Stallion Showcase 2025 | The Resurgence of the Ranch Horse Breeder 

“All Quarter Horses must be able to run a quarter mile in twenty-three seconds or show that they are capable of Quarter Horse Performance under ranch conditions.” 

 – AQHA Executive Committee meeting minutes from April 22, 1940 

In 2010, the AQHA initiated a significant trajectory, honoring its roots in the working ranch horse. The Ranching Heritage program was created to recognize breeders who raise horses that they use to handle cattle on the ranch.     

Prior to this, then-President Johannes Orgeldinger knew that a great portion of his membership was being inadvertently neglected due to the hyper-focus on the show horse discipline. 

“The AQHA had become more of a show management organization,” said current AQHA President Jim Hunt. “That’s where they were spending most of their time and effort, dealing with issues around horse shows.”  

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Hunt referenced ranch breeders, such as his dad and neighbors in South Dakota. “[At that time], they were members for only one reason – to produce good horses to register colts, but they didn’t show. They weren’t show people. As time went on, they did selective registrations. They would only register the ones that they might go on to sell as a stallion prospect or because somebody wanted papers.”  

He went on, “The papers didn’t have the value that they once had in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. there was a decline in the devotion to the AQHA. Johannes recognized that.” With Orgeldinger’s leadership, the AQHA sought to regain the respect and involvement of the ranching breeder.  

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The first step was creating a Ranching Council, with nine prominent ranch horse breeders in the AQHA, including Hunt, Stan Weaver, Larry Bell, and representatives from the RA Brown Ranch, the Waggoner Ranch, and others. 

“We came up with the idea to create an incentive for those breeders who were barely engaged or not engaged,” Hunt said. The Ranching Heritage program was created. Longstanding ranch breeders who met certain parameters were eligible to enroll in the program, each set of registered papers marked with the prestigious stamp.  

To be eligible, breeders must use their Quarter Horses primarily for ranch work, own at least five American Quarter Horse mares that are used to produce the remuda, and the ranch must have received at least an AQHA 10-year breeder award. 

Back to Its Roots 

The AQHA was founded in large part by ranching breeders. Wimpy, the very first registered Quarter Horse and whose bronze statue rests outside the AQHA Headquarters in Amarillo, Texas, was raised on the King Ranch. Other notable foundation stallions, such as King, Peter McCue, Steel Dust, and more, all had strong foundations in working ranches.  

William Anson, a breeder and journalist who was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame, was one of the first to coin the term “Quarter Horse” as an established type of horse in one of his articles. Another article he wrote was called “Breeding a Rough Country Horse” and appeared in The Breeders Gazette in May 1910 – further evidence that the Quarter Horse has a long history of grit and versatility on the range. 

Of course, the original founders of the AQHA were split evenly between those who preferred the Steel Dust influence – stockiness, large muscles, big jaw, and small ears preferable for cowboys – and the Thoroughbred traits, ideal for racing.  

Most will know that the Quarter Horse got its name for the breed’s ability to quickly run a quarter mile. However, prowess as a ranch horse was just as crucial as racing ability, as evidenced by the epigraph at the beginning of the article. A bona fide American Quarter Horse, according to the founders, was a horse with ranching ability, racing ability, or both.  

Despite a rocky and polarized beginning to the AQHA due to the disagreements of the ranchers vs. racehorse enthusiasts, the two camps banded together to preserve the best of both traditions and create America’s own breed of horse. 

The Desired Effect 

The revival of ranching breeders’ involvement in the AQHA in the early 2010s took hold almost immediately. “[The Ranching Heritage] took off like wildfire,” said Hunt. “We had 17 ranches in the first year that signed up.” 

“It worked well enough that we have about 450 heritage breeders in North America and worldwide today. We have applications every month and many get turned down. It’s very selective. There are about 200,000 eligible horses in this program.”  

Ranching Heritage horses are eligible to compete in any number of Ranching Heritage shows and competitions, which are also growing. “In fact, it’s growing faster than the horse show side of things by double,” said Hunt.  

Along with various other efforts, the Ranching Heritage program added value to registration papers once more. Colts from eligible programs are now in an elite group.  

One advantage to purchasing a Ranching Heritage horse is the time, depth and wisdom behind the bloodlines, according to Jecca Ostrander of Box O Performance Horses. “When they came up with the idea to highlight horses that come from a ranching background, they hit gold because people don’t take into consideration the years and study of bloodlines and what people want,” she said. Required to raise five colts per year for 10 years for the purposes of ranch work, Ranching Heritage breeders likely have an established knowledge of effective crosses.  

“Ranchers have a heart for building a horse that they feel will work well for you. It’s been vital that AQHA highlight those,” she said. Very often, they know the traits and successes of a colt’s dam, and even granddam due to the longevity of their breeding program. 

Box O Quarter Horses Raise Ranch Horses for Competition 

Box O Quarter Horses was the inaugural Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year in 2016. This year, they were the highest-earning Ranching Heritage breeders. Ostrander was head of the Ranching Committee for four years and still sits on the committee, helping to select applicants to the program.  

In Ostrander’s mind, the Ranching Heritage producers are the antidote to the hyper-focus on a few specific bloodlines. “The industry is stuck on some name-brand horses for each discipline. They have a tendency to funnel their mares down to just those few studs,” she said.  

Ostranders were recognized as Ranching Heritage breeders in 2011, and Jecca remembers watching the first Ranching Heritage show in 2012 and thinking, “We can do that.” Now, she strives to make every Ranching Heritage show she can.  

“It’s truly a great program and there’s great money in it. I know that these trainers think they need to go to the Snaffle Bit [Futurity] to make money, but we make good money at the Ranching Heritage. It funds what I do. The added money at those is worth looking at. You can be committed to it and pay your way. That’s important for people that have a limited budget.” 

Ostrander balances her time showing with operating a commercial Angus/Limousin cow herd alongside her husband, Cash, and son, Stetson, and his family. Their ranch is based in Gordon, Nebraska. She also oversees their Quarter Horse breeding program, in which they raise 12-15 colts every year. Most of their mares are bred to their stallions, SNW Heavens King and Opus Cat Olena, with a handful of mares bred to select outside sires.  

It was a home-raised colt by SNW Heavens King that kickstarted Ostrander’s success in the Ranching Heritage shows. “When we started with BOXO Heavens Blue, that was just a horse out of our pasture that we felt he was riding better than what we’ve seen before,” she said. The gelding went onto become a National Reserve Champion Two-Rein Non-Pro horse with lifetime earnings of $60,000 in the NRCHA, AQHA, and Ranching Heritage and Versatility.  

Because of her success on that gelding, Ostrander encourages horse shoppers not to discount ranching-bred horses, even for arena prospects. Just as breeders ought not seek out “name-brand” stallions according to the current trends, nor should they prejudice certain bloodlines for similar reasons.  

For example, the three-year-old mare, BOXO Opus Valentine, which Ostrander showed at the Snaffle Bit Futurity in October, goes back to Hancock on the dam side. “I showed her mom (BOXO Valentines Cat) – she was super. She won $55,000. And her very bottom line is all Hancock,” she said.   

“You have to look at the talent, and not discredit [the horse] because it has Hancock on its papers. You see ads from people asking for horses and they say, ‘No Hancock,’ and I think, ‘You’re kind of missing out.'”  

“You have to ride what you like,” she said.  

Ostrander recognizes there are hidden gems from ranch horse breeding programs. “People need to understand that you have horses in your pasture that are as talented as these horses that go down the road all the time.” Producers often do not promote their progeny due to lack of time or funds.  

“But those horses have the ability and athleticism that’s off the charts or they wouldn’t be able to drag a cow around or stop on a dime when you need them to.”  

At the time of interview, Ostrander was showing at the Snaffle Bit Futurity in Fort Worth. She said, “There’s a lot of horses here and they’re really cool, but not many of them have been to a branding. The one I ride has.”  

Box O Quarter Horses markets their progeny mostly by word of mouth and through a few sales, such as the NILE, Legend Buttes Sale, and Black Hills Stock Show.  

Further Events, Awards, and Programs Elevating the Ranch Horse 

There were 23 Ranching Heritage Challenge events in 2024, including at the Black Hills Stock Show. In order to be eligible to compete, one must own a Ranching Heritage horse, whose papers are stamped with the insignia. 

The most prestigious award in the AQHA is the Remuda Award, which is chosen from the group of Ranching Heritage producers. Regional ranches that have received this award since its inception in 1992 include Haythorn Land & Cattle Co. of Arthur, Nebraska; S Ranch Ltd. of Billings, Montana; Silver Spur Operating Company of Encampment, Wyoming; and Wagonhound Land & Livestock of Douglas, Wyoming. Since 2018, they have incorporated an International Remuda Award.  

Hunt was also integral in the introduction of the Ranching Heritage Young Horse Development Program, which matches donated weanlings with AQHA Youth members. Youth who receive a weanling learn alongside horsemen and veterinarians to master the fundamentals of horsemanship and equine wellness.  

Hunt is pleased at the continued evolution of the Quarter Horse breed. “It’s been really rewarding to see those breeders, trainers, owners be recognized for their genetics. The genetics is so important. It’s so evident. The cream rises to the top. It’s tough at all levels, and you’ve got to be mounted.” 

More information can be found at AQHA.com.