MAINTAINING A LEGACY
Jordan Performance Horses continues line of high-quality horses Aladdin – “To talk about Jordan Performance Horses, I’d be remiss not to mention Jordan Quarter Horses. My dad, Bob Jordan, started and developed that program,” says Carol Jordan, owner of Jordan Performance Horses. As a tribute to her father’s legacy, Jordan and her two sons breed and raise horses for the ranch and performance arenas. “I have horses that are bred along the same lines Dad developed throughout the years, including My Kind of Colonel, Stage Bar Ted, Feature Jack and Double Blue Hank. Bloodlines also stretch into the foundation to include Leo, Frosty Feature, Tonto Bar Ted, Frenchman’s Guy and others,” she explains. Feature Frosty, a son of Frosty and Dorky, is a stud from the Quarter horse line that has recently returned to the ranch and may have mares put to him this spring. Jordan typically begins breeding after the first of May, finishing by the end of July to allow for foaling to occur outside without having to bring the horses in to escape bad weather. Mares are usually hand-bred, although in some cases, pasture breeding and AI are used, as well. “Jordan Quarter Horses survives through a corporation of the family that owns frozen semen from many of the foundation stallions,” she mentions, adding that her business owns semen, as well. “The kind of horses we like to raise are the kind we like to ride,” explains Jordan. Dunny Frosty Speck Dunny Frosty Speck, for example, is one of the horses that Jordan collects from, and he has proven to be a high-quality animal. “He lost vision in one of his eyes one summer when I had him pasture breeding mares. I had him entered into a local ranch horse competition, but I hadn’t had time to get on him all summer, except once to gather his own mares,” Jordan describes. The morning of the competition, she had someone else saddle Dunny Frosty Speck while she got her sons and their exhibits to the exhibit hall, getting back just in time to make the contestant meeting and spend about 20 minutes with her horse to review obstacles. “He ended up second. That was the first time I’d ridden him after he’d lost his vision in that eye. He was such an amazing horse,” she states. Although she doesn’t consider herself much of a roper, Jordan credits Dunny Frosty Speck for getting her steer lined up and caught during the roping portion of the day. “He was pulled off his mares that morning. A saddle was thrown on him, and he was put into the arena. He could switch that easily. I could send him off a cliff – that’s how much trust he had,” she continues. “Unfortunately, we lost him a couple of years ago, but we still have semen and horses by him with which we hope to see those same qualities.” Jordan horses The horses she breeds are what Jordan calls feely and willing. “We raise performance horses, and that’s a rare market anymore. Not everyone is looking for horses as feely as the ones we like to ride, but if they take the time to give them a try, they might just fall in love with them,” she notes. 8
“We raise performance horses, and that’s a rare market anymore” – Carol Jordan “We’ve got some nice, young geldings and some nice, young fillies that the boys have to get started this year,” Jordan continues. “The near future is about getting these colts started.” Family participation Jordan, a single mother, also works fulltime as a physical therapist and serves as an officer in the South Dakota Army National Guard. Her boys are 12 and 14 years old with full schedules of their own. As junior high students over the past year, the boys have both done well in school and participated in football, basketball, wrestling, track, music and theater. They also participate in rodeo events during the summer, in addition to helping out on neighboring places. “I am blessed beyond measure. My kids are really good kids,” Jordan remarks, adding that her sister has also been a blessing, helping to raise the kids. With the help of her sons, she strives to produce horses full of heart and stamina, bred for versatility. “We have some really attractive horses. They have a lot of color with everything from grey and black to sorrels and, of course, chestnut,” she mentions. Good bone structure, speed and cow sense are traits that she looks for in her horses, as well. “Our hope is that people still want really good horses, and I want to be able to do right by Dad’s legacy. It might be a struggle, but we need to do that or not do it at all,” Jordan says. Jordan Performance Horses can be contacted at 307-2902447 or 355 Hwy 11, Aladdin, WY 82710. Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be contacted at natasha@wylr.net.
Family heritage – Jordan Performance Horses in Aladdin honors the legacy of Bob Jordan and the lineage of Jordan Quarter Horses. Courtesy photo Wyoming Livestock Roundup