BEAUTIFUL HORSES
Solis (1923), out of “Mother of Solis”, a part-Thorough bred mare by Martin’s Best, a grade Thoroughbred; she is also thought to have descended from Martin’s Best through her dam. Solis sired 75 foals of record, most of which were retained by King Ranch and thus were not competed or advertised.
The big but shapely stallion Babe Grande (1928), out of a mare by Hickory Bill bred by William Anson. I consider it likely that Babe Grande inherited from his dam some Suffolk Punch blood (see “Hard Times Bring Big Changes,” EQUUS 496).
Ranchero (1933), in this author’s opinion a very beautiful horse. He is out of Borega by Old Sorrel, she out of “a King Ranch mare,” likely part-Thoroughbred, but my guess is that she also carried some mustang or Morgan (Richard King, founder of King Ranch, stood a Morgan stallion, and there were thousands of mustang mares on the property until the mid-1930s).
Rey del Rancho (1944), a highly inbred horse (36.8 percent related to Old Sorrel through six crosses) is out of Panda de la Tordia by
Ranchero, she out of Panda de Tordilla by Babe Grande. Continuing
Bob Kleberg’s technique of alternating tight inbreeding with outcrosses (see “Great Horses by Design,” EQUUS 500), Rey Del
Rancho was incorporated into the King Ranch breeding program. He was the sire of champions Anita Chica, Rex Del Rancho and El Rey Rojo.
Anita Chica was a very successful halter horse and later became the dam of the AQHA cutting point-earner El Probre, who was also used extensively in the King Ranch breeding program. Rey del Rancho sired Rey Jay, a champion in cutting competition. This and other records reported here demonstrate how, in the early days, a halter championship was a good indication of performance ability.
Wimpy (1935), out of Panda by Old Sorrel, she out of “a roan Quarter Horse mare” by Hickory Bill. This mare was not bred by Anson and evidently had no draft blood. Wimpy, a champion in halter competition, sired some 174 registered offspring who became champions in cutting, reining and halter.
Bill Cody (1944) by Wimpy out of Pesetita by Old Sorrel. Pesetita is out of Peseta by Cardinal by Old Sorrel. Another highly inbred horse, Bill Cody was the breed’s first halter superstar, whose widely-advertised image helped to fix the idea of “Quarter Horse type” in the minds of the general public. He sired champions in halter, cutting and reining.