History helps horses become important today

By Kylene Orebaugh

A horse means different things to different people. To a ranch cowboy it means a loyal creature that will put their life in the cowboy's hands to get that sick animal roped or to travel miles and miles in a day to check water, fences and cattle. To another, the horse may mean companionship and relaxation.

Kristy and Ed McKechnie who live on the Horse Creek Ranch near Arcadia, Kan., take pride in the horses they raise. Their horses are gentle, loving and easy to be around, but it has taken generations for them to get the horses just the way they want them.

In the beginning

It all started with Ed's father, Arthur McKechnie Jr., who began breeding registered American Quarter Horses in 1947. Early on Arthur had three studs--Leo Lightning (a son of Leo); Dixie Jr. (Oklahoma Star bred); and Horatio (son of Sugar Bars). In 1986 he added Skip Will Win and Whammy Ball. During his lifetime, 240 foals were born from the first three studs he owned. McKechnie was honored by the American Quarter Horse Association in 1999 as a 50-plus year breeder.

Arthur was born and raised in Wyoming where he owned two ranches, the Horse Creek Ranch and the River Ranch in the Laramie Mountains. He was in Wyoming until the early '70s when he purchased ranches in Arizona to continue raising horses and cattle away from the harsh winters. Arthur was also very active in Wyoming politics and agriculture.

Arthur was quoted as saying, "Awards, ribbons and honors are nice, but real satisfaction comes from a parent who trusts one of our horses for their children." His greatest satisfaction came from having repeat customers, Ed said.

Ed and Kristy began taking the horses in their own direction about six years ago.

"When Ed's dad passed away, we brought some back from Arizona where he'd been breeding and raising them for over 50 years. We brought back that history," Kristy said. "We have about ten broodmares that we breed and four stallions."

The emphasis of bloodlines is evident in their breeding program. The family stands four stallions, Skip Will Win (1984 sorrel), Whammy Ball (1986 sorrel), Call Me Nifty Tu (1994 dun) and Starring Cool (2001 bay).

"We really like Three Bars-bred lines," Kristy said. "We like the way those horses look, and their gentle personalities."

The older stallions (Skip and Whammy) come from the belief Ed's father, Arthur, held that the Quarter Horse needs to mirror the ideal animal set forth in the Orren Mixer painting, the representation AQHA uses to show the ideal American Quarter Horse.

"We have some strong Skipper W lines also. And those horses are really easy to train. And can do just about anything you want them to do," Kristy said. "You can ride them for pleasure, you can work them on the cows. They are just a pretty good, all-around working horse."

All of the stallions are easy to handle, and are expected to act accordingly.

"They are pretty predictable," Kristy said. "But you are cautious around them."

The stallions are broke to ride, and the older ones did work for a living when Ed's dad was still alive.

"I rode Whammy yesterday, and he's the same every time," Kristy said. "He's just as easy to breed."

Kristy noted that she must feel comfortable around the horses, and safety is an important issue to the McKechnie's, especially when it comes to any of the horses. The McKechnie's have two sons, Austin, 3, and Jackson, 2.

"I want my kids to be around them, and for me to feel safe," she said.

The mares

Mares are just as important as the stallion when it comes to raising horses. Most of the McKechnies' broodmares are by the current stallions, and their dams highlight the foundation sires Arthur had stood. There are a couple of new mares that are bred differently, just to add some new blood into the herd. The pair normally only breeds half of the mares a year, back to one of their other studs.

"They just seem to complement one another that way," Kristy said.

The smaller foal crop also allows Kristy to focus on each baby.

"I like to work with the foals one on one as much as possible," she said. "If you get too many foals it's hard to do that."

She also gets a sense of accomplishment out of working with the young horses.

"It's almost like I am creating who they are going to be," Kristy said of the foals. "I really enjoy this."

They primarily breed to their own mares, but will occasionally take an outside mare.

"I've taken two or three outside mares (in the last year)," Kristy said. "It's just me, and I don't want to take on too much. Once I know they are serious, I will take on the mare."

It's a relationship building process with mare owners, Kristy said, and her goal is to have a good experience and for them to be happy with the foal in the end.

And, with the bloodlines they have, Ed thinks important traits are included in the pedigrees.

"It's good to have a nice disposition," Ed said. "The worst kind of horse is one you can't catch, and some of that is actually breeding."

Ed said his father liked the more traditional horses of the past, and his breeding program still shows in the Horse Creek Ranch. Father and son both looked for horses in the 14 to 15 hand range, with minimal white markings.

"There is some practicality we try to look for," Ed said.

Horse Creek customers

Many of the Horse Creek Ranch customers are looking for horses that are used for pleasure.

"They want to ride horses during the week and on the weekends, and have a little property," Kristy said. "They just enjoy riding horses, and are looking for a horse that will suit that type of lifestyle."

While the McKechnies know what their customers want now, they admit they headed into uncharted territory when it came to marketing their offspring in the beginning.

"We didn't have that much of a plan," Ed said. "But we did look for fitting into the right niche."

Kristy agreed.

"There was a time when I wondered if we should be breeding," Kristy said. "But we've sold some really nice horses out of our stallions and mares to people who said they like them so much that they hope we continue to produce those type of horses."

That's one thing that keeps them going.

"I think its customers telling us how happy they are that keeps us breeding those few mares and stallions back," she said.

Ed has also tried to do a little bit of experimenting with the marketing of the horses.

"Back in the '60s and '70s, if you were going to go sell (horses), it was word of mouth, magazines and sales," he said. "Everybody went to sales. Attendance at the sales was a lot stronger."

But there is a difference in the sales, the pair noted.

"There's a horse trader sale and then there is a production sale," Kristy said. "I'd rather go to a production sale than a horse trader sale because you don't know what you are going to get at the trader sale."

Kristy prides her horses in the fact that she takes each baby once it is weaned and halter breaks it and works with it on the ground.

"Prices are determined by experience," Kristy said. "And if people know I'm out there everyday working with those babies (they are worth more.)"

There is a mix of publications to advertise horses in Ed said, and ultimately their advertising in print media lead to advertising on the Internet.

"Publications are more of a window sign that says look here," he said. "I think my Dad would have been surprised by the number of people that really do 90 percent of their shopping on the Internet."

Of the horses the pair has sold this year, most of the buyers showed horses when they were younger and wanted to get back into it.

"They've got a job, and are now ready to do horses again," she said. "Some are older, and want one to grow old with."

The couple works hard to match up the right horse with the right buyer.

"That is a challenge for me," Ed said. "We may not have the horse, but we know of other people who might have one."

That statement seems to be an unwritten rule in the horse world--spreading the word if there is a horse for sale or if someone is looking to buy. The couple also has had those calls where somebody is looking for a needle in a haystack.

"There are those people who want a $10,000 horse for $2,000," Ed said. "One that is dead broke."

The large majority of the horses the ranch sells are three- four- or five-year olds, and even a couple of weanlings. The older horses have 90 to 120 days riding on them by a trainer.

"We always have a couple of people who want one," Kristy said of the babies. "We sold one at 6 months, and it's doing great. It looks good and they grow so fast."

One thing though that seems to keep them breeding horses is the people.

"We've had a lot of encouragement from people," Ed said. "And actually it's the after-the-sale e-mails we get now where people e-mail you several months and years after."

For more information about the McKechnie's horses and ranch visit www.horsecreekranch.net.

Kylene Orebaugh can be reached by phone at 620-227-1804 or by e-mail at korebaugh@hpj.com.

Date: 10/26/06

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