Our girls don't just get to go straight to the Broodmare band. All have proven themselves in the arena, with their disposition, performance, and trainability before becoming mothers and passing on their genetics. A good mare truly makes a great cross. Most of our mares by now were bred and raised on our place and got chosen to stay. A lot are sired by our great buckskin Doc Bar stud, Deuce; our Smart Chic Olena son, Johnson; our perlino stud "Lou;" or our black Docs Sug stud BJ. All of whom are no longer with us but leave their legacy in their progeny. Our mares mean a lot to us and each is a part of our family.
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BeautyVLW Tuf Lil Doc is Vern's favorite broodmare. She is out of a handy mare we used to rope calves on. Her sire is Ima Double Tough Too or "Deuce" that we did everything on. Beauty's colts are easy to train, naturally talented, smart, and stay around the place the longest. We never hesitate to take up the opportunity to keep or buy back one of these babies!
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SonyaSonya was the girls show mare for the last few years they showed. She is the type of horse you can go jump on in the pasture at any time and get her to do anything you ask. Sonya is a grand-daughter of Smart Chic Olena and out of "Whispy." The first colt we have kept of hers has been Mataya's main breakaway mount from 5 years old and ropes calves with the best of them. She is also the mother to "Prince" our buckskin stud.
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WhispyWhispy was trained by Laurie and brought back to a big show futurity as a 2 year old. She ended up winning the whole thing and became the girls show horse from then on. She never missed a State Horse Show in her showing career and came away with multiple purple ribbons. Whispy is extremely laid back and prefers human company to other horses. Multiple of her babies have won the SBLS Ranch Horse Versatility 2/3 year old futurity as a 2 year old. We love having her disposition and ease of training passed down.
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DoveDove was sold as a baby, but found her way back to our place by the grace of God. She is a full sister to KeAnna's "Grace" who has carried KeAnna to the CNFR, NHSRA, and multiple short rounds in breakaway and goat-tying. Another full sister is "Kola" who is a super horse that has been a college dogging horse, will head, heel, or breakaway, Top Horse at Ranch Rodeos, etc . After being starved where she was boarded then left in a kill pen, Vern found Dove by pure luck, threw 11-yr-old KeAnna on her, and bought her back without hesitation. It took a full winter of being babied and fed to bring her back to full health, but we are so grateful she found her way back to us. She throws beautiful babies (her 2018 foal is the only foal Laurie would not even put on the website for sale) and has the same kind attitude her sisters have.
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CarmelloCarmello is Charity's full sister. She is one of the sweetest mares in the pasture and throws colts super easy to break. See "Lil Bit" in Happy Owners for an update on her first foal. Carmello and Dove co-raise every one of their babies together and are true best friends. There isn't a moment they spend apart!
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KolaA true super horse, Kola has been a college dogging horse, will head, heel, and breakaway, run barrels and do whatever you ask her to. She was named Top Horse at the Black Hills Roundup Ranch Rodeo. Kola has rightfully and officially earned her retirement to the broodmare band and we are ecstatic to see what she produces. Kola is a full sister to KeAnna's "Grace" and "Dove."
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CharityCharity was pulled out of a sale when she was three as Laurie just couldn't bear to sell her after falling in love. KeAnna started her in goats and breakaway and used her as a back-up horse for a couple years. After sitting a year and not being used, Taya needed a step-up horse and Charity and her fit together right away. Charity raises some beautiful babies with Ombre now.
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GraceKeAnna's right hand mare for her middle school through college career (carrying her to the CNFR and NHSRA many times) finally gets to hit the retirement pen and raise babies of her own. Be alarmed if you ever see one of her babies up for sale. They are highly sought after in the family!
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OliveOlive was started last spring but Taya's rodeo and practice string is more than full. Olive has moved to the broodmare band to earn her keep since she is too special to sell! She is out of "Dove" who is a full sister to two other performance mares turned broodmares in our herd. Flirtin N Streakin is her sire giving her some more "wheels" on the top side. Her babies crossed with either of our studs are bound to be the fastest in the herd and beautiful to boot.
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LilacLilac's full sister is owned by a friend who does everything from parades to sidesaddle with her. After nearly losing her eye, we put Lilac in the broodmare band to get some pretty little blue roans with Ombre. Her babies never disappoint! We love her perfect conformation and natural movement that she throws to her babies. She also brings refinement and smaller size to the big-boned Fire on Bug line. Lilac is one of the first to come greet you when you go into the pasture.
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Annie's AngelAJ was the type of baby that never officially got halter broke because we knew we were keeping her around forever. Then, at three, we haltered her and hauled her to town with us. She has a super kind and easy-going disposition. She was out of "Annie," an orphan colt that was used on the ranch and one of our foundational broodmares. AJ is also sired by Smart Little Steps aka "Johnson" that we had at stud for a few short years before losing him. KeAnna recently took one of AJ's first babies from halter broke to $13,000 four-year-old to give you an idea of how well her babies ride.
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Montannie OakleyMontannie Oakley was unable to enter the arena due to an injury her yearling year that left her unsound for performance. As heartbreaking as it was, she then had the opportunity to enter the broodmare pen early to continue passing on Laurie's favorite genetic line! Her sire is an accomplished reining cowhorse and her mother is "Whispy." We love her disposition and personality and cannot wait to watch her babies leave their mark on the performance horse world.
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ChicChic was trained by Fehrin for the five-year training project in 4-H. She was shown in reining and other classes before being started in roping. Her natural talent and love for stopping made breakaway easy. When Fehrin went to college we started to breed her. Chic is out of "Beauty" who was sired by "Deuce" and by Smart Little Steps aka "Johnson" making her a true product of our breeding program on both sides. A few of her offspring have been selected as stud prospects all over the country.
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TinyTiny is a beautiful blue roan mare we have had fun messing with the past few years. She comes from a great breeding program to bring in some new bloodlines to the herd. She will be having a foal in the future!
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ZenZen is from the same breeding program as Tiny bringing in some great color and disposition to our colts. She is a true pocket pony as she wants to be at your side and be loved on at all times.
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TillyTilly is MissNCash and Rooster bred and had reining training to start. After showing her in reining a few times, Fehrin worked on her throughout high school to be a barrel and pole horse. An injury to her hoof left her unsound for the time-being so we decided to put her good bloodlines to use in the breeding pen until she heals.
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TicklesTickles has all the breeding to be something special in the arena. However, she has always been content being Mataya's ride around, ranch, backup, and fun horse to ride. She was super quiet to train so after the first 30 days, Young Mataya had done everything herself. She has the perfect blend of run and cutting bloodlines to pass on to her babies.
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QueenQueen is a mare that KeAnna purchased as a yearling and started. She opted to keep the mare instead of train her to sell, so decided to put her good bloodlines to use until she is needed later on. You won't find many foals with Sugar Bars so close in the lineage as her's! We have no doubt her babies will have their mom's catty movements.
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Future Broodmares, but for now they are arena performers
Reba
Reba is another Whispy baby who gets to stick around. She was super easy to start and train. We currently have decided to finish her in the arena before adding her to the broodmare band. Mataya has high hopes for her to be her head horse this season. I doubt you will ever see one of her babies as Laurie is pretty protective of all products of the "Whispy" line. Snatch one up if you do!
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DixieDixie is out of Sonya and our black stud BJ. She is another product of our program on both sides. Her 5 year old year she qualified Mataya to the National High School Rodeo Finals in the breakaway. I put her on the broodmare page lightly! It is likely she will never be left in the pasture long enough to raise a baby. She is fought over by all in the family who want to take her and rope off her. We find her to the arena under someone's saddle every night. There are already dibs on which grandkid gets her when Mataya is done using her.
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StarlightStarlight was orphaned at a young age during a rain storm. She has lived quite a life (read her life story in an article linked below). She has accomplished and earned many saddles and "Super Horse" awards in her career carrying our girls. One summer, Mataya was between performance horses so used her for barrels, poles, flags, goats, and breakaway at each rodeo. Now she is close to being retired but is just too solid and good at Goat Tying that Mataya can't part with her, yet.
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HeidiKeAnna purchased Heidi to compete in SDHSRA Reining Cowhorse when it first was started. She won multiple times and qualified to state often. Sierra even qualified and competed on her at the National Level. She was used in poles and breakaway as well for one summer. Her first time being roped off of was at a ranch rodeo with Fehrin and one would never know. She took to it like a champ. Mataya still uses her for Reining Cowhorse every spring, but then she will be making her way to raising babies.
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SugarSugar was Sierra and Vern's bargain buy at a sale when she was a little sorrel filly (Vern spotted her potential right away and noticed she was a granddaughter of one of our old studs). For just $300 when the horse market was struggling, Sierra went home with her next project. She had her doing flying lead changes as a three year old and we knew she was athletic and special. KeAnna took her to college in the winters for a practice breakaway horse the next couple of years and Fehrin took her in the summers to work on her barrels and poles. She has won multiple Pole Bending's at High School Rodeos and has started placing in the barrels her first year of being on the rodeo trailer. We are excited for her future as a performer and eventually a contributor to our broodmare band once Mataya is done.
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FlickaPurchased as a yearling, Flicka has become a part of the family. She is one of the most personable mares from the get- go and a cute 14-2 hands, giving her great potential as a kid horse for the grandkids. She also has Sugar Bars close up on her papers, so will be able to contribute to our program in that way, as well.
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