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by Larry Thornton Every year the American Quarter Horse Association teams up with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association to name the Pro Rodeo Horses of the Year. This title is like awarding a World Championship to the hard working horses of the rodeo arena. They are the best of the best for that year. The 2010 winners are Eightys Sport (Sweetness) in Tie Down Roping; Ra Sonoita Silver (Vegas) in Heading; Fine Snip Of Doc (Cave Man) in Heeling; Dashs Dapper Star (Wick) in Steer Wrestling; Judge Buy Cash (Jethro) in Barrel Racing and Skips Harlan Tyree (Pops) in Steer Roping. These horses have earned their title by hard work and money won in the arena. Some say that the rodeo arena is the ultimate test for a performance horse. I always find it interesting to survey the pedigrees of these hard working horses to see where their speed and working ability comes from.
Patterson of Pratt, Kansas. Patterson was the 2009 and 2010 PRCA World Champion Steer Roper. Skips Harlan Tyree (Pops) helped Patterson set an earnings record of $101,685 as the first steer roper to earn over $100,000 in a year. When we look at Pops’ pedigree we see two very interesting pedigree patterns. The topside of his pedigree is dominated by the blood of Hank Wiescamp’s great breeding program. Wiescamp built his program on the blood of Old Fred and a Quarter Horse by the name of Plaudit. They were a big part of his plan to breed good Quarter Horses. Old Fred was the famous foundation sire that was used by the equally famous Colorado breeder, Coke Roberds. Old Fred was sired by Black Ball by Missouri Rondo by Missouri Mike by Printer II by Old Cold Deck. The dam of Black Ball was Nan, who was sired by a Standardbred stallion and out of a Standardbred mare.
This shot shows the conformation and color available The 2010 winners with Old Fred. He must have been an carry some famous The dam of Old Fred awesome individual. bloodlines that have was a mare by John Photo courtesy of made the Quarter Horse Crowder. John Crowder The AQHA Hall of Fame and Museum. the versatile breed that was sired by Old Billy it is in the performance and out of Paisana. The arena and the racetrack. These bloodlines include mating of Old Billy and Paisana must be considered King P-234, Leo, Three Bars, Top Deck, Plaudit and a great nick that is responsible for the foundation Skipper W. Another interesting thing about these of what is called today the Old Billy line of Quarter bloodlines is that they influence these individuals Horse. This is the cross that gave us not only John through some of the famous nicks of the past. Crowder, but also Anthony, Jenny Oliver, Red Rover, Artie, Old Joe, Pancho, Joe Collins, Whalebone and A nick is the phenomenon that occurs when a several more that show up in the pedigrees of the stallion or stallions of one bloodline cross with mares modern Quarter Horse. of another bloodline to produce foals superior to the parents. The influence of such stallions as King Another side of the success of Coke Roberds was P-234, Leo, Three Bars, Top Deck, Plaudit and Skipthe use of Peter McCue, probably the most influenper W comes about by their ability to nick with each tial sire in Quarter Horses. Peter McCue was sired other. So let’s look at the 2010 PRCA Horses of the by Dan Tucker by Barney Owens by Cold Deck by Year and highlight some of nicks that have influOld Billy. Thus we have some common blood, or as enced their pedigrees. we call it a blood affinity, between Peter McCue and Old Fred through the Old Billy blood found in their This month we will concentrate on Skips Harlan pedigrees. Tyree (Pops). This 1994 gelding was bred by Linda M. Bouziden-Lackey of Cedar Vale, Kansas. His curWe have to also remember at this point that there rent owner is World Champion Steer Roper Rocky are two Cold Decks. One was Old-Cold Deck, the Page 38
THE WORKING HORSE • SPRING 2011