Goodbye to Mr Melody Jac

Mr Melody Jac, pictured with Tim McQuay • Photo by Waltenberry

A June 7 post on the Lantz Performance Horses’ Facebook page announced the death of 1988 National Reining Horse Association Futurity Open Champion Mr Melody Jac. The 32-year-old stallion passed away the night of June 6.

“Mr Melody Jac lived out his breeding career and retirement here on our farm,” the post read. “We will sure miss seeing him lope through the pasture.”

Shown exclusively by Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Rider Tim McQuay, Mr Melody Jac (Hollywood Jac 86 x Dude’s Bueno Gal x Senor Jessie Day) earned only four checks in the reining pen, but he garnered $112,239 in his abbreviated show career. His final check to post to Equi-Stat was an Open win at the 1989 Lazy E Classic, which paid $8,881.

Known to many in the reining industry as “Melody,” the stallion went on to sire 155 money-earners with records just shy of $800,000, according to Equi-Stat. His top performer is 1993 stallion Heza German Melody (out of Melonkali Honey x Kaliman), who collected $92,065 in reining and has sired earners of $112,602.

Melody, bred by Richard Greenberg, has truly shined as a broodmare sire; his daughters have produced earners of more than $1.1 million. That impressive list of performers is topped by the 2004 Wimpys Little Step stallion Yellow Jersey (out of Ms Clara Melody), who garnered more than $150,000 in his career. Yellow Jersey was retired in 2014 as an individual bronze medalist after Mandy McCutcheon showed the stallion at the World Equestrian Games as part of the gold medal-winning Team USA.

Mr Melody Jac’s greatest contributions to the industry may still lay ahead. As his offspring continue performing, as well as proving their merit in the breeding shed, the stallion’s bloodlines will carry on into the future.