The WRANGLER Horse and Rodeo News is an equine and rodeo publication with circulation in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Utah and Idaho.
Issue link: http://thewrangler.uberflip.com/i/1522136
With limited foals on the ground due to his heavy competition schedule, Bud's colts have already racked up $273,000 in earnings, major futurity and derby wins, including 2023 BFA juvenile champion Designerleaptoheaven with Brian Wheeler. When it comes to building a breeding program with your own stallion, there is no "secret sauce." Some stallions, such as Dash Ta Fame, may have never competed in the barrels, but left our industry forever changed. Others, like Frenchmans Guy, were only allowed the opportunity to be a sire due to freak accidents. The stallion market is undoubtedly more competitive than ever and owners have to be truly committed to see the process through. Proving a stallion as a competitor and then as a sire requires a lot of time, money, and tenacity. Believing in the horse and staying the course are crucial to finding success as a sire. While choosing to pursue a performance career is invaluable in proving a stallion, it may mean breeding has to take a back seat at times. Stallion or not, horses are only granted one futurity year and trainers often prefer not to risk negatively affecting a competitive career with breeding duties. As Weaver quipped, "You can't put the genie back in the bottle!" Kim Matthews echoed a similar sentiment from Bud's trainer, Molli Montgomery. Montgomery felt it would be best to wait until after the stallions futurity year to potentially complicate things. Matthews described Bud's demeanor as "incredible," with daughter Taycie first handling him on a daily basis at age fourteen. Although his disposition has never been an issue, even when rodeoing with a trailer full of mares, Matthews has always reminded her family not to get too complacent. "Testosterone is a funny thing," she remarked. Bud has won with multiple riders, including Kim, world championships with daughters, Jaylie and Taycie, and a reserve championship at the American in 2019 with Kylie Weast. Matthews hasn't hesitated to allow hauling partners to compete on Bud either, "I don't think anybody has ever been on his back that didn't win on him." Matthews first competed on the stallion in the BFA juvenile slot race. Bud's full sister, Feelin the Firewater, was also in training with Montgomery and she could only run one horse in the slot race. Matthews had ridden the stallion once and never made a run prior to the pressure cooker scenario, but the stallion performed nonetheless. "He's just a pleaser." When choosing a stallion station, Matthews explained the importance of finding the right fit. Bud's comfort and happiness is priority to Matthews and she wanted to be sure they made the right choice for him. "I saw a Facebook post that Highpoint had openings for a few stallions. I've been to their place several times and they were right down the road from us." Matthews reached out and unsurprisingly, Highpoint was more than happy to accommodate the exceptional animal. No stranger to owning and raising winners, Weaver's name comes to mind alongside exceptional horses such as KN Fabs Mist of Fame and VQ Sucker Punch. However, owning a stallion wasn't necessarily Weaver's intention when she purchased the embryo that resulted in Mister. "The stallion thing wasn't something I planned. It just happened when he was born a boy," she laughed. Marketing and advertising is one of the most complex and crucial parts of stallion ownership. Weaver explained, "It's hard to keep them relevant. I'm thankful that so many people bred really great mares to him and I'm really excited to see those colts." Weaver described the role of a stallion owner and how it feels to see Mister proving what she knew to be true from the start, "I'm happy he's getting the recognition that I felt he deserves. It takes a long time. You're in the corner, giving the pep talks, and telling people why, and it's nice to have a little validation." For more information on breeding to RR Mistakelly, visit 113equine.com or call 940-654-8013. Mister's books are full for 2024, but a wait list has been started for 2025. For more information on breeding to Heavenly Firewater, visit highpointperformance.com or call 903-816-1428. As of the publication of this article, Bud has limited breedings available for 2024 and his breeding season ends July 1. Heavenly Firewater, owned by Mission Ranch, LLC. Photo Credit: Cinder Lakes