Our savior Eohippus

12/19/2025

12/16/2025

Thanks to Bonnie McCulla for inviting us to share this beautiful photo ... ❤️

Zippo Pine Bar just before Perry's purchased him. Pictured with Norman Reynolds.

12/16/2025

COLONEL FRECKLES - 1973 (JEWELS LEO BARS x CHRISTY JAY)

Colonel Freckles was in all ways the Ideal American Quarter Horse and A Horse For All Time. His bloodlines in a horse breeding program establish genetic value--the kind of value that is there years later when fads and promotions have faded away and only the record remains of champion horses that are able to produce champion horses.

Champion of the1976 National Cutting Horse Futurity, Colonel Freckleshas made a prodigious impact on the American Quarter Horse Association, the National Cutting Horse Association, the National Reining Horse Association, and the NationalReined Cow Horse Association. Equistat records through 2002 show that in the disciplines of cutting, reining, and reined cow horse, 325 sons and daughters of Colonel Freckles have earned a total of $4,671,860--an average of $14,375 per offspring. Asa Paternal and Maternal Grandsire in the same disciplines, 1,833 performers have won $14,010,314.

Lou Waters said "After I watched him win th eNCHA Futurity and four years later watched a daughter from his first foal crop win the NCHA Futurity, I said, 'Man, that is the horse of all time!' After I owned him, I knew he was everything I ever hoped for. He was always a gentleman in the breeding barn and was a potent breeder. You could ride him anywhere anytime. He always stayed slick and shiny and got more beautiful every year."

Colonel Freckles was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2004. Colonel Freckles remains on list after list of influential Quarter Horse sires. The $4,671,860 won by his own sons and daughters and the $14 million won by his grandsons and granddaughters in cutting, reining, and reined cow horse is a testament to the qualities that Colonel Freckles possessed and passed on -- cooperative spirit, intelligence, and athletic ability.

Colonel Freckles himself was the 1976 NCHA Futurity Open Champion. This 1976 Futurity was considered to be one of the toughest futurities in the history of the event, as the finalists included such exceptional cutting horses as Freckles Pl***oy, Doc's Oak, Doc's Remedy, Doc Athena, Montana Doc, and Tip It Sam.
In a stunning display of his prepotency, Colonel Freckles' first foal crop dominated the 1981 NCHA Futurity, with 36 entered, 7 qualifying for the Semi-Finals, and 4 making the Finals, including the 1981 NCHA Futurity Champion, Colonel Lil. This same first foal crop of 64 also produced four NCHA Super Stakes Finalists, including the Reserve Champion Colonel Leo Bar, and a NCHA Open Championship Top Ten winner and Co-Champion of the 1983 NCHA World Championship Finals, Freckles Fantasy.

The NRCHA has been influenced greatly by champion progeny of Colonel Freckles. Nu Cash, a son of Colonel Freckles, was NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity World Champion and sired the '95,'96, and '97 NRCHA Snaffle Bit World Champions. Nu Cash earned in excess of $100,000 in the NRCHA and NRHA and has been listed consistently as a leading sire of Working Cow Horses since 1995.

One of his sons, The Nu Colonel, was 1995 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity World Champion. A son of Colonel Freckles, Charter Colonel, captured the NRCHA Open Bridle Year-End Championship for four years and also four times netted the AQHA Best of America's Horse award. Typical of Colonel Freckles' influence on the Reined Cow Horse industry were the 1996 statistics: Colonel Freckles was the Number 1 Leading Paternal Grandsire and five of his sons were among the top 25 Leading Sires, including #1 Nu Cash and # 3 Just Plain Colonel.

The NRHA has also felt the stong impact of Colonel Freckles bloodlines. Among his sons that have been reining champions, Freckles Top Brass, won 1987 NRHA Futurity Open Novice Championship, King Badger's Colonel was the 1990 Limited Open Derby Champion and the 1991 Lazy E Limited Open Champion, and Freckle Kid was the 1990 Limited Open Reserve World Champion. A grandson, Nu Chex to Cash (by Nu Cash) was 2002 NRHA Intermediate and Limited Open World Champion as well as Reserve Non-Pro World Champion and Reserve Intermediate Non-Pro Champion.

When the U.S.E.T. held its Championship reining in Gladstone, New Jersey in 2001, a grandson of Colonel Freckles, Colonels Smokingun, better known as "Gunner" scored a 233 in the semifinals--unofficially the highest score ever marked in USET reining competition. Gunner went on to score 226.5 in the finals for the 2001 USET Gold medal. All told, Gunner has earned $119,069 in NRHA winnings, including the 1996 NRHA Open Futurity Reserve Championship.

Colonel Freckles' name is still seen today in the pedigrees of champions across the equestrian board. The April 2013 edition of the Quarter Horse Journal included a feature story on the 2012 AQHA High Point Junior Horse, Darling Catichi out of Colonels Darling by Colonel Freckles. The same magazine spotlighted all 2012 AQHA High Point winners and Colonel Freckles was listed in the pedigree of Colonel Cindy, Open Reserve All-Around Senior Horse; Senorita Lena CT, High Point in Amateur Ranch Sorting (tie); Poisonous Peppy, High Point Amateur Breakaway Roping; Pocos Rebel Son, High Point Amateur Versatility Ranch Horse; Colonel Cindy, High Point Amateur Limited Heeling; Speck of Evidence, High Point Amateur Limited Tie-Down Roping; Poisonous Peppy, High Point Youth Limited Tie-Down Roping. In addition, a grandson of Colonel Freckles, Colonel C San Miguel, was awarded Best Playing Pony in the American Polo Horse Association Women's Championship Tournament Season 8 Finals in Palm Beach, Florida, in April 2013

12/16/2025

12/16/2025

KING FRITZ - 1956 (POWER COMMAND x POCO JANE)

by NRCHA

Although he passed away in 1975 at the age of 19, King Fritzs impact can still be seen in arenas across the country in the form of a Chex.

King Fritz, by Power Command and out of Poco Jane (by Poco Bueno), foaled in 1956 and was purchased as a yearling in a package deal by Fritz and Ellen Watkins of Oregon. His first five foals arrived his 3-year-old year and because the Watkinses used a checkmark as their brand they decided to use Chex in each of the foals names. That decision began a legacy.

In 1962 King Fritz received his AQHA Open Championship, earning points in Reining, Western Riding and Western Pleasure. Having achieved that accomplishment, the stallion retired from competition. He went on to sire tremendous horses like Shirley Chex, Fritz Command, Fritzi Chex, Kiddo Chex, Paula Chex, Moon Chex and Royal Chex.

In 1970, Les and Cora Lynn Vogt, saw a stallion ad for King Fritz in Western Horseman magazine and Les jokingly said he was going to buy the horse. Without any money, Les called Fritz Watkins and found out Fritz had just made the decision to sell his stallion and broodmares. Les Vogt bought the entire package.

When Les first saw King Fritz step out of the trailer he was expecting an exquisite stallion but instead saw the complete opposite and thought for sure he had made a huge mistake. The band of broodmares followed and he became more and more disappointed. At the time Les bought King Fritz, he had only sired 69 registered offspring and was bred mainly to the Watkinss broodmares.

We had the superstar mares of the day however nothing produced like that old infamous cross with those strange looking mares that I bought in the group in the original package from Fritz Watkins, Les admitted. And by strange looking, these mares were odd looking, they were real odd looking.

But paired with King Fritz, those mares produced outstanding horses. The cross was magic.

The first Snaffle Bit Futurity, in 1970, ended with a tie between Bobby Ingersoll and Les Vogt. Bobby was riding Leocita Chex and Les and Cora Lynn were the proud new owners of her sire. Three years later a Chex Wrangler Chex carried Les to his first Snaffle Bit Futurity Championship.

King Fritzs offspring were outstanding show horses and are continuing the tradition with fabulous offspring of their own. The remarkable stallion sired 318 registered foals and his daughter, Chexy Lady, is the American Quarter Horse Associations number 3 All-Time Leading Dam of World Champions. What began with a checkmark, a group of undesirable broodmares and a bay Power Command stallion has resulted in an impressive line of horses with impeccable heritage.

There were so many King Fritz horses that were consistently great horses, Les said. It was an era a time of magic.

12/16/2025

THE LEGEND OF MAN O'WAR SON❤️
🇺🇸 Battleship: The Son of Man o’ War Who Conquered England 🏇
Born in 1927, Battleship was the son of the mighty Man o’ War. But unlike his famous sire, Battleship was small—only about 15.2 hands high—and few believed he could be a champion.

He started his career on the flat, winning some decent races. But his true talent emerged when he was switched to steeplechase racing. In the U.S., he won 10 of 17 jump races, showing great heart and stamina.

Then came an incredible decision: his owner, Marion duPont Scott, sent him to England to compete in the Grand National at Aintree—the most grueling steeplechase in the world. No American-bred horse had ever won it.

In 1938, with a 17-year-old jockey in the irons, Battleship stunned the world by winning the Grand National, beating elite European stayers and etching his name into history.

He returned to the U.S. a hero—the only son of Man o’ War to win at Aintree and a testament to courage over size. Though mostly forgotten today, Battleship was living proof that greatness sometimes comes in small packages. 💪🐎

12/16/2025

In 1951, Chenery sent Imperatrice to Princequillo, resulting in a filly born on January 9, 1952, at The Meadow. The bay filly was named Somethingroyal by Helen Bates Chenery, known for naming most of the horses in the stable.

Bold Ruler, a star on the track, had a defining moment in 1956 when he won the Futurity at Belmont Park. After his victory, he approached his owner, Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps, who, despite her petite frame, calmed the spirited c**t effortlessly. Bold Ruler, hot and lathered from the race, lowered his head and walked beside her, gentle as could be—a testament to their unique bond.

Mrs. Phipps was a remarkable figure in the racing world. Even as she aged, she remained fiercely independent, driving herself to the track every morning. A modest woman with her poodles by her side, she carried sugar cubes for her horses, praising winners and gently scolding losers with affection. Her close collaboration with trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, a legendary figure himself, was marked by mutual respect and a shared love for the sport. Together, they embodied a timeless dedication to horse racing, a blend of wisdom, tradition, and passion.

12/16/2025

12/15/2025

Do you know 𝐌𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞?

Oscar “June” Jeffers Jr. had an eye for speed, and his wife, Zelma, had a knack for crossing the right bloodlines. Together, they created an explosive, record-breaking racehorse.

In 1955, June and Zelma saw their breeding vision arrive when a spindly legged c**t was foaled. Mr Bar None, as they called him, was a dark chestnut with a vivid white star and strip down his face that would show through his racing silks as his head burst out in front of many a racing finish line.

“Mr Bar None was lazy, and our grandparents had done all this master planning with breeding Murl L to Three Bars, and they thought it was all going to be for nothing. They were even thinking of selling him, but Grandpa knew of a jockey named Tecumseh Stark,” says Dalinda Jeffers of Bixby, Oklahoma, one of Zelma and June’s granddaughters.

“Starkey” knew how to get the best out of Mr Bar None. However, the late Kenneth Chapman was Bar None’s jockey for every race but one, and Bar None finished the 1958 race season as the AQHA racing champion stallion, the AQHA racing champion 3-year-old c**t and the world champion racing Quarter Horse.

He earned $72,125 on seven tracks as a 2-year-old and five tracks as a 3-year-old. Of 36 races, he won 22, was second in 10 and was third in one. His last race was in 1958 at Los Alamitos.

After Mr Bar None left the track, it was other horse owners loading up their mares and driving to Wagoner to the court of Mr Bar None. Mr Bar None’s foals earned $1.157 million on the track.

Mr Bar None was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2014.