AQHA now offers a panel test for five genetic tests.

Completing the genetic panel test helps breeders make informed decisions. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Genetic diseases cause emotional and financial pain for horse owners and breeders. To help breeders make informed decisions, AQHA now offers a panel test for five genetic diseases – glycogen branching enzyme deficiency, heredity equine regional dermal asthenia, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, malignant hyperthermia and polysaccharide storage myopathy.

When the test is ordered, AQHA will send a DNA kit, and the owner will mail it to the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California-Davis for testing. Once the tests are complete, AQHA will notify the owners and put the results on the horse’s record and certificate of registration.

The tests cost $85 for members and $125 for nonmembers. For the panel test in conjunction with the DNA test required for most breeding stock, the cost is $105 for members.

Stay tuned to AQHA.com for upcoming information about ordering the panel test.

The effects of these diseases are wide-ranging, from mild and manageable to severe and terminal. Passing these diseases on to successive generations often causes unnecessary suffering and also leads to financial losses for breeders.

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GBED: Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency

Disorder: An autosomal recessive disease caused by mutation in the GBE1 gene.

Affects: Approximately 8-10 percent of American Quarter Horses; Paints can be carriers, as can Appaloosas and breeds that descend from the American Quarter Horse. An estimated 3 or more percent of second- and third-term abortions are caused by GBED.

Description: The mutation of the GBE1 gene reduces the function of the glycogen branching enzyme so that cardiac and skeletal muscle, the liver and the brain cannot store and mobilize glycogen. Because glycogen provides energy to the muscles, the inability to properly store and mobilize it leads to muscle weakness and eventually death. GBED results in second- and third-term abortions and stillborn foals, and researchers think many aborted and stillborn foals whose cause of death was not previously identified might have had GBED. Foals that survive to birth generally die or are euthanized within 8 weeks of age. Although a few foals have survived to the age of 4 months, GBED is always fatal.

HERDA: Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia

Disorder: An autosomal recessive disease caused by mutation in the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase B (PPIB) gene.

Affects: Approximately 3.5 percent of American Quarter Horses are carriers.

Description: Collagen makes up connective tissues (skin, bones, tissue, muscles and cartilage). The mutation in the PPIB gene results in defective collagen that causes the outer layer of the skin to split from the layer underneath. In some cases, the outer layer of the skin sloughs off entirely, leaving raw wounds. Young horses with HERDA might appear to have an unusual number of nicks and cuts on their skin, but the disease is most often noticed when the horse starts training under saddle. The pressure of the saddle on the back causes the skin to tear and separate, leaving raw areas. These areas are slow to heal, and many horses with HERDA are euthanized due to slow-healing injuries.

HYPP: Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis

Disorder: An autosomal dominant disease caused by point mutation in the SCN4A gene.

Affects: Approximately 1.5 percent of all Quarter Horses and as many as 56 percent of all halter horses.

Description: The mutation in the sodium channel gene causes dysfunction in a specific type of sodium ion channel. These channels are involved in generating electrical impulses associated with muscle contraction. The mutation disrupts the proper conduction of these impulses, causing muscle tremors and even temporarily paralysis in affected horses. In severe cases, HYPP can cause collapse or sudden death.

HYPP traces back to the stallion Impressive. HYPP was seen in Impressive’s sons and daughters because to be expressed, the disease does not require two copies of the defective gene. However, successive generations of offspring that received two defective genes often show more severe versions of the disease.

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MH: Malignant Hyperthermia

Disorder: An autosomal dominant disease caused by mutation in the ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1).

Affects: American Quarter Horses and several other breeds; the percentage of affected horses is unknown.

Description: The mutation results in a malfunctioning calcium-release channel of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscle. The malfunction causes excessive calcium to be released into the myoplasm (the contractile part of a muscle cell). This can cause a hypermetabolic state (increased metabolism) and may result in death.

MH is triggered by the use of the anesthetic halothane, the muscle relaxant succinylcholine and stress. Affected horses experience increased muscle metabolism, fever often exceeding 109 degrees F, excessive sweating, high heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, shallow breathing, hypertension, muscle rigidity, breakdown of muscle tissue, muscle protein in the urine and/or death.

PSSM: Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy

Disorder: An autosomal dominant disease caused by mutation in the glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) gene.

Affects: Eleven percent of American Quarter Horses. PSSM also affects many other breeds.

Description: PSSM is a common form of tying up. The mutation in the GYS1 gene causes unregulated synthesis of glycogen, which results in excessive sugar in muscle cells. This leads to muscle pain and stiffness, sweating, exercise intolerance and weakness. Because of the pain and stiffness, horses are reluctant to move.

Research conducted at the University of Minnesota has identified two types of PSSM. Genetic testing determined that some horses with PSSM had a specific mutation in GYS1 (PSSM Type 1), while others did not have the mutation in the GYS1 gene (PSSM Type 2). Horses identified as having a moderate to severe form of the disease according to the muscle biopsy were more likely to have PSSM Type 1 than horses with a milder version of the disease. Researchers have not yet determined what causes PSSM Type 2.

Foal-heat diarrhea is a normal condition, but owners need to watch for signs of more serious forms of diarrhea.

Learnig the differences between diarrhea helps owners know when to take action. Journal photo.

By Dr. Thomas R. Lenz for The American Quarter Horse Journal

Foal-heat diarrhea is a term that describes diarrhea (“scours”) that occurs in newborn foals. The condition received its name because it usually occurs while the mare is experiencing her first estrous cycle (called the foal heat) after foaling. Veterinarians still are not sure what exactly causes the condition.

Originally, mare owners and veterinarians thought diarrhea resulted from hormonal changes in the mare during estrus or changes in the composition of her milk. However, orphaned foals also develop diarrhea about the same time after birth.

Other potential causes that have been investigated include the worm parasite Strongyloides westeri, which is transmitted from the mare’s udder to the foal via her milk. This parasite used to be found in about 90 percent of foals, but the increased use of new dewormers has lowered the incidence to less than 6 percent without a corresponding decrease in the incidence of foal-heat diarrhea.

Some owners believe that coprophagy (eating manure), which is common in newborn foals, is the cause, but this is a normal activity designed to help the foal populate his intestine with helpful bacteria. Horses cannot digest the cellulose portion of grass and hay without the aid of bacteria. Because foals are born without bacteria in their intestine, they must acquire them. Their mother’s manure is the best source.

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Although the cause of foal-heat diarrhea is still not definitively known, probably the best explanation is that it is the result of rapid maturation changes in the intestinal tract of the foal that interfere with the intestine’s ability to reabsorb fluids. The result is transient, watery diarrhea.

Foal-heat diarrhea usually results in only a mildly loose or slightly watery diarrhea that resolves itself without treatment. Foals remain bright, alert and active and continue to nurse. This is in contrast to infectious (viral or bacterial) diarrhea, which causes the foal to be depressed, refuse to nurse, run a fever and experience profuse, often foul-smelling diarrhea.

Differences in Diarrhea

There are several ways to tell the difference between the two types of diarrhea. First, take the foal’s temperature to see if he has a fever. Foals with foal-heat diarrhea will have a normal temperature of 99-101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, while foals with infectious diarrhea will have an elevated temperature.

Second, make sure the foal is nursing. Foal-heat diarrhea foals will nurse, but sick foals will not. And finally, observe the character of the diarrhea. Foal-heat diarrhea usually produces a yellowish, pasty manure, while infectious diarrhea produces a more watery, yellow-brown diarrhea that is often foul-smelling.

Foal-heat diarrhea is self-limiting and usually does not require treatment. In fact, antibiotic therapy is contraindicated and should never be used because antibiotics can kill the healthy bacteria and cause severe diarrhea. Because treatment with antibiotics can cause much more harm than good, consult a veterinarian.

However, infectious diarrhea can be life threatening and might require antibiotics, intravenous fluids and antiulcer medications. A veterinarian can determine if therapy is indicated and which therapy is best.

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Preventing Harm From Diarrhea

One side effect of foal-heat diarrhea is irritation caused by diarrhea running down the foal’s hind legs, which can cause painful scalding of the skin and result in hair loss.

Applying petroleum jelly on both hind legs once or twice a day prevents the diarrhea from contacting the foal’s skin. If the foal’s hind legs are already covered with feces, wash the hind legs and tail with mild soap, dry with a soft towel and apply petroleum jelly.

Although foal-heat diarrhea is a naturally occurring event, infectious diarrhea is not. Good farm management is key and should include the following:

• Ensure the foal receives good-quality colostrum in the first 18 hours of life.
• If rotavirus is a problem in your area, vaccinate the mare during the eight, ninth and 10th month of her gestation. She will pass on protection against the virus in her colostrum.
• Move mares to the farm where they are to foal at least six to eight weeks prior to foaling. This will give them adequate time to build up antibodies in their colostrum to local pathogens in the new environment.
• If the mare is to foal in a stall, clean the stall with phenolic disinfectants and bed it with good, clean straw.

Foal-heat diarrhea is a normal condition. However, affected foals should be monitored to ensure that infectious diarrhea or complications do not develop. Before initiating any therapy, check with a veterinarian. Foals are fragile, and unnecessary – or wrong – treatment can cause tremendous damage.

Try a figure 8 halter for your young foal.

The snug design of the figure 8 halter prevents young foals from catching a hoof under their chin. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Beware of nylon!

That’s the advice top horse breeders have for anyone looking to leave a halter on a foal, especially foals younger than 6 weeks old. They prefer leather, largely for safety and fit.

And for those youngest foals, many breeders specifically recommend a leather “figure 8” or calf halter.

The Journal asked two experts to explain why: custom leather halter maker Ralph Quillin of Quillin Leather & Tack in Paris, Kentucky; and Becky Bailey of Batavia, Ohio, western pleasure horse breeder and exhibitor.

Ralph makes hundreds of figure 8 halters for breeders every year, and Becky uses them.

Fit

“Your No. 1 concern is always fit,” Ralph says, “especially with a foal. You don’t want a halter with a lot of room underneath the chin.

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“That’s one of the biggest advantages of the figure 8 or calf halter – because of the design, it will fit pretty snugly underneath the head,” he adds.

The figure 8 design is pretty simple – a loop of leather runs over the nose, crosses below the chin through a brass ring, and is connected to a crown piece running over the poll. Two leather cheek panels stabilize the sides.

Because the leather under the chin runs freely through the brass ring, adjustments to the crown piece also adjust the nose band for a better fit.

“Foals always try to reach up with a hind foot to knock that halter off,” Becky points out. “But they can’t get hung up in a figure 8. We’ve never had an injury with one of those halters. But we have had foals get hung up in other kinds.”

The good fit of a figure 8 is especially important for newborns because they are often not strong enough to break even a leather halter if they get hung up.

“You really cannot make a breakaway halter for a newborn,” Ralph says. “If you could, it just wouldn’t hold up to use.

“The newborn figure 8 style will only fit maybe six weeks,” he adds. “They outgrow them in a heartbeat. It doesn’t take long for them to move up to the next size figure 8 or our regular foal halter.”

Use

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“Your No. 2 concern is durability or serviceability,” Ralph says. “It’s silly to spend $15 – $20 on a halter and just use it one year. If you buy a well-made halter and take a minimal amount of care with it, the chances of it lasting several years are greater.”

Foals grow quickly, so check the halter’s fit every three or four days in the first couple of weeks so it doesn’t get too tight.

The crown piece on a figure 8 is typically a double-buckled crown, adjustable on both sides as the foal grows. Many companies also offer crown pieces of different lengths, usually 16 to 20 inches, which extend the halter’s use.

“A lot of people don’t put a halter on a young foal, but I think it’s good if they learn early to wear one,” Becky says. “We raise ours up north, so they have to be inside at night, and we lead them in and out.”

She has seen a lot of bad mistakes with halters.

“I’ve seen people put a nylon halter on a foal and leave it on and the foal’s head grows right around the halter,” she says.

“I’ve also seen people turn a foal out with a nylon halter dragging a lead rope. We did that once and had a casualty. Not that dragging a rope is a bad thing, but with a nylon halter, it can be disastrous.

“I also like (the figure 8s) because they’re easy to put on,” she adds. “The foals seem to accept them right away because they don’t jostle and bounce against them.”

Learn what “percent of blood” really means in a pedigree and for a breeding program.

Understanding the numbers behind the pedigree is key to developing a good breeding line. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Have you ever seen something like this written down, “5 X 4 X 3” or “22 percent the blood of King,” and wondered exactly what it meant?

“It’s a number that helps you get an idea of how much blood (genes) you have in an individual’s pedigree that come from a particular common ancestor,” explains pedigree analyst and respected author Larry Thornton.

Each individual in a pedigree is assigned a percentage value based on which generation(s) they appear in the pedigree. To find the percent of blood, you simply add the percentage values together for every time that ancestor appears in the pedigree.

“My old genetics professor stressed that percent of blood is not an absolute number, it’s only an estimate,” Larry says. “The reason why is there are what we call ‘recombinations’ and ‘mutations’ in the genetic world, and genes are not always passed on perfectly. Genes sometimes change places or simply change on the chromosome, so the gene from the common ancestor doesn’t necessarily get passed on at a particular location on the chromosome.”

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The common ancestor definitely passes on genetic material, but it’s not always in the form that was expressed in that ancestor.

“Percent of blood is really the maximum potential of genes from that common ancestor that could have been passed to an individual,” Larry says.

The real importance of percent of blood is to understand why it’s used in a breeding program.

Setting Type

“Percent of bloods is just a tool that we can use as breeders,” Larry says, “to monitor the percentage of genes in a family of horses from a common ancestor. So you can perpetuate those genes generation after generation.

“You use it as a measuring tool to help you set traits or ‘type’ with inbreeding and line breeding,” he says. “That’s the reason why the old-time (Quarter Horse breeders) inbred: to set the breed up, to breed homozygous individuals able to pass on common traits each time.”

Homozygous gene pairs carry two identical genes for a trait at a given location on the chromosome, ensuring that a homozygous individual will pass on that trait to the next generation. Inbreeding is intended to give the individual produced more homozygous gene pairs.

It’s important to remember that you’re concentrating the desirable and undesirable traits carried by that individual.

Typically, breeders gradually moved from close inbreeding to line breeding. “We look at inbreeding and line breeding in two different ways,” Larry says. “With inbreeding, we’re trying to make the animal more homozygous for the positive traits in the common ancestor that we’re inbreeding to.

“In line breeding, we’re just trying to keep a high percentage of genes from that individual without actually paying a whole lot of attention to homozygosity. Yes, the line-bred individual tends to be more homozygous, but the more intense we get with inbreeding, then they are even more homozygous.”

All line breeding is a form of inbreeding, but the way breeders distinguish between the two varies.

“In my own writing, if the common ancestor is in the third generation and/or further back, I’ll call that line breeding, but if it appears in the first and second generation, that’s inbreeding,” Larry says.

“But in the Thoroughbred industry, the common ancestor could appear in the fourth and fifth generations, and they’ll term that inbreeding, where I would call that line breeding.”

Percent of blood can help breeders look at a pedigree and estimate an ancestor’s potential influence on an individual.

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The Importance of Numbers

“I learned a lot from studying the King Ranch and their early inbreeding and line breeding program to Old Sorrel,” Larry says.

“As their herd progressed, Old Sorrel wasn’t close up (in the pedigrees). He might have been three or four generations back, but their horses still had a percent of blood of around 50 percent for Old Sorrel, because of the multiple crosses to him.

“But they were very strict about ensuring that only the best individuals were carried on to the next generation,” he says.

“That’s something that people don’t understand today. Someone will call and ask me, ‘I have a great stallion, and I want to breed one of his daughters back to him. What am I going to get?’ Well, you can get both the good and the bad.”

“You have to be prepared, because there is a downside to inbreeding,” Larry says. “It’s going to be unsuccessful more than it’s going to be successful.

“King Ranch carried through inbreeding and line breeding to Old Sorrel and brought about great horses,” he says. “But they culled and got rid of the ones that didn’t work. That’s important to understand.

“If you’re going to have an inbreeding program, you need to have high numbers to make it work. King Ranch had those numbers: lots of individuals, lots of horses.

“It was the same with Hank Wiescamp. Hank had a lot of horses, and that allowed him to do what he wanted to do with his line breeding program.

“That’s largely why inbreeding is difficult for us to do today: We don’t typically have the ability to have hundreds of horses and maintain them and get rid of the individuals that don’t work.”

The Ultimate Goal

“Inbreeding a line of horses is only the path you take to get to where you can outcross that line,” Larry says.

In his opinion, the real “magic” to a successful breeding program is not reaching a high percent of blood for a particular great ancestor. It’s in knowing when to introduce the right amount of genetic diversity to a family of horses through an outcross.

“You don’t have true genetic improvement until you introduce hybrid vigor,” he says. “Introducing that outcross blood at strategic times to give you that hybrid vigor boost, that’s the key to it all. That’s the process that produces the better individuals.

“Hank Wiescamp was a genius at introducing outside blood at key times,” Larry says. “Bar Mount was one example. He also loved the mare Lena’s Bar (TB), the mother of Easy Jet, and he ended up using Double Dancer as an outcross because of her.

“King Ranch is another good example,” he says. “They came to the point in their program where they had a lot of great line bred mares to Old Sorrel, but there was no hybrid vigor when they crossed them back on their own stallions. They hit a plateau and leveled out.

“That’s when Mr San Peppy came in. He carried the King Ranch bloodlines, so he tied back into the mares, but he also had other outcross blood that put genetic diversity back into the King Ranch horses.

“Line breeding reaches a point where if the horses are going to continue to improve, you’ve got to outcross.”

Just One Tool

“The most important thing is to never use percent of blood without looking at the individual,” Larry says. “There are some people that go out and breed by pedigree alone, and that’s a mistake.

“Using percent of blood and pedigrees is only a part of what we do as breeders,” he says. “Conformation is so important, and performance and disposition.

“We have to remember that pedigree is only one of our selection tools.”

Correct ‘Crosses’

Cross-breed: When you cross two different breeds, as in breeding a Quarter Horse mare to a Thoroughbred stallion or vice versa.
Outcross: Crossing two unrelated individuals within the same breed.
Line cross: A type of outcross where you cross two specific families of horses. Example: If you took a mare line bred to King and bred her to a stallion line bred to Wimpy.

Approximate Percent Blood Influence per Generation

In pedigrees, the first generation is an individual’s parents.
If the ancestor appears in the ____ generation, then it contributes ____ blood to an individual
first generation = 50.00 percent
second generation = 25.00 percent
third generation = 12.50 percent
fourth generation = 6.25 percent
fifth generation = 3.125 percent
sixth generation = 1.5625 percent
seventh generation = 0.78125 percent
eighth generation = 0.390625 percent

Give your foals a healthy start.

Normal healthy foals will stand within 30 minutes of delivery. Journal photo.

By Dr. Thomas Lenz in The American Quarter Horse Journal

A few simple precautions and a lot of common sense on the part of the owner can help most mares have a safe pregnancy and produce a healthy, vigorous foal. Although some mares start the foaling season in early January, the majority will foal in April and May. So, now is the time to select a foaling location, begin assembling necessary supplies and chart a plan of action. Unlike human babies that can acquire immunity in their mother’s uterus, a foal must ingest colostrum (the yellowy substance in a mare’s first milk) within eight to 12 hours of birth in order to acquire protection against disease.

In the last month of gestation, a mare concentrates antibodies in her milk, but she can only produce antibodies against viruses and bacteria to which she has been exposed, either through vaccination or her environment. That is why it is so important to vaccinate a pregnant mare with tetanus, sleeping sickness, influenza or any other infectious disease that may be present in the environment 30 to 45 days prior to her expected foaling date. Following vaccination, the mare should receive a final veterinary checkup, and vulvular sutures (Caslick’s) should be removed. It is also important to move the mare to the location where she will foal at least 30 days prior to foaling. Sending a mare off to foal in the week before her due date doesn’t allow her adequate time to produce antibodies to the diseases in her new environment.

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A Safe Haven
Next, you’ll need to decide whether your mare will foal indoors or outdoors. There are benefits and drawbacks to both, but if the weather will allow it, I prefer foaling mares on good, clean grass pastures. They are more natural, generally more hygienic and much roomier. The pasture or paddock should be grass covered, fairly level and free of objects that might injure the mare or newborn foal, such as barbed wire, creeks or ponds. Remove other animals from the pasture that might interfere with the mare or injure the foal. If possible, it’s a good idea to select a grass-covered paddock near a fluorescent yard light to make checking on the mare’s progress easier.

If the decision is to foal the mare indoors, provide her with a clean, large stall (at least 14 by 14 feet) that is disinfected and well ventilated. The bacteria encountered by the newborn foal in a dirty, poorly ventilated stall can easily override the antibodies received in the mare’s colostrum. Before placing the mare in the stall, give it a thorough inspection and eliminate hazards such as raised nails, large splinters and water buckets. High-quality, dust-free straw is the preferred bedding, as wood shavings can be inhaled by the newborn foal or aspirated into the mare’s vagina, causing serious infection.

It’s always a good idea to make preparations for foaling well in advance and to have a plan in case something goes wrong. The vast majority of mares will foal at night when activity around the barn is minimal.

Therefore, if a problem develops, you might be alone and on your own. Write your veterinarian’s phone number down, as well as a backup veterinarian, and have both numbers handy in case a problem arises. Also, have the number of anyone else that might be needed in case of an emergency. If the mare is older or has a history of foaling problems, it wouldn’t hurt to have a stock trailer or roomy horse trailer hooked up and ready to go, just in case.

Place a dim light near the stall so you can observe the mare without bothering her.

Foaling supplies should include a clean stainless steel or new plastic bucket; a watch to time each stage of labor; clean tail wrap material; a flashlight; several large, clean towels; mild iodine or chlorhexidine solution for disinfecting the foal’s navel; a sodium phosphate enema for the foal, a halter and lead rope; and mild soap to wash the mare’s vulva and hindquarters.

All of the items can be stored in a large, sealable plastic five-gallon bucket and left near the stall door. Check into an alternate source of colostrum. Sometimes foaling complications or other problems interfere with a mare’s colostrum supply, so it’s wise to become acquainted with alternate sources. Many large veterinary practices or broodmare farms maintain colostrum banks and are happy to supply it in an emergency.

Welcome Baby

We’ve discussed the actual stages of foaling in previous articles, so let’s focus on ensuring that the foal is healthy with proper post-foaling care. Healthy normal foals will begin to breathe immediately following birth and will rest on their sternum for several minutes before attempting to stand. They will stand within 30 minutes of delivery and usually nurse within two hours. The mare will usually rest on her chest for several minutes following delivery and then slowly rise, turn and begin nuzzling or licking the foal.

If the mare appears agitated or aggressive toward the foal, restrain her and consult your veterinarian for advice. A single kick from an aggressive mare can seriously injure or kill a newborn foal.

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Once the mare stands, the placenta is usually passed within a few minutes to a couple of hours. If the mare is stepping on the placenta or it seems to bother her, tie it up on itself with a piece of twine. Under no circumstance should you attempt to cut it off or pull it out. If the placenta is retained for more than three hours, notify your veterinarian. Once the placenta is expelled, examine it to ensure that it is intact. A retained piece of placenta can cause serious uterine infection and prevent rebreeding. I ask my clients to place the placenta in a bucket of water, place a lid on it, and save it so that I can examine it when I do the mare-foal examination.

The foal should pass the meconium, the first sticky, dark stool, within 12 hours of birth. If this does not occur or if the foal appears to be straining, a mild enema may be administered. Within an hour or so, the mare should be bright and alert, allowing the foal to nurse and looking for something to eat. Allow her to eat and drink as soon as she is ready. It’s also a good idea to check the mare’s temperature every six to eight hours for the first 24 hours. The normal temperature for an adult horse is 100.5 F. An elevated temperature can indicate an infection, while a decreased temperature can indicate serious blood loss. And finally, encourage the mare and foal to rest and give them plenty of opportunity to bond.

As a general rule of thumb, I like to conduct a mare-foal examination within eight to 12 hours of a foal’s birth. I check the mare to ensure that she has not experienced severe trauma to her birth canal and is producing plenty of milk. I examine the foal to ensure that all body systems are working properly, the navel is drying up and there are no birth defects present. I also examine the placenta to ensure that it is normal in appearance and weight and has been completely expelled. The birth of a foal is one of the most wondrous events a horse owner can experience.

Good preparation will allow you to enjoy it to the fullest.

Double-check your broodmares in early winter.

Once your mare is confirmed safe in foal, there are a number of things that you can do to protect your future foal. Journal photo.

By Dr. Thomas Lenz in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Now that cold weather has moved in, most broodmares are out to pasture, gestating until their expected foaling dates next spring.

Unfortunately, each year, up to 15 percent of broodmares who were checked safe in foal at 45-60 days lose their pregnancies by late fall. It’s a good idea this time of year to recheck all of your mares by ultrasound or palpation to confirm that their pregnancy is progressing normally.

Too often, a mare owner doesn’t know a mare lost her pregnancy until she doesn’t foal in the spring.

This is often so late in the breeding season that there is not sufficient time for a veterinarian to determine the cause of the lost pregnancy, treat and correct the problem, and rebreed the mare. The owner loses an entire year.

In AQHA’s FREE Mare Care report, Dr. Rodeheaver explains the process of preparing your mare, targeting a breeding date, ordering semen, inducing a follicle to ovulate, receiving and evaluating semen and much more.

Protect Your Investment

Once your mare is confirmed safe in foal, there are a number of things that you can do to protect your investment and improve the odds of producing a healthy foal next spring. Many mares drop in body condition at the start of fall and winter because of decreased availability of good pasture and the onset of cold weather.

The demands on the mare by the fetus won’t require an increase in feed until the last one-third of pregnancy, but the energy required to keep warm will increase. Research has shown that broodmares in moderate to fleshy condition will be better prepared to provide adequate milk for their growing foals and will breed back quicker than thin mares. A mare should have at least a body condition score of 5. She should have a level back and slight fat cover over the ribs, and fat should be evident along the sides of her neck and behind her shoulder. On the other hand, a mare should not be rolling fat because fat mares tend to produce less milk than moderately fleshy mares, and their foals gain less weight.

In the last trimester, the unborn foal’s growth accelerates, as do the mare’s nutritional requirements. Her feed ration should increase accordingly. On average, a healthy mare in good flesh will gain 9-12 percent of her original body weight during pregnancy. For example, an 1,100-pound mare should gain roughly 100-130 pounds during the course of her pregnancy. She should gain roughly two-thirds of the weight in the final three months prior to foaling.

Develop a Plan
Once your mare is in good flesh, check her vaccination and deworming schedule.

Deworming and vaccination schedules vary according to your region, but a general recommendation is that mares should be dewormed every 60 days throughout their pregnancy. They should be vaccinated for tetanus and encephalomyelitis (sleeping sickness) four to six weeks prior to the expected foaling date.

Every mare should be vaccinated against West Nile virus, as well as eastern and western sleeping sickness. In addition, pregnant mares should receive rhinopneumonitis (rhino) vaccinations during mid-to-late pregnancy.

A typical rhino vaccination schedule is to vaccinate pregnant mares during their fifth, seventh and ninth months of pregnancy. An alternate program is to vaccinate every other month once the mare becomes pregnant. Other common vaccinations that might be necessary in some parts of the country include strangles, Potomac horse fever, rabies and influenza. Contact your local veterinarian about a good vaccination program for your area of the country.

Lights, Please

If you want to hasten the transition to estrus in open mares or slightly shorten the gestation length in bred mares, start lighting programs on or before December 1. The lights should be bright enough so that you can easily read a newspaper in the stall. They should provide at least 16 hours of total daylight. Be aware that mares will begin to shed their hair in about 90 days after going under lights. If you live in a cold climate, be prepared to blanket them.

The Mare Care FREE report is a perfect resource for beginning breeders wanting to breed their first mare.

Other Concerns

If your mare will be on her way to a broodmare farm or across state lines to be re-bred, now is a good time to ask your veterinarian to draw blood for a Coggins test for equine infectious anemia. EIA is a non-treatable, often fatal disease that can only be managed by preventing exposure to infected horses. A negative Coggins test and health certificate are required by most states and broodmare farms. Too often, mare owners are not aware of this requirement and learn of it only when they are ready to ship their mares.

Make decisions now regarding management of your mares if they are on tall fescue pasture or receiving fescue hay. Fescue is a common pasture in most parts of the country and is relatively harmless to adult horses. Unfortunately, it is frequently infected with an endophyte fungus (Festuca arundinacea) that causes prolonged gestation, lack of milk production and foaling problems in pregnant mares.

Remove pregnant mares from fescue pastures 60-90 days prior to their anticipated foaling date. If removing the mares isn’t possible, provide them with plenty of good-quality fescue hay the last few months of pregnancy and consider administering domperidone daily. Domperidone helps counteract the effects of fescue toxicosis during the last 25-30 days prior to foaling. Because an affected mare, even following preventive treatment, might not produce adequate amounts of colostrum, it’s a good idea to have some frozen colostrum on hand for the newborn foal.

Finally, now is a good time to inventory foaling- and breeding-related supplies and equipment to ensure that they are available when your mare foals. Develop an emergency plan with your veterinarian for your foaling mares, and review the three stages of the normal foaling process to ensure that you are able to recognize problems early enough to get help. Place emergency phone numbers near the phone in your barn and evaluate foaling areas to make sure there are no hazards that might injure the mare or newborn foal.

Debating about type, this author remembers a “Steeldust” horse, bred for quick speed and cow sense.

Go Man Go, the 1953 stallion, made his name in racing. AQHA file photo.

By Vohn E. Penn in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Editor’s Note: In the early days of AQHA, there was much dissention among members as to what, exactly, was an American Quarter Horse. Some favored the short, stout cow ponies nicknamed “bulldog” horses (also known as “Billy” or “Steeldust” horses), while others were strongly in favor of the infusion of Thoroughbred blood to create a faster, leaner version of our breed. Let’s listen in to the debate as it raged in 1950. This article was first printed in the April 1950 edition of the Journal. Part 1 was featured on America’s Horse Daily last week.

A dark-complexioned, small but wiry man squatted on his boot heels, his back against the stone shed. A long whisp of meadow hay was between his teeth, and his eyes were squeezed shut at he laughed silently as the man standing before him.

Bill Williams was excited and on the verge of anger. His hands moved constantly as he talked. “I tell you, Ollie, this horse is a Thoroughbred, an’ there’s papers on him a mile long. He stands a full 16 hands or a little better and beats 1,200 (pounds).”

The small man’s eyes were still squeezed shut, and he still laughed soundlessly, causing everyone to grin a little, even Bill. He was leaning forward now, hands on his bowed knees.

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“Dad gum it, Ollie,” Bill said, “don’t just sit there an’ laugh. This stud can run these little horses off their feet in a mile, an’ then go on for another one.”

Bill was getting disgusted. “If you don’t want a share in him, that’s your business, but what can you see to laugh at in a horse like he is?”

Ollie’s face sobered a little, and he opened his eyes. “Don’t get sore now, Bill,” he said, “I ain’t laughin’ at your horse. I was just thinking how thin my cows would get if I run ’em a while to turn ’em.” A couple of the boys snorted, and Bill tried to grin a little. “Then again,” Ollie continued, “I was thinkin’ how plumb wore out I’d get climbin’ on and off such a tall scamp.”

He rose to his feet and walked over to pull the saddle from “Biscuit’s” back. Returning, he lowered it to the ground and seated himself upon it. With a bridle rein, he flicked one boot toe thoughtfully for a moment, then raised his eyes, looking seriously at the sorrel.

“No, Bill,” he said, “there ain’t nothing wrong with your big stud as a race horse goin’ a half (mile) or better, but for my business and yours, he’s plain no good. Biscuit there is the kind we need. He’s smart-headed, an’ his neck ain’t too long. It’s set on him so he can duck or dodge in close quarters. He’s got plenty of room for his breathin’ apparatus, an’ there’s a place for some extra hay and water. His back’s short an’ won’t play out. Them steep hips sets him under enough to leave any place in a hurry, an’ you’ll notice that them flat old legs are still smooth an’ sound at 10 years. He’s got plenty of weight, an’ he’s packin’ it close to enough to the ground to handle anything I ever tied to, plumb easy.”

Ollie turned his head to look at Bill. “As for racin’ – I’ll run you any day, muddy or dry, for a quarter.”

Bill didn’t say anything, and Ollie grinned at him.

“If you’re game, I’ll start south with you at sunup, not on a road, but cross country. You can set your own pace, an’ when the sun goes down, I’ll be down there some place south of the river, waitin’ for you.”

Bill was stumped. He knew that Ollie meant what he said, and he doubted that the big horse could out do Biscuit on either score. As a last resort, he asked, “But, Ollie, how is he bred? A stud has got to have top breeding, if you’re going to get good colts.”

Ollie looked again at the little sorrel. “I’ll tell you how he’s bred, Bill,” he said. “He’s a Billy or a Steeldust, an’ he’s bred to keep a cowpuncher a’ horseback. I ain’t got no paper to prove it, but I’ve rode too many like him to be mistaken.”

Ollie’s eyes were beginning to squint again, and I could tell he was enjoying himself. “How about that race, Bill?” he asked. “Saddle for saddle, mine against yours?”

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I was hoping that Bill would take the bait, but I knew he wouldn’t. I knew blam well that Dad and Biscuit could trim the Thoroughbred, and I think the others knew it, too.

As I said earlier, I hope that no one feels, from what I have said, that I am attempting to prod anyone personally, but with that little chestnut horse for a pattern and the words of my father, I formed my first conception of a Quarter Horse. I have never changed my mind, and I am supported in my belief by the words of another man, written several years ago, before there was much chance of his description being influenced by the “Type Setters.”

In case you are interested, you may read these words of Zoe A. Tilghman in Volume 17, Kansas Historical Collection, edited in 1926. Mr. Tilghman believed that the horses he knew were of Cold Deck and Steeldust blood, and he saw them raced against the Indians at the fork of the Big and Little Arkansas, near what is now Wichita, Kansas. His description of them fits the little sorrel that I have told you about.

From the words of Mr. Tilghman, you can see that there were some Quarter Horses in Kansas at that time, as well as in Texas, but I guess Texas is just so doggone big, that she makes a big splash of anything.

Early-day breeders debated about type.

Poco Bueno was an early influence of Quarter Horse body types. AQHA file photo.

By Vohn E. Penn in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Editor’s Note: In the early days of AQHA, there was much dissention among members as to what, exactly, was an American Quarter Horse. Some favored the short, stout cow ponies nicknamed “bulldog” horses, while others were strongly in favor of the infusion of Thoroughbred blood to create a faster, leaner version of our breed. Let’s listen in to the debate as it raged in 1950. This article was first printed in the April 1950 edition of the Journal.

There’s an old saying that, “The less you say, the less chance you run of exposing your ignorance.” I respect that proverb a great deal. Nevertheless, I’m willing to risk my reputation for average intelligence in an effort to end this infernal discussion of type. Nothing aggravates me quite so much as the expressions “Racing Type,” “Bulldog Type,” “Ranch Type,” and so on.

There has never been but one type of Quarter Horse since their inception so many years ago. That description is lost through the various interpretations. But there was a time, not so many years ago, when there was no effort made to type the Quarter Horse. He was simply a Quarter Horse, and that was all that need be said.

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There have, of course, been superior, average and inferior individuals from time to time, and they, in turn, have passed on certain family characteristics that have resulted in a normal variation in the breed. As a whole, however, they were Quarter Horses, quick as a cat, sure-footed and stronger for their weight and height than any breed that ever lived.

It is strange to me that so few people today realize the difference that flesh can make in the appearance of a horse. They seem unable to realize that an animal pulled down by hard work or exercise, using every bit of his food for energy and none for fat, will be an altogether different-looking animal after two or three months of rest with plenty of good food and fresh water.

When I receive an inquiry from someone asking if I can furnish a Racing Type Quarter Horse, I am tempted to reply that I have only Bulldog at present, but that if they will give me 60 days, I will be glad to starve one down to suit them.

Of course they can run. If they can’t, then they aren’t Quarter Horses, in spite of how their pedigree may read. Some will run faster than others, naturally, just as they will in any other breed, but if they are good ones, the essential qualities will be present in all of them. The percentage of top performers at any game is small in comparison to the number involved.

Now, about this business of type: I have no wish to antagonize anyone, but here is how it seems to me, and I am wondering if perhaps it may seem the same way to others. I believe that every one of us knows what truly constitutes a good Quarter Horse, and I would like for you to calmly ask yourselves, “Am I raising Quarter Horses that I like and believe in, or do I like and believe in the horses I am raising, simply because they are mine?” There’s a whale of a difference, you know.

I am wondering if the breeder who consistently refers to his horses as Running Type, is not attempting to excuse rattle-headedness, too much length of leg, too long a back or a lack of muscled weight? On the other hand, is it possible that the Ranch Type enthusiast is trying to excuse sluggishness, lack of speed and action, coarseness or the presence of draft blood?

If you suspect that you might fall in either of these classes, there is but one thing to do. Take your loss right now and start raising plain Quarter Horses. There is small satisfaction in kidding yourself.

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Let me tell you about the first description of a Quarter Horse that I can remember having heard. I’ve never forgotten it, and in the past 27 years or thereabouts, I’ve found it to fit nearly every horse that could really fill the bill all the way.

It was a warm Sunday afternoon in the summer of 1920 or ’21, and a group of men were gathered in the shade along the east side of our long stone barn. I was there in the middle of things with my mouth shut, like a kid was supposed to be then, but my ears were wide open.

It beat a ball game all to pieces, and there was nothing I would rather do than listen to this bunch talk and argue horses. Sometimes they’d work up a horse trade or a race, and now and then, they’d draw straws to see who rode out a salty one or two.

A small-looking, rather chunky chestnut with trim feet and legs stood dozing in the corral. The bridle was hung from the horn, and the girth was loosened. His name was Biscuit, and he was completely unaware that he was about to become a part of this discussion.

Stay tuned to read Part 2 of this story next week on America’s Horse Daily.

Was he really the ideal Quarter Horse?

Orren Mixer's painting of Zippo Pat Bars.

From America’s Horse

If you were to build the ideal American Quarter Horse, most horsemen would say the horse has to be fast.

Cowboy types would appreciate a dose of cow sense. Some folks would want true-blue bloodlines, while statisticians would want one to reproduce with accuracy, just to prove he wasn’t a freak. Bankers would want one to pay himself off, with interest. Paul Curtner just wanted a horse to breed to his Poco Pine mares. Zippo Pat Bars fit the bill.

Zippo Pat Bars was by Three Bars (TB) and out of Leo Pat by Leo. Bred by Paul of Jacksboro, Texas, Zippo Pat Bars was foaled in 1964. But the story began long before he was foaled.

Paul spent a lifetime in the horse business. The son of a hardware store owner who dabbled in farming, Paul spent his early years around the town of Chico, Texas. Chico was the scene of a “third Monday” trade day, where, once a month, the townspeople would gather to swap household wares, farm equipment and, of particular interest to Paul, horses.

Sometimes he would come home afoot, but always he’d learn some valuable lessons about when to buy and when to sell. After a number of years, Paul settled down in Jacksboro, a few miles from his boyhood trading grounds. He had always owned horses and had roped some, but Paul decided that he would buy a horse that he could show. In 1951, he purchased Town Crier, a Bill Cody-sired sorrel stallion who was a full brother to Codalena. Paul showed Town Crier to 26 championships. But recalling his horse-trading days, when the primary motivation was profit or a better horse, Paul set out for better.

He wanted to buy a Blackburn mare with a Poco Bueno filly at her side from the Waggoner Ranch. Blackburn was a dun stallion by Yellow Jacket. At the Waggoner Ranch dispersal in 1954, Paul found a mare called Pretty Rosalie who had a small, dish-faced Poco Bueno colt at her side.

Paul liked the mare and decided to buy her although she wasn’t by Blackburn and didn’t have a filly at her side. Pine Johnson of the Waggoner ranch told Paul that he had bought the best Poco Bueno colt the ranch had ever raised. In honor of Pine, Paul named the colt Poco Pine. Poco Pine became Paul’s first top stallion.

Paul showed him to 50 grand championships and rode the horse to earn points in cutting and western pleasure, as well. He had offers of $100,000 for Poco Pine back in the days when that was an almost unheard of amount for a horse, but Paul never sold him. It was a shrewd move on his part, because for years, Poco Pine progeny brought in an estimated $25,000 per year. At Paul’s only production sale, in 1961, Poco Pine foals averaged $3,000.

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Paul was building quite a herd of Poco Pine daughters back in Jacksboro. He set out to raise a good stallion to cross on these mares. He had some other mares on the ranch, daughters of Leo and other stallions with stock-horse breeding, but Paul wanted to raise a horse that you could run a race with and also rope or cut on. To get the speed he wanted, Paul knew he had to breed to Three Bars, a legend on the track. Paul still had Pretty Rosalie, or “the old Rosalie,” as she was fondly called, and he thought she would make an excellent cross with Three Bars. He also decided to take along Leo Pat.

Paul wanted a Three Bars-sired colt out of Pretty Rosalie. She foaled first, and the result was a scrawny palomino filly. Paul was sick over the results, but other horsemen had told him that Leo Pat’s foal would be the keeper.

Paul said, “I hope she has a sorrel colt with a long hip and a little ole bitty head.” When the colt was born, he thought he was daydreaming.

“He was standing next to his mama, Leo Pat. He had a star, a snip and one white sock, and he was just what I wanted.”

Paul named the colt Zippo Pat Bars.

Zippo Pat Bars’ pedigree was stacked with speed horses, and early on, all he wanted to do was run. Paul sent Zippo Pat Bars to Ross Downs in Colleyville, Texas, where the young stallion showed some promise on the track. Paul decided the colt had the stuff to run in the larger futurities, so he sent him to trainer E.R. Beddo in Ruidoso, New Mexico, to get ready for the 1966 All American Futurity.

Zippo Pat Bars never made it to the All American. One morning, as he was being led out of his stall, he spooked. Flipping over, he hit the stall door, fracturing two vertebrae in his back and knocking his withers down a couple of inches. The injured stallion was sent to Texas A&M University for treatment, but the vets told Paul that only time would heal the horse. So Paul nursed him back to health.

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When Zippo Pat Bars was well, he raced again, racking up several wins and a few second-place finishes. In October 1967, Paul decided the horse’s racing days were done, and he thought the show ring might suit the horse better. But trainer Jerry Wells told Paul that the stallion’s withers being knocked down would keep him from winning, so Paul took Zippo Pat Bars home to Jacksboro.

Paul still did not have what he wanted to cross on his Poco Pine mare herd, so he turned to his battered racehorse. Had he not done this, Zippo Pat Bars might have been just another horse that couldn’t make it on the track, destined for a life of barrel racing or roping. But early on, Paul saw the style and balance that the horse possessed, and he figured such a modern-type horse would be the perfect cross for Poco Pine’s daughters. He was right, and it only took the first crop of foals to prove it.

One of the first matings of Zippo Pat Bars to a Poco Pine daughter was to Dollie Pine, a mare Paul considered to be one of the best he ever owned. Dollie Pine was out of Hobo Sue by Hobo by Joe Moore by Little Joe by Traveler. The resulting foal was Zippo Pine Bar. He earned 33 halter points, 91 western pleasure points, 19 western riding points and two points in trail. However, it was his time in the breeding shed, much like his sire, that brought him wide acclaim.

Zippo Pine Bar tied with Zan Parr Bar for the leading sire of point-earning performance horses in 1987 and was on that list for several years. He sired more than 1,600 registered foals. Of those, 19 earned halter ROMs, 897 earned performance ROMs, and 12 were AQHA Champions.

Another mating of Zippo Pat Bars to Dollie Pine produced Scarborough Fair. This 1970 chestnut mare earned 48 halter points, 125 western pleasure points and five reining points. She was bred to Impressive and produced Zip To Impress, 1983 world champion 3-year-old stallion; and Impressive Zippo, the earner of 229 halter points who was the 1986 high-point junior halter stallion.

The third mating to Dollie Pine resulted in Pat Dollie Pine, AQHA Champion and Superior western pleasure horse in the open and amateur divisions. Zippo Pat Bars was also bred to Hank’s Peppy Lou. The result of that mating was The Invester. The get of this AQHA Champion and Superior halter stallion earned more than 26,000 performance points, 352 ROMs and 16 AQHA championships.

Zippo Pat Bars stood as a stallion for most of his life at Paul’s. He sired 476 foals, 10 of which were AQHA Champions. His progeny also included 32 race starters, 11 winners, one stakes winner and six racing ROMs.

Zippo Pat Bars succumbed to heart problems May 1, 1988.

Paul had been through the loss of a great horse before with Poco Pine and said, “When you lose a great one, you never quite get over it, and at times, you just want to quit. But I look out at some of the foals I have and think I’ll stick at it for a while longer.”

Was Zippo Pat Bars an ideal Quarter Horse? It is hard to say, because no one can agree on what is ideal. He did have a tremendous record in the breeding shed. Though his racing career was fairly lackluster, he did possess speed, due for the most part to his famous forebears. And he bankrolled Paul Curtner.

“You can’t take away facts from a football player or a tennis player or a good horse. When the facts are all on paper, it’s all there. And if the facts are strong enough, they’ll stand the test of time,” Paul said.

In that respect, Zippo Pat Bars will be around for a while longer.

He put the Freemans in the horse business.

This photo of Blondy's Dude and Morgan Freeman was taken in 1971. Blondy's Dude stood 15.1 hands tall and weighed 1,395 pounds. AQHA file photo.

From America’s Horse

In 1960, Morgan Freeman was looking for a good stallion to breed to his band of mares.

But it had to be a good one. He wasn’t about to spend a lot of time or money hauling an average horse back to his ranch in Skiatook, Oklahoma.

So when Morgan saw Harold “Huddy” Hudspeth take a sorrel stallion named Blondy’s Dude through a reining pattern at a show in Skiatook, he knew he’d found his horse.

Blondy’s Dude, a 1957 model by Small Town Dude and out of Blondy Queen, went on to win the reining that day, and by the time Freeman inquired about him, the horse’s owners, J.T. Walters and Nick McNair of Pryor, Oklahoma, had already priced him pretty high. They knew they had a good thing, and they wouldn’t sell the stallion for less than $5,000, which was a lot of money to spend on a horse 50-some years ago.

“I needed to spend $5,000 on a horse about like I needed pneumonia,” Morgan said in a 1969 issue of The Cattleman. “Luckily, it turned out to be the best investment I ever made.”

As the story goes, it took Morgan a few months to scrape together the money to buy Blondy’s Dude, but he finally made a deal that consisted of cash, some feed and a few horses thrown in to boot.

Morgan and his son, Jerald, would earn 18 grand champion and two reserve awards in two years on the road with Blondy’s Dude. “Dude” loved reining, was good at cutting and could stand at halter and walk out a winner, thanks to his superior, compact conformation and graceful, flowing neck.

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“He was a real intelligent horse,” Jerald says. “My dad bought him on the basis of what a performance horse he was, but he could go on and do it all.”

After nabbing the grand champion title twice at the Tulsa State Fair, Morgan decided to take Dude on down the road. In January 1962, the pair headed to Fort Worth (Texas) Fat Stock Show.

As Morgan eased a borrowed pickup and trailer onto the black ice that covered the pavement in northeastern Oklahoma, he wondered if it was just a dude’s dream to take his stallion to the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show. But if Blondy’s Dude could be in the top 10 at Cowtown, it would make a great story to tell visitors at his feed store in Skiatook.

At 48, Morgan had only been to Fort Worth once before. Back in 1941, he’d seen Wimpy named grand champion, then followed other horsemen to the Blackstone Hotel for the first meeting of the fledging AQHA.

A lot had changed in 21 years.

He found the new show grounds but then realized he’d forgotten to bring Dude’s health papers. He yanked off Duke’s blankets, then staked him out on a grassy median near the carnival and went off in search of a veterinarian. He saw license plates from states he’d never even visited, the grandest trucks and trailers imaginable. His confidence ebbed when he heard a passerby say there were 795 Quarter Horses entered; it would be the largest show in the breed’s history.

Dude had left Skiatook wrapped up like a grandbaby going out to play in the snow. Along the way, his hair had turned every direction under two layers of blankets and a hood. As they headed south into warmer weather, sweat started to trickle down his legs. So, while staked on the median, Dude’s hair dried in the sun, cementing itself out of place. Morgan returned to find a horse who looked starched, but not ironed.

Now what was he going to do? Dude was just recovering from a cold. Did he dare bathe him? A goose egg had come up on the sorrel’s neck where the veterinarian at home had given him a shot. Morgan thought he could hide it by strategically combing his mane, but the mane now had a stubborn mind of its own.

He found a water hose and soaked the sorrel horse, then scavenged around for something to squeegee the water off. He found a piece of broke glass on the ground and started using that. An exhibitor stalled nearby walked over and silently handed him a scraper.

His confidence still hadn’t returned by the time the 30 aged stallions were called into the arena. Several in the class had established reputations, and their owners and handlers had even greater acclaim. Dude’s thin little halter made out of bridle rein leather looked meager now, and the twin imitation silver buckles looked cheap.

Judge Ernest Browning’s first move was to jerk his thumb toward Dude, gesturing him out of the lineup. Morgan was shocked. He thought they’d been the first ones called. He wanted to say “Wait! This is the reigning champion of the Tulsa State Fair!”

“Trot him,” the judge said curtly.

Ah! So they weren’t out of the running yet!

They took off in a straight line, Dude jerking and bouncing more than trotting.

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When the ranks thinned to the top 10, he was still a contender. Judge Browning lined up the finalist with Dude at the end. Tenth was great, thought Morgan. That’s the most he’d ever expected. Then they started announcing the winners, beginning with tenth place at the other end of the line.

Slowly it dawned on Morgan that they were going in descending order, and Dude’s name hadn’t been called yet. Then, there it was: “First place goes to Blondy’s Dude.”

While Morgan was still deciding if he was dreaming or awake, the other class winners entered the arena for the championship drive. Among them were Leo San Siemon, who Morgan knew had been grand champion almost every time he’d been shown.

When the judge told Morgan to trot his horse, he added, “in a circle this time.”

Morgan was already off in another bouncy sprint before the command registered, but as soon as he turned Dude into the circle, the stallion slowed down, leveled out and traveled like a champion.

“Make him reserve,” the judge said pointing to Leo San Siemon. “Make him grand,” he concluded, pointing to Blondy’s Dude.

In 1968 and 1969, the stallion was AQHA’s leading sire of halter winners.

In addition to AQHA competition, offspring of Blondy’s Dude have earned some $630,000 within the National Reining Horse Association and more than $21,000 in the National Cutting Horse Association.

“He (Blondy’s Dude) and Dad were quite a pair,” Jerald says. “At the time, the Lord really used Blondy’s Dude to put us in the horse business. We’d roped and shown before, but he really put us in the industry.”

Sometimes a little racing saves a lot of work.

Easy Jet was king of the roost. AQHA file photo.

From The Q-Racing Journal

Twenty-two wins and three seconds out of 26 starts.

Nine stakes victories at eight tracks in five states.

Record earning.

World champion laurels.

That would be quite a record for a stallion retiring from years of successful competition before heading to further glories at stud. Except he wasn’t.

That was Easy Jet as a 2-year-old. Forty-two years ago this month, the most precocious Quarter Horse ever wrapped up a freshman season unlike any other in history.

“He was so fast, it was almost scary,” said the horseman who bred, trained and raced the legendary stallion, the equally legendary Walter Merrick. Walter – beginning in the 1930s with Midnight Jr – in his own name bred 40 stakes winners and the earners of more than $6.5 million. Easy Jet – beginning with Our Jet in the 1973 R.M. Benavides Memorial Futurity at Laredo, Texas –sired the earners of more than $26 million.

By world champion Jet Deck, Easy Jet was out of Lena’s Bar (TB), a daughter of Three Bars who won 24 of 76 races against Quarter Horses. Foaled January 12, 1967, on a ranch that Merrick leased just east of Quanah, Texas, Easy Jet was a full brother to that year’s Kansas Futurity winner, Jet Smooth, a colt who earned points at halter to be an AQHA Champion.

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“I thought Easy Jet was outstanding,” Walter said. “He wasn’t as pretty a colt as Jet Smooth was, but he was a big, rugged individual, straight and correct everywhere. The bone structure was very good. He looked like a good prospect the way he was built. He was a runner from the word go. And he improved every day of his (racing) life.”

Easy Jet also made quite an impression on Walter’s foals.

“He was the king of the roost,” Walter said. “Easy Jet was the type of colt that was always doing something. You’d never see him standing still. I had him running in a paddock with five or six other colts, and he had so much energy – he was always jumping around, worrying those other colts. They’d be wanting to graze or eat, and he’d never be still, just pickin’ at them, pesterin’ them and going all the time.”

Then the colt made an impression on Walter’s cowboys.

“After we broke him, he was the same way. He never was a mean colt at all, but he was on his toes all the time, looking for something to do. He never did have any buck in him, but he was just a hyper kind of horse. He’d jump around and do things, just playing. He’d dump his riders while just exercising – not really buck them off, but he could move so quick, so fast, it was hard to stay with him. It took a good hand to ride him.”

Walter thought Easy Jet was special. Pretty soon, everyone else did, too.

Shortly after turning 2, Easy Jet outworked his big brother at home. But even before that (in December 1978), the colt won a yearling race at Sallisaw, Oklahoma. From his first official race, the January 5 trials to the Blue Ribbon Futurity, until his last as a freshman on November 30 at Sunland Park, Easy Jet carved up his competition in ways never matched before or since.

Earning a record $409,157, Easy Jet loped his way through the Blue Ribbon, Columbus Triple Crown, Lubbock, Kansas (where he set a track record), All American, Laddie, Rocky Mountain QHA, All American Congress and Sunland Fall Futurities. The colt’s only unplaced finish was in the Rainbow Futurity, when he false broke before being bumped badly in the race – he finished sixth to Miss Three Wars, but was moved up to fifth. Easy Jet won his 22 races by a combined 35-plus lengths.

And though ridden by Willie Lovell, Elbert Minchey and Ray Spencer, Easy Jet did it all pretty much on his own.

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“We never worked him on the gate,” Walter said. “We run him too regular. I haven’t seen even ever heard of a 2-year-old running as much as Easy Jet did, but I was with him every minute and watched him real close. And my son Joe slept on a cot in front of his stall at night.

“Easy Jet was a real sound horse, and he wanted to run – every week. If he’d ever showed any signs of being tired or sore or anything, well, I’d have backed off on him. But he was so hyper, had so much heart, so much desire to run, was so eager to go all the time, I thought that I’d just as well run him.

“Besides, if I didn’t run him, I was going to have to work him.”

Breeding farm managers suggest steps to take now that can save time and money later.

Booking early gives early warning and helps prepare the breeding farm for any special needs your mare might have. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Whether you are breeding 100 mares or just one, breeding farm managers recommend planning early for next year’s season.

By thoroughly researching your favorite stallions and making your selection in the fall, you increase your chances of booking the stallion you really want.

Although not all stallions advertise a limited book, certain months can fill up quickly for both on-farm and shipped semen breeding. There are also mare-management tips that make the breeding farm’s job easier.

Mare Tips
Amy Gumz of Gumz Farms in Morganfield, Kentucky, advises picking in the fall – November is definitely not too early – to assure that you get a contract with the stallion you feel will best complement your mare. Amy suggests talking to the stallion’s owners or representatives at shows like the All American Quarter Horse Congress or the AQHA World Championship Show.

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“Many stallions will have only a limited number of breedings available, especially shipped semen breedings,” Amy says. “If you want to book to a particular stallion, timing is critical.”

In addition to booking early, Amy says mare care can have a big effect on the success of getting a mare bred, especially if you want an early foal. She recommends performing a late-fall pregnancy check.

Open or early foaling mares should be put under lights to help them cycle early in the spring. “Without artificial lighting, most open or foaling mares will not ovulate until mid-spring,” Amy says. “We start our mares under lights on December 1. A good rule of thumb is to use a 200-watt bulb, and you must be able to read a newspaper from any and all corners of the stall.”

Futurities
Mike Hay of Pilot Knob Quarter Horses emphasizes the need to book early, especially if you want to breed your mare in a particular month. In addition, early warning helps prepare the breeding farm for any special needs your mare might have. The farm can be prepared to foal out your mare, provide her a heated stall or deal with any breeding problems.

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Mike also gives tips on purchasing futurity breedings during the fall. Since futurity breeding contracts are developed by the futurity, and not necessarily the stallion owner, Mike says inquiring about any additional charges might save you money. If you are purchasing the breeding with the intent to ship the semen, Mike says futurity breeding contracts don’t always cover extra costs like container deposits, lab or collection fees and shipping fees. Ask questions early and often. And Mike says to write down the answers and make sure you have them included in the contract.

Lights, Lights, Lights
Joe Jeane, owner and breeding manager of Down the Rail Performance Prospects of Valley View, Texas, suggests putting mares under lights the day after Thanksgiving. Typically, mares start cycling 45 to 50 days after beginning a light program. Be providing 16 hours of light a day, mares are ready to start cycling January 24, just prior to beginning breeding season on February 1.

In most cases, stalled mares have lights that come on by timer at 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. According to Joe, many people mistakenly think that if their facilities are not conducive to stalling horses under lights, the program won’t work for them.

“One time, we had more mares than we had stalls,” Joe says. “We set up lights around a set of pens we had at the end of a paddock. We would feed them in the pen until dark, keep them under lights until 10 p.m., and then the night watchman would turn them out in the paddock. Those mares cycled at the same time the stalled mares did.”

Joe also emphasizes monitoring the mares’ body score. Mares that are too fat often have more foaling problems than mare that are kept in optimum trim.

“Maybe it’s my cattle background,” Joe says. “But I hate to see mares that are too fat. Of course, they can be too thin, as well. You want to keep them in good shape.”

Mare Checklist

• Lights
• Condition
• Teeth floated
• Dewormed
• Vaccinated
• Feet trimmed
• Coggins test
• Paperwork