Absolute success for three-of-a-kind
by Michelle Reichert
The third of Sir Isaac Newton’s “Three
Laws of Motion” states that, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.” As it turns out, this is especially true for three exceptional Paint
siblings from Iowa. What a surprise for the Scheckel family when they did their first embryo
transfer on their mare Absolutely Thrilling and ended up with a bay tobiano
filly, a buckskin solid colt and a palomino solid colt. Photography by APHA
STAFF.
The Scheckel family of Bellevue, Iowa, has been breeding horses for more than
15 years, but this past year has been an exceptional one. Their time and
investment has proven worthwhile with the birth of three embryo transfer foals
out of their mare, Absolutely Thrilling, and by the legendary halter stallion,
Kids Classic Style (AQHA). All three now have earned titles at the Fall World
Championship Show (there’s the “equal”).
At the Paint Vegas show in 2006, Tom Scheckel and his family spotted a
beautiful black tobiano weanling filly, Absolutely Thrilling, and made plans to
buy her. The transfer was complete in December 2006. Casey Veach, Tom’s
daughter, said, “The mare was our favorite. We showed her a lot, but she never
did get any titles. But, she was always our favorite because even though she
wasn’t very tall, she was so pretty.”
Absolutely Thrilling was only 2 years old when they harvested three embryos
out of her and bred to Kids Classic Style (AQHA), a buckskin whom the Scheckels
also recently purchased at last year’s World Show. Each embryo was transferred
to recipient draft mares and was born within a few weeks of each other. A
peculiar note is that none of them looked alike (there’s the “opposite”). The
first was a palomino Solid Paint-Bred colt, the second a bay tobiano filly and
the third a buckskin Solid Paint-Bred colt. They are named Absolutely Solid,
Absolutely Classic and Absolutely Stylin, respectively. “They look totally different. Totally different body shapes, totally
different colors. They are three totally different horses. The mare put the
pretty on these foals, but Kids Classic Style put the height.” Absolutely Solid, who is also registered with the Palomino Horse Breeders
Association (PHBA), won the World Champion Solid Paint-Bred Weanling Geldings
title in addition to being a world champion with PHBA as a weanling. Absolutely
Stylin was Reserve World Champion Solid Paint-Bred Weanling Stallion and
Absolutely Classic was Reserve World Champion Open Weanling Mares. Casey and her
husband Jason show the weanlings in the Amateur classes and J. T. Mitchell and
Leon Borcherding show them in the Open. Tom loves the buckskins so his favorite is Absolutely Stylin. “We keep giving
him a hard time because he didn’t like the palomino, and the palomino has the
most titles now,” Casey said with a grin.
The Scheckels are rightfully pleased with the equally impressive, but
intriguingly different, outcomes of this cross. The weanlings were the dam’s
first offspring, and she is bred back again, this time herself, to Kids Classic
Style AQHA. “It’s been a great year and we can’t wait to see what we get the next time,”
said Casey.
Viva Mexico!
Success at the World Show for Mexican-bred
Miss Ali Tramp
By Michelle Reichert
Miss Ali Tramp, a Mexican-bred Paint Horse, was the World Champion in Open Tobiano Weanling Mares and Reserve World Champion in Breeders’ Futurity Platinum Tobiano Weanling Mares. This bay tobiano filly was sired by Premenitions Tramp and out of Sparkle N Skip AQHA and is shown here with Terry Sartain who showed her in the Open Tobiano Weanling Mare class, Executive Committee member Mary Parrott and APHF President Cheryl Newman.
Manuel Mora Rojas of Jalisco, Mexico, had
the dream of bringing some of his Mexican-bred Paint Horses to the APHA Fall
Championship Show, and for a moment it almost didn’t happen. One phone call, one
moment in time, and all seemed lost when a handler who was to pick up one of the
horses couldn’t find her at the quarantine site in Mexico. Upon receiving the phone call that she was missing, Rojas took quick action
to have the horse located by the handler through photos and searching every
stall and paddock on the property. At last, she was found in the very back
pasture, hidden from view.
“From now on, she will have someone accompany her through the quarantine
process from beginning to end,” said Rojas. The missing filly was Miss Ali Tramp, who went on to win the World Champion
title in the Open Tobiano Weanling Filly class and was the Reserve in the
Platinum Breeders Futurity Tobiano Weanling Mares class. She is the first-known
Mexican-bred Paint Horse to win a title at the World Show. Before she came to
the United States, she had been shown in Monterrey, Mexico, and won. People had
expressed interest to Rojas about buying her but he wouldn’t sell her. He had
his sights set on the APHA World Show.
Rojas brought five horses with him from his ranch, Rancho los Duraznenses, to
his first World Championship Show. Several had success, but Miss Ali Tramp was
the one to earn a world championship. The filly is also double-registered, but
not the way we usually find in the United States with a double-registered
Paint/Quarter Horse. The filly is double-registered with the Mexican Paint Horse
Association and APHA.
“This will be big news when we return to Mexico,” said Rojas. “People watched
her on the APHA Web site’s live feed and have been calling us during the show,
congratulating us.” Rojas is the current secretary for the Mexican Paint Horse Association and
has been involved with them for several years. This is the first year they have
been putting on officially-recognized APHA shows and they are excited about what
the future holds. “Our goal is to develop our Youth and Amateur programs,” said
Rojas. “It’s a family affair down there,” said Rojas, “and Youth are the backbone of
every association.” His nephew hopes to come to the World Show next year and
show in the Youth division.
Armando Hernandez of Diamond H Ranch in Skull Valley, Arizona, works with
Rojas to get the horses back and forth across the border and ready to show. He
also owns Miss Ali Tramp’s sire, Premenitions Tramp. He enrolled him and the
mares into the Platinum division of the Breeders’ Futurity so that offspring of
the stallion can compete at that high level. Miss Ali Tramp has definitely lived
up to that. Hernandez said many other halter people in the U.S. have expressed interest
in showing in Mexico and he has tried to give them advice to help them make that
transition easier. Now that Mexico hosts officially-recognized APHA shows, Hernandez said he
hopes that interest will continue and he encourages people to enter the
competitions. The interest to attend the shows is great in Mexico and people are
transitioning over to the Paints very quickly, he said. “We hope one day to have our own World Show in Mexico. The interest is there.
We have large crowds at our shows, everyone comes to watch,” said Hernandez. “In
the aisleways at the show, you have to move people to get your horse through.” APHA has also been helping the Mexican Paint Horse Association establish
tracking for Paint Horses that are in Mexico. “We hope that with APHA’s help, we can double or even triple our number of
registered Paint Horses,” said Hernandez. “There are going to be many more members and many more horses.” Our goal is to have more Youth and Amateur, to develop this part of our Club.
Right now, our Honor Roll points count and breeders of Breeders’ Trust-enrolled
foals get their points just like here in the U.S. We want people to come down
and show. They just have to be prepared to make the four-day wait in quarantine
to cross over.”
The team of Hernandez and Rojas shows what it takes to make the international
partnership possible and viable. They were proud to share Miss Ali Tramp’s
success this year and look forward to the future of their horses and their
programs. “People are now breeding down there to send them to the World Show and
are proud to have a Mexican-bred Paint,” said Hernandez. The future looks bright for the Mexican Paint Horse Association and its
relationship with APHA. Manuel Mora Rojas and Armando Hernandez are proving that
the partnerships between Mexican and American Paint Horse breeders are growing
and thriving. According to the 2008 Annual Report, there are 109 APHA members
and 193 Paint Horse owners in Mexico. In 2009 Mexico offered nine APHA-approved
shows. “It is growing very quickly,” said Hernandez. “Every time APHA sends someone
down to Mexico to our shows, the interest grows even more.”
The Daily Courier | Local land trust helps preserve ranch
This article is about Callie's father, "Dave Jenner"
Article was recently featured in our local newspaper the Prescott Courier. Jan. 18, 2008
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ARTICLE
Dave Jenner: rancher, philanthropist and Renaissance man
This article is about Callie's father, "Dave Jenner"
Article was featured at the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, AZ - August of '07.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ARTICLE
DOWNS 2007: Hernandez is top trainer - again!
Article on Armando's brother "Raul Hernandez"
Article was recently featured in our local newspaper the Prescott Courier.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ARTICLE
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