Straight from the Horses Mouth- General Jackson
In loving memory of Two T Gen Jackson, 1994-2007.
Straight from the Horses Mouth- General Jackson
by Brian Wright
This article was reprinted from The Midwest Stallion Review, April 1999, Page 2. Reprinted with permission.
It's been a very fast fifty years for the American Quarter Horse, the AQHA, and the Western horse business in general. What hasn't changed in this time, however, is the importance put on proving genetic strengths. Couple this with a shrewd eye on a wild market and an understanding of the Western horse business, and you just may find yourself one of the few to consider themselves successful in the horse business. This is a story of those who have discovered a unique genetic strength that is enabling them to start a step ahead.
Almost 50 years ago, a son of King P- 234 was foaled as a product of the respected Jess Hankins program. What makes Easter King unique, though is a line of horses through his son, Easter Gentleman that is significantly different from both "foundation bred" horses and more accepted name brand sires in the market today.
Easter King was one of the youngest and most successful futurity colts in the past fifty years. As a long yearling, he's credited with winning two major cutting awards, the 1953 Fort Worth Stock Show Junior Cutting Championship, and a few weeks later the 1953 Houston Stock Show Junior Cutting Championship. Broke to saddle at the tender age of twelve months, both these victories came to him six months later. These are definitely bloodlines suitable for futurities.
The remarkable Easter Gentleman was foaled in 1970, as a product of the Gray Badger mare Bobbin Badger. With a lasting impression left on all who saw him, Easter Gentleman was said to "float" as he moved about. An exceptionally good moving horse, he also was quiet and mannerly enough to have earned his given name at halter breaking time.
It's no great secret that as reining horses, the Easter Gentleman line has been phenomenally successful. In 1990, the NRHA Futurity was within a half point of being entirely swept by two Easter Gentlemen offspring. The fluid moving Silver Anniversary won the prestigious $100,000 Open Futurity, and Two T Easter King, ridden by the 15 year old Chad Howard won the Non Pro Championship, and was Reserve Champion of the Limited Open Class (bested by a scant half point). Subsequent years have brought numerous Easter Gentleman offspring to arena success, and reining as well as working cowhorse, western pleasure and other disciplines. For instance: Two T Glory Seeker, two time High Point Working Cowhorse; Kings Bernadine, two time High Point Trail Horse; Munceo 37, World Show Cutting Finalist; 5 P Hancock, Superior Halter & AQHA Champion; Two T Tivio Tornado, Currently Top Ten AQHA Reining, and a cavalry of Horseback Riding Program mounts.
In the arena as an extremely accomplished Easter King son came Mr. Hollywood Red as the model for the versatility that marks of these horses, "Red" scored a remarkable 126 Amateur points and 459 Youth points in Hunt Seat, Hunter Under Saddle, Pleasure Driving, and Jr. Hunter, as well as Western Horsemanship and Western Pleasure. With 12 World Show or year end high point rankings, the Easter King bred gelding spent nine years on the show circuit fulfilling his pedigree and potential.
You know, Easter King and Two T General Jackson bear a remarkable similarity in conformation and appearance. The half brother to "Jackson" Two T Pachuco Wimpy is featured prominently on the cover of the Bob Loomis book, "REINING, The Art of Performance in Horses."
This horse, Jackson and Easter King are all very similar in appearance. "Jackson" has shown the same precocious result to personal training as did his sire and grandsire. Like many of the Easter Gentleman horses, "General Jackson" has proven adept at more than one discipline. Initially started as a reiner, this bay colt also is very cowy. With the typical muscling of this line, he has been introduced to team roping and working cowhorse.
This performance horse is out of a mare called Fritzis Doll, she's an own daughter of the well-known performance horse Hobby Horse, and out of one of the truly fine bred Les Vogt mares, Fritzi Chex. What is of particular significance here is that Two T General Jackson's second maternal dam Fritzi Chex is from arguably the most valuable of the King Fritz lines. This mare was a cross with a Billy Lenart line. And to quote breeder/trainer Les Vogt in the Western Horseman, LEGENDS book, "…King Fritz was exposed to many of the greatest mares in the country, mares that were real achievers. But the King Fritz/Billy Lenart/Tough Company cross was the magic cross and never got any better… There were other blood lines that crossed well, but this was the only strong consistent cross."
By the way, for those seeking foundation horses, take a look in the Western Horseman "Legends" books. You will find 9 out of 14 names on Jackson's registration papers (we don't mean his extended pedigree here, but his registration papers showing his first three generations!!) that are mentioned in the "Legends" 1 & 2 books. The broodmare sire for this stallion is the well respected and prepotent Hobby Horse. A racing standout rated AAA, an AQHA Championship, a Show ROM, and the 1964 HIGH POINT WORKING COWHORSE award from the AQHA highlight his own show career. But as a breeding horse, he was just as successful. Sire of 5 AQHA Champions, numerous World Champions and High Point horses from 1972 through 1983, Hobby Horse also produced 9 Superior Western Pleasure horses, 20 Superiors in events from halter to trail to hunter under saddle to cutting, barrels and on and on. Couple this with 61 Show ROM's and 5 Amateur Show ROM's and you have a tremendous breeding career.
For the record then, this "General Jackson" brings the strengths of the Easter Gentleman horses and the remarkable King Fritz breeding program to those wishing to breed him. Couple this with the success of the Hobby Horse line, and result is a unique stallion of royal heritage. This is an opportunity that brings real value and integrity to anyone's breeding program. With more than one line going back to the incomparable Zantanon, the future of Sundog Quarter Horses may lie in passing on what has genetically been given; extremely athletic and responsive horses with the look of refinement and class.
It might be time to go back to the beginning of this article. The more things change … Perhaps we can look at our own breeding objectives, and look deep into our hearts. Are the more trendy bloodlines and stallions consistently offering what those stalwarts of the past offered? We sure don't think so here. For the proven genetics of the past fifty years, and performance ability of the next, it is going to be stallions like Two T General Jackson that are going to carry us into the next century. And it's going to be quite a ride, for those that have the foresight to take it!
Straight from the Horses Mouth- General Jackson
by Brian Wright
This article was reprinted from The Midwest Stallion Review, April 1999, Page 2. Reprinted with permission.
It's been a very fast fifty years for the American Quarter Horse, the AQHA, and the Western horse business in general. What hasn't changed in this time, however, is the importance put on proving genetic strengths. Couple this with a shrewd eye on a wild market and an understanding of the Western horse business, and you just may find yourself one of the few to consider themselves successful in the horse business. This is a story of those who have discovered a unique genetic strength that is enabling them to start a step ahead.
Almost 50 years ago, a son of King P- 234 was foaled as a product of the respected Jess Hankins program. What makes Easter King unique, though is a line of horses through his son, Easter Gentleman that is significantly different from both "foundation bred" horses and more accepted name brand sires in the market today.
Easter King was one of the youngest and most successful futurity colts in the past fifty years. As a long yearling, he's credited with winning two major cutting awards, the 1953 Fort Worth Stock Show Junior Cutting Championship, and a few weeks later the 1953 Houston Stock Show Junior Cutting Championship. Broke to saddle at the tender age of twelve months, both these victories came to him six months later. These are definitely bloodlines suitable for futurities.
The remarkable Easter Gentleman was foaled in 1970, as a product of the Gray Badger mare Bobbin Badger. With a lasting impression left on all who saw him, Easter Gentleman was said to "float" as he moved about. An exceptionally good moving horse, he also was quiet and mannerly enough to have earned his given name at halter breaking time.
It's no great secret that as reining horses, the Easter Gentleman line has been phenomenally successful. In 1990, the NRHA Futurity was within a half point of being entirely swept by two Easter Gentlemen offspring. The fluid moving Silver Anniversary won the prestigious $100,000 Open Futurity, and Two T Easter King, ridden by the 15 year old Chad Howard won the Non Pro Championship, and was Reserve Champion of the Limited Open Class (bested by a scant half point). Subsequent years have brought numerous Easter Gentleman offspring to arena success, and reining as well as working cowhorse, western pleasure and other disciplines. For instance: Two T Glory Seeker, two time High Point Working Cowhorse; Kings Bernadine, two time High Point Trail Horse; Munceo 37, World Show Cutting Finalist; 5 P Hancock, Superior Halter & AQHA Champion; Two T Tivio Tornado, Currently Top Ten AQHA Reining, and a cavalry of Horseback Riding Program mounts.
In the arena as an extremely accomplished Easter King son came Mr. Hollywood Red as the model for the versatility that marks of these horses, "Red" scored a remarkable 126 Amateur points and 459 Youth points in Hunt Seat, Hunter Under Saddle, Pleasure Driving, and Jr. Hunter, as well as Western Horsemanship and Western Pleasure. With 12 World Show or year end high point rankings, the Easter King bred gelding spent nine years on the show circuit fulfilling his pedigree and potential.
You know, Easter King and Two T General Jackson bear a remarkable similarity in conformation and appearance. The half brother to "Jackson" Two T Pachuco Wimpy is featured prominently on the cover of the Bob Loomis book, "REINING, The Art of Performance in Horses."
This horse, Jackson and Easter King are all very similar in appearance. "Jackson" has shown the same precocious result to personal training as did his sire and grandsire. Like many of the Easter Gentleman horses, "General Jackson" has proven adept at more than one discipline. Initially started as a reiner, this bay colt also is very cowy. With the typical muscling of this line, he has been introduced to team roping and working cowhorse.
This performance horse is out of a mare called Fritzis Doll, she's an own daughter of the well-known performance horse Hobby Horse, and out of one of the truly fine bred Les Vogt mares, Fritzi Chex. What is of particular significance here is that Two T General Jackson's second maternal dam Fritzi Chex is from arguably the most valuable of the King Fritz lines. This mare was a cross with a Billy Lenart line. And to quote breeder/trainer Les Vogt in the Western Horseman, LEGENDS book, "…King Fritz was exposed to many of the greatest mares in the country, mares that were real achievers. But the King Fritz/Billy Lenart/Tough Company cross was the magic cross and never got any better… There were other blood lines that crossed well, but this was the only strong consistent cross."
By the way, for those seeking foundation horses, take a look in the Western Horseman "Legends" books. You will find 9 out of 14 names on Jackson's registration papers (we don't mean his extended pedigree here, but his registration papers showing his first three generations!!) that are mentioned in the "Legends" 1 & 2 books. The broodmare sire for this stallion is the well respected and prepotent Hobby Horse. A racing standout rated AAA, an AQHA Championship, a Show ROM, and the 1964 HIGH POINT WORKING COWHORSE award from the AQHA highlight his own show career. But as a breeding horse, he was just as successful. Sire of 5 AQHA Champions, numerous World Champions and High Point horses from 1972 through 1983, Hobby Horse also produced 9 Superior Western Pleasure horses, 20 Superiors in events from halter to trail to hunter under saddle to cutting, barrels and on and on. Couple this with 61 Show ROM's and 5 Amateur Show ROM's and you have a tremendous breeding career.
For the record then, this "General Jackson" brings the strengths of the Easter Gentleman horses and the remarkable King Fritz breeding program to those wishing to breed him. Couple this with the success of the Hobby Horse line, and result is a unique stallion of royal heritage. This is an opportunity that brings real value and integrity to anyone's breeding program. With more than one line going back to the incomparable Zantanon, the future of Sundog Quarter Horses may lie in passing on what has genetically been given; extremely athletic and responsive horses with the look of refinement and class.
It might be time to go back to the beginning of this article. The more things change … Perhaps we can look at our own breeding objectives, and look deep into our hearts. Are the more trendy bloodlines and stallions consistently offering what those stalwarts of the past offered? We sure don't think so here. For the proven genetics of the past fifty years, and performance ability of the next, it is going to be stallions like Two T General Jackson that are going to carry us into the next century. And it's going to be quite a ride, for those that have the foresight to take it!
