Of course there is no such thing as perfection, in this world that is. It is a challenge in every endeavor to try. With horses our trail began after our teenage girls lost interest in the horses, in favor of boys. (We had three girls, and a four year old boy.) Our boy never became interested and he’s now 33. Back in the dim annals of time, I was one of those girls in love with the look of Arabian horses, but responsibility and family put that attraction on hold. Suddenly it seemed, the girls were gone and married. Now with a rekindled interest, I considered the cost of feeding our current pasture ornaments. I suppose I began to revert to my former love of the beauty of the horse. My love for babies of all kinds isn’t unusual for most women either. After our first few mares, an employee had an unusually beautiful solid sorrel Appaloosa stallion that we bred to. We found other stallions and kept the fillies, usually until they produced. It’s kind of like the next golf shot. I was hooked. We purchased Impressive Donna, and Sissy Straw, a couple of DKG mares. We also acquired a huge Ima Cool Skip mare. Ms Daydreamin was among the several Dreamfinder mares that we also purchased. Along the way we occasionally out crossed to Quarter horses, like multiple World and Congress champion Noble Tradition. As a perfectionist Bob was hooked early in this endeavor. The hook was really set when we bought Surpass, a son of Goer out of Pauls Silver Fox from the Martins.
We survived many catastrophes picked ourselves up and surprisingly it just made us more determined. Here I would like to point out that no breeding operation stands alone. We are all built on the carful planning, effort, and sleepless nights of others. Often unnoticed, are other breeders and individuals in the background. No one should ever forget these people; the other breeders, trainers, and employees that add genetics, ideas, and effort to any program.
After the untimely decease of Surpass, a small ad that O. J. Martin placed in the Appaloosa Journal caught our eye. It pictured a colt by Goer, and out of an impressive bred mare that Patti Show Horses had produced. He was just what we were looking for. I was looking for more muscle by Goer in a Stallion and at this time, that meant we were hoping to steal some Impressive genetics from the quarter horses. Rev N To Go was N/N and an unusual tri colored appaloosa. A friend said: “He looks like he’s been a wallerin in chocolate n marshmallows.” He was tall enough but lacked the muscle of his multiple Medallion winning full brother, Go To Impress. After his show career was barely under way, we received an offer from a well known Brazilian Appaloosa rancher. He was sold too soon, and we were later to experience considerable trouble trying to replace him! We bought a leading sire’s list leopard stallion whose low libido had finally completely quit. Not even his previous owner could get him interested in mares. Now we were faced with a year of feeding a lot of mares and no spring foals. We quickly booked five mares to Kelo Connection. We already owned Love To Connect, the winner of the horse trailer, on the Sage Brush Circuit Futurity. This was thanks to Linda Meenely who shared our interest in Kelo Connection.
It was serendipitous for Gib Bosworth to contact us to stand a Rev N To Go full brother; Go To Impress. Go To Impress was already a three time medallion winner, by the legendary Goer, and out of a big halter winning Quarter mare named Revenues First. Although he had regular papers, we were doing a lot of solid to solid breeding and surprisingly got some color. Terry Sartain began one of the first of two, two year stints he did with us as our full time trainer. He liked The extremely pretty Go To Impress we were standing, and encouraged his customer Bob Kletchka to book his GRAND National Champion Yearling Mare; Kelo’s Tru Deelite to him. Her first foal was a palomino looking sorrel, with black hairs in his flaxen mane and tail. He was awesomely perfect with a muscular angelic look. I don’t know if Bob Kletchka ever got to see him, but Kelos’s Tru Deelite was back again to rebreed. Awe Striker was only days old when we made an offer, and Bob accepted. Awe Striker, by Go To Impress out of Kelo’s Tru Deelite has been pivotal in our breeding program. Kelo’s Tru Deelite, is out of an own daughter of Sonny Dee Bar; Sonnys Sunde Love. Terry further rounded out the picture by fitting up Go To Impress, as an eight year old to win his GRAND National Championship. I don’t know if that’s been done before. I haven’t kept track, but at one point Awe Strikers dam went on to produce three or four other medallion winners all World or National Champions at least one filly by Go To Impress.
Going back years before we hired Terry, and when we had not yet met Blue Lanum, (A real funny character.) we were acquiring Dreamfinder mares. We got the attention of Blue at a “Rock Star” auction, because we were bidding only on Dreamfinders, and Blue was a fan of this particular Kennard breeding. Blue came to work for us, and helped design a bigger barn complex. He also tried to negotiate a deal to stand Dreamfinder while at the same time Bill Laurie was bidding to buy him. We lost but now you see why a future alternate to Go To Impress would likely have Dreamfinder as his sire. (We owned Rev N To Go at that time.) Years passed, and with some success in the show ring. Linda Meneely rode pretty Ms Daydreamin to within ½ point of winning the Sagebrush circuit, in western pleasure. We were also doing some winning with mares like; Skippin Matilda, Love To Connect Johnysimpression, Rev, and others.
After the first of Terry’s two year stints he left with Rebecca and Go To Impress to his own new ranch. He still occasionally showed for us. He also showed The Medici to his National Championship during this period. After a few less notable, by chance, Laurence and Debbie Hiatt next came to be our new trainers. He had been standing Rocket Finder, and would bring him along. He offered us two Dreamfinder brothers which we bought from Chuck Barnett. One was Yummer Of A Dream by Dreamfinder, out of Silver Medallion Winner Go Yum Er. We had also purchased a new born filly and named her Rockette Amia, by Rocket Finder out of Go Yum Er. This was all MMR breeding. We ended up selling the lesser of the two brothers, but we had Yum Er Of A Dream’s name changed in Canada to “The Titan”. He was Canadian National Champion, and a top 5 stallion, but I couldn’t get past his head, or the heads on his offspring. He grew to a whopping 16.2 hh. He had that Dreamfinder profile with the deep hip and heart girth. We didn’t get the slab sidedness, but he wasn’t quite girthy enough and his neck could have been better. He had a defined nice front end, and he moved, or rather floated like a real performer. He held his head down smoothly tucking his hips, and reaching with a flat knee as he loped. He was a real natural. Well now we have some shorter pretty Go To Impress solid mares, and some taller Titan, great moving, plain headed, solid, yearlings. (I guess one mare was fourth at the World.) I was really not happy at this point because we were still a generation away from getting closer to our goals. We had to wait for these Titan mares, among others to mature. Our vision was to breed them to a muscular, colorful, Goer type stallion like our too young Awe Striker. We tried a few of our mares to a Dreamfinder son, out of a Roman Strawman outstanding mare. Rocket Finder might have been beautiful and the right genetics but we weren’t lucky. Awe Striker finally got his chance after selling off some mares in defeat, we bred a few to him. We booked three mares to the Phenomenal (AQHA) but got only one pregnancy before he died. In the meantime Revalette (by Rev N To Go out of Impressive Donna), produced Awestentacious bought by the Pages and fit by Cheryl Ogel. She was reserve at the Nationals. A full brother was a medallion winner for Mr. Shombre, and also a full sister did well. Finally things began to take shape for our breeding program. Awe Shauntae, Awe Sum Maid, Phenominique, Awe Tomatic Grand, Awe Phen Awe Sum, Whatever. . . my own eyes told me that I liked the trail we were on.
Along in here at some point, All Inclusive was all the talk behind the seans. Rightly so, because he was just the stallion everyone including ourselves, were looking for. He was a tall muscular son of Dreamfinder. . . Well all you had to do is just look at him. He was the tall well balanced substantive modern sire that the breed needed. We were also mesmerized by The Phenomenal and booked four mares. That picture in the AQHA Journal spiked a lot of interest from all breeds. We ended up with two fillies out of four breedings before he died. The filly Phenominique was Reserve National Champion, and Phenomenal Beauty we never got to see what she could do. Phenominique produced an Awe Striker colt; Awe Phen Awe Sum, and as “clean up” this year, and next year he is going to have his first real foal crop. (He has only one really nice late April filly this year) Now we also had three breedings to All Inclusive before he also died! We only got one pregnancy. Now in determination we bought June Danners mare; Allure by All Inclusive. The one All Inclusive filly born at Meucci Ranch was out of Awe Lure MR, (She was out of Rockette Amia.) This is the only All Inclusive foal born at Meucci Ranch. We named the filly; All In Awe and she recently produced her first filly. (She is a double bred Awe Striker.) So Allure produced 2007 Open Weanling World Champion; Awe Candy Girl by Awe Striker. It was in a class of 32, the first time we bred Allure, and the first time the foal was shown! Awe Lure MR produced National Champion Phenominique and All In Awe. Awe Lure MR is the grandmother of Awe Phen Awe Sum, and the new filly out of All In Awe our All Inclusive mare.
Now this is our third year standing the amazing; Al Bay B for Ronald Domique. This All Inclusive stallion has earned three medallions and a World Championship himself. He is also probably the tallest and widest stallion most people have ever seen, and he’s even grown since he’s been here. The only foal we have ever shown of his, is a beautifully big blanketed colt named; Transcendant. Open Weanling World Champion Transcendant, is out of Al’s first foal crop at Meucci Ranch. Transcendant is a first foal out of; Awe Sum Maid. She was Open Reserve World and Open Reserve National Champion by Awe Striker and out of a Titan mare. Transcendant was 2007 World Open Weanling Champion the first time he was ever shown, and the only “Al” we’ve ever shown. Some stallions live on when breeders are determined and just won’t let them go.
The well known multi breed trainer and judge; Terry Sartain was high on All Inclusive and told us so. He encouraged us to breed to him before we saw more than the picture, so it’s no wonder he also encouraged his customer and our former customer Cynthia Smith to breed our former half Dreamfinder mare to him to produce a bay/black blanketed colt that we told our customer Dom Orlandi to buy. When asked we told Dom, Mr All Inclusive would be a good name. We fit him with no more than inexperienced barn help, to his first UNAMOUS Open Weanling World Championship, and he was presented by Terry Sartain. Now noteworthy here is that the 2007 Open Reserve World Champion Weanling Colt was by Mr All Inclusive and also out of an Awe Striker mare! Now I’m happy. . . we seem to be on the right trail, especially since this was a class of 25, and a poor sick Awe Striker grandson was also forth, but with a great showman like Terry on the lead shank literally holding his little head up with the palm of his hand.
We at Meucci Ranch have had the experience, and pleasure of employing full time both obscure, and well known trainers. . . great personalities and difficult personalities, highly skilled, and inept. Some like the affable, and multi talented; Linda Mineely who was a work alcoholic, and we’ve employed a myriad of these many variables. . . With out any doubt we have benefited from every single one. We were also the first to have the privilege of employing the well known Tim Finkenbinder to “catch lead” the colt; Dynamic Kid To A Te. It was both of their first ApHC World Championships, thanks to Terry Sartain’s recommendation. Laurence Hiatt recommended “Kid’s” purchase, and was employed by Meucci Ranch to qualify and fit this two year old colt. Since his purchase by Marco Bertazoni, Dynamic Kid To A Te has won several more medallions and as I understand it this colorful N/N beautiful stallion has recently moved to a new ranch purchased by Mr. Bertazoni in Pilot Point, TX.
As of late it’s been our distinked privilege to employ the prestigious Monte Horn. In the last three years he has both catch led for us, and fit various individuals at his Mississippi Ranch. He fit and led both of our two last November World Champion Weanlings. A third generation horseman, Monte is a rising star in both the Appaloosa and Quarter horse breeds. Monte is already established and well known in the Quarter horse breed for holding the leads and presenting many World Champions. His connection with Heck Yea. . . hasn’t hurt him any either. The new barns and facilities are breath taking. None of that counts, compared with his foal crop this year! (I felt bad for him a few years ago, because his foals weren’t that great.) The sheer number of great quality foals by different stallions is unbelievable. I’m biased regarding the foals by Dominants Image. We bred to him a couple years ago and got a gorgeous filly that later died. We are hopeing to try again.
Their have been a lot of disasters in untimely deaths, a lot of blind allies and dead ends when it comes to genetic planning. Finally I’m tremendously pleased and even ecstatic about our foal crop. I’d like to keep them all, but we have a whole lot of weanlings, yearlings, and two year olds, that don’t even have pictures on the internet and we need to start letting some go. There are even three in one packages that are really reasonably priced. I shudder to think of how much these genetics cost us. Often the pleasant has to be accepted with the bitter as part of the trail. As you consider the direction of your breeding program I hope you will look us up, and see if we may be able to suit your needs. Where ever your trail leads you be determined, keep a sharp eye, and y’all just hold tight on the reins and enjoy the ride as a whole.
Happy Trails,
Ruth Meucci
