Our Love of Appaloosas goes back for Generations...
My first Appaloosa foal was born in 2012....
But the story starts WAY Before that....
My grandfather on my Dad’s side had an Appaloosa mare named Nellie, and one of Nellie’s foals, also an Appaloosa... were cow horses on my PaPa Pete’s farm.
My grandfather on my Mom’s side, my Grandpa Bill, also rode an Appaloosa named Chico that he used for ranch work, parades, playdays, and everything. I grew up around horses, and was just a newborn when my Dad took me on my first ride.
I’ve been raising AQHA horses since I was a young girl and starting around 2002... I started looking for an Appaloosa to add to my program.... but, not just any Appaloosa... I wanted a well made, athletic, correct, balanced horse with plenty of bone, great feet, pretty head, big hip.... AND Color..... AND a thick mane, and Long Tail..... and a wonderful disposition, to raise Barrel and performance prospects with...
Although I really was looking for the “Perfect” Stallion.... In 2011 I finally found a big, Bay Appaloosa mare, who was a granddaughter of EASY JET, and I bought her. I bred her to GO TO MOONS and in 2012, my first Appaloosa foal was born (Pictured Above the morning he was born) and I was SO EXCITED!
I continued my search for the “Perfect” Appaloosa stallion...
I searched magazines, newspapers, feed store bulletin boards, and internet websites everywhere searching for my perfect Appaloosa stallion. Finally after around 14 years of searching... I ran across some ads for Appaloosa foals for sale... and they were GORGEOUS! They were well built, balanced, had pretty heads, big hips, and all were colorful. I dug through the information listed, and they were all sired by the SAME stallion. I called the number in the ads, and spoke to the young lady about the horses. Her parents had been raising AQHA horses, and ApHC horses for many years, but due to health issues, and retirement... the parents were selling ALL the horses! I asked about the sire of the foals I’d seen pictured, and they were willing to sell him too!
I couldn’t hook up the trailer fast enough, and down the highway I went! I finally found the farm in Eastern Oklahoma, tucked back in the woods, secluded from the world. The foals around the farm were all beautiful, well made, and colorful. By the looks of the AQHA mares, and the looks of the colorful foals... I realized that the stallion must be Homozygous for LP, and highly likely he was also Homozygous for the Black base also.
I had FINALLY found my “Perfect” Stallion! SILVERADO REIN, a 2006 stallion was on his way home with me. I color tested him and confirmed my suspicion... he was Homozygous for Black and LP, and a True Black. EEaaLPLP.
I bred a few mares to SILVERADO REIN each year, and continued to raise AQHA, APHA, and ApHC Barrel prospects for many more years...
In 2017... I wanted to add another Appaloosa stallion to my Program. But, I was looking specifically for a Race or Barrel bred stallion, with Color. But, he must have great conformation, great legs and feet, and a great disposition too.
By now, the internet and Facebook were available for searching... and even then... it seemed like I was searching for a stallion that did not exist....
The longer I searched, the more I was disappointing as to what was out there... I could find halter horses, western pleasure type horses, and others, and even some race bred horses, but not EXACTLY what I was searching for that met ALL my requirements.
I was to the point of changing my plans... and buying a running bred colorful ApHC mare (just as hard to find) and crossing her with SILVERADO REIN to get closer to what I wanted...
Then, after countless additional searches... I saw a Photo of IVORY KING on an Oklahoma Race Stallion Service Auction site in Jan 2019. I had never seen IVORY KING before in any of my searches! Why wasn’t he advertised anywhere? and did he have any foals? I contacted Gary, his owner, and asked if he was for sale... and He quickly and without hesitation said... NO! Gary had raised this ApHC Race Champion, and he was going to raise foals (race horses) with IVORY KING. Gary did tell me though that he had a few 2018 foals (IVORY’s first crop) I could look at, and he might sell me one. I scheduled my trip to see IVORY KING (already at a college where he was to be collected for the 2019 season) and go to Gary’s ranch to see the IVORY foals. I took a trailer, and was prepared to TRY to buy IVORY KING...
Once I saw IVORY KING... my search was Over! I had found EXACTLY what I was looking for! The problem was... He wasn’t for sale!
I saw the amazing foals by IVORY and that made me want IVORY even more. But, Gary wouldn’t budge. He would NOT sell IVORY KING. I went home late that night with an empty trailer. But, I was determined. I called and called, and pestered Gary until he priced him... with a list of ‘Conditions’ that would have to be honored.... IF he agreed to sell IVORY to me....
After about a week of phone calls, we made a deal, and shook hands over the phone. We started making final arrangements, etc. and IVORY KING came to live with us in Feb. 2019. Gary will continue to get to breed mares to IVORY KING, and we worked together to honor Re-Breeds, Donated Breedings, etc. for 2019. I experimented with collecting IVORY, semen extenders, and processing to get the absolute Best Results with cooling his semen, and the conception rate was Outstanding in 2019, and the 2019 season a huge success. There will be Lots of 2020 Foals all over the country, and I couldn’t be more excited!
We are located near Snyder, OK. I’ve been doing my own breeding work for over 30 years. We accept mares here to be bred A.I. and we offer Cooled Shipped nationwide.
We also raise Foals by IVORY KING, SILVERADO REIN, and many AQHA stallions.
Check out our website to see them all- www.bedonna.com
Or call (no texts) Bedonna at 580-471-4040.
