Dilday Ranch

08/14/2025

08/13/2025

"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."- Jim Rohn

"𝑯𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆" 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑻𝒊𝒎 𝑪𝒐𝒙

08/13/2025

Poco Pine 🏆A Pillar in Quarter Horse History🐴❤️

On May 17, 1954, in Vernon, Texas, during the dispersal sale of E. Paul Waggoner’s Quarter Horses, Texas horseman Paul Curtner arrived with a clear goal: to buy a Blackburn mare with a Poco Bueno filly to cross with his Bill Cody stallion, Town Crier.

Fate, however, had other plans. With the winning bid of $1,550, Curtner instead took home a Pretty Boy mare with a Poco Bueno c**t at her side. Waggoner Ranch trainer Pine Johnson expressed immediate admiration for the young bay. Curtner named him Poco Pine in Johnson’s honor.

From the start, Poco Pine showed talent. As a weanling, he won every one of the few classes he entered. Returning to the show pen at age three, he competed until he was twelve, amassing an impressive record. Curtner had hoped for 50 grand championships before retiring him, and, believing they had reached the mark, he ended Poco Pine’s show career. Official records list 46 grand championships and seven reserve grands, along with 135 halter points, 15 cutting points, and two western pleasure points.

In 1959, Poco Pine earned his Superior in Halter, and in 1960, he was named an AQHA Champion. He also competed in National Cutting Horse Association events, earning $776.

As a sire, Poco Pine’s influence was profound. He covered his first mares in 1957, and from that first small crop came AQHA Champions Poco Chico and Poco Taos. By 1964, he was the leading sire of halter horses, a title he held for four consecutive years. In 1967, he became the leading sire of performance horses.

His offspring went on to earn 10,945.5 AQHA points, $14,794 in NCHA competition, and $3,428 at the AQHA World Championship Show. He sired 37 AQHA Champions. As a “sire of sires,” his sons Heart Bar Feathers, Pine Chock, Pine Wampy, and Poco Pecho became influential in their own right. Poco Pecho sired all-time leading point earner and Hall of Fame member Pecho Dexter, while Poco Bright Star produced the renowned reining sire Great Pine, whose progeny have won over $700,000 in National Reining Horse Association competition.

Poco Pine’s impact also endures through his daughters. One in particular, Dollie Pine, produced four AQHA Champions, including the legendary Zippo Pine Bar, a western pleasure great and Hall of Fame inductee.

Poco Pine passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 1, 1974, at the age of 20. In 2010, his name was forever enshrined in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

08/13/2025

🛑STOP the PAST Act 🛑

Despite a 98% compliance rate among Tennessee Walking and Racking Horse breeds, the 2025 Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act uses isolated abuses to justify sweeping and unnecessary federal overreach.

This bill takes administrative regulations originally proposed under the Horse Protection Act’s “New Rule” and seeks to lock them into federal law—permanently. If passed, the PAST Act would drastically expand government authority, bringing invasive inspections and burdensome regulations not only to Walking and Racking horses, but to all horse breeds at shows, exhibitions, sales, and events nationwide.

Let’s be clear: this legislation doesn’t just target abusers—it threatens responsible owners, trainers, and the entire equestrian community.

🖊️ Sign the petition today and tell Congress: STOP the PAST Act!

https://www.ruralamericainaction.com/petition/stop-the-past-act

08/13/2025

is here!

"You can have excuses, or you can have growth, but not both."

Real growth starts when the complaining stops.

Dilday Ranch

08/12/2025

"The 2025 PAST Act Bill is essentially the Congressional attempt to make permanent the key provisions introduced previously through administrative regulation known as the Horse Protection Act New Rule. Both share strikingly similar core provisions, though the PAST Act would embed these permanently into federal law."

https://www.westernjustice.info/post/how-the-2025-past-act-bill-mirrors-the-horse-protection-act-new-rule

08/12/2025

The HELP Act (HR 4500): A Critical Win for Livestock Haulers, Producers, and Animal Welfare

Colorado Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03) has introduced the Hauling Exemptions for Livestock Protection (HELP) Act (H.R. 4500), a long-awaited piece of legislation addressing the issues around livestock transportation and the Hours of Service and ELD Mandate. It is backed by a broad coalition of agricultural organizations and lawmakers. The bill stands to permanently exempt livestock, insect, and aquatic animal haulers from the restrictive federal Hours-of-Service (HOS) and Electronic Logging Device (ELD) regulations.

As advocates for rural America, AGPROfessionals supports the HELP Act and urges swift passage to safeguard the integrity of the livestock industry, ensure the welfare of live animals in transit, and support the small businesses and drivers that keep our supply chain strong.

A Look Back: How the ELD Mandate Affected Livestock Haulers

In 2018, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) began enforcing the ELD Mandate, under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). This regulation required commercial motor vehicles to install electronic logging devices to track driver hours and limit driving time to prevent fatigue. While well-intentioned for general freight haulers, this “one-size-fits-all” regulation proved to be challenging for livestock transporters.

Hauling live animals is fundamentally different from hauling dry goods. The way the ELD operates, along with delays caused by mandated rest periods and other infrastructure issues, raised concerns about animal welfare related to compliance:

• Heat stress, cold stress, and ventilation issues when trucks must stop in extreme weather.
• Lack of infrastructure as well as appropriate facilities for unloading livestock and keeping them separate from other loads mid-route, exposing animals to injury and disease.
• Additional loading and unloading to meet regulatory requirements for drivers, which are unrelated to animal welfare, causes unnecessary stress on animals.
• Economic losses due to weight shrink and animal stress.
• Public safety risks as drivers are forced to find illegal or unsafe parking to meet regulatory mandates. Drivers are also forced to drive while fatigued to fit their driving time after the ELD starts tracking.

In the face of these challenges, livestock and bee haulers, along with agricultural advocates nationwide, traveled to Washington, D.C. to educate lawmakers on the realities of livestock transport. Temporary exemptions were granted, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing that flexibility is vital for humane animal care and a stable food supply.

What the HELP Act Does

The HELP Act (H.R. 4500) answers the need for permanent legislative reform. Here’s what the bill does:

Permanent Exemptions from HOS and ELD

The bill exempts “covered livestock hauling vehicles,” which include trucks carrying livestock, insects, and aquatic animals, from:

• Hours-of-Service limits under Title 49, U.S. Code.
• Electronic Logging Device requirements.
• This exemption applies when animals are loaded, and also when the vehicle is unladen and en route to or from pickups or deliveries.

Broad Definition of Livestock

“Livestock” under the HELP Act includes not just cattle and hogs, but:
• Bees and insects
• Horses
• All living animals raised or harvested for commercial purposes
• Aquatic animals such as farmed fish

This ensures bee haulers, aquaculture producers, and niche livestock sectors are protected.

A United Voice in Support

The HELP Act has received support from a wide array of stakeholders, both in Colorado and nationwide:
• Colorado Cattlemen’s Association emphasized that “you can’t simply stop and take a break” when hauling animals.
• Colorado Wool Growers Association pointed out the critical role airflow and temperature regulation play in animal comfort.
• Colorado Farm Bureau praised the bill for helping mitigate livestock stress and shrink, which directly affects producer profitability.
• National supporters include the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), American Beekeeping Federation, American Sheep Industry Association, and American Quarter Horse Association, among others.


Why It Matters

Passing the HELP Act isn’t just about easing regulatory burdens; it is about preserving the humane, safe, and economically viable transport of livestock. Without the HELP Act, haulers face a lose-lose scenario: comply with laws and endanger animals or risk fines to protect them. As Congressman Hurd aptly stated:
“Livestock haulers have shown, especially during the pandemic, that they can operate with flexibility while maintaining an excellent safety record. The HELP Act simply makes that flexibility permanent.”

This legislation respects:

• The needs of animals in transport.
• The professionalism and responsibility of haulers.
• The economic vitality of the American livestock industry.

AGPROfessionals’ Call to Action

We encourage all those in agriculture to contact your representatives and express your support for the HELP Act (H.R. 4500).

Links to references and the bill language can be found in this article on our website.

08/12/2025

08/12/2025

08/12/2025

08/11/2025

Fuel your family with Dilday Ranch Beef. Ranch-raised nutrition from people who live it every day.

08/10/2025

🍽️ Beef on the plate, wine in the glass — now that’s a winning combo.
✨ Spicy stir fry? Go sweet white.
✨ Ribeyes or T-bones? Full red.
✨ Slow-cooked roast? Light red, every time.