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Gratification can come in many ways. I think for most folks, it is the simple things that bring the most joy. Last week, during the NCHA Futurity, I made a trip over to the Quarter Horse News office to visit with the fine folks at Equi-Stat. I’m a stat junkie; numbers influence every decision I make. When it comes to breeding, I make my mating selections based off performance-based results. I have studied “The Master of Matings,” the great breeder Federico Tesio, and he was self-proclaimed “statistician breeder.” Not to get off course here, as I can when it comes to talking about breeding, but I love stats!
So anyhow, I was ordering some reports, and my father was with me. We got to talking about how long we’ve been breeding performance horses. We figured at the end of this year, the first foals we bred are now 11 year olds. We ordered a report of money-earners we’ve bred and low and behold, a proud moment occurred! $3.6 million-plus thus far! Like I said, gratification can come in many ways. This was a high moment for us. Proud is an understatement. Going through the list of horses Equi-Stat provided, there are over 360 championships from those horses. Proud moment again. Two champions crowned by winning in Will Rogers – pretty special. An NRCHA Snaffle-Bit Futurity Champion. A few AQHA World Champions. Multiple NCHA Futurity finalists, with third in the Open being the highest placement. Winners on four continents with horses we bred and raised out of the U.S. ourselves, as well as others that were sold and exported overseas. Just awesome. Thrilling actually.
After I left the Equi-Stat office, I drove down the street to the Will Rogers Coliseum watched a homebred filly win the NCHA Limited Non-Pro semifinals. She is an extremely talented horse shown by Jody McGlothlin that is well named Somethingtobelievein (pictured). That same night, this great horse marked a 222 and crowned a Futurity champion.
I enjoy showing cutting horses. I feel fortunate to have shown some great ones and have won more than $300,000 to date. It’s a ton of fun; I highly suggest it to anyone. One word of caution…although I have never tried crack, I’d argue riding a cutting horse is just as addictive! As fun as it is for me, the honest truth is I’d gladly never show again to hand someone else the reins and see them succeed on a homebred. Nothing makes me prouder as a horseman.
The futurity season is now over. I have reminisced on our direct impact within the show pen. I can remember as a kid consistently standing in the winner’s circle at the racetrack with my folks and another winner they bred. Seems like it happened every week. Now that I have direct impact in a like manner, I know how proud they must have been. Gratification comes in many ways. Being the breeder of great horses is high on my personal list.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours. May God bless us all in the new year! Foaling season is weeks away. Best of luck, and let’s go breed another winner!
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