Stallion Showcase 2025 | Credit to Irish

Versatility and kindness characterize Irish Pay foals     

Irish Pay has changed Lainee Shearer’s life. It was love at first sight the first time she saw him, and her love for him has only grown deeper with time. 

“The thing that caught my eye the most about him was his kind eye,” she said. “He’s the kindest horse you’ll ever find. Everyone who sees him in person says there’s just something about him.” 

With his flawless conformation, Shearer said that Irish Pay reminds her of old-fashioned Quarter Horses. Now 20 years old, he has aged well.  

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“He still looks great, and he’s just a super, super kind individual. He really passes that on to his foals. 

Shearer and her then-husband TK Sampson purchased Irish Pay from John and Lis Holman at the Open Box Rafter Ranch sale in 2011. Before the sale, they went to Holmans to look at him and see some of his foals.  

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“The minute I laid eyes on him I fell in love with him,” she said. 

After seeing him in person, Shearer studied his pedigree, which she also found attractive. 

“Irish has always been a complete outcross for any discipline, plus he’s brown, so people could breed colored mares to him. He was something so different for our north country that just about anyone can breed to him.”  

Although Shearer ran barrels with Irish’s foals, he was not a typical barrel horse sire.  

“People will call with a barrel horse, wanting to produce a rope horse, and he’s an outcross for them,” she said. 

Irish Pay’s versatility as a sire appeals to a wide audience. 

“Something that’s really important if you are going to purchase a stud or raise one is to ask the question, ‘How can they appeal to the public, and who can breed to them? When you can say the sky’s the limit, you can really appeal to everyone,”   

With over 400 foals to date, Irish Pay’s offspring have earned well over $750,000 according to Equi-stat. 

“It’s really cool to see the list when I pull it up: his foals have earnings in barrels, poles, breakaway, heading, heeling, mounted shooting and team penning. That sums up Irish’s offspring pretty well. They can do all kinds of things. There is nothing better to me than a versatile horse: a ranch horse that performs in the arena or a barrel horse that excels in breakaway roping.” 

As a barrel racer, Shearer could have chosen a straight running bred horse for her herd sire, but she didn’t want to be stuck in a box of one discipline. With two sons rather than two daughters, she knew she needed horses that would go on to excel in other events. 

“I was hoping for one horse do multiple events on,” she said. “My horses did multiple events when I went to college. I roped and ran barrels, and they could do both if you needed them to. I also wanted horses that would excel on the ranch. I grew up on the ranch and want a horse that will have the mind to go out, put in a long hard day on the ranch and then go to the arena and have something you could compete on. 

When they first purchased Irish Pay, they also purchased several of his offspring that were two to four years old. One, Irish Ivy, turned out to be a very special horse for their family.  

“Ivy is [Cooper’s] pride and joy,” she said. “He flag races, ribbon ropes, breakaway ropes, heads and heels on her. He won state in junior high rodeo in breakaway roping with her and has placed at Little Britches rodeos on her. You could do anything on her. I ran barrels on her and TK picked up on her as well. Now she does all the events.” 

When they started the Pink Buckle, Shearer told Cooper he was going to ride Ivy to compete in the youth division.  

“Ivy was five and Cooper was eight, and he went and got second place,” she said. 

Shearer said her son Case prefers ranch work to rodeos.  

“Case will ranch all day long with his horse Shotgun, who is by Irish Pay. He’s our go-to ranch guy and he loves it.”  

Irish Pay stands at Colorado State University.  

“They have done an absolutely wonderful job with him,” Shearer said. “We were also blessed that his semen has always been outstanding. He could spit on something and get them bred. We always try to keep him down there for an extra month; up here in northern areas we can breed into July and still get a June baby. I will get calls at the end of the year from people who have been trying to get their mares bred without success, and Irish will get them in foal.” 

The stallion’s frozen semen is also of excellent quality, and Shearer has plenty on hand. 

“I can breed to Irish until the day I die,” she said.  

She recently purchased a two-year-old son of Stevie Rey Von out of a running bred mare. Registered name “The Maserati” has a tall order to fill as the up-and-coming junior stallion following in Irish Pay’s steps.  

“Irish’s daughters will be a phenomenal cross on The Maserati and his genetics will influence my program forever,” Shearer said. 

Her boys can go catch Irish Pay and ride him bareback with just a halter. 

“He has spoiled me in that way,” she said. “When I bought my two-year-old stud, I tried to think of the exact same things that impressed me when we bought Irish. Did I fall in love with him? Does he have a kind eye? He’s a pretty cool colt and he has big shoes to fill. He can try.” 

On a leap of faith, Shearer enrolled Irish in the Pink Buckle early on.  

“It has grown into such a huge event,” she said. “I took a chance at being part of it, but I had so much faith in Irish I knew it would work. He’s like the gift that keeps giving. The places he’s taken me are incredible.” 

When Shearer drives by Irish’s paddock, he whinnies at her. 

“He’s a very special horse,” she said. “There will never be another Irish. He came along when he needed to and changed my life. He’s what dreams are made of. I love him so much.” 

She loves hearing how willing and kind his foals are.  

“He passes on those traits,” she said. “By his pedigree he’s bred to be a versatile horse, but what it really boils down to is that he is so willing to please. His foals are so beautiful, and so kind and willing. I’ve ridden many of them and it seems to be a dominant trait in them.” 

From a 10-year-old girl riding a five-year-old Irish Pay daughter to Shearer’s father who is nearly 70, “anyone young or old can ride him,” she said. 

Shearer’s life would be significantly different if Irish Pay hadn’t come into her life.  

“He’s super, super special to me,” she said. “If somebody ever says something complimentary to me, I give the credit to Irish. He’s the one that deserves it.”