PREMIER - March 2023

samantha foust & lady marmalade

Samantha Foust and Cool Cruzen Lady are a well-known team in the Trail and Western Riding arenas. Samantha and her mother, Kelly Ihde, purchased “Hazel” at the end of 2018, following the mare’s win in the Junior Western Riding at the AQHA World Championship Show with Blake Weis, which was their second year in a row to win the class. Since then, Samantha and Hazel have been a force to be reckoned with, amassing wins at major circuits across the country. In 2019, they won Congress Championships in both the Novice Amateur and Amateur Western Riding. The following year, Samantha and Hazel won the AQHA Reserve World Championship in Amateur Western Riding, and in 2022, they were the NSBA World Champions in Amateur Trail, one of the accomplishments that Samantha is most proud of, along with winning the Level 2 Amateur Trail at the AQHA World Championship Show for in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Taking into consideration her stellar show record, and the love and admiration they have for their beautiful bay roan mare, in 2019, Samantha and Kelly decided to breed Hazel.

“We’ve had Hazel for five years now, and she’s been such a joy to show,” shares Samantha. “Breeding wasn’t something we had ever done or planned on doing, but mom and I both love Hazel so much that we really just wanted to see what she would produce and see if we could get another horse like her.”

When selecting a stallion to breed Hazel to, Samantha’s goals were two-fold. She wanted something that was producing strong futurity horses but also had offspring that were excelling in the all-around events.

“Western Pleasure has always been my favorite class,” said Samantha. “Hazel does well in the Pleasure, but it’s not her strongest event, so I wanted a stallion that was very pleasure forward but was also siring successful all-around horses. Mom and I have always loved Machine Made, and he has such a strong hock to complement Hazel’s incredible front leg, so we felt it would be a great combination.”

What Samantha and Kelly carefully planned for with this breeding was exactly what they got. Registered as Lady Marmalade, and fondly known as

“Jellybean,” Hazel’s first foal is everything they hoped for.

“Jellybean got the best of both her sire and dam,” said Samantha. “She is so good upfront and so strong behind. I think she’s going to be a lot of fun to show in the Western Pleasure and then be an amazing western rider in the future. To top it off she’s a beautiful roan which is exactly what we were hoping for. Mom’s very first horse who she really loved and unfortunately died from colic was a roan, and so she’s always had a soft spot for them.”

When the time came to send Jellybean off for training, Samantha turned to her long-time trainer Tonya Brown for advice. Since Tonya lives close to Kelly’s Diamond Ranch, she has been able to watch Jellybean grow up.

“I trust Tonya and she knows both Hazel and Jellybean, so we followed her advice,” explains Samantha. “We wanted someone who would take their time and not rush Jellybean so that she had the best chance for success and would become the best horse she can be. When we started discussing trainers, Tonya reached out to Blake and Kendra Weis and they both recommended RJ King and Blair Townsend. Tonya felt very confident in sending Jellybean to them and so did we.”

And after their most recent trip to Texas to check on Jellybean, Samantha and Kelly are certain they made the right decision.

“We are really excited for this year and very pleased with

the job RJ and Blair have done so far,” said Samantha. “We always planned to save Jellybean for one of the Maiden three-year-old events and they’ve done a great job bringing her along with that goal in mind. She’s a big mare who was still doing a lot of growing as a two-yearold, so we decided to let her tell us when she was ready, and it seems like that time is now.”

Lady Marmalade will make her debut in the 3 & Over Maiden Western Pleasure at The Madness with RJ. Following The Madness, the plans are for Jellybean to compete in the 3-Year-Old Open and Novice events as well as 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure events at all the

major futurities with both RJ and Samantha.

“Since the very first time we rode her, she has just continued to get better and better,” says Blair. “She’s just a big, strong, beautiful mare and she has all three gears. She reminds me a lot of her mom and has her same freaky front leg. She definitely has the ‘it’ factor. She’s the total package and has been such a pleasure to train. I think Samantha is going to have a lot of fun showing her.”

Although Samantha hasn’t shown the Western Pleasure much in recent years, she has an impressive list of accomplishments in the class including back-to-back NSBA

Multiple World Champion Multiple Congress Champion NSBA World Champion

World Championships in the Maturity Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure. Although she has never shown a young horse in the futurity classes, she is looking forward to the challenge, and the opportunity to do so on a horse she and her mom bred and raised.

“I’m really looking forward to showing Jellybean in the futurities this year,” shares Samantha. “I went down and rode her a few weeks ago and she is just so much fun to ride and, in many ways, reminds me a lot of Hazel. I was there when she was born and watched her grow up and so that makes it all even more exciting. I think—I hope—she has a very bright future ahead of her.”

The last few years have certainly been an exciting and busy time for Samantha. In addition to breeding and raising her first foal, Jellybean, Samantha and her husband Bronson, welcomed their first child in 2021, a son, Maverick.

“It’s such a joy to be his mother,” said Samantha. “He loves the horses and loves being in the barn so that’s been really exciting for me. We obviously do a lot of travelling to shows and it’s been fun to take him to new places and watch him experience new things. Another bonus of training with Blair and RJ is that they have a son who is just two months older than Maverick and the two boys love to play together at the shows. And because they are parents, they also understand that having a young child requires a lot more planning when it comes to showing.”

For Samantha, one of the keys to balancing showing and motherhood, is the help of her own mother.

“There’s absolutely no way I could do this without my mom,” says Samantha. “I’m so grateful for her. She has really embraced the role of grandmother and does so much for both me and Maverick. I used to be at the barn from sun-up to sun-down and now I have to plan around lunch and naptime and all those things. She helps keep Maverick on a schedule so that I can still get out and practice and not worry about him when I’m showing. Without her help I don’t know if I would have had the success that I have had in the show pen since becoming a mother.”

And for Samantha, that success is much sweeter because it is a family affair. In addition to her mother and son, her husband, Bronson, is also very supportive of the horses. Although he doesn’t ride, he comes to many of the shows to watch Samantha compete and enjoys helping around the ranch at home.

“The best part of showing horses is the time spent enjoying our beautiful animals with family and friends,” says Samantha. One of my favorite quotes is, “Be thankful for what you have, and you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” I am so grateful for all the people who have supported me in this journey and the incredible horses that I have the opportunity to show. It’s certainly been a great ride and I am excited for what the year will bring.”

Article written by Claire Binkowski

Photography by Kirstie Marie Photography & Shane Rux Photography

a 4 show circuit series

THE GREAT 8 THE GREAT 8

MIDWEST CONNECTION

MAY 5-7

GREAT 8 ZONE-O-RAMA (4 judges POR) C BAR C ARENA | CLOVERDALE, IN

MAY 26-28

GREAT LAKES BREAKOUT (4 judges POR)

INGHAM COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS | MASON, MI

JULY 29-30

BORDER BASH (4 judges POR)

FULTON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS | WAUSEON, OH

SEPTEMBER 16-17

Exciting Prizes for 2023!!

4 Series All Around Saddles (Youth, Am, Open, SPB) Adding SPB Saddle in 2023!

17 Division All Around Awards

17 Division Res. All Around Prizes

Grand Champion Halter Award Series Class Circuit Awards

* Must show at 3 of 4 events to qualify.

HOOSIER BUCKEYE PALOOZA (4 judges POR)

HOOSIER HORSE PARK | EDINBURG, IN

* Exhibitor AND Owner must hold memberships in MI, OH & IN to qualify.

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PRICING + DEADLINES

spotlight breederjane backes

Jane Backes started riding horses at just eight years old when her parents bought her a grade roan mare. Although the unruly steed used to rear and flip over every time she rode her, Jane’s love for horses only continued to blossom. Over the years she acquired better horses, eventually making it all the way to the AQHYA World Championship Show. When the time came for Jane to head off to college, she decided to breed her show mare instead of selling her. That was in 1984, and other than one short lived break from the horse industry, Jane has been breeding and raising horses ever since.

“I got pretty lucky with the first mare I bred,” recalls Jane. “Her forte was Western Pleasure and being young and very naïve when it came to breeding, I decided to breed her to a Halter stallion because I thought I would get a good mover who was also very pretty. Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot since then, but that foal actually ended up being an AQHA Champion and Superior Western Pleasure horse.”

Over the years, Jane has expanded her breeding knowledge and refined her criteria for selecting mares and stallions but has always held fast to one guiding principle: “The magic is in the mare.” In fact, for many years that was the tagline for Backes Quarter Horses.

“When I was still just a kid, Brad McCamy and Jack Benson told me that when it comes to horses, whether you’re buying or breeding, you always want to look at what the dam has accomplished,” shares Jane. “I’ve never forgotten that and have built my entire breeding program around their advice. I’m a big believer that the mare has more to do with it then the stallion.”

It’s a principle that has served Jane well over the years. She is the proud breeder of World and Congress Champions, futurity winners, Superior earners and multiple AQHA Champions, including A Movin Machine, Invitation To Ride, Play On, Lopin Pretty,

Hes Just Outrageous and Good Machinery, just to name a few. She believes her success as a breeder is a result of focusing on the maternal lines and being honest about her mares’ weaknesses.

“My goal has always been to try and create something better than what I have,” says Jane. “When I first started breeding, I was trying to breed my next show horse and have better horses to show. As I gained more experience and acquired better mares, I learned to really focus on their weaknesses and try to breed to stallions that could improve on those flaws so that my mares could outproduce themselves. Recently, I’ve shifted my program to focus on breeding horses better suited for the all-around rather than focusing strictly on raising Western Pleasure horses.”

In the last few years, Jane’s program has also changed from being a mare owner, to being a stallion owner. She is currently

standing two young stallions, both of whom she bred and raised. The Best Principles is a 2017 AQHA/APHA stallion by RL Best Of Sudden out of one of Jane’s favorite mares and best producers, Graceful Principles. As a three-year-old, “Studly” placed fourth in the Maiden Western Pleasure at The Madness. His other accomplishments include being a Bronze Champion at the NSBA World Championship Show and a two-time AQHA World Championship Show Top Ten winner in the Western Pleasure. He finished his show career as a Top Ten AQHA Honor Roll Champion. His oldest foals are yearlings this year, with several planning to compete in the Longe Line events. A Ghost Machine, who is breeding his first book of mares this year, is a 2019 AQHA/APHA stallion by A Good Machine out of Suddenly EasyToAmble, the last daughter of Zippos Amblin Easy.

“Cleve” was Reserve Champion at the APHA World Championship Show in the 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure, Top Five at the NSBA World Championship Show in the 3-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure

and Top Ten in the 3-Year-Old Versatility Challenge at the AQHA World Championship Show. Plans are for him to continue his show career following breeding season.

“Owning and standing stallions has definitely given me a greater appreciation for what the other side goes through,” shares Jane. “When you own a stallion, you don’t necessarily understand how much it costs to stand them. Collecting and shipping a stallion isn’t free, not to mention the marketing expenses not only to promote your stallion, but also to help breeders promote their foals. Obviously, there is significant expense for the mare owner as well, which I’m all too familiar with. I think the mare owner needs to understand that the stallion owner can’t collect and ship for free and the stallion owner needs to be fair in what they are charging and not nickel and dime the mare owners.”

Being on both sides of the breeding industry has given Jane a unique perspective when it comes to the challenges and responsibilities of being a breeder.

“No matter how selective you are in your mares and stallions, breeding is still a gamble,” says Jane. “There are things we can do and need to do as mare and stallion owners to try to mitigate risk and be responsible breeders, such as genetic testing, which I think is important for both mares and stallions so that you can make educated decisions, but I always tell people that if they want a sure thing, they should go out and buy it instead of trying to breed it. Those of us who breed do it because we love it, and we love the babies. If you breed long enough, you’re going to experience your fair share of heartache and bad luck, but when it’s your passion the rewards outweigh the bad parts.”

And over nearly forty years, Jane’s passion for the industry and the joy she finds in raising foals remains strong.

“I don’t show much anymore but I love watching people show a horse I bred,” says Jane. “And now that I own stallions, people are always sending me pictures of their foals and they are so proud which makes me so proud. Any time someone who has bought a horse from me or bred to one of my stallions comes back as a repeat buyer or breeder, it really makes me feel like I’m doing something right.”

Article written by Claire Binkowski