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.
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only owned the first AQHA registered stud in Wyoming, but he also was the first AQHA director from the cowboy state. "Our main breeding goal now is to try to keep those old blood lines," he explained, "We've still got 15-20 mares, and we are really trying to concentrate that Blue Valentine on Texas Blue Bonnet." "I've always felt like the mare has more than 50% to do with a mating, with the offspring." Expressed Chip, "I really think that that is a reason or part of the reason why Blue Valentine's legacy has lasted so long. Because they had such a tremendous start at the beginning with the mares that were bred to Blue Valentine." Blue's Best Moments Blue was as mellow as they came, "I would trail the mares out to the pasture with Blue, unsaddle him, and turn him loose with the mares. Then when we had to gather that bunch, we'd go catch him out in the pasture. I'd saddle him, ride him, and run the mares in with him." Originally located between Laramie and Cheyenne, the Merritt's ranched and were the cattle contractors for Cheyenne Frontier Days for years. Blue could often be found at Frontier Park and continued to impress everyone with his calm demeanor. "We remember him being tied up at Frontier Park during Frontier days, just tied up right there with everybody else's horses, just standing there, acting like another gelding." Not only was Blue a delight to be around, but he was as gritty as they came. Chip laughed as he reflected on some of Blue's best moments. "One year I was in junior high, my dad and mom were gone somewhere, and I was left to take care of about 500 yearlings in the middle of winter. It snowed a couple of feet, and I had to feed the cattle. Well, I got the pickup stuck, and then got the tractor stuck. I just jumped on Blue and rode him about five miles up to the pasture. There was a little sled up there and I hooked on the sled, dragged 10 bales out, fed the cattle, came out, got 10 more, and then rode him home. I remember him just busting through the snowdrift." Earlier, it was mentioned that Dell Haverty won the all- around and tie down roping on Blue in Scottsdale. Not only could they team rope, match race, and tie down on Blue, but he also was a phenomenal tripping horse. "My father Hyde always told me that he felt like Blue started out of the box flat, and ran as hard as any horse he'd ever ridden." Said Chip. "I got to trip steers on him when I was a senior in high school. It was just an amazing experience to do that and to ride him and rope on him. He was an amazing horse. It was a blessing to be able to be around him and to ride and rope off of him." The Come to the Source Sale Every fall, usually the weekend before Labor Day, the Come to the Source Sale, takes place in Laramie, Wyoming. This year, will be the 26 th year. This year, the sale is August 24 th . "26 years ago, there weren't many people with Blue Valentine programs. There were several that had started programs from horses they'd bought from my granddad, and then a few others from my dad. But it just blossomed after we had start having that sale. People have fallen in love with those horses." explained Chip. Since its start, the Come to the Source Sale has sold horses across the country, and even to foreign countries. These bloodlines continue to create new phenomenally bred athletes. For the majority of its life, the Come to the Source Sale has featured the programs of the Merritt Family, Randy Dunn, Sam Shoutz, and the late Dick Van Pelt, who passed away in September of 2023. This year it will feature outstanding horses from the Merritt herd, Randy Dunn's ranch, and horses of Dick Van Pelt, along with some new up-and-coming breeders with horses from this lineage. Acknowledgments In 1983, Hyde Merritt, Chip's father, passed away suddenly in an accident. Following the accident, the bank foreclosed on all the Merritt ranches. "I owe Randy Dunn a big debt of thanks." expressed Chip, "I had probably 10 mares, a couple of studs, and Randy Dunn offered to bring those horses out to his ranch when we lost ours. I don't think I'd be in the business if he hadn't done that." Chip also wants to acknowledge the followers and customers they've had over the years. "What's kept the Blue Valentine name alive is all of our customers loving those horses and keeping them and just talking about them." Chip & Kathy Merritt at the 2024 AQHA Convention Hall of Fame Announcement.