We not only got to liking our Foxtrotters, but also the Sheridan area, so in 1979 we bought on the edge of Sheridan, 1 1/2 acres of irrigated land and had a house built. We also leased 6 adjacent acres and decided to purchase a Fox Trotting mare and raise some colts. The spring of 1980 saw us back in Cody, WY where we bought a sorrel mare from Doc Graham. Part of the deal was she was to be bred to Doc's stud "Red's Royal Image". This mare, Katie "B" has become our foundation mare and was foaled by Lawrence Barnes of Ava, Missouri. Katie's sire was Gold Man, out of a good mare named Vicki Flossy. Katie throws fourth generation foals and will have a foal this spring (1993).
We have over the years purchased 4 more mares, either as yearlings or two year olds. In 1989 we purchased back Katie "B"'s first filly, that we sold in 1985. These mares have become the nucleus of our brood mare program. In our brood mares, we trace back to what we consider four main Foxtrotting bloodlines, Golden Govenor, Zane Grey, Toddy's Perfection and Mack K's Yankee. We currently have 16 registered Fox Trotting horses and have reached our program goal of having 10 brood mares. We will be foaling 3 mares in the Spring of 1993.
In 1987 we sold our place on the edge of Sheridan and now live 1 1/2 miles southwest of Sheridan on 55 irrigated acres, we call the N Hanging P Foxtrotter Ranch. This allows us to handle the 10 mares and an additional 8 to 10 horses. We, in 1993, have curtailed pasturing other horses, for we have, with our horses reached the carrying capacity of the ranch.
Our program is based on mares. We always have had our mares on an every other year folaing cycle. With 10 mares this means we plan to never have more than 5 foals per year. Our rationale for this, is based upon the premise of quality not quantity. We believe that when a mare gives birth, there is not only a physical, but a mental stress or pain on the mare. Allowing 23 to 25 months between foals, the mare has adequate time to rehabilitate herself. We feel that Katie "B" is an example of our every other year foaling program. She is now 19 years old and still has the conformation of a much younger horse. We have yet to call a Vet or assist a mare in foaling, nor have we yet, had a mare reject a foal. Besides it gives us good mares to ride besides our 2 or 3 year olds and our two old geldings.
We never have stood a stallion, nor had we ever planned to stand a stud. Our reason for this has been 1) we feel we are not adequately equipped (a stout stud pen), 2) not enough Fox Trotting mares in our area, and 3) we have preferred to spend our springs (breeding season) working young horses. This situation is changing, we are having an addition to our barn built with an adjoining stout pen. The pen will be needed when we select a stud colt to be kept as a future saleable stallion prospect. We also don't find at this time, a strong Golden Govenor/Golden Rawhide stallion available to us in our area. Therefore, we have these bloodlines in our mares and maybe we will foal our own Golden Govenor stallion. We like this bloodline, conformation wise and the bloodline's natural qualities as a western type using horse.
This above statement leads me to point out that we strongly believe iin and that is the BLUE PAPERED factor in the Breed. We have foaled 12 colts with 11 being 4th generation and in 1992 we foaled a 5th generation filly. It is our goal to be foaling 6th or 7th generation foals before we hang up our horse program. Why we feel strongly about this factor, is that we feel our foals have a strong genetic background to diagonal fox trot and have less tendencies to laterally gait. We base the statement upin the fact our foals seem to start life diagonal gaiting and stay with the diagonal gait.
Katie "B"'s first filly (1983) was developed and made to only diagonal gait. This was pure luck on my part when starting this filly and allowing her genetic qualities to develop for diagonal fox trotting. This filly was sold and further trained by a Quarter Horse type, who was a good horseman. When we brought her back in 1989 this mare was still diagonally gaiting. I believe the reason being was the mare was blue papered with a strong genetic lineage to fox trot and was started correctly. this mare is a strong Golden Govenor bloodline and is the Dam of our 5th generation filly. This 5th generation filly has shown only a diagonal gait since she was foaled and now is developing a naturally animated head nod as she walks. The blue papered factor has to have genetic qualities for fox trotting and we strongly believe it is an important point to look for in Fox Trotting horses.
I don't believe in what I call "artificial means" in the development of a horse. I don;t believe that we are trainers, but rather think we are developers of a horse. This means to me that we want the horse to tell us through it's behavior the best ways and time to develop any specific action. i have a long way to go on reading a horse's mind, but it is an interesting challenge. I don't care to use a caveson, tieing up a horse, demand total control, pinching the neck or other cues to get the fox trot or head shake. This goes back to the BLUE PAPERED FACTOR. The stronger the genetic qualities are, what are the needs for gimmicks to get the horse to fox trot. We believe a Fox Trotting horse should diagonal gait (Foxtrot) and if it doesn't, then the horse isn;t a Fox Trotting horse.
We have attended several clinics at Powell and we're believers in working the horse over poles to break up the lateral (pace) gait and get the horse to fox trot. I then got to asking myself why is this necessary. I have now two answers to this question 1) the horse is genetically throwing back to the Walking Horse or 2) the rider has asked the horse to speed up too fast in it's development and to do this the horse has broken over into a lateral (pacing) gait. I have come to the conclusion that you first develop a fast, head nodding, animated, squared up flat foot walk in the young horse before you ever break the horse into the trot. The time element for just the walking phase of development will depend upon the horse and you as the developer, have to let the horse tell you when it is ready to break into the trot. I firmly believe that if the horse is developed to fox trot, you will never have to go to working the horse over poles. I don't want to use a caveson to get the head nod, I want the horse to develop naturally and they will. You watch fox trotting colts and you will see the head nod as these colts are wlaking naturally. If blue papered, the genetic quality is there and you must allow the quality to come out as the horse develops.
I want to see the horse travel as natural as possible even in the show ring. I would prefer we showed our horses on a much looser rein. We do not care for the show canter, for it appears to be artificial. I would much prefer to see our horses showed in a correct lead collected lope.
We use the Imprinting Technique on all of our foals. This means being up at least every two hours and present as the mare foals. The imprinting, we do consists of handling the foal before it is even dry, fingers in the mouth, ears, stroking all of it's feet and legs, and k=making sure the foal imprints with us right along with it's mother. Soon as the foal sucks we normally put a halter on it and then handle it again. We stay with handling the foal as much as time allows. We allow the foal to start eating grain with it's mother as soon as it can. We use only steam rolled COB (corn, oats & barley) and our foals are basically eating grain within a month. We have fenced off about 5 acres, right next to the barn and house. We are basically around the mares and foals every day or they can come up to the house yard and check on us.
We currently castrate the colts in early October and turn them right out with their mothers and the other horses. This allows the recent geldings to run, feed and be with their mothers. the colts swell some, but the exercise keeps the swelling and bleeding to a minimum. There is an Indian tradition that goes with castrating colts, the testicles are always thrown in front of the colt. This makes the colt a good traveler, for he is never looking over his shoulder for his missing manhood. This means a fast traveler, an important factor to Fox Trotting breeders, so never throw or place the testicles behind the colt.
We don't wean the colts until late December or early January, which means the foals are 7 to 8 months old. We place the colts in one pen and the mares in an adjacent pen. This seems to keep everyone calm and after 10 days we turn the mares out with the other horses. The main problem we have faced, is even after two or three months, when we turn the colts out, these Fox Trottiung mares are such good mothers that they pick up their colts and allow them to nurse and tag along with them.
We don't profess that our concepts are correct or will work for other people. What we do seems to work for us and fits our program. I also know our development does not win too often in the show ring, but I still prefer to allow the horse to develop the genetic fox trotting ability naturally.