Horse Roundup 2026 | WR This Cats Smart: AQHA Hall of Fame class of 2026 

2026 AQHA Hall of Fame stallion WR This Cats Smart is owned by Wagonhound Land and Livestock, Douglas, Wyoming. While they are justifiably proud of his performance accomplishments, their deepest appreciation is for his influence on the Wagonhound remuda and his tremendous impact on the ranch horse industry.  

With a history dating back to Wyoming Territory days, the Wagonhound Ranch got its name from the “hound” – part of a wagon connecting the tongue to the front axle – frequently breaking while crossing the creek near ranch headquarters. Wagonhound motto, “Steadfast in maintaining the highest standards,” applies to all aspects of the business: outfitting, farming, cattle, and their American Quarter Horse breeding program. Owners Art and Catherine Nicholas have not strayed from the qualities at the foundation of the ranch’s historic roots yet have created a remuda with the best of modern bloodlines.  

“WR This Cats Smart was a talented performer and remarkable sire of performance horses, and he provided our cowboys with some of our best ranch horses. The impact he has had on the Wagonhound is significant and will be realized for generations to come through his influence on our breeding program and throughout the industry,” said Wagonhound General Manager, Dustin Ewing. 

While it might be guessed that WR stands for Wagonhound Ranch, WR This Cats Smart was bred by the Weins Ranch, Sedalia, Colorado, and foaled in 1999. Trained and ridden by Tim Smith, WR This Cats Smart earned $236,514 in the cutting pen. He made the finals in 24 major aged events while showing in his four-, five- and six-year-old seasons, and won the NCHA Open Finals. 

“Tim rode him through his career and was an integral part of the stallion’s success. He continued to be involved in his breeding career, recruiting good mares to breed to him. He really liked WR and said he was the most intelligent horse he’s ever ridden. Tim said he was a star, and always so smart and stylish. That was a huge compliment coming from Tim,” said Ewing. 

The Wagonhound purchased WR This Cats Smart in December of 2004.  

“He was still showing at the time,” said Dena Milner, who oversaw the marketing and promotion of WR This Cats Smart throughout his breeding career. “His first foals arrived in 2005 and ‘WR’ as he was known on the Wagonhound, came on to the performance horse scene very quickly as a sire.” 

Dr. Nathan Canaday, Four Sixes Ranch (6666) veterinarian, nominated WR This Cats Smart to join the AQHA Hall of Fame.  

“He stood here at the ranch for many years,” Dr. Canaday said. “We have a long relationship with the Wagonhound. They are a phenomenal ranch, and the owners, Art and Catherine Nicholas are great people.” 

WR stood at the 6666 for most of his breeding career. 

“We just loved him. He was a phenomenal stallion. He had a great show career and a great stallion career. His babies have gone on to be highly successful in almost every discipline,” Dr. Canaday said. 

WR’s qualities as an individual and a sire prompted the Hall of Fame nomination. 

“He was just a great sire,” Dr. Canaday said. “He is one of our favorite broodmare sires. His daughters are some of our favorite mares; you can cross them on anything. The sky is the limit for versatility from both a ranch and performance aspect, which I value because we ranch for a living.” 

WR This Cats Smart played a leading role in the Wagonhound Ranch receiving the AQHA Best Remuda Award in 2018.  

“WR made a significant impact on the ranch’s remuda, as well as our overall breeding program,” said Ewing. 

Since 2020, the Wagonhound has sold 38 individual horses at the Return of the Remuda sale in Guthrie, Oklahoma, that together grossed over $1.3 million. 

“They were mostly ranch horses, with a few performance and rope horses,” Ewing said.  

In 2024, WR was the sire of three of the Return to the Remuda top five high sellers. His highest selling offspring, Sixes Smart Cat, a 2013 gelding, sold as an aged ranch horse in 2021 for $250,000. A 2012 gelding sold in 2024 for $120,000.  

In the 2025 sale a WR This Cats Smart daughter, Melodys Playin Smart, brought $92,000. 

“So many WR daughters are mares that can be successfully crossed in almost any direction. His influence in the ranching community is reflected by those results.” 

WR This Cats Smart offspring have demonstrated a degree of versatility not often matched in today’s world of specialized disciplines.  

“He sired reined cow horse, cutting, ranch, rope, and even barrel horses. His foals are just so very versatile. They can do anything and everything.” 

As a broodmare sire, WR This Cats Smart daughters have produced earners of $8.8 million. Several sons have shown and gone on to become worthy sires for other programs. With so many of his daughters in the mare band at the Wagonhound, they opted not to keep a son on the ranch, but in 2021 purchased Fiddle and Steel as a junior sire to cross on WR daughters. 

It was clear that WR was going to be a sire from the time his first foal crop hit the show pen.  

“Since the beginning, he has taken the performance world by storm,” Ewing said. 

WR This Cats Smart is a QData and NRCHA #2 All-Time Leading Sire and a QData and NCHA Top 15 All-Time Leading Sire, with his foals earning more than $21,000,000. 

But for the Wagonhound, with their roots in ranching, performance in the arena takes second place to prioritizing functional, working ranch horses.  

“When Art and Catherine set out to build their remuda, ideally they wanted to produce horses for the essential daily operations on the Wagonhound,” said Ewing. “We want our horses to possess the talent to excel in top tier competition, but first and foremost they need to have the substance, bottom and grit to do the daily work on the ranch.” 

The Wagonhound chose mares with elite maternal influence to cross on WR throughout his career as a sire. Daughters of Peppy San Badger, Shining Spark and Playgun laid the foundation. These exceptional bloodlines on the bottom side, along with WR as a sire, were key to elevating the Wagonhound program. 

WR This Cats Smart was the product of one of the cutting industry’s most successful crosses: High Brow Cat on a daughter of Smart Little Lena. WR’s dam, the legendary mare and producer of over $1 million, The Smart Look, was “built to produce anything.” Her sire and dam both trace their direct female lineage to Royal King through his daughters Royalena and Royal Smart. Out of a daughter of Freckles Playboy, The Smart Look brought his influence along with that of her maternal grandsire, Smoke 49, to strengthen WR This Cats Smart’s maternal line. 

With the footprint WR This Cats Smart left on the performance horse world and the ranch horse world, the Wagonhound believes his influence on quarter horse breeding will continue for years to come. 

WR This Cats Smart sired foals made the Wagonhound programs successful with their talents as show horses in many events, yet he also brought the qualities to be a superior ranch horse sire. and improved the ranch remuda, with their ideal conformation, trainable minds, athletic ability and natural cow sense. Along with these qualities, his offspring also have the durability, size and bone to withstand heavy use on the ranch.  

“His foals were so smart, just like him, and very, very trainable. Another thing about his foals that has made him such a successful sire is that across disciplines, they are also competitive across all levels, from open to non-pro, to limited to senior. He’s every rider’s horse. It’s really hard to find that,” Ewing said. 

WR’s kind personality made him a ranch favorite on the Wagonhound and at the 6666. 

“He had the spunk and the fire when he needed it and the grit to get the job done, yet he was very feely, intuitive and kind. He embodied what everyone wants in an American Quarter Horse: a gentle, versatile horse that can also rev up his engine and shine.” 

WR’s foals have proven themselves to embody the same traits. 

“He was a great one,” said Milner. “There are so many things I’d like people to know about him. He was special. I know a lot of people say their horses are special, but WR This Cats Smart has a legacy worthy of being remembered and respected. I really think we’re going to be talking about him for decades to come.”