILL T s Zoetis A HA R H C to. By Andrea Caudill

21 THE 2016 SEASON OF ZOETIS AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE Challenges, which paid out more than $147,000 in cash and prizes at six events around the country, closed with a rush this fall. Four of the six events happened within seven weeks of each other (see Challenge class winners on the following pages). The year s biggest winners were the Brown family, lead by Myles and Rob A. Brown of Stinnett, Texas. Myles was the top exhibitor of the year, showing his family s homebred horses to pick up earnings of $11,115. One of those horses Royalrock Hancockrab made the top five in earnings, and his father, Rob A. Brown, who is a member of the AQHA Ranching Committee, was a leading owner and breeder. See the complete list of top finishers of the year on Page 84. The Challenges are fun, and they re a good way to promote our ranch horses, and they pay awfully good, Myles says. So it s kind of silly not to go. Myles works at the family ranch, managing yearlings and cow-calf pairs, and starts some of the ranch s young horses. Two of his horses Royalrock Hancockrab and Ima Wynna RAB were horses he started. Myles started Royalrock Hancockrab, who will turn 7 next month, when the horse was just 2. He was just a big ol ranch colt, and he was the ugliest one of the bunch, Myles says with a laugh. But Myles ugly duckling ended up being the one to help him learn the finer points of showing. As I ve improved, he s just let me improve him where I can keep stepping up in the levels and win some money on him, he says. He s very consistent. Looking at the horse standing tied to the fence, you wouldn t pick him out as anything you d want to go show. He s really big and strong, and hammer-headed. He looks like something you d go pound rocks on just a straight, Hancock-bred horse. But he s really good minded, and a really good teacher. He s gentle, easy to be around, and a pretty special horse to me. Ima Wynna RAB, 4, is the junior member of the team. Not started until late in his 2-year-old year, he seemed rather dead-headed at first. But about the 30-day mark, I had to go gather a heifer that was having trouble calving, bring her back up to the barn and pull her calf, Myles remembers. She didn t want to go, and I don t know why I took a green colt out there to do it. But he just hooked right up to the cow, and it seemed like the faster he got to go stop that cow (the better). He was very, very cowy and really liked his job. From then on, the faster it is and the harder he has to stop, the better he likes it. The gelding has proven he likes the show pen, too, having earned $4,350 in Challenge events and another $6,500 in National Reined Cow Horse Association competition, the vast majority coming this year. Now Myles has a trailer full of good ones to show, a few more on the way up, and a job in mind. My goal is to promote our good ranch horses and make these horses whatever they are, Myles says. Whether that s just a good ranch or rope horse, I d like to put the foundation on them so they can do that, or if they are good enough to go show, I d like to make them good enough to go show. That s the goal. Dry Grass THERE WAS A TIME WHEN YOU COULD HAVE GOT DRY BLUE Grass bought for a relative bargain. The filly was bred by AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeders Jane and Scott Bagley of Dimmitt, Texas, a second-generation homebred born and raised on their ranch in the Texas Panhandle. By the Grays Starlight stallion Spooks Bluestem and the first foal out of her dam, Dry Docket, a point-earning daughter of the Bagleys stallion Taris Judge, the then-2- year-old sorrel filly was put into reining training and had a for-sale sign hung on the front of her stall. Now that she s 4 and has a show record, it s going to be a lot harder to convince the Bagleys to let her go. I started riding her, and the first time I told her whoa, she went to the ground so hard, Jane remembers. She has a really strong work ethic. When you get on and go to work, she s always dialed in, and always trying to figure out what you want. But I was getting my knee replaced, so I knew I wasn t going to be able to ride for a while. I asked Scott about selling her. The Bagleys sent her to reining trainer Josh Visser of Whitesboro, Texas, but she hadn t sold by the time Jane s knee healed, so the sign came down and Jane swung aboard. I hadn t had a (reining) futurity horse for a long time, she says. Scott would come watch me ride, and he said, You better get done what you want to in her 3-year-old year, because I want to show her in the cow horse. Deal. Jane showed the sophomore filly at only a handful of smaller futurities, including winning at the Stampede Futurity in Hamilton, Texas, and raked in $3,648. Then it was time to turn over the reins. Dry Blue Grass learned cow horse under the tutelage of Scott and Coloradobased trainer Blue Allen. With Blue at the reins, the mare won the 4-year-old Ranching Heritage class at Pueblo, raking in $2,370, then Jane guided her through the ranch riding class to take another $252. Scott also picked up a check on the mare in an NRCHA derby in the same weekend. The Bagleys then attended the Amarillo Challenge, where Scott rode her to win the open 4-year-old class, good for $2,200. Her lifetime earnings now exceed $8,470. We are just tickled to death with her, Jane says. I think her biggest strength is she listens really well and tries really hard. She will run her large fast circles in the dry work and come back to you without ever trying anything on her own. And then when they turn the cow out, she s very focused on that cow, yet will still let you put her in position. But the sorrel isn t just a show horse she s also a working ranch horse. Scott took her out the Tuesday before the Amarillo Challenge and shipped (cattle) on her, Jane says. They gathered a big ol three-section pasture. He just stepped on her and she went off and did her job. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

22 Dangerous Cat TRAINER MATT KOCH BOUGHT THIS CATS SINFUL EARLIER THIS spring for his wife, Brianna, to show. The little sorrel mare was bred by Cowan Select Horses LLC of Havre, Montana, and at the time, was owned by Wagonhound Land & Livestock LLC of Douglas, Wyoming. The remainder of this year, Brianna has been busy showing the mare, and Matt has been using her for work on the ranch except for a few trips where he borrowed her to show her in Challenges. In June, they were second in the open 4-year-old class at the Rapid City Challenge. They came back at the Reno Challenge to win the open 4-year-old class over a tough field. We took her to Reno as a turnback horse, and we just showed her since we were out there, Matt says. She was really good. There were some pretty good horses in that class, and I thought, well, heck, we ll just go survive it and see what happens. She wanted to be good in the reining and they marked her good. And then she was really good down the fence and helped me rope. She brought her show horse game that day! This Cats Sinful is a daughter of the High Brow Cat stallion WR This Cats Smart and out of the Freckles Playboy mare Sinful Playgirl, making her a full sister to Sinful Cat, who has earned more than $100,000 in NRCHA competition. Matt was most recently the head trainer at Wagonhound, but he and his wife opened their own training establishment, Koch Cowhorses, near Ault, Colorado, and the mare has made the trip with them. Altogether, she has earned $10,372 in her career, according to Robin Glenn Pedigree reports. To me, she s put together extremely nice, Matt says of This Cats Sinful. She s got a good back, shoulder, withers. She s really good to use outside, you can ride her all day long, and she s pretty good to show. Fighting Frost WHEN JOHN AND C.J. WOLFE AND THEIR TRAINER, TIM UNZICKER, went shopping at for a non-pro cow horse prospect for John in 2013, they walked right past the palomino yearling Lookin Frosty. Well, John and Tim walked past, but C.J. stopped, looked and insisted they buy the Wagonhound Land & Livestockbred youngster. He was my pick, C.J. says. He just struck me as really nice. I was looking for a horse that had body to it, but was big enough and fast enough to go down the fence. He was bought specifically for John to step up on. It was a savvy choice. The sturdy palomino is also by WR This Cats Smart and out of a Sun Frost daughter named PC Sun Chikini. The mare has already produced NRCHA and Ranch Horse Association of America money earners, and Lookin Frosty is no exception. He is already an NRCHA money earner, but his eligibility for the Ranching Heritage Challenge allowed him to earn the biggest single paycheck of his career to date at the Challenge held at the NILE in Billings, Montana, picking up $2,370, plus prizes, with one solid run with Tim aboard. He s not really an open horse, he s a non-pro horse, but we are fine with that, C.J. says. He will make a great nonpro horse for John, and when John s done (learning) with him, I will ride him. John was a team roper, but two years ago got invited to a cow horse clinic at Tim s facility, only 20 minutes from their home in Roundup. I showed up with a roping saddle and tie-down on my horse, and I got educated in a hurry, John says. I got hooked on it, went down the fence at the first clinic and thought, This is what I wanna do. I ve never ridden horses so good, and they help make me good. I ve learned so much in the last two years. Lookin Frosty is doing his job well, with the ideal combination of athleticism, speed and a willing, forgiving temperament. What you see is what you get with him, John says. He is a good boy. He s got that WR This Cats Smart, so he s cowy, but with the Sun Frost in there, he has the speed going down the fence. You don t have to pedal him along. He will get you there, but you better be able to hang on. He is just a nice horse, and takes excellent care of me. Andrea Caudill is editor of the Ranch Horse Journal. To comment, write to acaudill@aqha.org C.J. and John Wolfe of Roundup, Montana. John is a former team roper and is now learning about cow horse competition. ANDREA CAUDILL 20 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

23 ZOETIS AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE CLASS WINNERS Pueblo, Colorado September 1 PHOTOS BY ANDREA CAUDILL DRY BLUE GRASS Open 4YO Working Ranch Horse S. m. Spooks Bluestem-Dry Docket by Taris Judge Breeder/Owner: Jane Bagley of Dimmitt, TX Exhibitor: Blue Allen of Alamosa, CO SABLE BOON BADGER Ltd Open 4YO WRH S. m. Boon San- Sable Badger by Tenino Badger Breeder: Burnett Ranches LLC of Guthrie, TX Owner: Brett and Smiley Shawcroft of La Jara, CO Exhibitor: Jeb Stoltzfus of Alamosa, CO EDDIE ROCKS RAB Cowboy WRH 2006 S. g. Hesa Eddie Hancock-Smooth Hearted Rock by Smooth At Heart Breeder/Owner: Rob A. Brown Exhibitor: Myles Brown PLAYBOYS GINNIN Amateur Boxing 2010 P. m. Playboys Buck Fever-Pretty Ginnin by Tanquery Gin Breeder: Burnett Ranches LLC Owner/Exhibitor: Regina Jo Downey of Limon, CO METALLIC MASTERPIECE Open 5&6YO WRH 2011 S. s. Metallic Cat-Kings Masterpiece by Peppy San Badger Breeder: Wagonhound Land & Livestock LLC of Douglas, WY Owner: Silver Spur Operating Co. LLC of Encampment, WY Exhibitor: Kyle Trahern of Walsh, CO ROYALROCK HANCOCKRAB Ltd Open 5&6YO WRH 2010 Gr. g. PG Shogun-Driftin Gray Eddie by Hesa Eddie Hancock Breeder/Owner: Rob A. Brown of Stinnett, TX Exhibitor: Myles Brown of Stinnett, TX IMA WYNNA RAB Amateur WRH 2012 Gr. g. PG Shogun-Right On Eddie RAB by Right On Tivio Breeder/Owner: Rob A. Brown Exhibitor: Myles Brown BOXO HEAVENS ANGEL Level 1 Amateur WRH 2009 Bu.m. SNW Heavens King - Angels Happy Cards by Happy s Cardinal Breeder/Owner: Jecca Ostrander of Gordon, NE Exhibitor: Stetson Ostrander of Gordon, NE CIELO DEL TARIS Level 1 Amateur Boxing 2008 G. g. Mr Gallo Del Cielo-Taris Vandel by Tari Pines For You Breeder: Robert Norris of Colorado Springs, CO Owner: Toro Rock Creek LLC of CO Springs, CO Exhibitor: Dean Venezia of CO Springs, CO BO BABY Youth Boxing 2013 S. g. Cat Man Do-Bo Baby Doll by Mr Sorrel Bo Breeder: W.T. Waggoner Estate of Vernon, TX Owner/Exhibitor: Blake Dunkel of Archer City, TX PINES INDICTMENT Open Ranch Riding (tied) 2012 P. m. Taris Judge-Pines Pocita by Spirit Of Pine Breeder/Owner/Exhibitor: Jane Bagley BOBBIE CAN DO Open Ranch Riding (tied) 2010 G. g. Cat Man Do-Bo Bobbie Socks by Mr Sorrel Bo Breeder: W.T. Waggoner Estate Owner/Exhibitor: Sidney Dunkel of Archer City, TX IMA THE TOPAZ Amateur Ranch Riding 2010 Bu. m. Tens Hawkeye-Ima Gold Topaz by Black Chick Gold Breeder: Bill and Dana Smith and Spur Headquarters Ranch of Spur, TX Owner: Haythorn Land & Cattle Co. of Arthur, NE Exhibitor: Craig Haythorn of Arthur, NE RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

24 ZOETIS AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE CLASS WINNERS Amarillo September 17 PHOTOS BY ALEXIS O BOYLE DRY BLUE GRASS Open 4YO Working Ranch Horse S.m. Spooks Bluestem-Dry Docket by Taris Judge Breeder/Owner: Jane Bagley of Dimmitt, TX Exhibitor: Scott Bagley of Dimmitt, TX RISKEY IRISH WHISKEY Amateur Boxing 2002 Dun g. Smart Whiskey Doc-Docs Creamy Miss by Docs Smoky Pine Breeder: Mike Major of Bowie, TX Owner/Exhibitor: Donna Stewart of Colorado Springs, CO SMART INGREDIENT Ltd Open 4YO WRH S.g. WR This Cats Smart-Natural Ingredient by Peppy San Badger Breeder/Owner: Burnett Ranches of Fort Worth, TX Exhibitor: Dusty Burson of Guthrie, TX TERRIFIC MOVEMENT Open 5&6YO WRH 2011 S.g. Playin Stylish-Cowgirl Movement by Tanquery Gin Breeder/Owner: Burnett Ranches Exhibitor: True Burson of Guthrie, TX BIG VALLEYS LIL HANA Ltd Open 5&6YO WRH 2011 Gr.m. Seven S Big Valley-Lil Hollywood Hanna by Zan Parr Otoe Breeder/Owner: Mick O Brien of Refugio, TX Exhibitor: William Guy Beau Crutchfield of Refugio, TX EDDIE ROCKS RAB Amateur WRH Level 1 Amateur WRH 2006 S.g. Hesa Eddie Hancock-Smooth Hearted Rock by Smooth At Heart Breeder/Owner: Rob A. Brown of Stinnett, TX Exhibitor: Lydia Brown of Stinnett, TX LIL MISS BLUE HEN Level 1 Amateur Boxing 2002 Bl Rn m. Just Plain Sugar-Miss Pine Bar Leo by Krogs Pappy Leo Breeder: Kalpowar Quarter Horses of Midland, TX Owner/Exhibitor: Patricia Ma am Muher of Wilson, OK KINGS MOJO Youth Boxing Youth Ranch Riding 2008 B.g. Pistol Playgun-Kings Damsel by China King Breeder: Hal Bogle Estate of Dexter, TX Owner: Phoebe Spencer of Hobbs, NM Exhibitor: Michele Spencer of Hobbs, NM TRIXIES SIXES Open Ranch Riding 2012 S. s. Sixes Pick-Trixie Petite by Paseos Paisano Breeder: Burnett Ranches Owner: Camille Farris Briggs of Lubbock, TX Exhibitor: Justin Stanton of Idalou, TX LITTLE CAT STIK Amateur Ranch Riding 2011 S. g. Love A Little Devil-Stylish Cat Stik by RPM Mr Stylish Breeder: Mike and Holly Major of Bowie, TX Owner/Exhibitor: Olivia Miller of Sedalia, CO GRAY HOPE STIK Cowboy WRH 2011 Gr.g. Smart Whiskey Doc-Hope Stik by Rails Skipper Pine Breeder: Mike Major of Bowie, TX Exhibitor/Owner: Gatlin Duncan of Clarendon, TX SCR DUALINFORJEWELS Level 1 Amateur Ranch Riding 2007 B Ro. g. Dualwithme-SCR Sonita Doc by Docs My Tio Breeder: Conchas Ranch of Lamy, NM Owner/Exhibitor: Meredith Lubbock of Amarillo 22 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

25 ZOETIS AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE CLASS WINNERS Reno, Nevada September 24 PHOTOS BY ANDREA CAUDILL THIS CATS SINFUL Open 4YO WRH S. m. WR This Cats Smart-Sinful Playgirl by Freckles Playboy Breeder: Cowan Select Horses LLC of Havre, MT Owner/Exhibitor: Matt Koch of Douglas, WY DMR TARIS CAT Amateur Boxing 2006 S. g. Smooth As A Cat-Royal Billy Boy by Billy Mans Last Breeder/Owner: Diamond M Ranch & Cattle Co. of Decatur, TX Exhibitor: Bill Muncaster of Decatur, TX IMA WYNNA RAB Ltd Open 4YO WRH Cowboy WRH 2012 Gr. g. PG Shogun-Right On Eddie RAB by Right On Tivio Breeder/Owner: Rob A. Brown of Stinnett, TX Exhibitor: Myles Brown of Stinnett, TX DOCTOR J STIK Youth Boxing Youth Ranch Riding 2011 S. g. Love A Little Devil-Doctor J Ellen by Doc s J Jay Breeder: Mike and Holly Major of Bowie, TX Owner: Jason Patrick of Steamboat Springs, CO Exhibitor: Jasper Patrick of Steamboat Springs, CO MR STYLISH CAT Open 5&6YO WRH 2011 S. s. Mr Playinstylish-Lil Sally Cat by High Brow Cat Breeder/Owner: Kit and Charlie Moncrief of Fort Worth, TX Exhibitor: Tucker Robinson of Lompoc, CA BOXO HEAVENS BLUE Open Ranch Riding Amateur Ranch Riding 2008 R Ro.g. SNW Heavens King- Snippy Blue Card by Masie s Blue Breeder/Owner/Exhibitor: Jecca Ostrander of Gordon, NE ROYALROCK HANCOCKRAB Ltd Open 5&6YO WRH Amateur WRH 2010 Gr. g. PG Shogun-Driftin Gray Eddie by Hesa Eddie Hancock Breeder/Owner: Rob A. Brown Exhibitor: Myles Brown 2017 CHALLENGE DATES Check for 2017 Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenges! Tentative Challenges include the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 12; Rapid City, South Dakota, in June; Pueblo, Colorado, in August; Amarillo in September; and Fort Worth, Texas, and Billings, Montana, in October. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

26 ZOETIS AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE CLASS WINNERS Billings, Montana October 19 PHOTOS BY ANDREA CAUDILL LOOKIN FROSTY Open 4YO Working Ranch Horse P. c. WR This Cats Smart-PC Sun Chikini by Sun Frost Breeder: Wagonhound Land & Livestock LLC of Douglas, WY Owner: John Wolfe of Roundup, MT Exhibitor: Tim Unzicker of Roundup, MT SLIPKNOTT Ltd Open 4YO WRH Cowboy Class S. m. Diamond J Star-Cinnamon Knot by Texas Stray Breeder/Owner: San Jon Ranch LLC of San Jon, NM Exhibitor: Holly Gundlach of Casper, WY BECK WITH SENORITA Level 1 Amateur WRH Amateur Boxing 2007 Bu.m. Beckwith Playboy-Senorita Ann Fox by Mr Senor Fox Breeder/Owner: Kristy and Megan Crago of Belle Fourche, SD Exhibitor: Kristy Schmidt of Belle Fourche, SD PADDYS PLAYIN SMART Level 1 Amateur Boxing 2010 S.g. Smart Instant Choice-Starlight Smart Play by Smart Whittle Play Breeder: Lavonne Westland of Brockway, MT Owner/Exhibitor: J.B. Lockie of Le Center, MN SMOOTHER THAN HIS PA Open 5&6YO WRH 2010 S.g. Peppys Smooth Cat-Ms Dualin Irish Doc by Dualin Gun Breeder: Allen Munger of Brockway, MT Owner/Exhibitor: Robby Moore of Billings, MT BOXO HEAVENS ANGEL Open Ranch Riding 2009 Bu.m. SNW Heavens King- Angels Happy Cards by Happy s Cardinal Breeder/Owner/Exhibitor: Jecca Ostrander BAR B TWISTED TAFFY Ltd Open 5&6YO WRH 2011 Bu.g. Bar B Red Kiowa-Ebonease Taffy by Scott Will Win Breeder: Bar B Ranch of Beaver, OK Owner: Josh and Sam Lilley of Strong City, KS Exhibitor: Josh Lilley of Strong City, KS BOXO HEAVENS BLUE Amateur WRH Amateur Ranch Riding 2008 Rd Ro.g. SNW Heavens King- Snippy Blue Card by Masie s Blue Breeder/Owner/Exhibitor: Jecca Ostrander of Gordon, NE JS STAR N VALENTINES Youth Ranch Riding 2009 B.Ro.g. Jana Red Hancock-MG Copper Wood by Ruanos C Wood Breeder/Owner: James and Darlene Swenson of Beulah, ND Exhibitor: Colton Martin of Beulah, ND JS UNIQUELY YOURS Youth Boxing Level 1 Youth Boxing 2007 D.g. Two D Driftwood-CB Sabre Mist by CB Doc Drifter Breeder/Owner: James and Darlene Swenson Exhibitor: Colton Martin 24 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

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28 STOCK-HORSE EXPRESS 26 W INTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

29 S H of T its. WWINNING A STOCK-HORSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS NOT FOR the faint of heart. Contestants compete eight times in four events over two days, with the winners being the top in the overall average. And that s how it went at the Western Horseman Stock Horse of Texas World Championships and SHOT Futurity and Derby in late October at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene, Texas. It s a hugely popular event, with more than 1,300 entries spread across four arenas and seven divisions. Last year, Cowpony Express was reserve world champion, but this year, the buckskin proved impossible to catch, as AQHA Professional Horseman Mike Major rode him to victory in the open division for owners Mayme Pierce and J. Mack Bohn s Diamond JK Ranches of Cyril, Oklahoma. Mayme, an old friend of J. Mack and the sister of Buster McLaury, found Chester for J. Mack in the fall of 2015, texting him a photo of the horse and saying You need him. Mayme s directive was foretelling, as the Oklahoma cattleman has really bonded with the buckskin. When Mike started having great success with Chester s full sister, Reata B Rejoicing, the owners offered the gelding to Mike to show. I look at life as some things are gifts and you don t own them, you re just fortunate enough to get to share them, J. Mack says. Unquestionably, he is a gift from God that for the time being, I m responsible for, and for the time being, get to share. J. Mack has a full-time cattle operation in Cyril, and plans to bring Chester home and start riding his stock-horse world champion himself. There, the gelding will rejoin his dam Roosters Note, whom J. Mack bought in 2015; the mare s 2015 foal, Bring On The Cows, is in training now. There were some great horses and great hands at that deal, J. Mack says of the world championships. It gets tougher all the time. To have a winning horse is one thing, but to have a winning horse that represents what you love and believe in is a little bigger package than it might look to the average person. Story and photos by Andrea Caudill Futurity and Derby SHOT PAID OUT MORE THAN $32,000 IN CASH AND PRIZES during its Futurity and Derby. Ben Baldus swept all the open futurity classes aboard Seven S Woodrow, and they took home $3,780 for winning each class plus the allaround, while Ryan Birkenfeld and TAMU Twista Lilbling topped the open derby average to pull in $3,726. Seven S Woodrow is owned by Jerry Ward of Canton, Mississippi. The gelding, bred by Whitaker Farms Inc. of Kamay, Texas, is by Woody Be Tuff and out of the Mr Sorrel Bo mare Bo Spoon. Lanham Brown was the limited futurity champion with Take A Pick, earning $1,789. The Burnett Ranches-bred colt is by Sixes Pick and out of the Playgun mare Sixes Playgun. Ryan, of Nazareth, Texas, owns TAMU Twista Lilbling (Chicoutmyblingbling-Twist It With A Dun by DunIt With A Twist), who was bred by Texas A&M University. Sarah Lesh of Lake Kiowa, Texas, showed her own Ruftimeintinseltown (Hollywoodtinseltown-Lil Lady Has Pep by Lil Ruf Peppy) to the limited derby win, earning $3,400. Andrea Caudill is editor of the Ranch Horse Journal. For more results from the show, visit To comment, write to acaudill@aqha.org. SHOT WORLD CHAMPIONS COWPONY EXPRESS Open 2009 Bu.g. CDs Boonolena-Roosters Note by Roosters Shorty Breeder: Kimberly Wilson of Las Animas, Colorado Owners: Diamond JK Ranch/Mayme Pierce of Cyril, Oklahoma Exhibitor: AQHA Pro Horseman Mike Major of Weatherford, Texas SMART LIL REDMAN Non-Pro 2009 S.g. Smart Chic Olena-Reds Christmas Angel by Acres Of Red Breeder: Roberta Thompson of Coeur D Alene, Idaho Owner/Exhibitor: Jayton Baca of Vega, Texas CATTASAN Junior 2011 S.s. High Brow CD-Peponinos Sis by Peppys Nino 161 Breeder/Owner: Susan Holmes Rice of Sealy, Texas Exhibitor: Matlock Rice of Sealy, Texas CONCHOS COLONEL Intermediate 2002 S.g. Woods Colonel-ASU Triple Chick by Triple Our Money Breeder: Kimberly Guay of Lubbock, Texas Owner/Exhibitor: Peggy Hughes of Hearne, Texas THE DREAM SENORITA Limited Non-Pro 2006 P.m. Magnum Chic Dream-The Genuine Senorita by Genuine As Diamonds Breeder: W.T. Waggoner Estate of Vernon, Texas Owner/Exhibitor: Emily Renee Woodard of Hawley, Texas TAMU REYETTE OLENA Novice Non-Pro 2008 S.m. Chocolate Chic Olena-TAMU Rey Ette Oak by Doc s Oak Breeder/Owner: TAMU Dept of Animal Science of College Station, Texas Exhibitor: Anissa Cervera of San Antonio, Texas JAC SMART Youth 2007 S.g. Smart Chic Olena-Whiz Or Whizout by Topsail Whiz Breeder: Jean Keffeler of Livingston, Montana Owner/Exhibitor: Teghan Brooks of Wolfforth, Texas TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY Collegiate Champion Members: Ashley Adams, Jayton Baca, Tanner Cadra, Chance Campbell, Cassie Coltrain, Ryder Cude, Kameron Buchanan, Marianne Easter, Trinity Haggard, Mandy Harris, Morgan Holmes and Emily McCartney Coach: AQHA Professional Horseman Chance O Neal RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

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32 TEAMING Up RACHEL HUTTON Middle Tennessee State University Team (left to right): Coach Holly Spooner, Jennifer Dowd, Milly Cavender, Lucas Brock, Loren Bebensee, Delaney Rostad, Rachel Hutton, Seneca Ewing, Katie Callahan, Trevor Higgins, Jessica Starling, Coach Andrea Rego

33 C, Rachel Hutton, left, with Playboy Chic and Delaney Rostad and Steady Holidoc at the Tennessee Stock Horse Association September show colleges. By Sara Gugelmeyer COLLEGE IS WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE GAIN VALUABLE SKILLS TO mold them into successful adults, and more and more college students are adding ranch horse competitions to their college coursework. Drawn together by a common interest in showing a versatile stock horse, college students across the country form lifelong friendships and hone their horsemanship skills on collegiate stock horse teams. And it s benefitting everyone the colleges, the students and the horse industry. Recruiting Tool IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IT S A FAIRLY NEW CONCEPT collegiate stock horse teams of students practice throughout the week at their respective learning institutions then compete as a team on the weekend. Each individual s success is added together for an overall team point total, which determines team placings. The late Kris Wilson s novel idea has flourished into a rapidly growing discipline. In 2005, Kris started the first collegiate stock horse team at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The popularity of Stock Horse of Texas shows was growing and he simply gathered up a few ranch kids who were already attending Tech, gave them some pointers and went to a show. They showed individually, but each under the Texas Tech name and the concept really took off. In 2008, the first collegiate championship was held in conjunction with the SHOT world championship show. In 2009, the American Stock Horse Association made it a nationwide sport by hosting a national collegiate championship each spring. SHOT continues to honor a collegiate world champion each fall, as well. Ten years after the idea was launched, about 18 schools are involved, from all across the country. And those colleges are reaping the rewards. North Central Texas College at Gainesville started a ranch horse team in Coach Bill Kaven says, We had an equine program and an IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) team, but when my colleague told me about the stock horse format, it seemed like a really good fit. We wanted to attract students with more of a ranching background whom we ANDREA REGO weren t really attracting with the IHSA team. Bill says it s been a great success. He has 20 students on his team for the year. It s definitely a really good deal for us. It has opened up many opportunities, Bill adds. Middle Tennessee State University started a team in 2010 for similar reasons. Holly Spooner started coaching the team in I believe we are the only stock horse team east of the Mississippi, Holly says. It s an exciting addition for this part of the country and has been good for our program. We re getting more and more students from stock horse backgrounds who want to be on the team. Because MTSU offers a horse science major, it has been a valuable educational tool as well as a lot of fun for the students. Each ASHA show offers a clinic the first day, which Holly says is really important. Every time we go to a show, the students have a chance to build their skills during the clinic and then put that to work in a competition environment the next day, Holly says. So there is always an educational component and it gives the kids industry experience and education along the way. Student Benefits THE OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED FOR STUDENTS COMPETING ON ranch horse teams are exponential. First off, says Texas Tech University Ranch Horse Team Coach Chance O Neal, it gives students with a ranching background or ranch horse interest incentive to go to college. When I went to school, there wasn t really anything for the kids coming from the ranch to keep them involved and want to stay in college, Chance says. When being at school gets tough, these kids can come out to the barn and be with other kids from ranching or farming backgrounds and ride horses. I ve had a few tell me, if it wasn t for this program, they would have just went home and went to work. And because ranch horse competitions have been around for 20 years now, we re seeing kids growing up showing in the industry and wanting to graduate high school and go to RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

34 noted reined cow horse trainer Shawn Hays, and there are many other examples of graduates working in the industry. ANDREA CAUDILL Ranch horse teams are about education, responsibility, teamwork and fun. college to be on a collegiate ranch horse team, Chance adds. Once students get involved, the team becomes like a family and support system that will likely stay with them for their lifetime. I see kids that this team has kept in school and made sure they graduate, Chance says. And they learn a lot, too. We get a lot of kids who grew up riding horses and working cattle with their dads but had never been in a competition-type setting, Chance says. The team takes those kids and polishes them to win in front of a judge, and through that, we ve made better horsemen out of them. It also teaches many other important skills. Chance explains that the Texas Tech team requires its students to go out into the community to fund-raise for the team. The students have to go talk to these business owners and ranch managers, Chance says. They have to make the connection. It s like interviewing for a job. The team is not just in the arena, it s also about teaching the kids how to be professional. Being on a collegiate ranch horse team prepares young adults for careers. Because not only do we want to go win in the arena, but we want to present ourselves well, Chance says. The older students demonstrate how to represent the team and conduct themselves with the public and team sponsors. Ranch horse teams provide students with valuable connections that can help them find a job, as well. Bill says one of his previous team members found a job through his experience on the ranch horse team working for Helping the Horse Market ALTHOUGH SOME STUDENTS BRING THEIR OWN HORSES WITH them to college, it s not necessary. New Mexico State University Ranch Horse Team Coach Joby Priest says NMSU provides horses for most of its students. We re a little unique, we supply them a horse that they can compete on if they don t have one, he says. A lot of the kids we get have ridden nice horses, they ve rodeoed a little bit and tried horse showing but didn t really fit in. Then when they hear about the ranch horse team, they try out, and I can give them a horse to use. Joby says the school horses may not be the best in the nation, but they know plenty to teach the students. Typically, after a year or two, those kids will shop for a horse to go on with, he says. It s an opportunity they wouldn t have otherwise had. Holly says that MTSU has a good selection of horses for stock horse team members to compete on, some of which have impressive résumés and are leased from private owners. What s great for the industry is that many of these collegiate ranch horse team members fall in love with the sport. They may have horse experience but never shown, or competed but not in the ranch horse discipline. Either way, they often develop a love for this type of competition. These are often students who have a desire to participate in one of those disciplines or classes later, Holly says. They use it as a stepping stone to compete in National Reining Horse Association or National Reined Cow Horse Association competitions. There is a lot of dedication required, so most of them are involved long term. Joby agrees, I would venture to guess that about threequarters of the kids who have graduated out of the program go on to show at some level. I ve seen kids go on to NRCHA, or they like the versatility style so they stay with ASHA, or SHOT or AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse shows. Case in Point ONE SUCH GRADUATE WHO HADN T SHOWN BEFORE JOINING A collegiate ranch horse team is Zack Burson, but he says his involvement on the team has shaped his life ever since. Zack was raised on a ranch near Silverton, Texas, and he and his two brothers grew up starting colts and working cattle horseback with their dad. He was on the first ranch horse team at Texas Tech University and says it changed his life. I personally probably would not have finished school without the ranch horse team, he says. It gave me something to do at college, and I got to go ride horses and travel to shows and do things like that. It improved my horsemanship so much, Zack adds. Even for a rancher, the money you can bring in from selling horses adds to your living. And what I learned on the team has been a very big help in getting one a little broker and more finished. That s a big added benefit in selling horses to the public. Everybody can ride them. And the connections he made on the team helped in his career. Kris Wilson was his coach and helped him get hired on at the Bell Ranch in New Mexico. Because I had been on his ranch horse team and he knew my abilities, he hired me for that first job, Zack says. Zack was later promoted to assistant manager at the Bell, 32 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

35 but recently returned home to work on his family s ranch. His brothers, Dusty and True, were also on the Texas Tech ranch horse team, which helped them get hired as horse trainers at the famous Four Sixes Ranch at Guthrie, Texas. Dusty, True and I all grew up riding horses every day, Zack says. We had general ranch abilities. The horses could do everything we needed them to or wanted them to, we thought. But what we learned on the team sharpened up things and helped us make better horses. That, in turn, helped my brothers get hired at the Sixes. Those kids coming out of the ranch horse team have a good work ethic, and potential employers know that. The students are in demand as professionals, and ranch horses are in demand as well, Chance adds. There s a lot more demand for these There is a lot of opportunity to learn from experts in types of ranch horses to show, he says. the field while on a ranch horse team. Through ranch horse competitions and the new AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenges, I think breeders are producing horses to fit this program. They re taking ranch horses with history and bloodlines and crossing them with newer performance lines to get that ranch horse that you can go show. Stock Horse of Texas Executive Director Jill Dunkel says collegiate competitors are a big part of the present and future success of the stock horse industry. They ride as a student for four years, but many will go on to spend a lifetime with horses, she explains. With the collegiate program, they have tremendous learning WHAT IS A COLLEGIATE STOCK HORSE TEAM? opportunities to grow their skills throughout their college careers. It is something they can and often do participate in after graduation. For some, it s a hobby. For others, it opens doors to career opportunities. Sara Gugelmeyer is a freelance writer who with her husband, Jeremy, manage a ranch at Dalhart, Texas, and a guided hunting operation in Kansas, Texas and New Mexico. Sara is an open Versatility Ranch Horse reserve world champion and amateur ranch riding reserve world champion. To comment on this article, acaudill@aqha.org. ANDREA CAUDILL ANDREA CAUDILL Texas Tech University was the champion college at the Western Horseman Stock Horse of Texas World Championships. Collegiate stock horse teams are offered at four-year and two-year colleges across the country where students compete on their own or school-owned or leased horses in ranch horse competition. Schools that currently offer ranch horse teams include Clarendon College (Texas), Eastern New Mexico University, Laramie Co. Community College (Wyoming), Middle Tennessee State University, Missouri State University, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, New Mexico State University, North Central Texas College, Northeastern Junior College (Colorado), Oregon State University, Sam Houston State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Tarleton University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, University of Findlay, University of Wyoming and West Texas A&M University. Most of the competitions are American Stock Horse Associationor Stock Horse of Texas-sanctioned, so the four classes are pleasure (an individually worked pattern class similar to AQHA s ranch riding), working cow horse, reining and ranch trail. Different levels offered include novice, limited and non-pro. Non-pro is the only class in which exhibitors are required to go down the fence during working cow horse, and even then, the exhibitor can circle instead of roping. Some schools provide horses, or personal horses can be used. Some schools provide scholarships; most do fundraising of some kind. Typically, some or all travel expenses are paid by the university. Team numbers range from less than 10 to 20. Most schools require prospective students to try out for the team. Most colleges ask that students ride at least five days a week and require attending organized practice, as well. At ASHA shows, each Division I team has two riders in each division, placing points are awarded in each class; and the combined total for the team is how the teams are placed. Division II is for newer schools to the format and only requires that the team have competitors in novice and limited. The ASHA Collegiate National Championship is held each spring, and SHOT hosts a collegiate world champion each fall in conjunction with its world championship show. Learn more at or RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

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38 L oy S H Osw to S T. By Richard Chamberlain Photos by Darrell Dodds 36 W INTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

39 For more than 50 years, Leroy Hauerland has bred quality American Quarter Horse ranch horses. IT S A HOT, HUMID DAY IN AUGUST ON the pool-table-flat coastal prairie of South Texas. You are 40 miles west of downtown Houston, in a pasture on a ranch at Sealy, Texas, surrounded by a band of mares hock-deep in lush Bermuda, Bahia, and other grasses. You ve got a book with you. The Book stops. A sorrel mare comes over to say hi. She s a Bob, the Book says. An encyclopedia named Leroy Hauerland, the Book is a ranch reference guide on bloodlines of the American Quarter Horse. Leroy is talking livestock, horses and breeding, while critiquing conformation, discussing disposition and particularizing pedigrees to the fourth and fifth generations on scores of mares and their offspring. Leroy, 70, rubs the neck of another roan mare. She s a Bob, too, he says, referring by nickname to the mare s sire, Awesome Pete. That s a Quarter Horse, this mare. You see the bone? See those feet? Look at those muscles, that hip. She s really nice. That s what a Quarter Horse is supposed to be. That s the kind of Quarter Horse that made Texas a cradle for the versatile breed that today is the world s best and speediest ranch, cow, cutting and usin horse, the kind that Leroy and Sylvia Hauerland (hauer rhymes with sour) have been breeding toward for more than four decades. Married 47 years, Leroy and Sylvia both grew up in Sealy, back when the community was still a small town way out from the big city that today spreads ever closer. Leroy grew up with a sister and two brothers on the farm where their father grew corn and cotton and Sealy s Holiday Inn and Walmart now grow. Leroy went to Catholic school through the eighth grade, when the Catholics transferred to the public high school where he met Sylvia Schier. The two dated through high school before she went off to Baylor University but encouraged him to take a football scholarship to Texas A&M University. Leroy played defensive safety under Gene Stallings and roved the secondary in the 1968 Cotton Bowl Classic, where A&M upset Alabama s Crimson Tide and Stallings mentor, Paul Bear Bryant, hoisted Stallings after the game. Sylvia and her sister are the daughters of the man who owned the Schier Feed store. Their grandfather owned the land that became the core of the ranch where the Hauerlands now run livestock on nearly 10,000 acres of various properties that they own, lease or hold in partnerships, including with their son Brad, who also owns the Schiers original ranch house and the livestock auction in nearby Columbus. It is on that lush green land that the Hauerlands raise horses, commercial Brahma/Hereford-cross cattle, kids and grandkids. In addition to Brad, Leroy and Shirley also have daughters Robin Lee and Katie Elizabeth and son Todd Kenyon. Everyone s doing good, says Leroy, who made his children a good living for a quarter-century as a Farm Bureau insurance agent. We ve got good sons-in-law, good daughters-in-law, and 11 grandkids. The grandkids bring the horse breeder full circle. I m really pleased with the Ranching Heritage Breeder program that the AQHA is doing, Leroy says. That really struck a bell with me. I think it s in the right direction, where it needs to be going because most of the Heritage Breeders are horse breeders, not just horse multipliers. Each one tries to really set the genetics in stream, to breed the really good qualities in the American Quarter Horse. That s always been my interest, to follow the old foundation blood. It s history. It s how this country was built: on the back of a horse, especially here in Texas, but also in Montana, Wyoming, all over the West. It s really important for me to preserve that because it s part of me and I want my kids to be able to experience what I ve experienced. Horse Blood EXPERIENCE CAME EARLY FOR LEROY, whose father gave him a little half- Morgan when I was 9 or 10 years old, used to ride him all over town, don t know how many thousands of miles I rode on that horse, used to swim with him in the river. I grew up with the cowboy gene. My mother always said, RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

40 You got horse blood in you somewhere. Leroy rode a lot of horses for people when he was growing up. He rode match races for Owen Lay, whose famous tobiano stallion Painted Joe sired some of the fastest Paint horses of the 1940s and 50s. Owen had an old Paint stud he called Lightning, a tricolored bay with black mane and tail, and lightning streaks on his neck, Leroy recalls. The horse was out of Louisiana, a tight-coupled Quarter Horse (type), real pretty and could fly. Owen had Lightning s mama, a bay mare, and her mama, too. We d go down to the brush track at Wallace and bet with those guys from Wharton, Gonzales, Goliad, Refugio and South Texas. We took that little ol bay mare, and we outrun everything they had. Owen said, Look, hold her back; even if you lose the first race we re going to win the next two. Just stand up and pull on her. Man, I pulled that little mare, thought her jaw was going to break, and the first race, the margin was real close. Then when the money got there, he said, OK, boy, turn her loose. We outrun everything they had. And oh, man, I loved riding them. Leroy has broadened his experience to the point that he now has about 70 mares and four stallions (or five, including a son of Bobs Hickory Rio that he uses as a teaser). The breeding stallions are Playboy Boonsmal, a 17-year-old blue roan by Peptoboonsmal and out of Playboys Stormy by Freckles Playboy; Atta Cat, 16, sorrel by High Brow Cat and out of Classic Jazabell by Haidas San Badger; Rock River Gun, 11, sorrel by Playgun and out of Sittin Prettys Baby by Peppy San Badger; and Gumbo Gin Cake, 10, bay roan by Gumbo Roany and out of Juniors Gblaze by Mr Pete Oswald. Those stallions are part of a roster that included Leroy s beloved Bob Awesome Pete, who died last year. Leroy spent seven years shopping for Bob, whom he finally found in Montana, specifically because of the stallion s historic bloodlines. A bay son of Mr Pete Oswald, Bob was the classiest, bestconformed Quarter Horse I ve ever seen, says John L. Moore, a rancher and writer at Miles City, Montana, who has documented the Oswald bloodline. Outlining Oswald AWESOME PETE WAS FOALED IN 1996 OUT OF THE OSWALD MARE Gin Blaze. His sire, Mr Pete Oswald, was by Oswald s Pete, a son of Oswald. A line-bred Peter McCue, Oswald was a brown stallion by Johnny Barnes, who was out of a mare by John Wilkins, one of the fastest sons and most prolific sires by Peter McCue. Foaled in 1945 out of a Chubby mare, Oswald was a match-racing horse in Oklahoma and Kansas who was taken to Montana, where he became a cowboy s horse who sired the kind of usin horses that cowboys needed on the Northern Plains. It took a cowboy to ride them: Oswald horses were known for their toughness, athleticism and intelligence, but also for being kind of cold-backed first thing in the morning. The Oswalds were prepotent and were a very specific type, John writes. They were almost always bays or browns and often had white hind socks. Much like the old Remount type of horses, they are great for cowboy polo, rope horses and ranch horses. Plus, they are tough and have lots of bottom, able to be ridden day after day and still be fresh. The Oswald horses just had a look about them, and you could pick them out of a bunch of horses. It was the trimness, cleanness of neck and head and legs. They re about the most intensely Peter McCue blood The Hauerlands believe in letting horses be horses. They raise babies, weanlings and yearlings on pasture, where they grow up, as much as possible, under natural conditions. Leroy Hauerland checks mares and their babies on his ranch at Sealy, Texas. Playboy Boonsmal, a son of Peptoboonsmal, tops the stallion battery at the Hauerland Ranch. 38 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

41 in the world and most look just like old John Wilkens photographs. These horses are really light-mouthed and have a temper. Not everyone gets along with them, and I warn people about that. Plus, they are usually really big, in that 16-plus-hand, 1,300-pound range. Their intelligence and personality keeps me sold on them. They have a big soft eye with just a little of the rogue in it. There are a lot more soft eyes than any rogue in the Hauerland horses. The matriarch of the broodmare band was Sue Sammon, a 1972 foal by King Koy 2 and out of Bernice Koy. King Koy 2 (read King Koy The Second) was a grandson of King P-234 and was out of Hanna s Princess, who was a granddaughter of King P-234 s sire, Zantanon. Leroy bought Sue Sammon from Jess Koy, who had named her after his granddaughter and her dam after his wife. It s been really satisfying being able to see the development of Awesome Pete and these Oswald horses, Leroy says. With the influx of horses like Playboy Boonsmal, Atta Cat and Rock River Gun, my challenge now is putting them on the right genetic cross with those mares. I think we ve done that: The heads are there, the backs are there, the legs are there. I like good bone. I like good withers that will sit a saddle. I like short backs and long underlines. I like a good throatlatch, where the horse will bend at the poll. I like a really good, big, black foot; that s why I got Awesome Pete, because those feet are hard as anvils. Those Bob mares haven t been farriered they trim themselves. They take care of themselves. So the conformation is there, the minds are there, he says. We ve got all those parts together, and we ve got color, too. Some of the mares are better conformed than others, but most of them were selected for the genetics. The genetics come with what you have. Most horses that have good genetics have pretty good conformation. Leroy puts it together in an analogy. Breeding horses is like stacking blocks, Leroy says. You build your stack from the ground up. You lay your foundation with genetics and then you build from there through conformation, disposition and athletic ability. And three words on the bottom block: Lots of luck. Breeding, by the Book YOU RE BACK IN A PASTURE. WITH THE BOOK. Leroy is talking about the early chapter written by Jess Koy, who was Sylvia s great-great-uncle on her father s side. The chapter starts with Leroy on Koy s West Texas ranch at Eldorado, south of San Angelo. Uncle Jess told me, Leroy, whatever you do, do not breed down, always breed up, Leroy recalls. Always breed something better than what you ve got. I was trying to buy a mare from Uncle Jess, but he didn t like to sell his fillies or mares. He was only selling his horse colts. We walked out in the pasture there, and he was spouting pedigrees back and forth, up and down, all over. He was telling me this mare s by Joe s Last, this mare s by Six Chick Koy, this mare s by King Koy 2, this mare s by that stud, that mare s by this stud, on and on, naming them and going up and down the pedigrees left and right. Leroy s eyes were glazing over. We were out there amongst about 40 mares, he says. Uncle Jess was slapping those old girls and he had a bag of cubes. I Leroy is a proud graduate of Texas A&M University. He still wears the ring and Rolex watch he earned for playing on the 1968 championship team that upset Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. Leroy and Sylvia were high school sweethearts who have spent their lives together thought, man, he s gonna get his brains kicked out. But that ol man knew what he was doing. Well, I had seen a little horse colt amongst those mares that I liked, so the next morning, we got up and I was going to make a proposition and try to buy him for a usin horse. So I asked him, said Uncle Jess, there s a little horse colt in there that I really like. And he said, Boy, you better look again, that s a filly! I asked, Well, what do you have to have for her? She s not for sale. I was trying to keep the conversation going, so I asked how did you say she was bred? Uncle Jess barked: I told you yesterday! And he turned around and walked off. Leroy laughs about it now, but he decided right then and there that it would never happen again. He opened the AQHA stud books and started studying. The Book s got it. I m not being cocky, he says, surrounded by yearlings, but when I look at this crop, I think I m finally here, this is where I need to be, these are the horses I ve been trying to breed all these years. Leroy turns and gently strokes a colt on the neck, a red roan yearling, the first foal out of LJH Sister Koy. This one, he s a Playboys Boonsmal. Now Sister Koy is by Lucky O Lena out a Son Ofa Doc mare and goes back to Joe s Last and Joe Reed on her bottomside Richard Chamberlain is a special contributor to the Ranch Horse Journal. To comment, write to aqhajrnl@aqha.org. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

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44 Got T You Covered By Abigail Boatwright ABIGAIL BOATWRIGHT

45 FOR EONS, STALLIONS AND MARES HAVE BRED IN PASTURES. BUT with today s advances in science, artificial insemination is a common technique for Quarter Horse breeders. However, many AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeders uphold the timehonored tradition of breeding in a more natural setting, whether in the pasture or by hand. To attain a successfully bred herd of mares year after year, certain practices can help you improve the odds. With decades of experience, these three breeders shared their tips and advice on maximizing live-cover techniques. Our experts have culled their herds down to easy-to-breed mares and workmanlike stallions, requiring little breeding and medical intervention to produce healthy foals. Manage Your Ratios THESE BREEDERS ALL KEEP THEIR HORSES ON LARGE TRACTS OF land. For breeding, they have success turning a single stallion out with bands of mares, on anywhere from 4 to 600 acres. Gary Mailloux of Mailloux Quarter Horses in South Dakota turns his breeding horses out in 20- to 30-acre pastures, and he puts 10 to 12 mares with one stallion. This allows the ranch to pull a stallion for hand-breeding of a visiting mare without taxing the male too much. Everything is quite close together, so we can keep a good eye on them, Gary says. Adequate space is crucial to keep your horses safe and happy. Craig Haythorn of Haythorn Land & Cattle Co. in Nebraska sends up to 65 mares each year in smaller herds out to 600-acre pastures. Mary Davis of CS Cattle Company in New Mexico runs a smaller herd than in the past, hovering around 12 mares to a stallion on 400-acre pastures. However, in the CS Cattle Co. s heyday, the management would turn out around 20 mares for each stud, with multiple herds on the property. She says keeping the herd numbers down increases your chances that the stallion can cover each mare multiple times during her heat cycle. You don t want to turn a stallion out with 40 mares, Mary says. It s probably not going to work well. If you want every mare covered, I would stick to 25 mares or less. Start Them Young CRAIG LIKES TO START HIS STALLIONS ON BREEDING AT 2 YEARS old. This allows more experienced mares to give the stallion an education while he s still malleable. When he s younger, the mares will usually make a gentleman out of him, and he ll be good the rest of his life, Craig says. Mary prefers a stallion to be at least 3 years old if he needs to cover a larger herd of mares. But for a 2-year-old stallion, she has a technique to ensure success his first season. We choose a quiet, easy-to-breed mare and let that stud have a successful cover by hand breeding them a couple of times before we turn him out, Mary says. Consider Turnout Dynamics GARY S CREW WATCHES THE DOMINANT MARE OF THE HERD TO make sure she s not going after other mares or preventing them from getting bred. If they notice an issue, they ll pull that mare out. They also watch to make sure the stallion is not getting attacked or injured. Otherwise, the herd is left alone. If Mary is turning out a stallion that has had a history of aggressively rejecting late-arriving mares, she makes sure the mares and stallion are turned out all on the same day. To train the stallion and ease a later mare s entry into a herd in that kind of situation, Mary waits until the mare is hot in heat, then she ll pull the stallion away from the herd and handbreed the mare before adding her to the mix. This technique also ensures that the mare will get bred without interference from dominant mares. Because the stallion has covered her already, he s probably not going to reject her, Mary says. I ve had really good success with that. Mary says live cover or pasture breeding poses safety risks to stallions mostly when the stallion is unfamiliar with natural breeding. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

46 To get a top-quality foal, make sure you start with a stallion and mare in top body condition through regular worming and high-quality diet. If you have an older stallion that has only been bred by artificial insemination or hand breeding one that has never teased a mare and he just jumps on right away, you can t turn him loose in a herd, Mary says. He is going to get demolished. Do not do that. If Mary receives a new stallion and doesn t know his history with styles of breeding, she ll first hand-breed the stallion with a quiet mare to watch how he interacts with her. Once Mary feels confident that the stallion knows how to handle natural breeding, she ll turn him out with a herd of mares. Horses can get bred they don t need you to help, Mary says. But if a stallion has been handled in such a way that he s never been allowed to have a mare discipline him so that he will be a gentleman, turning him out will set him up to get hurt. Give Them Time ALL THREE OF THESE RANCHERS TURN THEIR MARES AND STALlions out together on a set day between May 20 and May 28. Craig leaves the band of horses together for 65 days, and checks on them a few times a week during those days. After the season, the stallion is separated and put in a different pasture. Mary s stallions stay with their mares for exactly two months. She says this allows the stallion plenty of time to cover each mare through two heat cycles, which lowers the chances of ending the season with an open mare. They don t really need to be out there that long, Mary says. The stud will generally have everything covered within the first month of when I turn him out. But sometimes one of the ANDREA CAUDILL mares might have just gone out of heat when I turn them out. And my studs really look forward to going out with the mares. They love that time. It s good for them and their minds. Monitor Heat Cycles MARY SAYS SHE LOOKS FOR SIGNS OF HEAT IN THE MARES BEFORE breeding. If she s hand breeding, she puts the mare in a safe, high-fenced round pen with a few other mares. She ll lead the stallion nearby outside the pen and watch the mares for their reactions to his presence. A mare in heat will come over to the stallion and flick her ears forward; she might lift her tail and she may squat and start peeing, Mary says. If the mare isn t really in heat, she might show interest, but she won t break down and pee or wink her vulva like a mare truly ready. A mare will show these types of signs until she goes out of heat. Mary says she knows the mare is done when she no longer shows interest in the stallion, and won t stand still if he tries to approach her. When Mary hand breeds, she breeds mares every other day of their heat cycle, starting on the third day of them showing signs of being in heat. Usually the mare is covered about twice in a cycle. Gary doesn t try to breed on the nine-day foal heat unless the mare had that foal late in the season. For visiting mares, Gary s team hand breeds them every other day throughout her heat cycle. For pasture breeding, Mary checks on the mares every day. If she had a mare foal later in the summer, she likes to breed the mare on that foal heat. She looks for signs that the foal is having an upset tummy or losing hair around its tail as an indication the mare is in heat. The foal heat is a tool to get a mare to foal earlier in the year, Mary says. It can move up your foal date by a month over the previous year. A mare s cycle is 21 days long, so after the nine-day foal heat, Mary counts another 21 days to the start of the full heat, which can last up to seven days. She looks for signs of heat, such as discharge marks on the mare s legs from peeing, and makes note of the mare coming into heat. Twenty-one days later, she ll watch the mare to see if she comes into heat again. If I see that a mare has come back into heat a second time without settling (becoming pregnant) on the first cycle, I might catch her and just let the stallion cover her (hand breeding), Mary says. That way, I know he got her covered and I can see if there were any problems with him mounting her or if she s moving maybe there s a reason she didn t settle on the first heat. Vet Check Fertility Issues ALL THREE RANCHES BOAST HIGH BREEDING SUCCESS RATES, WITH typically just a couple of open mares left after a breeding season. This is partly due to the ranches practices of keeping easy breeders in the herd and culling less-fertile mares and difficultto-breed stallions. Craig says his ranch rarely gets the veterinarian involved with breeding, unless they re artificially inseminating a mare. The ranch has semen from a few deceased stallions, such as Playgun, so if Craig wants to have a mare bred from one of those horses, they ll send her to the veterinarian in town. Gary observes maiden mares, or dry mares that weren t pregnant the previous year, for signs of heat. If a mare is having trouble coming into heat or getting pregnant, he ll have 44 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

47 the veterinarian check the mare to make sure she s healthy and ready to be bred. He also brings the veterinarian out to preg-check his mares 15 or 16 days after the heat cycle. Gary recommends having your stallion checked and his sheath cleaned to make sure he s free of disease. Mary says if a mare comes in to be bred and she s open because she wasn t able to settle the year before, she has her tested to make sure she s free of venereal diseases. I lost a stallion and two maiden mares due to infection after someone brought in a mare with a disease, Mary says. It can be very bad. EMILY MCCARTNEY Streamline Your Herd CRAIG SAYS IF A MARE ON THE RANCH DIDN T GET PREGNANT, despite being with a stallion for the breeding season, he ll typically find her a home that can give her more breeding care. We ve had these horses so long, most of the impurities are gone, Craig says. Shy breeders, poor milkers they ve all been weeded out through the years. So we very seldom have a mare that won t breed. Because CS Cattle Co. doesn t do any artificial insemination, all of its mares and stallions need to be able to breed through live cover. Mary makes sure her stallions have anatomy conducive to pasture breeding. If she s leasing a stallion and notices that he has difficulty covering a mare, she ll hand breed that stallion instead of turning him out with mares. She considers the horse s fertility, and how the stallions and mares are anatomically suited to live breeding, when choosing which horses the ranch keeps in its program. I keep stallions that can easily cover a mare, even if she s moving, Mary says. If a stallion has a hard time when the mare doesn t stand well, they can get vicious with the mare because they re frustrated. Employ Safety Tactics WHEN GARY NEEDS TO HAND-BREED MARES, SAFETY FOR ALL IS A priority. The mare is tied up, the stallion is haltered and the handler brings the stallion to the mare. When the mare seems to be ready to stand for the stallion, the handler gives the stallion enough slack on the lead to approach the mare to breed. Make sure you have control, make sure you have plenty of room to escape, and don t get pinned against a wall or a fence, Gary says. Gary s team handles the stallions and mares frequently. This encourages a relationship of respect when the horses need to be handled for breeding. If you re hand-breeding a mare with a colt still on her, Gary recommends leaving the colt inside a pen and tie the mare just on the other side so she can see it while she s being bred. Our experts allow their mares and stallion to mingle in the pasture for at least 60 days. If you leave the foal out in the open and things get a bit heated during breeding, the colt could get scared and want to run around, Gary says. Naturally, the mother gets excited and it can get ugly. Mary has the handler stand at the mare s head on the off side, and has the stallion led to the mare s head on the near side, so that they can touch noses. Usually, I ve already teased the mare in the round pen, so someone will catch her and bring the stallion in to her, Mary says. She already wants to see him and she knows he s coming. Condition Matters TO ENSURE MAXIMUM BREEDING SUCCESS, CRAIG WAITS TO START breeding mares until the pastures are full of good grass and the horses are all in good body condition. Gary makes sure his mares are in top condition a month before they re turned out, with a year-round worming program and good-quality feed and minerals, and plentiful water. Worming and making sure the mare is in good condition is important to get them settled, Gary says. They re more likely to breed if they re healthy and feeling good. Abigail Boatwright is a former AQHA Media intern and is now a special contributor to the Ranch Horse Journal. To comment, write to aqhajrnl@aqha.org. BIO CRAIG HAYTHORN is president of Haythorn Land and Cattle Co. north of Ogallala, Nebraska. Established in 1884, the ranch is spread over two locations in Nebraska. Haythorn Land & Cattle was the first Nebraska ranch to register American Quarter Horses and has continued to breed Quarter Horses for more than 75 years. The Ranching Heritage Breeder ranch won the inaugural AQHA Best Remuda award. GARY AND DEB MAILLOUX own Mailloux Quarter Horses, located in Vale, South Dakota. Residing on property homesteaded by Gary s grandparents, the Ranching Heritage Breeder has bred American Quarter Horses since MARY DAVIS manages the equine operations at CS Cattle Co. in northern New Mexico. Spread out over several locations in New Mexico, the ranch has been in Mary s husband s family since In 1948, 60 of the ranch s mares were registered in the inaugural AQHA registry. CS Cattle Co. received the AQHA Best Remuda award in In 2007, it received the AQHA Legacy Breeder award. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

48 Owned by Laurel and Barry Denton 2011 GELDING First Time Shown Champion Jr Ranch Horse Arizona Fall Championship Owned by Nancy Gillett Shown by Laurel Walker Denton Showing in Ranch Riding and Working Cow Horse in WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL Thank you Alan Needle for breeding and selling us this great horse. LOOKING FORWARD TO 2017!

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50 JESSICA NAPPER Justin Stanton

51 Justin Stanton Is it By Andrea Caudill e WWHAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU were 24? Finishing your college degree? Running your own business? Competing successfully in a sport you love? Sitting in leadership positions to improve said sport? What if you were doing all of those things, all at the same time? Justin Stanton of Lubbock, Texas, is indeed doing just that. A Texas Tech University student set to graduate next year with a degree in ag leadership, he is also the assistant coach of the Texas Tech Ranch Horse Team (see more about collegiate ranch teams on Page 30), operates a 15-horse training stable, is showing successfully in four different associations and is president of his local reined cow horse association, to boot. It s very hectic, the easy-going Justin says with a laugh. There s not a whole lot of stopping. But I like it that way. I say it s hectic, but you don t notice it if you do something you love. That love started as a child, visiting with a neighbor s horse over their fence. Visiting turned into a leasing situation, and then an opportunity to show. I went to my very first show and won a little trophy, he says. I was hooked in the show world. Over the next few years, he rode any horse he had the opportunity to ride, and when his family moved home to Idalou, a small city on the outskirts of Lubbock, he and his uncle team roped. When he got the opportunity to work as an assistant for reined cow horse trainer Zeb Corvin in Amarillo, he took it. I fell in love with the cow horse stuff, Justin says. I d always seen it, doing the performance stuff and loved it, but never really had the horse to go do it. While working there, he found the horse that could do it. RD Dulce Olena was a handsome sorrel gelding by the accomplished stallion Dulces Smart Lena and out of the performing mare RD Sweet Olena, a daughter of CD Olena. There was just one little catch. Reason I got him is he was bucking everybody off, Justin says. But I loved him! He bucked, but he didn t buck real hard. He had all the talent in the world, so much stop, so much try. If he wasn t bucking every- RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

52 one off, he wouldn t have been cheap enough for me. They got it figured out. The horse has earned nearly $5,000 in National Reined Cow Horse Association earnings, and also earned money in Stock Horse of Texas and Ranch Horse Association of America competition. Earlier this year, they were top five at the NRCHA Celebration of Champions in the limited open bridle and contested the senior division at the RHAA National Finals. Along the way, Justin also got elected president of his local cow horse affiliate, the Panhandle Reined Cow Horse Association. Justin competes on Trixies Sixes at a Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge. Ranch Raiders THIS HAS ALL HAPPENED WHILE JUSTIN WAS ALSO attending school at the home of the Red Raiders. It was in my blood to love Texas Tech, he says, noting he was raised as a fan of the college. He is a member of the Ranch Horse Team, which focuses on versatility-type classes. The collegiate competitions include trail, pleasure, reining and cow horse. Tech currently has three teams consisting of 19 members total. Many of those members also show in AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse and Ranching Heritage Challenge competitions. In April of this year, the ranch horse teams from Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University were crowned co-champions at the National Collegiate Championship Show. Justin finished first or second in all four classes to take the individual high-point rider award and take home a saddle. If it wasn t for the Tech ranch horse team, no one would know who I was still, he says. They really put me out there, put that TT on my back and helped me get recognition for what I was doing. It blows me away how much that team helped me. How much Tech helped me. Because it s hard for young guys to get out there and spend the money and get on the road. Tech did that for me that first year. It just helped me grow. Justin s versatility across disciplines leads into the philosophy he carries into his training program. I want to be versatile with my horses and my clients, he says. There are options everywhere, so many things you can do. In the long run, when that horse is 10, I want to have been able to head and heel, to have roped calves and ranched on him, done the cow horse, the versatility. He might not be good at everything, but you can take that horse and do anything you want. To me, that s a finished horse. In addition to being a ranch team member and being a clinician for Stock Horse of Texas, he has also been tapped for the unusual honor of being the assistant coach for the team. So how does a college kid end up coaching his own teammates? I don t really know, he says, puzzled. It just kinda happened. But spend a few minutes watching him, and it becomes a lot more apparent. Open, cheerful and interested in others, he is willing to act as a soundboard and treats even novices with respect. Boundaries, he says, are very important when offering opinions, whether it is with his peers or clients. Teaching is not easy, he says. It s very easy to make people cry. I tell people, I m not mad, I m just very passionate! But I really enjoy teaching more than training, a lot of the time. I get the same amount of satisfaction watching someone whom I ve been working with accomplish their goal, or have a good moment, than I do in the show pen and having a good run. I mean, I love riding horses, he continues. But working with students, figuring out what their problem is and how they can fix it their way is satisfying. The hardest part, especially with horses, and I m sure teaching in general, is there s no one way to do it. You can t say This way is wrong, this way is right. Everybody is right, it s just what fits you and fits that horse. As a teacher, you may tell them what works for you, but when that s not working, you have to step back and think about how else to explain. Justin, the son of an insurance adjuster-turned-restaurateur, has already moved more than 30 times in his few years, and now plans to plant some roots and settle in the greater Lubbock area. That s where I want to be, he says. That s where I m supposed to be. So look him up when you get there. He might be on a horse, or in the stands, in class, or at a board meeting. But no matter where it is, chances are, he ll be happy. This is what I love, he says. I want to help, be involved, and make these organizations grow. I can sit out at the arena and coach people all day long. I just love doing it. Going out and showing and being on the road, that s what I m working for every day; I get to go on vacation twice a month. When you get to do everything you love, it doesn t feel like work. He pauses. But I am tired when I get home. Andrea Caudill is editor of AQHA s Ranch Horse Journal. To comment, write to acaudill@aqha.org. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

53 PERKSTER (Dash For Perks x PC Boonwood x Boon Dox John) Proven Cow Horses with Speed, Good Bone, Feet and Withers PERKSTER IS AN EXTREMELY WELL BUILT PALOMINO STALLION THAT IS THE SIRE OF PROVEN RANCH AND ARENA HORSES. HIS COLTS ARE WELL BUILT, GOOD MINDED AND EASY TO BE AROUND, JUST LIKE THEIR SIRE. Stallion Fee: $1000 Chinook Veterinary Clinic 3HIPPED SEMEN UNTIL -AY TH Frozen semen available. )NTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CERTIFIED 2016 High selling colt sired by Perkster, Weavers Perks N Tuf, sold at sale for $10,500 %LIGIBLE FOR &UTURE &ORTUNE )NC 3TATE "REEDERS &UTURITY "")!1(! )NCENTIVE &UND 0ANEL 4ESTED...EGATIVE %6! AND VACCINATED Working Ranch Horses Since TAN.ANCY 7EAVER s 0/ "OX s "IG 3ANDY -4 7EAVER(ORSESCOM s WEAVER MIDRIVERSCOM

54 W to A HA H e s. Story and photos by Abigail Boatwright

55 Carisa Kimbo AQHA S RANCH HORSE CLASSES ARE FAST BECOMING POPULAR with horse people. Whether you re straight off the ranch, or just itching to return to a less-blingified show atmosphere the unfussy tack and attire that personifies the working rancher is still very much the standard for these classes. If you re wanting to make a sharp picture with your horse and aren t sure what that looks like, we ve gathered opinions from experts in ranching competition to help you prepare to hit the show pen. Functional Tack AQHA PROFESSIONAL HORSEMAN COUNCIL CHAIRMAN AND AQHA judge Steve Meadows of Staunton, Virginia, says attire and tack vary regionally, but each rider holds to the same standard. You want just good, western working equipment, Steve says. You want something you can rope off of and do cow horse and reining in. I like a versatile saddle. Steve says he doesn t see too many old-style Wade Tree saddles he notices more Bowman reining trees on the saddles, or ranch cutter-style saddles. To that end, he s recently designed a saddle in coordination with Sean Ryon Saddle Shop in Fort Worth, Texas. You want something comfortable that fits the horse well, but something with which you can do multiple jobs, Steve says. To me, it s more about being functional and doing your job. Is my equipment protecting me and protecting my horse? It s not about decoration. Steve says his equipment use changes based on what fits the horse. Some horses he ll use split reins, and others he ll use romal reins. Some horses do best in a hackamore, while with others he ll use a snaffle. This class was designed to bring back the horse that will do anything you ask of it, Steve says. That s what AQHA started out promoting, and that is what it has returned to. So you want your equipment to fit the horse. Workmanlike Attire WHAT S GREAT ABOUT THE RANCH HORSE CLASSES, STEVE SAYS, is the opportunity for riders to bring their regional background to the show pen. Ranch tack and clothes look different in the deserts of Arizona, in California and West Texas, Steve says. It looks different in Louisiana and Florida and Virginia. You look at the weather and terrain conditions, and the clothing and tack suit those areas. We don t all have to wear exactly the same thing and ride in exactly the same saddle. The common denominator is a good horse that will do whatever you ask it do to. We can all come up with our own version of what we think ranchy is. Steve says riders in the West wear chinks more, but riders from parts of Texas are more likely to wear batwing or shotgun chaps as protection from brush. Riders from Montana and Wyoming tend to wear warmer attire to withstand the colder temperature, while riders from the Southwest lean toward the buckaroo look, such as flat, wide-brimmed hats over traditional cowboy hat shapes SHOT Limited Non-Pro Reserve World Champion Carisa Kimbro of Burleson, Texas, says she strives to wear clothing that would make sense on a ranch. I make sure everything I wear is workable, Carisa says. I still try to be feminine, but I want what I wear to not be just for show. I always make sure it ties back to ranching roots. In the higher levels of competition, Carisa says she sees a finer grade of chap and hat, and more riders differentiating themselves with subtle details such as a classy, tailored shirt with special details like accented cuffs or a pattern. You want workmanlike attire that looks classy, but not overly showy, Carisa says. This isn t showmanship. You don t want to distract from the look of the horse. Don t be afraid of fun prints or bright colors, Rhea Follett, owner of CR Ranchwear, says. She cautions against grabbing a button-down shirt from the back of your closet without taking the time to make sure it works with your hat, chaps, jeans and saddle blanket. Create a cohesive look, Rhea says. Make sure you ve taken the time to dress professionally. You ll feel better about yourself and you will perform better. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

56 Trends to Avoid RHEA SAYS RANCH VERSATILITY CLASSES ARE A CHANCE FOR YOU to show your personality in a positive way. Take the time to think a little bit outside the box, and choose an outfit that might be just a little bit different, Rhea says. The judges will like someone who looks sharp. Custom rawhide tack maker Steve Guitron of Vista, California, says fancy headstalls with lots of silver are discouraged in ranch horse classes. I do have a really popular antique rust buckle that my wife, Carol, designed a few years ago, he says. It doesn t have silver, so it s acceptable in those classes. Competitors in ranch classes are discouraged from using show saddles with silver because it contradicts the spirit of the discipline. If you re planning to work cattle, Carisa suggests choosing a suitable saddle for cow work over using a reining saddle, citing safety concerns. I think you can probably rein in any working cow horse saddle, but you can t work cows in all reining saddles, Carisa says. One, it s too showy, and two, you can get pitched out of a saddle with a flatter seat and lower swells, but also, when you see a show reining saddle in a ranch class, it distracts from the overall image you want. Carisa says while coordination is good, going overboard with matching your saddle pad to your shirt can make the overall look too showy, which is not what you want for these classes. I think the matchy-matchy trend is a carryover from reining, Carisa says. You have to be careful because it s a fine line. You want to be casually cool. Trying to be ranchy without trying too hard. Abigail Boatwright is a freelance contributor to the Ranch Horse Journal. To comment, write to aqhajrnl@aqha.org. BRIDLE Steve Guitron says bosals and mecate are frequently seen headgear for junior horses. Romal reins are popular, especially in the West. He doesn t see split reins often used in ranch classes in his area of Vista, California. Split reins are more popular in other regions for some classes, such as Texas. Both types of reins are acceptable. HOBBLES OR ROPE If you re planning to rope off your horse or hobble it for ranch versatility classes, it s completely acceptable to leave that equipment attached to your horse for other classes. But Steve Meadows advises that you choose functional equipment and leave it off your horse if you won t be using it. I think hobbles and ropes should be working pieces of equipment, not decorative, Steve says. SADDLE Choose a saddle that is versatile and looks like it was designed to work cattle, says Carisa Kimbro. Look for a saddle with a deep pocket and bigger swells to keep you stable during cattle classes. Avoid excessive silver. PAD Many riders use a blanket over their pad with a traditional or muted print that coordinates with their shirt. Steer clear of showy pads and overly matching your pad to your outfit.

57 HAIR Carisa Kimbro says your hair should be pulled back in a ponytail or braid. She also pins wayward wisps back. I m pretty serious about having a clean appearance, Carisa says. Your hair should not be a distraction to the judge. HAT No matter how expensive your hat, make sure it s shaped to your face by a professional hatter. And your hat needs to stay on your head. One of my biggest pet peeves is when your hat comes off, Carisa says. I fell off a horse in the cow horse class at the World Show once, but my hat stayed on. I had eight bobby pins in there. If you re going 9-0 down the fence, it should stay on your head. If you are on a ranch, your hat cannot come off your head because you ve got other stuff to do besides chase down your hat. MAKEUP Even though the class calls for a workmanlike appearance, Carisa says tasteful makeup is an important part of her look. Makeup just adds an element of femininity to your look, but you don t want it to be distracting, she says. SHIRT Rhea Follett, owner of CR Ranchwear, recommends choosing a well-fitted, collared button-down dress shirt for ranch classes. She adds that a buttondown shirt can look sharp, as long as it s properly tailored and coordinating with your overall look. I m seeing riders coordinate with the color of their horse and with their saddle blanket, Rhea says. Some riders are choosing material with a little bit of a sheen to it that catches the light in a subtle way. PANTS Well-fitting jeans designed for riding are desired in these classes, says Carisa. She prefers jeans that hit at her waist, rather than a low-rise fit. I want them to fit over my hips so that my chap buckle will hit below my belt buckle, she says. ACCESSORIES Carisa limits her jewelry to earrings studs or small hoops. Wild rags are often worn in the ranch classes by both men and women, and a well-chosen scarf can tie together your look. CHAPS Carisa wears working shotgun chaps with details like conchos and a pocket the same chaps she wears on the ranch. Unlike show chaps, the length allows her to walk around off the horse without dragging the hem in the dirt. In the summer, Texas-based Carisa will sometimes wear chinks instead of chaps for a cooler ride. BOOTS Square or snip-toe boots are popular, says Carisa. She prefers snip toe for ease of getting in and out of the stirrup, and says a spur ridge is helpful when wearing chaps. I love a spur ridge because it keeps your spurs from moving once you put your chaps on, Carisa says. The spurs have somewhere heavy to rest. The height of your boot is up to your personal preference, but some riders choose tall tops for extra protection from snakes on the ranch or stirrup leather rubbing. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

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60 C ol I KNEW RAY HUNT FOR 25 YEARS, AND HE TALKED ABOUT transitions constantly. He said that transitions are the life in the horse, and until you get to where you can regulate that, a lot of other things aren t going to work out. The transitions are important, necessary. A good, smooth transition, if anything s going to happen, they can t be just pretty good. They gotta be really good. And the more you intend to do with that horse, the better the transitions ought to be. This won t happen in 30 or 60 days. There s a transition from standing still to the walk, from the walk to the trot, the trot to the lope. Then within those gaits, there are about three different speeds in each gait for example, the real slow, collected walk; the normal walk; and the extended walk. Same at the trot and lope. You should be able to transition between those speeds at any given time. I will do hundreds and hundreds of transitions with a colt. Speed em up, slow em down. A person might ask me, how do I get a colt to lope? I say, get him real good at trotting. It s the transitions can you speed him up to the trot? Bring him back to the walk smooth? Back up to the trot? Hold it a little longer? Can you trot him a little faster? Gradually you ll get him to trot a little further, a little faster, and he hooks on to going somewhere. By Buster McLaury with Andrea Caudill Photos by Andrea Caudill Then you ask him just trot a little faster. He s gonna think I can t trot any faster, I gotta lope. And then he s going to transition into lope and it ll be right, because it was his idea. He s not scared or forced into it. Anything you do with a horse, the more it s his idea, the better it s going to turn out. Because when he decides to do something, whatever it is lope, stop, turn, back up he knows how to arrange his feet and balance to get that job done. So it ll just be smooth. At that point, all you gotta do is get out of the way and enjoy the ride. Getting Started WE START COLTS IN A 150-FOOT PEN WITH A HELPER ON AN older horse. That way, the first ride or two, whoever s riding the colt can just do a little bit with their legs, but the helper can use a flag or a rope to help the colt. Then the rider doesn t have to do too much, because the colt doesn t understand aids yet. The rider puts a little more life in their legs first, then the helper sees that and uses the flag, and the colt will move away from that flag. Once you get the colt where you can bend him pretty good in the corral a day or two or three, depending on the horse you just get out in the pasture and ride around. Out there, 58 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

61 Transitions are the glue that make all the parts of a ride work together. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

62 A good stop starts with the willingness to go (left), and then the willingness to put a lot of effort into the halt (right). there s a real job for go, stop, turn and back up. The main thing a colt needs to learn is to go. It s pretty hard to teach one to stop and turn around if you can t get him to go. So we go somewhere, and there are no fences in the way so they feel like they can go. Every once in a while, we ll stop the colt with one rein, bend him a little bit, then go again. We stop him with one rein a lot the first 30 days, maybe several hundred times. I don t mean pull his head around and stop him. At a walk, just sit down and quit riding, pick up your right rein, sit there and wait. He might start in a little circle, if he bends his neck, you just shorten your elbow. He might make four, five or 20 circles, but pretty quick he ll be bent enough to where the hind end is stepping over more than the front end, he s not really going anywhere, so he figures he might as well just stop. It s his idea to stop, you re not making him stop. You re just making it difficult for him to go forward, and he ll take care of the stop. Pretty soon, he ll get that figured out and when you pick up on that rein, he ll go to thinking about slowing down. He will get off to one side a little and just stop. And then you get him even where it s just as easy to stop on the left rein as the right. That tells me maybe he s ready to stop with two reins. Then he s going along real slow, not really going anywhere anyway, I m gonna pick up both reins don t pull, just pick up enough so he can feel you, just enough to get in his way and he ll stop. There s no hurry to it. As his right front foot comes back, your right leg is coming in so it sends his foot ahead. Then the left. Then you re doing right-left, right-left. Want to speed it up? Just add a little energy with your leg. So your leg comes in there with energy not necessarily kicking him or using your foot but with energy, he feels that. If you re on a colt, you might give him five or six strides to respond to that. But, of course, being a colt, he might not understand that, so you have to make a little noise or spank him a little with a rein, something that bothers him so he needs to speed up. I don t mean you need to crucify him all it takes to trouble a horse is one little fly. That bothers him. So do whatever you have to do to bother him, then there s a change, then there s the release. And that s Transitions are not only from gait to gait, but also within the gait, which requires a more advanced level of training, as Sheryl McLaury demonstrates here with a collected walk. Getting a Feel ONE OF THE THINGS YOU GO TO WORKING ON, besides bending his head around a little so he gets the feel of them bridle reins, is get a feel of him with your leg and let him get a feel of you for those transitions. Don t just wham! go in there. If your legs go in there with a little feel, he feels it but he doesn t understand it to start with. But it s amazing how quick horses learn if it s presented in a manner they understand. The easiest way for that horse to learn to get hooked on your legs is getting in time with his feet. 60 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

63 A young horse has to learn to go with willingness before he can learn to stop, turn or complete any other advanced maneuver. where he learns. Your leg livens up and he knows to liven up because he doesn t want the trouble that s coming later. As you liven him up, you re going to continue at the same speed he is you don t quit. So you re riding along there at the same speed he s going. If you want him to slow down, you re going to take a little life out of your leg, same as you d do if you were walking. The horse feels that, and he ll learn to respond to that. Slow your body down there, on a young horse give him five or six strides to feel back to you. If he doesn t make it, you can pick the reins up and help him a little bit. If it s presented in that manner, he ll really learn quick. Polished Training THAT REAL PRETTY SLIDING STOP IN THE SHOW RING STARTS the very first time you pick up the rein on a colt. Because right there you re setting the stage, you re letting him learn to follow that feel, you re just going to help him do something. After a handful of rides, you ve been bending him with one rein quite a bit, and maybe you pick up one rein and ask him to tuck his chin just a little bit. It s just the beginning of collection, the preparation toward collection. Maybe he just bobs his chin just a little bit and you release. Then go down the trail a little ways and try again. Then if you get him pretty good about when you reach for him, he ll tuck his chin, you can hold on there just a little longer and get his feet to slow down a stride or two. That s the answer collection is down in the feet. It s not up in his face. Next, you re going down a little slope, you ve got a little more momentum or forward energy, so pick up a soft feel and see if you can get a transition to a slow walk, and tiptoe two or three strides down. Next thing you know, you can tiptoe him off a slope, and that s getting him ready to slide him down a steep hill. That s also the preparation for a stop, getting a horse to tuck his chin, get round all through his neck and back, and his hind feet come up under him. If you try to make him stop, it ll never work out right. He may stop, but it ll never be right. And it ll never be consistent. Those things you make him do, or scare him into, it ll never be consistent because it wasn t his idea to do it. You can pick that out at a show or cow working, the horse that is made to do something, forced to do something, it shows. It s not their idea. Their expression is totally different. If you re pulling on him to stop him, of course that bridle hurts his mouth, and he learns to protect himself. So when he feels your hand coming, instead of his chin coming in and bridling up, getting his neck and back round, he pushes and sticks his chin out, and just like a human, when you stick your chin out, feel what it does to your lower back and hip pockets, it just gets out behind you. So that horse gets to them stopping on his front end and bracing. Some might stop pretty hard that way, but it ll never be right. You have to work on hundreds of transitions. You should get your transition from a walk to a trot good enough that all you have to do is think about trotting and he ll just pick up that trot. His head will elevate just a little bit for balance, his ears will go up, and he ll say This is the most interesting thing I ve ever done. When you get it like that, you ve got things going on between you and your horse. When it s that good, it won t be any trouble to lope him. I bet you. If your reining pattern calls for you to lope him off in the right lead, if you have that horse moving off your leg well enough, if you have that collection when you pick up your reins just a little bit, come in there with your left leg as his left hind leg was leaving the ground, his left hind leg would step under and push, his right hind and left front would come together and his right front would come, and he d be loping in the correct lead. That all comes from that first ride, when you were just bending him and stepping his hindquarters over. Get him prepared and you ll hardly miss a lead. Over time, do less so the horse has a chance to come up with more. First thing you know, you ll just be standing still, pick him up and lope him off. To comment on this story, write to acaudill@aqha.org. BIO BUSTER and SHERYL MCLAURY are based in Paducah, Texas, but travel the world offering horsemanship clinics. Both come from ranching backgrounds and have spent decades refining their horsemanship techniques. As students of Ray and Carolyn Hunt, the McLaurys work to help people better understand their horses and work in partnership. Buster has managed big outfits and helped major ranches with colt starting. For more information on the McLaurys and their clinic schedules, visit RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

64 13601 W. Hwy 60 Canyon, Texas Fax: WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

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66 Ranch SALE Wrap T. By Richard Chamberlain COURTESY OF THE BEST OF REMUDA SALE Ranch horse sales can be hard to quantify, but experts agree that the demand for good ranch horses, and by extension sale numbers, held steady this year.

67 THE AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE BREEDER RANCH AND PRODUCtion sales are in the books for The Ranch Horse Journal looked at Ranching Heritage Breeders ranch and production sales around the country, and, for the most part, the total gross, highest sellers and average prices have held their own or improved since last year. The variety of horses sold at ranch sales from weanlings to broke ranch geldings to breeding stock reflect different ranching operations and to some degree skews sale numbers, leaving it difficult to make comparisons from one sale to another. It is still possible, though, to see the market overview, as AQHA Ranching Committee Chairman Jim Hunt observed after his Open Box Rafter Ranch Performance Horse Sale in South Dakota. Buyers are becoming more selective, paying more attention to pedigree, conformation, color and training than ever, Jim says. The market for good performance horses, especially started 2-year-olds, is still good and the competition markets are still strong, especially those bound for team roping, barrel racing and ranch horse competitions. Our weanling average was actually up from last year, and any time you improve, considering the down cattle market, you have to be pleased. Young Stock MANY OF THE SALES WERE PRODUCTION SALES, MEANING THAT the horses sold were young stock such as weanlings and yearlings. While the prices might be lower than for a finished show horse, the cost of production is also lower, and the buyers are offered a priceless advantage a young horse, born of solid ranch horse blood, raised in open pastures that develop their minds and bodies, that the new owner can develop however they want. At the 41st annual Lopez, Meyer & Lauing Quarter Horse Production Sale in Faith, South Dakota, the top-five highestselling weanlings averaged $3,660, including a palomino Fly The Red Eye filly that sold for $5,400. At the Raymond Sutton Ranch s 65th production sale in Gettysburg, South Dakota, which is billed as the oldest Quarter Horse production sale in the world, the sale saw a high-selling weanling, a colt by Just A Silver Duck, bringing a solid $2,350. The Pitzer Ranch at Ericson, Nebraska, grew to fame in the 1960s when Howard Pitzer brought home Two Eyed Jack and turned the AQHA Champion and eventual Hall of Famer into one of the premiere sires of his time. The ranch now is managed by Pitzer s grandson, Jim Brinkman, and has two sales each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. We had a good crowd and I thought the horses did pretty good, the Nebraska breeder says. The averages maybe were down just a little bit from last year, but as a whole, things went pretty good. Weanlings averaged $2,126 and older horses averaged $5,167. Our fall sale is a ranch production sale where we sell the majority of our babies, he says. A large percent of the consigned horses are geldings and riding horses. We ve got a lot of what I call satellite breeders they basically follow our program, a lot of their studs came from here, the bloodlines are basically the same and they are part of the program, so to speak. A lot of the sale horses come from those people and this is where they market them. Any business has to have liquidity, and that s what a lot of horse operations lack. So the question is, where do you sell your horse? Part of our deal is we provide the market to sell, also. AQHA Executive Committee member Stan Weaver and wife Nancy hosted their 21st annual production sale in September at their ranch at Great Falls, Montana, and saw horses sell at an average of $3,343. The highest seller was Weavers Tonka Poco, an 8-year-old red roan gelding by Poco Ima Dox who was purchased for $12,500. COURTESY LEGACY RANCH HORSE SALE Different ranch sales have different ways of selling horses. At the Legacy Ranch Horse Sale, horses were shown at work before the sale. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

68 ANDREA CAUDILL Buying a young AQHA Ranching Heritage-bred riding horse will jump start the opportunity to show in the rich Ranching Heritage Challenges and have a good horse for ranch work. The Weaver family has been raising working ranch and rodeo horses since 1888, including 2015 AQHA-Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Steer Roping Horse of the Year Weavers Diamond Bar, a 1999 dun gelding by Diamonds Cutter. The sale was a success and we are pleased with the results, Nancy says. Our sale is predominately a weanling sale, with a select number of saddle horses and mares. The colts are known for their speed, good bone, feet and withers. We are proud of them. Every horse that went through the ring has a new home, and we thank the buyers who have faith in them. Things were looking up in Arkansas, too. The Ozark Foundation Breeder s Association includes the Gemstone Ranch, Killian Quarter Horse/K2 Ranch and Walker 4W Quarter Horses, and of the 90 head cataloged, 86 were sold for a total of $121,050. Our market was up a little bit from last year, says OFBA President Kenny McCullough. This is mainly a production sale, and it was up about $100 from last year on our weanlings, which is the main thing we gauge by. Maybe that s not great nationwide, but it s pretty good for us. We ve been through some tough times here in Arkansas. We thought we had a good sale last year, and we kind of credited that back to the cattle market then, but this year, the weanling market actually was better. Maybe we re doing something right I hope we are. Young and Started WHILE THE SALES LIKE THE SUTTON RANCH S ARE STEEPED IN historic tradition, Texas Wagon Wheel Ranch at Lometa has a relatively new sale, and offered 49 horses ranging from yearlings to 5-year-olds. I m pleased with our sale, says ranch manager Rusty Rodgers. We had good horses, good weather and a good crowd turned out. We ve been raising horses for many years, but this was only our fourth annual production sale. It was equal to or better than last year, but in a little bit different way. Last year, we had good demand more or less evenly across the board for all the horses, Rusty continues. This year, the demand was more in the riding-horse category, better than last year, but the (demand for) younger stock was not quite as good. The overall numbers were positive this year. Things are on the upswing. Another young sale this being the very first saw a standing-room only crowd for the Legacy Ranch Horse Sale at the rodeo grounds in Prescott, Arizona. The sale offered horses from three of the state s most historic working ranches the K4 Ranch, O RO Ranch and Campwood Cattle Co. and had an overall sale average of $7,744. The sale was so well done, and the quality of the horses from the three ranches there was outstanding, says Amanda Shaw of Chandler, Arizona, who purchased the sale s secondhighest seller, Royale Shake N Bake, as a barrel prospect. You couldn t ask for better prospects for ranch horses, team roping, barrel racing, anything. The 14th annual Sugar Bars Legacy Horse Sale in Sheridan, Wyoming, celebrated the bloodlines of American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Sugar Bars, offering everything from weanlings to riding stock. This year s sale saw prices jump for weanlings and yearlings and hold steady for riding horses. The top five weanlings averaged $2,030 and the top five saddle horses averaged $8,750. It was an excellent sale, considering the cattle prices and 66 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

69 the economic slow-down around here, says board member Shirley Wetz. We had good horses, a good crowd turnout and good prices, and overall we did very well. Riding and Breeding EACH YEAR, THE HISTORIC FOUR SIXES RANCH OFFERS HORSES AT various Quarter Horse sales. A division of the Burnett Ranches, the Four Sixes conducts the Return to the Remuda Sale each fall in partnership with Pitchfork Land and Cattle Co., Tongue River Ranch and Beggs Cattle Co. This year s Return to the Remuda Sale saw horses sold for an average price of $7,750 per head, topped by Sixes Smart Cat, a 3-year-old stallion by WR This Cats Smart purchased for $45,000. I was really pleased with the sale, says AQHA Past President Dr. Glenn Blodgett, who is general manager of the Burnett Ranches horse division. I couldn t have been more pleased. It was a terrific sale. Especially having come through several other sales since the end of July, the Remuda sale comparatively was really strong, really good all the way through. Our overall average was within $250 of last year, which showed to be real consistent, yet we had certain classes of horses that were really up, especially our broodmare averages, he continues. Our gelding deal always is good, but over COURTESY RAYMOND SUTTON RANCH the last two years, we ve sold a few less riding horses but more yearlings and more broodmares. Riding horses have traditionally been the strongest set, but those other two classes of horses have become very strong. The Rob A. Brown Horse Sale on the R.A. Brown Ranch at Throckmorton, Texas, saw riding horses average $9,240, led by R A B Sudden Stop, a 4-year-old mare by CGB Colonel Jazz who came from the string of 83-year-old ranch cowboy Buzzy Thorp and sold for $13,500. As one of only 16 breeders who have continuously registered foals since the inception of AQHA, the ranch proudly shared that rich heritage with a standing-only crowd of people from around the country, says Kelli Brown, wife of Donnell Brown. Thanks to the Ranching Heritage Challenge program and the success of many young sixth-generation horsemen and -women in the arena, we certainly have seen a renewed interest in these versatile ranch-bred horses. Ranch Horse Upswing THE VARIETY OF HORSES SOLD AT RANCH SALES TENDS TO SKEW sales numbers, but there is something that stands out. I think that good horses still are holding their value, says Joni Hunt, who is the other half of the Open Box Rafter Ranch. There is as much a demand for good ranch geldings as there ever has been. Most of the people buying horses at our sale are not breeders or ranchers, anymore. The ones who are buying the higher end are folks who are more recreational or want to go to team ropings or barrel racings or other events. We are very pleased that a lot of breeders are coming back and we ve seen fillies often out-sell stud colts the past several years. I think people are wanting something for their breeding program, which tells me the horse business is on an upswing. Doc Blodgett of the Four Sixes agrees. The horse ranching business right now looks really good, he added. One of the areas that I m really most encouraged about is what the broodmares did at our sale. That tells me that maybe people are wanting to either get into the breeding business themselves or add to and enlarge their current breeding program. And a good ol solid, allaround ranch gelding is always worth something. The versatile nature of the ranch Quarter Horse really gives a lot of strength in the marketplace. So the industry looks positive to me. I tell people who don t have a Quarter Horse that they need to go get one. Weanlings, like this high seller offered at the Raymond Sutton Ranch Production Sale, offer buyers an opportunity to purchase a solid, well-bred ranch horse and train them just how they want them. Richard Chamberlain is a special contributor to the Ranch Horse Journal. To comment, aqhajrnl@aqha.org. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

70 RO Branded Real Ranch Horses SUBSCRIBE TO THE Performance Horse Journal Be sure to look for proven O RO RANCH and performance horses at the SEPTEMBER 2017 LEGACY RANCH HORSE SALE For more information contact / 2/ 2!.#( s Rick Rosaschi ROPE HORSES 4466 County Road 123 Gainesville, Texas PHONE (940) This bi-monthly magazine is dedicated to reining, cutting, roping, barrel racing and other timed events. Training insights Profiles on performance horse breeders Health, breeding and management articles &DWKH\+ROORZ5RDG %XUQV71 CALL YOUR AD REP TODAY! FERRON LUCERO JR. flucero@aqha.org ALEX MORCOM amorcom@aqha.org JAZLYN RICE jrice@aqha.org KELLY HESS khess@aqha.org Official coverage from AQHA s world championship shows Visit aqha.com/magazines to subscribe or call AS VERSATILE AS THE BREED 68 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

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72 S T cises is Story and Photos by Andrea Caudill Boredom Busters WWHEN THE ICY FINGERS OF WINTER TAKE A GRIP, it can be hard to stay motivated to practice. But even if your arena is covered in precipitation, you can still work on things that will ultimately help your horse be more trained, and help perfect and polish your skills so that when show season rolls around, you are ready to score big in the pen. Try out some of these exercises suggested by AQHA Professional Horseman and judge Fielding Bozo Rogers of Gainsville, Texas, all of which can be done in a confined area, such as a covered pen or barn aisle, with everyday items at hand. Keep in mind that these exercises should all be first introduced to the horse in a safe, open place. Only after the horse has learned them should you use a more confined area like a barn aisle to practice polishing the skills. The confined area that you choose to work in should likewise be safe and free of hazards. If you ve done all your homework outside first, then you can reinforce all of those little things you ve taught them, Bozo says. Versatility competition has gotten so tough today that there are a lot of people who are going to be in the positive maneuver box all the way through a run. So if you get one or two penalty points, you might drop to third or fourth place. A little practice might make all the difference. 70 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

73 1. Hobbling A HORSE MUST BE TAUGHT TO HOBBLE IN A safe area with soft ground (see Summer 2016 Ranch Horse Journal, Page 56, for more tips). Bozo adds that when he hobbles for the first time, he wraps a horse s ankles for protection, and often uses quick-release hobbles, or applies them in a way that it is easy to get them off if there is trouble. You have to have already taught your horse this; this is just a refresher, he emphasizes. Make sure your horse is standing balanced and square before applying the hobbles. Once the hobbles are on, stand back and tell the horse Whoa. Some of them will get a little silly, but they ll get over it, he says. You can expect some hopping around at first. I ll walk around the horse and touch her. It s just good for the horse s mind to show her she can be confined. When we go to a horse show, they have to stand still, he continues. Whether we re standing in an alley, or saddling them, or going to show them at halter, they need to have a little bit of discipline and patience. And with our ranch horse, if we have to get off and fix a fence, we hobble our horse. 2. Conformation Setup RANCH HORSE CONFORMATION IS ONE OF the classes on the Versatility Ranch Horse menu, and practicing your setup can help you in the show ring. If it s two equal horses (being judged), the horse that gets first is the one that will stand up, notes Bozo. It s important that you can stand a horse up and that she ll be still. If it s a big class, you might be out there 30 minutes, so your horse has to learn to be patient and wait on you. You can take advantage of a barn wall to trap the horse from swinging a hip too far as you work to maneuver her feet square. It just takes lots of patience, he says. When I get her pretty close, I leave her alone. I ll reward her, and let her know she has to stay right there. The next step is to start moving around the horse and making sure the horse continues to stand still. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

74 3. Stand for Mounting STANDING FOR MOUNTING OR DISMOUNTING IS A PRACTICAL, AS well as a judged, skill. A lot of us in the versatility are getting older, and we want these horses to where they wait on us, Bozo says with a smile. I hate a horse that moves when I get on. And it s a 1-point penalty if your horse takes a step when you mount it s a 3-point penalty if the horse moves two steps. I want to make that horse stand still when I get on and after I get on. You can use a hay bale as a mounting block you ll use it again in a moment and ask the horse to maneuver to the bale, and reward it for standing quietly as you mount, and for continuing to stand still after you settle onto its back. 4. Rope ROPING IS A KEY SKILL FOR A VERSATILITY RANCH HORSE. THE horse must accept the rope swinging and touching it all over. Just swing a rope around your horse, Bozo says. We have to pick up a rope a lot of times, and I just want to get her to where she s used to it all over, let her learn how to be still and just accept things. Then it s time to use that bale of hay. Roping a bale of hay is one of the simplest things you can do, Bozo says. You can use your wall to help keep your horse in place, and it makes you focus on throwing your loop around that hay. You don t have to have a fancy dummy. And that bale is probably the best loop you can throw, because we re roping muleys (around the neck) in the versatility. Make your horse stand there, over and over, he continues. She ll get to where it s just something you do. I try to position my horse in different places where I can rope that dummy any time I want to, and make sure it s a way for me to practice a really good loop for roping necks. I spend a lot of time doing this. 5. Sack Out IN THE WINTER, THERE WILL BE DAYS WHERE IT LL WARM UP A little bit and you might want to take your coat off, Bozo says. And at a horse show, there s going to be a slicker hanging up on something. This is a perfect opportunity to practice a necessary skill, as well as an obstacle you might run into in a ranch trail class. I ll walk or ride up to it, and let her look at it, he says. It s easier to hold her straight on that wall. I m not trying to scare her with it. I m just trying to get her to accept it and praise her when she relaxes. If I want to put that slicker on, I m going to keep my hand on the reins so I can control her, and then I can switch and look for that other arm. The horse must stand relaxed. And don t forget to complete the entire maneuver. It s always important to make her stay there until you put the coat back, Bozo adds. A lot of times at the horse show, you have to put it back and if the horse takes off before you get it put back, your maneuver score goes down. Andrea Caudill is editor of the Ranch Horse Journal, and has spent many a cold winter day stuck in the barn aisle looking for something to do. To comment, write to acaudill@aqha.org. 72 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

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76 Before you get on the road, be prepared to ensure a safe drive. In for the

77 WHETHER YOU ARE A GET IN AND GO OR A PAUSE FOR THE cause traveller, there are several things to consider when you are hauling horses long distances. The key to safe traveling is maintenance of your vehicle, trailer and horses. T Story and photos by Jennifer Horton TIRES AND TIRE PRESSURE The first step is to make sure that you have the correct weightrated tires on both your truck and trailer. The load carrying capacity is imprinted on the tire. Multiply that by the number of tires on the vehicle. Make sure that it equals or exceeds the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the trailer. Monitor and maintain your tire treads to help prevent blowouts while traveling. Tire damage is a significant danger during travel. First Things First BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF ACROSS STATE LINES, MAKE SURE YOU know each state s requirements for hauling livestock and the health paperwork you ll need to have with you. Typically, you will be required to have current health certificates for each horse, including a negative Coggins. Some states require brand inspections, as well. Of course, regular maintenance and care of your truck and trailer are important for any hauling long or short distances. Regular oil changes, tires and attention to mechanical issues are all necessary duties for any horse owner with a truck and trailer. These items can be particularly valuable to manage when preparing for a long haul with horses. If you are able to carry a supply of water from home, it can be helpful in keeping your horses hydrated on the road. Some horses may not drink water with a different taste than their home water. You can help by adding some flavor, like Gatorade, to their water, starting at home a few days before you leave, to mask any strange taste different water may have. You can get an RV or RO water filter that attaches to a hydrant to filter water, possibly eliminating some of the impurities that may affect the taste of the water. Especially in hot temperatures, electrolytes in their water can be important to keep them healthy. During the Drive YOU SHOULD MONITOR YOUR HORSE S CONDITION AT EACH stop; take notice of his heart rate and respiration to catch any signs of stress or sickness early. Normal vital signs ranges are: temperature ( degrees), heart rate (28-44 beats/ minute) and respiratory rate (10-24 breaths/minute). Look for signs of gut discomfort or colic. Traveling can make some horses susceptible to developing ulcers. Consider giving your horse maintenance doses of UlcerGard before and while you travel to help prevent gut issues while trailering. Check your horse s hydration level by looking at his gum color and capillary refill time. A well-hydrated horse should have pale pink gums and its capillary refill time should be less than two seconds (press a finger against the horse s gum the capillary refill time is the time it takes for the gum to return to pink after you ve pressed on it). You can also perform skin tenting by squeezing the skin on the horse s neck or shoulder. It should bounce back quickly and easily when pinched. If either test indicate a horse is dehydrated, take a break from travel to get the horse rehydrated. When traveling in warm weather, make sure you have your trailer well ventilated, through the use of the roof vents and windows. If you are traveling through changes in climate and weather conditions, make sure you are attentive to the ventilation and temperatures to keep your horses comfortable. If you need to use sheets or blankets during your trip, make sure you are checking the horses at stops to make sure they are not getting too warm.

78 Trailers with drop-down windows allow a lot of air flow through the trailer. Make sure you have the windows covered with bars to prevent the horses from sticking their heads all the way out of the trailer, as this is a serious safety hazard. You may consider putting fly masks on your horses while they are in the trailer to protect their eyes from flying dirt particles or bugs, especially if you are hauling with the windows down. Road Warriors RICK AND DOLLY CHAYER, AQHA PROFESSIONAL HORSEMEN AND judges, of Sperry, Oklahoma, make several long-distance trips with performance horses to AQHA shows throughout the year, as well as the Hershberger Performance Horse Sale in Arizona and Pitzer Ranch Spring and Fall Sales in Nebraska each year. When preparing for a long trip, the truck and trailer tires top the list of things to check. Especially in the summer, Rick says. In hot temperatures, just 5 pounds of pressure can make a big difference in your tires. The Chayers find that they prefer to stay on the road and keep driving, alternating drivers to keep moving. I prefer to get in and drive, Rick says. Mostly, it s a safety issue for us. Where we are traveling, there s not always a good place to unload horses, so we keep moving. The auxiliary fuel tank in the back of his truck helps minimize fuel stops. Make sure your wife doesn t drink too much Diet Coke, he advises with a smile. The weather and season have much to do with their travel schedule. In the winter, the Chayers try to drive during daytime hours, but during hot weather, they travel at night to take advantage of cooler temps. It s easier on the horses and also better for your tires, Rick says. Most people hauling long distances put additional bedding in the trailer than what they might for short distances, the Chayers included, to provide that little bit of extra cushion and comfort. Many trainers hauling show horses use cushion foot boots on their horses, as well. The Chayers make sure their horses have hay in the trailer during the long hauls. We don t feed a lot of grain, but we do keep hay in front of them and offer them water at every stop we make, Dolly says. Experienced Hauler AQHA PROFESSIONAL HORSEMAN LUKE JONES OF ALLERTON, Iowa, also stresses the importance of regular vehicle maintenance, especially tires on his rig. Luke pulls both his six-horse and eight-horse trailers with a semi-truck. I personally prefer them over a dually, Luke says. They can both handle pulling the trailers easy enough, but I really like the braking power I have with the semi and it just handles the trailer so much easier. Both of his trailers are equipped with air-ride suspension, a feature he finds really beneficial for hauling. Air-ride suspension systems utilize air shocks in place of standard springs, and reduce the stress and rough road impact on the horses. Luke hauls often to AQHA and cow horse events with performance horses throughout the year. From his home in southern Iowa, his trips are, more often than not, several hours-worth of travel. Regular maintenance on the trucks and trailers is a must. If you have an issue that comes up while you are on the road, make sure you get it fixed when you get home so you re ready for the next trip, Luke says. We bed the trailers pretty deep and we feed hydration hay, which I find really helps my horses. We don t grain them on the trailer, but we try to keep them on the same feeding schedule they are on at home, so if we are stopping for a layover, they get grain then. Luke says that 14 hours is as long as he wants to keep his horses on the trailer. We find places to layover, such as horse hotels or even fairgrounds can offer good, safe places, he says. With living-quarters trailers, the layovers are easy and Luke can be near the horses overnight. If you leave the windows down for air flow, always have the window-bars up to keep the horse s head inside the trailer during travel to prevent injury. If you have to pull over, make sure you do so at a safe location. 76 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

79 The weather also plays a part in the Joneses travel schedule. When it s cool, we ll drive during the day, he says. But during hot weather, it is easier on horses and tires to travel at night. The only drawback is if you run into trouble, it may be hard to find help when you re traveling at night. During those long 13- to 14-hour trips, Luke might stop every three to four hours and check on the horses. Traveling with young children, snack and potty breaks offer a regular opportunity to check on the horses. If I feel movement in the trailer that is out of the ordinary, I pull over and check that out, too, he says. Luke doesn t routinely use leg wraps on his horses when hauling. I ve had a few horses that I will wrap, ones that need a little bit of extra protection, he says. But normally, not. Our air-ride makes a big difference. With that and deep bedding, we get along fine. I know some people use those soft-ride boots for horses with foot issues, and I don t think that s a bad thing. Luke believes in plan and preparation. I try to keep our Coggins papers within six months; that will get you anywhere. Iowa doesn t have brand inspections, so we are good there. We always carry a couple of spare tires and you should always carry tools, he says. We carry water with us sometimes, and if you re able to do that, it can be really good to make sure your horses will drink, either on the road or when you arrive. We find using the hydration hay really helps our horses that way. It s always a good idea to load your trailer for weight distribution. When he s not hauling a full load, Luke tries to keep the load over the air-ride, rather than loading up the front or the rear. Consider your load order to make sure each horse gets along with his or her neighbor (think back to long car trips with your siblings and the reason will become clear). Hauling rope and cow horses, Luke has many stallions in his show string. We make sure they are tied in the trailer so they can t get to the one next to them, he says. At home, my studs are all stalled in the same part of the barn, side-by-side in stalls with open bars between them. It actually helps when we haul them, because they are used to being next to each other. That s how we load them so they re next to their stall buddy. On the really long trips, Luke tries to allow at least one day after arrival for downtime before the competition begins. If the facility has turnout available, such as round pens or something, I really like to take advantage of that and let the horses stretch their legs and move around some. The key to uneventful long-haul road trips can be found in planning and preparation. Knowing what you need will go a long way in solving problems, or even preventing them in the first place. Jennifer Horton is a special contributor to the Ranch Horse Journal. She and her husband, Bill, operate Bar H Photography (barhphotography.com) based in Grundy Center, Iowa. To comment, write to aqhajrnl@aqha.org. PACKING LIST Hay bags Buckets Tool box - hammer, wrenches Health and registration papers for each horse Medical box - wraps, bute, Banamine, UlcerGard, first-aid supplies Spare tires, tire gauge, tire-changing tools, jack, tire iron Horse sheets and blankets, depending on weather Emergency triangles Fire extinguisher Halters and lead ropes Hay Make sure you have an extra halter and lead rope or two in your trailer, just in case. Double check your packing lists; you won t need extras until you need extras. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

80 Outfitting your lifestyle. ONE STORE. ENDLESS OPTIONS. A HA YOUR WAY. LONG SLEEVE TEE $15 We Are A HA Logo-White $10 HOODIE $25 Round Distressed Logo-Grey $10 BASEBALL TEE $13 A HorseA Logo-Black $10 SHORT SLEEVE TEE $10 A HA Lg Oval Glitter-Purple $18 LONG SLEEVE TEE $15 Arrow Logo-White $12 CHOOSE YOUR STYLE & COLOR CHOOSE YOUR LOGO WEAR IT WITH PRIDE ~All custom items are non-refundable~ More choices at quarterhorseoutfitters.com START YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING AT quarterhorseoutfitters.com

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82 (Continued from Page 8) Paying It Forward IN OCTOBER, THE AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE FOUNDATION dedicated the newest bronze that stands in front of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in Amarillo. The statue shows Roy Parks Sr. handing the lead of a foal to his great-granddaughter, Amy Bell. Roy was one of the earliest AQHA members, was elected AQHA president in 1960 and inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in The Larry and Ellen Bell family started AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder Kalpowar Quarter Horses in 1994 in Midland, Texas, with Roy s original bloodlines. Their daughter, Amy, was an active show competitor and worked at Kalpowar, as well as being an active philanthropist until her death in In recognition of Amy s love of horses, her love of children and her love and respect for AQHA, the Bell family created the Amy D. Bell Pay It Forward Memorial Scholarship, a $12,500 four-year scholarship, to be given annually to a deserving young person. Read the full story about the dedication and the scholarship s first recipient in the December issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal. Subscribe at World Championship Ranch Rodeo THE 21ST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RANCH RODEO, PRESENTED BY the Working Ranch Cowboys Association, was November in Amarillo, and featured events that mirror ranch duties and require skills with horses, cattle and ropes. The event kicked off November 9 with an extravaganza party featuring Ned LeDoux (son of the late Chris LeDoux), and featured prime shopping and other attractions, such as performances of cowboy poetry. Check to see who won and who finished as the Top American Quarter Horse at the event. HOLLY CLANAHAN ALEXIS O BOYLE Local dignitaries, the Bell family, horse-show friends and AQHA representatives were on hand October 22 to unveil They Bred Good Horses at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum. In addition to commissioning the artwork, the Bell family has established the Amy D. Bell Pay It Forward Memorial Scholarship. A HA Media Names Grand-Prize Winner EVERY MONTH THIS SUMMER, AQHA MEDIA GAVE AWAY A GREAT prize to new and renewing subscribers, as well as readers who shared their impressions and opinions of the Association s magazines. In addition to the monthly drawings, AQHA Media also offered a grand-prize trip for two to the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Winning the grand-prize trip to the NFR is Vickie Etchinek of Crescent Valley, Nevada. Vickie and her daughter will enjoy three days and two nights in Las Vegas, travel for two, two premium seats for one NFR performance, hotel accommodations and dinner for two at a top restaurant. I d like to thank AQHA for putting on the contest, said Vickie, who lives seven hours from Las Vegas. We re going to have a great time! Picking up monthly prizes this summer were s *UNE PAIR OF *USTIN!1(! FULLQUILL OSTRICH BOOTS n Rick Belcher of Bloomington, Indiana s *ULY PAIR OF *OEY *EMISON CUSTOM CHAPS n $ARREL Brown of Tonkawa, Oklahoma s!ugust A YEAR OF 3MART0AKS n,ynn 4ANCIG OF "RITT )OWA s 3EPTEMBER 8 -ASTER (ATTERS PREMIUM FELT HAT n 'ARY 3 -ILLER OF #ANBY /REGON RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

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84 MEGAN ARSZMAN (Continued from Page 80) WCHA Ranch Horse Challenge THE SECOND ANNUAL WORLD CONFORMATION HORSE Association Ranch Horse Challenge took place at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield September 23-24, where 15 open and seven non-pro riders took part in the unique challenge that not only graded horses on their ranch riding skills, but also on their conformation. The first day of the show, horses were lined up for halter, which counted for 40 percent of the overall score. On the second day, the horses competed in the riding portions of the event. Riders first tackled ranch trail, with obstacles such as fallen tree logs, side passing and boxes to work in and out of. The final event, ranch riding, saw exhibitors pushing the limits when it came to trot and lope extensions, with more than $5,000 in cash payouts, plus $3,500 in prizes on the line. The top winners were s Non-Pro Champion: Kelsey Flessner of Whitesboro, Texas, and DVA Smart Dually (2010 s.g. Smart Mate-Itty Bitty Dually by Dual Pep, bred by Doug Adamson of Durant, Oklahoma) s Open Champion: Doug Bogart of Rock Island, Illinois, and Melodys Sweet N Easy (2008 ch.m. Easy Otie Whiz-Melodys Sweet Image by Mr Melody Jac, owned by Lori Field and bred by Matt Lantz of Fremont, Michigan) BY MEGAN ARSZMAN AQHA RANCHING EVENTS CALENDAR December 1-10 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Las Vegas December 31 Deadline to suggest AQHA rule-change proposals January 12 and 14, 2017 Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge Fort Worth, Texas January 14 Best of the Remuda Sale Fort Worth, Texas March AQHA Convention Grand Hyatt, San Antonio March Zoetis AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse and AQHA Cowboy Mounted Shooting World Championships and Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge Finals Houston April Farnam Central AQHA Level 1 Championships Oklahoma City April AQHA West Level 1 Championships Las Vegas Doug Bogart and Melodys Sweet N Easy and Kelsey Flessner and DVA Smart Dually $136,936 Money earned by Ranching Heritagebred horses at the National Reined Cow Horse Association s prestigious Snaffle Bit Futurity. That s not counting the money RHB horses earned at the $15,000-added Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge held in conjunction with the event. 294 The total number of exhibitors who showed in junior, senior and amateur ranch riding at the 2016 Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show For AQHA shows offering ranch riding or Versatility Ranch Horse classes near you, check the AQHA show schedule at Sign up for the Ranch Horse Journal s monthly Ranching Newsletter at com/ranching and get information on more ranch news and events delivered to you via . $45,000 The price required to take home Sixes Smart Cat from the Return to the Remuda Sale. The horse is a 3-yearold colt by WR This Cats Smart and out of Sixes In Vegas by Sixes Pick, and was bred and sold by Burnett Ranches LLC. 82 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

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86 2016 Ranching Heritage Leaders THIS YEAR, THE ZOETIS AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE CHALLENGE PROGRAM PAID OUT JUST SHY OF $150,000, INCLUDING $90,000 IN added money, plus prizes, at six Challenges held around the country. But who topped the year? Leading Horses 1. Boxo Heavens Blue $8, Dry Blue Grass $4, Slipknott $4, Royalrock Hancockrab $4, Boxo Valentines Cat $4,537 Leading Breeders 1. Burnett Ranches LLC $15, Rob A. Brown $14, Jecca Ostrander $13, Wagonhound Land & Livestock LLC $10, San Jon Ranch $5,585 The 4-year-old earned this amount with only four total goes during the year ANDREA CAUDILL 14 Burnett Ranches LLC-bred horses contributed to these earnings Leading Owners 1. Jecca Ostrander $13, Rob A. Brown $11, Burnett Ranches LLC $8, San Jon Ranch LLC $7, Jane Bagley $5,336 Leading Exhibitors 1. Myles Brown $11, Jecca Ostrander $10, Holly Gundlach $7, Matt Koch $6, Dusty Burson $4,167 Of these earnings, 75 percent came from homebred horses, led by Slipknott ($4,665). ANDREA CAUDILL Dusty s mounts earned about $830 per run in Wall Takes Over WRCA LEMAN WALL HAS ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF MANAGER FOR the Working Ranch Cowboys Association, as former manager Mandy Morton retires. Leman grew up on the rolling plains of Texas in the small farming and ranching community of Crowell. After graduating from Texas A&M University, he was an assistant professor at Louisiana Tech University before serving a 17-year career with AQHA. The WRCA has provided its Working Ranch Cowboys Foundation with the ability to give out more than $2.5 million to working ranch cowboys and their families in need of crisis assistance or educational scholarships. For more information, contact the Working Ranch Cowboys Association at or 84 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

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92 R A N C H W R I T I N G The Big Die-Up T of w M D w to T, e it it T P By Jim Jennings IN THE LATE 1870S AND EARLY 1880S, THERE were no fences across the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle. The almost unbroken sea of grass was truly a cattleman s paradise, and big ranchers were running cattle on the open range. However, they had a problem. Cattle from the ranches further north drifted south with the winter winds and onto land that the Panhandle ranchers claimed as their own. In the winter of , thousands of cattle from the Northern Plains drifted into the Panhandle in search of shelter and grass. Those kinds of numbers, when added to what was already on the range, almost ruined the winter pastures of the local cattlemen. To combat the problem, the members of the Panhandle Stock Association, which had primarily been created to combat rustlers, voted to build a drift fence all the way across the Panhandle to stop those northern cattle. Barbed wire had been invented in the 1870s, and an 1876 demonstration in San Antonio showed that the wire would contain cattle. Construction of the drift fence began in 1881, with most of the wire and staples hauled in wagons from Dodge City, Kansas. Fence posts were cut in the canyons along the Canadian River and in Palo Duro Canyon, and by 1885, a broken line of drift fences extended on level ground above the Canadian River for 200 miles across the Panhandle. The drift fences worked, only too well. The result is known today as the Big Die-Up, and it all began that first year after the fence was finished, in the winter of It was a colder than normal winter with lots of snow. 90 WINTER 2016 RANCH HORSE JOURNAL

93 When it was over, thousands of dead cattle were found stacked up against a four-strand barbed-wire drift fence. The next winter was worse. A series of blizzards roared into the Texas Panhandle like a dozen freight trains out of control, driving the cattle until they reached the drift fence. When the cattle could go no farther, they began to stack up. It was said that in places, cattle piled up as far as 400 yards in front of the fence. Some smothered, some froze to death and some were trampled by the ones coming behind them. When it was over, one rancher said that he could have walked for miles on dead cattle without ever stepping on the ground. Cowboys on the LX Ranch reportedly skinned 250 carcasses a mile for 35 miles. The Panhandle Stockman s Association asked ranchers to ship to Dodge City the hides of those animals skinned so they could get a reasonably accurate count as to the losses. By June 1, 1887, Dodge City had received 400,000 hides. The Big Die-Up broke many of the ranchers. Their losses were too high to recover. But it also caused some changes to be made. Legislation was passed in 1889 that prohibited the fencing of public property, which is what most of the open range was at that time. It was owned by the state of Texas. However, it didn t matter, the ranchers who did survive those terrible winters now realized they couldn t take care of their cattle on the open range. They began to file homesteads and buy land, and started fencing their pastures. Parts of the drift fence were incorporated into some of the ranchers pasture fences, while most of the rest was torn down. It was the end of an era, and the beginning of ranching as we know it today. Jim Jennings is the retired AQHA executive director of publications. He has always been intrigued by the history of ranching, and plans to have some more stories on it in future columns. RANCH HORSE JOURNAL WINTER

94 ANDREA CAUDILL FOCUSED DETERMINATION Twelve-year-old Jasper Patrick of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is a fearless showman, and has grown up riding horses at his dad, Jason s, ranching and training operation. Here Jasper guides Doctor J Stik through what would be a winning pattern at the Zoetis AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge in Reno, Nevada (see Page 18 for more). They went on to win the National Reined Cow Horse Association Hackamore Classic non-pro limited championship a few days later.

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