Dell Hendricks & Taris Little Vintage
Mare Power at Hendricks Reining Horses
Article courtesy of Cheryl Magoteaux
Tioga, Texas-based Hendricks Reining Horses, Inc., with National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar Rider, Dell Hendricks, at the helm, has become known as a premier breeding center in recent years.
Although Hendricks is quick to give credit to the sires featured in the program, he’s adamant about the power of the mares, when it comes to raising top reining horses.
“They talk about stallions, but mares are at least fifty percent of the equation. If you want to raise great prospects, you have to have a great mare. There can be good mares that never showed, but the really great ones have gone and beat the best as performers.”
He explains that there are two ways to go about creating a powerful mare band. “The quickest way is to go buy the best mares you can afford – ones with a show record. That’s hard, because a lot of people don’t want to sell those mares at any price. The other route is to buy fillies, train them, and try to get a show record.”
The goal – either way – is to end up with a broodmare that comes from a winning family – the more generations that performed, the better. Then that blue-blooded individual should have performed. And there’s one more quality that makes for an “A-Team” mare, according to Hendricks.
“A great broodmare should be pretty, too,” he says. “If your goal is to have marketable babies that you can sell for top money as yearlings, you want to have pretty ones. At that point, you can’t really tell if they will be big-time turners and stoppers, but you – and potential buyers – can see that they’re attractive.”
Once you have that great “raw material”, then it’s left up to making the right choices for a stallion and to get the mare a record as a producer. The total formula has worked well for Hendricks Reining Horses, Inc., home to an elite band of mares that have produced earners of over a million dollars.
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Certainly a standout would be Taris Little Vintage, an AQHA World Champion with lifetime earnings of $48,748. She’s a producer of offspring earning $241,747, including NRHA Futurity Champion Hollywood Vintage.
Okie Dokie Dunnit is by Hollywood Dun It, out of Okies Lancet. With lifetime earnings over $22K, she has produced offspring earning over a quarter of a million dollars, including the outstanding gelding, Mega Ditto.
Rosalie Dillon, by Kemars Bar Chex, out of Rose Dillon, has offspring earning $148,000, including the outstanding stallion, and USEF Reining Champion Matt Dillon Dun It.
Another outstanding mare is My Lucky Moonstone, by Topsail Whiz, out of My Moon Stone Chex. Her Lifetime Earnings are $42,505 and she has produced offspring earning $63,749 in NRHA competition.
And some still have their production futures ahead of them. Not long out of the show pen, Smart Chinas Chic, by Smart Chic Olena, out of Fragile China, earned $17,528 and in just her second foal crop, has offspring earning over $26,000.
Lena Dun It, by Hollywood Dun It out of Smokin Hickory Lena, had Lifetime Earnings of $48,594 and was the 2002 NRBC IntermediateOpen Champion.
Dell is also excited about the future for Spanish Dun It, a mare with lifetime earnings just shy of $30,000. “She has had one foal go to the show pen,” he explains. “I am starting to see a trademark stop on her babies. We have a two and three-year-old in training, now.”
Dun It To Rein, a daughter of Hollywood Dun It out of Heir To Rein, has lifetime earnings over $24,000 and her oldest foals are yearlings. Four-year-old Hollywood China Chic is by Hollywood Dun it out of Smart China Doll. She was an NRHA Intermediate Open Futurity Finalist and is currently being shown.
Snow White Dun It has won over $25,000. With great confirmation and a bright future as a broodmare, this mare has a long line of mare power in her pedigree, with her dam being Sweet N Innocent, an AQHA Super Horse.
Ms Majestic Spark is a daughter of Two Million Dollar Sire Shining Spark out of Ms Majestic Jac, a two-time NRHA World Champion. Docs Miss Ace was an NRHA Superstakes Limited Open Reserve Champion and has offspring earning nearly $70,000. She has daughters who are producers.
Of course there are exceptions to the rules. Some unshown mares do excel as producers. Dun It For Chex is by Hollywood Dun it, out of Silver N Blue Chex. This mare was never shown, but she has produced offspring with earnings over $200,000. Her mother, though, was a great show mare and broodmare.
Bloodlines and consistently winning families are important to Hendricks. “I’ve basically tried to include mares of a particular bloodline,” he added. “I’ve done most of my winning on horses with Peppy San Badger or Hollywood Jac or both in their pedigrees, so I’ve tried to tie my program around that.”
And the phrase “program” is key to anyone anticipating a foray into the breeding business. “Whether you’re breeding to a stallion, or buying a prospect, it pays to do business with an established, aggressive operation.”
Dell explains, “The more a facility works to breed and raise and promote their own foals, the more valuable yours will be. Look to see how much an operation promotes their babies when you are considering a purchase.”
It’s great to see the results of mare power, and the reception when the produce hits the sale ring. And recently, the whole world seems to have acknowledged the value of Mare Power. The National Reining Breeders Classic has recently established a mare incentive and at the 2005 National Reining Horse Futurity, Dun It In The Bay, owned by David Silva, became the highest-ever selling filly at the NRHA Futurity Prospect Sale, going for $143,000. By Starlights Wrangler (owned by Hendricks-Broten Equine Assets) the filly was out of Cee Dun It Do It by Hollywood Dun It and purchased by Manntana Quarter Horses of Montana.
Dell and his wife, Terri, operate Hendricks Reining Horses. For information on Hendricks, visit the web site at www.hendricksreininghorses.com or email to dell@hendricksreininghorses.com. Hendricks Reining Horses proudly represents these sponsors – Purina Mills, LLC, Cosequin, MVP Professional Horse Care Products, Won Pad and Won Boots, Roper Footwear & Apparel, Bob’s Custom Saddles, and Anderson Bean Boots.
Dell & Terri Hendricks
14974 E. FM 922 Tioga, TX 76271
940-437-5157 - Barn | 940-437-5167 - Fax | 940-372-0259 - Dell's cell
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