American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Guy Ray Rutland used his horse-breeding knowledge to excel at the racetrack, as well as in the show arena.

Guy Ray Rutland and his wife, Mildred, had an eye for breeding versatile horses, the kind of all-around horse that could pull his weight in the ranch country of the West. Courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

From the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

Guy Ray Rutland was one of the 10 horses and men to be inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in March during the Hall of Fame banquet, part of the 2013 AQHA Convention in Houston, Texas.

Read on to learn more about this horse-breeding Hall of Famer and his influence on the American Quarter Horse breed.

In the 1960s through the ’80s, the racing of the fastest horses on earth began its transition from a small regional sport into a big national industry. If back then there was one constant, it was that many of those horses who made their way into the winners circle were bred by Guy Ray Rutland and his wife, Mildred. Read the rest of this entry »

This American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer blended with Doc Bar to create a horse-breeding legacy.

As a stallion, Poco Tivio was known for passing on his low-key temperament and flashy working style. His offspring showed as well in halter as in cutting. Courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum.

From the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

Poco Tivio was one of 10 honorees inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in March during the Hall of Fame banquet, part of the 2013 Convention.

Learn more about this amazing stallion:

There are a lot of American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame connections on Poco Tivio’s path to being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

Bred by E. Paul Waggoner’s Three D Stock farm, which also owned his sire, Poco Bueno, Poco Tivio was foaled in 1947, one of only two foals by the Hall of Fame stallion that year. “Tivio” was the first foal out of a then-4-year-old mare named Sheilwin, who went on to greatness by producing the legendary cutting

mare and American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Poco Lena. This is the second time full siblings have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The others are Peppy San (1999) and Mr San Peppy (2011). Read the rest of this entry »

This American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer is known for his success in horse breeding – and in raising great horsemen.

Greg Whalen earned 4,438 open halter points and 15 AQHA world championships with such individuals as Sheza Cover Girl, Chicles Angel, Mr Yella Fella and All Star Design. Courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

From the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

Greg Whalen was one of the 10 horses and men to be inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in March during the Hall of Fame banquet, part of the 2013 AQHA Convention in Houston, Texas.

Let’s learn more about this successful horse breeder and horseman.

Summing up the life of Greg Whalen is pretty daunting and can’t really be done without mentioning his life partner, wife Mary. They lived through the Golden Era of the American Quarter Horse, when it came of age as a breed and an industry.

They’ve fitted world champion halter horses across four decades, beginning with AQHA’s first world champion aged mare Opie’s Pride in 1974. Known for “making” horses, they had numerous high-point horses and AQHA Champions. Read the rest of this entry »

This 2013 Hall of Fame inductee did more than just excel in the show pen, he was also a Quarter Horse breeding great.

Freckles Playboy was more than just a stallion, he was also a sire, as his first foal crop proved. Courtesy of The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum.

From The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

Freckles Playboy was one of 10 honorees inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in March during the Hall of Fame banquet, part of the 2013 Convention.

Learn more about this amazing stallion:

It was the day before Groundhog Day in 1973 when Freckles Playboy was born, sired by Jewel’s Leo Bars, a money-earning son of Sugar Bars, and out of Gay Jay, a spicy-hot cutting mare.

Terry Riddle started the sorrel colt and trained him for breeder and owner Marion Flynt, a Texas oilman. The two men pointed “Playboy” to the 1976 National Cutting Horse Association Futurity, where he was the co-reserve champion. At the 1977 NCHA Derby, he was third, and he also won an AQHA world championship in junior cutting that year. In 1978, he was second in the NCHA Finals and third at the AQHA World Championship Show in senior cutting. He earned 25 AQHA cutting points and $59,976 in NCHA competition. Read the rest of this entry »

This painting features greats from Quarter Horse-breeding history: Easy Jet, King’s Pistol, Oklahoma Star Jr and Driftwood.

The painting “Legends 2″ normally hangs on the third floor of the American Quarter Horse Association headquarters in Amarillo. Orren Mixer art.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum is the perfect getaway as a vacation destination. The museum is a hidden gem of Western art in the Texas Panhandle. The moment you approach, you are greeted by the beautiful, larger-than-life bronze statues of history-making American Quarter Horses Rugged Lark, Refrigerator and others. Visitors can spend time outside at the newly renovated Wall of Honor Plaza, honoring and memorializing the horses and people who’ve paved the way for the American Quarter Horse.

Once inside you can find the Orren Mixer collection of art and artifacts that tell the story of the man who created the portrait of the iconic American Quarter Horse. This collection will be available to tour until July 27. You can read Orren’s personal history, watch interviews and even purchase a Mixer print.

You will also be able to view one of his most famous paintings, “Legends 2.” Read the rest of this entry »

She made her mark on horse-breeding history by passing along some speedy genes.

Miss Olene’s ability as a broodmare made her worthy of being a Hall of Famer. Courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum.

From the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum

Miss Olene was a product – and a producer – of American Quarter Horse racing royalty.

Bred and raced by A.B. Green, who also raced Go Man Go and stood the stallion on his Green Pastures stud farm at Purcell, Oklahoma, Miss Olene was by Leo, and her dam was the Patriotic (TB) mare Barbara L., both parents members of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. A.B. named the mare for his wife’s best friend, Olene Cobb. Read the rest of this entry »

This AQHA past president is a horse-breeding Hall of Famer.

Frank Merrill has owned, managed or syndicated more than 100 stallions and bred and cared for more than 25,000 mares. Photo courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum.

From The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum

Frank Merrill was one of 10 honorees inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame last month in Houston during the Hall of Fame banquet, part of the 2013 AQHA Convention.

Let’s learn more about this horseman, breeder and AQHA past president.

Frank has been involved in the horse industry for more than 50 years. He established and built Windward Stud along with good friend Jerold Wells in Purcell, Oklahoma, in 1972. When you mention Purcell, it’s likely to invoke images of the homes of famous horses Go Man Go, Triple Chick,

Tiny Charger, Double Bid, Alamitos Bar, Top Deck, Boston Mac and Kid Meyers. Read the rest of this entry »

What mare owners should look for in a typical horse breeding contract.

If you are breeding a mare this season, here are some elements to look for in a horse breeding contract. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

The right breeding contract between a stallion and a mare owner can prevent a number of foreseeable problems. Both stallion and mare owners are sometimes surprised to learn – especially after things go wrong – that their breeding contracts have failed to address critical and foreseeable problems.

If you are breeding a mare this season, here are some elements of breeding contracts in the equine industry to consider. Read the rest of this entry »

Some famous foundation Quarter Horses got their start racing in Arizona.

World Champion and American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Shue Fly beats Rosita at Rillito Park on February 13, 1944. Photo courtesy of The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum.

From America’s Horse

Some of the most famous American Quarter Horses crossed paths with the Rillito Park racetrack in their racing careers, including Shue Fly, Joe Reed II, Joe Hancock and Clabber.

The track sat on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona, and opened in 1943. Rillito Park opened after Hacienda Moltaqua racetrack, which was the site of the first Quarter Horse speed trials and where the basics of American Quarter Horse racing regulations were first established. Read the rest of this entry »

Ruth Haislip’s winning NFR debut proved her horse-breeding program.

Ruth Haislip and Go Royal Scarlett competing at the 1998 National Finals Rodeo. WPRA photo by Kenneth Springer.

From America’s Horse

Dashing down the alleyway toward the first blind turn, Ruth Haislip could feel a burst of adrenalin wash away the nervousness she’d felt seconds before as she awaited her maiden run at the 1998 National Finals Rodeo.

“Please just let me place once. I just want to place and win something,” she thought, casting her silent wish as she and her sorrel mare, Go Royal Scarlett, burst into the Thomas and Mack Arena at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

In front of more than 17,000 fans assembled for the rodeo’s year-end, championship-deciding “World Series,” “Scarlett” banked cleanly around the first barrel then pelted first-row spectators with dirt as Ruth, a veterinarian from Acampo, California, steered her across the arena to the second drum. The duo brushed the second barrel, which tottered perilously but stayed upright. A bullet dodged, they swept around the final barrel and headed home, back up the alley, out of the arena and into the warm desert evening. Read the rest of this entry »

Strong-willed men waged some horse-breeding battles in the early days of AQHA.

Wimpy P-1 was a product of the King Ranch’s breeding program. He was an early influence of the bulldog-type Quarter Horse body. AQHA file photo.

By Don Hedgpeth in America’s Horse

The conflict and controversy that surrounded AQHA’s early years centered more on men than on horses. Strong-willed men of uncompromising passion dug in their heels in defense of the of the bulldog-type Quarter Horse and would not give an inch in their argument. Those on the other side bet their chips on performance rather than appearance and pointed to a profusion of Thoroughbred skeletons in the Quarter Horse closet. Read the rest of this entry »

Your new foal can learn a lot in the first 72 hours of his life.

A foal can benefit from imprinting techniques within in the first 72 hours postpartum. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

The first few hours after a foal is born is a window of opportunity to shape that foal’s behavior for a lifetime, according to Dr. Robert Miller of Thousand Oaks, California.

A horse can be taught how to behave later in life, but it might take a lot longer.

Dr. Miller gets a head start on these conditioned responses before the foal stands to nurse.

“They actually have greater capacity for learning in those first hours of life than anytime in their lives,” he says.

Ideally, he suggest several follow-up sessions during the foal’s first two weeks.

Read the rest of this entry »